Not used to spending so much time in a saddle, Bren’s backside was killing him so he decided that it would be best to spend some time riding on one of the wagons. He still felt slightly awkward around Faye, but he decided that it was time that he settled that with himself otherwise it was going to be a very long and tiring journey in more than one way. After tying his horse to the back of the wagon Bren climbed in next to Faye who had taken charge of the rear wagon.
Bren had not had a chance to talk to Faye since the incident back at the inn where he had been forced to carry her to her chambers. Just remembering it caused his cheeks to turn slightly red. As he took a seat on the narrow bench his hand brushed her side and she looked at him, then quickly turned away. It would seem that she had not forgotten that night either.
For the first hour they rode in an eerie calm, then unable to take the pressure anymore Bren broke the silence. “Are you still mad?” As soon as the words left his mouth Bren cursed his own tongue. Of all the things he could have chosen to say that had to number among the most foolish.
“I was not mad,” Faye said defiantly. “Ok, I was mad but I had every right to be, and if I am still mad or not depends on you.”
“What would make you happy then?” Bren asked holding back a heavy sigh.
“What would make me happy? Is that what you want to know,” Faye said her voice raising slightly with every word. “What would make me happy is for you to tell me what I am to you. You called me your friend but if that is all I will ever be, I will never be happy.”
“I honestly don’t know,” Bren said softly. “I know that you are important to me, and that should I lose you I would feel as if I had lost part of myself.”
Now you have delivered yourself to the slaughter. It seems I have lost another master to a cunning woman. When will you learn that it would be better to jump from a cliff than to tie yourself to a person who will demand from you things that cannot be given? One day you will look back on this moment and know that I was right.
“Say what you will,” Bren told Thuraman. “But I will not spend my days finding only hate for someone just because of their gender. You protest to hate them yet without my mother you would have been without a new master when my father disappeared.”
“I guess that will have to do for now,” Faye said grabbing Bren’s arm and pulling him in close to her. If you do not love me completely yet then I will just have to make sure that you never lay your eyes on another woman.”
Little was said between the two the rest of the trip, yet there seemed to be a warmth coming from Faye. As night began to fall Hayao found them a suitable camping spot that not only had good visibility but would be easily defended in case of attack.
After brushing down Fukuyo, Bren found a nice even spot on the ground that was void of rocks for his bedroll. That was the one downside to sleeping under the stars no matter how nice of a spot he thought he found there was always a rock that would magically appear to lodge in his back the second he was about to become comfortable.
“Do you mind?” Faye asked holding her bedroll and blanket. Bren shook his head and smiling Faye through her stuff down next to his.
When a shiver ran down his back Bren turned to see Lillian openly staring at him with a look of utter anger on her face. Thanks to Cass, Bren knew that Lillian was found of him though he felt none of the same feelings toward her, it pained him to see her upset. The truth was that while she was beautiful, it felt as if she was trying to replace the father with the son. More than once she had called him by his father’s name, though he had never brought it to her attention. Bren didn’t know what Thad had done to garner so much affection from the elf but he knew that her real feelings were not aimed at him.
Like always the meal was simple yet tasty, though when Lillian gave him his portion it was much smaller than usual. It was enough to stop his hunger yet not quite enough for him to feel satisfied. He thought about asking for more but one look at her face told him that doing so would be a mistake.
I told you that dealing with women only caused trouble. If she was a man she would simply give you a good beating instead she will punish you for years to come in small ways.
“I am sure that she will come to forgive me,” Bren replied skeptically.
After the meal Bren laid down to sleep though he found it hard to find a restful position. A half a day in a saddle and the other half on a hard bouncing bench had left his entire body stiff and sore, even the bottoms of his feet hurt. It was as he was tossing and turning that he felt something soft sling to him from behind. Startled Bren nearly jumped out of his bed but when the light hair brushed over his eyes he knew what had happened.
After more than a half an hour trying to get Faye to release her hold on his arm he gave it up as a lost cause. She was a sound sleeper it would seem and a clingy one at that. Trying to forget that she slept next to him, Bren closed his eyes and tried to get some much needed rest.
The sun rose far too soon for Bren’s liking as he hadn’t got more than a half an hour of sleep thanks to the constant reminder that Faye clung to his arm. When she had awoke, she had apologized to him but the look in her eyes told him that it was only a half hearted one.
For some reason Bren was sure that this was not going to be his first sleepless night. He only hoped that Faye was kind enough to give him a break from time to time, otherwise Bren didn’t think that he would last to reach the Brotherhood’s camp.
CHAPTER XXV
In less than a fortnight they had crossed five different daimios and three times as many towns, most of which were simple villages that had little in the way of merchants. It reminded Bren of the time he had went to the small farming village with Faye and her family.
Just like in the port, wherever they went Avalanche drew the attention of the people. For the most part it didn’t hinder their progress until an old man holding a bronze staff with six large rings that jingled at the top of the staff blocked their path as they moved to leave one of the larger towns they had been in.
“My good lord my I have a moment of your time,” The man asked bowing his head lightly.
“I am in a hurry but I will listen if you speak fast,” Bren replied offhandedly.
“Tomorrow the Aoi Matsuri will be held by our small temple. Many lords from the neighboring lands will come to see it. I believe it is the will of the gods that you have come across us during this time and I wish that you would allow the guardian to offer his aid during this time.
Bren turned to Arashi and raised his eyebrow slightly. “There are small and large shrines dedicated to different gods scattered throughout the land. We are currently in the city of Kyoiri which hosts one of the largest shrines and holds numerous festivals for the surrounding lands. The Aoi festival is to appease the gods and ask for a bountiful harvest in the coming year,” Arashi explained.
Bren didn’t want to be delayed, but stopping for the festival would give them some time to relax. Since they had left Rane they hadn’t had much downtime, and the weariness of the long travel was starting to show on everyone in both attitude and energy. “I think we can stop for a day or two to enjoy the festival,” Bren said making the priest slightly smile.
“That would be most appreciated my lord. The temple will offer you lodgings though I doubt they will be up to my lord’s taste,” the priest said bowing again.
Bren and the others followed the priest until they reached a set of long stone stairs. “How are we supposed to get our wagons and horses up this?” Jin asked looking up at the countless stone steps.
“My lord there is a small house near here that belongs to a farmer. Tell him that you were sent by the shrine and I am sure that he will agree to keep your animals for you during your stay,” the priest said after thinking for a few moments. “If there is anything you wish to take with you I apologize but it must be carried. The only way to reach the temple is through these steps.”
While Jin, Faye, Lillian and two guards took the wagons and horse
s to the man’s house, Bren and the others followed the priest up the long and winding steps.
After passing a large wooden arch Bren took his first step toward the shrine. He didn’t know the reason for having so many steps, but it took less than five minutes to reach the top though he still felt the fatigue from the long journey coupled with the climb. Once they reached the top of the stone steps Bren found another large gateway that opened into a stone path that was lined with stone lanterns that stood nearly half the height of a man.
To the left of the path there was a large alter with an extravagant statue that looked like a dragon with water coming from its mouth. Arashi held out his hand to keep anyone from moving past the alter and walked over and first washed his left hand, then his right hand, and finally he cupped his hands filling them with a small amount of water and placed it against his lips. Once Arashi was finished the others followed his example.
At the end of the lantern laden path they found buildings on either side of the path as well as a large one at the end of the path. That is where Bren saw his first glimpse of what he believed that they called guardians. Bren had to admit that they looked a lot like Avalanche though there were some slight differences.
Turning from the main path they moved into one of the buildings on the right side of the path. The shrine wasn’t large and the males and females would have to split and share a room, but it was still better than sleeping outside. Just having a roof over one’s head made for a much better rest. While they were restricted from moving into the grounds past the shrine, Avalanche was given free reign and she did so enjoyed exploring.
Just as the priest had said, the accommodations were sparse but then again he had noticed that most of the people of the north didn’t see the point in having much inside the house. Instead they kept it simple, while taking great pains to make the outside of the buildings as beautiful as possible. In a way it was the complete opposite of how they acted. Inside they were normal people who loved, laughed and enjoyed life yet their outward demeanor showed little to no emotion, to the point they looked more like mindless creatures. The higher the persons rank, the more they showed this blank expression to the world but that was not something Bren was unaccustomed to. His mother was much the same putting on a stone mask when it came to duty, to the point that sometimes she forgot that she wore it.
When Jin and the others arrived they entered the building and joined the rest of them in the large sitting room. Bren had to admit that was one thing about the locals building style that he liked. The walls were designed so that they could slide, making it possible to turn a series of smaller rooms into one large one at need.
“I can’t wait to reach civilization again,” Cass said leaning back and sighing. “If I have to take another bath surrounded by nothing but me I will lose my mind.”
“You don’t like the large bath houses?” Bren asked laughing. He had to agree though. When they had made their first stop at an inn they had requested baths be brought to their room but had been instructed that they would have to use the bath house that was located a few streets away. Bren didn’t know what he had expected but it was not what he had found. There were two sections to the bath house, one for women and one for men. Inside they had found a large tub that could easily fit thirty people, but that was not the weirdest part of the experience. One did not wash himself in the water instead there were wooden tubs that one filled with water to wash and rinse themselves and only after they were clean were they allowed into the hot water of the bath to soak. It was vastly different than what he was used to and Bren had to agree with Cass that being surrounded by so many unfamiliar people with nothing but a small piece of cloth was unnerving to say the least.
“I liked it,” Lillian said as she rubbed her hand over her pale skin. “The water they have here is really soothing to the skin.”
“How much farther until we reach the Brotherhood’s camp?” Jin asked switching the mood in the room to one that was much darker in nature.
“Seven days if we were to ride straight through,” Arashi replied. “Though with wagons and rest I think we will reach their position in about eleven days.”
“I don’t want to ride straight into their camp,” Bren said looking around at the rest of the people gathered around him. “Is there a town near where the Brotherhood are making their camp that will allow us to easily reach their position?”
“I have never actually been to the country they are staying but if memory serves me from looking at my master’s maps, there should be a small village at the foot of one of the hills surrounding the valley that is less than a half a day’s ride from where the Brotherhood is camped.”
Eleven days until they reached their target. It seemed too soon for Bren. Many days had passed since they left Torin, yet it seemed almost like yesterday. He was at a split in mind. On one point he wanted to get the business with the brotherhood over with but on the other he was enjoying the journey.
That night Bren found himself unable to sleep so he decided to take a stroll along the stone path of the temple. Outside he found another person who was awake. Hayao was perched on the corner of the room looking down toward the stone path that led to the house.
“I don’t think I have ever seen you sleep,” Bren said, his voice ringing clearly though the night air.
“I sleep when I must,” Hayao replied his voice light and abrupt at the same time.
From the way Hayao spoke Bren knew he wouldn’t be as free with his words as his counterpart Arashi was. Bren knew he was still young and inexperienced and any time he forgot that Cass and the others around him was quick to remind him, but there were a few things he had learned in his short life. He could tell that Hayao was skilled, from the way he balanced himself on the corner of the roof so that not even a harsh wind even moved him an inch. His demeanor and stance bespoke of immense training. There was also Hayao’s clothing that clearly marked him. Unlike the others it was not brightly colored nor did it show much variation. Every day he wore the same garb, a dark blue outfit that covered almost every inch of his body that made it incredibly hard to spot, even under the light of a full moon.
Giving up talking to the solemn man Bren continued his walk letting his feet carry him wherever they wanted. Bern soon found himself standing once again in front of the building that was surrounded by a large fence and had the stone dog statues on each side.
Bending down Bren inspected the statues one by one. Each statue was slightly different in look from the others but they each had the same basic form. They looked like a lot like Avalanche with the exception that they had a large main carved around their head much like that of the large catlike creatures in in parries in the jungles of Kurt. The last statue he inspected was so similar to Avalanche that he couldn’t help but reach out his hand to feel its tone mouth. Moments before his fingers touched the statue it jumped forward knocking him to the ground.
Bren was not proud of the sound that leapt from his throat as the statue attacked him. If he was forced to give it a description he would have to say that it sounded like a young girl’s scream, but then again there is little control over the body when one is startled in such a manner.
“Are you ok my lord?” Hayao asked rushing up to where he lay on the ground with Avalanche standing over him playfully.
“I am fine,” Bren said more than a little embarrassed as he crawled out from under the massive creature. “I think it would be better if I went back inside and sought the comfort of my bed,” Bren said rushing back toward the main house, his head ducked as he found himself unable to look the other man in the face.
Once back inside the room where the others slept Bren breathed a sigh of relief. As he crawled into the bed that had been provided, Bren laughed at himself. He was getting too old to be screaming and running from shadows.
The next morning they were woken early as the priest opened the door to their rooms. “My lords, the town has started the morning activities, if you would like to watch th
em or do some shopping before the evening temple portion of the festival then I would suggest you go before it gets too crowded. Since today is the first day there tends to be a lot more people than on the other days.”
“First day?” Bren asked as he wiped the crust that had accumulated over the night from his eyes.
“Yes the Aoi Matsuri lasts for five days and nights but the temple only participates on the first and last day of the festival,” The priest explained. “The last day is more a symbol of closing, so while important the presence of a guardian wouldn’t make much of an impression on the people at that time.”
Inside of town they found a number of stands that had appeared overnight, most of which were dedicated to food. There were also a number of other stands being built on the edge of the town near the temple grounds. From the looks of it, they were for the nighttime activities.
Lillian and Faye, as well as the other women were enjoying the shops that lined the streets, and to a degree he was as well but it still seemed like a waste of time. Once the sun was finally up in the sky though the festival started in full. A large group of armored men on horseback rode through the town followed by women dressed in richly decorated gowns with their faces painted as white as snow. After the women came various other groups including a small band of women playing odd instruments that looked similar to lutes but had their own unique sound.
When Bren noticed the rest of the people following after the large troupe of people who had marched through the town he found himself unwittingly following them. They ended in a large field where numerous targets had been placed almost at random. After everyone had enough time to gather the men on horseback began the show which included some of the best bow skills used from horseback that Bren had ever seen. There was even one man who stood on the back of his horse while it galloped and jumped over hay bales without losing his balance to fire his bow, never once missing a shot.
Silver Mage (Book 2) Page 21