by Travis Bughi
Later, when Emily was taking a break, she fed her usual bout of curiosity by asking Lei about ninja weapons.
“The wakizashi is only one weapon,” Lei explained, “and its only purpose is to kill. As far as the ninja are concerned, although it does its task well, it is a poorly designed tool. Allow me to demonstrate.”
He drew one of the palm-sized, star-shaped objects and twirled it on an extended finger. “This is a ninja star,” he said. “Easily hidden, it can kill, if thrown properly, yet also distract. It can maim, disarm, and cut, all from range, making an otherwise impossible target easy to reach and lending itself to many situations for one who can think quickly. We believe them superior to the bow, even, because there’s no need for a bow, and an arrow serves no other purpose than to wound and kill.”
“I thought ninjas believed all situations could be solved with a well-placed dagger,” Emily said.
“You heard that from me,” Ehuang muttered.
Lei tucked the ninja star into his clothing. “Well you, Emily, heard correctly but have mistakenly assumed that place is in a person. Some daggers belong in a wall, where they can be used to vault onto a roof. Some belong firmly wedged into a lock, either to pick it or prevent it from being opened. Some belong in the way of a trap, keeping it from being set off so something precious can be stolen. Are you following me yet? The best tools are those with more than one purpose.”
Lei drew back a long, dark sleeve to reveal the string and hook he’d used to trip Takeo. It was strapped to his forearm with some leather bindings, and Emily needed little imagination to see how it could be flung with ease.
“You can work out how useful this is, can’t you?” he asked.
“Yes, I’ve seen it. What else do you have?”
“How do you know I haven’t revealed them all?”
“Because you’re a ninja.” Emily shrugged.
Lei’s smirk turned to a grin, and then he chuckled. “You do learn quickly. Alright, back up. You’re still too noisy. I can practically hear you sitting.”
So Emily practiced, the day dragged on, and her feet grew so sore it would have been agony to walk if Juatwa’s ground was not spongy soft. She kicked back until her foot struck through the mud and hit the ground hard enough to send a shudder of pain up her leg. Somehow it felt good, proper, and right.
No place should be so pleasant.
That night, she did not bother to walk quietly and, instead, trudged into the tent to curl up and sleep. When she removed her sandals, her feet swelled, pulsing red and hot in protest to her new regimen. She gave them a gentle rub to pacify them and then lay on her side, facing Takeo.
He was on his back again, eyes closed. For a moment, she thought him asleep until he turned suddenly to face her. Her body flushed warm when she realized she’d been caught staring at him, but she couldn’t look away. His dark eyes appeared darker still in the fading light, and they showed something different in the way he looked at her, something other than the confidence he’d always had. Her lips parted but no sound came out. She couldn’t think of anything to say as her eyes locked with his.
“You.” He paused. “You did well today.”
“Thank you,” she replied.
Their gaze finally broke. He looked away, and so did she, and then he rolled over, and she suddenly felt uncomfortable on her side. She lay on her back and stared at the top of the tent.
Thank you? That’s it? That was the best you had?
She swallowed her inner scolding and shut her eyes tight. Sleep came eventually, though it brought the colossus dream instead of a blissful night of unconsciousness. She found herself suspended high above, staring at the ground, watching the yellow grass wave in the wind. The sun was at her back. Despite the serenity of the scene, it annoyed her, angered her, and she was tired of it.
She tried to move again, but despite the command, Emily was forced to stand as still as the statue she appeared to be. The stony limbs remained motionless, mocking her attempts to move. They were too heavy, stubborn, and lifeless; she was a prisoner, and though she yelled her frustrations, no sound emerged. Even her voice was restrained.
And then Takeo came to mind, as he so often did. What had he said? They had talked about this dream of hers. Something about a messenger and a message. Yes, she had thought the colossus was the message, but Takeo had suggested the stone man was only the messenger. Perhaps, somewhere in this dream, she could determine why this particular scene played out over and over in her mind, never changing.
Emily gathered her thoughts and focused. With a deliberate push, she turned her attention away from the colossus’ sight and into the colossus itself where she hoped to find a clue. It was not as difficult as it sounded, as Emily had learned from having her mind invaded by an angel, a psychic elf, and a jinni. It was a simple matter of focus. Disappointment was the only thing to greet her, though. The colossus’ body and soul were of equal, stony lifelessness. An empty hollow of nothing echoed back at her as she searched the great statue for any kind of sentience. It was dead. She was the only one there. That frustrated her, but there was no one to turn her anger upon. There was only the colossus and her, and so she took it out on the inanimate object.
Stupid, useless colossus, she seethed. Lift your stupid head!
And it did. The grinding of stone on stone echoed in Emily’s ears as the colossus tilted its chin up and up and up until Emily no longer faced the ground. Ahead of her, she saw the lip of the plateau that surrounded Lucifan and a steady stream of people filing in to the city. They all stopped, motionless in the wind, and stared at her.
Then she heard a scream and awoke.
Emily flailed awake, kicking and swinging her arms while her head swiveled back and forth. She searched for the source of the scream, but saw nothing in the darkness. Beside her, Takeo, Lei, and Ehuang slept on completely undisturbed. Emily was breathing hard, but her heartbeat was steady and slow.
“It moved,” she whispered into the dark. “I moved it.”
It was a subtle change. The colossus had done nothing but lift its head, and yet it meant the world to Emily. The dreams that plagued her, both here and before, had never obeyed her command until now. She’d always been forced to watch, like a character in a storybook with only one possible outcome. This time, though, she’d issued an order, and it had been obeyed. The colossus of her dream had heard her, and she was eager for it to hear her again. Emily fell back and shut her eyes tight.
It took some time before sleep returned to her. Anticipation had invigorated her so the tendrils of the dream world avoided her. With some effort, she eventually set aside her twitching and passed into a dream again, but not the colossus one, and she awoke frustrated in the morning. It didn’t help that Takeo was nowhere to be found and Lei was kicking at her to get up and practice again.
“How do your feet feel?” he asked.
“Fine,” she muttered, flexing them.
“Good, excellent, now get up!” He stood. “Today’s the day. Hurry, hurry! Before he comes back!”
Emily stuttered and shuffled herself up to her feet.
“What?” she asked. “What is it?”
“Takeo’s gone to relieve himself,” Lei said, speaking faster than normal, “so we don’t have much time. He said two days, and it’ll be two days. When he gets back, you’re going to sneak up on him! Ha! That’ll show that smug samurai. Hurry! Get over there, now! Quickly!”
He pointed to a nearby tent, and Emily hesitated for only a moment before bounding behind the tent. On the other side, she found two ninjas quietly enjoying their breakfast. They looked at her wide-eyed, and she frowned and shrugged, not wanting to speak out loud for fear she’d ruin the surprise. They exchanged looks and then shook their heads, returning to slurping up the grey soup while trying to ignore Emily as best they could.
Emily crouched and waited, heart racing.
Takeo returned soon after, making no noise as he walked, but his presence was announced by Lei’s
grand welcome.
“The legend returns!” Lei called out. “I thought you were fetching breakfast.”
“Why?” Takeo scoffed. “I told you where I was going. Where are Emily and Ehuang?”
“You were gone awhile, so I sent them to help you carry breakfast back.”
Emily took deep breaths through parted lips to steady her breathing. She listened carefully until Takeo’s voice no longer bore the burden of movement in it.
“You sent them together? They went willingly?”
There was a pause, and Emily risked a glance around the tent. Takeo had taken a seat just outside the tent, facing Lei, which conveniently placed his back to her.
“I spoke to Ehuang.” Lei shrugged. “She agreed to judge a second time.”
“Well, that’s good.”
Emily began her walk. She didn’t know how long Takeo would be seated and didn’t want to miss her opportunity. Slowly, carefully, she placed one foot to the ground after another. She counted five steps until she could reach Takeo.
“You know you can’t blame her.” Lei folded his arms. “You were like a brother to her—or an idol, hard to say. But hey, isn’t that what fake siblings are supposed to do? They protect each other? What would Okamoto have done?”
Takeo reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ear. His face turned a moment, too, and Emily froze. She dared not move a muscle.
“Ehuang is not Okamoto,” Takeo replied, looking back to Lei. “And I don’t know what he would have done. Probably requested we transfer to a new battlefield. The only conflicts he couldn’t face were social ones, especially when I was the enemy.”
One step, then another, Takeo’s words tumbled out as Emily crept closer. She could scarcely believe it, but the samurai did not turn. His ears didn’t perk at her steps, and her breath stayed steady despite the beating of her heart. As she got within arm’s reach, she paused, realizing she didn’t know how to get his attention. It came to her soon enough, though, and as Takeo drew in a breath to say something else, she lightly touched him behind the ear.
His head snapped, and he whirled to look behind him. Emily grinned ear to ear, feeling warmth in her cheeks, and Takeo’s stunned face slowly grew into a grin of its own. Lei laughed and gave Takeo’s shin a kick.
“You asked for two days.” The ninja examined his fingernails. “I gave you two days.”
Just then, Ehuang came forward with two bowls of ninja-slop in her arms. In tow were the other two ninjas Lei had sent away plus one more whom Emily had never seen. He was still covered in his ninja garb, all but his thin eyes, which tilted down on the ends. None of them were smiling, and Lei’s laughter immediately stopped.
“Takeo, Emily,” he said, “I think you two will need to get your own breakfast this morning.”
Chapter 19
Lei gave only a fleeting gesture in the direction of where to find that morning’s sustenance, but it proved to be enough. Emily and Takeo each collected up a wooden bowl and spoon and followed a steady line building between the narrow gaps dividing the tents that led to a one-eyed cook situated over a large, cast-iron pot. He dumped a boiling hot ladle full of the grey soup into each bowl as it passed him by.
When they had their meal in hand, Takeo led Emily away from the tents to the edge of the ninja camp and up over the hill to their illusion of privacy.
“So we’re not going to try and eavesdrop, then?” Emily asked as they took a seat on a patch of grass. “Why did I learn to walk quietly if I can’t use the skill?”
She said it jokingly, but Takeo’s frown made her regret it.
“We owe him too much for that,” he said. “Besides, you’ll have plenty of time to put your new skills to use. One should not walk boldly when they plan to topple an empire.”
They ate in relative silence, slurping up the thick soup despite its lack of flavor. Emily even scraped the sides of her bowl, finding herself once again famished. She certainly was hungry lately.
“So, have you had any more regrets or second guesses on joining Lord Jiro?” Takeo asked when they’d both finished.
“I haven’t given it much thought, truthfully,” Emily admitted. “I suppose I should have, but I didn’t. I’ve been a bit distracted. I had that colossus dream last night, again. Only this time, I moved.”
“Really?” Takeo asked, voice full of shock. “You mean the colossus moved? How?”
They were seated next to each other with their backs to the ninja camp. Takeo’s eyes grew wide as he gazed at Emily, and she took in the attention by leaning back on her elbows.
“I gave it a command. It sounds so simple, now that I talk about it, that I wonder why I never tried it before. All this time, I thought I was the colossus, but that was never the case. It wasn’t my head I was trying to move; it was the colossus’ head. I told it to move, and it did, and I saw people entering Lucifan. The dream ended right there, though. I have no idea when I’ll return to it again, but I hope it’s soon. I’ll know what to do now. And, also, thank you.”
“For what?”
“You were the one who told me to try something new,” she said with a shrug. “So, thank you.”
He nodded and looked off into the forest. Emily’s eyes lingered on him—his straight hair, his thin lips, his dark eyes—and she resisted the urge to touch his chin and draw him to her.
She wondered what he was thinking. Was it Lord Jiro and the coming war that ran through his mind? Was he wondering why Lei had sent them off? Perhaps he thought of nothing and was looking into the forest for no reason. She thought to ask him but then worried that would be too obvious.
Obvious? You practically drool when you look at him. How could he not know? He should know. He needs to know. I care for you, Takeo.
“What are you thinking?” she asked, voice strained.
Takeo tensed and met her gaze. His lips faltered for a moment, parting, then closing, and Emily wondered why he was hesitant.
“I was thinking we should get back to Lei,” he said. “He’s had enough time.”
The samurai said no more and stood up, brushing the freshly fallen leaves from his kimono. Emily stood, as well, a protest hinging on her lips. She didn’t believe him—that he’d been thinking that—but it seemed wrong to accuse him of such as he turned his back to walk over the hill. Sighing, she followed.
They approached the tent in full view with heavy footsteps. The hushed voices of Lei and his ninjas came to a silent end long before Emily could hear anything over a whisper. Takeo opened his arms as he approached.
“I hope we didn’t come too soon,” he called. “Should we leave again?”
Lei glanced at the Ehuang and the other three ninjas. They were all stone-faced and stoic.
“No, I think not,” Lei said. “You’re actually just in time. I was going to come find you. Lord Jiro has sent his response. He wishes to speak with you immediately.”
It was exactly the response Emily had wanted, but for some reason, she felt a wave of nervous energy pulse through her body. So soon? she thought. She had not anticipated being summoned so early, if at all.
“Anything else?” Takeo asked, caution heavy in his words.
Lei glanced at the bigger ninja and received a slight head shake.
“No conditions were stated, my friend.” Lei shrugged, closing the distance between them. “I suppose he’s just as interested in seeing why you’re still alive as my master was.”
“How soon are we expected?” Emily asked. “When should we leave?”
“Tonight, unfortunately. Lord Jiro is in the middle of a war, as you might have heard, so he and his armies both tend and intend to move frequently. There’s a battle brewing, and he’d speak to you as soon as possible. At a decent pace, it shouldn’t take you much longer than a day to reach him—maybe less, now that the rain has stopped.”
“A day?” Takeo blinked. “Your camp is dangerously close to the battlefield, for ninjas.”
Lei chuckled. “Oh, we’re
well aware. We’ll be packing up tonight, as well. By morning, this place will be nothing but a faded memory.”
“A memory you’ll watch carefully,” Emily said, “in case someone comes seeking you?”
Lei gave Emily a prize-winning smile.
“These two,” Lei said, indicating the nameless ninjas Emily had traveled with before, “will lead you to Lord Jiro. They know the way. You’ll have to give them a short time to rest up and recoup, then they’ll take you.”
“What are their names?” Emily asked.
The big ninja smiled a big grin, and the smaller one with brown eyes narrowed his eyebrows.
“I’m Two,” the smaller said. “You can call him One.”
“Two and One?” Emily scoffed. “Are you not allowed to have names?”
“They’re not important enough to have names,” Lei said. “You can call them Fat and Ugly for all I care.”
One and Two, or Fat and Ugly, laughed before wordlessly deciding to wander off. Emily watched them go, pursing her lips and trying to shake the tingle that shook up her spine. Secrecy seemed more than a profession to these ninjas. It was a way of life.
If Takeo was offended, he didn’t show it. He shrugged, walked to the tent, and swiped up his katana.
“Well, I’m packed,” he said, drawing the sword and glancing at its sharpened edge.
“Ready for war so soon?” Lei asked. “You Karaoshis are really something.”
“What do you mean?” Emily asked.
Lei turned to her, arms folded across his chest. He traced a finger along his widow’s peak to slick his hair back.
“You haven’t noticed?” Lei asked. “How long have you been traveling with him? A couple months, is it? Has he told you how he feels about Juatwa?”
Emily nodded. “Beauty on the outside, nothing but war on the inside.”
“That’s right.” Lei winked. “Well, I have a little theory of my own. My friend here—and his brother, too, for that matter—is just like the Juatwa he so claims to despise. Look at him.”
Emily and Lei inspected Takeo as if from a distance, and Takeo quietly ignored the conversation he could clearly hear. Takeo took a seat and folded his arms behind his head, giving Lei a passive look as if he were bored and expecting better entertainment.