Uchida-san bent her head and the arachnids left. Before doing so, they swelled once more over her head, engulfing her. Then they skittered away, a flurry of spiders racing across the ground to the back of the cave.
“I would never like to see that again,” he said as Uchida-san rose and dusted herself off. Her hair was mussed but she appeared unharmed and unaffected by her episode with the spiders. But when had he seen this woman upset by anything thrown her way? She continued to unveil herself layer by layer. Each unveiling brought out a new aspect of herself he found fascinating. Except for the spiders. That, he could do without.
“What can I do for you, Kenzo—sama?”
“The first thing is to stop calling me Kenzo—sama. Being called ‘lord’ by a woman who constantly beats me up gets wearying.”
Tilting her head to the side, he saw a spark of humor enter those golden eyes. “How shall I address you?”
“Ken is fine. John used to call Kenny.” A wave of sorrow clogged his throat.
She gave a curt nod. “Ken it is then. You may call me sensei.”
He bowed in acknowledgment.
An awkward silence fell between them. He was reluctant to leave her presence. “So,” he said by way of making conversation, “I take it you can talk to creatures both great and small?”
“Hai. Since I was a child. Although sometimes it doesn’t work.”
“So you were communing with them or something?”
“Or something.”
Ken scraped his hand through his hair. “Why is it so difficult to get a straight answer?”
She gave an elegant shrug. “Our society has been based on elusiveness. The fact you have no idea what the blood gem is proves the success of that. Straight answers without caution lead to many problems. The Elder will tell you what you desire to know.”
The soft firelight played along her features. In his thirty years he hadn’t been terribly attracted to any specific woman for long. Yet, in the last three weeks, between the frequent bouts of butt-kicking, he found himself thinking about her more and more.
“I’m going to step outside,” she said as the hush lingered. “Would you like to join me?”
He nodded and followed behind her as they went out the room and down the corridor. They arrived at the entrance of the cave. The guards standing watch on either side bowed in deference as they went outside. Ken enjoyed the companionable silence between them as they turned to their right and trod down a worn pathway till they came to a small clearing not too far from the cave. The soft light of the moon cascaded gently over the earth. A fresh night breeze caressed his skin.
Uchida—sensei directed his attention to the night sky, a dark blue curtain studded with bright gems. “Do you see the planets?”
Ken looked up. “Of course. John used to show them to me all the time.” What he wouldn’t give to be listening to his brother spout on and on about the stars and planets now!
She pointed out Mercury, Venus, and Mars with a long elegant finger. “The Druids called the planets other names but they all meant something. The name for Mars meant, ‘The Angry Son’.”
Said planet flared bright red against the heavens. Ken watched, transfixed by the sight.
“Ancient legend tells of the Creator who gifted all of Mars’ water to Earth for a transgression. Natural disasters occurring specifically with large bodies of water or flooding are attributed to the Angry Son who blasts his wrath against the Earth.”
“Sounds fanciful.”
Uchida—sensei sat on the ground and wrapped her arms around her knees. Ken did likewise, watching as the moonlight enhanced her ethereal features.
“We’re all threads on a solid piece of fabric, sewn on by the Creator. Each thread has its place to occupy. Each one is significant.”
Ken stiffened. John had said something similar before he died. Hearing it echoed now sent a chill down his spine.
“If one thread loosens, it affects the entirety of the fabric and threatens the stability of it.”
She focused her gaze on him. “The blood gem represents what I’m talking about. When you learn about it, you will understand why we’ve been quiet. Why we are reluctant to be forthcoming. Your friend’s death, your training, everything that has happened since you inherited the blood gem, would all make sense. Then, you will have a decision to make.”
She stood then, her eyes fixed down on him. The amber gold took on an iridescent gleam. He couldn’t look away even if he wanted to.
“I hope you make the right decision.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Elder coughed, the force of it rattling him clear to his bones. Callen and Michel rushed to his side, but he waved them away. He was more interested in studying the training of Rhychard—sama’s seed than his own health. So much rode on his ability to overcome the obstacles Uchida—chan set before the man.
His eyes traveled over the figure, seeing her lithe movements as she parried, blocked, and delivered blows with the grace of a dancer. The red plait of hair whipped around her in a whirl.
Though it was daytime, he gazed up at the sky toward the vicinity of where Mars would be. He gave a silent chuckle while his aides looked on. The Angry Son acted before thought. Through its influence, it had devastated Earth in a series of events. A massive tsunami had catapulted over several countries in the Asian continent. Flooding washed away large sections of cities in Europe and North America, who barely escaped harm with hurricanes that damaged several states.
And there was still more to come as the Children of the Sun aligned.
Yet in their rage, Mars and the other Children had forgotten one important thing, and the evidence of it moved in front of him.
Ludovicus may have awakened and was searching for the Descendant, but Rhychard—sama’s juusha had a few tricks to dole out.
The spy’s lips curled at the sight of Uchida-san training Kenzo. The man kept falling to her blows. It was like watching a wingless grasshopper attempt to fly. This weakling could not be Rhychard’s descendant, but his possession of the blood gem made it clear that he was. Fate smiled on the unlikely, it seemed.
These twenty years, from boy to man, he’d waited for this opportunity. Bided his time until he was able to serve Lord Ludovicus.
The spy continued to watch the training match along with the others. The Elder sat in front with the long staff lying by his side, dark eyes intent on the spectacle playing out. Next to him, Alderic stood, arms folded across his chest, also staring. Donvar and Odin seated next to them wore amused expressions as once again Rhychard’s descendant fell to the ground.
One thing that made up for the lack of strength in the man…he did not give up. It had been a month since Uchida-san started training him. What he lacked in skill he made up for in tenacity. He refused to give up, no matter how often she sent him to the ground. That was the one quality he figured was the saving grace of the Descendant. Other than that, the man was a hopeless cause.
The spy rose from his knees behind the Elder, trying to unobtrusively exclude himself from the rapt audience. He stopped when Donvar glanced back at him.
“Quite a show, isn’t it? Watching this poor sap get his butt kicked.”
The spy laughed appropriately.
Donvar turned back to the session. The spy kept his eye facing frontward while he backed away. So far, so good. The majority of the juusha were focused, all in tune with the training.
The next step back and he bumped into something hairy. He whirled around to see Tambo.
“Tambo, how are you?” the spy greeted as he hoped beyond hope the stupid gorilla would just let him be. The guardian was fearful to look at, but he was mostly mild mannered. Well, as mild-mannered as one would expect from a thousand pound gorilla.
The beast stared at him. The spy did not have the same relationship Uchida-san had with the animal, but he saw the hint of wariness in his eyes. He fought to keep the gorilla’s gaze. The moment went on forever but then, at last, Tambo picked his n
ose and turned away. The spy continued on his way.
He scurried back into the cave and hurried down the familiar passageway. All he could think as he did so was how pleased Lord Ludovicus would be.
Most of the living areas were empty inside. A cold wind brushed past him as the spy traversed down the tunnels. Finally, he arrived at the Descendant’s quarters. A swift glance down the halls reassured him he was alone, but it wouldn’t be for long.
He had to find the blood gem.
Frantically, he searched through the man’s meager belongings while keeping one ear listening for the doorway. After several long minutes with each minute passing increasing his chances of exposure, he came up empty handed. Frustrated, he carefully edged his head outside to make sure the way was clear. The halls were clear.
The spy made his way back to the training session but stopped when he came to Uchida-san’s quarters. Remembering Alderic—kun coming from her room a few days ago, the spy wondered what had gone on in there. Swiftly he ducked inside.
Orderly and stark like the woman herself. She was kind but remote to him. The spy stepped in further and touched her things, wondering if this was some sort of violation. His fingers passed over the shelves containing a small chest. Feeling reckless, he grabbed the container but it fumbled out of his clumsy fingers and landed on the floor with a loud thud.
The spy froze, heart pounding in his chest. Had he been caught? He waited, sweat damp on his forehead. No one came. Unleashing a breath, he bent to pick up the chest and went to place it back on the shelf. A sack caught his eye. What was it doing behind the chest? Gingerly, he set the chest down and grabbed the sack. It contained something wide and wieldy. Eyebrows scampering into his forehead, he untied it and pulled out what was inside.
What he saw rendered him stone still.
The Vessel!
Reverently he lifted the half shell-like object and touched the leathery interior. No one had mentioned it was here in this place! How could anyone miss this? It was so— The memory of the first day Kenzo came flashed in his mind. Alderic—kun and Uchida-san arguing. How upset he’d been because he hadn’t led the mission.
“I bet if I put it right under her nose…”
This had to be what Alderic—kun was referring to. He must have found it when they retrieved the Descendant. In his typical, petulant manner, he decided to hide it and see if Uchida-san would discover it. Everyone had focused so much on the blood gem that they must have forgotten about the equally-important Vessel. He suspected not even the Elder knew about it.
This changed everything. If he brought both the blood gem and the Vessel to Lord Ludovicus, he’d be richly rewarded. He placed the Vessel back where he’d found it and made sure to keep the chest in front of it.
Cautiously, the spy made his way to the entrance and peered over the edge. No one was there. He raced down the hall, heart pounding for fear of being caught. The cold wind rushed his face, making his eyes water, but he scampered along until he reached once more the mouth of the cave.
He paused to collect his breathing when he saw Donvar coming toward him.
“What are you doing here? Why aren’t you watching the training?”
“I had to go see a man about a dog.”
Donvar nodded. “The mighty Descendant has been felled again. Uchida-san was especially brutal today.”
“Has the Elder asked for me?”
“No but the training is almost done for today so he may need you soon.”
He nodded and hurried past the other man once more take his place behind the Elder. It wouldn’t be long now.
The morning wind was harsh as it blew against Rin’s arms as she made her way toward the practice clearing. Birds gathered around to sing to her, but she waved them away. She didn’t like birds for some inexplicable reason, although they thought the world of her.
It had been several weeks since she began her training with Ken. She had to admit he was improving. Her pupil had a slow start, very slow, to the point where she didn’t believe he could really be the Descendant of the great Rhychard. Yet, he had the perseverance to continue to try.
How often had he fallen from one of her blows onto his back, the wind knocked out of him, chest heaving? Many times, and yet, he kept getting up. She’d seen the fire in his eyes as he wiped the blood off his bruised face from one of her hits. It had taken a long while for the Descendant to get past hitting a female, even though she’d shown him time and again that breasts were not a factor in when to strike.
Rin stood under the light of the sun and inhaled the biting, nipping air into her lungs. The warmth of the sun collided with the harsh wind, and she closed her eyes to bask in these contrasts. The warmth and cold, the light and wind.
Rin.
“Hello, Tambo. Did you sleep well yesterday?” She sensed his presence behind her although she didn’t open her eyes.
Yes.
“Good.” She began her breathing exercises, relishing the sensations of the world against her. Tambo’s firm presence by her side made the morning perfect.
Half hour later, she heard the gravel move as Ken came toward her.
She studied him as he neared. The bruising on his face from several days ago had gone down. Hard light brown eyes narrowed on her, their depths filled with determination. Resolve stamped his face. Her eyes traveled down the length of his body. The leather vest he wore blew open, revealing the chiseled abdomen, each muscle well-defined. Good, the training was paying off.
“You’re late.” She folded her arms when he stood in front of her. Rin raised her brow when he didn’t pay his respect to her this morning.
“So what?” He mirrored her stance by folding his arms.
“Be on time. I have more things to do than wait for you to appear. We still have a lot of training to do.”
Rin assessed him, once more, her eyes taking him in a detached way. He didn’t look strong enough to defeat anyone, much less Ludovicus.
What was she going to do?
Ken was tired of getting his butt kicked by this beautiful but remote slip of a woman. He was determined to get one over her. Knock her senseless at least once before she slammed her tiny, thoroughly unrepentant fist into his face.
She looked bored as he came toward her this morning, and he knew what it was. She was tired of training. It didn’t take a genius to know that he just wasn’t cut out to fight that thing several weeks ago.
Keep moving, his mother’s words reverberated in his mind each time he landed on the ground. And he did.
Uchida-sensei seemed more aggressive this morning. Her blows, which already hurt, were stronger as if she increased the strength in each one. As he caught glimpses of her face during the training, he noticed she wore a frown.
A kick to his stomach doubled him over, but not by much. He’d learned to tighten his muscles to cushion the blows.
“Yokatta.” She nodded and gave the signal for a breather. “You’ve improved.”
He nodded, surprised at the encouragement. The sun was higher in the air, and their bodies were covered with sweat. Uchida—sensei’s brow glistened under the moisture. They sat facing each other on the grass. An aide, who apparently came from out of the ground since he didn’t see him arrive, brought cups of water.
Ken gulped the liquid, watching as Uchida—sensei did the same. Some of the water trickled down the side of her mouth and his eyes followed the trail, studying the way it flowed down the long ivory column of her neck and into the crevice between her breasts.
“Ken?”
He glanced up. “Hai?”
“I was telling you that you have improved. Your reflexes are faster, your strikes more forceful, and your agility more fluid. I think we will increase your program and add some more techniques I wish to show you.”
“Which translates to, ‘I’ll be kicking your butt harder’.”
Uchida—sensei looked startled for a moment. Then she gave a laugh, a high-squealing sound that pierced his ears, but not unat
tractively so. It was the first time he’d seen her laugh.
“Hai, Ken, I guess you could say that.”
The amusement softened her face and made her even more lovely to him. These weeks of getting the tar beat out of him did not negate the attraction he felt for her. Their time together had allowed for glimpses into her personality. Among the juusha she was highly esteemed. A natural born leader, she had the respect of the men in her company. Yet, though warm and approachable, there was an aloofness about her that kept her separate.
“Are you ready?”
Once again, he was startled from his regard of her.
“Hai.” He stood at the same time she did.
She made some kind of comment to the aide and then went over to her pet King Kong.
The she faced him again, and he knew playtime was over.
The next session of the training began as it always did. Ken sharpened his mind and attuned his eyes to follow Uchida—sensei’s movements. She constantly swayed back and forth. Her attacks were ones he didn’t anticipate. He heard her voice state to expect the unpredictable, but that made as much sense as listening to the sound of one hand clapping. Yet, today, he sent every other thought from his mind and focused.
She moved to his right, ready to send a kick into his groin. He braced himself for the impact when he realized that she wasn’t going to kick him, but send an uppercut to his jaw. He saw the way her left hand was fisted. Then it hit him -- the kick was the diversion. In fact, the way he braced himself, her fist wouldn’t have far to travel to land a harsh blow and because he wasn’t prepared for it, the damage would be considerable.
Swiftly, he danced to his right, out of reach for the swinging attack as he mentally predicated. Then he ducked and kicked her in stomach. Or almost, but she moved out the way.
A startled look came into her golden eyes, and then they darkened.
The fight was on.
They battled in the clearing for over an hour. At some point, the training had become a battle. A real battle between them. Ken inflicted pain on Uchida—sensei for the first time. His manly sense of etiquette warred with the training she swore was necessary but he pressed on. She still landed more blows to him but for the first time, he was gaining an edge.
The Druid's Spear (Ascent of the Gem Bearers Book 1) Page 10