“Winn, I had an amazing time at the reception. Satomi and I talked the whole time. I have never had someone hang on my every word like she did. I think I told her my life story and yours twice. She was fantastic to listen to. I couldn’t get enough of her stories. Winn, she smelled so good, and was so pretty. I was freaking out the whole time, but I put on a calm, brave face. Winn, I am so in love with this girl.”
Winn made a muffled sound.
“What did you say?”
Winn raised his face off the bed. “Glad you had a good time while I was being tortured. Maybe you will get lucky and win the girl’s heart. Oh, by the way, I told the vizier that we were leaving for Isa tomorrow, so he is putting a party together. We leave at sunrise. Now get out.”
Jaunty left without a word. He had a spring in his step and was whistling.
The next morning Jaunty and Winn made ready for the trip to Isa and went out to the courtyard of the palace to join the party that was going. They were shocked to see the vizier and his twenty attendants, all the diamyo’s with at least ten attendants each, ten warriors, and 200 soldiers. Everyone was on horseback waiting for Winn and Jaunty. They walked to the horses that the Vizier had provided and mounted.
“Now that we are all accounted for, let us depart,” the vizier said.
The party moved at a slow pace all morning. They stopped to rest for lunch, and Winn hopped off his horse in frustration.
“It is going to take six days to get there, not four.” Winn said. “I am going to go tell the vizier pick up the pace.”
“I don’t think that is a good idea, Winn,” Jaunty said as Winn marched off toward the vizier. “Hey Winn, stop!”
Winn reached the vizier’s party and strode up to the vizier without bowing which was a major insult. Guards approached Winn but the vizier waved them off.
“Vizier, why do you set such a slow pace?” Winn asked. “It will take six days to get there at the rate we are going. Also, why are all these people going with us? It isn’t necessary.”
“Ichi, you must understand that you have a very important position in the leadership of Xi En. You are not only master of individual combat; you are also the grand marshal of the army. Your influence could determine who rises to be emperor. Your actions will be watched closely, by me, and the diamyos. Your trip to the oracle is a mystery to us all. You won’t say why you wish to see her. The oracle is also important, if she gives a hint about who should be emperor to you, everyone will want to know it. You see, this is an important event in an uncertain time.”
“Fine, can we speed things up a little?”
“We can increase the pace slightly, but it is my prerogative to set the pace how I see fit.”
Winn stared at the vizier with hate and menace in his eyes.
“As I said, Ichi, I will increase the pace.”
Winn turned to walk off.
“Ichi, one moment. We will have a Council of Ju meeting this evening after we eat.”
“What is that?” Winn asked.
“Ichi, you have much to learn. The Council of Ju is a meeting of the top ten fighters, Marshal Tasagi, and me. We discuss military strategy, troop strength, attacks and defenses of Xi En, and foreign activities. It is important that we get your perspective on world events.”
“I’ll be there,” Winn said as he walked off.
Winn got back to his horse with Jaunty following.
“That went a lot better than I thought it would go,” Jaunty said.
“What? I didn’t yell.”
“Yes, but you were very disrespectful. A real emperor would not tolerate that. Ichi or no. You are lucky the vizier feels like he needs you.”
“Needs me for what?”
“Satomi explained it to me. The daimyos want your support. If you lean the wrong way you could cause a civil war. The vizier wants you to remain neutral so that he can stave off conflict for as long as possible. He won’t tell you that because he thinks that you will use it to control him, but he desperately hopes you stay neutral. The diamyos will start sending overtures soon.”
“I don’t give a damn who is the emperor. I just want to see this oracle and see if she can help me. If she can or can’t, my next move is to kill Jabari.”
“What about defending Skal and Aviel?”
“They can decide their own fate without me.”
“But Tiga and your Mama?”
“That is all you ever throw up at me, isn’t it?” Winn yelled. “Tiga and Mama, Tiga and Mama. What about Alana you cold hearted bastard? You gave her up as soon as some pretty Xi En girl smiled at you.”
“She broke up with me, Winn!” Jaunty yelled back. “What am I supposed to do, moon over her for years, or move on with my life. I am going back to Aviel to rejoin the army after this, whether you do or not! You can go get yourself killed on your own.
“Is that supposed to hurt me? I don’t need you, and I have never needed you. I am Ichi, and you are nothing.”
Jaunty was taken aback by that comment. He climbed on his horse and rode off toward Oda Tadanao’s contingent, where Satomi was riding.
The group set out at a slightly faster pace. Winn was still frustrated, but he gave up on prodding the group along any faster. They stopped an hour before sunset and made camp. Winn was given a tent close to the vizier’s tent. He put his things in the tent and went to eat. He sat alone. He could see Jaunty. Jaunty was regaling Oda Tadanao and his group with some story as they ate. Winn was glad he was alone, his recollection of the stories Jaunty told were very different, and they all involved betrayal, defeat, and heartache for Winn.
Winn finished and was going to walk around camp and explore the land, but a servant caught him and told him that the Council of Ju was starting. Winn followed the servant to the vizier’s tent. The servant bade Winn to go inside. When he did, he saw nine men and women that looked like fighters seated on the right side of the tent, and the vizier and Marshal Tasagi on the left side. In the middle, there was a large pillow that was meant for Winn to sit on.
“It is tradition that the Ichi bring the Council of Ju into session,” the vizier said.
Winn didn’t know what to say, he didn’t have much experience with councils or opening meetings. He decided to take charge.
“Vizier, marshal, vaunted fighters, welcome to the council meeting. I am not much for speeches, so I will make this quick. We have a unique opportunity in history to attack Menegar. Most of their troops are in Skal, the path to Menegar is clear as Slavesta and Vestua have almost no troops, thanks to me, and we have a sufficiently sized force to break through their defenses.”
The room exploded in an uproar. Winn turned around and addressed the warriors.
“Quiet. No one asked your opinion.” The warriors settled down and were silent. “Vizier, what are your thoughts?”
“Your plan is irresponsible and dangerous. For someone who has the reputation for being the finest military mind in the world, you sound ridiculous. For starters, the Menegar have left 10,000 troops to defend their homeland, which would be a match for our 20,000. Second their defenses are the best in the world, it would take months to breach them, and last, they would pull their army back to their shores once we launched an attack and crush us like a vice. You propose a terrible plan, Ichi.”
“You are a coward!” Winn said. “I could breach their defenses in a week and if your troops are in good fighting shape and well-disciplined, we could crush the 10,000 Menegar troops.”
“I won’t hear any more of this madness,” the vizier said.
“I will go and kill Jabari myself once we are done with the oracle.”
“It is forbidden for you to abandon your duties as Ichi. To leave Xi En you must hand over the title of Ichi by submitting to another warrior.”
“I will never submit! Who among you will keep me here?”
The nine behind him stood up. “The Hyaku will stand against you if you try to leave Xi En as Ichi without permission from the vizier,” Ni said.
>
Winn knew he couldn’t defeat all the ninety-nine best fighters in the world if they came against him. As much as he wanted to rail against them and scream, he remained calm.
“Then we will table that plan for now,” Winn said. “We should talk about another problem, the assassins who do not follow Pho Ren. They should all be killed.”
A gasp went out in the room. San, Go, and Ku, stood up and pulled knives from their belts.
“Relax, no one is going to attack you,” Ni said. “Ichi, not everyone who does not practice Pho Ren is an assassin. Many millennia ago Samir had a brother god, named Izori. Izori loved the Xi En people and desired to protect them. He realized that many times Xi En forces were outnumbered by their enemy and he wanted to provide a fighting style for elite troops that would enable them to make surgical strikes under the cover of darkness. He designed a fighting system with that style of fighting in mind. The fighting system is called Ninjutsu. He taught Ninjutsu to his followers and it became a popular martial art. Unfortunately, Izori died at the hands of Jezel thousands of years ago. His fighting method lived on. About 500 years ago, Ures decided to try to become the god of Ninjutsu. He has been fighting for the souls of every Ninjutsu warrior since. The ones he brings to his side are what you know as assassins. The ones who stay true to Izori’s original purpose are not assassins. True assassins won’t show their face in Xi En. They are reviled. None of the Hyaku will accept a duel from an assassin and won’t fight them at all unless they are protecting someone from them or are attacked. Ichi, we have no assassins among us that we know of.”
Winn processed that information. He didn’t quite believe Ni about the assassins not being in the 100. He felt sure there were some. He would kill them if he figured out for sure they were. Winn shook his head.
“It is time for an update on the state of our army,” the vizier said. “Marshal Tasagi please give your report.”
“Certainly Vizier. The strength of our army is 21,057. 5,000 of those are elite imperial troops. 11,000 are our general troops, who are well trained. The rest is made up mostly of women, problem soldiers, and older soldiers. These troops are not battle ready and could barely provide defense for a medium sized city.”
“Where are the troops positioned?” Winn asked
“The elite troops are in Kishoda and guard the Imperial Palace. Of the general troops, 7,000 are stationed just east of Kishoda, 2,000 are based on the border of Slavesta, and another 2,000 are stationed along the coast.”
“Sounds reasonable. Have you thought about integrating the weak troops with the general troops?”
“No,” Tasagi said. “That would make all the units worse. Currently we have twice as many effective units as ineffective ones.”
“Are the weak troops being trained to improve their skill?”
“We give them basic training and they screw up at that. Why give them more?”
Winn didn’t have any more questions.
The rest of the meeting was mainly about world events. It wasn’t anything Winn didn’t know. The meeting adjourned and Winn walked out of the tent.
“Ichi,” called out Ni. “I hope the meeting was helpful for you.”
“Not necessarily,” Winn said.
“If you have any questions about the duties of the Ichi, feel free to ask me. By the way, the Pho Ren warriors of the group get together and exercise in the morning. You are welcome to join us.”
“Thanks,” Winn said as he walked off. I do my own damn exercises.
Winn went to bed thinking that he didn’t care what they said or who if anyone came with him. He was going on a mission to kill Jabari as soon as the oracle visit was done. He had to get revenge for what was done to his mind. Had to.
The next five days were uneventful. Jaunty stayed away from Winn but Winn didn’t mind. There were not any more meetings with the vizier or the Council of Ju. The night before they were to arrive at Isa, Winn was sitting by his fire eating dinner and Jaunty approached him and sat down.
“They told you that you couldn’t leave Xi En without permission from the vizier, huh?” Jaunty said.
“I don’t care what they say,” Winn said. “They won’t stop me from going where I need to go.”
“Winn, I have thought about it. You are my best friend and have been since we were small. I go where you go. Crazy or not. I just hope the oracle knocks some sense into you.”
“No one has before, Jaunty. Why should the oracle be able to?
“I don’t know, I have a feeling about this, like it just may work. She may just change your life.”
“Maybe so. I think it is a waste of time, but I am going because I promised Sarah, the Sarah who swears she didn’t hurt me. I wonder if I will ever believe that she is who she says she is?”
“You will find out tomorrow. Its late, I am hitting the sack. Goodnight Winn.”
Winn was lost in thought and mumbled out something unintelligible as Jaunty left. After a while he snapped out of his reverie and went to bed.
Winn drifted off to a heavy sleep. Sometime during the night, he became conscious. He wasn’t in his tent, rather he was in a black space, with the only light source shining down on the top of his head. He wasn’t alone. He was surrounded by people, people he knew. People who hurt him. His papa was there, with a slice across his throat. His mama was there too. Tiga dressed as a soldier, Britt with a baby in her arms and looking pregnant, and Torvee were all there, sneering at him. Uncle Lokke was there holding the Bow of the First Man, aiming it at him. Jaunty and Master Chen were there, along with Jevas and Mama Hilde. Alana was there, and she had a sword impaled in her chest. Keyland was on a throne. Svae was there too, naked and crying. Lastly, Sarah was there, holding a dead child in her arms. Winn somehow knew that the dead babe was his child.
“These are the people who know you the most,” Sarah said as she walked to the center of the circle and stopped right in front of Winn. “All these people have loved you, but no more. For you accuse us of hurting you, of stabbing you in the back, when you have hurt us. You left me defenseless and alone for almost two years and I lost my baby because of that, because of you.” Sarah slapped him hard. “You failed me. I reject you.” She and the baby disappeared.
“You were a failure from the start,” Sevand said. “I was embarrassed of you.” He vanished.
“I went to trial for you,” Thora said. “You never wrote, never came to my aid, and never tried to rescue me. They call you the Hero of Aurella. You are no hero. You wouldn’t even save your mama.” She faded into nothingness.
“Your leering disgusted me, you are a deviant,” Britt said.
“You led me on with your kindness and flirting, then you broke my heart and ruined me,” Torvee said. “You are a horrible person.”
“You let our father rape me and did not protect me or seek revenge,” Tiga said. “I hate you, coward.”
They vanished after they spoke.
“Your stupid pranks almost got Torvee killed,” Uncle Lokke said. “I should have killed you.” He disappeared.
“You were a horrible little boy, always crying and whining,” Mama Hilde said. She faded away.
“You were a fussy, ungrateful popinjay, who never said a word of thanks,” Jevas said. He disappeared.
“You were a stubborn, unimaginative, and below average student,” Master Chen said. “If it wasn’t for the gifts of the gods, you would be nothing.” He vaporized.
“I was your best friend,” Jaunty said. “I sat there in the background while you garnered all the praise. Did you ever give any credit to me or your troops? No, you didn’t. You are a glory hound and a conceited, jumped up brawler that doesn’t deserve any respect or praise. I am done with you!” He vanished.
“You always treated me like a woman first, then a soldier,” Alana said. “Your disrespect and discrimination just show what kind of shallow and craven piece of shit you are.” She shimmered and disappeared.
“I am your family, I followed you with all
I am, yet you threw my heart away like it was trash,” Svae said. “You have no heart.” She vanished.
The last person left was Keyland.
“Little brother, it has been a joy to listen to all these people tell you how they really feel. No one loves you, or even likes you. In fact, they despise you, every one of them. You fooled them, tricked them into thinking you cared about them, but you never did. It was always about you. I knew that from the first, and I distrusted and despised you your whole life.”
“They fooled me!” Winn shouted. “I thought they cared about me, but they all tricked me, they stabbed me in the back. I care not if they hate me, for I hate them! Especially you, Keyland. You will die by my hand.”
“No little brother, you will not kill me, that is not your fate. Your fate is to hang alongside your wife once I put this rebellion down. Meanwhile, think about the fact that you are alone in the world. Everyone hates you. Why don’t you just end it all and save me the trouble.” He and his throne vanished.
Winn stood there alone in the black space. He felt his waist and his knife was there. He pulled it out, pressed the tip against his abdomen, put both hands on the grip, and pulled.
He woke up with a start. Winn sat up and felt his abdomen, and there was no wound or blood there. He got up and looked outside, and it was pitch black. He laid back down on his cot and wondered what his dream meant, if anything.
He didn’t go back to sleep. The sun came up and he went next door to Jaunty’s tent and woke him.
“Do you think I am a glory hound and never thank my troops?” Winn asked.
“No of course not, you are very gracious to your troops and give them credit all the time,” Jaunty replied. “The fame does go to your head a little though.”
“I had the strangest dream last night. Everyone who I have ever been close to told me they hated me. It felt so real, and their words were harsh.”
“Winn, I don’t hate you. Your family, except for Keyland, doesn’t hate you. Alana and Svae adore you. It was madness in your brain trying to trick you. Maybe it knows you are close to a cure and is fighting harder.”
Trials of a Champion Page 31