The Next Step

By Nancy Sauer

Edited by Fred Wan

The willow tree’s leaves were the rich green-gold of spring and its branches trailed elegantly into the stream. In the sun-dappled meadow nearby Gukgi meandered about, grazing on new grass and bright-colored flowers. Utaku Kohana sat with her back against the willow’s trunk, drinking in the peace of it all. She had hated every moment of her fight against the Destroyers but she had not flinched from her Empress’s orders, had not dishonored her family or the Battle Maidens. `Make your heart bigger,’ she reminded herself. Someday she would become so strong she would not fear being sent south. Someday.

Until then, she had other things to do. Kohana popped the last of her rice ball into her mouth and rolled to her feet. She needed to get back to Toshi Ranbo quickly; her friends might have figured out what they should do next, and she didn’t want them to move without her. She took a breath, preparing to call Gukgi over to her, and suddenly something hurtled into her from behind and knocked her sprawling face-first on the ground. Kohana struggled to get up, but a weight settled on her back and strong fingers encircled her throat and started to squeeze.

“My brother didn’t come back, but you did, and you lied to the sentries when you came through the gates,” a voice said in her ear. “Why is that, I wonder?” The fingers tightened their grip.

Aki’s sister, Kohana thought. Akio. As black blotches started to swim in her eyes she tried to pry the other woman’s fingers away from her throat, but the only effect was to make the Hiruma grip tighter. Kohana tried to shake her off, but that simply made the blotches larger. Frantic now Kohana tried to speak, tried to explain that Aki had died a hero, but no words could make it past Akio’s hold. The blotches expanded until they filled all of the world.

Suddenly the weight on her back was gone and Kohana could breathe again. At first all she could do was lie there and gasp for air, but almost immediately the mingled sounds of shouts and outraged neighing caught her attention. She looked around and shrieked in horror. “Gukgi! No!” she croaked out. The war-horse was standing over Akio’s sprawled body, one hoof raised to smash her head, and he paused to look over at his rider. “No,” Kohana insisted in a stronger voice. She scrambled up and staggered over to the pair. “You can’t kill her-this is simply a misunderstanding. She thinks I helped kill her brother.” Gukgi whinnied at her, clearly unconvinced, and Kohana set her shoulder against his and shoved. “No! I mean it.” Gukgi reluctantly stepped back a few paces, and Kohana turned back to Akio. The scout was now trying to rise, but she was clearly in great pain and favoring the ribs on her left side. Kohana winced in sympathy. She had been kicked a few times by Gukgi on accident, and she could imagine what it felt like when he did so on purpose.

“Hiruma-san, please listen to me! You want to avenge your brother, and that is right, but I am not the person you want to kill. Once I have explained, you will see this.”

“You could have explained before,” Akio said. “Not interested in your lies now.” She pulled out two knives from the bandoleer she wore.

“We couldn’t have explained then,” Kohana said. Gukgi made an unhappy sound and moved away from Kohana, keeping Akio in his sight. “But we’ve seen the Empress now, so I can tell you everything.”

Akio had been shifting her attention between Battle Maiden and horse, but now she paused and focussed on Kohana. “The Empress? What does she have to do with this?”

“Everything,” Kohana said. “Her, and the Prophecy, and the Destroyers-Your brother died bringing honor to your clan. I will tell you it all, if you will agree not to kill me until I finish.”

“And after you finish?”

“After I finish you will not want to,” Kohana said.

Akio stared at the Unicorn for a moment, searching her face for signs of some further treachery, and then she sheathed her daggers. “I’m listening,” she said.

* * * * *

Akodo Shunori made notations on some slips of paper, then arranged them carefully on the map before him. “The current state of the southern war,” he announced when he was done.

“To the best of your knowledge,” Yoritomo Saburo said. He wandered over to the table and studied the map.

“Yes, but that is quite complete,” Shunori said. “It has been surprisingly easy to get answers to my questions.”

“Not so surprising, Akodo-san,” Kakita Hideo said. He joined Saburo in studying the map. “We have had an audience with the Empress — people are always willing to do favors for someone with Imperial connections.”

It’s not that much of a connection, Saburo was about to object, but then he thought better of it. They were now living in a house the Empress provided, and Kohana had been dispatched south on the Empress’s own orders; how many samurai could say that the Empress knew their name? “When Kohana comes back she will have news,” he said. “We should make sure that your sources are rewarded, Shunori-kun.”

Shunori nodded. “Her accounts of the war will be welcomed by those who do not access to the Miya heralds’ reports,” he said.

Hideo reached out and tapped the new slips of paper. “The southern armies have been pushed back again,” he said. He looked up at the others. “The Empire is losing.”

“So long as a single Lion samurai is able to fight, the Empire has not lost,” Shunori said. “But yes, the strategic situation is very poor.”

“We need to do something,” Saburo said. The others did not question his statement; they didn’t know what they could do to stop Kali-Ma, but they were all sure sure they should be doing something.

“It is peculiar how the war is going, though,” Shunori said. “There have been several points where the Destroyers could have burst through the Empire’s lines and seized large amounts of territory, but they did not.”

“I suppose when you have an inexhaustible supply of demonic soldiers you don’t need tactics,” Hideo said.

“One might think so,” Shunori said. “But there have been similar situations when they have taken advantage of the tactical situation. It is as if,” he paused, thinking, “as if they know they need to do something, but they aren’t sure what it is.”

“Perhaps they are waiting for a sign,” Mirumoto Ichizo said from across the room. He put down the puzzle-box he had been toying with and turned to the monk who sat near the door, gazing out into the garden. “What do you think, Brother Furumaro?”

“I think it will rain tomorrow,” the monk said.

“Will it cause the Destroyers to melt?” Hideo asked.

“Probably not,” Furumaro said. “But if you want my opinion on what they are doing — I don’t think that is within your comprehension. The Destroyers are creatures of Jigoku, marshaled by a demonic entity who may well be the dark realm’s new champion. How could any samurai understand them?”

Saburo drummed his fingers on the table. “I don’t want to understand them,” he said. “I just want to know what they are doing, so that they can be stopped.”

“A desire filled with ambition,” Furumaro said.

“Ambition is good when it serves the Empire,” Saburo said.

“Indeed,” Furumaro said. He rose from his seat and walked over to the table. He studied the map for a moment, and then slowly drew a finger from the battle-lines north. “The Scorpion have a weapon of great power,” he said. “They took it from the Tomb of the Seven Thunders.”

“How do you know that?” Hideo asked.

“How does a monk know anything?” Furumaro said. “I heard it in a monastery.”

“Powerful enough to stop Kali-Ma? Ichizo said. “Then why don’t they use it?”

“Who can anticipate the Clan of Secrets? Perhaps they do not fully realize what they could accomplish with it. Perhaps they fear it would not be enough. Or perhaps they prefer to let the war go on a little longer.”

“Longer?” Hideo asked. “Why would they want that? The Empire is suffering horribly.”

“The Lion, the Crab and the Unicorn are at war in the south,” Shunori said slowly. “The Phoenix and the Dragon battle in the north. While they wait, every other clan save the Scorpion and the Crane is losing strength.”

“The Scorpion would never do that,” Ichizo said. Shunori, Hideo and Saburo exchanged looks.

“Whatever their motive,” Hideo said, “we lose nothing by investigating it. Right?”

“I will go to the palace tomorrow and request and audience with Togashi Satsu,” Saburo said, “so that we can petition for the Empress’s permission to leave the city.”

“We can’t leave without Kohana!” Shunori said quickly. Everyone else in the room paused and stared at him. “I mean, it would be an insult to her. As if we did not value her skill and courage.”

“The last thing I need in my life is an outraged Utaku Battle Maiden,” Saburo said. He winked at Shunori. “We will certainly wait for her to return.”

* * * * *

Shosuro Mizuno dropped the scroll on the desk before her and frowned. “This is all you have managed to accomplish?” she said.

Bayushi Kurumi didn’t show the blush she felt at the implied criticism. “He is very difficult to deal with,” she said. “Every time I approach him he finds an excuse to be somewhere else.”

“Clearly he is brighter than I gave him credit for,” Mizuno said. “Very well, if Hideo will not talk to you I will find someone else he will talk to.”

“No!” Kurumi said. Mizuno’s eyes narrowed slightly and the younger woman realized that she had just made a critical error. “Please forgive me, Mizuno-sama!” she said, prostrating herself fully on the floor. “I wish only to serve my clan, and for that I must develop my skills to their fullest. How will I learn if I give up at the first sign of difficulty?” Kurumi closed her eyes and prayed to her grandmother with all of her strength. Her friend Eisaku was dead. Kurumi didn’t know how, or why, but somehow she was sure of it. She intended to find out the manner of his death, but that would never happen if Mizuno had her replaced with someone else.

“Your desire to improve speaks well of you,” Mizuno said. “But we need answers quickly-the Divine One is not in the habit of giving audiences to nobodies, so they must have done something to attract her attention. But what? None of the lesser courtiers know anything about it, and the Chosen have either been kept ignorant or have been strictly ordered to keep silent.”

“Mizuno-sama, I can shift my attentions to someone else in the group and cultivate a connection with them. This would allow me to gather the information the clan needs, while at the same time I could learn more about Hideo.”

“Efficient,” Mizuno said, “very efficient. I approve. You have your second chance, Kurumi-chan. Don’t waste it.”

“I will not, Mizuno-sama. Thank you.” Kurumi made a full formal bow and then rose to leave. Sleep peacefully, Eisaku-kun, she thought to herself. I will avenge you.