CHAPTER THREE
Before Ran could recover himself, the old man spoke quietly. “At the end of this street, you’ll find an alley running west. Take it to the end and you’ll see an alcove. Above the alcove is a chalk mark. Wait for me there.” Then resuming the stature of a beggar, the old man hobbled away singing to himself and rattling some coins in his bowl.
Ran watched him go for a second and then resumed his travel down the street. At the end, he saw the alley and veered into it. The buildings on either side closed in and gave the alley a very tight feeling. It would be difficult to fight anyone in the tight confines of the alley, which made Ran more than a little apprehensive. While the old man had said the right words, could he truly be trusted? Ran had never run into anyone from his clan in the outside world. The novelty of the experience made him feel like an acolyte all over again.
He saw the alcove and the chalk mark above it. The interior of the alcove smelled like festering urine and excrement, and as the horrible stench assailed his nostrils, Ran wondered how long he would have to wait for the old man to arrive. He certainly didn’t seem to be in very good physical condition.
Ran sighed and counted away the minutes. After a half an hour, Ran was almost ready to leave. Then he felt a tap behind him and nearly shouted in surprise.
In the dim light of the alcove, a toothless grin greeted him. “Sorry I’m late. Had to make sure we hadn’t attracted any followers.” He held up a finger. “Follow me and stay low and quiet as we go, all right?”
Ran nodded, still marveling that the wall at the back of the alcove wasn’t a wall at all, but a hidden door. The old man waited until he had passed through it into the tunnel beyond before once again closing and locking it. He smiled in the darkness. “The smell usually keep most people away. But the lock ensures they don’t discover my tunnel.”
“Where are we going?”
“Someplace where we can talk without being overheard,” said the old man. “Now, low and quiet, like I said.”
With that, he took off down the tunnel. He didn’t use a light, and Ran had no need of it anyway. During the training, all shadow warriors learned how to best see in the darkness. It was practiced so often, it became a natural instinct anytime lighting conditions were less than ideal. Since they operated frequently at night, the skill was essential.
The old man took a turn, and Ran could hear voices all around them. But they kept walking, careful of their footing. At times, the tunnel led up and then down again. It bent, twisted, and turned. Ran spotted several options going left and right as they went, but the old man kept them in the main tunnel the entire time. If he’d been down here by himself, Ran surely would have gotten lost in the maze of tunnels. He supposed that was the point. If anyone discovered the old man’s secret, they’d have a hard time locating him in here.
Finally, after twenty minutes of travel, they drew up to a wall, and the old man pressed a brick near the top of it. Instantly, the wall slid back to reveal a modest apartment appointed with a bed, kitchen, and dining area. Bookshelves lined the wall, including the one they now stepped out of. The old man waited until Ran had cleared the entry and then pushed a brazier. The entry disappeared behind another bookcase. Looking at the wall he’d just come through, Ran wasn’t even sure he could pick out the outline of the secret door.
“Impressive.”
The old man shrugged. “We can talk here. No one lives around me. I’ve taken steps to make sure I don’t have any pesky neighbors.” He headed toward a basin of water and pulled off the nasty hair as he did so. As he bent over the bowl, Ran watched him splash his face repeatedly until all the grime disappeared. Wrinkles vanished as well. When he stood upright again, the face belonged to a much younger man than the beggar who had greeted Ran earlier.
“It’s always so nice to get out of the disguise.”
Ran pointed. “Your teeth.”
“Ah, always forget them.” He coughed and spat a set of fake teeth from his mouth and set them down on the table. “Nasty buggers, those.” He smiled again at Ran. “I’m Tanka.”
“Ran.”
Tanka nodded. “Been expecting you.”
Ran eyed him. “You have? No one at the clan knew where I was heading.”
“Tozawa knew you were going west. There are only so many routes you could take. I was told to be on the lookout for you. Glad to see you’ve made it here safe and sound. That’s always a promising start for newly minted Shinobujin.”
Ran removed the swords from his belt and set them down on the table before sitting. “What news from home?”
Tanka shrugged. “Not much of interest. I don’t get much in the way of gossip. Although I did hear you made quite an impression on the clan elders after you took care of that evil sorcerer to the south. What was his name?”
“Seiryu,” said Ran. “I couldn’t believe the clan had allowed him to stay in power as long as they had. The things he was doing in his tower couldn’t be tolerated.”
Tanka sat down opposite Ran and nodded. “You’ll get no argument from me there. But you did just ruin the graduation exercise for the next class of operatives.”
“Excuse me?”
Tanka grinned. “Seiryu. He was the graduation exercise. For years. I had to recover that damned sword ten years back.” He chuckled. “Glad to know that someone finally gave that old coot the what for.”
Ran shook his head. “That would mean that the clan elders were allied with Seiryu.”
Tanka held up his hand. “Now, don’t get crazy thoughts. They tolerated Seiryu as long as he agreed to play along. I don’t think anyone expected you to actually go back and confront the man. You were just supposed to get the sword back and that was it. You would have graduated. But then you took it one step further. I don’t think the clan elders really gave a damn about Seiryu as much as they’ll now need to find a new test for aspiring graduates.”
“I had no idea,” said Ran.
Tanka smiled and slapped him on the back. “To be expected. You’d only just graduated, and the final test is as tough as they come. No doubt you were feeling all cocky. That’s completely natural. We all feel that way after the final exam. Like we could go out and set the world on fire with our confidence. Am I right?”
Ran smirked as he remembered how he’d been feeling. At the time, it hadn’t seemed like cockiness, but in retrospect, it certainly might have been. He’d fairly demanded his graduation certificates from Tozawa. That wasn’t exactly a smart thing to do. But Tozawa had not only tolerated it, he’d spared him punishment when he’d returned from killing Seiryu.
“Tozawa is an extraordinarily patient man,” said Ran finally.
“He’s had plenty of experience watching his new graduates go off into the world. He’s probably plenty used to the attitude he gets from the likes of us.” Tanka poured them both some wine and set a cup before Ran. “Besides, it’s not like the real world doesn’t set us all straight sooner or later, right? And if we don’t learn, we don’t come home alive.”
“There’s that,” said Ran, thinking about his recent experiences with Kan-Gul and transporting Jysal to the temple. If he’d remained stupid and cocky, he would have surely ended up dead many times over. “Still, it would be good to apologize to Tozawa when I return.”
Tanka shrugged again as he downed the wine. “Tozawa and the clan elders will be more appreciative of any information you can provide as you make your way on your shugyo.”
“You know about that, too?”
Tanka nodded. “Of course. And I can just tell you that I’m jealous as hell about the fact you got one. Me? As soon as I graduated, I got sent here to set up shop. I’ve been in that dirty old disguise so much I sometimes wonder if my bones are getting old.”
“Why here?”
Tanka gestured around. “Big trading post like this? Tons of news comes through here. It’s my job to stay on top of it. Scuttlebutt, gossip, trade secrets, who is angry at whom, that sort of thing. Apparently my aptitude for disguise is what won me this posting. Should have known when I got exemplary marks on that course. They knew exactly how to put me to best use.” Tanka sighed and drank more wine. “In any event, it’s a living and it helps the clan. I get bored often, but it’s great to see you come along. How long are you staying?”
“Long enough to secure passage with a trading caravan heading west,” said Ran. “I’ve got business in a kingdom along the trade routes.”
“Which kingdom?”
“Valrus.”
“Never heard of it.” Tanka sighed. “Should have known you wouldn’t be staying long. Ah well, can I help you with anything?”
Ran gestured to his swords. “Those are the only weapons I have left. Lost most of my traveling kit when my boat ran aground on a reef and we had to swim for it. Any chance of some replacements?”
“Do you still have your senban?”
Ran shook his head. He’d lost the precious flat throwing plates along with the length of chain he carried. “Just the two swords.”
Tanka eyed the shorter blade. “Not the match of the long sword. How’d you come by it?”
“It used to have a different owner,” said Ran as he sipped the last of his wine. “I’ve only recently adopted it.”
Tanka smiled. “Fair enough. I can help with the resupply. I’ve got a cache of weapons here for just that reason. Imported direct from Gakur, by the way.” He rose and walked to another bookcase. When he pulled a single bound volume from the shelf, the case turned on an unseen axis and revealed an alcove with a chest set inside. Tanka rummaged through it, and Ran could hear the sound of clinking metal.
“Here we are,” said Tanka. He set down nine edged throwing plates, each about the size of Ran’s palm.
Ran picked one up and turned it over, feeling the weight of it. Tanka wasn’t lying; the senban had come straight from the forges in Gakur. Ran smiled. “Good to have some of these again.” He gathered them up, folding them over each other in a length of cloth that would inhibit any noise from them as he moved.
Tanka let a length of chain nearly a meter long dribble onto the table top. “Your kusari.”
Ran hefted the chain and studied the links. They had to be perfectly forged in order to stop a sword blade. Fortunately, these were. He slid that into his tunic and nodded at Tanka. “Much better. What do I owe you for them?”
“Owe me?” Tanka grinned. “The clan supplies its agents free of charge, you know that. Besides, sitting here out of that ridiculous get-up and having a bit of wine with a fellow graduate is worth more than what you could pay me, believe me.”
Ran hoisted his glass. “In that case, here’s to the clan.”
Tanka nodded. “Indeed.”
They both drank deep before Tanka put his glass back on the table. “So, have you anything of import for me to pass back to the clan?”
“You have the means to do so here?”
Tanka smiled. “Absolutely. I can get a message back to the clan within twenty-four hours. I use a group of trained falks for just that service. Have you ever seen one?”
“Once. Back in Gakur. One of the teachers showed us. They’re vicious birds.”
“Predatory,” said Tanka. “But indisputably loyal. Once they have a message, they won’t let anything stop them from delivering it. Probably why the clan goes to such lengths to ensure that we have them as our messengers.”
Ran said, “The only bit of information I’ve come across so far is probably better attributed to the maniacal ravings of a madman.”
“Who?”
“Kan-Gul.”
Tanka sat back. “There’s a name I don’t often hear about. They say he uses the undead as his own private army.”
“He did,” said Ran. “He’s no longer alive.”
“You? You killed him?”
Ran shrugged. “I had some help.”
“Incredible. And how long have you been out of Nehon for?”
“Nearly a month, I think.”
Tanka hoisted his glass in Ran’s direction. “You’ve already seen more action than me, my friend. Good of you to rid the countryside of that guy, too, let me tell you. I heard stories about him. No doubt you’ve sent him to a far better place.”
“Kan-Gul said an army was coming over the mountains to the north. Looking to invade the lower lands.”
Tanka set his glass down and leaned forward. “Did you see any evidence to back that up?”
Ran shrugged. “Inside his fortress he had room for plenty of soldiers. There was an armory. Billeting areas.”
“Nothing else?”
“Just the promise of mayhem from Kan-Gul himself. Nothing else.”
Tanka leaned back and rubbed his chin. “I will need to send this back to the clan. Even if it’s nothing, they need to know about it. Ours isn’t to make decisions about the information we get ahold of. We just send it back and let those wiser men make the decisions.”
Ran frowned. “How long until you hear back from them?”
“A day. Perhaps two.”
“I’d hoped to be leaving sooner than that,” said Ran.
Tanka stood. “I’ll send the message immediately, but you’ll have to remain here until I hear back. If the clan wants you to follow up on that information, then your quest will have to wait until such time as they’re satisfied that it poses no danger to our clan.”
“Understood,” said Ran. Although he was loathe to wait any longer than necessary in Chulal.
“Don’t worry,” said Tanka. “Trade caravans won’t be leaving until the end of the week anyway. They all think it’s bad luck to leave before the day of feasts. With any luck, you can hang around, find a caravan that wants you, and, when the time comes, you’ll be ready to ride.”
“I hope you’re right,” said Ran. “I hope you’re right.”