一

Chapter 1

I was doing the uncouth laundry for other extraneous servants when bells rang deafeningly, sending men and women in unmitigated panic, while children covered their ears and screamed, adding to the ruckus. It took me a split second to realise this was the signal for the alarm. Adversaries were approaching the castle. The distance between us should still be great, since the army would only be close enough to be noticed.

“Bowmen! Prepare your arrows!” my acute hearing barely registered the roar under the yells and panic.

Feeling a frantic mixture of wild emotions swirl in my chest, I dropped the clothes and headed to the house, the ground trembling under the feet of the army closing in, the dust rising high in the air. I ran to my room, knowing that was where Noemi would head to; I met her in front of the closed doors.

“This is Ogasawara army, my lady. You must run,” she muttered quickly, sliding the doors to allow me inside.

The Ogasawara were of the North, enemy to the Morikawa and rivals to the Katakeyama. The Iwasaki were the supporters of Morikawa, which meant they were also a focus of military decisions of the Montoku, whom the Ogasawara served. I was in dual vulnerability due to both my heritage and situation. Noemi was right�"if I valued my life, I was to escape the foray. She handed a replica of her bag to place the few of prosperous things I had. While I packed, she left, returning with an armour set and a sword. I thanked her as she helped me to adjust the heavy protection.

      It took quite a while to get used to the familiar weight and the unbalanced sword. Experienced in escapes, Noemi guided me outside the castle, which was crawling with yelling warriors closing the gates. The earth would soon be coloured red with blood flowing in hollows amongst the dead bodies and victorious army. On the other hand, neither side mattered to me.

While this panic continued, two armed women would be temporarily unnoticed, but as soon as the army was organised, we would be done for. I pointed to a room, the paper doors of which were wrecked and scattered around; it used to be Mikka’s room. Noemi nodded and we sneaked inside, peeking out so as to run at the correct time, when the gates would be breached and warriors to busy fighting each other to notice us, for then there would be fewer enemies eager to strike us. It did not much reduce the chances of being slayed, though.

At this moment, a colossal crash drowned all the other sounds. The Ogasawara were breaching the gates. Warriors of the Takahashi gripped their swords tighter, but there were very few of them. Most were unprepared and likely to arm themselves now, in hopes of coming on time. I watched those men, who harassed the young girls of the castle, who had families, who took pleasure in torture, and wished all of them to burn in this massacre. So much I have endured, so many a times terrified of what they would do to me. It was their turn to fear. But instead of feeling glee, I feared for  the kind men like Yoshihisa, Daisuke and many others who were friends.

The gates creaked after the next crash of the cannon, making my muscles tense. Burning arrows crashed on the ground not far from the soldiers, their tips dug deep into the earth, indicating the strength of men and bows. Several arrows landed on the wooden roofs, quickly setting them aflame. I knew I had to relax, for tensed muscles lost agility and quickness, but thoughts of all good men dying, the thought of Noemi or myself getting sliced with a sword, brought my heart to my throat. With every crash, my pulse quickened, until at last the gates gave in and the enormous army flooded inside, the deterrent roar drowning out all of my senses and feelings.

Noemi urged to me to rise and we both ran at the same time, past the soldiers, swords raised, fighting for our lives. The Takahashi mistook us for their own and followed after our lead, the battle cry emerging from their very dark, blackened souls. The first decapitation coloured my sleeves red as I kicked the head away and ran to the gates, where another minatory wave appeared.

The foot soldiers mixed with deleterious horse cavalry.

 

Another clash of blades. The soldier pressed all of his mass on me; I could hardly withstand. Red flames danced around us, preying on fallen bodies of the Takahashi and licking the remains of the burning castle. The remnants of guards scrimmaged around me, no longer watching each other’s backs but wildly slicing the enemies that poured in from the gates in unending waves. They already knew of defeat, and the thought stripped them of their sword control. I rolled back, away from the soldier and quickly made a strike near his breastplate, in the armpit. The last sound I heard was the cursing as he clutched at his hand. Hurrying before he took control of himself, I disappeared behind two soldiers, conscious of the menacing hiatus of their blades.

“Lady, run,” Noemi impalpably yelled behind her opponent. Her hands were cut, armour damaged in many places so badly, it provided practically no protection. At least fifty men must have fought with her; now they could no longer do harm. "Get to the gates!"

I knew better than to argue. Nodding, I started clearing the way for myself out of the gates. The enemy soldiers slashed at me, but Noemi followed; I barely avoided most of the blows even as she blocked the most. Our progress was incredibly slow, but at least we moved against the raging current of armour and swords. The castle guards were falling, and falling quickly. From the looks of it we had barely enough time to flee.

As a member of the Iwasaki, Eastern feudal lords, I could cajole help from our allies, the Hashiji. Although they were not as far away as Iwasaki and were the closest allies, Noemi and I still had to hide from the Ogasawara of the Northern Province. The country was preparing to become a battlefield for the warlords eager to unite the land under their control. Hashiji and Tokugawa had been our allies for decades, and we fought together against the ever ambitious Montoku and Utsunomiya clans. There were many more, but much less menacing.

Noemi and I had still yet to inform the Hashiji about Ogasawara attack on the Takahashi. Otherwise the news would never reach them in time, and they would also be crushed under the enemy. This  attack was a bliss, for it created a reason for me to go to an allying clan, when in another time, there would be no place for me. Perhaps they would allow me to stay with them.

“Noemi, get to the left side of the gates,” I ordered. She obeyed immediately. The enemy main camp was from the right of the castle, and many men were too indolent to run further than the first door. Lazy idiots.

I cut another man, the sharp blade reaching through his armour to the flesh. He started to fall, and I pushed him under the impatient legs of the next soldiers. They tripped, and we won another few meters.

The enemy captain noticed us then ordered one regiment to pursue Noemi and me. Seeing the men tail after us, I already got behind the gates, running toward the forest so fortunately not touched by the fire. Noemi followed, our light armour nothing compared to the heavy weight of the enemies’ mail. We were faster but more exhausted, pain echoing in my legs repeatedly as my bleeding wounds ached.

“Lady, I can stay here to slow them down,” Noemi said, her loyalty bringing warmth in my cold body.

I shook my head. “No. I will not survive long enough to reach the Hashiji without you.”

“Yes, my lady,” she replied with a small smile in her eyes.

The last time I turned around, modicum pursuers were behind the others. I sought our chance then, in their ignorance of cohesion. If we continued to run, we would be far too fatigued to fight soon, which meant their sheer numbers would slaughter us. If we slowed first and charged at the first line when they were least expecting it, then kill the ones at the back, we still had a chance. I explained my idea to Noemi in signs. She agreed.

We deliberately slowed, and the soldiers shouted in glee. They were catching up to us fast. Noemi caught my glance. At the same time, we turned around and charged through the men. The front line was fast to handle and their shock influenced the others. Some of them blocked my blows and Noemi quickly stepped behind me so that we would be covering each other’s backs. Luckily, numerous men were quite a long distance behind, and we were ready to face them by the time they arrived. The final group came when the last man before them fell on the ground.

After we abolished the last troupe, we headed to the forest, panting. A soldier had cut my leg deep and my speed badly decreased. Noemi held her shoulder as red blood coloured her sleeve, leaving a trail behind until she ripped a piece of fabric from her clothes and bind the injury. Once, I risked looking back, but all I saw were more troops flooding in the gates. Now the Takahashi castle belonged to another enemy.

“How is your shoulder?” My bruise felt like liquid fire. Unfortunately there was not any way to extinguish it other than to forget about its existence.

“I’ve been better, my lady,” Noemi answered. With an acknowledging smile, I nodded.

The previously unalienable territory between the castle and Hashiji lands became the foes’. If we took the forest road, it would take more time but with less danger. Moreover, in our condition, we could not risk going in open. We had to stay in the forest, although it would be hard to get food without bows. Unfortunately Noemi did not have the time to find anything more than what we had now when the Takahashi had sounded the alarm. Noemi commanded a stop near a small stream of clean fresh water. She knew a lot about the forest�"was it where she slept and hid for all those years?

“How far is it to Hashiji territory?”

She pursed her lips, cerebrating. “Perhaps two days on horses. We are blessed to be at the end of the Katakeyama territory.”

“Horses?” I asked to be sure. “Where can we get horses?”

The woman smiled slyly. “Lady, wash your wounds. I will return with mounts in an hour.”

Despite the urge to ask her, I nodded and started to take the armour off myself. Noemi vanished in the shadows of the forest several moments later; I watched her back, silently imposing her to return after the hour. My wounds were not life-threatening when I looked at them, although I held the knowledge of possible infection that could have occurred. As expected, the armour was too ill-fitting, and I saw bruises on many parts of my body, especially my shoulders. Not much time has passed since Noemi left. Cautiously peering at the trees, I undressed and poured water over myself, cupping it in my hands.

The fresh water washed the dirt off my skin, the cool of it eased most of the pain. I washed my hair in the cold stream, feeling the flowing weight of the water cascading as I sat up. My old clothes were dirty and ragged, serving no purpose anymore. I put into one pile to use it for fire once Noemi came back and opened the bag she gave me to wear one of the robes my mother sent. I knew we would be staying here for the night, for it was too late to travel, so I did not worry about the stiffing of my movements in it.

I pulled the bottom up and inspected the worst of the injuries. The skin on the thigh was slashed evenly, and the wound was not long, but it was deep.  Noemi had made me accept the mazes before we absconded, in case I was on my own and hurt. Wincing, I put some of the yellow bitter mixture of herbs on the cleansed gash. It stung.

 After blowing on my thigh, I proceeded to a tree, leaning on it night took over the last of the day light. Not much wind reached this far in the forest, but even the lightest of breeze was refreshing. My hearing became even more focused as the wind carried dried leaves, coloured gold and orange, brown and crimson red, to me, playing with the colours before dropping them. Some small animal skidded by; stopped.

“Who are you?” I questioned, flinging on my feet.

The young man was several arm-spans away from me, armed. His robes were not rich, yet I could see in the straight, warrior lines on his face he was not a low-ranked by birth. Tinted with clinging dirt, the clothes only revealed a decorated handle of a wondrously carved sword, such that only noble had the right to claim it as theirs. This sought my attention. I slid my sword from its rusty scabbard, still, I realised, coated with dried blood and bits of flesh of the men I fought hours ago. In pain and relief, I had forgotten to clean the blade.

Although young, he was marked by battles, a scar on his right temple. Other than that, I could not tell much, for the rest of his face was covered in a fashion of Noemi when we first met, adding to the secrecy and uneasiness. The watchful eyes that followed my every move so attentively, merged with the shadows the clouds cast along with branches, the intensity of the look sending cold needles in my body.

Since I felt his powerful aura, I was entranced with both fear and awe, the world sequestering insubstantial. His eyes were long, so black the pupil seemed one with iris�" the kind of eyes many possessed. The cold seeped away, replaced with blazing alertness. Our chests rouse and fell, slowly, with no hurry, like an artist’s brush flowing smoothly across paper in one single rhythm of beauty. Then he shut his eyes for a brief second and when they opened, once again calculating and cool, he turned around and dissolved behind trees.

I breathed out in relief. Those eyes were the eyes of shinobi-- deadly, hypnotising and dark. They told me of his strength, and that I would not survive if he had the mind to kill. It was my wish to be like that too, to become independent, feared, powerful. This encounter did not allow me to relax again.

 

 

Shigeo used all of his unrivalled speed to put a vast expanse between the frightened girl and him, his humiliation of being seen creating the mortified energy he despised the most. Air violently hit his eyes and forehead, the nose safely hidden from the sold by a black scarf he wore to conceal the identity. He still had until morning to return to the room around which the naïve guards stood, unsuspecting of his real location. The lean young man, taller than warriors like any other shinobi, ceased the perfunctory run to look in the sky. It always calmed him and organised his thoughts. He could not understand why he needed to watch  this stranger from behind a tree, and how she actually managed to notice his presence.

As his consciousness quieted, he heard a distinctive sound of light breathing that could belong to a nimble young woman, unburdened by neither too much muscle nor fat. A horse neighed near her, snorting loudly as if sensing him. Shigeo smelled characteristic perfume, mixed with sweat and forest, yet still recognised. The seemingly weightless footsteps approached him. He smiled.

“Noemi,” Shigeo acknowledged the woman as she passed.

She gave a low chuckle. “You grew taller than I expected. How is Father?”

“He is as demanding as ever,” Shigeo replied with a sly curve of his lips, “even on his women. What are you doing here? I thought you were keeping an eye on the Iwasaki girl.”

Noemi gestured for him to sit under the shady crone of an ancient tree, its leaves not yet scattered but displayed in most amazing colours of gold. After a moment hesitation, he succumbed�" there was, after all, time to return. The hard ground was welcomed by his body, providing him all the support required to hide the confusion of feelings from watchful Noemi as she told him the story.

“The Ogasawara attacked the Takahashi tonight.” She absentmindedly raised a recently fallen maple leaf, appreciating its beauty not yet touched by harsh rains and merciless sun. Shigeo himself admired such simple things of nature, for they were graced with a strange rough mildness that drove him to love the wild so much.

“With you advice, I presume?”

“Oh, yes. They don’t have the strength to do it alone, those cowards.” Noemi pulled a ceramic bottle from her sash, quickly gaining his attention. “Rice wine?”

“No, thank you,” Shigeo said, fighting the temptation with reason. He could not afford giving any clues to the guards; sour smell of the wine on his breath would betray him. “Is the girl dead? It would be a shame�"you told us she was quite talented, and with the blood of Iga too.”

With no hurry, Noemi drank from the bottle, almost as if she did not hear him. She wiped her mouth with satisfaction mirrored in her gleaming eyes. “No, she is alive. I made sure of that. And judging by your smell you met her.”

“Always so perceptive, Noemi. We didn't touch.”

“There is much more than that, Shigeo.” She twirled the bottle slowly in her hands, feeling he liquid splosh softly to the sides of the ceramics in circles, clearly enjoying testing Shigeo’s patience. “Much more than that.”

Seeing his perseverance was not wearing thin, at least in her eyes, she shrugged her disappointment. “You have the smell of the herbs I gave her. They have a rather noticeable scent, don’t you think?”

His face remained the same, cynical and playful, yet the brief relief in his eyes and the pink on his cheeks gave him away. Noting it, Noemi smiled. Despite his rather rare talents, in some ways, he was still a child. The thought made her both gloomy and pleased, for she had known Shigeo for more than decade now; seeing him grow into a fine young man brought her joy. Caught in memories, Naomi mused on how old her spirit has become and how sentimental, before perceiving the burrowing, calm look Shigeo granted her with, and laughed. “Besides, it isn’t the only thing determining whether you two met or not."

With pity and amusement, the woman saw the muscles on Shigeo’s face tense once more, bringing forward his chin. Not many could have noticed the slight movement�"he had improved his control over the sudden emotions extremely well, as was expected of him. Yet she still owned more experience. “I knew she would have this effect on you.”

“What do you mean?” Shigeo asked with the same polite composure, detachment even. Noemi gave him a knowing, sorrowful smile before answering, her voice bearing no humour but only painful truth. His denying retort was angry. Perhaps, she was wrong. Or perhaps he did not change at all.

 

 

For quite a long time, I rubbed two grey stones together with single-minded persistence, trying to set my old clothes on fire but not so much as a spark appeared despite all of my efforts. Noemi returned with a solid brown mare, the placid nature shown in the horse’s sturdy walk and good-natured eyes. I was so relieved to see her, I almost shed a tear.

“I can’t make fire,” was the first thing I said to the woman once she sat. Noemi gave me her knowing look before bowing slightly in apology.

“No, my lady. We will give out our whereabouts with the smoke,” she corrected me softly. “Are you tired?”

“I can still do the guard duty.”

Noemi smiled gently. “You will not have to. We will use this celebration night to create as much distance between Ogasawara and us as possible to stop the pursuing. ”

The revelation made me sigh. My body, shocked by the sudden appearance of the shinobi, the escape from the burning castle, and the bitterness of wounds, would barely manage a fast ride, but I did not complain. Instead I smiled back. If we did not reach Asayama in perhaps two days, death would become inevitable, the only variance in the amount of pain and humiliation inflicted.

She watched me with more precaution than usually, peering in my face as if trying to read my thoughts. When she realised I would not speak, Noemi helped me on the horse and leaped gracefully, seating herself behind me. With iron control she took the reins in her hands, her calmness spreading to the already peaceful horse. If I was not so distracted with my thoughts, then I would be taking pleasure of the emerald tones of green,  the gentle coloured leaves going into a shade so dark, it seemed a black veil of beauty. The lovely scenery passed, but I only know it because I took a notice of it while waiting for Noemi. Still, I could imagine the blurred forest in my mind, and it was as exquisite as anything I had ever seen in my life. We rode under the silver moonlight, across the brilliant emerald grass, crystal dew hanging to the stems, to the Hashiji in search of freedom.