John Flanagan - The Emperor of Nihon-Ja

Now that they knew there was no intruder in the room, there was no need to continue the pretence of deep breathing. They both breathed lightly, almost inaudibly, their ears tensed for any sound coming from outside.

Will was grateful that their room was closer to the stairwell than Alyss's. An attacker would have to pass their room to get to Alyss. A soft scuff of fabric against the wall, then another slight squeak, told them that whoever it was had reached the gallery and was moving slowly along it. They followed the slight sounds that marked his progress until the pale crack of light at the door panel was obscured and they knew he was outside their door. The sounds of movement ceased and Will felt a sense of relief. Whoever it was, Alyss was not the target.

He strained his ears, his head cocked slightly sideways towards the door. There was a gentle scratching sound – fingernails on the oiled paper surface, he guessed. Hardly the act of someone whose intention was to take them by surprise.

Halt mimicked the sound, rustling his fingernails on the reed floor mat. There was silence for a few seconds, with no movement perceptible outside the door. Then a low voice, barely audible, hardly more than a whisper, came to them.

'I am Atsu.'

They exchanged a quick glance. Halt nodded to the wall beside the door. Will rose, making as little noise as possible, and moved, barefooted, to stand beside the opening, his saxe knife in his hand. Halt remained seated on the mattress.

'Come in, Atsu,' Halt said softly.

The door scraped open. A figure was framed in the opening. He looked left and right, saw Will beside the doorway and spread his hands to show he was unarmed. Will gestured for Atsu to go forward, into the room, and he complied, sliding the door shut behind him. He moved to where Halt sat sideways on the mattress, his legs crossed, and dropped to his knees, facing him. He bowed.

'Greetings, friends,' he said.

Will moved from the doorway now and stood to one side, so he could observe the man as he spoke to Halt. He was slightly built, shorter than Will or Halt, but wiry. He was almost bald, with just a fringe of hair around the sides and back of his head. He appeared to be unarmed, but he could well have a knife concealed under the long cross-over robe that was standard attire for most Nihon-Jan.

'Do you always move around so late at night?' Halt asked him.

Atsu nodded. 'Since Lord Arisaka's men have imposed themselves upon us, it is safer for me to avoid them.'

'You helped another gaijin recently,' Halt said. It was a statement, but it was also a question. If this was not Atsu, chances are he wouldn't know the name of the gaijin he had brought down from the mountains. Atsu understood the challenge.

'You are talking about George-san,' he said. 'Friend to Or'ss-san.'

Halt frowned momentarily, not recognising the name.

'Who?' he said suspiciously. This time, Atsu enunciated the name carefully.

'Or'ss-san,' he said. 'The tall gaijin warrior.'

Will suddenly deciphered the name. He knew that the word 'san' was a Nihon-Jan term of respect, added as a suffix to a person's name. If he ignored that, he was left with 'Or'ss' – and that was a little more recognisable.

'Horace,' he said quickly and Atsu turned his head towards him and bobbed it quickly in affirmation.

'Yes. Or'ss-san,' he said. 'He saved the Emperor's life.'

'Did he now?' Halt said thoughtfully. 'I imagine that didn't make him Arisaka's favourite foreigner.'

'No indeed. Arisaka was enraged when he heard. Or'ss-san killed two of his Senshi.' Atsu allowed a note of satisfaction to creep into his voice as he added the last comment.

'That sounds like Horace, all right,' Will said.

'And our friend here doesn't sound too heartbroken at the thought of Arisaka's men leaving us for a better place,' Halt said wryly.

'Which makes it more likely that he is, in fact, a friend,' Will agreed.

Halt paused a moment, thinking. Will would seem to be right, he thought. But a few more questions might be in order.

'What else can you tell us about George?' he said.

Atsu considered the question, sifting his thoughts to ensure that his answers advanced his credibility in the eyes of these two gaijin.

'He is no warrior. He is a talker.'

Will smothered a small laugh. 'That sounds like George.'

Atsu looked at him again. 'But he saved Or'ss-san's life in the mountains,' he added and Will raised his eyebrows in surprise.

'George saved Horace's life?' he said, incredulous.

'We were ambushed in the mountains. One of the ambushers shot an arrow at Or'ss-san. George-san saw it and pushed Or'ss-san to one side. The arrow struck George-san in the arm.'

Halt and Will exchanged another glance.

'Alyss did say George mentioned a wound in his message,' Will said. 'Although this bit about saving Horace is news to me.'

'Speaking of Alyss,' Halt said, 'perhaps you should fetch her. She should hear what Atsu has to say.'

His tone of voice said that he was now convinced that this really was Atsu and that he could probably be trusted. Will turned towards the door but, as he did so, there was a light tap on the door frame and the sliding panel opened, revealing Alyss in the Nihon-Jan robe she had been wearing earlier.

'Do you two always bellow at the top of your voices in the middle of the night?' she said. Then, catching sight of the third figure in the room, her voice lost its joking tone. 'I take it this is Atsu?'

It was a logical assumption, Will thought. No one else was likely to be in their room at this time of night.

'Indeed it is. Atsu, this is the Lady Alyss.'

The small Nihon-Jan swivelled round on his knees and bowed from his kneeling position to Alyss.

'Hr'ady Ariss-san,' he said. Alyss, diplomat though she was, raised an eyebrow at the unusual pronunciation of her name. Wait till she hears what he makes of Horace, Will thought, seeing the expression.

'Delighted to meet you,' Alyss said, her features under control again. She closed the door and crossed the room to sit on the end of Halt's mattress, her legs tucked up to one side.

'Can Atsu tell us what has become of Horace?' she asked Halt.

'I was about to ask him that,' the Ranger replied. But Atsu needed no further urging.

'Or'ss-san has offered to serve Lord Shigeru, the Emperor of Nihon-Jan, against the usurper, Arisaka. They have gathered some of Lord Shigeru's men and are retreating into the mountains, heading for the ancient fortress of Ran-Koshi.'

'So the Emperor has an army with him?' Halt asked.

Atsu shook his head. 'No army. Just the survivors of his men from the garrison in Ito. Barely fifty men. There are also the Kikori, but they're no army.'

'The Kikori?' Alyss asked. She wasn't familiar with the word. Atsu turned to her.

'Timber workers and wood cutters,' he said. 'They live in the mountains and they are loyal to the Emperor. Arisaka made the mistake of raiding and burning their villages in his search for the Emperor. As a result, he has alienated the Kikori and many of them have joined the Emperor.'

'But they're not soldiers?' Will asked and Atsu shook his head.

'Sadly, no. But they know the mountains like the back of their hands. If they are hiding the Emperor, Arisaka will never find him.'

'What's this fortress you mentioned?'

'Ran-Koshi. It's a legendary fortress, with high walls that are many metres thick. Even with a small force, the Emperor can hold it against Arisaka's army for months.'

The three Araluans exchanged glances. Will and Alyss left it for Halt to voice the question they all wanted answered.

'So how do we get to Ran-Koshi? Can you guide us?'

Their hearts sank as Atsu shook his head sadly.

'It's said to be somewhere in the north-western mountains. Only the Kikori would know its location for sure – it's been so long since anybody's seen it that many people say it's a legend only.'