John Flanagan - The Emperor of Nihon-Ja

'We'll go to my cabin to talk,' Horace said. 'Reito-san, would you ask the Emperor if he would see us in half an hour? I'd like to present my friends.'

'Of course, Kurokuma,' Reito replied. He bowed briefly and turned to hurry away. Horace responded automatically with a swift bow of his own.

Will, watching, mimicked the action uncertainly, not sure if he was supposed to join in or not. 'Does everyone bow to everyone here?' he asked.

'Pretty much,' Horace told him.

The one-room cabin that the Kikori had built for Horace was roomy and comfortable. His bedroll was folded away in a corner. A low table had been built and was placed in the middle of the timber floor, while a small charcoal-burning grate created a cheerful circle of warmth. The group of friends sat around the table and exchanged details of events over the past few months.

'I don't know what's happened to Atsu,' Halt said as they came to the end of their tale. 'He's probably going frantic down there at the camp.'

'I'll send someone to let him know you made it here. He won't find any of the local Kikori,' Horace said. 'They're all here with us. The ones who ran into you were a patrol we sent out to watch for Arisaka's men,' Horace said. 'But tell me, why didn't you just say you were looking for me – or Shigeru?'

He addressed the question to Alyss, as she was the Nihon-Jan speaker in the group. She shrugged.

'We weren't totally sure who we were dealing with,' she explained. 'We didn't want to mention the Emperor in case they were allied to Arisaka. I guess they felt the same way about us. They seemed to think we were spies. They probably distrusted us because we're foreign.'

Horace nodded thoughtfully. 'I guess so.' He was still a little overwhelmed by the sight of Alyss with short, dark hair.

'And they never mentioned you,' Will put in. 'All we could get out of them was that they were taking us to "Kurokuma". We didn't know if that was a place or a person. What does it mean, by the way?'

'I'm told it's a term of great respect,' Horace said, unwilling to admit that he didn't know.

'Tell us more about the Emperor,' Halt said. 'You're obviously impressed with him.'

'I am,' Horace agreed. 'He's a good man. Kind and honest and incredibly courageous. He's trying to better the lot of the common people here and give them a bigger say in things.'

'Which is, of course, why Arisaka hates him,' Halt said.

'Exactly. Shigeru has the courage not to back down from Arisaka, but unfortunately, he isn't a military leader. He was trained as a Senshi, of course. All members of his class are. But he doesn't have the wider military skills – no idea of tactics or strategy.'

'That was Shukin's role, I take it?' Evanlyn said.

A sad look came over Horace's face. 'Yes. He took care of that side of things. I think his death has shaken the Emperor very badly. He needs help.'

'Which you've been providing,' Selethen said quietly. Horace shrugged.

'I couldn't just leave him to fend for himself. His other advisers are courtiers, not war leaders. And any experienced warriors are too junior to plan a major campaign.' His face brightened. 'Which is why I was so glad to see you lot.'

'Perhaps we should go and meet this Emperor of yours,' Halt said.

Shigeru greeted them courteously, welcoming them to his country and asking for details of their journey. He apologised for the situation they now found themselves in.

'Arisaka has thrown my country into disarray,' he said sadly. 'I'm afraid I can't welcome you with the honours you deserve.'

Halt smiled at the Emperor. 'We don't deserve too much in the way of honours, your excellency.'

'Any friends of Kurokuma,' Shigeru said, indicating Horace with an inclination of his head, 'deserve great honour in this country. Your young friend has served me well, Halto-san.'

On the way to the Emperor's cabin, set at the head of the valley, Horace had quickly explained some of the vagaries of Nihon-Jan pronunciation.

'They seem to find it difficult to finish a word with a hard consonant, like "T",' he said. 'Usually they'll add a vowel after it. So if you don't mind, Halt, I will introduce you as "Halto". Will can be "Wirru".' He paused to explain further. '"L" is not a sound they're totally comfortable with, either.'

'I suppose that'll make me "Arris"?' Alyss said and Horace nodded.

'What about Selethen and me?' Evanlyn asked.

Horace considered it for a moment. 'The L's in your name will probably be a little slurred,' he said. 'And they'll pronounce all three syllables in your names with equal emphasis. You won't be E-van-lyn or Sel-eth-en, as we say them. They don't stress any one syllable more than the other. They'll say all three in a sort of staccato rhythm.'

He had proved to be correct. Shigeru listened attentively as Horace introduced his friends, using the adapted names he had given them, and then repeated them carefully. Of course, the polite term 'san' was added to each name as well.

After the formalities were taken care of, Shigeru sent for tea and they all sipped gratefully at the hot drink. There was a sharp edge in the weather – the heavy snows would soon be starting.

Horace regarded his cup. Green tea was all right, he thought. But it wasn't his favourite beverage.

'I don't suppose you brought any coffee with you?' he asked the two Rangers.

'We've got some,' Will replied and as Horace's eyes brightened, he continued, 'But it's all at our camp site on the coast.'

'Oh. Just when you got my hopes up. I'll send men to bring your gear up here,' Horace said.

Shigeru had been following the exchange with a smile. Horace's relief was obvious now that his friends were here – particularly the older, bearded man. Shigeru knew that Horace had taken on a lot after Shukin's death and he had worried it might be too much of a burden for such a young man. Now, he could share that burden, the Emperor thought. And he instinctively felt confidence in the abilities of this Halto-san to find a way to oppose Arisaka. Horace had told him a great deal about the enigmatic Ranger over the past weeks.

'Kurokuma has been missing his coffee,' Shigeru said.

'Your highness?' It was the younger of the two Rangers, obviously with a question, and Shigeru nodded for him to continue. 'What is this name you've given him? Kurokuma?'

'It's a title of great respect,' the Emperor replied gravely.

'Yes. So Horace told us. But what does it mean?'

'I think,' Alyss began uncertainly, 'it has something to do with a bear? A black bear?'

Shigeru inclined his head towards her. 'You have an excellent understanding of our language, Arris-san,' he told her.

She flushed a little and bowed in response to the compliment.

Horace, who had been trying to find out the meaning of Kurokuma for some time now, was pleased to hear the translation.

'Black bear,' he repeated. 'It's undoubtedly because I'm so terrible in battle.'

'I'd guess so,' Will put in. 'I've seen you in battle and you're definitely terrible.'

'Perhaps,' said Halt quickly, heading off any further exchange between them, 'we might take a tour of the defences. We've taken up too much of his excellency's time.'

'Please, Halto-san, call me Shigeru. I don't feel like an excellency in these mountains.' His gaze travelled round the others. 'All of you, please, call me Shigeru-san. It will save a lot of bowing and scraping.'

His smile embraced them and they all murmured acknowledgement. Then, as they began to rise to their feet, he held up a hand.

'Princess Ev-an-in,' he said, 'perhaps you and Arris-san can stay and talk further. I would like to learn more about your father and his Kingdom of Araluen.'

'Or course, your exc-' Evanlyn began, then stopped herself at his admonishing finger. 'I mean, of course, Shigeru-san.'