Silver Mage (Book 2) (24 page)

The sun rose far too soon for Bren’s liking as he hadn’t got more than a half an hour of sleep thanks to the constant reminder that Faye clung to his arm. When she had awoke, she had apologized to him but the look in her eyes told him that it was only a half hearted one.

For some reason Bren was sure that this was not going to be his first sleepless night. He only hoped that Faye was kind enough to give him a break from time to time, otherwise Bren didn’t think that he would last to reach the Brotherhood’s camp.

CHAPTER
XXV

In less than a fortnight they had crossed five different daimios and three times as many towns, most of which were simple villages that had little in the way of merchants. It reminded Bren of the time he had went to the small farming village with Faye and her family.

Just like in the port, wherever they went Avalanche drew the attention of the people. For the most part it didn’t hinder their progress until an old man holding a bronze staff with six large rings that jingled at the top of the staff blocked their path as they moved to leave one of the larger towns they had been in.

“My good lord my I have a moment of your time,” The man asked bowing his head lightly.

“I am in a hurry but I will listen if you speak fast,” Bren replied offhandedly.

“Tomorrow the Aoi Matsuri will be held by our small temple. Many lords from the neighboring lands will come to see it. I believe it is the will of the gods that you have come across us during this time and I wish that you would allow the guardian to offer his aid during this time.

Bren turned to Arashi and raised his eyebrow slightly. “There are small and large shrines dedicated to different gods scattered throughout the land. We are currently in the city of Kyoiri which hosts one of the largest shrines and holds numerous festivals for the surrounding lands. The Aoi festival is to appease the gods and ask for a bountiful harvest in the coming year,” Arashi explained.

Bren didn’t want to be delayed, but stopping for the festival would give them some time to relax.
Since they had left Rane they hadn’t had much downtime, and the weariness of the long travel was starting to show on everyone in both attitude and energy. “I think we can stop for a day or two to enjoy the festival,” Bren said making the priest slightly smile.

“That would be most appreciated my lord. The temple will offer you lodgings though I doubt they will be up to my lord’s taste,” the priest said bowing again.

Bren and the others followed the priest until they reached a set of long stone stairs. “How are we supposed to get our wagons and horses up this?” Jin asked looking up at the countless stone steps.

“My lord there is a small house near here that belongs to a farmer. Tell him that you were sent by the shrine and I am sure that he will agree to keep your animals for you during your stay,” the priest said after thinking for a few moments. “If there is anything you wish to take with you I apologize but it must be carried. The only way to reach the temple is through these steps.”

While Jin, Faye, Lillian and two guards took the wagons and horses to the man’s house, Bren and the others followed the priest up the long and winding steps.

After passing a large wooden arch Bren took his first step toward the shrine. He didn’t know the reason for having so many steps, but it took less than five minutes to reach the top though he still felt the fatigue from the long journey coupled with the climb. Once they reached the top of the stone steps Bren found another large gateway that opened into a stone path that was lined with stone lanterns that stood nearly half the height of a man.

To the left of the path there was a large alter with an extravagant statue that looked like a dragon with water coming from its mouth. Arashi held out his hand to keep anyone from moving past the alter and walked over and first washed his left hand, then his right hand, and finally he cupped his hands filling them with a small amount of water and placed it against his lips. Once Arashi was finished the others followed his example.

At the end of the lantern laden path they found buildings on either side of the path as well as a large one at the end of the path. That is where Bren saw his first glimpse of what he believed that they called guardians. Bren had to admit that they looked a lot like Avalanche though there were some slight differences.

Turning from the main path they moved into one of the buildings on the right side of the path. The shrine wasn’t large and the males and females would have to split and share a room, but it was still better than sleeping outside. Just having a roof over one’s head made for a much better rest. While they were restricted from moving into the grounds past the shrine, Avalanche was given free reign and she did so enjoyed exploring.

Just as the priest had said, the accommodations were sparse but then again he had noticed that most of the people of the north didn’t see the point in having much inside the house. Instead they kept it simple, while taking great pains to make the outside of the buildings as beautiful as possible. In a way it was the complete opposite of how they acted. Inside they were normal people who loved, laughed and enjoyed life yet their outward demeanor showed little to no emotion, to the point they looked more like mindless creatures. The higher
the persons rank, the more they showed this blank expression to the world but that was not something Bren was unaccustomed to. His mother was much the same putting on a stone mask when it came to duty, to the point that sometimes she forgot that she wore it.

When Jin and the others arrived they entered the building and joined the rest of them in the large sitting room. Bren had to admit that was one thing about the locals building style that he liked. The walls were designed so that they could slide, making it possible to turn a series of smaller rooms into one large one at need.

“I can’t wait to reach civilization again,” Cass said leaning back and sighing. “If I have to take another bath surrounded by nothing but me I will lose my mind.”

“You don’t like the large bath houses?” Bren asked laughing. He had to agree though. When they had made their first stop at an inn they had requested baths be brought to their room but had been instructed that they would have to use the bath house that was located a few streets away. Bren didn’t know what he had expected but it was not what he had found. There were two sections to the bath house, one for women and one for men. Inside they had found a large tub that could easily fit thirty people, but that was not the weirdest part of the experience. One did not wash himself in the water instead there were wooden tubs that one filled with water to wash and rinse themselves and only after they were clean were they allowed into the hot water of the bath to soak. It was vastly different than what he was used to and Bren had to agree with Cass that being surrounded by so many unfamiliar people with
nothing but a small piece of cloth was unnerving to say the least.

“I liked it,” Lillian said as she rubbed her hand over her pale skin. “The water they have here is really soothing to the skin.”

“How much farther until we reach the Brotherhood’s camp?” Jin asked switching the mood in the room to one that was much darker in nature.

“Seven days if we were to ride straight through,” Arashi replied. “Though with wagons and rest I think we will reach their position in about eleven days.”

“I don’t want to ride straight into their camp,” Bren said looking around at the rest of the people gathered around him. “Is there a town near where the Brotherhood are making their camp that will allow us to easily reach their position?”

“I have never actually been to the country they are staying but if memory serves me from looking at my master’s maps, there should be a small village at the foot of one of the hills surrounding the valley that is less than a half a day’s ride from where the Brotherhood is camped.”

Eleven days until they reached their target. It seemed too soon for Bren. Many days had passed since they left Torin, yet it seemed almost like yesterday. He was at a split in mind. On one point he wanted to get the business with the brotherhood over with but on the other he was enjoying the journey.

That night Bren found himself unable to sleep so he decided to take a stroll along the stone path of the temple. Outside he found another person who was awake. Hayao was perched on the corner of the room looking down toward the stone path that led to the house.

“I don’t think I have ever seen you sleep,” Bren said, his voice ringing clearly though the night air.

“I sleep when I must,” Hayao replied his voice light and abrupt at the same time.

From the way Hayao spoke Bren knew he wouldn’t be as free with his words as his counterpart Arashi was. Bren knew he was still young and inexperienced and any time he forgot that Cass and the others around him was quick to remind him, but there were a few things he had learned in his short life. He could tell that Hayao was skilled, from the way he balanced himself on the corner of the roof so that not even a harsh wind even moved him an inch. His demeanor and stance bespoke of immense training. There was also Hayao’s clothing that clearly marked him. Unlike the others it was not brightly colored nor did it show much variation. Every day he wore the same garb, a dark blue outfit that covered almost every inch of his body that made it incredibly hard to spot, even under the light of a full moon.

Giving up talking to the solemn man Bren continued his walk letting his feet carry him wherever they wanted. Bern soon found himself standing once again in front of the building that was surrounded by a large fence and had the stone dog statues on each side.

Bending down Bren inspected the statues one by one. Each statue was slightly different in look from the others but they each had the same basic form. They looked like a lot like Avalanche with the exception that they had a large main carved around their head much like that of the large catlike creatures in in parries in the jungles of Kurt. The last statue he inspected was so similar to Avalanche that he couldn’t help but reach out his hand to feel its tone mouth. Moments before his fingers touched the statue it jumped forward knocking him to the ground.

Bren was not proud of the sound that leapt from his throat as the statue attacked him. If he was forced to give it a description he would have to say that it sounded like a young girl’s scream, but then again there is little control over the body when one is startled in such a manner.

“Are you ok my lord?” Hayao asked rushing up to where he lay on the ground with Avalanche standing over him playfully.

“I am fine,” Bren said more than a little embarrassed as he crawled out from under the massive creature. “I think it would be better if I went back inside and sought the comfort of my bed,” Bren said rushing back toward the main house, his head ducked as he found himself unable to look the other man in the face.

   Once back inside the room where the others slept Bren breathed a sigh of relief. As he crawled into the bed that had been provided, Bren laughed at himself. He was getting too old to be screaming and running from shadows.

The next morning they were woken early as the priest opened the door to their rooms. “My lords, the town has started the morning activities, if you would like to watch them or do some shopping before the evening temple portion of the festival then I would suggest you go before it gets too crowded. Since today is the first day there tends to be a lot more people than on the other days.”

“First day?” Bren asked as he wiped the crust that had accumulated over the night from his eyes.

“Yes the Aoi Matsuri lasts for five days and nights but the temple only participates on the first
and last day of the festival,” The priest explained. “The last day is more a symbol of closing, so while important the presence of a guardian wouldn’t make much of an impression on the people at that time.” 

Inside of town they found a number of stands that had appeared overnight, most of which were dedicated to food. There were also a number of other stands being built on the edge of the town near the temple grounds. From the looks of it, they were for the nighttime activities.

Lillian and Faye, as well as the other women were enjoying the shops that lined the streets, and to a degree he was as well but it still seemed like a waste of time. Once the sun was finally up in the sky though the festival started in full. A large group of armored men on horseback rode through the town followed by women dressed in richly decorated gowns with their faces painted as white as snow. After the women came various other groups including a small band of women playing odd instruments that looked similar to lutes but had their own unique sound.

When Bren noticed the rest of the people following after the large troupe of people who had marched through the town he found himself unwittingly following them. They ended in a large field where numerous targets had been placed almost at random. After everyone had enough time to gather the men on horseback began the show which included some of the best bow skills used from horseback that Bren had ever seen. There was even one man who stood on the back of his horse while it galloped and jumped over hay bales without losing his balance to fire his bow, never once missing a shot.

“I would hate to face those men on the battlefield,” Cass said appearing at Bren’s side.

“That is the truth,” Bren replied as he continued to watch the show of skill. “Then again while their skills seem impressive they wouldn’t be of much use when faced with thousands of soldiers. One misstep and the archer would find himself dead on the field.

“True enough, but it is impressive all the same,” Cass said, his eyes fixated on the man who was currently on the field who was firing blindfolded, hitting small bells that had been placed throughout the field. It was impressive feat on its own but soon the bell’s sounds blended together with the women who played the lute like instruments.

“Beautiful,” Faye said from behind Bren causing him to turn and look at her. Bren found himself speechless as his eyes fell on Faye. “How do I look?” She said twirling around in a light pink garb with a glimmering pattern that looked like flowers covering it.