The Druid's Spear (Ascent of the Gem Bearers Book 1) (12 page)

Uchida—
sensei
directed his attention to the night sky, a dark blue curtain studded with bright gems. “Do you see the planets?”

Ken looked up. “Of course. John used to show them to me all the time.” What he wouldn’t give to be listening to his brother spout on and on about the stars and planets now!

She pointed out Mercury, Venus, and Mars with a long elegant finger. “The Druids called the planets other names but they all meant something. The name for Mars meant, ‘The Angry Son’.”

Said planet flared bright red against the heavens. Ken watched, transfixed by the sight.

“Ancient legend tells of the Creator who gifted all of Mars’ water to Earth for a transgression. Natural disasters occurring specifically with large bodies of water or flooding are attributed to the Angry Son who blasts his wrath against the Earth.”

“Sounds fanciful.”

Uchida—
sensei
sat on the ground and wrapped her arms around her knees. Ken did likewise, watching as the moonlight enhanced her ethereal features.

“We’re all threads on a solid piece of fabric, sewn on by the Creator. Each thread has its place to occupy. Each one is significant.”

Ken stiffened. John had said something similar before he died. Hearing it echoed now sent a chill down his spine.

“If one thread loosens, it affects the entirety of the fabric and threatens the stability of it.”

She focused her gaze on him. “The blood gem represents what I’m talking about. When you learn about it, you will understand why we’ve been quiet. Why we are reluctant to be forthcoming. Your friend’s death, your training, everything that has happened since you inherited the blood gem, would all make sense. Then, you will have a decision to make.”

She stood then, her eyes fixed down on him. The amber gold took on an iridescent gleam. He couldn’t look away even if he wanted to.

“I hope you make the right decision.”

The Elder coughed, the force of it rattling him clear to his bones. Callen and Michel rushed to his side, but he waved them away. He was more interested in studying the training of Rhychard—
sama’s
seed than his own health. So much rode on his ability to overcome the obstacles Uchida—
chan
set before the man.

His eyes traveled over the figure, seeing her lithe movements as she parried, blocked, and delivered blows with the grace of a dancer. The red plait of hair whipped around her in a whirl.

Though it was daytime, he gazed up at the sky toward the vicinity of where Mars would be. He gave a silent chuckle while his aides looked on. The Angry Son acted before thought. Through its influence, it had devastated Earth in a series of events. A massive tsunami had catapulted over several countries in the Asian continent. Flooding washed away large sections of cities in Europe and North America, who barely escaped harm with hurricanes that damaged several states.

And there was still more to come as the Children of the Sun aligned.

Yet in their rage, Mars and the other Children had forgotten one important thing, and the evidence of it moved in front of him.

Ludovicus may have awakened and was searching for the Descendant, but Rhychard—
sama’s
juusha
had a few tricks to dole out.

The spy’s lips curled at the sight of Uchida-san
training Kenzo. The man kept falling to her blows. It was like watching a wingless grasshopper attempt to fly. This weakling could not be Rhychard’s descendant, but his possession of the blood gem made it clear that he was. Fate smiled on the unlikely, it seemed.

These twenty years, from boy to man, he’d waited for this opportunity. Bided his time until he was able to serve Lord Ludovicus.

The spy continued to watch the training match along with the others. The Elder sat in front with the long staff lying by his side, dark eyes intent on the spectacle playing out. Next to him, Alderic stood, arms folded across his chest, also staring. Donvar and Odin seated next to them wore amused expressions as once again Rhychard’s descendant fell to the ground.

One thing that made up for the lack of strength in the man…he did not give up. It had been a month since Uchida-san started training him. What he lacked in skill he made up for in tenacity. He refused to give up, no matter how often she sent him to the ground. That was the one quality he figured was the saving grace of the Descendant. Other than that, the man was a hopeless cause.

The spy rose from his knees behind the Elder, trying to unobtrusively exclude himself from the rapt audience. He stopped when Donvar glanced back at him.

“Quite a show, isn’t it? Watching this poor sap get his butt kicked.”

The spy laughed appropriately.

Donvar turned back to the session. The spy kept his eye facing frontward while he backed away. So far, so good. The majority of the
juusha
were focused, all in tune with the training.

The next step back and he bumped into something hairy. He whirled around to see Tambo.

“Tambo, how are you?” the spy greeted as he hoped beyond hope the stupid gorilla would just let him be. The guardian was fearful to look at, but he was mostly mild mannered. Well, as mild-mannered as one would expect from a thousand pound gorilla.

The beast stared at him. The spy did not have the same relationship Uchida-san
had with the animal, but he saw the hint of wariness in his eyes. He fought to keep the gorilla’s gaze. The moment went on forever but then, at last, Tambo picked his nose and turned away. The spy continued on his way.

He scurried back into the cave and hurried down the familiar passageway. All he could think as he did so was how pleased Lord Ludovicus would be.

Most of the living areas were empty inside. A cold wind brushed past him as the spy traversed down the tunnels. Finally, he arrived at the Descendant’s quarters. A swift glance down the halls reassured him he was alone, but it wouldn’t be for long.

He had to find the blood gem.

Frantically, he searched through the man’s meager belongings while keeping one ear listening for the doorway. After several long minutes with each minute passing increasing his chances of exposure, he came up empty handed. Frustrated, he carefully edged his head outside to make sure the way was clear. The halls were clear.

The spy made his way back to the training session but stopped when he came to Uchida-san’s
quarters. Remembering Alderic—
kun
coming from her room a few days ago, the spy wondered what had gone on in there. Swiftly he ducked inside.

Orderly and stark like the woman herself. She was kind but remote to him. The spy stepped in further and touched her things, wondering if this was some sort of violation. His fingers passed over the shelves containing a small chest. Feeling reckless, he grabbed the container but it fumbled out of his clumsy fingers and landed on the floor with a loud thud.

The spy froze, heart pounding in his chest. Had he been caught? He waited, sweat damp on his forehead. No one came. Unleashing a breath, he bent to pick up the chest and went to place it back on the shelf. A sack caught his eye. What was it doing behind the chest? Gingerly, he set the chest down and grabbed the sack. It contained something wide and wieldy. Eyebrows scampering into his forehead, he untied it and pulled out what was inside.

What he saw rendered him stone still.

The Vessel!

Reverently he lifted the half shell-like object and touched the leathery interior. No one had mentioned it was here in this place! How could anyone miss this? It was so—
The memory of the first day Kenzo came flashed in his mind. Alderic—
kun
and Uchida-san
arguing. How upset he’d been because he hadn’t led the mission.

“I bet if I put it right under her nose…”

This had to be what Alderic—
kun
was referring to. He must have found it when they retrieved the Descendant. In his typical, petulant manner, he decided to hide it and see if Uchida-san
would discover it. Everyone had focused so much on the blood gem that they must have forgotten about the equally-important Vessel. He suspected not even the Elder knew about it.

This changed everything. If he brought both the blood gem and the Vessel to Lord Ludovicus, he’d be richly rewarded. He placed the Vessel back where he’d found it and made sure to keep the chest in front of it.

Cautiously, the spy made his way to the entrance and peered over the edge. No one was there. He raced down the hall, heart pounding for fear of being caught. The cold wind rushed his face, making his eyes water, but he scampered along until he reached once more the mouth of the cave.

He paused to collect his breathing when he saw Donvar coming toward him.

“What are you doing here? Why aren’t you watching the training?”

“I had to go see a man about a dog.”

Donvar nodded. “The mighty Descendant has been felled again. Uchida-san
was especially brutal today.”

“Has the Elder asked for me?”

“No but the training is almost done for today so he may need you soon.”

He nodded and hurried past the other man once more take his place behind the Elder. It wouldn’t be long now.

The morning wind was harsh as it blew against Rin’s arms as she made her way toward the practice clearing. Birds gathered around to sing to her, but she waved them away. She didn’t like birds for some inexplicable reason, although they thought the world of her.

It had been several weeks since she began her training with Ken. She had to admit he was improving. Her pupil had a slow start, very slow, to the point where she didn’t believe he could really be the Descendant of the great Rhychard. Yet, he had the perseverance to continue to try.

How often had he fallen from one of her blows onto his back, the wind knocked out of him, chest heaving? Many times, and yet, he kept getting up. She’d seen the fire in his eyes as he wiped the blood off his bruised face from one of her hits. It had taken a long while for the Descendant to get past hitting a female, even though she’d shown him time and again that breasts were not a factor in when to strike.

Rin stood under the light of the sun and inhaled the biting, nipping air into her lungs. The warmth of the sun collided with the harsh wind, and she closed her eyes to bask in these contrasts. The warmth and cold, the light and wind.

Rin.

“Hello, Tambo. Did you sleep well yesterday?” She sensed his presence behind her although she didn’t open her eyes.

Yes.

“Good.” She began her breathing exercises, relishing the sensations of the world against her. Tambo’s firm presence by her side made the morning perfect.

Half hour later, she heard the gravel move as Ken came toward her.

She studied him as he neared. The bruising on his face from several days ago had gone down. Hard light brown eyes narrowed on her, their depths filled with determination. Resolve stamped his face. Her eyes traveled down the length of his body. The leather vest he wore blew open, revealing the chiseled abdomen, each muscle well-defined. Good, the training was paying off.

“You’re late.” She folded her arms when he stood in front of her. Rin raised her brow when he didn’t pay his respect to her this morning.

“So what?” He mirrored her stance by folding his arms.

“Be on time. I have more things to do than wait for you to appear. We still have a lot of training to do.”

Rin assessed him, once more, her eyes taking him in a detached way. He didn’t look strong enough to defeat anyone, much less Ludovicus.

What was she going to do?

Ken was tired of getting his butt kicked by this beautiful but remote slip of a woman. He was determined to get one over her. Knock her senseless at least once before she slammed her tiny, thoroughly unrepentant fist into his face.

She looked bored as he came toward her this morning, and he knew what it was. She was tired of training. It didn’t take a genius to know that he just wasn’t cut out to fight that thing several weeks ago.

Keep moving,
his mother’s words reverberated in his mind each time he landed on the ground. And he did.

Uchida-s
ensei
seemed more aggressive this morning. Her blows, which already hurt, were stronger as if she increased the strength in each one. As he caught glimpses of her face during the training, he noticed she wore a frown.