The Twilight War (18 page)

Humbled, Yameru bowed to the master of their house. Noburu grinned widely.

‘Get off me, then!' Groundspider shoved away the ninja holding him. ‘Listen, you need to face the truth! Silver Wolf is using you, all of you!' he shouted, his voice echoing in the chamber. ‘He has no friends or allies. Only dupes, enemies and victims! Shinobi or not, ancient clan or not, he
will
betray you!'

‘Not,' Yameru smiled arrogantly, ‘if we betray him first.' His brothers laughed.

‘Young ninja,' Noburu winked. ‘You confuse the puppeteers with the puppets.'

‘Enough!' Fuma Kotaro gestured at Moonshadow. ‘Before you three leave us,
you
will see the Oni freed
and
will be given details concerning your target and mission. Remember! Snowhawk's lifelong independence from Fuma rests on your success, neh?'

‘And we will be patient,' Noburu added pleasantly. ‘You will need time to find him … after all, if our latest intelligence is accurate, your target is now on foreign soil.'

‘Another country?' Moonshadow winced. ‘You never mentioned that!
Where?
'

There was surprisingly little discussion during the long, humid ride home. Everyone was tense, weary, desperate for sleep in the haven of the monastery. Even when the trio stopped to re-tie Groundspider's broken arm in a bamboo splint, they were grim, silent.

Hunched on his horse, with an exhausted Snowhawk slumped against his back, Moonshadow struggled with complicated feelings. He knew the others shared them all.

Victory at extracting his friend alive. Anxiety over how Brother Mantis might react to their deal with the Fuma. Strongest of all, dread and sorrow at the fate of Eagle.

Moonshadow sighed piteously as they entered the streets of Edo late in the afternoon. By the time they reached home, the air would be thick with incense, the funeral arrangements already underway. He reluctantly thought of the awful moment when he would first see Heron face to face.

A dusty lump snagged in his throat. Eagle's death would spear her heart.

The sun was blood-red, low in a hazy western sky as they rode up to the stone steps of the Grey Light Order's monastery. An unfamiliar pair of guards – replacements, no doubt, for those killed by the Fuma – quickly demanded an entry password.

‘Fox fire forest,' Groundspider said as he dismounted, his well-to-do young samurai clothes
covered in road dust. He sounded utterly depressed. The guards nodded their recognition, bowed the party through the open main gate and then led their horses away.

The three drifted in silence, heads bowed, across the small stone courtyard inside the monastery's front entrance. Moonshadow sniffed the air. No incense.
How odd.

A sliding door opened in the building ahead. A figure came running from it. They all looked up. Moonshadow's heart jolted. It was Heron. He told himself to be strong.

She bounded up to them, face glowing. Heron threw her arms around Snowhawk. ‘Welcome home!' Heron snatched at the boys, dragging them into a shared hug. Groundspider groaned, cradling his splinted arm defensively.

Moonshadow scowled. It was worse than he'd expected. Grief had sent her mad!

‘It was astonishing,' Heron enthused, talking fast as she herded them towards the open shoji. ‘She merely sat, for but an hour, hands on his head, and then, before the very next bell, he … well, come see for yourselves!' She gave an abandoned, girlish giggle.

‘Now I'm frightened,' Groundspider said, barely joking, ‘what's going on?'

Heron beamed at him, tears of joy welling in her noble eyes. ‘Eagle lives!'

Snowhawk burst into tears. Moonshadow hurried for the open shoji, eyes burning, mind racing.

Hands on Eagle's head, healing him before the next bell?

It could all mean only one thing. A very special visitor had arrived in their absence: the Grey Light Order's secret patron!

Moments later the trio stood with Heron, eyeing Eagle's new sickbed in the master's own quarters. Motto and Banken were curled up on either side of Eagle's bedroll, sleeping deeply as if worn out. Eagle snored in apparent bliss, his face a healthy colour.

At the end of Eagle's bed, a ghostly figure knelt in silence, hands on her thighs, eyes closed. The arrivals bowed low to the White Nun. She gave no response, though Moonshadow knew that she was not only aware of them, but already reading their minds.

He looked in awe at the legendary sage: her impossibly pale skin, that snow-white hair spilling from the pointy quilted hood she always wore. As he stared, the White Nun opened her startling red eyes and looked back at him. A little nervous, he smiled warmly.

‘You're correct, dear boy,' the White Nun murmured. ‘The Oni's eyes hold a different red to mine. Well done! I told you your powers would
mature … controlling an Oni, and an angry one at that … a
fine
achievement. Forcing its release? A far
better
one.'

Heron blinked, then looked at each of the youngsters. ‘I see there have been wonders at both ends of the road.' She looked to the White Nun, making ready to speak.

‘Stop, girl.' The ancient sage raised a wizened hand. ‘No more thanks, I beg you. It was all
their
doing, the brave deeds in Fumayama – I did not help. And no, don't thank me any more for aiding Eagle. He did not fail to send protectors to my mountain, remember? I was simply – though with great pleasure – honouring my obligation to your master.'

‘It's a miracle.' Heron shook her head. ‘You changed the nature of the poison.'

‘It's
science
,' the sage corrected her pupil. ‘The oldest science, that of the mind and will, nothing more. Live as long as I have, and you too will master it.' She sighed heavily. ‘If only
all
my dealings with shinobi were like this, and involved
saving
life.'

She turned her strange gaze on Snowhawk. ‘Don't fret child, the dice are cast now, as I warned Moonshadow they would be on my return to Edo. Oh, you are right, those Fuma
are
liars, treacherous, the lords of schemes within schemes. Hence I long ago withdrew from teaching my most ancient
secrets to their masters. That said, Moon-kun here must still keep his end of the bargain with them.'

‘I don't understand,' Groundspider said. ‘If we all agree they can't be trusted –'

‘In all truth,' the White Nun cut him off, ‘his impending mission for the Fuma is not about the Fuma's plans at all, but part of a greater destiny.'

‘What bargain?' Mantis's voice came from the doorway. ‘What destiny?'

The assembly turned to face him. Moonshadow cringed. The White Nun smiled. ‘Mantis, my friend, young Moon wishes to tell you himself, and hastily, but first know this: he
must
go. Far more than Snowhawk's freedom now hangs in the balance. And besides, during this mission he will finally learn … about his mother.'

‘I …' Moonshadow slowly sank to his knees, bowing his head. ‘Thank you!'

Mantis nodded at the White Nun. ‘Seems I have catching up to do. Just tell me –'

‘Yes, yes,' she said irritably. ‘Eagle will soon be well enough for you to hand the reins back to him. So yes, you can finally get back to your
precious
duelling manual.'

With a slightly embarrassed grin, Mantis bowed to her. ‘Thank you, Great Sage.'

‘Oh, Musashi-kun,' the White Nun muttered, ‘you weren't always so formal.'

Groundspider gasped. ‘Brother Mantis?
You
are
the famous Musashi? The greatest duellist ever known? We all knew something of your history, but not that you were
he
! Besides, the story went round that he died in his hermit cave!'

‘He did die there,' Mantis said with great humility. ‘And there he was reborn.'

‘Back to more pressing news!' The White Nun pointed a bony finger at Moonshadow. ‘Your target and his master seek the Dragon's Vein, but their map is wrong. Intercept Koga Danjo before he finds it, or your mission will unravel like one of Badger's wall hangings.' She closed her unearthly eyes. ‘Danjo seeks to tap the vein.'

Moonshadow shook his head. ‘I don't understand, but … what if he succeeds?'

The White Nun shrugged bleakly. ‘Then the Tokugawa garden of flowers will be swept away in a deluge of blood. An age of cruelty and darkness will descend, its sorrows ending with the fall of the empire. Japan's
true
future – a peaceful one – will be thwarted.'

Moonshadow felt his heart beating so fast he thought it would burst out of him. Everyone was looking at him now, and he felt the weight of a castle on his shoulders.

Tap a dragon's vein? He swallowed.
Fall of the empire?
The prospect of learning more of his mother had thrilled and almost overwhelmed him, but as to the rest of it –

What had he just blundered into? Had he escaped hell's lips only to be sent straight to hell itself?

The White Nun smiled knowingly at him. ‘No boy, not quite. But you
are
off to the single most dangerous valley in all of Asia.'

Akita Matagi
or
Akita
Pronounced
‘ah-kee-ta'
and
‘mah-tah-gee'

A tough, intelligent, wolf-like dog. Originally bred from Japan's ancient Matagi native hunting dog in the Akita region, according to some historians, by samurai of the Satake Clan. Nowadays called simply Akita. Gentle in temperament, but fearless when hunting or defending their human family.

ashiko
Pronounced
‘ah-she-koh'

Detachable foot spikes, usually used along with
shuko
climbing claws.

bento
Pronounced
‘ben-to'

A single-serve home-packed meal, traditionally of fish, rice and cooked or pickled vegetables, usually in a wooden or bamboo box.

chisai odutsu
Pronounced
‘chee-sigh'
(little)
‘oh-dut-soo'
(cannon)

A little cannon carved from wood, small enough to carry or even wear on a strap; an anti-personnel weapon usually loaded with gravel and iron chips.

daimyo
Pronounced
‘die-m'yoh'

A member of the Japanese aristocracy and a powerful feudal lord owning a fiefdom of land.

Edo
Pronounced
‘eh-doh'

The Shogun's chosen capital and now Tokyo, the capital city of Japan.

Fuma Kotaro
Pronounced
‘foo-mah koh-tah-roh'

The name adopted by a real historical figure who led his ninja in the service of the Hojo clan and remained an enemy of the Tokugawa Shogunate when the ‘age of warring states' finally ended. He died around 1603.

Fumayama
Pronounced
‘foo-mah-ya-ma'

The mythical but logically named setting for our story's climax. Fuma is the name of a real historical ninja clan, and ‘yama' is a Japanese word for ‘mountain'.

furube sutra
Pronounced
‘foo-roo-beh soo-tra'

(‘The Shrugging Off' or ‘Shaking Off')

An ancient saying or prayer of preparation. It was intended to clear the spy's mind of distractions, calm them and ready their skills. The text of the sutra can be interpreted in a number of ways when translated from Japanese. The rendering at the front of the book was kindly translated by Iaido
expert Dr Yasuhisa Watanabe and reworded by the author for tonal and dramatic purposes.

furui
Pronounced
‘foo-roo-ee'

A compact wooden sieve used for mixing medicine or gunpowder.

futon
Pronounced
‘foo-ton'

Traditional style of Japanese bedding with folding mattresses and quilts that can be stored during the day, enabling the bedroom to be used for other purposes.

goshikimai
Pronounced
‘go-shee-kee-my'

A cipher (or coded message) written by arranging grains of rice which have been dyed in one of five colours: yellow, blue, red, purple and black. A real historical ninja practice employed by a number of ‘shadow clans' including the Iga and Koga.

Great Void

A Buddhist expression for the ‘gulf of nothingness' looming after death. Some saw it as a ‘waiting room' for rebirth, others as an enlightened ‘state of peace'.

hakama
Pronounced
‘hah-car-mah'

Traditional Japanese item of clothing which covers the body from the waist down and resembles a
wide, pleated skirt, but is actually giant pleated trousers.

Iaido
Pronounced
‘ee-eye-doh'

The samurai art of sword-drawing and duelling, which features about fifty different
waza
(techniques) and reached the peak of its development around five hundred years ago. Modern students of Iaido use steel swords in wooden scabbards and wear the traditional clothing of medieval samurai. To this day, the art's ‘world titles' are held in Japan, on a mountain top near Kyoto, before a Japanese prince. Author Simon Higgins has competed in this event.

Iga
see
Koga

Jizo
Pronounced
‘jee-zoh'

A Buddhist saint and guardian of the dead, especially of dead children. Stone statues of little monks, usually smiling, represent his caring presence. As in medieval times, these stone ‘jizo' are found all over Japan today. See also
River Sai
.

kami
Pronounced
‘car-mee'

The Japanese term for objects of awe or worship in Shintoism, Japan's oldest (and native) religion. Though sometimes translated as ‘deity' or ‘gods', this is not strictly accurate and ‘spirits' may be a safer
way of describing the kami, who can be ‘beings' but also simply forces of nature or ‘living essences'.

kanji
Pronounced
‘khan-jee'

Chinese characters traditionally used by the Japanese to write words from their own language. The Japanese word
kanji
literally means ‘Han characters' referring to their origin in China's Han dynasty.

katana
Pronounced
‘ka-ta-nah'

The long curved sword, made from folded, tempered steel, which served as the samurai's primary weapon and the symbol of his social status.

kimon
Pronounced
‘kee-mon'

A ‘devil's gate', a place or even a
direction
(traditionally north-east) from which evil or dangerous spirits, ghosts or monsters may appear.

Koga
Pronounced
‘koh-gah'

Like
Iga
(pronounced
‘ee-gah'
), a name associated with a mountain region of Honshu, Japan in which ‘shadow clans' trained highly skilled contract spies and assassins whose powers of stealth and disguise became legendary. Author Simon Higgins has visited several preserved shinobi houses that feature displays of weapons and tools, hidden traps, and even underground escape passages.

-kun
Pronounced with a shortened
‘oo'
sound.

An honorific used by seniors when addressing their juniors. Also used as a term of affection. See also
-san
.

kunoichi
Pronounced
‘coo-noh-ee-chee'

Traditional term for a female ninja. See also
ninja
and
shinobi
.

kusarikama
(or
kusarigama
) Pronounced
‘coo-sah-ree-ca-ma'

Literally ‘chain-sickle'. A traditional Japanese weapon developed from the miniature sickle used in farming. A weighted length of chain attached to the sickle is used to snare an enemy's weapon before attacking them with the sickle's blade.

Musashi (Miyamoto Musashi)
1584–1645 Pronounced
‘mee-ya-mo-to moo-sa-shee'

A famous duellist from a young age, Musashi went by many names during his life. He was a samurai (and a ronin) but also an artist, sculptor and author. Musashi founded the Niten-ryu school of Iaido and wrote
The Book of Five Rings
, a manual of combat strategy and philosophical reasoning still studied today. Little is known of his life between his thirtieth and fiftieth years. The Moonshadow series presumes that during this time he ‘reinvented himself' as Brother Mantis of
the Grey Light Order, changed both his name and his style of fighting, and deeply regretted his past ‘kills'.

naginata
Pronounced
‘na-gi-nah-ta'

A weapon consisting of a long pole fitted with a curved, single-edged blade. Sometimes used by spies, the short naginata was also a favourite weapon of high-born samurai women, being ideally suited for self-defence indoors.

nanashi
Pronounced
‘na-na-shee'

A Japanese word meaning ‘no name'. In Grey Light Order tradition, the name given to a trainee shinobi prior to awarding them a ‘real' lifelong name based on their strongest combat move, ninja trick or Old Country science.

ninja
Pronounced
‘nin-jah'

Alternative term for a shinobi. Some scholars believe this term emphasises their role as assassins whereas ‘shinobi' is more general, implying the inclusion of scouting and spying roles.

Noburu
Pronounced
‘noh-boo-roo'

Japanese name, usually given to a male, meaning ‘ascend' or ‘climb', and the fictitious name of one of the governing Fuma brothers.

Oni
Pronounced
‘oh-nee'

A mountain or cave-dwelling ogre or giant, usually shown as having blue, red, black or brown skin, fangs and two horns. Oni wear only a tiger skin loincloth and usually carry an iron club, tree trunk or giant sword. Traditionally, like many Japanese monsters and evil spirits, Oni are believed to attack mostly from the north-east.

Rikichi
Pronounced
‘ri-ki-chee'

An old Japanese name, usually given to a male, the
kanji
for which can be written so that it also translates as ‘congratulations', ‘logic' or even ‘good luck'.

River Sai
Pronounced as in
‘sigh'

A dry river bed that the souls of the departed must cross to reach the land of the dead. It is guarded by an
Oni
who plagues those trying to cross or who are building little towers of stone in the river bed to make up for causing others pain in their recent life. Jizo, guardian of the dead, is said to come and chase the Oni away.

ronin
Pronounced
‘roh-nin'

Literally ‘wave men' – unemployed samurai, warriors who had lost their ruling lord through military defeat, death or some other disbandment of his fiefdom. Many roamed the country, duelling
or taking work as bodyguards, mercenaries or assassins.

samurai
Pronounced
‘sa-moo-rye'

A member of the ruling warrior class; a warrior in a warlord's service.

-san
The ‘a' is pronounced with a slight
‘u'
sound as in
‘sun'
. An honorific attached to a person's name to show one is addressing them with respect. It can be taken to mean ‘Mr', ‘Mrs', ‘Miss' or, nowadays, ‘Ms'.

saru
Pronounced
‘sa-roo'

Japanese for
monkey
.

seiza
Pronounced
‘say-zah'

The traditional (floor or mat) sitting position of the Japanese. The legs are folded, back kept straight, palms are rested on the thighs and one literally sits on one's heels. Difficult at first, the body adapts to it within a few months.

shinobi
Pronounced
‘shi-no-bee'

Also known as
ninja
. Those adept at spying or covert scouting. Some shinobi were also hired killers. They were trained in a wide variety of secret and martial arts: combat with and without weapons, acrobatics, explosives, poisons, traps, hypnotism and numerous forms of disguise.

shinobu
Pronounced
‘shi-no-boo'

A 470-year-old sword
waza
(technique) of the Musou Jikiden Eishin-Ryu school of Iaido, the art of the samurai sword. It is used for attacking sentries. The technique involves taking up a low stance in deep shadow, tapping one's sword on the ground to trick the foe into attacking the wrong location, then executing a powerful, usually fatal downward strike. See also
Iaido
.

Shogun
Pronounced ‘s
how-gun'

The ultimate commander of the Japanese warrior class. Many warlords aspired to seize or earn this auspicious rank. In Moonshadow's time Tokugawa Ieyasu was the Shogun.

shoji
Pronounced ‘
show-jee'

A window, room divider or door made of oiled, translucent paper set in a grid of bamboo or wood. In medieval times,
Shoji
was also sometimes used as a man's name.

shuko
Pronounced
‘shoo-koh'

Iron claws worn on the hands to assist climbing. Shuko were used, usually along with
ashiko
(foot spikes) to scale and climb, cross ice and even as combat weapons.

shuriken
Pronounced
‘shoo-ri-ken'

Circular or star-shaped throwing knives, usually black and made in ingots or from thin sheets of iron. They could have four, eight, twelve or more points. Their tips could be poisoned or flecked with a powerful sedative if the target was to be taken alive.

tabi
Pronounced
‘tah-bee'

Traditional Japanese socks or cotton ‘under-boots'. Ankle high, tabi separate the big toe from the other toes. Worn by men and women, they go with most thong-like footwear including
geta
(clogs) and
zori
(firm-based thongs). See also
waraji
.

tatami
Pronounced
‘tah-tah-mee'

Usually translated as ‘folded and piled', tatami are traditional Japanese flooring mats, made of woven soft rush straw and packed with rice straw. Tatami are often bordered by brocade or coloured cloth.

tetsubishi
Pronounced
‘tet-soo-bi-she'

Also known as
makibishi
or (in Europe) caltrops. Sharp, usually triple-spiked foot jacks made from iron, twisted wire or pointy seed-pods. Able to penetrate sandals, tetsubishi caused unexpected injuries, stopping or slowing a pursuer.

torinoko
Pronounced
‘to-ree-no-ko'

A traditional ninja smoke bomb. Though folklore suggests they were percussion-activated, historical torinoko in ninja museums appear to have had short fuses which had to be lit with a flint kit before being hurled.