Outlaw: Champions of Kamigawa

CHAPTER 14

The following morning, twenty of Daimyo Konda's finest troops rode into the kitsune village. Lady Pearl-Ear recognized their leader as her old acquaintance Captain Nagao. Behind Nagao, the mounted archers and swordsmen were a study in discipline, their oiled leather armor gleaming in the sun, their weapons sharp and ready, their horses immaculate. A single kitsune scout rode before them on a pony.

The scout raised a hand and the entire column came to a halt. He turned and saluted Captain Nagao, then trotted off to the side of the road.

Silver-Foot, Pearl-Ear, and Lady Silk-Eyes came out to meet the Towabara retainers.

"Greetings, Captain," Pearl-Ear said. "It's good that you have come. There-"

The leathery officer tilted his leather helm back, exposing his face to the morning sun. He did not look happy. "Where is Princess Michiko?"

"Safe in the village. But there is-"

"Lady Pearl-Ear of the kitsune. I am to take you and Princess Michiko back to the tower. Immediately." He craned his head and shouted, and a soldier rode up with two riderless horses. "And if your brother is present, I would like a word with him as well on behalf of the Daimyo."

Pearl-Ear cleared her throat. "We will come with you, Captain. But there is an even more pressing danger nearby."

Nagao shook his head. "The Daimyo was very clear. Nothing is to delay Michiko's return."

Silver-Foot stepped forward. "Not even an akki raiding party? There are at least two hundred goblins in the woods nearby. We have seen their tracks and found the casualties they left behind. According to the compact between the Daimyo and the kitsune, we officially request his aid."

Nagao frowned. He turned and muttered something to his lieutenant and then swung his legs around and slid down from his horse. As Nagao approached the kitsune delegation, his lieutenant issued orders to the Towabara riders. Soon the road was clear and the Daimyo's retainers were standing at attention alongside their mounts.

After they had all introduced themselves, Nagao's face was tense and haggard, but his concern was genuine. "Are you certain?"

Silver-Foot nodded. "Quite certain. I notice you don't seem very surprised."

"Strange things are happening all over," Nagao said.

"I'll just add this to the list." He called to his lieutenant.

"Send two riders back to the tower," Nagao told him. "On my authority, we need a full division of infantry and another company of yabusame archers. Get them here as fast as possible. Go, and be quick about it."

The lieutenant saluted and scurried off. Nagao inhaled deeply and blew the long breath out between pursed lips.

"I can't send the princess back if there are goblins about," he said. "And I can't return without her. Nor can I ignore your official request for aid."

Silver-Foot nodded. "I have one hundred kitsune warriors under my command. Together, your troops and mine can defend this village until reinforcements arrive."

Nagao smiled without humor. "Mine is not a defensive unit. We are trained to travel light and fast, to hit the enemy hard and then withdraw."

"That will not be effective here, against the akki."

"I have battled akki before. You don't need to tell me what will work against them." Nagao composed himself. "Excuse me, noble Silver-Foot. I am at my wit's end. We didn't come for akki, we came for a runaway girl. The plan was to overtake her and bring her back swiftly, fighting only if we had to and even then, only enough to disengage without casualties." He paused, considering. "Do you know where they are based?"

"I believe they are on an extended march. No base camp. They seem to be perpetually on the move, always heading north."

"And what is to the north?"

"More trees. More kitsune. Eventually, they will reach the shores of Kamitaki Falls."

"If they make it that far, may they all drown there. Why do you think they are here? They've never come this far north before, and there are easier routes to take if they wanted to raid Eiganjo."

Silver-Foot sneered. "They are a mindless rabble. Who knows what drives them? Though, as you say, strange things are happening. Perhaps something has stirred them, called them out of their normal territory."

"Not something," a male kitsune said from within the village. "Someone."

Pearl-Ear recognized the voice and once more cursed her brother for his ability to mask his presence. She would have to learn that trick from him before he was made to pay for letting Michiko out of the tower.

"Sharp-Ear," she said. "How long have you been here?"

The small grey fox stepped out of the crowd of kitsune observers.

"Who is that?" Nagao said.

"I," Sharp-Ear said, "am Lady Pearl-Ear's brother. I am Michiko's tutor and her spirit guide. I am a kitsune scout and an expert archer. I am the reason most of you are here."

Nagao turned to Pearl-Ear. "Is this babbler your missing brother, Lady Pearl-Ear?" "Yes," Pearl-Ear said.

"Then the Daimyo will want his head."

"That may be true," Sharp-Ear said. "But I think you all want what's in my head more. I came from the woods. I have seen the akki horde."

Nagao glared at Sharp-Ear, hand on his sword, but he did not draw. Pearl-Ear also fixed her most withering gaze on her brother, and Silver-Foot's eyes leaped back and forth between all three.

"Perhaps," Lady Silk-Eyes said," we should all adjourn to my hut for a parley and a pot of tea."

In the cramped confines of the elder's home, Nagao, Pearl-Ear, Silver-Foot, and Sharp-Ear all sat around a small wooden table. Princess Michiko and Lady Silk-Eyes served tea, which only Sharp-Ear drank. She kept staring intently at the kitsune trickster and he kept winking, raising a girlish giggle every time.

"There are almost three hundred akki in the woods," Sharp-Ear said. "And there are more of them each day. Don't ask me how. Maybe they breed on squalor and misery, because that's what they're marching on."

He smiled, and when no one smiled back, he continued. "All armed well, armed in the sense that every last one of them has something heavy or sharp to swing. Nothing like the well-polished blades of Towabara or kitsune."

"Save your flattery," Nagao growled.

"Agreed," Silver-Foot said. "Just tell us what you know."

"They will pass through here within a day. They move under cover of darkness. That also seems to be when their numbers increase. They do not light campfires to cook, but they do build a large bonfire every few days. They light it about an hour before dawn and perform some sort of ritual that ends when the sun comes up."

"Akki don't raid this way," Nagao said. "They're either running straight at you or fleeing as fast as they can.

They make so much noise and bother when they move that it's impossible not to see them coming or know that they're gone. That's one of the reasons they're easier to contain than the bandits."

"Bandits," Sharp-Ear mused. "Sanzoku. Like the ones leading the akki raiders?"

Both Silver-Foot and Nagao fixed their eyes on Sharp-Ear.

"Bandits as well?" the kitsune asked.

"How many?" said Nagao.

"A half-dozen or less," Sharp-Ear said. "The ringleaders are a pair of twins. They tend to stay out of sight, but I got several good looks at them."

"This is bad," Nagao said. "Two of Godo's best lieutenants are twins. Were these two tall, thin, topknots looped around their shoulders?"

"That's them."

Nagao nodded. "Seitaro and Shujiro." "Capable warriors?" Silver-Foot asked.

"Very capable. Strong leaders, too. Next to Godo himself, they're the most powerful sanzoku chiefs in the region. We've been hunting them for years." The Towabara officer paused. "But this makes even less sense than the akki alone. Godo and the goblins are notoriously quarrelsome. They engage in border disputes about once a year. Light skirmishing, nothing too dramatic, but it helps keep them in check."

"These bandits seem to have settled their differences with the akki."

"To our disadvantage." Lady Pearl-Ear reached for an empty mug. "This is getting worse by the second."

Lady Silk-Eyes sat at the table, placing her staff alongside her mug. "What will you do, Captain Nagao?"

"My orders are to keep the princess safe, and bring her back to the tower," Nagao said.

"Which you can't do with an army of goblins loose." Silver-Foot smiled a thin smile. "You said yours was not a defensive force. Could you mount an offense?"

"If we knew where they were, yes. Easily. My yabusame riders could occupy the bulk of the akki if I had assurances that the princess would be kept safe."

"We were preparing to keep a whole village full of civilians safe before you arrived," Silver-Foot said. "One more human girl will not tax our defenses."

"But we don't need to attack," Pearl-Ear said. "Why not deploy all the warriors we have and dig in until the tower sends help?"

Nagao grunted. "You don't wait for akki to attack," he said. "You take the initiative. You're a diplomat, Lady Pearl-Ear, not a soldier. We must fight on our terms, not theirs."

"Besides," Silver-Foot shifted uncomfortably. "Three hundred akki is more than we can handle if they all come at once. I see three options. One: evacuate everyone and withdraw to the tower."

"That will not do," Lady Silk-Eyes said. "The moment you start rounding them up, our people will flee into the woods. We do not like to be corralled. Besides, this village is not merely a collection of huts. We are connected to this place, bound to the land itself."

Silver-Foot nodded. "Two: we set up defensive perimeters and hope we don't have to defend them against the entire horde before reinforcements arrive."

"I never follow a plan that hinges on hope," Nagao said.

"Nor I. Finally: the soldiers of Towabara and a hand-picked team of kitsune take the fight into the woods. While they harass the akki, the rest of my forces will stay here and protect the villagers and the princess."

"That sounds like a the way to go," Sharp-Ear said.

Pearl-Ear flared. "Be silent, fool."

Nagao toyed with his empty mug. "The fool is right. That is the most promising option. But I cannot leave the princess in anyone else's care." He looked up at Silver-Foot's curling lip and quickly added, "I know how capable the kitsune are in battle. I have fought beside your kind many times. But I received my orders from the Daimyo personally, and it is my responsibility to protect the princess and bring her home. I cannot delegate that role to anyone, no matter how formidable."

Lady Silk-Eyes filled Nagao's mug. "Then you have a decision to make, captain of Towabara. Your nation's leader gave you a task; your nation itself demands another. Save the princess, battle the akki. Are they mutually exclusive?"

Nagao left his steaming mug alone as his brow wrinkled. "What?"

Pearl-Ear stepped in. "She means, can you do both? First one and then the other?"

"There is nothing I would like more than to ride out and wipe the akki off the face of the map. But the princess has wandered off before while guarded. What guarantee do I have that she'll be here when I return from battle?" He turned to Sharp-Ear. "Don't say a word, tutor."

"Wouldn't dream of it." "You have my word, Captain," Silver-Foot said. "One soldier to another. My retainers will defend her with the rest of the village, and keep her here until you return. If you do not return, I will consider it my personal obligation to return her to Eiganjo Castle."

Nagao shifted his mug back and forth in front of him. "There are conditions," he said.

"Name them."

Nagao pointed at Sharp-Ear. "He comes with me. He's supposed to be a yabusame expert and we can use all the archers we can muster."

Silver-Foot nodded. "Agreed."

"Whether I return or not, Princess Michiko goes back to the tower once the reinforcements arrive. I want Lady Pearl-Ear to go with her."

Pearl-Ear started. "I will stay by the princess's side, no matter where she goes."

"She's going to the tower. Listen, I am a fool for accepting the word of trickstersno offense intended."

"None taken." Sharp-Ear's eyes sparkled.

"But I do expect you to honor your end. If we fight and die to protect your village and you let the Daimyo's daughter go, or allow her to become harmed in any way, there will be consequences."

"Understood." Lady Silk-Eyes rose, collecting the mugs.

"Very well. Captain Silver-Foot, assemble your warriors. I want to see where the princess will be protected and who will be protecting her before I ride out."

"Done."

"You've been very quiet, Princess." Pearl-Ear turned to Michiko, waiting silently in the corner. "Do you understand the difficult position you've put us all in? Especially your father."

"I am in a difficult position myself, sensei."

"To be sure. And it will become more difficult. For you, all your friends, and the whole of Kamigawa if you are not returned to the tower soon." Pearl-Ear bowed to Nagao.

The soldier stood. "Princess," he said. "I hope you realize that we are all your servants, and that we are ready to die on our behalf. But don't make me come looking for you again."

Nagao bowed. "Princess. Elder. Lady. Excuse me now." Nagao turned to Silver-Foot. "If you would, Captain, come with me and we will prepare for battle."

In a few short hours all was ready. The kitsune villagers along with the elder, Lady Pearl-Ear, Princess Michiko, and the two student wizards were all safely ensconced in a storehouse with half of Silver-Foot's warriors stationed outside. Another ten patrolled the village perimeter, hidden from view by their expert camouflage and fieldcraft.

Silver-Foot himself took the rest of his warriors and

Sharp-Ear to Nagao's temporary campsite to take part in the offensive. Each of the kitsune brought their own horse and weapons, except for Sharp-Ear, who had to make do with what he could borrow. As they mounted up to move into the woods, Nagao placed Sharp-Ear alongside his own horse at the head of the column, both to act as guide and so he could keep an eye on the crafty kitsune.

With the sound of hoof beats fading into the distance, Pearl-Ear sat with Michiko, Riko, and Choryu in the storehouse. The water wizard was still in a dismal mood.

"This is a disaster," he muttered. "How long must we squat like toadstools in this dank barn before we're carted off back to Eiganjo? Or worse?"

"Captain Nagao said nothing about retrieving you two," Michiko said. "You may return with us, or you may go on to the Academy."

Choryu conjured a small ball of water into the palm of his hand and made a fist, splattering the liquid in a circle around him. "It's nice to have options. If we survive to explore them."

Riko elbowed him, and Pearl-Ear said, "The brave captains know their work. We will be safe here."

"I would like to go on to Minamo," Riko said. "If I can find something of value, I will bring it back to the tower."

"In time to prevent my punishment?" Michiko smiled.

"I hope so. But if not, I at least want to prove that this was not a completely childish errand we were on."

"Ill advised, yes," Pearl-Ear said. "Childish, I am not so certain. Provided you were motivated by a real concern for the Daimyo's kingdom and not simply seeking adventures." She gazed meaningfully at Choryu.

"I suppose I should be glad we're not going deeper into the forest after all," Choryu said. "That vision was mistaken. The snakefolk would have killed us on sight and fed us to their young."

"You saw what we saw," Michiko retorted. "The elder and the entire village focused on our problem ahead of their own. Our path clearly leads to the orochi-bito."

"And certain death. The orochi don't help outsiders, Michiko-hime. To them, we don't exist until we enter their territory. And then we don't exist for long."

"What about the orochi?" Michiko turned to Lady Pearl-Ear. "The elder said we would find answers there."

"It is unlikely that we will be traveling again any time soon. But perhaps Sharp-Ear or one of the other kitsune would be willing to go on our behalf."

"If Nagao lets him out of his sight."

Pearl-Ear excused herself and circulated around the storeroom, checking on the door sentries and greeting her fellow kitsune. She was something of a minor celebrity, what with her work in the tower and the arrival of the princess, but the foxfolk were mostly concerned with the hostile goblins so close by.

Pearl-Ear was also concerned. As much as Sharp-Ear abused her good nature and failed in his duties, she did not want to see him fall in battle, especially not against akki. He was quick and clever and he was good with a bow, but he was not a maker of war.

Return to me, brother, Pearl-Ear prayed silently. If nothing else, I would like to hear how you would explain the things you have done.