Takeo's Chronicles, page 107
Takeo turned back to Nobu and then glanced at the oni behind him. Nobu went still.
“I’m afraid them, too, my lord,” Takeo whispered.
Nobu looked mortified and refused to turn around. He glanced from Takeo to Gavin and then to the ground, and the knight sighed.
“Hey, Tokhta,” Gavin said. “Can you two give us a moment? You can watch the prince just fine from over there.”
Takeo looked sidelong at the knight. That was a bold tone to take with any oni, especially from the normally cordial Sir Gavin Shaw. The knight just shrugged in reply.
“I’m with you,” Gavin said. “We don’t have time for this nonsense.”
Well, I suppose if the oni are planning to kill us, there’s no need to be polite to them.
Tokhta and his companion shared a surprised look, but they grumbled and lifted themselves up with some effort. They trudged off slower than the others, despite their long gait, but no one rushed them along. When finally, after long last, it was just the three of them, Nobu let out a protracted sigh.
“Takeo, I am so sorry about that,” the prince started, clasping his hands together. “I know I promised we’d meet alone, and really, I was planning on it. I just, well, these people, they need me, and everything. It’s just, well, being a lord is, uh—you see, my mother is usually the one who takes guests and issues audiences. She assigned someone else to handle that, Lady Xie, and she’s quite liberal on letting people in, which is perfectly fine because, you know—”
“She lets everyone see you because they bribe her,” Takeo finished.
Nobu stuttered. “Huh, what?”
“Nevermind, my lord,” Takeo replied. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. It’s just, we’re short on time and long overdue for this talk. Please, let’s look at the map. We have a rakshasa to defeat.”
Takeo stepped aside and gestured with an arm towards the table. Nobu grimaced and stole looks at Gavin before trudging over with shoulders slumped. Takeo and Gavin flanked the lord. Beneath them, a detailed map of the land was sprawled out, and on it were small, painted wooden carvings of little samurai soldiers and komainu troops, colored red and green.
“So,” Takeo began, “can you tell me the situation, my lord? I’m afraid I haven’t received any field reports.”
“Oh, really?” Nobu said. “Well that’s strange. Those reports used to come to me, but Lord Sing offered to take that over and distribute them to help shoulder the burden. He must have forgotten you needed some, or maybe you didn’t know that. Whatever, I’m sure it’s just a slip up. I’ll be sure to let him know.”
“I know he has them, my lord,” Takeo replied. “He didn’t give me the reports because I refused to pay him.”
“Wait, huh, what?” Nobu balked.
“Let’s ignore that for now and focus on the battlefield,” Takeo pressed, setting a hand on the map. “Tell me the situation. Surely you know.”
Nobu swallowed, his throat sounding as dry as the Savara sands. Little beads of sweat formed on his brow as he glanced over the map.
“Well, um, I believe we’re here,” he said, and pointed to one of the red-figured sculptures. “And uh, Lord Pircha is, uh, well, here, and here,” he continued and pointed to the green ones. “Yes, yes. That’s it, I believe.”
Takeo already knew the situation. Although it was true he hadn’t read any reports, Takeo had seen many such maps spread out on tables in his lifetime. It was a simple formula, easy to read and quick to understand, so things could be assessed in the thick of battle. The map told him not just where the troops were, but roughly their numbers, placement, and even their organization and makeup. However, Takeo wanted to test just how much—or rather how little—Nobu knew.
Takeo and Gavin shared a glance.
“I take it the others didn’t explain it to you?” Takeo asked.
“Well, they were talking about it, and I was listening, or trying to,” Nobu replied, voice pitching up and down from youth. “I just kind of figured things would work out like the last battle. You remember that one? Where we saved you? My generals just argued amongst each other until a consensus formed, and we won then. I think they have a name for that. Democracy, right?”
Takeo’s lips parted. That’s what saved me? Bickering old men? I had no idea I was that close to death.
“My lord, I’d strongly encourage you to take a firmer lead in the future,” the samurai said. “Let’s leave experimental politics for peacetime.”
Nobu didn’t argue, and judging by his ashamed look as he dropped his eyes back to the map, he knew from the start his answer had been a stretch.
“So here is the situation, my lord,” Takeo explained and began pointing. “Here we are, the smaller force just south of our larger army. As you can see, the group we’re meant to reinforce has dug in to wait for our arrival, setting up defensive measures here and here, faced off against Lord Pircha’s approaching force. Our scouts indicate the Nguyen army to be smaller than ours, but the hilly terrain we’re in makes it difficult for us to take advantage of that. To the south, here, these are Nguyen skirmishers attacking our supply lines.”
Lord Nobu nodded vigorously, his eyes growing wide.
“Yes, yes,” he exclaimed. “They were talking about all that, I remember now. They were talking about the supply lines, how the attacks are just a distraction. My generals, I mean. They were saying that Lord Pircha means to attack us with his smaller force and we should let him, as we have greater numbers and the advantage of dug in fortifications, or something like that. They were just arguing over how best to do it, was all. They were worried he might retreat and were thinking about how to lure him in.”
Nobu beamed as if he’d just thought that all out himself, but Takeo just sighed. Nobu’s grin dropped. Gavin folded his arms across his chest.
“I mean, it’s not a terrible plan,” the knight offered.
“Except it’s terribly predictable and therefore doomed to fail,” Takeo replied.
“Huh?” Nobu said. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“When facing a smarter opponent, my lord,” Gavin jumped in, “the general rule of thumb is to assume a hidden threat lingers just around the corner. I haven’t faced a rakshasa before, but I have faced vampires aplenty, and we knights know that if a situation looks simple, it’s because it’s a trap. We smart ones know anyway. The dumb ones die.”
“Qadir has defeated every general your mother has sent his way,” Takeo said. “Do you really think the rakshasa is going to let his smaller forces charge into our defensive lines without a plan to win?”
The gears in Nobu’s head turned slowly, but only because they hadn’t been turned in ages. Once things clicked, the lord’s face lit up.
“Right,” the prince said. “Right, yes. He must be up to something, but what? What’s the plan?”
The prince looked to Takeo expectantly, and Takeo frowned. He had hoped Nobu would offer up something more, but he should have known that wasn’t going to happen. Takeo tapped the map.
“My bet is here, my lord,” Takeo replied. “These skirmish forces aren’t a distraction. If you look closely, they’re perfectly positioned to cut off our retreat. Also, judging by the number of incidents on this board, it’s a large skirmish force, one far bigger than would be needed to harass supply lines. Qadir intends to crush us somehow, and I won’t let that happen. I agree with your generals that this dug in position is our best bet in any coming battle, but we need a solid path of retreat for when the rakshasa springs his trap. Only then will we have options.”
Nobu looked at the map as if seeing it for the first time and then back to the samurai.
“Excellent, that’s great,” the prince said. “So, uh, what do we do?”
Takeo sighed. I should have taken Botan’s offer and switched sides when I had the chance.
“This skirmish force needs to be repulsed, brutally,” Takeo answered. “That way, when Qadir springs his trap, we can get out of its path and counter or flee, if need be. And make no mistake, these skirmish forces will be led by a cunning Nguyen general, which means we’ll need an equally skilled commander to counter them. Unfortunately, I don’t know our army well enough to entrust this task to anyone else.”
“Anyone else?” Nobu asked.
Gavin went stiff and darted his gaze at the ronin. Takeo ignored him.
“Send me, my lord,” Takeo said. “I’ll handle this.”
Chapter 6
There was no way Nobu was going to deny Takeo, not even if the lord wanted to. No just wasn’t a part of his vocabulary. Gavin, however, was quite versed in the word’s use.
“Just once, just once,” the knight lamented as they trudged away from Nobu’s camp, “I’d like to hear you say something and think to myself, ‘Why yes, Takeo, what a splendid idea. This plan of yours is well thought out and risks nothing. I will surely sleep well tonight, thanks for asking.’ Why can’t I say things like that, Takeo? Why am I always at odds with you?”
Takeo shrugged. “Maybe you like to lose.”
Gavin jabbed him, and Takeo smirked.
“Please, Gavin,” the samurai replied. “Don’t you trust me?”
“Well, yeah, but it’s not you I’m worried about here. It’s the prince. Did we see the same thing back there? Nobu is a lord in name only. He’s a slave to the slightest whims of, well, apparently anyone who gives him so much as a raised eyebrow. This army is in chaos, and its command is for sale to the highest bidder. We can’t leave him alone. Those bickering royals will get us killed.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” a youthful voice yelled from off to the side.
Takeo and Gavin halted on the outskirts of Nobu’s encampment in the quiet space that separated the royal quarters from the common soldiers. The two men had taken a less traveled route in the hopes they wouldn’t be overheard, but it seemed that wasn’t possible as Qing appeared from behind a tent and came marching towards them.
All the remaining humor in Takeo’s eyes died out.
“Wonderful,” he muttered.
“I wish I could say the same,” Qing replied, closing the gap between them.
She glanced at Gavin, but when the knight opened his mouth to say something, the ninja cut him off.
“Stay quiet, sellsword. As for you, idiot ronin, must you make everything difficult? Tell me, how am I supposed to maintain my cover of protecting Nobu if I have to follow you out into the supply lines, huh?”
“Yeah, I’m not going to stay quiet if you’re over here shouting,” the knight replied anyway, then glanced around. “Maybe you should keep your voice down. Just a thought.”
Qing tapped her ear lobe. “We’re fine for now. No one’s around. And when I want your opinion, I’ll give it to you.”
Gavin’s eyes narrowed. “You do realize I fight this guy for fun, right? You might want to reel in that attitude of yours. I don’t see anyone calling you ‘my lady,’ and I’m about out of patience with Juatwa’s version of hospitality. I’m this close to acting the barbarian everyone thinks I am.”
Qing didn’t reply, but just to be sure, Takeo cut in.
“Alright, enough,” he said. “You two shouldn’t be arguing anyway. You seem to be in agreement.”
“Which should tell you how stupid your plan is,” Qing replied. “How in the world are you going to command this army from a detached skirmish force scampering off to the south?”
“I won’t,” Takeo replied and flicked a thumb at Gavin. “He will.”
“What?” Qing stammered.
“Huh?” Gavin balked in equal measure.
“You wouldn’t know this, Qing, but Gavin is a seasoned leader,” Takeo said. “He’s tactical, he’s cautious, and he won’t put the prince in any dangerous situation that they couldn’t get out of. I can think of no better person to advise Nobu in my stead. And just to balance out his cautiousness, I’ll leave Yeira and Nicholas with him. As for your guarding-Nobu story, well, that’s on you. Perhaps it’d be best if you just stayed here. I won’t be gone long.”
Gavin’s features softened. He looked touched by Takeo’s words. Thankfully, Qing was there to break any awkwardness that might follow.
“If he’s so great, then send him to deal with those skirmishers,” Qing screeched. “What is it with you and taking unnecessary risks? You instruct a rakshasa to hunt you, disappear at odd moments, and leave important command duties to unqualified underlings with no authority. How is this sellsword supposed to instruct Nobu, huh? Between the prince’s guards and squabbling lickspittle daimyos, he’ll never even get close to the young lord, let alone advise him. You can barely talk to him, from what I’ve heard.”
“You seem to hear a lot,” Takeo replied. “I’ll have to remember that. And as for Gavin, you’re wrong. Were he any normal sellsword—Nicholas, for example—I’d agree with you, but Gavin has a little something that attracts Nobu’s attention.”
“What’s that?”
“A charming smile.”
Gavin’s shoulders slumped, and he frowned. Qing looked between the two of them and seemed about to snap, though her demeanor was still stoic. Takeo was impressed with the way this little girl could exert so much anger while remaining completely still.
“Do you enjoy aggravating me, Takeo?” she asked.
“Actually, yes,” he replied. “And allow me to rip a page from your book on manners. Your opinion rates slightly lower than a dung heap in my mind, and I strongly question your competence.”
Qing reeled and blinked.
“My competence?” she scoffed.
“Yes,” Takeo repeated, firmly, and then tapped the side of his head just above the ear. “It’s the only logical conclusion I can make. You would have to be a tad touched to think for a single instant that I am not doing everything in my power to put Qadir’s and Lord Pircha’s heads on a pike. No one wants that rakshasa dead like I do, and not just because his underling helped kill the only woman I ever loved. Now, it is true I take risks, as my friend likes to point out, but you’d have to be daft to assume that any risk I take isn’t calculated and coldly rationalized. I don’t have the time or patience to explain my every action to you, Qing, and neither do you have the authority to demand it.”
Takeo paused and closed the distance between them, this time coming within an inch of the ninja’s face.
“I’m going to say this once. I don’t care if you follow my lead or not, but you will get out of my way. Starting right now.”
The two stared at each other, and the tension hung so heavy that Gavin began to grimace and shift in place. Qing never blinked, but she did draw in a deep breath.
“The Kshatriya woman is right about you,” she muttered and then turned and disappeared from sight behind some tents, but Takeo knew better than to assume she was gone. In a short time, that ninja had spied on him twice. From now on, he would consider her his shadow.
Gavin clapped a hand on the samurai’s shoulder.
“Hey, seems like my wife put in the good word for you. What luck, eh? To think you have two wars, one against a rakshasa and another against the very people you are fighting for. What more could we ask for?”
Takeo sighed.
“Yes, well, I suppose it wouldn’t be fair otherwise.”
* * *
Takeo wasted no time in gathering up a sizable force from Nobu’s small army, but army it was, and with a large bulk to pull from, this venture didn’t even kick up a storm with the daimyos. In fact, upon hearing Takeo was to head this force directly, they were happy to get rid of him. A couple hundred would be enough, Takeo figured, especially considering the special guard at his side.
True to his word, Takeo left Gavin, Yeira, and Nicholas at the camp with the prince.
As expected, Nicholas was more difficult to put up with than the daimyos. The viking yelled and complained as loudly as possible and at great length, but Takeo held his tongue. The samurai understood by now that the volume of Nicholas’ voice was inversely related to the value of the subject matter. Nicholas particularly enjoyed doing this to Takeo as he knew it was difficult for Takeo to care about anything Nicholas had to say.
“Why does the ogre get to go, huh?” Nicholas moaned, already several minutes into one long rant. “You can’t bring him and not me, that’s just how it works, Takeo. You know that. I’m the only one strong enough to keep Krunk in line. He’s practically my protégé, and we were just starting to get somewhere on all our wrestling. You take him now, he’ll forget everything I’ve taught him, and that’s no good for anyone so you’ll have to take me. It just makes good sense, and you’re all about good sense, aren’t you? Or so you claim—I don’t know, what with that silly dress you like to wear and the toothpick sized sword and your hair cut like some little lass begging to be swept up by a strong man like me. You know why I’ve never flirted with you, Takeo? It’s because you’re ugly. I’m sorry to say it, but I know you appreciate honesty, so there. I’m telling you true, a man like me would rather kiss an orc than your ugly mug. It might be fixable, but the world will never know, not unless you take me on this trip so that I can finally kill someone again as a viking should be doing, daily, but which I’m denied and not happy about, and you’re to blame and you know it, and it’s just not fair, and I’m out of patience. This is ridiculous, really, and just plain stupid. I mean, think about it. You’re leaving Nicholas Ragnarson the Immortal Slayer behind! What are you, insane? And now you won’t even look at me, will you? Too scared, I’ll bet. What, you want to fight me?”
