War priest the complete.., p.119
War Priest: The Complete Series, page 119
Another solution was necessary, one that Tayaura came up with on the fly. While Meosa continued to suspend the man in the air, the illusionist pulled Arik to the side and spoke to him privately. “There’s an herb that illusionists use back at the retreat, the one you saw me collect earlier. Do you remember it?”
Arik recalled the plant she had collected while he was gathering squash. It resembled a weed. “I do.”
“Get it, get a bottle of a liqueur known as alrig, and return. Do you think you can find your way back here?”
Arik looked around. “No? No, I don’t. I’m sorry. Avarga is too dense, especially at night. I honestly have no idea where we are.”
Tayaura chewed on her lip for a moment. “Then we will have to bring them back with us. Kami, lower these men to the ground. Once you do, take complete control of their bodies. We need them to come back to the retreat with us.”
“What are you going to do to us?” asked the man whom Meosa had nearly drowned earlier.
“Not up to me,” Meosa told him. “But you’re going to keep quiet while we do it, otherwise… Ugh. I shouldn’t have to threaten you two any longer. Just keep quiet, and we’ll make sure you live to see another day. Isn’t that right, shinobi-ess?”
“Correct. Follow me.”
“So you’re not going to kill us?” the man asked, his eyes bulging now.
Rather than answer, Tayaura led the group out of the alley, Meosa now controlling the two men. They walked in a strange way, almost as if they were drunk, which wasn’t out of the ordinary considering it was night. Along their way, Tayaura bought two bottles of this special alcohol from a roadside vendor.
The two men made no attempts to escape or alert anyone on the way back to the retreat, which came as a surprise to Arik. He assumed they would do something that forced Meosa to act.
Upon arriving at the retreat, Tayaura hung a right and led the group into the forest, so their voices wouldn’t be heard from inside the retreat. She found the herb that she had pointed out earlier and returned. After using a kunai to pop the wax off the alcohol, she poured a little out onto a pile of leaves and placed some of the leaves inside.
“Everyone sit down.”
Arik and the two men did as instructed, the shinobi still under Meosa’s control.
One of the men started to ask what she was planning to do, but stopped once he caught her cold glare. Silence spread over the group while they waited for the alcohol to dissolve the herb. At some point, about the moment an owl hooted somewhere in the forest, Tayaura brought the liquor to her nostrils and sniffed it. “Kami, make them share this bottle.”
The bottle rose into the air as if by magic. The first man tried to fight it, but soon, his head was forced back and half the bottle was poured into his mouth, slowly, so he could actually swallow it. The same happened to the second man.
“Good. Now if you don’t mind, kami, take them back to town and deposit them behind a tavern.”
“As you wish. But after this, I’m done for the night.”
The two men hovered into the air. They zipped away as if they’d been fired out of a crossbow, Meosa in charge yet again as he hastened them back to Avarga.
“What did you do?” Arik asked Tayaura.
“If you mix those herbs with a bottle of alrig, it produces a drunk confusion that forces someone to forget just about anything that’s happened to them over the last several hours.” She showed him the second bottle. “We’ll make another mixture later. And believe me, it works. My father tested it extensively with Sengum Minamoto. These two will wake up in the morning behind a tavern, and they’ll have no recollection of what happened. One will likely accuse the other of getting him drunk, but they’ll quiet up about it once they return to the compound. I’m assuming Saiyo Haro wouldn’t want his men behaving like drunken fools.”
“And you’re sure about it?”
“I am. I have tried it before as well.” Tayaura shook her head. “The effects are rather remarkable. There are numerous stories of past Hidden Warriors using this technique to blot out people’s memories. It also, in a way, ties into what we plan to do tomorrow.”
“The banquet.”
“Precisely. I have an idea that will create the kind of chaos we’ll need to break through Saiyo Haro’s defenses. With Koharu, we should be able to pull it off. But before then, we should get some rest.” As if to illustrate her point, Tayaura yawned. “It’s been a long night already.”
“There’s just one more thing.”
“Yes?”
“I think we should talk about what happens next.”
“Next? You mean tomorrow? I’ll explain everything when we meet my father. He’ll likely have some input.”
“No,” Arik said, dead serious now. “After that.”
“What would you prefer we do?”
“What would you prefer?”
The corner of Tayaura’s lips lifted. “I asked you first.”
“And I wanted to get your take on it.”
“What purpose would it serve? That’s what I’m wondering. If we take this all the way to its natural conclusion, to the top of the Onyxian government, then what? What happens if we unravel the conspiracy all the way to its natural conclusion? Wouldn’t it just lead to more war?”
“That’s what I’ve been thinking too,” Arik admitted. “If the people found out what was happening, it could lead to a civil war, or it could have everyone uniting behind a cause and rushing over the border. That, or there could be a clamp down from each of the realms that made things worse for everyone. I can honestly see anything and everything happening as a result of our actions, from food shortages due to broken treaties, to violence in the cities aimed at certain classes. Or, nothing could happen. We simply take it to the top, and someone just moves into the place of those who funded and conceived of the thing.”
“And how long would it take us? Even with your power over Revivaura, this lifestyle is exhausting. How long would it take us to finally work our way to the top? How many will we have to kill or expose? We may be at it for years. And who would look after your sister?”
“Right,” Arik said firmly. “We start the academy. That’s what we do next.”
“Yes, that’s what we do. After Saiyo Haro, we move to Iga and start the academy.”
“Together.”
“Together. And with help from a few people we’ve met along the way.” Tayaura stood. She offered Arik her hand. Once he took it and was on his feet, she came forward and wrapped her arms around his neck.
She kissed him, the sensation beyond anything that he had experienced before.
The electricity he felt in that moment blew Thunderaura out of the water. It made everything around him melt, Arik practically floating by the time she stepped away, still holding his hand.
****
Arik was expecting Tayaura to wake him early that next morning so they could confer with her father. He wasn’t the least bit surprised to hear her whisper his name, her voice followed by Meosa’s mocking whisper.
“I’m up,” Arik told the pair.
He pushed off his sleeping mat and got to his feet. Once his robes were set, Arik joined Tayaura at the door. Along the way, he passed Koharu, who slept near to his sister. The bakeneko, who had already enjoyed a few of the cherry plums, evident in the dusted sugar on her face, opened a single eye aimed at his presence, yawned, turned over, and went back to sleep.
Once they were outside, Arik joined Tayaura at the back of the Hidden Warrior retreat. He sat next to her, the two palming the soul gem. He could already see the hint of sunlight on the horizon, one coming up from behind a snowy mountain, framing it in a mystical way.
They didn’t have long.
Luckily, Hojo’s form fizzled into existence not long after, the master illusionist glittering with a cosmic light that soon formed into his features, from his flowing robes to the slitted conical hat on his head. “Shadow-children,” he said in lieu of a greeting.
“Father. We have an update.” Tayaura told him where they were and what had happened. She explained her plan for that night, the illusionist doing so in a way that would allow Hojo to point out any kinks in her strategy.
“I believe it will work,” Hojo said, even as Arik wondered how they were going to pull it off. It was the first time he’d heard her plan fully, and he had questions. “You always have the kami as well, which should help with Saiyo Haro.”
The look on Tayaura’s face hardened. “Saiyo Haro is mine.”
“You’ve made that clear, shadow-child, but you should know by now that a grudge is easier to bear with more than one pair of shoulders. You helped the disciple, did you not? All must play their part. The final strike can come from any angle.”
“I am doing this for all illusionists since the creation of our school.”
“Are you? That is noble, but noble and smart are two very different things. You have a clear strategy that should be even easier to pull off with the help of a bakeneko. Lean on your companions. Do not be too bold or confident.”
“Yes, Father,” she finally said.
“And after? Have you two made a decision there?”
“We have decided to lay the groundwork for the school,” Arik told Hojo.
“And abandon the conspiracy?”
“Yes. We spoke about it, and feel that it would be an endless ball of thread to unravel.”
“An endless ball of thread?” Hojo nodded. “That would be a good way to describe any conspiracy, especially one that extends to three continents and involves a number of people, some of whom you have yet to meet. Better to rebuild and shift the course of the future than hash out the betrayals and iniquities of the past in hopes that it will help the river change course. While it is important to right wrongs, we live in a time when the effort of doing so could possibly negate the point. You have the Crimson Realm’s support. You have a variety of ways to build your curriculum, including the documents I left behind and whatever is obtainable from your realm. I believe this is the way.”
“We do as well, Father. There is another issue.”
“Oh?”
Tayaura explained Mori Ehara’s condition, how it was diagnosed as Hidden Warrior Sickness yet she didn’t believe this to exactly be the case. “What should we do now? We can no longer poison her with this medicine, the ning root.”
“Have you visited an itako?”
Arik nearly brought his hand to his forehead. Of course, Hojo would recommend an itako, and of course, there would likely be one who could help out.
“Mount Osore,” Tayaura said, anticipating what her father would likely say next. “After we handle Saiyo Haro, we head toward Minami for your writings by way of Mount Osore.”
Meosa laughed bitterly. “I honestly can’t believe out of the three of us that no one has suggested a bloody itako yet. Here we are force-feeding your sister some crazed hallucinatory root when the answer has been shamanic all along. And you know what? Sure. I don’t doubt for a moment the itako of Mount Osore would be able to help. I’m just annoyed that I didn’t come up with the idea. I’m also annoyed that it’s an idea that one of us would need to come up with in the first place. It was right there.”
Tayaura started to laugh. “I… I should totally feel shame for not even thinking of an itako.”
Hojo tilted his head back, Arik finally able to make out a smile on his face. “We all make mistakes, including well-respected kami and the future educators of Taomoni. Good luck today. Remember your goal, and do not be afraid to help one another. This journey must close now. It is time. It is time to push forward to a new horizon.”
.Chapter Seven.
“Closure is something that comes in a variety of forms. The more you reach for it, the harder it can be to grasp.”
–Master Nongrat Eldegai in his book A Healing Mind, Third Edition, Ezochi Revivaura Books, Year 1336, Page 67.
While Mori Ehara and Koharu slept, Arik and Tayaura prepared breakfast. She also boiled the rest of the ning root for the night’s plans. The root had a slightly pungent odor to it that Arik didn’t remember smelling before, but once it boiled down and the liquid cooled, there was no way to detect it through scent. To make the brew more potent, Tayaura let the leaves from the herb she used last night soak in the ning root. She also went ahead and prepared more of the alcohol-laced concoction she’d used to poison the two false shinobi.
“It will eliminate any flavor,” she assured the disciple. “That’s one reason illusionists like this particular plant.”
“You never told me the name of the herb,” Arik told her as he examined one of the mint-green leaves.
“I don’t know the name. Or maybe I’ve heard it before, but I just forgot it. Kami?”
“Why would I know the name of some lowly weed? No idea what you illusionists use to poison people.”
“It should have a very interesting effect, especially when mixed with the ning root.”
“I’ll bet,” Meosa told her. “Half the people will be falling asleep, the other half will be flailing around like half-brained okiku mushi. It will be very interesting to watch, is what I’m trying to say.”
“Yes, it will, kami.” Tayaura used a wooden spoon to stir the brew. She set this spoon aside, careful not to use it for the breakfast she was working on, which consisted of roasted squash that had been seasoned with whatever she could find. “Disciple, Arik, wake Koharu and your sister.”
Arik stepped into the other room to find Koharu already awake and in a random female form, which startled him to some degree.
“Hello,” she said in her normal voice, the bakeneko once again eating a cherry plum. “I figured this disguise would do for the day. She’s a woman I met years ago, a kind itako from the northern border named, oh, what was her name?” Koharu laughed at herself. “I suppose I’m one never to forget a face, but a name is another thing entirely. Did I say good morning yet? If not, good morning to you and your kami.”
Meosa came alive. “I’m not his kami. He’s my human. Anyway, breakfast is ready, and we need to wake the girl up as well. Can I do it, disciple?”
“No,” Arik said as he glanced at his sister, who slept on her side with a peaceful look on her face.
“Please?”
Koharu found Meosa’s begging amusing, especially once he took a human-like figure and dropped to his knees, his hands in a prayer position. Ironically, the kami’s commotion was what ended up waking Mori Ehara, who immediately stood. She brought her hands to her sides and dipped her head. Koharu approached. “It’s me, Mori.” The bakeneko slowly placed her hand on the girl’s chin, who didn’t seem bothered at all by her presence. She tsked. “I don’t know what they did to you, child, but there has to be something we can do.”
“We are taking her to the itako of Mount Osore,” Arik told Koharu. “We decided last night.”
“The itako of Mount Osore? It’s been ages since I visited the mountain! There are hot springs there, you know, and they’re good for my coat. That settles it. I guess I’ll have to come with you for that journey as well.”
“Inviting yourself again, I see,” said Meosa.
“And? They already have you, and all you can do is drown people and eavesdrop. I’m a yokai with skills that most humans could only dream of having. I can become anyone I want,” she said as she took the form of a tall man. From there, she morphed into a short and chubby girl, about the same height as Arik’s sister. Soon, it was back to her cat body, Koharu’s ears standing at attention, her whiskers flickering as she turned back to the disciple. “I’m assuming you won’t mind.”
“Not at all. You could join us in Iga after, if you’d like.” As Arik said this, Tayaura brought a platter to the table. Mori obediently sat down, but she didn’t go for any of the food. Arik continued: “We have a pretty odd team that we seem to be putting together, from Istvan to Master Kojiro and Indra, not to mention me, Tayaura—”
“And me. I’m going to be a lecturer,” Meosa said.
“Has there ever been an academy where yokai or kami taught?” Arik asked Meosa.
“In my day, there were a few yokai that dabbled in the illusionist arts, but not many. I don’t recall ever hearing of a teacher, but I don’t see why there shouldn’t be one.”
“I wouldn’t have anything to teach,” said Koharu. “It’s not like one of you will be able to morph. But I’m sure there are other things I can do. It’s also good for humans to understand yokai better. This is something that seems to have fallen to the wayside over the years. I guess I could join you in Iga for a while. Oooh. I’d get to make up an identity and a backstory. I like writing backstories, you know. Once, I compiled dozens of backstories for the forms I liked to take. I even thought about taking it to Yoshimura Books to see if they’d publish it.”
“You should,” Tayaura said as she came back into the room. “That sounds interesting.”
