The Druid's Spear (Ascent of the Gem Bearers Book 1) (11 page)

“Don’t underestimate your opponent because she has breasts.”

The spy filed in with the rest of Rhychard’s
juusha
as everyone made their way into the meal chamber for the afternoon meal. Firelight lined the wall in the form of torches. A wild boar turned on a spit toward the back of the room. The table laden with various wild game and dressed with vegetables, breads, and other foods sat on the floor in the center. Pillows sheathed in fabric and animal furs ran up both sides of the table. On everyone’s lips was news of the Descendant as they sat on the floor, talking excitedly.

Soon, Uchida-san
entered with Tambo. Her hair was in disarray, a sign she’d begun training with the Descendant. Streaks of sweat had dried on her face. Despite her disheveled appearance, she managed to still look calm and collected. Returning the bows of those she passed, she made her way to the Elder. After a bow in his direction, she sat on the ground, legs crossed and hands resting on her knees. Tambo sat behind her, and someone placed a large bowl of various fruits in front of him. Social conduct of waiting for the Elder to eat first completely went over the animal’s head.

Everyone looked expectantly at the Elder. When he didn’t move, Alderic, sitting across from Uchida-san, shifted. “
Otousan
, are you not going to eat?”

The Elder didn’t speak and everyone looked around in confusion.

Yet the spy had a different notion. He knew exactly where this was going.

Sure enough, the Descendant limped into the room seconds later and made his way to the far edge of the table. Many of the
juusha
bowed in respect at his entrance.

“Kenzo—
sama
, please sit here. Alderic has been saving your space for you.” The Elder spoke.

Alderic’s eyebrows escaped into his hair. “
Nani?
”

Stopped in his tracks, the Descendant looked down the line of the people, all of whom had turned to face him.

The spy dropped his head, lest his glee at Alderic—
kun’s
surprise be seen. An earlier memory from that day flashed in his mind. He’d witnessed the man come out of Uchida-san’s
quarters looking pleased with himself. Before the spy opened his mouth, those massive hands had snatched him up. The man proceeded to threaten him with bodily harm if he so much as uttered a word about the incident. Then flinging him to the floor, Alderic—
kun
strutted away.

“Move aside.” The Elder’s voice broke into the spy’s train of thought.

A flush crawled over Alderic’s face as he shifted over, causing the line to do the same. He almost wished Lord Ludovicus didn’t have to kill the Descendant. Watching his enemy be humiliated over and over again was worth keeping him alive.

For a moment, the Descendant stood there, locked in indecision. Then, he made his way over and sat down gingerly, wincing.

“I take Uchida-san
’s training is the cause of your affliction?”

The man nodded. He reached for the bowl steaming with a beef stew and rest of the
juusha
dug in.

Alderic remained stoically silent and barely touched the food on his plate. The spy listened as the Elder conversed with the Descendant, asking questions about the training and his overall health. Uchida-san
didn’t join in the conversation but simply ate as she talked with members of her team as they hollered up and down the table.

His ears perked up when he heard, “When are you going to give the information I’ve asked you for? What’s the big deal about the blood gem?”

The Elder set his chopsticks down gently. “I’ll tell you as soon as the time is right.”

Kenzo exhaled noisily. “The time is right now. Why are you being so elusive?”

“If it seems that way, I apologize. However, there is much to tell you. But I will tell you when I can.”

“But—”

The Elder called his name, and the spy stood from his kneeled position behind the Elder.

“I’m tired.”

The spy helped the Elder up, feeling the old man’s bony frame shaking under his fingers. Everyone knew the man was old, but they had no idea how weak the Elder was. Uchida
-san
and
Alderic—
kun
stood and bowed as they made their way from the table. He heard the leader’s labored breathing and the pounding of his heart through the wiry frame. All were signs of weakness he hid from his son and the other
juusha
.

Suddenly the man stumbled, and it was all the spy could do to keep him upright.

“What are you doing, pebble? Are you trying to kill him?” Alderic roared as he rushed to his father’s side. A single push sent the spy sprawling to the rocky ground, shards of the stone cutting into his hands. He got back up.

“Leave him be. It is an old man’s foolishness,” the Elder admonished.

“Or a pebble’s lack of strength.” A sneer accompanied the words. The spy’s hands fisted.

“Why do you continue to—”

The spy shook his head at Uchida-san
, willing her with his eyes to not say another word. She must have read the message in them because she nodded in his direction. Kenzo glanced between them but didn’t say anything.

The spy followed behind them, his vow to Lord Ludovicus more than affirmed. He’d hand these people over without a second glance.

All he had to do was find the blood gem. That would entail a rummage through the Descendant’s allocated chambers. If he waited, the opportunity would come.

Soon.

Ken wiped at the sweat on his forehead and tried to still his breath. He didn’t know if he could take another dream of blood-soaked flowers and John’s corpse watching him.

Tears once more burned a path down his face. After his breakdown in front of Uchida-san
he’d made a promise to keep his grief and guilt to himself. Yet the sight of those mutilated bodies in the apartment building had imprinted onto his skull.

The creature’s eyes had also followed in his dreams.

All because of a rock.

Scowling, he went over to its hiding place along the wall and pulled it out, looking at it anew. Nothing about it seemed significant. Calling it a geode was giving it a silk robe. It was just a rock.

Nine people had died because of this rock. He’d been almost killed for it. Why?

The Elder was tight-lipped and evasive. Uchida-san
refused to say anything until the Elder did. From the dark glances he’d been getting from Alderic, the man disliked him. Why that should be the case when they only met each other three weeks ago made little sense. The other
juusha
were in awe of him, bowing out of deep respect and courtesy. The only one who seemed unimpressed by him was Tambo.

He slipped into shoes made from a leather-like material and walked out the room. Down the various corridors, he made his way, hearing sleeping noises and other sounds as he went from the curtained off rooms. He didn’t have a direct idea of where he was going, but he glanced up and saw he had made it into the meeting room with the large chandelier shaped stalagmite formation.

Low light illuminated the area, but in the dimness he saw something move.

“Kenzo—
sama
?” came a muffled voice.

The voice was Uchida-san’
s
,
but the hunched over figure didn’t resemble her.

“Uchida-san
?”

“Why are you here?”

He stepped closer and then came to a sudden halt. From the look of it, she appeared to be covered in something.

“I couldn’t sleep,” he replied slowly, eyes squinting into the darkness. “What are you—?”

She shifted ever so slightly and it was then that he saw what was wrong.

Spiders. Big, grayish spiders covered her from head to toe.

“What the—”

“Don’t be frightened.”

Was she speaking to him? Spiders, in general, didn’t bother him much but seeing as they covered her body like a macabre blanket definitely changed his idea on them. His skin crawled.

“What are you doing? What’s going on?”

Ken watched as the spiders moved like a wave and expose Uchida-san’
s head. “Talking to my friends. They can get a little annoying.” She spoke clearly, since the spiders had graciously uncovered her mouth. “But we were talking.”

She resembled a spider goddess as they continued to swarm over her, a collective of long spindly legs and groupings of black eyes.

“Can you tell them to go away?”

“Why? Are we disturbing you?” Her head cocked to the side in query.

Ken gazed at her. Was this a trick question? “What do you think?”

Uchida-san
bent her head and the arachnids left. Before doing so, they swelled once more over her head, engulfing her. Then they skittered away, a flurry of spiders racing across the ground to the back of the cave.

“I would never like to see that again,” he said as Uchida-san
rose and dusted herself off. Her hair was mussed but she appeared unharmed and unaffected by her episode with the spiders. But when had he seen this woman upset by anything thrown her way? She continued to unveil herself layer by layer. Each unveiling brought out a new aspect of herself he found fascinating. Except for the spiders. That, he could do without.

“What can I do for you, Kenzo—
sama
?”

“The first thing is to stop calling me Kenzo—
sama
. Being called ‘lord’ by a woman who constantly beats me up gets wearying.”

Tilting her head to the side, he saw a spark of humor enter those golden eyes. “How shall I address you?”

“Ken is fine. John used to call Kenny.” A wave of sorrow clogged his throat.

She gave a curt nod. “Ken it is then. You may call me
sensei
.”

He bowed in acknowledgment.

An awkward silence fell between them. He was reluctant to leave her presence. “So,” he said by way of making conversation, “I take it you can talk to creatures both great and small?”

“
Hai
. Since I was a child. Although sometimes it doesn’t work.”

“So you were communing with them or something?”

“Or something.”

Ken scraped his hand through his hair. “Why is it so difficult to get a straight answer?”

She gave an elegant shrug. “Our society has been based on elusiveness. The fact you have no idea what the blood gem is proves the success of that. Straight answers without caution lead to many problems. The Elder will tell you what you desire to know.”

The soft firelight played along her features. In his thirty years he hadn’t been terribly attracted to any specific woman for long. Yet, in the last three weeks, between the frequent bouts of butt-kicking, he found himself thinking about her more and more.

“I’m going to step outside,” she said as the hush lingered. “Would you like to join me?”

He nodded and followed behind her as they went out the room and down the corridor. They arrived at the entrance of the cave. The guards standing watch on either side bowed in deference as they went outside. Ken enjoyed the companionable silence between them as they turned to their right and trod down a worn pathway till they came to a small clearing not too far from the cave. The soft light of the moon cascaded gently over the earth. A fresh night breeze caressed his skin.