Sengoku Visions II

Chapter 26 - Shai and Mountains

I rode next to Saizo, just far enough back to not be accused of staring, but out of his direct line of sight. The shifting landscape went from farmland looking baked and arid, to greener woodland, and I sensed we were gaining altitude as the distance cantered by. Occasionally we would let the horses walk or jog, but he appeared to have a set agenda.

We rode straight through two villages, a swirl of dust the only memory of our passing, and as the sun moved lower and began to colour the sky, he turned onto a smaller trail and we slowed to allow the horses to pick their way uphill.

I wasn't prepared for how high up we were until the path curved around the slope and I saw a small cluster of buildings clinging to several rocky outcrops. The drop was sheer with only a lone tree here and there clinging to the surface. Below, way below, pine trees gave way to fields. Around the buildings colourful pennants billowed in the updraft from the valley and it felt a spiritual sort of place.

As we neared the first building, a slender young woman stood quietly on the verandah watching us. Saizo simply nodded to her and she bowed and went back inside as we passed. The path twisted around the buildings, I counted five in all, they all looked like copies of one another, clustered around one that stood higher than the rest. The horse's hooves rang out on the rocky surface and I gathered we were heading for the highest building, the last in the group.

Another woman, older than the first, stood on the verandah, although this one looked impatient, as if we had disturbed her with our arrival. I almost jumped out of my skin as I went to dismount, a young girl was already holding Jin's bridle. Saizo chuckled from the other side of his horse, I hadn't heard a thing, she simply appeared - not more flippin' ninjas.

"Welcome Lady Tamara." The woman spoke in a crisp tone from the verandah. Saizo stopped for a second, realizing how much distance there was to my understanding range. He looked back at me and narrowed his eyes, whilst I avoided his entirely and looked where I was going up the tiny path.

"You're late." She said tersely to Saizo as we entered the building. He only sighed and shrugged in reply, and I was left at a total loss as to what was going on. All I knew for certain was that I was dusty, hungry and tired.

In the next moment a large basin of water appeared in front of me, held by another young girl.

"You must feel dusty, hungry and tired." The woman said, repeating the exact words from my head. I was stunned motionless, but the smile the woman gave me was so warm, I felt myself relax again quickly and gratefully accepted the cloths being offered.

This place was weird.

Not spooky weird, just, well, weird.

I made a mental note I should be careful what I was thinking.

With her back to me the woman said, "Yes, you should."

Okay, so now it was spooky and weird.

Both her and Saizo chuckled and I thought it best just to deal with the dust.

The wonderful aroma of food lit my senses as I turned back from rinsing my face and hands. It seemed to have spontaneously manifested itself directly out of the silence. My eye caught the movement of a door closing, and I was reassured it wasn't magic, but still, I hadn't heard a footstep.

Saizo was already eating as I crossed the room, I was trying to step lightly, but sounded like a herd of elephants on the boards. The woman smiled kindly again and I felt at peace instantly.

"Please, Lady Tamara, eat well, you have had a long day." Despite the sentence I felt the food almost reach out to me, I was in fact, starving. The cool drink that accompanied the meal was like a citrus tea, it was instantly refreshing and my cup was refilled swiftly.