Following Saru’s injury, the company left the Hoji Road and plunged into the wilds in a northwest direction. They did not stop to camp that night but instead, they pushed on by torchlight. The torches were conveniently given to them by Matsumoto-san and proved to be an invaluable gift, for it allowed them to navigate rough terrain in utter darkness. Gintaro insisted that they make haste, lest Saru’s condition become too difficult to treat. At first, Saru seemed none too bothered by the injury, perhaps quieter than usual, but by the time that morning came, and the sun rose over the tall mountains before them, she had an unusual pallor about her and was damp with sweat.

  At about noon that day, Gin finally decided that they needed to rest, so they stopped, ate, and slept. Nō was concerned about setting a watch in case the ninja had followed them and was planning to attack them in their sleep, but their leader dismissed the idea.

  “The ninja would not have gone through the trouble of poisoning Saru if they had wanted us dead right away. Like they said, they want me to suffer first. Like a snake that envenomates its prey, the ninja will not strike until they believe I am weakened. What we need now is speed and a bit of good fortune. You will only slow us down if you do not rest now.”

  Saru, in the meantime, had fallen asleep almost immediately and woke groggy and unwell a few hours later, and they continued. Gin did not speak to her directly, other than mild words of encouragement, but drove them on at a relentless pace. They seemed to be ascending, as the mountains that used to be ever in the distance loomed before them. The gradient rose, and this made for difficult travel, especially as they were no longer on a path. At times, Gintaro and Nō had to dismount to cut a way through the dense brush and thickets. Saru offered to help, but it was becoming clear that every hour that passed, the poison was growing in its effectiveness, and so Gin begged her to rest and conserve her energy as much as possible.

  That night they were aided by the moon and the stars, though the cold autumn wind seemed to bite. They had reached an elevation where they were surrounded by tall pines, with the occasional oak and beach. When it became clear that Saru could no longer stay awake, they rested again and slept until morning.

  When morning came, they found that Saru could not rise on her own and had to be assisted into the saddle with Gintaro sitting behind her. She groaned as they moved her, and she could no longer communicate with them, except for in hoarse gasps. Nō quickly transferred the baggage and attended to the horses so that they could ride with Saru’s horse trailing behind him. Their route eventually changed and began to slope downwards, which was even more treacherous than before, for their path was often blocked or stymied by loose earth or stones, which made the horses hesitant. This also was difficult on Saru, as the constant swaying and plodding seemed to nauseate her. At noon she was not able to hold down much food, and by nighttime, she was retching intermittently.

  Gintaro remained quiet and watchful, but Nō could sense real anxiety in his eyes. “Perhaps she took in more poison than he originally thought,” he wondered.

  For his part, Nō did his best to comfort and aid his ailing companion, as he was raised as a Truist and had some rudimentary knowledge of the healing arts. He often changed her bandages, gave her water, and helped her to eat if she could.

  On the third morning, since their encounter with the ninja, Saru seemed to be doing mildly better, so much so that she was able to hold the reigns and ride her horse as they continued down the mountainside. Yet a few hours later she momentarily lost consciousness and fell from her horse, scraping her shoulder and arm on a jagged rock nearby. The two men took time to tend to her and then let her rest under the bright orange leaves of a nearby maple, while Gin contemplated what they should do next.

  “Because of me everyone comes to ruin,” he grumbled, as he started into the distance.

  “How long until we arrive at the lands of the Ryū,” Nō asked, interrupting his teacher’s thoughts.

  “I believe that these are them,” Gin answered, gesturing to the woods that surrounded them. “But we are still too far from aid, and Saru is fading faster than I anticipated.”

  “What are we to do?”

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  The swordsman turned and looked at the boy and seemed to examine him intently. “I must go,” he said after a few moments. “I will find assistance and bring them here. You must watch over her. Keep her alive until I return.”

  The way that Gin said the last part was unlike any of the commands he had given Nō before. It was almost as if he were pleading with him.

  “I will do my best,” the youth answered.

  His teacher merely nodded in response, grabbed a few essential items, untied his horse, and disappeared into the forest below.

  Nō went over and inspected Saru, who was sound asleep but appeared to be in some discomfort, for her face was twisted and her eyelids twitched intermittently. He treated her freshest injuries with some salve and rewrapped them and then set about making a fire to keep her warm. She slept for many hours that day, and by the time she woke, it was already dusk.

  Nō had long been waiting for her to wake. He busied himself with creating a stone fireplace and gathered an ample amount of firewood so he would not want for it later. He then set about making a hearty soup of noodles that they had brought with them and some wild mountain vegetables he found nearby. He was anxious to leave Saru for long, and so only gathered what was within earshot of her.

  As she woke, she sat up and saw the boy tending to the stew and rubbed her eyes.

  “Where is Gin-san?”

  “He has gone to seek aid,” Nō answered, swirling the contents of the soup with a wooden spoon.

  “That fool,” Saru said, but then winced in pain. “I don’t need any help.”

  Nō grabbed a bowl and filled it for his companion. “You should take it easy. There is no need to prove your toughness to me.”

  She looked back at him darkly but then began to slurp down the stew ravenously. When she had finished, she inspected her new bandages and then handed her bowl to her companion for seconds.

  “Thank you,” she said quietly. This was the first time she had ever thanked the young apprentice, and because of this, he had to hold back a smile.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked after he had finished his bowl.

  “Terrible. Not only is my body failing me, but I can tell that I am failing him.”

  Nō knew who she was talking about, so he did not need to ask. “He is searching for help as we speak. I am sure he will not rest until he finds it.”

  “That’s the problem,” Saru exclaimed. “He should be looking after her, not me! I am holding him back. I should have never come.”

  “Without you, he would not have made it this far, nor I.”

  “That is not true. He would have made it with or without us. He is strong enough.”

  “I do not think so,” Nō contested. “This is not a thing that someone can do on their own, though he is as self-sufficient as they come. It is bigger than all of us, and it will take all of us and perhaps more.”

  Saru forced back the lump in her throat, but it was not enough to stop the tears from falling from her eyes. “I don’t want him to think of me as weak! I hate it!

  “Do you think that seeing you as strong will make him love you?”

  Saru stopped suddenly and turned her bleary eyes on Nō as if stunned.

  “Do you think I am blind?” the youth said with a laugh. “I know you care for him. It is as plain as a monk’s robe.”

  “Well, aren’t you observant,” she retorted scornfully.

  “Saru, your vitality is only part of your many charms. The Truists have a saying, ‘Weakness has its own strength.’ I never really understood it, but now I can see what they meant. I have never seen him look the way he did earlier when the thought came to his mind that he could lose you.”

  This made Saru smile, although she did her best to hide it. Yet it was short-lived, as suddenly a spasm of pain crossed her face, and she fell back in agony.

  “Saru!” Nō cried.

  “Nō…” she began but then stopped suddenly. Her eyes widened, and her gaze shifted to something behind him.

  The youth jumped up and turned to grab his wooden sword, but it was too late. Several soldiers had come up from the valley, stealthily, and were nearly upon them, with bows drawn at the ready. One, who was at their foremost, held out his hand as if to stop the boy.

  “Surrender! You are taken,” the soldier stated, who seemed to be a high-ranking samurai. He wore a tight topknot and had an angry, leathery face.

  “What business do you have with us?” Nō returned. “We have done nothing wrong.”

  The veteran samurai answered by gesturing towards Saru. “We have come for her.”

  “Then our companion made it?” said the boy, feeling a wave of relief. “He found you?”

  The veteran nodded. “He did. He made us aware of your general location, and the smoke from this fire told us the rest.”

  “Where is he?” inquired Nō, concerned that Gin had not returned as promised.

  “He gave himself up, and I recommend you do the same,” the samurai said gravely. “My name is Yoshida Taro. Unfortunately, you are trespassing within the realm of the Ryū, and we are presently at war. You are now prisoners and will comply with our demands.”

  Nō frowned and thought about refusing, but when he looked over at Saru who was unconscious once again, he relented.

  “So be it,” he said, holding his hands high in surrender.

  Yoshida quickly came aside him, bound his hands, and then went to blindfold him.

  “What is this for?” Nō grunted.

  “You may be spies,” Yoshida answered. “And our army is on the move.”

  The last thing that he saw was one of the soldiers kneeling beside Saru, putting his hand on her forehead.

  “At least she will be helped, I hope,” Nō thought, as he was prodded forward, down the rugged mountainside.