Ranger's Apprentice 10: The Emperor of Nihon-Ja (33 page)

When daylight came, they dragged the monster’s dead body back to Nimatsu’s castle, hitched behind a pair of horses borrowed from the Hasanu village.

It was, as Evanlyn had guessed when she first saw it, a snow tiger. But it was an immense one, measuring nearly five metres from nose to tail. As the small cavalcade made its way through the main street of the village, the Hasanu came out in awe to watch them pass. There were cries of amazement as they saw the size of the dead cat, its white and grey striped body smeared with blood and dirt. The signs left by Evanlyn’s shot were also clearly visible – the left foreleg was smashed and twisted at an oblique angle. The shattered lower jaw was nearly separated from the creature’s skull, held in place only by a network of sinew, and the jaw and neck were covered in dried, frozen blood.

Most remarkable was the half-metre-long gash in the beast’s belly, with the fur around it saturated in blood as well.

The beast’s head bumped over the uneven ground as the two horses drew it slowly through the village. The eyes were half closed, glazed over. But even in death, the animal still earned its title –
Kyofu
. The Terror.

The word flew from mouth to mouth as the Hasanu gaped at the beast that had terrorised the countryside. Then they looked from its enormous corpse to the two girls who had conquered it. Both were drawn and pale, battling shock and the after-effects of fear as much as weariness. Seen beside the limp body, they looked tiny, almost insignificant. Alyss’s jacket and breeches were torn and stained from the rough ground she had fallen onto. She had discarded the protective leather from her face and arms. The shield was slung over the left-hand horse’s yoke and daylight revealed the extent of the battering it had taken from the
Kyofu
’s claws and teeth. The top edge was splintered and split and there were massive gouges in the curved wood that formed the major part of the shield. The iron reinforcing strips showed bright scars where the creature’s massive claws had scored deep into the metal.

As the two slender figures, dwarfed by the
Kyofu
and by the massively built Hasanu people themselves, progressed down the main street of the village, the villagers began to bow, the bending bodies and lowered heads moving in succession, resembling wheat yielding before a sudden breeze that sweeps across a field.

‘Should we wave or something?’ Evanlyn said out of the corner of her mouth. Trained as she was in protocol, this was a situation that her tutors had never envisaged.

‘You can. I’m too tired,’ Alyss responded. She looked up to the end of the central street of the village, which ran uphill towards the castle. The tall figure of Lord Nimatsu stood waiting for them. As they came closer, he stooped into the lowest possible bow before them.

Alyss and Evanlyn exchanged a glance, then made vague hand gestures and stiff little bobs of the head in response.

‘Ariss-san, Ev-an-in-san,’ the nobleman said as he straightened once more, ‘you have done my people a great service.’

Evanlyn nodded, looked around and gestured at the huge body on the ground.

‘Lord Nimatsu, here is your
Kyofu
. Dead.’

‘I can see. I can see,’ Nimatsu replied softly. He stepped forward to examine the
Kyofu
more closely, taking in the terrible injuries that these two slightly built foreigners had inflicted on it.

‘You are unharmed?’ he asked.

Alyss shrugged. ‘I’m sore and battered, and my backside has bruises all over it.’

Evanlyn gave a tired grin. ‘And I’ve had the bejabbers scared out of me. But apart from that, we’re fine. You should see the other fellow.’ She paused, then added in mock surprise, ‘Oh…you can.’

‘It’s a snow tiger,’ Nimatsu said softly. He went down on one knee beside the limp body, reaching out to touch the white fur. ‘I’ve never seen one so big. I thought they had been driven out of these parts years ago.’

‘Well, this one decided to hang around,’ Alyss told him.

Nimatsu looked up from the dead tiger and met the eyes of the two
gaijin
girls. In his life, he had seen many brave deeds in battle. Never before had he seen courage to equal that shown by these two. He turned to the gathered Hasanu, now watching silently.

‘Hasanu people!’ he said, raising his voice so that it carried down the street, where hundreds of faces were upturned to watch. ‘The
Kyofu
is dead!’

It was as if they had been awaiting official confirmation of the fact. There was a giant, wordless roar of triumph from the assembled villagers. Alyss and Evanlyn stood awkwardly, not sure how to respond to the moment. Truth be told, they were both eager to escape from public view and recover from the terrifying night they had spent.

Nimatsu raised his hands and the roar of the crowd slowly died away.

‘The
Kyofu
killed seventeen of our friends and neighbours. Now these girls, these young girls from another country, have ended the Terror!’ Alyss raised an eyebrow. He didn’t use the word
gaijin
, she noticed. Literally, it meant foreigner. But the term had developed slightly pejorative overtones in the way it was sometimes used. Obviously, Lord Nimatsu intended that nobody might infer any kind of slur from his words.

‘Hasanu people, give thanks to Ev-an-in-san and Ariss-san!’

Now the roar that rose from their throats was deafening. Alyss glanced at Evanlyn, standing beside her. The princess smiled.

‘I think we could wave now,’ she said.

They acknowledged the cheers of the villagers, then Lord Nimatsu stepped forward to join them.

‘Today, you should rest and recover,’ he said. ‘I’ll send out messengers to gather the Hasanu army. By the end of the week, we should be ready to march to the aid of Emperor Shigeru.’

Alyss lay back in the scalding hot bath, feeling the water ease the bruises and aches of her battle with the
Kyofu
. She could still recall the mind-numbing terror she had felt when the massive beast had stormed out of the night towards her, the mouth-drying fear as she lay curled under the wooden shield, hearing its claws and teeth rip and tear at the wood, feeling it breaking up and knowing that it couldn’t withstand the onslaught much longer, then the overwhelming relief as she heard Evanlyn’s lead shot begin to pound into the animal’s body.

‘She’s as good as they say,’ she muttered to herself.

Reluctantly, she stepped out of the steaming hot water, wrapping herself in a giant, warm robe and groaning slightly as pain twinged in her back muscles. Yet the pain was much less than it had been before the bath, she knew. There was a light tap at the door frame.

‘Come in,’ she called. The door slid open and Evanlyn entered. She had bathed as well. She wore a wrap-around robe and her short blonde hair was still wet.

‘How are you feeling?’ Evanlyn asked.

Alyss made her way to a low stool and sat, groaning slightly once more, and indicated for Evanlyn to sit beside her.

‘I’ll live,’ she said, with a wry smile. ‘That hot water certainly does wonders. What doesn’t parboil me makes me stronger,’ she said, misquoting the old proverb. The smile faded and she regarded Evanlyn for a few seconds.

‘It occurs to me,’ she said, ‘that in all the terror and excitement and cheering, I never said thank you.’

‘Thank
me
?’ said Evanlyn, her tone incredulous. ‘I have never witnessed anything to match what you did last night! That was the most courageous act I have ever seen! Where on earth did you get the idea?’

Alyss coloured a little, although, with her face already flushed from the heat of the bath, it was difficult to notice.

‘Something Selethen told us when we were in Toscana. He said one of the tribes to the south of Arrida hunts lions that way. They let the lions knock them over, then lie under their shields and stab upwards at them. It struck me that might be the way to deal with the
Kyofu
. Of course,’ she said, smiling, ‘they don’t have the benefit of a friend hurling great chunks of lead at the lion as they do it. You have no idea how relieved I was when you came to the rescue.’

She looked seriously at the smaller girl now. Everyone had made a great fuss about Alyss’s willingness to act as bait in the forest. Only Alyss realised that when Evanlyn had come to her aid, she had done so without any protection at all. If her sling shots hadn’t been as accurate as they were, she would have been left facing an enraged beast at close quarters, without shield, armour or defensive weapon of any kind.

If Alyss had risked her life to defeat the
Kyofu
, Evanlyn had done no less. She wondered if the princess realised that and she felt a deep regard for the other girl, not just for her skill with the sling, but for her readiness to put herself in danger to save a companion.

If only…Alyss resolutely pushed the unworthy thought aside. But Evanlyn seemed to be thinking along similar lines.

‘Alyss,’ she said uncertainly, ‘one day I’ll be queen. And I’m going to want people around me who are courageous and dedicated and imaginative.’

‘That’s as it should be,’ Alyss said.

‘Frankly, I’d like quite a few of those people to be women. I think women have a different perspective on things, as your mentor has proven time and time again. I’d like you to be one of my inner circle, Alyss, professionally and personally. I think that we could work very well together.’

Alyss made a half bow from her sitting position and winced as the back muscles stretched again.

‘I’ll always be happy to serve my queen and my country in any way I can,’ she said politely.

Evanlyn spread her hands in exasperation. ‘Why do you have to be so formal, Alyss? Why can’t I get through to you? I respect you. I admire you. I like you! I want to be your friend! My father has shown that having good friends as advisers is the best way to rule. Halt, Crowley, Baron Arald. They’re not just advisers. They’ve been his friends for years. And friends will tell you when you’re wrong. I want that!’

‘Have I been unfriendly, your highness? I’ve always tried to be respectful.’ Alyss’s face was a mask, but now two spots of colour appeared in Evanlyn’s cheeks.

‘There always has to be a niggle between us, doesn’t there?’ she said angrily.
‘Thank you for that, your highness. Have I been unfriendly? I’ve always been respectful
.’ She mimicked Alyss’s words savagely. ‘I’m offering my friendship, but you seem determined to push me away. Why? Let’s get it out in the open, once and for all!’

Alyss drew in a deep breath. She hesitated. She was an ambitious girl and she knew she might be jeopardising her future career if she took this any further. But then the dam broke.

‘We both know what it is! Keep your hands off Will, all right?’ She stood up, dominating the smaller girl with her superior height. But Evanlyn stood her ground and shouted back at her.

‘Will? What about Will? What is it with you about me and Will?’

‘Because you’re in love with him! You’re the princess and you think you can have anything you want, and you want Will. Any fool can see that!’

‘Then I’m afraid you’re the fool, Alyss Mainwaring, because I am not in love with Will. I’m in love with Horace.’ Evanlyn had lowered her voice, but her words carried no less weight for the sudden drop in volume.

‘Of course you are! Don’t deny it. You…’ Alyss suddenly realised what the princess had said and floundered to a stop. ‘You’re what?’ she said. ‘I mean, I know Horace is in love with you. But you…’

‘I am in love with him. Deeply in love with him. And only him. Why do you think I came halfway round the world to help him? Because he’s a good dance partner? Oh, I love Will, Alyss. But I’m not
in love
with him. We went through so much together and he was a wonderful friend and protector for me. Look, years ago, when we came back from Skandia, I thought I was in love with Will. I’ll admit I made a play for him then. But he refused me – and he was right. We’re friends, good friends. Surely you can deal with that?’

Alyss hesitated. She still wasn’t certain. She wasn’t sure that she trusted Evanlyn’s motives.

‘I’m not…’ she began but Evanlyn erupted in anger once more.

‘Oh for god’s sake, girl! Tell me, how do you feel about Horace?’

‘Horace?’ Alyss said in surprise. ‘Well, we grew up together. I love him, of course. He’s like a big brother.’

‘Exactly! Now has that ever seemed to bother me? Or have I coped with it?’

Alyss couldn’t help a wry smile. ‘Well, when we found him, you nearly broke my arm getting him away from me,’ she said and Evanlyn rolled her eyes to heaven. ‘But no…I suppose it hasn’t bothered you. There’s no reason why it should. There’s nothing like…
that
…between Horace and me, as I say.’

‘Aaaaaaaggggggghhhhh!’ Evanlyn let out a frustrated yell. Alyss actually recoiled a pace in surprise. ‘That’s what I’m trying to tell you! There is
nothing like that
between me and Will, either! Cope with it! For god’s sake, cope with it!’