Ayame stepped forward and took her place on Lord Ryuu’s left hand side. To his right sat a handsome man – very tall, with wavy dark hair and blue eyes. Next to this man was an empty place, and Lord Ryuu gestured Kara to take it.
Feeling very strange and knowing that such places were usually kept for either guests of honour or someone very high in rank, Kara took the place and slightly bowed to the lord again.
Servants served food and drinks and filled the little cups with warm sake. As they left, Lord Ryuu raised his cup and others followed his lead. Kara decided to follow them without question.
«Let’s start!» Lord Ryuu nodded and gulped down the sake.
Everyone did the same, forcing Kara to take the full cup of burning alcohol without a doubt.
Lord Ryuu introduced her to his war council, starting from Ayame, naming her as Spy Master, and the blue eyed man to his right.
«Spy Master Itsuki.» Said the shogun and the man to his right bowed slightly.
Kara realised that she had already seen these intriguing blue eyes somewhere.
Whenever Lord Ryuu introduced her to another one of his counsellors, Kara bowed, and by the end she felt her side hurt more than when they began the introduction. She hid her pain, though, trying to seem better than she felt.
As they began eating, Lord Ryuu addressed her.
«I was told you were recovering quite fast.» He said to the woman.
Kara glanced at him, feeling a little angry that he brought it up.
«I don’t like being weak, Lord Ryuu.» She replied, trying not to sound rude.
«And that is worthy of respect of every warrior. You have shown yourself very strong in our last battle. Your help is greatly appreciated. And that is why I am putting you under the command of Itsuki. He will take you as one of his own and train you.»
«And here I thought I was quite skilful in my training.» Kara smirked, remembering the battle.
«True.» Itsuki smiled. «But there are things you need to learn to become one of us. Plus, we need to help you get back into form after the terrible wound you have suffered.»
«I am sure Inei will help me with my training.» Kara glanced at Itsuki, noticing a small smile on his lips.
«Speaking of…» Ayame reached out to take a piece of rice bread. «He told us a great deal of the tattoos on your skin.»
«Yes, I have quite a number of those.» Kara replied. «Each was done for a reason.»
«I was told you have a dragon on your back?» Lord Ryuu looked at Kara with interest.
«Yes. My protector.» The woman replied. «He keeps me safe.»
«We have a belief that one who bears a dragon on their skin can come down to its fierce soul and become one with the dragon.»
«Well, you could say he offers me his strength in battle.» Kara smiled. «I’m not very fierce in life, except when it is needed.»
«And the phoenix?» Itsuki asked, nodding to her left arm.
Kara pulled up her sleeve, showing the black and blue phoenix on the skin.
«She reminds me that I always have to live, no matter how hard life tries to kill me.» She said, running her fingers down the phoenix to another tattoo. «And this paw print is the mark of the beast, a reminder of a long lost friend that died years ago.»
She turned her arm and on the inner side saw the Latin words, which made her tense a little.
«Gods favour the strong.» Ayame said, surprizing Kara with her knowledge of Latin. «A reminder?»
«Yes.» Kara pulled the sleeve down, covering her left arm again. «A very long time ago I was weak and unable to stand up for myself. When I started to, I made it to remind myself that weak people do not get anywhere in life.»
She noticed a respectful smile on Lord Ryuu’s face.
«I believe you have a few others?» he asked.
«Yes. A raven…» she touched her right shoulder. «Munin, a raven in service of the gods, who watches over everything and tells the gods what I do. And a falcon…»
She touched her left shoulder.
«Collin, my faithful friend who lends me his swiftness and speed.» Kara said, then touched her right biceps. «And I also have some armour on my right arm, as a sign that I am always protected.»
«But there is a rune on the lower part of it that seems…» Itsuki fell silent for a moment, trying to find the words. «A little out of place.»
Kara pulled the right sleeve a little bit up to bare her intricate bracer tattoo, which surrounded a rune on her wrist.
«This rune is a sign of what my life was like. It means that I was meant to be a sacrifice. But I did not succumb to this and made my own destiny.» She replied, caressing the strange rune. «That is why I have a bracer around it, helping me battle any evil that I come upon.»
«From what I see, you are a warrior.» Lord Ryuu said with a smile. «And I am glad we found you, Nakano.»
Tea was served, and Master Ryuu summoned a servant, who brought a large lacquered box to his lord.
«Nakano, you were brave enough to jump into battle, even though you were unarmed at first. But after what I saw, I want to gift you something.» Lord Ryuu opened the lid of the box, showing Kara its contents and she saw two amazing katana inside. «These are very special. Their hilts and sheath are made from the demon’s horns. The very same demon you managed to kill on your own.»
Kara was left silent in surprise, and Itsuki took the box and handed it to her.
«May they protect you and bring you many victories.» Master Ryuu said and bowed a little.
Kara bowed down, feeling honoured and strange from all the attention she was given during this dinner.
«Thank you, Master Ryuu. It is an honour to receive such a gift.» She said, hoping her voice wasn’t trembling.
When she looked at the shogun again, he was holding up his cup with tea.
«To you, brave Nakano.» He said and others joined in to this cheer. «And to your future victories!»
* * *
When Kara returned to her room – grateful she no longer stayed in a cage – she first put down the box with the katana on the floor and sat in front of it. After a few moments she opened it and took out one of the katana, feeling the masterful work of the armourer, who made the sheath and hilt a true masterpiece. She ran her fingers down the polished sheath and grabbed the hilt, freezing for a split second before taking the katana out.
It felt very well balanced, and fit her hand perfectly.
The metal of the blade seemed darker than what she had seen in museums in the ancient Japanese sections, and she suspected that it might be some kind of a special metal used for a very tight circle of warriors. She remembered that she saw similar blades in Lord Ryuu’s hands and the shinobi Inei.
«I suppose, you both need names, since you are to be my partners…» Kara whispered, feeling Inei walk into her room silently.
She looked at the blade and sighed, caressing a dark grey stone in the hilt.
«Kage. Shadow.» She said and smiled. «To remind me of my own shadow, who follows me all the time.»
She glanced at Inei and noticed him chuckle. She returned to her