The Demon and the Nightingale

Chapter 6

            It was one of the many villages located in Lord Matsuda’s vast domain, and home to nearly a thousand farming families and townspeople. There were temples, markets and shops selling various goods and offering important services to those who live there.

            In one of the alleys lies one of the bigger but noisier and rather dirtier shops in the village. This was the forge, run by the village blacksmith Tatsuya and two of his apprentices.

            It was late afternoon and everyone at the forge was making ready for closing time. Putting the heavy mallet down next to an anvil, Tatsuya stretched out his scarred, muscular arms and rubbed a few knots of tension at back of his neck. He and his apprentices had just finished forging 7 or so kitchen knives, several houses’ worth of carpentry nails, and repaired two farmers’ plows. A typical busy day at the forge.

            “Oof! I’m beat,” Hide, one of the apprentices groaned as he stretched his arms wide.

            “Hah! You’re always beat, you weakling,” replied Gaku.

             “That’s because I did more work than you did, lazy bum.”

            Gaku jokingly answered back, “Look who’s talking!”

            “Knock it off you two, before I knock you both off myself,” growled Tatsuya. After closing the bellows and putting away the rest of his tools, he proceeded to wipe the sweat from his body with a clean rag. He then grabbed a short robe hanging from a peg on a wall and got dressed.

            “Sorry boss!” the two said aloud in unison. Despite their boss’ words, the 2 younger men knew he didn’t really mean it. Blacksmiths are usually sullen and bad-tempered and Tatsuya was no exception to the rule. As far as they’re concerned, they’re safe as long as they do their fair share of the work and listen well whenever Tatsuya shows them the ropes about being a decently good blacksmith - and more …

            And as for Tatsuya himself, the day’s labors served to hide his secret disappointment. Didn’t get to see even a tiny glimpse of Lani again … damn! … wonder what’s keeping her and her “sister” busy these past few days …

            Sighing softly to himself, he belted his garment and gruffly ordered Hide and Gaku to clean up and begin closing the entrance to the forge.

            Ever since word got around the region that Lord Matsuda has taken in two musicians from the western part of the world - and both of them female to boot! - most of the village was abuzz with curiosity. Some of the gossips spread word that they were members of Western nobility who fell into disfavor or they were professional entertainers that the lord bought at a high price to satisfy his mania for music. But either way, the villagers and the other villages located in Lord Matsuda’s domain have generally viewed the sisters with a generally friendly if somewhat distant air.

            To their credit, the two Valedonian women were pleasant, approachable people who spoke the Yashima language like natives. The younger one Aryah, was the livelier one of the two and played a stringed instrument called a “lyre”. It was shaped like a small harp. Rumors say she also sang like the nightingales that abound in the nearby woods. Not a few men in the area found the woman unusually attractive for a Westerner. But because she was seen as “belonging” to Lord Matsuda, most of them would never dare to approach her or her sister when they sometimes venture to the village running errands or going on occasional small shopping sprees.

            The older sister, Lani, was just as attractive in her own subtle way. She had a quiet and refined air of modesty and maturity that any Yashima woman would do well to imitate. While she does not sing, she is known for being very good at playing the lute. A few villagers have commented somewhat negatively on her having a more supposedly substantial figure than Aryah. Personally, Tatsuya thought they were big flaming fools who need to have their eyes checked. Tatsuya generally prefers that a woman should have some meat on her bones, and Lani’s fine, voluptuous figure definitely fit the bill.

            Ever since the sisters first settled in Lord Matsuda’s household, Lani caught his eye. He also knows for a fact the two women aren’t sisters.

            He also prayed his apprentices don’t have a clue that he likes one of them. They won’t let him live it down.

            “Wait up, Tatsuya-san!” Someone from outside hurriedly ran to the forge entrance.

             Brows knit in irritation at the latecomer, the burly smith turned to look at a sheepishly-smiling slim young man. “What do you want, Aki? We’re about to close up, slowpoke!”

            Still breathing hard from running, Aki gave a deep bow. “A thousand apologies, Tatsuya-san. Farmer Matsu wants to know if you’re willing to stay open a bit longer so he can pick up his tools.”

            “You dummy! I already told him the earliest time he can get it is tomorrow morning!” Tatsuya growled.

            “Oh? But he insisted, Tatsuya-san,” the other man continued to smile nervously.

            “Look, you dolt! You know and I know we never keep the forge open past closing time. And it’s already closing time!”

            “But Matsu-san really needs his tools immediately. Says he’s willing to pick it up himself.”

            Tatsuya glanced above Aki’s shoulder. His heavy brows furrowed further, making him a lot more menacing. “And pray, tell me how is he going to pick it up and bring it back to his farm? You came alone without a cart and a horse, and we both know how heavy a farmer’s plow is.”

            Aki giggled. “I didn’t say I was going to fetch a farmer’s plow. My orders were to pick up the tools, Tatsuya-san.”

            Unexpectedly, Tatsuya threw his head back and guffawed. “Tried to put one over me, aren’t you?”

            “So you found me out, eh?”

            “Your little act didn’t fool me one bit.” Hide and Gaku nudged each other, snickering. They knew all along, of course.

            “True, true. So, are the tools ready?”

            “Ready and waiting, Aki.” The smith aimed a look at his apprentices. “Fetch them.”

            Aki stepped inside and stood at one side of the slightly-open entrance. Hide and Gaku quickly snuck to one section of the forge and were down on their knees, loosening some of the floorboards. The space below it revealed several short swords covered in dark leather scabbards. All the swords bore the Yamanoha crest of a mountain covered in mist.

            Aki unsheathed one of the swords Gaku handed to him. It was polished to a mirror brightness and honed to a fine degree of sharpness guaranteed to kill and sever quickly and neatly.

            “Excellent work as always, Tatsuya-san. Master Gorō will be very pleased,” Aki spoke with ease, his show of acting like a nervous farmhand already put aside.

            “Happy to hear that, Aki. Well, let’s be off then.”

           After bolting the forge entrance shut, Hide and Gaku paired off and left the village by taking a road that lay to the east. Aki left half an hour later and went on the opposite direction. An hour after that, Tatsuya himself departed. With a certain number of short swords concealed beneath their clothing, the four Yamanoha ninjas made their separate ways to their hidden stronghold.