Iron Rain Pt. 07

"We are the Silent Shadows and we are yours to command Master," they said in one voice.

"I will tell you what I require from you," I said and they listened intently.

I had arrived in the early morning and all that day the prominent members of the Silver Twilight appeared either by limo, helicopter or sports car. The courtyard of the temple looked like a parking lot for a rock concert as every available spot was taken up and those members who held lesser positions parked in the nearby town. The lowest rank of the members to attend was Full Masters and the ritual was going to be overseen by the Grandmaster and me. The absence of the Hidden Master apparently had left a gap in the hierarchy that was in desperate need of filling and I could sense an almost euphoric carnival atmosphere and that helped alleviate my nerves quite a bit. Whately was like my shadow and grilled me over every nuance of the ritual and was all smiles as the appointed hour arrived.

"Knock 'em dead kid," he said all smiles and I wondered if it was my rising star he was happy about or his own.

I still had that nagging feeling of doubt about the man's loyalty. My weird-shit-o-meter was still buzzing around the guy and I learned never to discount it and I was about to find out why. The procession was heralded by Taiko drummers since the hosting country was Japan and I saw among the crowd many prominent political figures from all over the world and it only now hit me just how powerful this group actually was. I was starting to feel out of my depth when we reached the dais and there in his golden robes and mask was the Grandmaster and his entourage. I stood alone and I walked the solitary path of the Hidden Master and just like in a match I triumphed or fell by my own actions but I had no intentions of failing here. The cheers from those men assemble filled the massive chamber to overflowing a wall of sound that I swam through and like one voice the crowd fell silent as I reached the bottom step of the dais.

"Who comes into the presence of the Grandmaster?" his booming voice called out to the crowd.

"A simple traveler who has seen much and walked far this day," I replied.

"Approach stranger so that I may see you better," the Grandmaster said.

I took three steps and stopped.

"I see that indeed you are a traveler with dust upon your cloak but look here there is wisdom in your eyes. What say you stranger to this assembled folk?"

"I say to keep clarity of purpose and see the world unclouded," I replied.

"There is indeed wisdom in your words approach traveler so I may know you better," he sang out to the crowd.

I took three more steps and stopped.

"Lo I see that gray is the color of your hair yet strength still lies in your stride," he said to me.

"The earth is my strength, the wind is my soul, the flame my heart and the wave my eternal rest," I replied with a murmur of approval from the crowd.

"Well said traveler, I feel I should know you better come closer still," he said and moved to make room for me.

I took the last three steps and topped the dais and turned to face the crowd.

"I think that I know you brother, your identity is known to me!" he said moving to stand behind me and he lifted the ceremonial mask from my head and the crowd gasped at the clothe mask tied tightly to my face. "You are he indeed, the Hidden Master!"

The crowd went ballistic and the drums sounded and a man crossed the stage he was as ancient as the sword he bore to give to me. The second of the three swords that adorned the ring of every member here. I turned to face the Sword Master and he stopped the proper distance, dropped to one knee and offered up the sword of office to me. I saw the movement as did every member of the lodge and a hush of silence fell. It was the Grandmaster striding to take the sword and unhurried but with longer strides I beat him to the weapon. My hand settled onto the hilt before his did but it was obvious a challenge to my authority was perfectly clear for all to see. With a flourish of movement and practiced ease the scabbard of the sword found its place in my sash and I turned to face the Grandmaster almost feeling Whately's eyes burning a hole in my back. The trap had been sprung but for who? The hooded figures appeared on the gallery that overlooked main hall black kimonos bearing the sign of the Hidden Master; my sisterhood revealing themselves as a sign of their show of loyalty to me. The Grandmaster and the assembled masters looked on as they stood silent and unspeaking and this told volumes to those who opposed me.

"Your move," I whispered to Grandmaster.

"How? The Silent Shadows only answer to the Hidden Master and you are not him," he fumed.

"They seem to think so," I replied.

"Whately said..." he was backpedaling now and saw only one way to save face. "I challenge your right to assume that most prestigious position among us." His voice rose now for the crowd's benefit.

"As the challenged I chose trial by combat," I said there were murmurs among the crowd as a place was made for our duel.

I stripped off my outer robe and looked up to the gallery and a single figure leapt from that height and landed nimbly and strode to stand by my side. Akira took the sword of office and would hold it until it was returned to my hands, I hoped.

"Master, the Grandmaster is a very skilled swordsman be careful and do not underestimate him," she whispered before retreating to a corner of the dais.

Two shinai, bamboo swords used for non-lethal duels, were brought forward and we took up our weapons and walked as equals down the steps to the circular area where the conflict would be resolved. As we faced off there was a presence in the hall and everyone looked up and a figure wearing silver robes stood atop the dais and none could ever recall how he got there. It could be none other than the Eternal Master and the anger radiating from him was a clear and palpable thing. His gaze was locked on the Grandmaster and no matter who won the day things would not bode well for him I suspected. Then he looked at me and I felt a connection as profound as the Eternal Sea. I nodded and he gifted me with a nod and then I knelt and lay the shinai across my lap and closed my eyes. I calmed my breathing, then my heartbeat and at last my mind seeking out the perfect silence and finding it there waiting for me. The Sword Master approached and stood between us and he spoke solemnly to the all present.

"It has upon occasion that when a member was elevated to a higher rank that one may challenge his worthiness and the truth been learned through conflict. If the challenged won out the title was his and the one that challenged was punished for his lack of faith. If the challenged lost he would be forever tied to his lower station until a son could rise to take up the mantle and earn by honor and deed a higher place among us. However I have consulted with the Master of the Eye who keeps our most sacred history and traditions." He paused and turned to face the Grandmaster. "But never in our long line has one of the Three challenged the right of fealty. This man kneeling humbly before us all is the Hidden Master and when he wins he will take your ring from you and your name will be Forgotten so say we all!"

"So say we all!" came the singular voice of the Silver Twilight.

"I will give you a chance to retract your challenge and save some measure of your honor," the Sword Master said. "How say you Grandmaster?"

"I will not, he is a fraud and unworthy of the title," the Grandmaster said.

"He has the fealty of the Silent Shadow and they do not give their bond easily and he has appointed a new head to their order completing them once again. Again I ask how say you?"

"He cannot be the Hidden Master for I know his name," the Grandmaster said loud and clear but the Sword Master gestured and a bound and gagged Mayor Whately was brought forward and though bruised and battered was mostly unharmed.

"This traitor has broken our most sacred vow of silence and worst the Hidden Master's trust how say you?" the Sword Master asked.

I was expecting to hear 'death' echo throughout the hall but instead...

"Silence," the assembled crowd called out.

"So say you all?" the Sword Master asked.

"So say we all... so say we all... so say we all."

The Sword Master looked to me and I nodded and Whately fought the two Silent Shadows that held him but it was useless he was too old and out of shape and they were too filled with righteous anger. He was drug away and I never saw him again though years later a skeleton was found and the coroner determined that nearly every bone in its body had been broken prior to death. The Sword Master turned to my enemy and asked him one last time.

"For the third and final time I beseech you to withdraw your claim and shame not the legacy and title of Grandmaster," he said with genuine sorrow in his voice.

"I will not be denied," was all the man said.

"Very well, what are your conditions for winning this duel Grandmaster?"

"Only the conscious man may win through this day," he growled.

"How say you Hidden Master?" the Sword Master asked me.

I wanted to say something eloquent and meaningful if this was going to be my final words as Hidden Master but all that came out was...

"Eh, works for me."

The crowd roared their approval and the Grandmaster was realizing that even if he won our duel he was going to lose the end game.

"Are you prepared Grandmaster?"

"I am," he grinned behind his mask.

"Are you prepared Hidden Master?"

"No, I have one last task to perform first," I said and rose to my feet and turned to face the dais and with confident strides I crossed the distance and climbed the stairs to where the Eternal Master stood.

He watched me intently and I saw his placid eyes take me in and he waited patiently for whatever I might do. I got within five feet and stood there for a long moment in silence before I spoke to him.

"It seems fate chose me to stand here today and defend the honor and title of the Hidden Master and no matter how it turns out it has been a joy to have served a greater good."

"Fate didn't choose you I did good luck young man," his voice held so much power to it and I almost believed at that singular moment that I stood before the Eternal Master the man who had founded the Order.

I knelt and took his hand and kissed his ring showing my fealty and determination to win out this day. When I rose and turned to face the crowd only the Grandmaster still stood all others were kneeling before the Three Masters.

"Well played young man now finish this thing and claim your honor," I heard the voice behind me say.

It all made sense now and I knew that I had been played for a fool and a tool. It was Whately or the Grandmaster who had murdered my mother and William Bell's father forcing Will to give me his ring. They had played the long game in directing events that had led to this moment and it was clear to me that Whately desired the title of Grandmaster and his partner the title of Hidden Master. I was not going to let my mother and Will's dad to have died in vain. This travesty ended here... tonight! Once back in the circle I faced the Grandmaster and I nodded to the Sword Master.

"Are you ready Sir," he asked.

"Yes I am."

"Assume your positions," the words echoed in my mind and I pushed away the fear, the rage and the hunger for revenge. I pushed it all away and found the silence and it was me.

The Grandmaster struck out with a driving step of his back foot and added his body weight behind the strike but I caught his blade on mine and melted backward absorbing the energy and with a subtle shift of stance redirected it out and away forcing his body to shift to the left. I saw his immediate move to maintain his balance fearing I would take advantage of his weak side but instead I dropped and swept his feet out from under him and as he fell I rose up and brought my weapon down toward his center mass. The sound of his body striking the floor boomed throughout the massive chamber and there came a collective gasp from those assembled. A duel of this nature isn't like anything you see out of Hollywood it is a street fight and is quick and dirty. He managed to get his weapon between the descending blade and his sternum where my strike was aimed. I pressed my advantage and fired off three quick strokes of my sword two at the chest and the last at his right knee cap. His instincts were to expect an inexperienced opponent to stay focused on one target so when my wrists twisted and I shifted for my last strike he wasn't quick enough to stop the bone jarring force that raced through his leg and hip. 'Crack' went the knee and his howl of pain followed shortly after. But he was a very experienced fighter and he managed to push a counterattack and I allowed him the opportunity to gain his feet, which was a mistake. Though he favored his left leg his skill with the sword was proven as he launched a brilliant assault that targeted my upper body at multiple angles of entry. I managed to stop most of them but the feint that drew my arm up and away was enough for the cunning warrior to land a solid strike to a right rib. I felt the sickening crunch as it was either broke or fractured. I was in too much pain to know or care which and like I said quick and dirty. He glared at me gloating at his keen and well performed strikes and with horror I saw that he wasn't limping at all and too late I realized the old fart had probably had knee replacement surgery and instead of bone the bamboo had glanced off of titanium and had done no real damage. Shit! Knowing how dire my situation was and that time was not on my side, for the longer this went on the more pain would impair my ability to fight I had to finish this and now.

"Concede now boy and I will let you hobble out of here defeated by relatively intact," the Grandmaster taunted me as he moved in a slow circle forcing me to move and in doing so sending sickening waves of pain through my body.

I decided my only hope was to draw upon my Ki or life energy to push passed his defenses and defeat him. Ki or Chi is what martial artists use to break boards, feats of endurance and even heal. Dragon Ki is the primordial energy that is found in waterfalls and thunderstorms, it is the moving flowing elemental force that is slow to gather but once unleashed is unstoppable. That became my final gambit. So as he spoke, as he gloated and taunted I drew in from deep inside of me that primal force and let it completely engulf me. I became its vessel and to my utter amazement I felt the pain begin to ease just enough. My left foot snaked forward as I thrust straight at his chest, an amateur move and one he would be expecting. His block came as a simple parry forcing my blade to the right and I followed by stepping up with my right foot and closing the distance with him offering him my wounded right side. His eyes widened in excitement telling me he accepted my sacrifice. I felt his left fist crash into my side but this left him open to my foot sweep followed immediately by the disarming strike to his right wrist. Even as he fell his shinai spun away and my second strike fell on his skull as it bounced back up from its initial impact with the floor. As I saw his eyes roll up I allowed myself the indignity of dropping my weapon and clutching my side. Bloody froth came from my mouth as I bent over and coughed.

"Take the Hidden Master to his chambers and summon a doctor," the Sword Master cried out as my Silent Shadows descended and whisked me away.

As I was attended to, those of the Silent Shadows that had not yet sworn fealty did so after my martial display at beating the Grandmaster. When I was deemed stable and my health no longer in jeopardy I was gingerly bathed and dressed in clean robes and brought back out for the fealty ritual. Even drugged to the nines each breath was still like a hammer in my side but I managed.

My sword of office was returned to me and I drew it out to examine the blade and saw the gleaming steel that had been hand forged for the Hidden Master alone. It was a labor of love and a work of art. I slid the blade back into darkness and set it across my lap. Normally I would be required to stand and have the procession of Masters file passed but a comfortable high back chair was provided just this once. The Eternal Master addressed the crowd and there was a great sadness carried with each and every word.

"Tonight we have lost two Masters from our ranks and to our horror it was greed and the lust for power that drove them to it. But we are redeemed by the unflinching courage and sacrifice of our Hidden Master who has proved to all that he is more than worthy to stand by my side, or sit as it happens to be."

Much needed laughter rippled through the crowd.

"Tonight the Hidden Master will be allowed to choose the new Grandmaster from those assembled here tonight and later after some discussion the position of Temporal Master will be filled as well. While you were being treated I selected three candidates from the rank of Masters for your consideration."

The three men stepped forward and two I recognized immediately being politicians I had seen on television but I did not know the last man at all. I looked them over and pondered over the situation and then made my decision.

"I have chosen," I said as loud and clear as I could manage.

"Excellent," the Eternal Master replied. "Which of these brothers will be elevated to Grandmaster?"

"I mean no disrespect to you Eternal Master or to these fine men standing before me but... I think the best person for this position is the Sword Master. How say you?"

"Interesting as he did not volunteer himself for the honor however he showed his unwavering support to you and the Order during this time of trial. Brother Sword Master what say you on this matter?"

"If the Hidden Master and you Great One feel I am worthy I will humbly accept this nomination."

The ring of the old Grandmaster was brought forth and broken by the new Grandmaster and a gleaming unsullied ring was produced and it was my honor to slip it upon his hand.

"Welcome to the ranks of the Three brother Grandmaster," I said.

"Welcome brother Grandmaster may you serve long and proudly," the Eternal Master said solemnly.

Surprisingly there were no hard feelings from the three men not chosen they were the first to kiss his ring and I wondered if the burden of the office was the reason why the old Sword Master had not offered up his name. If so what had I done to that gentle old soul? Now came the long Parade of Masters and the ritual of fealty for both the new Grandmaster and me. It took all my strength to sit there and not beg off for another day. The pain in my side was terrible but finally and at last the Last Master swore his fealty and the ceremony was done. It was now acceptable for me to leave the assembly and rest.

I lay in a not unpleasant drug induced fog as the Eternal Master saw me before his departure.

"You showed true courage and commitment to the Order tonight. I can only imagine the pain you endured for the ritual and they won't forget that. You have won over the hearts of the most powerful men in the world, how does it feel?"

I lifted up my hand and turned it this way and that seeing the queer purple aura around my fingers.

"Purple... I feel purple." I slurred and I heard the doctor and the Eternal Master chuckle. "William... ring... ding dong... nobody's home."

"What did he mean by that Master?" the doctor asked.

"I suspect it's the drugs talking just gibberish. I must leave now, take care of him old friend."

"I will Master," the doctor said.

William Bell, the Eternal Master, still cloaked in his mask and robes of office made his way to the waiting helicopter and the next step in his plan.