The Twilight War Read Free

of its superior senses. At its highest level, the skill even enabled him, for short periods, to take full control of a beast.
    From the corner, Banken gave him a withering glare. What a pity, Moonshadow reflected, that he couldn’t control her mind permanently.
    Because right now, he’d make her turn and face the wall!
    His stare narrowed. Back to the real problem: Snowhawk. Why was he suddenly doubting her? Because of a stupid dream?
    What if it turned out to be a prophecy? Heron had taught and nurtured him since he was a nanashi, a nameless trainee spy. He trusted her completely, and she was no stranger to prophetic dreams. Moonshadow scratched his jawline and then shook his head. No, that wasn’t it. No instinct whispered from his belly that the dream had been prophetic. This sudden uncertainty about Snowhawk came from elsewhere.
    Perhaps from a hard truth that now haunted him: Snowhawk’s path to the Grey Light Order had involved defection. So there was no denying that she could be turned. And like it or not, because of that, there would always be a niggling doubt about her …
    His tired eyes grew dreamy as he relived his journey with Snowhawk so far. This spring just past, Moonshadow had been sent on his first mission, to Silver Wolf’s castle in Fushimi, to steal the rogue warlord’s plans for a secret weapon of foreign design. There he had been challenged by a young shinobi of the Fuma shadow clan: Snowhawk, as it turned out. Forced together by strong mutual enemies and terrible danger, theyhad helped one another. On the run, they had learned much about each other’s circumstances.
    Both had been orphans raised as shinobi, though very differently. Snowhawk’s harsh Clan Fuma childhood had left her angry, while his upbringing among the Grey Light Order had been a largely happy one. Yet despite that, they had so much in common. Both desperately needed a friend … just one real friend who truly understood what it meant to live a shinobi’s life. To walk that path unique to phantom warriors, a path of great power. Risk. Loneliness. And every single day and night: fear .
    Fear of being killed on your next mission. Fear of surviving, but failing it. Fear of your foes, the long, ever-growing list of those who burned for revenge against you.
    He had persuaded Snowhawk to defect, to spurn the Fuma and join the Shogun’s secret service. Shadowed by the temple cat that had mysteriously adopted him in Fushimi, the exhausted pair had finally eluded Silver Wolf’s men. Throughout their long, difficult escape, Snowhawk had fought bravely at his side, even when wounded.
    â€˜So what is there to doubt?’ Moonshadow asked the air. One of Banken’s ears twitched at his question.
    Snowhawk had continued to earn her place, he reminded himself, during their most harrowing mission together, only three weeks ago. Shehad accompanied him to rescue the White Nun, a mystic and trainer of shinobi who had been caught up in Silver Wolf’s scheming. That mission had been full of strange surprises.
    Far from the safety of Edo, on a mountain ringed by a haunted forest, the unearthly sage had abruptly spoken of Moonshadow’s origins. She had revealed little, just enough to fill him with hope, speculation and, of course, terrible impatience. He had to learn more. Did he have a living parent out there somewhere, or not? That was the big, nagging question! He grunted at his wandering mind to stop . He’d vowed to let this matter lie – at least for now.
    Motto spluttered hard in his sleep, his large jowls rippling. Moonshadow smiled down at the powerful dog. Motto, meaning more , had been an unexpected gift from the White Nun at the end of that mission. Moonshadow bit his lip. A mission that had rescued the sage, but also triggered – perhaps just as Silver Wolf had hoped – a declaration of war by Clan Fuma against the Grey Light Order. And however that conflict unfolded,