The Fifth Clan Read online

  The Fifth Clan

  by,

  Ryan T. Nelson

  The Fifth Clan

  Copyright © 2014 by Ryan T. Nelson

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the right under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

  Cover art from www.coveryourdreams.net

  Acknowledgements

  To my Wife and my kids,

  My Parents,

  My Friends,

  And as always to my Fans.

  Thanks

  I would like to thank my family and friends as always. But I would also like to thank Elizabeth Allred for her assistance as my first Beta Reader. EJ Frost, for her invaluable help with editing and reader feedback.

  I've bounced this idea off of many people over the years since I first got it in my head. Many listened with patience and some offered their thoughts on aspects of the story as it was being created. This made 'The Fifth Clan' the story that it is today.

  I would also like to thank Gabrielle Pendergast for her exceptional cover work. Everyone should check out her company Cover Your Dreams Designs. Pre made e-book and print book covers and she's happy to work with you to make adjustments as needed.

  You're amazing Gabrielle.

  Contents

  PART I 1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  PART II 17

  18

  19

  20

  22

  23

  24

  25

  26

  27

  28

  29

  About the Author

  PART I

  Price on my Head

  1

  Long Beach, California: February 3, 2005

  “Why do you insist on perpetuating that ridiculous habit?” he asked. I ignored him and instead concentrated on the pouch of Bali Shag Tobacco in my hands, and the cigarette I was in the process of rolling. After all these years it didn’t require my full concentration to roll the cigarette. He knew that. I was just using it as an excuse to ignore him. He knew that too.

  After I finished rolling it I dug into my pants pockets, searching for my lighter. Taking out the Zippo I flicked it open. I liked the clicking noise it made when I opened or closed it. As I lit my cigarette, I sighed, exhaling a cloud of smoke into the frigid winter air.

  I was stalling, he knew I was stalling, I knew that he knew I was stalling, he knew that I knew that he knew I was stalling. I could continue in that vein for the next eight hours if I really wanted without once losing track of who knew what how many times and when. I just didn’t want to talk to him.

  I turned, the thin cigarette dangling loosely from my lips. The stream of smoke coming from the tip was whipped violently away in the wind.

  “It’s been a while, Claus,” I whispered. I am proud of my voice. Maybe proud isn’t the right word. I like my voice. It’s very deep and strong in my humble opinion. I nearly snorted at the thought. I hadn’t been humble for a lot of my time on this Earth. Only relatively recently, had I begun to learn humility.

  “It’s been quite a while,” he said. Claus was a big man, bigger than me but with a higher pitched voice. I’d always thought it was funny that the deep rumbling voice that came out of my slight frame was countered by a near soprano coming from his broad chest. “Where have you been all this time?”

  I took my cigarette in one hand and blew out another thick stream of smoke. Using the glowing tip of the cigarette to gesture with, I waved my hand lazily. “Here, there… around. I spent some time down in New Orleans a few years ago.” I lifted my free hand to brush an annoying lock hair out of my eyes and I saw him tense as my hand neared the collar of my leather coat. Ever since I’d seen a wonderful movie several years ago I’d been fascinated with leather trench coats.Blade, I think it was called.

  He relaxed as I dropped my hand.

  I took another drag on my cigarette. Looking down, I noticed it was almost gone so I chucked it to the side to watch it get carried away by the wind.

  “Why did you search me out, Claus?” I asked. My voice had hardened, and he knew now that I was all business.

  “You answer my question and I’ll answer yours,” he countered.

  I sighed again. “Fine. You were asking about my smoking, if I remember correctly.” He nodded. “I ‘continue to perpetuate that ridiculous habit,’ as you called it, simply because I know it can’t hurt me. I find it amusing that so many people die from it every year, but I shall not.”

  “Indeed.”

  “Tit for tat, Claus,” I reminded him. “Why did you search me out?”

  “The Brotherhood.”

  It was my turn to tense up. Every muscle in my body tightened as my entire frame nearly quivered with restrained action. With the slightest jerk of my left wrist, a knife dropped from my sleeve into my palm, hidden from his view behind my hand.

  “What about them?” I asked as calmly as I could force myself to be. My eyes narrowed slightly and my vision twisted. The outer edges seemed to blur bringing my full focus on one spot. As many times as I have done it, I can think of no other way to describe it. It was like reality bent around me, bringing what I was looking at closer to me in my eyes. Right then what I was looking at happened to be Claus’s chest, slightly to the left of center, right over where I knew his heart to be.

  “They’re looking for you. They’ve placed a price on your head. They want you brought in, alive. There are express orders, which state that you are not to be harmed any further than absolutely necessary to bring you in.”

  “And are you here to collect that price my old friend?” I snapped sarcastically at him.

  He bowed his head. “No, old friend.” There was no sarcasm in his voice, merely a deep regret. “I am here to warn you. I owe you a debt. This warning will in part help to ease that debt. In the future, if you need any help, give me a call and I will do what I can.” Reaching slowly into his pants pocket he removed a wallet and a heavy gold coin of a type I hadn’t seen in a very long time. He crouched to place a business card that he removed from his wallet on the ground, and weighed it down with the coin so that it would not blow away.

  Then he turned and walked away. Vanishing quickly into the darkness.

  I crouched, letting my legs fold under me as I rapidly rolled another cigarette and lit it. I blinked several times in rapid succession to get my vision back to normal. That strange twisting always made me feel slightly sick to my stomach. It was nothing debilitating, but quite the nuisance at times.

  “What are you up to, Claus?” I muttered to myself, staring intently at the card and the coin, while I smoked my cigarette. Sighing yet again I stood and walked over to pick up the card. Slipping it into the inside pocket of my coat without looking at it I held up the coin to look at the symbols emblazoned across the gold surface. On one side an eye, on the other a tooth. “Eye for an eye,” I whispered. “Tooth for a tooth.”

  I turned, walked back to the spot I’d previously occupied, and crouched down again to roll a third cigarette.

  I loved the night. I couldn’t understand why so few people understood it as I did. I crouched there, watching the clouds race above in the sky, the moon fading in and out as it was obscured by one bank of clouds after another. I
looked at the people that walked past. I’d like to say I was ‘girl-watching’ but that would be inaccurate. I was actually looking for anyone that caught my eye, male or female it didn’t really matter to me.

  I smoked another five cigarettes while I waited before I finally saw one.

  It would be a girl. Quite beautiful, though beauty had nothing to do with my decision. She was a tall and leggy brunette. Her hair was shorter than my own and a much darker brown, appearing almost black in the night. It curled loosely about her face and fell to her shoulders in layered waves. I could see that both her ears were pierced at least four times and her eyes were done up with heavy eye shadow and black lipstick covered her lips.

  I chuckled to myself. Another would be creature of the night. They amused me so.

  However, she was quite beautiful. Wearing a short leather jacket with at least two spiked bracelets on each wrist and those legs I’d previously noticed encased in a pair of tight fitting black leather pants tucked into knee high, black, high heeled boots.

  As she walked past my location I stood up and took a step off the edge of the eight story, unfinished building I’d been standing on. I dropped silently, my leather trench streaming out behind me for several seconds before my heavy boots struck the soft dirt that awaited me.

  Rising from my crouch I started down the street after the girl, a smile tugging at my lips, my conversation with Claus all but forgotten.

  * * * * *

  The sun rose, as it always did, silently the next morning. First, staining the sky a pale gray. Then slowly the eastern horizon became a dull orange-red, and then finally yellow light exploded over the city as the edge of the sun came over the horizon, flooding my loft apartment with warm soothing light.

  I was sitting at the foot of my bed, right leg drawn up with my arm resting on my knee and a cigarette burning in my hand as naked as the day I was born. Rachel was lying asleep in the bed behind me beneath the black silk sheets. Looking back I smiled at the tattoo she had at the small of her back. A black and green Ankh.

  I finished my cigarette and stubbed it out in the glass ashtray by my bed. Rising, I made my way silently across the room to the farthest wall from the front door. Hanging on that wall were several of my most prized possessions. My swords. Taking down one of them I slowly drew it free from its scabbard, letting the sunlight reflect off of the blade.

  The blade was exactly two and a half feet in length, straight and double edged and the hilt was just long enough for me to hold with both hands, made of a heavy dark wood that had resisted numerous attempts at identification. Two tassels hung from the end of the hilt, one white and one black. Turning back I tossed the scabbard on the bed and stood in front of it looking out over the city.

  I was still for a moment, then, began my dance.

  It was something I’d learned a long time ago. The kata was very complex utilizing punches, kicks and blocks interspersed with thrusts, slashes and acrobatic maneuvers that I’d seen lesser people fail in the attempt. My mind slowly quieted from the turmoil Claus’s visit had thrown it into as I lost myself in the motions.

  Kick, spin, block, punch, duck, leap, slash, parry, thrust, kick, kick, roll, punch.

  I continued to work through the kata moving faster and faster until the blade of the sword whistled through the air around me. Sweat began to stand out on my skin and I noticed absently that Rachel had sat up in the bed to watch me as I moved about my apartment.

  It was another few minutes before I finally came to a stop. I breathed deeply, my heart rate barely elevated and my breathing only slightly labored. A thin sheen of sweat coated me from head to foot and my hair stuck to my back.

  “Good morning,” I said finally, my voice echoing loudly off the high ceiling.

  “Morning,” she whispered. I felt a slight tremble run through me. She had by far the most melodious voice I’d ever heard. It was like the softest velvet rubbed just the right way.

  “Care to join me for a shower?” I set the sword down at the foot of the bed and held out one hand to her. She smiled, took my hand and together we disappeared into the bathroom, not to reemerge for several hours.

  When we did finally come out of the bath we were accompanied by a rather impressive cloud of steam and we both had well satisfied expressions on our faces. We dressed quickly and I sat down on the edge of the bed to tie my hair into a braid. I knew it would take much longer to dry that way but the winter cold didn’t bother me much and I liked the style so I would keep it for a time.

  I shrugged into my bike jacket and led her down the stairs to my motorcycle. The first time I saw one I’d fallen in love with the idea of a bike and unless it was absolutely necessary hadn’t driven anything else since. Leaping on to the Honda Shadow I put the key in the ignition, turned it to 'on', and hit the starter with my thumb giving it some gas as the engine started up. Behind me I felt Rachel pulling down the foot pegs as she climbed on the bike and wrapped her arms around me, the spikes from her bracelet’s digging into my rib cage.

  It took a short while to drive her to her destination from Downtown Long Beach to the Liberal Arts Campus of Long Beach City College. Admittedly I wasn’t in any hurry to get there. I enjoyed her arms wrapped around me and the feel of her body pressed against my back. And perhaps the spikes digging into my ribs were rather enjoyable as well.

  When we finally arrived at her destination I pulled up to the curb and dropped the kickstand down allowing her to climb off the bike to the sound of wolf whistles from several of her waiting friends. She gave me a long, lingering kiss, as well as her phone number before turning and walking over to her friends. I couldn’t help but notice again how attractively her butt was displayed by the tight leather pants.

  As I pulled away from the curb I heard one of her friends ask, “Aren’t those the same clothes you wore to the club last night?” And another, “Yeah. And wasn’t that the guy you ditched us for?”

  I couldn’t help it. I laughed. These people never cease to amuse me. As I pulled into the left turn lane and flicked on my turn signal I tucked the slip of paper with her number on it securely into the inside pocket of my jacket. I just might have to give her a call in a couple of days.

  I took a few hours after that just to ride around. I’ve always enjoyed just going for a ride, with no particular destination in mind. Besides, I had a lot to think about. Claus’s visit had dredged up a lot of old memories. Memories I’d tried very hard to forget.

  2

  Japan: January 12, 1804

  Blood, smoke and snow. That was all I could smell. Damnit what the hell went wrong? I’d only been here for three years they shouldn’t have been able to tell yet. Someone had figured out that I wasn’t what I appeared to be and that had turned the entire village against me. Not even two weeks after the New Year and I was running about in the snow wearing nothing but a white hakama with a red belt holding it together. Luckily the snow landing on my bare shoulders and clinging to my hair didn’t bother me.

  My hand tightened around the hilt of the katana as I crept slowly along the wall of the biggest building in the village. I stepped carefully, my body light enough that even in the soft powder I left no footprints behind. I couldn’t resist a smile. That would always be one of my favorite abilities. Walking across water periodically by making my body very light where people could see me had brought me no end of entertainment over the years.

  Half the village was aflame, something I still regret even after two hundred years. I strained my ears as I crept along, listening for any sounds of pursuit. I really did not want to kill anyone if I could avoid it, but I would if I had to.

  “Tenshi-nii-san!”

  No, I thought. Not him. Please if there’s any sort of God not him. I turned slowly and, despite my pleadings, there he was.

  “Go home, Tatsuhito,” I said in fluent Japanese. “Please, go home and tell no one you saw me little brother.” His face was stained with soot and one arm of his shirt was slightly charred.


  “I have no home Tenshi-nii-san,” he said, tears streaming down his face. “It has burned to the ground already.” His little six-year-old body looked so frail to me against the back drop of the gently falling snow and the roaring flames. I noticed he held his fathers Wakazashi with both of his hands.

  Earlier that night I’d had to take the mans life.

  “I am very sorry Tatsu-kun,” I whispered bowing low at the waist to him. “I cannot apologize enough for the tragedy I have brought to your village. It was not my intention.”

  “Why?” he cried. “Why do they attack you? If you did something bad then apologize to them.”

  Virith save me, he doesn’t know, I thought. He didn’t know what I was. In that moment I made a decision that would come to haunt me for the rest of my life.

  I held out one arm towards him. “Come here Tatsu-kun,” I whispered. His body shuddered a bit with repressed sobs before he flung himself at me, wrapping his arms tightly around my waist. I held him close to me, letting him cry against me for a few moments, gently stroking the back of his head.

  A few tears of my own fell a moment later as I twisted his head sharply around, crushing every bone in his neck and killing him instantly. I dropped the Katana in my hand and slowly lowered his body to the snow. I’ve never been a very religious person. It’s not quite in my nature to be so. But I couldn’t help but take a brief moment of silence to say a few words over his still body.

  A minute later I rose to my feet and took the sword and scabbard from Tatsuhitos body. Sheathing the blade I tucked it into my belt and picked up my Katana before taking off into the shadows of the trees surrounding the small mountain village.

  3

  Long Beach California: February 4, 2005