Free Moonshadow by Simon Higgins Page A

the page and scatter the ashes, since ashes too could be read by a trained eye.
    Only one detail would be omitted from the map, in case it was discovered: his escape route once the plans were obtained. An unmarked and little-known trail, carefully described to him only as he left the monastery, wound east through the countryside near Fushimi to a gorge where GLO agents would rendezvous with him.
    Precisely where that trail began and the day and time of this meeting were crucial secrets he could never commit to paper or speech. He had been told these things at the last possible moment for a good reason. A shinobi might face sudden capture at any time, and the less each one knew, the safer the others would remain. Moon sat cross-legged on the floor, eyes moving over his map again and again.
    Abruptly, his warning senses bristled. He turned his head, listening. The babble of voices, the click of chopsticks from the dining area as a distant door opened. Footsteps. No unusual or alarming sounds, and now he could smell the man approaching down the corridor, a man who ate too many mochi , the highly addictive rice sweets. Moon knew who owned that syrupy smell in these parts. The innkeeper! After making certain the ink was dry, he quickly folded the map into an intricate flat knot. Next time he checked, he would know if anyone had opened it.
    'Thanks Heron,' he smiled fondly. 'Another useful trick you taught me.' As he stood, tucking the knotted map into his belt, Moon remembered Heron once handing him a tiny, perfect paper reindeer. It was a reward. Young Nanashi had maintained neat grooming over the course of an entire week!
    Heron would be proud of him now, he thought bashfully. Since meeting the unknown young goddess of the forest, Moon had found himself washing his face more carefully each morning. Taking greater care in tidying and tying his hair, too.
    He snatched a deep breath then vaulted from the matting up into a corner of the room, wedging himself like a great insect where two walls and the ceiling met. With one palm jammed against the nearest rafter, his legs spread wide and the soles of his feet pressed to the converging walls, Moon yanked the map from under his belt. He slid it carefully into a cobweb-lined gap between the top of the rafter and a ceiling plank. Lazy knocks made the sliding door tremble. He dropped quietly to the mat, straightening up just as the door started to open.
    'Aw! You are here.' The innkeeper's flat forehead was beaded with sweet-smelling sweat. He was a plump, friendly fellow whose eyes and movements told Moonshadow he had taken a genuine and kindly interest in him. The innkeeper thumbed over one shoulder.
    'Young sir . . . a man awaits you, outside on the street.'
    'Me?' Moon frowned. 'How does he even know of me?'
    'Who can say?' The innkeeper's voice fell to a whisper. His eyes narrowed. 'He's been questioning all the young men roundabouts. Be careful. I don't recognise him, but I think he may be a policeman. It's . . . it's the probing stare!'
    The innkeeper gave a warning scowl and turned away. Moonshadow swallowed. A policeman ? Just what he needed!

EIGHT

Unwanted
admirer

    Moon peered out through the inn's front door. On the porch a small row of flags hung from a ceiling drawstring that was taken down each night. The flags were painted with bright characters that read Our rooms are cheap, clean and friendly!
    A big-boned man waited just beyond the flags, facing away from the inn, hands clasping a long staff behind his back. His frame was so huge, Moon decided, that at one time he might have been a professional wrestler. If that guess was right, if he was an ex-sumo, the stranger had lost a lot of weight since then. He now wore the robes of a town businessman. Moon crossed the porch and the visitor turned as if hearing his approach.
    'Ah, young sir! Forgive this intrusion. I am Katsu, freelance detective,' the man bowed, a formal smile bending his long moustache. Moon bowed back,