CAST OF CHARACTERS
JAPAN (HISTORICAL)
Yoshiro Shimezu — Samurai warrior, engaged in rebellion against the Shogun.
Kasimoto — Shogun, feudal lord controlling much of central Japan.
Goro Masamune — Japan’s greatest swordsmith, crafted the Honjo Masamune, considered the finest Japanese sword ever created.
Sengo Muramasa — Alleged to be Masamune’s apprentice, second-greatest swordsmith of historical era, crafted the Crimson Blade.
CHINA
Wen Li — Powerful, shadowy figure in the Chinese government and Communist Party, shrewd strategist also known as the Lao-shi or learned Master.
Walter Han — Half Japanese, half Chinese, wealthy industrialist, sometimes proxy for Wen Li.
Mr. Gao — Han’s chief engineer, robotics and computer expert.
General Zhang — Important member of the Chinese secret service, head of the Ministry for State Security.
NATIONAL UNDERWATER AND MARINE AGENCY
Rudi Gunn — Assistant Director of NUMA, graduate of the Naval Academy.
James Sandecker — Former head of NUMA, now the Vice President of the United States.
Kurt Austin — Head of NUMA’s Special Projects division, world-class diver and salvage expert, once worked for the CIA.
Joe Zavala — Kurt’s right-hand man, expert in design and construction of engines and vehicles, also an accomplished helicopter pilot and amateur boxer.
Paul Trout — NUMA’s lead geologist, also tallest member of the Special Projects team at six foot eight, married to Gamay.
Gamay Trout — Marine biologist, married to Paul, Gamay is a fitness aficionado, an accomplished diver.
Priya Kashmir — Multidisciplinary expert, was supposed to join a NUMA field team before a car accident left her unable to walk, assigned to the Rising Seas Project.
Robert Henley — NUMA geologist, assigned to the Rising Seas Project in Paul’s absence.
JAPAN (MODERN-DAY)
Kenzo Fujihara — Reclusive scientist, and former geologist, now leader of an antitechnologist sect, developed method for detecting Z-waves.
Akiko — Sergeant at arms for Kenzo, formerly connected to the underworld, acts as his protector.
Ogata — Member of Kenzo’s antitechnology sect.
Superintendent Nagano — High-ranking member of the Japanese Federal Police, assigned to the Fujihara case, expert on the Yakuza and organized crime.
Ushi-Oni — Former Yakuza assassin, now a rogue force, also known as the Demon, distant relative and sometime associate of Walter Han.
Hideki Kashimora — Yakuza underboss in charge of the Sento, an illegal gambling establishment and fight club on the outskirts of Tokyo.
BLOOD AND STEEL
CENTRAL JAPAN
WINTER 1573
THE THUNDER of charging horses gave way to the clang of swords as two armies met on a field in the highlands of Japan.
From the saddle of his horse, Yoshiro Shimezu fought with a combination of power and grace. He whirled and slashed, maneuvering his steed with precision, all without hakusha, or spurs. The samurai did not use them.
Clad in brightly painted armor, Yoshiro sported wide shoulder boards, heavy gauntlets and a helmet adorned with stag horns. He wielded a gleaming katana that caught every bit of the light as it cut through the air.
With a flick of the wrist, he disarmed his nearest adversary. A backhanded cut followed, snapping another opponent’s sword in two. As that soldier fled, a third foe lunged at Yoshiro with a pike. The tip struck his ribs, but his scaled armor that lay in pleats prevented mortal damage. Yoshiro wheeled around and killed the man with a downward hack.
Free for a second, he turned his horse in a tight pirouette. The horse, dressed in armor to match Yoshiro’s, reared up, kicking with its front legs and then leaping forward.
Its iron-clad hooves smashed a pair of attackers in the face, sending them bloodied and battered to the ground. It came down on a third man, crushing him, but enemy soldiers were now massing on all sides.
Yoshiro turned one way and back again. He’d taken the field against the Shogun, who arrived with overwhelming numbers. The battle had gone predictably and Yoshiro was facing the end.
Determined to take as many foes with him as possible, Yoshiro charged the closest group, but they pulled back in a defensive formation, raising shields and long pikes. He turned and galloped toward another formation of troops, but they, too, held their ground, cowering behind a forest of spears.