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Kensho

Kensho Novel #2 of 4

Author: Dennis Schmidt
Pub: 1979 by The Berkeley Publishing Group
Pages: 314
Ranking:

Out of Print:

Other Books in the Series:

Way-Farer

Satori

Wanderer

I must admit that these four books are almost at the top of my list when it comes to works of fiction that are martial arts oriented. I think only Steve Perry's books could top these. Although these are out of print, they are not difficult to locate in used book stores, and they would well reward any effort you put out to acquire them.

Back Cover:

When the ships from Earth first orbited Kensho the colonists could hardly believe their good fortune: it was a paradise planet. But when the Pilgrims had made their one-way trip to the surface they discovered a hideous threat against which all their technology was helpless: the Mushin, mental entities that drove men to a killing frenzy and fed off the resulting Madness. Seven generations would pass before a descendant of the scattered remnant of the destroyed colony would learn to wield the Weapon that was no weapon, and by discarding Will find the Way that would end the dominance of the Mushin.

Now, two more centuries have passed, and thanks to Jerome the Wayfarer the Mushin are a fading memory. But a new threat has arisen: an older form of madness - human greed and lust for power - threatens to undo all that Jerome accomplished. Armies again are marching; for good or ill technology is being rediscovered; men are falling from the Way. And behind the walls of the Brotherhoods the Mushin are waiting still, on Kensho.

THE DUEL...

"When we get to the island, I'll beach the boat. You jump out and move to the middle of the island. It's the best place to fight and I can get off the boat without having to fear that you will cut me down while I'm wading ashore.

"I don't need tricks to deal with a puppy like you," the older man replied with an arrogant sneer. "But your plan makes sense. I agree."

When they arrived at the sandbar the man stood, and looking swiftly back over his shoulder at Edwyr, said "Don't try anything. I'm ready for you," as he leaped into the shallows. Taking no chances, he quickly splashed his way to dry ground, then spun around, ready, he thought, for anything.

What he saw left him speechless. Edwyr had pushed the boat offshore and was drifting about fifteen feet from shore, grinning delightedly.

THE KOAN:
THE SWORD IN THE
SCABBARD IS A TREASURE
BEYOND COMPARE

PROLOGUE

The thief crouched silently in the deepest shadows at the base of the wall.

Patiently he watched, as across a few yards of moons-lit courtyard the Brother who guarded the door of the shrine yawned and stretched, It was late and the lad was tired, bored by an eventless night and a duty that was purely ceremonial. For who would ever want to steal what lay within the shrine?

Eventually the young man braced himself against the wall next to the doorway and dozed off. As the guard's chin touched his chest, the thief flowed across the yard and through the door, moving so softly and quietly that he seemed but one more shadow among the rest.

Gently placing one foot in front of the other to avoid even the slightest creak of floorboards, the thief approached the chest that stood against the back wall of the shrine's single room. By sheer chance a tiny window set high into the wall to the right let in a mingled beam of light from the three moons that hung in the sky outside. The glow struck the left end of the trunk lid, casting fuzzy, triple shadows on the floor.

The thief reached the chest and knelt in front of it. With both hands, he slowly, slowly raised the unlocked lid so that soundlessly it revealed what lay within. Ever so gently, he lifted the long, clothwrapped object that was the sole occupant of the chest. Cautiously unwinding the covering, he bared the narrow, slightly curved shape of a sword in its scabbard. Placing the sword on the floor next to his knees, he replaced the cloth and slowly, slowly closed the lid again.

As softly as before he rose, then thrust the sword through his waist-band, securing the cords attached to the scabbard to hold it firmly in place. Then he turned once more and, as quietly as the moons-light itself, re-crossed the shrine.

As he passed the lightly snoring sentry at the entrance, he paused for a moment, a mischievious smile lighting his hooded features. Looking about, he spied a Ko blossom lying on the ground nearby. Two steps brought him to it and two more returned him to the peacefully sleeping lad. With the lightest touch imaginable, he drew the guard's sword from its scabbard and put the blossom in its place. Then he stuck the sword in the ground at the place where he had discovered the flower.

With a last dark grin, he disappeared into the night.