Across the Nightingale Floor

In his black-walled fortress at Inuyama, the murderous warlord Iida Sadamu surveys his famous nightingale floor. constructed with exquisite skill, it sings at the tread of each human foot. No assassin can cross it unheard. Raised in a remote mountain village, Takeo is one of the Hidden, a reclusive and peaceful people who know nothing of war. But the community's tranquil existence is shattered by a brutal and bloody massacre, which Takeo alone survives - rescued by the mysterious Lord Otori Shigeru. Takeo's subsequent quest for revenge takes him to places he bas never envisioned. His voyage is one of treachery, of honour and loyalty, of beauty and magic. It is also a journey of self-discovery, as he learns of talents he did not know he had: preternatural hearing, invisibility and the ability to be in two places at once. Ultimately, though, it is a journey that will lead Takeo to his hidden destiny within the walls of Inuyama.