The Initiate Brother Duology (14 page)

Without any noticeable signal, the servant moved to open the shoji. Inside the opening, Kamu bowed low.

“General Jaku Katta, Lord Shonto.”

Shonto nodded and Jaku stepped through the doorway dressed in the black uniform of the Imperial Guard, on his right breast, the Dragon Fan of the Imperial House, surmounted by the six small crimson dragons denoting a general of the First Rank. Under his right arm Jaku carried a finely crafted dress-helmet, reminding Shonto that the general was left-handed.

The general knelt and bowed surprisingly low to Shonto and remained kneeling, refusing the cushion that the servant offered.

“This surprise visit honors my House, General,” Shonto said, bowing slightly. “Please, join me in some mead.”

“It is my honor to be received, Lord Shonto,” Jaku answered, without apology. His gaze was drawn out from the veranda into Shonto’s garden. “It is as everyone says, Lord Shonto. This garden is the pattern of which all others are but imitations.”

Shonto gave a half nod, “It was designed to be neither too elaborate, nor too ostentatious—as I prefer all things—so the essence is not masked in any way but only enhanced.”

Neither man spoke for a moment as they contemplated the garden. The servant leaned forward unobtrusively and filled porcelain cups.

“I have been trying to bring the water sound back into harmony with the rest of the garden, Katta-sum. Tell me, does it seem too sharp to you?”

Jaku Katta closed his eyes and listened, without moving. Shonto studied the man’s face, which was strong featured, especially the jaw and the high forehead. The eyelids were heavy, almost sleepy, under dark brows. Jaku’s thin lips and wide mouth were not quite hidden by a magnificent, drooping mustache. Just above average height and perfectly proportioned, Jaku knelt across from Shonto with an easy, relaxed poise which was also present in his movements, and the lord remembered that the other kick boxers had named him the Black Tiger, after the steely-eyed cat.

Jaku’s eyes were aberrant in color—a light, icy gray rather than the almost universal brown. Both his brothers were green-eyed, which was also unusual, though somewhat more common. The eyes were just another factor in Jaku’s mystique—“the entirely uncommon man.”

“I feel the stream is perfectly in balance with the whole. I would not touch a pebble of its bed,” Jaku said opening his tiger-eyes.

“You do not think the bamboo should be thinned?”

Jaku listened again. “No, Lord Shonto, I think that it’s perfect. I have never in my life heard nor seen such a beautiful garden.”

Shonto nodded, “I thank you for your opinion, Katta-sum. So, General, tell me. What is it that brings you here so early?”

Jaku set his cup carefully on the fine wooden table and composed himself before speaking. He met Shonto’s eyes and the lord was startled by their intensity.

A mark for you, Jaku, Shonto thought, you understand the power of this gift.

“The Emperor has asked me to express his concern for your safety, Lord Shonto.”

“Ah. I am touched by his concern, but the Shonto have long since learned to take precautions and, of course, I will take more now that I represent the Throne in Seh.”

Jaku continued to hold Shonto’s eye. “Your new Spiritual Advisor arrives today?”

Shonto almost laughed. You cannot throw me off so easily, my friend. We
both
have been keeping track of his progress.

“I have been expecting him for the last few days. Why?”

“The Emperor has reason to believe that this monk is a threat to you, Sire.”

“I see. And is this so, General Jaku?”

Jaku looked down at his strong hands at rest on his thighs and then he met Shonto’s eyes again. This tactic, Shonto realized, would soon lose its impact.

“We have reports on this young monk that we find…disturbing, Lord Shonto.”

“Can you elaborate, Katta-sum? Nothing about the young man seems at all out of order to me.”

Jaku cleared his throat quietly like the bearer of some bad news, news that it would pain him to reveal. “We have received reports that this
monk—this Initiate Brother Shuyun—has been given a great deal of special training, the nature of which is not entirely known to us. During his year in Wa as senior Initiate he was apprenticed to the most accomplished Botahist Brothers who treated him almost with deference. The entire time he was in Wa the Botahist Sisters spied on him and even tried to maneuver a young Acolyte nun—in disguise, of course—into his company. They were, by the way, unsuccessful.

“It seems that this boy-monk possesses powers that are unusual even for the Silent Ones,” Jaku spoke the term with distaste. “And he has been chosen for you, Lord Shonto, the Emperor’s most trusted governor.

“We fear that there is a plot against you or against the Emperor or both. The Botahist Brotherhood can never be trusted. They have strayed far from the teachings of Lord Botahara and have meddled in the affairs of the Empire far too often. I cannot believe they have changed in this regard, despite the platitudes of their current leader.” Jaku fell to silence and Shonto could see that he was controlling his anger in the manner of the kick boxers—his breathing became even and his face almost serene. The fighters always looked so before a contest.

Shonto listened again to the sound of his garden and wondered if Jaku, with his boxer’s sense, was aware of the guards nearby. He would, no doubt, realize that they must be there—being trained to stillness could not prevent that.

“It seems to me, Katta-sum, that the Brotherhood has been most obliging, in fact unusually so, to our Emperor. Did they not make a present of the land that the Emperor wished to purchase from them not more than a year ago? Have they not blessed the Son of Heaven and his line, thereby assuring the support of all the followers of Botahara? No small thing!

“There are rumors that they have offered the Emperor greater services than this and he has refused.”

“They offer nothing without its price! They are merchants of the human soul, trading their so-called enlightenment for power and gold. They are hypocrites, without loyalty to anything but their own aspirations.”

Ah, Shonto thought, did not Botahara say that we hate in others those things which are the least admirable in ourselves?

“So, Katta-sum, I don’t understand what it is the Emperor wishes of me. I can hardly turn away my Spiritual Advisor now. That would be out of the question! I have made an agreement. Besides, I have paid very handsomely
for this monk’s service—gold in exchange for the knowledge of the soul, as you have said. Perhaps you have come merely to warn me of the Emperor’s suspicions in this matter?”

“The Emperor thinks you would be well advised to send this monk back to his teachers, Lord Governor.”

“General Jaku,” Shonto said in his most patronizing tone, “I cannot do that on the scant information you have given me. Our family has employed Spiritual Advisors continuously for
over five hundred years
. It is a Shonto belief that we have profited from these arrangements. I can hardly believe that the Botahist Brothers would send a monk who was a threat to the Emperor into the Shonto House. It would make no more sense than sending such a one to Jaku Katta!” Shonto laughed and motioned to have their cups refilled.

“It is as the Emperor said: you will oppose him in this matter,” Jaku said coldly, ignoring the laughter.

“Kattu-sum, the Emperor is an intelligent and reasonable man. He cannot expect me to turn away my Spiritual Advisor and insult the Botahist Brotherhood on so little evidence. If you have more information, enough to convince me, well, that would be different. Can you tell me why the Sisterhood was following this young monk? This is very unusual, yeh?”

“In truth, Lord Governor, we don’t know.”

“Huh. So I have been warned. I will watch this monk with great care. There is little else I can do, yeh?”

“There is
one
thing.” Jaku turned his eyes on Shonto again, but the effect was gone. “The Emperor has suggested that a servant be assigned to this monk. A servant who is trained to watch and report. I have such a servant. If there were any danger to you, Sire, he would see it.”

“He would report to Jaku Katta, yeh?” Shonto could not help but smirk.

“All of his reports would go through you first, Sire.”

“I see.” Shonto swirled the contents of his cup. “The Emperor does me great honor with his concern, but it is unecessary. I am Shonto and do not need to have a
boy
sent to look after me. I will deal with this monk in my own way. If there is cause for concern, I will send word to the Emperor himself.” Oh, Jaku, Shonto thought, you must truly believe that you have leverage or you would never suggest a plan so transparent. But Nishima will be safe, he told himself, as he had so many times since yesterday evening, I will see to that.

Jaku turned his gaze back to the garden. “As you wish, Lord Governor,” he said, but his voice did not ring with resignation.

Yes, Shonto thought, this is a man always to be wary of. The Black Tiger—someone who could explode out of darkness without warning.

“The Emperor has given your daughter great honor, yeh?” Jaku asked suddenly.

“He has honored my entire household with his concern and generosity,” Shonto said almost by rote.

“This is so. It is good to be in the Emperor’s favor, yeh?” Shonto didn’t answer, so Jaku went on. “I have been instructed to tell you that the Emperor will see to your daughter’s safety while you are in Seh. He is very fond of her, and who could not be? She is lovely, talented, and possessed of great charm—such a rare combination.”

“The Son of Heaven need not trouble himself. Lady Nishima will be well guarded.”

“To guard Lady Nishima is not
trouble,
Sire, it is an
honor
. I would perform this duty to our Emperor personally, if I could.” Jaku turned to Shonto and lowered his voice. “But as it is, my reach has grown long. Many blows can be warded off by
anticipation
—this is an essential skill of the kick boxer. It is the skill that makes me valuable to the Emperor.”

Shonto listened to this performance, fascinated. He almost forgot to respond.

“And what danger do you anticipate for my daughter, Katta-sum?”

“At the moment, none, but I rule out nothing. I want you to know, Lord Shonto, that I think your daughter a person of far too much importance to be under threat by anyone—
anyone
at all.”

Ah, Jaku, it is as I suspected, your loyalty is the servant of your ambition. And now you aspire to too much! This long reach of yours may yet leave you with empty hands. But what a fine animal you are, Jaku! Such amazing
hunger!
Yet you think this hunger is your strength, when it is your weakness. You must learn to control your desires. Ah, I lecture, but of course you cannot hear.

“You know, Katta-sum,” Shonto said turning and looking out into his garden. “Sometimes I think that there are forces outside these walls that are causing an almost imperceptible but continuous change in my garden. Like a man’s spirit, yeh? If he allows the outside world to breach his inner walls, his clarity will be lost. One must always guard against this, don’t you think, or we may lose our tranquillity?”

“I’m sure you are right, Lord Governor,” Jaku answered, but his voice suddenly seemed far away.

Shonto watched while Jaku again relaxed his muscles as the kick boxers did—a settling of the body, as though it had just made contact anew with the earth. He seemed to have turned his attention elsewhere, toward the garden, and he had achieved perfect stillness, eyes closed, his hand at rest on his sword hilt. Shonto said nothing, fascinated by the great cat before him as it sank into total concentration.

Yes, even the sound of my garden is that beautiful, Shonto thought, just as the shoji to Jaku’s right exploded toward them. One of Shonto’s personal guard swept the remains of the screen aside as he came through, face impassive, his sword beginning a tight arc toward Jaku Katta.
Chaos
erupted all around them!

Magically, Jaku Katta seemed to be in the air from his kneeling position, his sword in hand, even as Shonto reached for his own blade. The shoji to the inner house jerked back at the same instant that Jaku’s right foot caught his assailant’s forearm, spoiling the blow aimed at Jaku’s torso. Two guards burst through the bamboo stand as Jaku’s sword flashed. The assailant smashed the low table as he fell, dead, and Jaku landed on his feet beyond the veranda’s edge, his sword at the ready, his stance strong.

“No one moves!” Shonto yelled from his position, standing, his back against a post, sword out. The young servant stood, unarmed, between his lord and the shattered wall, prepared to intercept anything that might come. The sounds of men running and shouting came from every direction.

Kamu appeared, pushing between the guards at the door, but stopped, stricken by the sight of the dead guard in Shonto livery. Behind him stood Jaku’s lieutenant whose eyes darted everywhere as he assessed the danger.

Shonto dipped the point of his blade toward the corpse, “Who is this, Kamu?”

The steward turned to a lieutenant who stood in the frame of the shattered shoji.

“Tokago Yama, Sergeant of the Guard, Sire.” He bowed to Lord Shonto but kept his eyes fixed on Jaku Katta.

“He attempted to assassinate his liege-lord,” Jaku’s voice sounded strongly, imposing itself over the confusion, “but fortunately Jaku Katta was in his way. I saved Lord Shonto from having to clean this one’s blood off the Emperor’s gift.”

“Kamu,” Shonto turned a cold eye on the steward, “all of the guards in this garden are now foot-porters. You will break their swords personally. A
guest in the house of Shonto has been endangered. This is unacceptable!” Shonto paused, regaining control of his anger. “Where is the captain of my guard?”

“He comes now, Sire.”

“Good. Send for my worthless gardener and assure Lady Nishima that all is under control.”

Shonto turned his back on the scene and stepped off the veranda. He nodded to Jaku who followed the lord into the garden. Both men kept their swords in hand.