Dendera (14 page)

Shigi Yamamoto didn’t answer.

“You … were always so good to me,” Kayu Saitoh continued regardless, “all the way from when I was a little girl. You were kind. All the women liked you. And envied you. You married into that herb garden. You weren’t stuck with some lousy husband who couldn’t feed you. You know, I’ve been thinking, and I’ve wondered if maybe you wanted to die on the Mountain. I wonder if life in Dendera is just unbearable for you. I wonder if you wish you were dead.”

“It doesn’t matter what you say to her,” Ate Amami said, having finished her water. “Shigi won’t respond to anything. You really should know that by now, Kayu.”

“Even so, I wanted to ask. I was curious if
she
had thought about everything and made up her mind, and that this was the result.”

“Yeah, I understand. She used to be so lively and cheerful.”

Ate Amami and Kayu Saitoh held their eyes on Shigi Yamamoto. Even under their combined stares, her mud-smeared face showed no reaction at all, and she merely kept on with her unintelligible mumblings.

Kayu Saitoh wrapped the fur around her shoulders and stepped outside. The bright and clear morning sunlight announced a new day for Dendera, but to Kayu Saitoh, who had only just recovered from the celebration’s fever, the glare was blinding and painful. She scooped up a handful of snow and washed her face with it, but the snow only left a lingering coldness on her skin. She set forth for the western end of the settlement.

As she walked, enjoying the fur’s warmth, she saw Ire Tachibana and Kushi Tachibana leaving their hut. The twins had Climbed the Mountain seventeen years ago. Here in Dendera, as in the Village, the two lived inseparably, never interposing themselves into the world around them. Here, as in the Village, they looked only to each other, sharing their laughter.

They gave Kayu Saitoh the creeps. She swore to herself that she would never let herself behave as they did, and she scurried away.

Kayu Saitoh arrived at the burial grounds.

The graves were still in disarray. Beneath a thin layer of snow, the wooden markers and gravestones were scattered about, and the unearthed remains remained unearthed. The chief had delayed the cleanup, having decided either through pragmatism or compassion not to spoil the celebration by reviving memories of the horrific events. Kayu Saitoh brushed away some of the snow and revealed bones just as white. She didn’t know to whom they had belonged, but seeing the remains, she came upon a cruel truth that seemed to dwell within the bones. The dead could do nothing for the living, and the living did not live in service of the dead. She continued into the desecrated cemetery and focused on clearing snow from the bleached skeletons and the rotting deceased. As she worked, she realized that the dead no longer had any responsibilities. The thought warmed her heart, but she disregarded the sentiment, judging the sympathy an indulgence she mustn’t allow.

Beside one of the splintered markers, she found another set of bones, a ribcage with backbone intact. Seeing the nearly complete ribcage, Kayu Saitoh again felt that tenderhearted sympathy, and again she ignored it, concentrating solely on cleaning away the snow.

But then her fingertips felt something abnormal.

It had been only the slightest feeling; had her bare fingertips been even a little colder, she might not have noticed. She ran her finger over the place she’d felt the minute anomaly, and finding it again, she looked down. On one of the ribs was an unusual flaw. She held the bone in the light and inspected it closely. What she had felt wasn’t a dent or a chip, but was as if something sharp had scraped the bone. It was so incredibly tiny, that had Kayu Saitoh not taken interest, nothing would ever have come of it. But the crack nagged at her thoughts. She doggedly pursued any theory that would explain its existence but came to no conclusions. She did, however, manage to put together a supposition. Carrying the ribcage, she left the cemetery.

She came to the manor. As she entered, she heard what sounded like an argument, but she considered it no concern of hers as she crossed the earthen entryway. Nokobi Hidaka and Itsuru Obuchi, who shared the manor with the chief, lifted their heads, noticing Kayu Saitoh carrying the ribcage, but the two women said nothing. Kayu Saitoh climbed the stairs to the second floor, which wasn’t an easy task with the bones cradled in her arms.

Upstairs she saw Mei Mitsuya flanked by two women whose backs were turned to the staircase. On the left was Hono Ishizuka, and on the right, Naki Sokabe.

“Come now, Mei,” Hono Ishizuka was saying, disappointment in her tone. “It’s too early for that. You hold Dendera together, so please, use your head.”

“The women are energized from our victory,” the chief said, confidence presiding in her voice. “It’s the perfect time! We will attack the Village. It’s the right move. Why can’t you see that?”

“But look,” a flustered Naki Sokabe interjected, “so many have died. The Hawks—no, Dendera as a whole—we’ve lost so many. We had fifty, but now only thirty-six are left. We can’t hope to attack like this—”

The chief laughed. “So that’s why you interfere. You’ve been a Hawk for a long time now, but you’ve given in to defeatist delusions. You’ve lost your spine.”

“But, Mei Mitsuya,” Naki Sokabe pressed, “think about it, please. We just don’t have enough people. Why don’t we take a few more years, rebuild our numbers, and—”

“And wait?”

“What?”

“Are you telling me to wait?” The chief’s face turned red, and her voice rose to a fierce roar. “I’ve waited for thirty years! I’m one hundred years old! I’m at the end. I can wait no longer.”

With great patience, Hono Ishizuka said, “Mei, I understand how you must feel, but you’re our leader, and right now, your duty is to rebuild Dendera. We need to rebuild from the bear’s destruction.”

“No. We need to attack the Village with what strength we have left.”

“Then Dendera will be destroyed.”

“You don’t know that,” the chief said. “And frankly, it doesn’t matter. I built this place for my own reasons. Dendera is mine. You have no right to tell me what to do.”

“Is that how you truly feel?” Hono Ishizuka asked.

“You must not be taking me seriously,” the chief said, looking up at Hono Ishizuka. “It’s not my ‘true feelings’ or any such rubbish—it’s what I set out to do from the beginning.”

“Why do you spurn peaceful life in Dendera and instead seek war? We have no connection with the Village anymore. At the very least, they’ve forgotten about us all.”

“It’s not over until I say it’s over.
There’s
your connection. As if you know what the Village thinks.” Undeterred, the chief smiled with only her mouth.

Having observed the scene in silence, Kayu Saitoh spoke up. “Mei Mitsuya, I found these at the burial grounds. They’re cracked. It’s not the work of a bear’s claws or fangs, but rather something with a sharp edge. What is this? How did this person die? Or should I say, why was she killed? Who killed her?”

Mei Mitsuya didn’t speak. Kayu Saitoh asked the same of Hono Ishizuka and Naki Sokabe, but they didn’t speak either. Their silent reactions caused Kayu Saitoh to begin doubting her theory as a product of pure fantasy. But the bones cradled in her arms gave her a feeling akin to courage, though harder to describe, and she managed to retain confidence in her intuition.

“You won’t fool me,” she said. “I believe the crack in these bones more than I believe you. If you won’t talk, I’ll take matters into my own hands. I’ll show these ribs around until I find someone who will tell me what happened.”

“Don’t,” Hono Ishizuka said sharply. “Any actions that would bring further disorder upon Dendera will not be permitted.”

Kayu Saitoh didn’t yield. “Who won’t permit it?
You?
I’m not afraid of you one bit. You know, Hono Ishizuka, I’ve been in Dendera for sixteen days now, and I haven’t seen you do even one bit of work. You only complain.”

“I won’t respond to your provocations.”

“I’m only stating the truth,” Kayu Saitoh said.

“In that case,” Hono Ishizuka said, “you’re worse than me. You complain about every single thing. Really, you should be ashamed.”

“Trying to nitpick your way out of a losing argument, are you?”

“Kayu Saitoh,” the chief said, looking straight at her, “nobody knows about that crack. If you forget about it, it’ll be as if the crack never existed. It’ll be like nothing happened.”

“Enough,” Kayu Saitoh said. “I don’t need your help.”

When she turned to leave, she heard the scrambling footsteps of Hono Ishizuka and Naki Sokabe running after her with violent intentions. Quickly, they restrained her and pinned her to the floor.

“You bastards!” Kayu Saitoh shouted. “The moment the bear goes away, you act in arrogance! The moment we feel safe, you make your big move! I was right about you people who didn’t go to the Mountain—you’re all a bunch of feckless good-for-nothings!”

Kayu Saitoh tried to struggle free, but the women had her arms and legs and even her back pinned firmly. She was helpless.

The chief sat down on the floor, looked Kayu Saitoh in the eyes, and said, her voice low, “We gave you a chance, you fool. Shall we put you in the jail again?”

“If you’re going to kill me, hurry up and do it. Stab me in the ribs and do it.”

“The more you fuss you make, the more you isolate yourself. You must understand that by now.”

“I’m not afraid of being isolated,” Kayu Saitoh said.

The chief stood in resignation, then kicked Kayu Saitoh down the stairs. Reflexively, Kayu Saitoh grabbed for one of the steps, then pulled herself up to run away, but Nokobi Hidaka and Itsuru Obuchi surrounded her, and when she saw Hono Ishizuka and Naki Sokabe coming down the stairs, she knew she had lost any chance of escape.

For the second time, she was led belowground and tossed into the jail cell.

“Kayu,” Hono Ishizuka said, her face expressionless, “you’ve put yourself in the worst possible situation.”

“What is that crack in the bone?” Kayu Saitoh asked, beating at the wooden bars. “What has you all in such a panic?”

Hono Ishizuka didn’t respond. Neither did Nokobi Hidaka, Itsuru Obuchi, or Naki Sokabe, who disappeared up the stairs.

Not threatening, but only stating the truth, Hono Ishizuka said, “You might be killed. You really might be killed.” Then she departed, leaving Kayu Saitoh alone in silence and gloom.

As before, Kayu Saitoh didn’t feel like escaping into slumber. This time, she had the fur to help her endure the cold, and she quietly waited, left without an outlet for her energy. The air cooled further, and the gloom settled into utter darkness, and she knew that night had come. Yet no one had delivered her dinner. As her head wound ached, she grew angry at having missed the funeral and having been unable to pray before Kura Kuroi, instead being abandoned in this cold cage. She stewed in the intolerable irrationality of being locked away like some villain when she had only done what she felt was right. She lost all sense of pity and sympathy for Dendera, instead blaming the settlement for all her ills. Wrestling with a sea of emotions, she put her hand to the bandage she had made from Kura Kuroi’s white robes.

After a while, she grew tired of feeling angry. She gathered a pile of straw in which to sleep, but just then, she felt a delicate disturbance in the stagnant air.

She froze and listened.

She sensed a nearby presence.

Someone was cautiously approaching the cage.

“Who is it?” Kayu Saitoh asked.

“Keep your voice down,” the woman said. “If I’m found out, I’ll be in serious trouble.”

“Who is it?” Kayu Saitoh repeated, softly this time.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“I have a problem with that.”

“And I have a problem with telling you.”

The voice seemed to belong to one of the old women, but Kayu Saitoh couldn’t place it. The mysterious woman seemed aware that this was the case and gave no indication that she would reveal herself. From the pungent body odor that assaulted her nostrils, Kayu Saitoh knew the woman was just on the other side of the bars, but in the dark, she couldn’t discern even an outline.

Kayu Saitoh tried a different question. “Why are you here?”

“You’re still too loud. The others are sleeping upstairs. If you won’t keep quiet, I’ll leave.”

“All right. I’ll be more careful.”

“What did you do, Kayu Saitoh?” the voice asked. “In the span of a single day, your infamy has spread through all of Dendera.”

“My infamy?”

“They’re saying you’re a devil who stole and ate from the leftover bear meat, and that that’s why you’re in the jail.”

Fighting down nascent rage, Kayu Saitoh breathed heavily through her nose.

“Calm down,” the voice said soothingly. “I don’t believe that you would’ve done something like that. So what
did
you do?”

Kayu Saitoh put her hand over her nose and said, “And I’m supposed to just tell you that?”

“I’m getting the feeling that you don’t trust me.”

“You could be some secret informant who’s come to see how much I know.”

The woman quietly laughed. “A secret informant, huh?”

Recognizing sincerity in the laugh, Kayu Saitoh decided that even if she didn’t trust the woman, she could at least report the truth. She offered a highly condensed summary of what had happened: how she found the bone with the unnatural crack, how Mei Mitsuya and the others had reacted, and how she had been locked up as a result. As she talked, her mysterious would-be confidant remained so silent that she began to feel like she was talking to a figment of some foolish hallucination. But when she finished, the voice remarked, “I thought that might be the case.”

“So you know then,” Kayu Saitoh said. “You know who those bones belonged to, and you know what the crack means.”

“No,” the woman said, then paused. “I came to the Mountain after the Incident had happened. But I heard rumors, and I even asked Mei Mitsuya about it.”

“What did she say?”

“I got a similar reaction to what you got. ‘It’s not true,’ she said, ‘and even if it was, forget it, and it won’t have happened.’ ”