Dendera (16 page)

Makura Katsuragawa was vomiting blood.

Each time her back shook, she brought up a large amount of the stuff, painting the snow around her in red. The blood gave off a stench unnatural and foul, fetid and meaty, as if her guts had rotted and melted into blood.

“Help—help me …”

Even as she continued to empty herself of blood, Makura Katsuragawa stood and tried to approach the other women, who tossed down their spears and fled in panic.

“Remain calm,” the chief ordered. “Hurry up and capture her.”

But the elder’s commands didn’t reach the others as they scattered in flight, trying to distance themselves from the vomiting woman. The little group was a group no more, the women making a disgraceful display, bounding about like crippled rabbits.

Only Tsugu Ohi hadn’t moved.

Still gripping her wooden spear, she hadn’t moved.

Suddenly, she dropped her spear, then keeled over on the spot and vomited massive quantities of blood. The foul smell thickened. Each of the panicking women, and even Makura Katsuragawa, saw her and stopped where they were. All remained unnaturally still and quiet—so quiet that Kayu Saitoh could hear the clouds drifting through the sky.

“A plague!” Makura Katsuragawa’s scream shattered the silence. “It’s a plague! I’m going to die! I’m going to die!”

The woman ran about far faster than could be expected from someone who had just sprayed blood from her mouth and her notched-out nose.

“Quiet. Quiet,” Mei Mitsuya shouted. “Somebody stop her!”

But again the chief’s orders went unheard, and the utterly disordered group resumed their chaotic flight. They shrieked in mindless panic, shouting,
A plague, a plague.

Plague, as a word, was itself a kind of plague that quickly propagated through Dendera as women, awoken from slumber, emerged from their huts. Makura Katsuragawa screamed and ran about. Tsugu Ohi was completely motionless. Blood had splattered across the snow. As each woman saw this scene, she too joined in the maelstrom, shouting, “A plague, a plague.”

Amid the frenzy, Makura Katsuragawa saw Kayu Saitoh. The woman’s taut, contorted expression softened, and she ran over. “Kayu, please help me,” she said, reaching her hand to Kayu Saitoh’s shoulder. “I don’t want this. I don’t want this. I don’t want to die from a plague.”

Steadying the perilously shaking woman, Kayu Saitoh asked, “What is this plague?”

“It’s a plague. A
plague.
I’m going to die. They’re going to kill me.”

“They’re going to kill you?”

Then someone said, “You, what are you doing here?”

Kayu Saitoh turned to find Mei Mitsuya staring her down.

“I don’t want this!” Makura Katsuragawa shrieked, fearfully ducking behind Kayu Saitoh to hide from the chief. “Don’t come near. Don’t come near, m-m-murderer.”

Reacting immediately, Kayu Saitoh asked, “What do you mean, murderer?”

“Mei,” Makura Katsuragawa moaned. “Mei Mitsuya … when the plague spread through Dendera, she killed the ones who were sick. She stabbed them in the chest. She’ll kill me too! She’ll do it where everyone can see. It’s a plague. The plague has come.”

T
he cage was mended from Kayu Saitoh’s breakout, Makura Katsuragawa confined inside it, Tsugu Ohi’s body delivered to rest in the burial ground, the blood spatters concealed in snow, and the witnesses ordered to silence; then Mei Mitsuya led Kayu Saitoh up to the second floor and revealed what had happened sixteen years before—the truth behind the Incident.

Midsummer, sixteen years earlier, one of the women retched up blood. At first, the others presumed her ill and cared for her, but when the same symptom manifested in several of her caretakers, it became clear that this was a plague. Soon the victims grew in number, and of the twenty-nine women who then resided in Dendera, thirteen died. One of two things happened to all who came down with the plague: either she vomited foul-smelling blood and died suddenly, or she vomited foul-smelling blood for several weeks and then died. The remaining women fell into a panic, then ultimately settled on one conclusion: kill the infected. It was a decision made not by Mei Mitsuya, but Dendera itself. All agreed, whether Doves or Hawks. Masari Shiina, the head of the Doves, as well as Hono Ishizuka, who had arrived in Dendera that same year, both consented to the killing of the infected. Once resolved to carry out the killings, Mei Mitsuya chose a method inspired by the Village’s numerous punishments. She gathered the women in the clearing, presented to the group a single unsharpened stone dagger, and ordered them all to fashion its edge into a sharp blade. Drenched in sweat under the blazing sun, the gathered women hewed the dagger. When each had sharpened it all she could, another replaced her, and another, and so on, and when the sun set, the dagger was finished.

Three women were displaying symptoms of the plague, and Mei Mitsuya had them laid out beside her atop the balcony. Standing there, feeling the collective gaze of all of Dendera upon her, she killed the infected women. Their bodies were interred in the burial ground, and the plague disappeared. When autumn came, it was as if the time of the plague had never happened.

That was all Mei Mitsuya had to say, but Kayu Saitoh didn’t consider the discussion finished. The chief had mentioned the three slain women by name, and one of their family names was familiar: Kiriyama. She tried to match Soh Kiriyama’s voice to that of her mysterious benefactor, only to realize she’d never heard the woman speak.

But when Kayu Saitoh spoke, she instead started with the question she wanted to ask more than any other.

“Why did you hide what you did?”

“It’s not the kind of thing you go around telling everyone, now is it? Nothing is more terrifying than an unstoppable disease.”

“Shouldn’t we at least tell Soh Kiriyama?”

“Leave her be.” Mei Mitsuya stood, stepped out to the windy balcony, and with the strength gone from her voice, she murmured, “The time of the plague has returned.”

Unnerved by Mei Mitsuya’s display of frailty, Kayu Saitoh attempted to rally herself by asking, “But can’t we find a way to stop it? I’ve heard of medicine that can be made from bear bones or gall bladder.”

“Apparently, you have to remove the gall bladder immediately, before it empties into the intestines. It’s been five days—according to Hikari Asami, the cub’s gall bladder is empty by now.” Her back still to Kayu Saitoh, the chief continued, “And was the other one … bones, you said? That’s mere superstition.”

“You’re pathetic. It’s only just begun and you’ve already given up.”

“Go and see how Makura Katsuragawa is doing. You’d do well to fully comprehend the horror of the plague.”

“Do you … plan on leaving her to die?”

“Leave her to die?” Mei Mitsuya looked over her shoulder, facing Kayu Saitoh with an expressionless look. “I’m not going to leave her to die. I’m going to kill her.”

“Killing again, is it?”

“Killing again.”

“Someone catches the plague, and we’re just going to cast them aside … It’s awful.”

“Sixteen years ago, Makura Katsuragawa herself did just that. She can hardly object now that it’s happening to her. I was the one who did the killing, but we were all of us killers. Makura Katsuragawa may have forced the responsibility upon me alone, but her hands are dirty.”

“Why don’t you go get medicine?” Kayu Saitoh suggested. “If you mean to attack the Village—that is, if you’re going to attack the Village and you mean to win, then go pillage their herb gardens. That’s another way to stop it, right?”

Mei Mitsuya’s eyes widened in apparent surprise, and she looked at Kayu Saitoh for a long moment. Then her petite lips opened, and a laugh spilled out. Her mouth—and her laughter—slowly grew bigger, until they could have belonged to a demon.

“That’s … that’s right!” Mei Mitsuya kept laughing as she spoke. “We’ll attack the Village, and if we win, everything will belong to Dendera. Their medicine will be Dendera’s medicine. All we need to do is seize their herb gardens!”

Her roaring laughter grew louder, soon enveloping not only Kayu Saitoh’s eardrums but her entire body. The laughter bore down on her, clinging and oppressive, until Mei Mitsuya abruptly recovered from her fit.

“Our raid will end the plague!” The chief’s already red face had flushed to a deeper crimson. “Why didn’t I see? I’m a fool! An utter fool!” She punctuated this with another cackle.

“But will anyone take part in the raid?” Kayu Saitoh hadn’t yet shaken her doubts. “Dendera is in a terrible state. The bear killed so many, and now the plague is spreading.”

“Remember these words, Kayu Saitoh. When dark times come, you don’t simply endure in silence—you use it to your advantage.” Mei Mitsuya seemed fully back in control of herself. With her laughter restrained, she spoke with solemn gravity. “The people of Dendera tremble like timid dogs. Tell them that by attacking the village, they’ll get medicine, and they’ll either happily wag their tails or happily bare their fangs. Either way, they’ll hearten, and they’ll join in the attack. It won’t matter if they’re Hawks or Doves.”

“I understand your reasoning, but the plague is already spreading.”

“As the leader, that’s something I must overcome,” Mei Mitsuya replied. “I may have ordered the witnesses to silence, but by morning, everyone will know of the plague’s return. And just like sixteen years ago, a great panic will rule Dendera, and my influence will melt away. Tomorrow, I will be put to the test. If I overcome the test, I will be able to continue on. If I fail, I could die.”

“Die? Why would you say such a thing?”

“Don’t be so soft.” Mei Mitsuya bared her grimy teeth. “If you lose in battle, you die. You should know that!”

As Kayu Saitoh’s eyes landed upon each one of the leader’s stained teeth, she realized that these words were a creed acquired over a span of one hundred years. Mei Mitsuya had fought for seventy years in the Village and thirty in Dendera. Both were battlegrounds in the truest sense, and defeat was coupled with death. And now Mei Mitsuya was facing a new battle.

Mei Mitsuya continued, “This might be the last time we talk, so I’ll teach you something worthwhile.” The chief placed a hand to her headscarf. “Hardships, delights, enemies, allies, escape, resolution, and uncertainty—all will become a part of you through victory in battle. It isn’t a game. You mustn’t let your guard down. If you leave your body to the currents, you will be dragged down with them.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s all right if you don’t understand. Just remember my words. If some petty thing stands between you and your desires, think back on what I’ve told you.”

Then she returned to Kayu Saitoh, gently lowered herself to sit in front of her, and added, “I’ve talked on for quite a while. When we were back in the Village, we never spoke like this.”

“Our ages were far apart,” Kayu Saitoh said. “You kept all the women in the Village together. I recognized that as a little girl. I knew you were a great woman.”

“That dirty Village treated women like something even dirtier. I didn’t act out of a particular desire to better our standing, but I wanted to do
something.
That’s what it was … I wanted to do something.”

“Was that another battle to you?”

“I suppose,” Mei Mitsuya said with a brief nod. “And next is the raid on the Village.”

“What will a raid change? What will victory bring?”

“I wish I could give you a definitive answer, but in truth, I won’t know until I try.” Mei Mitsuya lifted her face. A century of sunlight had baked her skin dark and red. “And what about you, Kayu Saitoh? Do you still want to Climb the Mountain?”

“I … am part of Dendera. Even if I attempt my Climb again, I won’t be able to reach Paradise. Look how stained my white robe is.”

“You’re right. I suppose your robe is no longer suitable for the journey to Paradise.”

“I can’t go back now, and so I will never talk of the Mountain again.”

Kayu Saitoh looked down at the white robes wrapped around her body. The stains of grime and soil and blood were testaments to her survival, but they also transformed the garments into something that could no longer be reasonably called white.

“That’s the right attitude,” Mei Mitsuya murmured with approval. “Well then, what will you do next now that you’ve lost the Mountain? You don’t have time to deliberate. The plague won’t wait to spread. My plans won’t wait to be executed. You can fret over your decision, but everything will proceed all the same without you.”

“I know,” Kayu Saitoh said with sincerity. “That’s why I want to make up my mind. I want to break through this, make my decision, and move forward. It doesn’t have to be something great. It doesn’t have to be what’s right. As long as it’s something I can believe in, that’ll be enough.”

Suddenly feeling a chill, she wrapped herself in the fur.

“In that case, Kayu Saitoh, why don’t you do something great? Why don’t you do something huge, something ridiculous, something that would astonish anyone? Strike down one and all. Conquer one and all. Won’t you do that? Won’t you move forward? Listen, you need to find a purpose. What do you aspire to? What do you want to do?”

“I …” Kayu Saitoh’s lips formed the single word of their own accord, but her sound was so soft that it wasn’t even a voice.

Seeing her falter, Mei Mitsuya responded not with ridicule but rather by creasing the corners of her eyes into an accepting smile. “I understand,” she murmured, then added, “I have nothing more to say to you.” The creases of her eyes returned to their normal place. “Leave.”

“Leave … ? But what should I do?”

“How should I know? Events are already in motion. Don’t delay; go. Don’t delay; move forward. Fight to fulfill your aspiration.”

Mei Mitsuya’s tone of voice impelled Kayu Saitoh to leave. Understanding that this time the conversation was finished, Kayu Saitoh stood and moved toward the ladder leading to the ground floor.

Suddenly, the chief’s voice came from behind. “Who released you from the cage?”

Mei Mitsuya didn’t respond.

“I don’t care who it was, but she’s living more purposefully than you.”

This time, their conversation was indeed over, and Kayu Saitoh exited the large hut. Now that the plague had returned to Dendera, confessing to her collusion with Soh Kiriyama wouldn’t have mattered much, but she kept it to herself anyway. After the coming of one unforeseeable event after another, she wanted to limit her problems to those that already faced her.

Back home, Inui Makabe was busily tending the fire while she talked to Ate Amami about Makura Katsuragawa and Tsugu Ohi’s illness. The two talking women didn’t give any particular response to Kayu Saitoh’s return, while Shigi Yamamoto’s lack of response was a given. Trembling and pale-faced, Inui Makabe and Ate Amami appeared to have been unaware of the events sixteen years earlier, not even by rumor. These women were still acting as a family, but Kayu Saitoh supposed, in a passing thought, that come morning the panic would spread, controlling everyone, herself included.

Her prediction proved true.

The old women stirred into motion slightly before the morning light reached into Dendera. They congregated in the clearing without anyone having to suggest it. Their faces obscured by the dark, they frantically exchanged what information they had. Kayu Saitoh was among their number. She hadn’t come with a particular purpose, but that didn’t mean anything—neither had most of the others who were gathered there with her. If someone were to ask them what action they wanted to take, they likely would not have been able to provide an answer.

As Kayu Saitoh listened to the volleying jumble of words, one rumor caught her attention: the origin of this outbreak was the bear cub’s meat. The cub had rampaged through the burial ground and had likely eaten of the bones of the plague victims from sixteen years ago. The women had eaten the cub’s meat, the reasoning went, and couldn’t that be the cause of the plague’s return? Kayu Saitoh didn’t know who said this first, but the conjecture was uncannily persuasive and before long became a commonly held belief among the women. Kayu Saitoh recalled the feast. Hono Ishizuka, Naki Sokabe, Masari Shiina, Hotori Oze, Ire Tachibana, and Kushi Tachibana hadn’t lined up for the bear stew. At the time, Kayu Saitoh, overcome by hunger, hadn’t thought anything of their abstinence. Now she put her mind to work, trying to form some kind of hypothesis. But when the idea came to her, it came not as some uncertain hypothesis, but a singular, absolute conclusion.