The Initiate Brother Duology (18 page)

No one realized how much hope Shonto placed on the coming of his Spiritual Advisor, and now that the hour of their meeting had arrived he felt sudden, and unexpected, doubt. This was not Brother Satake returning; this was a very young man, a stranger of questionable loyalty with a lifetime of Botahist dogma behind him…and little experience of the real world—the very unspiritual world of Wa. Over the years Shonto had grown used to the quiet opinions of his former advisor, and relied heavily on the old monk’s penetrating insight—and that was what bothered Shonto. Satake-sum had had long years of experience that the lord, his junior by several decades, had been able to draw upon. But his new advisor was almost as many years his junior as Satake-sum had been his senior.

Shonto drummed his fingers on the armrest. The attack in the garden had affected him more than he liked to admit. How could such a thing have
happened in his house? Oh, Jaku, my sixth sense tells me that you were behind this “assassination attempt.” If so, I will soon know. Even a Black Tiger can place a foot wrongly. Even a Black Tiger can be hunted.

A tap on the shoji brought Shonto back to himself. The face of a guard appeared in the doorway.

“Tanaka is here, Sire,” the guard said quietly—not “Tanaka-sum,” just “Tanaka,” the merchant, technically a servant.

Shonto nodded and the guard pushed the door aside, allowing a corpulent man in a dark robe of the merchant class to enter. Shonto did not smile, though Tanaka’s “disguise” always amused him. In Yankura, the Floating City, where the merchant oversaw Shonto’s vast trading interests, he was known for the quality of his clothing and his penchant for hats in the latest fashion. But here, before his liege-lord, he was somber and dressed in a far from new, traditional robe of his class.

The merchant bowed his head to the floor in the most humble manner and then sat back, saying nothing. The shoji closed behind him.

“Come forward,” Shonto said, gesturing to a place before the dais.

Tanaka walked forward on his knees, stopping several paces away from his lord. Shonto regarded the merchant, a man who had served his father. A loyal man. Tanaka’s intelligent face stared back at him and Shonto realized that the merchant was making his own assessment of his liege-lord. Shonto smiled.

“It is good to see you, old friend,” the lord said, paying the older man greater respect than the use of the honorific “sum” could ever convey.

Tanaka bowed. “I am honored that you receive me, Sire. May I say that it is good to see you looking so well. I was most concerned when I heard of the events of this morning.”

Shonto nodded, not surprised that the news had reached Tanaka. The merchant had his own sources in Shonto’s staff, all well meaning, and impossible to purge for that very reason.

Except for the Lady Nishima, Tanaka was the closest thing to a friend Shonto had, and, in a way, their difference in rank was what allowed their friendship to exist—in Wa equals too often had conflicting interests. But the difference between Shonto and his merchant could never be bridged—master and servant always—and so the understanding between them, out of necessity, never seemed to breach the conventions of the society. But it was
an association that both men valued and protected with all of their considerable powers.

“And how are things in the Floating City?”

“The Floating City seems to be floating these days on rumor and intrigue and an army of Imperial Guards dressed as anything but Imperial Guards.”

“This is unusual?”

“Not perhaps unusual, Sire, but ‘escalated.’ This young Brother seems to have the servants of the Emperor most concerned.”

“The actions of the servants of our Emperor can never be explained. Does your work go well?”

“Very well, Sire. This should be the most productive year ever. May I ask if you have heard the rumor that his Imperial Highness, in his wisdom, is considering outlawing coastal traffic in an effort to ‘combat the pirates’?”

“I have heard this, though Jaku Katta-sum was here this morning and said nothing of it. Do you think it’s true?”

“I hope not, Sire. It would have a great effect upon you and your allies. I believe that the Province of Seh would also feel the effects of such a law. Strange that this single action could be so entirely selective in whom it affects, yeh? Of course, we could survive it for a year, but even that would begin to tax us, and your allies—they would either be ruined or no longer allies. Personally, I believe we should consider other methods of dealing with this situation, if it arises.”

“Other methods? Please continue, Tanaka-sum.”

The merchant looked steadily at his lord for a second before speaking. “I make it my business to watch out for merchants who represent…powerful factions in Wa. If your interests are affected, I personally believe it would only be karma if these merchants I refer to were to be affected equally.

“If the pirates are deprived of coastal traffic to prey upon, they will no doubt be forced to turn to sea traffic. More difficult for them but not impossible, especially if they were to have certain intelligence, yeh? And there are ways of importing goods other than those sanctioned by the Son of Heaven.”

“But those are outlawed and the penalty is death. Dangerous, yeh?”

“If you or your representative were to do so, Sire, certainly that would be dangerous, but others have their own business, their own karma.”

“And how soon could these other methods be employed?”

“Tomorrow, Sire.”

“Ah! So you have been anticipating this change in Imperial policy, old friend.”

“It is my duty to guard your interests to the best of my ability, Sire. To that end, I make sure I hear rumors at their origin.”

Shonto laughed and clapped his hands once, loudly. A screen opened to his right. “Bring cha for my guest and me.

“You are a most valuable man, Tanaka-sum. I think you should have a large estate on my fief to retire to when you are ready to rest. And your young son, the one with all the curiosity, if you approve, he shall go into my officer corps.”

The merchant bowed formally, overwhelmed by the suddenness of these gifts. “Agree? Of course! How could I refuse these honors. I accept on my son’s behalf. He shall make a fine officer, Sire, I’m sure of it. Thank you.”

Shonto shrugged. Cha arrived in steaming pots and separate tables were set for the two men, a servant kneeling by each, but Shonto waved them away. “We will pour for ourselves.”

When the shoji closed, Shonto leaned toward his guest. “So tell me about our young Brother.”

“Ah.” Tanaka lifted the lid of his tea pot to smell the steeping herb. “He is indeed something special, something out of the ordinary. You received my report of his sea crossing?”

“I read it while you bathed.”

The vassal-merchant shook his head. “Strange, the man committing suicide like that—the Emperor’s man. He had nothing to lose offering the poison to Shuyun-sum, yet he chose not to.” The merchant looked up, catching the lord’s eye. “He is a magnetic young man, Sire. He has that quiet strength all the Brothers have…but to a greater extent. He has…” Tanaka groped for words.

“Tranquillity of purpose.”

The merchant stopped short.
“Tranquillity of purpose
; yes, Sire.

“He met with Brother Hutto when he arrived in Yankura. I had no instructions, so I allowed him to do so.”

“You acted correctly. How was the old monk?”

“I didn’t go myself but sent guards as escort. They reported that Brother Hutto treated Shuyun-sum with great respect—almost as an equal.”

“They exaggerate, surely! I would be surprised to hear that Brother Hutto thought the Emperor his equal.”

“I was not there, Sire, but I believe the reports to be accurate.”

“Huh. Did the two of you talk?”

“Some, Sire. He is like most Botahists, difficult to draw out, but even so I managed to find out a number of things.”

“Such as?”

“He is well informed, Sire. The Brothers appear to have excellent sources of intelligence and obviously they have been preparing your advisor with care. His knowledge of the powers-that-be within Wa is good; his view of the political situation, broad; and, I must admit, he even has a working understanding of our economy, which I believe I have added to.”

“No doubt. Did you talk of Seh?”

“Yes, and again he knew who the strongest lords were and what the history of their alliances has been. He knew who had married into which family and who could be considered as a possible ally. He views the entire endeavor with suspicion, though he said you were undoubtedly the finest general in Wa and the logical choice to send to Seh.

“Shuyun-sum also said something else, Sire, something I had not considered. He seems to think that there is a historical pattern in the barbarian wars, and that pattern, he believes, has now been broken.” Tanaka paused as if gauging his lord’s reaction, but Shonto said nothing so the merchant went on. “Shuyun-sum thinks that there is a twenty-five-year cycle in which the last seven years see an escalation which may or may not then lead to major war depending on the situation of the barbarian tribes. Our young Brother thinks that certain factors are critical at this point—the economy of the tribes, the strength of their leaders, the quality of the resistance they experience in Seh, and also the effects of the climate on what
they
call
agriculture.
All of these things affect their ability and their desire to mount a major campaign against the Empire. Shuyun-sum has pointed out that it has been over thirty years since the last Barbarian War.”

“Interesting. Do you think this is his own observation?”

Tanaka stroked his beard, his gaze far away. “A good point, Sire, I don’t know.”

A message
, Shonto wondered, is this a message from the monks? He poured his cha and Tanaka did likewise. The lord began his habit of turning the cup in his hand as he stared into its depths, looking for answers, for questions.

“Did you ask him how he will resolve the conflict between his service to the Shonto and his allegiance to the Brotherhood?”

“I did, Sire. He said the interests of the Brotherhood and your interests were not in conflict.”

“I see. And?”

“He seems to believe it, Sire. He is young despite his abilities—only time can erase naïveté.”

“His answer is not good enough, though it will do for now. Even the Botahist trained are not beyond influence…we shall see.”

A swallow swooped through the open wall and out again, landing on the porch rail where it sat regarding the two men. Shonto watched the bird for a few seconds then said, his voice betraying a trace of weariness, “I heard a nightingale three evenings past, singing in the moonlight…it would be good to have peace again, yeh?”

“It would, Lord Shonto.”

The two men sipped their cha and looked into the garden.

“Have you heard the most recent pronouncement of the Botahists’ Supreme Master, Sire?”

Shonto turned his gaze from the swallow. “What now?”

“The Botahist Brothers have decided that though it’s true women cannot attain enlightenment because they are too attached to the cycles of the earth, they can attain much greater spiritual knowledge than was formerly believed. Apparently they still think that women must finally be reborn as men before they can attain enlightenment. That point, they have not given up.”

Shonto shook his head. “So, the celibate Brothers have finally realized that women have souls.” The lord snorted. “How can such intelligent men suffer under so many delusions? If Brother Satake had become Supreme Master, he would have united the Sisterhood and Brotherhood and done away with this squabbling.”

“That is one of the many reasons Satake-sum could not have become Supreme Master, Sire.”

“True, my friend, true.”

“The activities of the Botahist Brotherhood in the past years have begun to intrigue me, Sire. Their policies seem suddenly out of character, inconsistent.”

Shonto’s interest rose immediately, “I have thought the same thing, Tanaka-sum. The Brotherhood has never been known to ingratiate itself with anyone in the past, but now they recognize the Yamaku Dynasty of their
own volition, receiving nothing in return but the Emperor’s scorn; they gift the Son of Heaven valuable land, again receiving nothing in compensation; and now this sop to the Botahist Sisters. I believe that even I have been treated unusually. Kamu-sum arranged a most reasonable price for the services of our young Brother. He was full of suspicion afterward.”

Tanaka shook his head, causing a golden drop of cha to fall from his mustache onto his dark robe. “The Empire is in the grip of some strange magic, Sire. I would have said that the Botahists would never lose their arrogance, their nerve, yet look at this! I do not understand. They must know that, despite his own convictions, the Emperor could never touch the Brotherhood without bringing about his own downfall. His own soldiers would take his head if the Guardians of Botahara’s Word were ever threatened. I am less and less sure of what transpires in the Empire. Excuse me, Sire, I don’t mean to sound pessimistic.”

“Good, there is enough pessimism among my retainers over this appointment to Seh, and then this omen, this ‘assassination attempt.’ Huh!”

“It is only concern for their liege-lord, Sire. There is more to this appointment to Seh than meets the eye. Everyone feels that. We all fear treachery from this family that calls itself Imperial. We all fear the Yamaku trap.”

Shonto’s nostrils flared. “I’ve been in and out of a dozen traps in my time and have only wisdom to show for it. Have my own retainers come to doubt me?”

“Never, Sire! Their faith in you in unshakable, but they are concerned nonetheless, because they honor you, and the Shonto House.”

Shonto sat for a moment staring into his cha. A knock at the entryway seemed loud in the silence. The screen slid open and a guard’s face appeared.

“Excuse me, Sire. Kamu-sum has sent the message you requested.”

“Ah. Enter.”

The servant, Toko, who had earlier in the day become an assistant to Kamu, knelt in the doorway and bowed. Shonto motioned him forward and he moved, kneeling, with the grace of one who has performed this act countless times. Removing a scroll from his sleeve and setting it within Shonto’s reach on the dais, he bowed again and retreated the appropriate distance.