The Initiate Brother Duology (84 page)

“A large beast, Lord Komawara?” he asked, as though addressing a child. “What nature of beast?”

“A beast that resembled the dragon embossed on the coin, Lord Toshaki.” Komawara kept his voice even.

General Toshaki shook his head, looking down as though he hid a smile. Then he spoke suddenly. “One dragon, Lord Komawara, or forty thousand?”

Stifled laughter was heard around the room.

“One beast, Lord Toshaki. One only,” Komawara said too quietly.

Toshaki nodded toward the young lord, almost a mock bow.

The senior Toshaki Lord gestured his kinsman to silence.

“This situation we have heard described is of consequence to the entire Empire. General Jaku, does the Son of Heaven prepare an army as we speak?”

“That is our hope, Lord Toshaki, though we do not yet know,” Jaku said fixing the older man with his cold gaze.

“Ahh,” the lord said, looking away. “Lord Shonto, this is a grave matter. I wish to take council with my kinsmen and advisors.” He bowed to Lord Shonto.

Lord Taiki spoke without warning. “Lord Toshaki, Lords of Seh. I tell you in all truthfulness that if we do not begin to prepare an army now, we make a decision to surrender Seh to our ancient enemy. It is not the epitaph I would choose for my tomb.”

There was a short silence.

“My lord wishes to consult his advisors, also, Lord Shonto,” the junior Ranan lord spoke into the silence.

The council was at an end. With great dignity Shonto nodded to those around him, rose and left, carrying his own sword.

*   *   *

Shortly after the Lords of Seh had gone, Shonto returned to speak to his staff. Jaku and Lord Akima were not present. Komawara, Lord Taiki, and the Major Chancellor, Gitoyo, were the only outsiders. Shonto seated himself
on the dais and regarded the men around him. “
Blind are the sighted and deaf the hearing
…
only those who look within will find truth.”

Shuyun made a sign to Botahara at this quotation.

Shonto shook his head slowly. “General Hojo?”

“It would appear that the Lords of Seh believe you are to be the victim of a hired barbarian army, an army paid in gold by our revered Emperor. No doubt the Lords of Seh believe that you try to raise an army in your defense. They cannot believe the Emperor would endanger part of his Empire to bring down the Shonto. There will be no support coming from these men. Lord Toshaki, I think, will do nothing that has not been ordered by the Emperor. And Lord Ranan, though he hates the Yamaku, will take no unnecessary risks to thwart their Imperial ambitions. The minor Houses, even if they could be convinced, would make little difference.”

Shonto nodded. He gestured to the others and each man in turn nodded agreement. Shonto clapped his hands loudly.

“And the Emperor’s support? Truthfully?”

“It is entirely dependent on Jaku Katta. But in all honesty, I think it is unlikely. After Denji Gorge, it seems the Emperor has reason to distrust his Guard Commander—it takes very little to earn the Emperor’s distrust. The rumors that Jaku has fallen from favor may have truth in them. Katta-sum may not even be sure of his own situation.”

Shonto looked at Kamu.

“I agree, Sire. We may hope for the Emperor’s support, but we should begin to take the actions we would take if it were not forthcoming. We dare not wait.”

Shonto sat contemplating this like a man considering a move at gii—and like a gii master he showed no sign of being affected by his situation. It gave his retainers hope.

“Lord Komawara,” Shonto said warmly, “you could do nothing but tell the truth. It could not be helped. I regret this deeply, but tomorrow we meet to plan our retreat from Seh.” He pulled the sword that was the Emperor’s gift partly from its scabbard. “Kamu-sum, starting now we will have no one but those present in councils unless I order otherwise. We give up this pretense—the government of Seh seems to be made up of informers. No guards but our own around our chambers.” Shonto slid the blade in and out of its scabbard.

“We have one other move that we can make in this game before retreat
and cover. Kamu-sum, prepare a tract that says the Government of the Province of Seh is paying gold for the service of armed men. They will not come in time, perhaps, but they will come as we move south.”

The Major Chancellor, Lord Gitoyo, bobbed quickly. “Sire, Lord Governor…the Emperor demands his taxes. We dare not delay longer. There is certainly not enough gold to raise an army.”

“Huh.” Shonto examined the flawless metal blade. “We must not keep the Emperor waiting for his taxes. That would be unthinkable.” He smiled at those around him. “Entirely unthinkable.”

Komawara gave a deep bow. “There is one other action we could consider, Lord Shonto.”

Shonto nodded.

“The springs closest to our border in the steppe—they could be poisoned as winter ends.”

*   *   *

Komawara returned to the festivities, though his heart wanted to be gone. An urge to race a horse with a great heart across the hills took hold of him, as though he could leave what he felt behind.
His own countrymen, northerners, were surrendering Seh to the barbarians!
When the Khan swept across the border with his army,
then
these men would be ready to fight—when the only sensible course of action would be to retreat as Lord Shonto planned. They would all die so it could be said that they did not abandon Seh, despite the odds. The bravery of fools….

Pulling his thoughts away from this problem, he searched the gathering for a glimpse of Lady Nishima. She had spoken to him earlier and he had alternately felt delight and despair ever since. Her robe of rich blue with its pattern of snow falling on the Mountain of the Pure Spirit was nowhere to be seen. Despair.

Lord Toshaki’s eldest son, Toshaki Yoshihira, surrounded by a group of laughing kinsmen, rose from a low table. He spotted Komawara as he gained his feet and stopped. Breaking into a grin, he made a sudden extravagant bow and then rose, his face flushed from drink.

“Lord Komawara,” he enunciated with the care of a man who had drunk his limit, “it is my hope that in future First Moon Festivals that Prince Yoshinaga slaying the dragon will be replaced by Lord Komawara
meeting
the dragon.”

Toshaki’s cousins showed some con laughter
was subdued. Komawara had a reputatiocern at this insult and theirn as a swordsman that was respected.

“Perhaps it could be replaced by Lord Toshaki discovering foolhardiness in a wine cup,” Komawara said evenly.

Suddenly Shuyun and Lord Gitoyo’s son were beside him. “There are more important fights than this, Lord Komawara,” Captain Gitoyo said quietly.

“Listen to your friend, Lord Komawara,” Toshaki slurred. “You must save your courage for the barbarian hordes.”

Komawara felt restraining hands on either of his arms. “I would not have the blood of a fool on my sword,” Gitoyo whispered. “Come away from this. You of all people do not need to prove bravery.”

Komawara gave way to the pressure on his arm and began to turn away.

Toshaki bent over the nearby table and retrieved a lacquered chopstick. He brandished this like a sword and stepped into the guard position. “Lord Komawara, you need a proper weapon to slay dragons and barbarian hordes. I would be honored if you would take mine.”

Komawara broke free of his companions and spun back toward the Toshaki lord but, impossibly, Shuyun stood facing Toshaki, his back blocking Komawara.

“My lord,” Shuyun said quietly, “that is a dangerous weapon to wield in the governor’s hall.”

Toshaki stood with his chopstick before him like a sword, suddenly looking unsure of himself. Botahist monks did not confront peers.

The implement disappeared from Toshaki’s hand as the monk’s arm became a blur of motion. Toshaki stepped back into his kinsman.

“Such a weapon should never be drawn in polite company.”

Again Shuyun moved with a speed that was impossible to follow. There was a crack of wood hitting wood, not loud but strangely piercing. Shuyun bowed low before Toshaki who stared down at the chopstick Shuyun had driven into the table.

“May your journey bring you wisdom, Sire,” Shuyun almost whispered.

Toshaki stood staring at Shuyun for several seconds, his face contorted and unreadable. Then, realizing that his supporters retreated, he turned away and disappeared among the crowd.

Shuyun stood watching the young lord’s retreat, then he faced his companions.

Komawara’s gaze was fixed on the point where Lord Toshaki had disappeared. He looked at Shuyun suddenly and he shook his head. “You should not, Brother,” he whispered. “Such things are beneath you.”

With a nod to Gitoyo, he turned and went off in the opposite direction Toshaki had taken. The people present became a blur of colored silk and the sounds a low roar in which nothing could be distinguished. Komawara trembled with anger.

I have become the object of ridicule among my own countrymen,
the lord thought.
And despite all that I have done, my province will be put to the sword and the torch.

He stumbled out beyond the row of pillars toward the doors. And there he saw Lady Nishima in serious conversation with General Jaku Katta, of the Imperial Guard. She faced toward Komawara as she spoke, but she did not see him, that was clear.

He stood for a moment looking at this scene and then passed through the great doors into the courtyard. Like Yoshihira, he disappeared into the night.

*   *   *

It had not been easy for Lady Nishima to slip away; she was, after all, the governor’s daughter, but she was becoming experienced in such matters. The sounds of music and conversation from the hall were barely muted by the pillar she stood behind yet it would be difficult to leave the hall entirely without passing out into a cold night.

She tapped a closed fan into the palm of her hand in what looked like impatience but was really a disguise for anxiety. After she had successfully avoided Jaku Katta all evening, he had sent her a poem that he knew she could not ignore.

She had struggled to read in the poor light:

Nishima’s heart raced. Some part of her hoped that Jaku would prove to be honorable and this hope unsettled her. Surely it was the worst foolishness.
Look how he had acted so recently with Kitsu-sum! She was about to return to the gathering when a dark form appeared down the row of columns. Though it required some effort, Nishima waited with what she hoped would be an appearance of calm.

Jaku walked toward her, his strong, graceful form appearing and disappearing as he went from light into shadow into light again. Finally he stepped into the same shadow that Nishima occupied. Gray eyes almost seemed to glow in the pale light. Jaku bowed deeply.

Nishima nodded. “General….” She was about to pursue a polite course of conversation but caught herself. “What is this matter you have written of, General Jaku?”

If Jaku felt this was an insult, he did not show it.

“It is something that should be spoken of in more private surroundings,” Jaku said, his voice low.

“Perhaps it should be spoken of in the presence of my uncle,” Nishima said curtly.

“This is information for your ears, Lady Nishima. It is to show that my intentions are honorable, though I fear that they will be misunderstood as they have been in the past.”

“You wrong me, General—I was not aware that your intentions had been misunderstood.” Nishima waved her fan open. “What is this information you speak of? The night grows cold, General Jaku.”

Jaku nodded, looking over his shoulder quickly. “I am concerned, Nishima-sum,” he met her eyes for a second, but when she did not react to him dropping her title he went on quickly. “I fear the Emperor will not respond to my plea for troops: the intrigues of the court are beyond imagining and difficult to untangle, even while living in the palace. The webs spun in the Emperor’s court are such that I risked much to have written as I did, for myself and my family.”

“Do you suggest, General, that the Emperor will not respond to your letters as you hope?”

Jaku hesitated. “It is a possibility, Lady Nishima.”

“Huh.” She waited.

After it was apparent she would say no more, Jaku went on. “The Emperor’s support is desperately needed, I know, but if it cannot be obtained, Lady Nishima, I will not return quietly to the capital.” Again he searched her eyes. “I will warn my family and remain in Seh to do what I can. Though it
is said by some that Jaku Katta takes only the course of greatest opportunity, I will fight beside the Shonto though I will gain the enmity of the Son of Heaven.”

Nishima looked away. A man stepped out from behind a pillar not far off, hesitated, and then passed through the doors leading to the courtyard.

“Tell me, Katta-sum,” Nishima almost whispered, “will the Emperor send troops to us? Is there no hope?”

She watched the guardsman as he considered her question.

“I am not without influence at court, Nishima-sum, but others may hold sway—while I am here. It is…it is possible that my voice will not carry, it pains me to say.”

Nishima nodded sadly as she looked down at the floor. “And this mad design to bring down my father, you took no part in it?”

“Once I had learned of it,” Jaku stepped closer and lowered his voice, “I took some time to speak, it is true. My loyalties were tested…until I spoke to you at the Celebration of the Emperor’s Ascension. My shame that I did not speak sooner.”

Nishima’s fan stopped in the middle of its sweep. A warm hand touched her cheek and she pulled away. Looking up she met Jaku’s gray eyes, as impenetrable as cloud. Turning away she walked back into the bright hall.