Wall of Spears (8 page)

‘I would be dead before I started speaking,’ the voice interrupted. ‘You are the last hope of the elven people. If you cannot stop Sumiko, then we shall all be brought to disaster.’

Retsu looked around the dusty room carefully but could not tell where the voice was coming from. That meant magic was being used and the references to Sumiko meant — more than likely — he was speaking to a Magic-weaver.

‘Perhaps I agree with you. But how can I convince Jaken his new favourite adviser is working with our great enemy?’

‘Asami can help. Tell her my message — Sumiko has made a deal with the Forlish. I do not know all the details but she plans to use them to make the people turn on Jaken. They all love him now but Sumiko plans something big to destroy their trust in him. Then she can take over.’

‘What does she plan? I need to know more!’ Retsu called.

This time there was no answer.

Retsu raced up the stairs that were the only way in or out of the archive room but nobody was around, nor could he hear any footfalls on the polished wooden floor. A careful search revealed nothing else. He sighed. He had not wanted to involve Asami in this but there was no other option.

Gaibun was sure he could find some evidence that Sumiko was controlling Jaken and night time in the Tregarth forest was the perfect opportunity, with no fear of an attack. He pretended to be checking on the guards and made sure the path of his patrol took him past Jaken’s large tent on several occasions. Each time he saw nothing. He was beginning to get tired, and hungry, so decided to get a bowl of rice and go back to his tent. It seemed strange to be camping this close to Dokuzen but they were ready for a campaign to last a moon or more and it made sense to be prepared for anything. He looped past Jaken’s tent one more time and saw two figures talking together at the back, standing close. He stopped where he was, in the darkness, and was suddenly reminded of a similar scene he had witnessed before, when he saw Jaken meeting with his spy inside the Magic-weavers. Was Sumiko the spy Jaken had been seeing all along, the one he had been with in his office the night Gaibun and Sendatsu had faced Jaken in his home to trap him?

Gaibun wondered whether he should try to confront them, talk to his father or just watch. While he was still deciding, the two figures broke apart, one going back into Jaken’s tent, the second heading away into the shadows. Gaibun went after the second figure, trying to keep it in sight as he circled through the trees. If he could follow it back to Sumiko’s tent, then he would have the proof he needed, but the figure seemed to vanish suddenly, disappearing between a pair of tents, and no matter how hard he looked, he could not see anything.

Dispirited, he ate some food, one of the last to get a bowl before the cooks put out their fires, and then he made his way back to his tent. Made of a coarse cotton, stiffened and waterproofed, they were all the same, but his was set aside from the rest of the Border Patrol, as befitted its leader. He opened up the tent and stopped in shock.

‘Good evening, Gaibun,’ Sumiko said pleasantly.

Asami’s stomach felt tender and she had been unable to stomach anything more than a small bowl of plain rice that morning. She had donned the grey cloak of the esemono, planning to head out onto the streets in disguise once more, only to feel the need to sit down. She heard Retsu walk in behind her, from the greetings of the guards on the door, but had to muster the energy to get up.

‘Where is your mistress?’ Retsu asked roughly. ‘Does she know you are sitting in her chair? There needs to be more discipline in this home!’

‘Well, as it is me sitting in my chair, I would say, yes, I do know but, no, this house does not need more discipline.’ Asami threw back the cloak and stood to face him.

‘My apologies.’ Retsu offered her a short bow. ‘But what was I to think with you in a cloak like that?’

‘Perhaps the lesson is not to assume anything,’ Asami suggested.

Retsu sighed. ‘I did not come here to play word games with you. I have important news.’

‘As have I,’ Asami admitted. ‘I was wondering how best to use that information when you arrived. What have you learned?’

Retsu still stood, staring at her significantly, and she groaned inside. Never mind that Dokuzen might be about to fall, propriety had to be observed. She signalled for him to take a seat and rang a handbell for her maid to bring tea and food, as manners required.

Only when he was seated and had been served tea and refused the offer of pickled plums did he speak.

‘I was searching through the Council archives for evidence of Jaken’s treachery when somebody contacted me, using magic,’ Retsu said grimly.

‘Magic? How?’ Asami sipped her tea, intrigued.

‘I do not know,’ Retsu admitted. ‘Somehow they cast their voice down into the archive room. I was alone and it sounded as if they were beside me. I rushed up the stairs but could see nobody there.’

‘They would need to have a great deal of skill,’ Asami mused. ‘There would have to be only a dozen of us with the power to do that. Maybe not even that many.’

‘Well, they are probably high up in the Magic-weavers, because they said they knew Sumiko was in contact with the Forlish and was planning something big to make Jaken look like a fool, ensure the people fell out of love with him and allow her to take over …’

Asami gasped in horror, nearly choking on her tea as she did so. She took a gulp of tea to get her breath back.

‘That adds up with what I learned,’ she croaked. ‘I was watching Sumiko’s villa and followed her deputy, Oroku, out to the park. I was making him tell me what was happening when some young fool of a noble intervened and he escaped. But he told me he was going to see the Forlish king.’

Retsu nearly dropped his tea, placing it shakily on a table instead. ‘That is treachery on a grand scale,’ he said soberly. ‘Do you think she plans to let the Forlish defeat our warriors somehow?’

Asami shuddered at the thought. ‘Could she? This is the full strength of our people, thousands of warriors in their prime. How could they be defeated?’

Retsu grimaced. ‘We are not invincible. Their cavalry is dangerous, as Lord Konetsu and his patrol found out to their cost. Gaibun only just survived that. If Sumiko promised to hold the cavalry off with magic, while our archers concentrated on their soldiers, then did nothing …’

‘Our army would be defeated and the people would turn on Jaken, wanting to know how we could lose to mere gaijin,’ Asami breathed.

‘It seems likely,’ Retsu agreed.

‘So what do we do?’

‘Well, the good news is, we have plenty of time. It will be days, perhaps even as much as a quarter-moon, before we are close enough to face the Forlish army. I think the first thing we need to do is bring this before the Elven Council. None of them have reason to love Sumiko and a message from the entire Council has to be taken seriously by Jaken. After all, I am just there to do his bidding.’

Asami smiled gently at the bitterness creeping into Retsu’s voice.

‘You are far more than that, Lord Retsu,’ she said warmly. ‘You are the conscience of the Council and the one our people really need to be Elder Elf.’

‘That is kind but it will never happen,’ Retsu replied. ‘I think you need to join me at the Council meeting tomorrow. There the Council can hear from you what happened with Oroku. He did not join the march west, so if we send him an order to attend and he does not appear, it will speak to his guilt. I can ride west with the Council order tomorrow and meet up with Jaken by nightfall —’

‘I need to come with you,’ Asami interrupted. ‘Who knows what Sumiko might do if she is cornered like that?’

‘Too dangerous,’ Retsu said immediately.

‘For you,’ Asami pointed out. ‘I am the only one who can match her.’

Retsu nodded grudgingly. ‘It goes against my every instinct but the reward outweighs the risk. I am glad I came to speak with you. I shall see you tomorrow.’

‘Wait.’ Asami came to her feet. ‘Please, stay and eat dinner with me. It is so quiet with Gaibun away.’

Retsu hesitated.

‘Please. We have not spoken much. With Gaibun away and our child soon to join the family, it will be an opportunity to know each other a little better.’

Retsu smiled. ‘I shall be delighted. A quiet dinner will be the perfect way to relax from these thoughts of treachery and plotting.’

‘Sit down, Gaibun, we have much to talk about,’ Sumiko said warmly. She was seated comfortably on a short wooden chair and gestured him towards a second, sitting on the opposite side of the tent. There was a lantern on the ground throwing light onto her face but keeping the rear of the tent in shadow.

‘I have nothing to say to you. You want to kill my wife and unborn child. What in Aroaril’s name are you doing here?’ Gaibun growled.

‘Sit down!’ Sumiko hissed. ‘It is precisely for that reason I am here. Listen and I will explain. I have vital news about Asami and the child she carries. You need to hear this.’

Gaibun hesitated. His instincts were screaming to walk out but what could she do to him in the middle of the camp? And what if she did have something important to tell him? He sat down carefully.

‘Very sensible.’

‘What message do you have?’ Gaibun asked.

‘You needed to sit down to hear this, for it will turn your world upside down,’ Sumiko said slowly. ‘I am sorry to be the one to tell you, and to tell you like this, but that child is not yours.’

Gaibun surged to his feet. ‘What lie is this?’ he spat.

‘No lie.’ Sumiko shrugged. ‘The child is not yours and you know it, deep in your heart. And you know who is the real father, do you not?’

Gaibun sagged down onto the chair again.

‘Sendatsu,’ he groaned, the word torn out of him.

‘Of course. He and Asami have been planning this. They want you dead and out of the way so you will not disturb their happiness. If they ran away together, they knew you would come after them.’

‘No.’ Gaibun shook his head. ‘This is not true. She chose me. She came to my bed. Sendatsu left Dokuzen and ran away …’

‘She came to your bed because she had to, to disguise the pregnancy and fool you. Has she been to your bed since?’

Gaibun opened and closed his mouth. ‘No,’ he admitted. ‘She told me she was feeling sick from the pregnancy and the priest had told her not to …’

‘And yet she was with Sendatsu, just before he left. They were plotting this. Now he is on the other side, he can kill you. After all, who can tell who loosed an arrow in the midst of the battle? You will die without even seeing it and he will be free to return and comfort your grieving widow. Many will applaud him for looking after another elf’s child although, of course, as we know, it is really his.’

‘He would never do such a thing,’ Gaibun asserted.

‘Really? After seeing him murder Hanto in cold blood, how can you think he would do anything less for Asami? He killed Hanto to protect Rhiannon — what would he do to get Asami?’

‘He would do anything,’ Gaibun whispered.

‘Of course. Your death would be unpleasant but necessary.’

‘How can you know all this?’ Gaibun accused.

Sumiko laughed lightly. ‘I am ashamed to say I was helping Asami. She used my home to bed Sendatsu on many occasions. You had your own mistresses, so I did not begrudge my favourite student having some fun in your absence. We spoke often about you, and how she could get out of the marriage. I admit I advised her to kill you with magic, disguise it as something natural and then be free to do what she liked with Sendatsu. She ignored my advice even then, preferring the added spice of making you look a fool behind your back.’

‘Stop! Why are you telling me this?’ Gaibun cried.

‘Because you need to hear it. Asami has betrayed me, as she betrayed you. It is time the truth came out.’

Gaibun tried to muster his defiance, order Sumiko out of the tent and demand she stop telling him lies but a little voice inside him was saying her words were all true. The number of times he had caught Sendatsu and Asami staring smoulderingly at each other; the way she had behaved when Sendatsu had married Kayiko; Sendatsu’s own words about his love for Asami …

‘But why like this? Why not tell me? Why let me think the child was mine?’ he asked hoarsely.

‘To protect Jaken from scandal and to ensure your father stays as his supporter. Imagine what this would do for society. All of Dokuzen knows of you three — you are famous. To have the son of the Elder Elf kill the son of a clan leader to steal his pregnant wife, who is really his mistress … well, even Jaken’s reputation may not recover from that.’

‘Why are you telling me this? What have you to gain?’ Gaibun repeated.

‘It pains me to see what is going on. You are being deceived and led to your death. How could anyone stand by and see that happen?’

‘What have you to gain?’ Gaibun insisted.

Sumiko smiled thinly at him. ‘Asami has set herself against me, as has Sendatsu. Do you think I want to see them happy?’

‘Was that why you tried to kill her in the marketplace?’

Sumiko shook her head. ‘That had nothing to do with me, nor did the attack on your house. Both were made to look like my doing but I would not be so foolish as to send a handful of half-trained esemono to attack you. If I am your enemy and plan to come after you, rest assured I will send twice as many as I need to get the job done. It is insulting that people think I would be so incompetent!’

Gaibun nodded slowly. His head was shouting at him to ignore what she was saying, that she was trying to play him somehow, but his heart was sick. It felt true, it felt like all his suspicions were right. He had always known she really loved Sendatsu.

‘I don’t believe you. You are trying to make me a fool,’ he said, feebly.

Sumiko reached forwards and patted his knee gently. Her hand felt very warm and every nerve in his leg seemed to jump suddenly. ‘I know it is hard to accept the truth. And I know we have little reason to trust each other. But here is the other reason I know so much about Asami’s little plan and dirty little secrets.’ She waved towards the back of the tent and a second figure stirred there.

Gaibun started up, hand going for his sword — until he saw it was a girl, her head bowed.

‘What is this?’ he growled.

The girl lifted her head and he gasped.

‘Do you recognise your former maid, Omi?’ Sumiko said softly.

‘She left our service,’ Gaibun said.

‘She was forced to run from your household after finding out Asami’s plan. She came to me because she did not know where else to go. After Sendatsu murdered Hanto, it was clear he would do anything and she did not feel safe anywhere else.’

Gaibun stared at Omi, who kept her eyes on the ground.

‘Step into the light, girl. Tell your master what you told me,’ Sumiko encouraged.

Gaibun looked hard at her face, at the way she stood, trying to see if she had been hurt, or forced to do this in any way. He had taken little notice of her when she had been cleaning up after him but she was as he remembered. Her face was unmarked and, while she was dressed simply and properly, her kimono stretching to her throat and down to her ankles, she did not seem to be favouring a wound or hurt.

‘Master, I am sorry,’ she said softly, lifting her gaze from the ground to look right into his eyes. ‘I helped your wife hide her affair with Sendatsu from you. Many were the times I lied to you and told you she was with Magic-weavers or friends, when she was bedding Lord Jaken’s son. She came to trust me, because I never revealed what I heard or saw, and I thought I was safe. But then, on Sendatsu’s final day in Dokuzen, I caught them together. They were naked, talking about how to hide her pregnancy from you and what to do to silence you. They saw me and Sendatsu gave me a look that told me I was dead. He could not risk me revealing his foul plan for your murder. I ran, did not know where to go, until I thought of the sensei here.’

Gaibun stood up and Omi took a step back.

‘I shall not hurt you. I am not Sendatsu,’ he said gently, taking her hand. After the warmth of Sumiko’s, hers seemed very cold. ‘Look into my eyes and tell me this is all true.’

He stared into her dark eyes, trying desperately to see some sign that this was all a bad dream, that the child was his and Asami had really chosen him.

‘It is all true,’ Omi whispered, her gaze level.

Gaibun felt the truth of her words deep inside. He had always known this. How could he have been so stupid? How could he think Asami would choose him over Sendatsu? He had always been second best, always been behind Sendatsu in everything. She had always loved Sendatsu, and seen Gaibun merely as a friend.

‘I know how you must be feeling. The humiliation of always coming second to Sendatsu. The betrayal by your best friend and your wife; how they are seeking to destroy not just your life but everything you held dear. But I know a way you can beat them. I know how you can have Asami fall into your arms and truly be yours,’ Sumiko said persuasively.