The Initiate Brother Duology (107 page)

Some important questions plagued the colonel;
did what appeared to be fortune have significance? Were there powers beyond that moved the pieces on the board to some end Tadamoto could not discern? If so, what was the meaning of this “discovery?” and what was Tadamoto’s part to play?

He pulled the curtain back and watched the city slipping past. If all was controlled by some unseen power, did it matter what choices he made? Did he, in fact, choose any of his actions?

“I waste my time,” he whispered to the night. Who can know the truth of this? Perhaps there is no such thing as fortune but only coincidence. Either way I must blunder along not knowing, doing what my instincts tell me is correct, for now that the Empire is thrown into chaos the intellect is giving way to instinct.

Instinct had brought him here. Fortune or coincidence would dictate the results.

The sampan glided to a silent halt beside stone steps and boatmen stepped ashore to hold the craft in place. A man appeared at the top of the stair and whispered. One of Tadamoto’s guards leaned close to the curtain. “The way is clear, Colonel.”

Tadamoto moved quickly, coming ashore with a grace that would have seemed more appropriate to his famous brother. Light duty armor had been chosen by the colonel for this meeting, not because there was any foreseeable danger, but the helmet visor shaded his eyes well. Tadamoto’s green eyes made him immediately recognizable and there were times when that was not desirable. Even on a night this dark he was not willing to take chances.

He crossed the stone quay to a small guard house. The doors opened immediately and Tadamoto found himself facing a bowing officer of the Imperial Guard.

“Captain.” Tadamoto nodded. “You have spoken with him?”

“Only in an attempt to establish his identity beyond doubt, Colonel.” He paused, then almost smiled. “He asked for a chair. We have treated him according to your orders.”

“How many men know of our guest?”

Doing a quick mental tally, the captain, a man twenty years older than his acting commander, answered formally. “Nine, Colonel Jaku. We have kept him well hidden.”

“None of these men can leave this compound. Keep them to themselves until I order otherwise. I will speak with him.”

They climbed a set of stone stairs and walked down a dimly lit hallway. Outside a heavy wooden door stood two guards. They bowed when the officers approached and at a signal from the captain one unbolted the door.

As he stepped into the room, Tadamoto held up a hand to the captain. “I will speak with him alone, Captain, thank you.”

A single lamp set on a low table illuminated the tiny room. The floor was covered with grass mats and in one corner bedding had been neatly folded. An expensive hat sitting on the table cast a shadow like a boat under sail. On a wooden arm chair sat a large man, well dressed, calmly regarding his visitor and making no effort to rise.

Tadamoto nodded. “Tanaka.”

The man shrugged and opened his hands as if to say,
I would deny it, but what good would that do me!

Tadamoto continued to regard the man. He realized that if he sat he would be staring up at his prisoner, as though he sat at the foot of a throne. Sly old fox, he thought. Stepping back, he leaned against the door frame. The older man did not seem to be made at all uncomfortable by this examination; he sat calmly returning the colonel’s gaze. The younger man reached up and removed his helmet, tucking it under his arm.

“You are a merchant,” Tadamoto said suddenly, “so I have come to offer an exchange.”

The man nodded. “You have captured my attention, Colonel Jaku.”

The green eyes, Tadamoto thought. The guardsman nodded. “I wish to
be told everything you know about the barbarians; this Khan and his army.”

“You spoke of an exchange, Colonel?” Tanaka said dryly.

“The Emperor does not know you have been found. I will not hide you from the Son of Heaven, for it would mean my life if your capture became known. When I report your capture, the Son of Heaven will want to know everything about your lord’s intentions and his holdings. You will be required to divulge these things. In return I will protect you—the Emperor, as you know, is neither patient nor refined in his methods. If you fall into the Emperor’s hands, I think you will answer all these questions even if you don’t wish to, and the process will be far less pleasant than the one I propose.”

Tanaka nodded sadly. “You ask me to betray my liege-lord and his House with an impressive casualness, Colonel.”

Tadamoto walked across the bare room, looking down at the floor. When he returned to the door, he put his back against the jamb again. “Let us be open, Tanaka.” He paused, choosing his words. “Civil war has all but been declared. If the Yamaku win this war, your lord’s holdings will mean nothing—there will be no Shonto to inherit them. If Lord Shonto wins, all of his holdings will be returned to him. Either way your betrayal will hardly matter. If I can give this information to my Emperor, he will be satisfied, at least for a while, and it is unlikely he will want to question you himself.” Tadamoto kicked at the floor. “For myself, I need to know what transpires in the north. This Khan, does he truly pursue Lord Shonto down the great canal?”

Tanaka regarded the young man for a moment. “And if you are told that he does and that the Empire is threatened and you also learn, if you don’t already know, that the Emperor has played a part in bringing this about, what will you do with this knowledge, Colonel Tadamoto?”

Tadamoto stopped kicking at the mat and looked up. The merchant was obviously less afraid than Tadamoto had anticipated. He is used to trading and knowing the value of what he offers, the guardsman thought. And then Tadamoto realized the truth. Tanaka believed Tadamoto kept him hidden so that he could acquire the Shonto wealth for himself. “I am not certain. Be assured, however, that my loyalty is to my Emperor.”

“That is why you have me hidden from his view and why you have offered me this exchange?”

Tadamoto looked away for a moment. “If this Khan comes to take the Throne, I must convince the Emperor to prepare for that war and forget this feud with the Shonto. But I must have proof.”

“You have your own sources, I am sure. What do they tell you?”

“I ask this question of you, merchant, in fair exchange.” And then he added, “I tell you in truth that I do not share my Emperor’s hatred of your lord’s House.”

“Perhaps, Colonel, I should be the one offering the exchange.” Tanaka leaned forward in his chair, putting his palms together. “My liege-lord cannot hope to defeat the barbarian without an army. You raise an army to defend the Yamaku against the Shonto, but the threat comes from beyond our borders. The man who controls the Imperial Army will decide if Wa stands or falls.” Tanaka looked up at the younger man; it was an appeal. “As you are the man raising this force and the acting commander of the Emperor’s Guard, you are the man most able to seize control of the forming army. Would you not rather have the histories say that Jaku Tadamoto saved the Empire than Jaku Tadamoto followed his Emperor, loyally, in Wa’s destruction.”

“Treason, in either act or word,” Tadamoto said coolly, “is a serious crime in our Empire and I view it as such. You are aware of the penalty.”

“Treason…” Tanaka said, ignoring the threat. “It was treason to pay gold to the barbarians to raid into our Empire, Colonel Jaku.”

Tadamoto turned slowly, trying not to show any response to this last remark. Raising his hand to knock on the door, he said, “All of the Shonto holdings. I will have paper and brush brought to you. And I must know Shonto’s intentions.”

“I am only a vassal-merchant, Colonel, do you really believe I am party to the plans of Lord Shonto Motoru?”

“You have known him longer than anyone. He calls you sum—I know this.”

Tanaka seemed to struggle for a moment before speaking. “You have a reputation as a historian, Colonel, so you are aware that the Throne of Wa has been within reach of the Shonto many times…yet they have always refused it. Imperial dynasties come and go, the Shonto have seen many. If one wishes, without doubt, to eliminate one’s House, ascend the Dragon Throne. Every Imperial Family falls within a few generations.”

Tadamoto raised his hand to knock again. “All of his holdings, to start with.”

“I will need a table and another lamp.”

Tadamoto nodded toward the table at Tanaka’s feet.

Holding his hand up the older man said, “This high, and a second lamp.”

Tadamoto rapped on the door which was immediately opened by the guard. The colonel stopped as he was about to step out. “If you will not assist me, merchant, I cannot help you.”

D
ESPITE THE SEASON and weather, the entire situation seemed very familiar. Lord Komawara walked his horse through the forest in the hills west of the man-made sea. Unlike his time in the Jai Lung Hills, the day was warm and filled with the sounds and scents of spring.

War seemed of no concern to the animals of the hills. Birds sang their mating songs and hawks and falcons hunted without regard for the long line of warriors that snaked through the trees.

Thirteen hundred men had survived the attack on the barbarian supply rafts and the several skirmishes that followed. Rohku Saicha must have performed his task admirably, bottling up the enemy army on the road, for no barbarians came to the rescue, allowing Komawara and his force to escape. Pursuit by barbarian warriors from the supply rafts had been tentative at best; they were not willing to risk the rest of their supply train by leaving it undefended. Jaku and Komawara had easily beaten back these attempts and then had led their men into the hills.

Lord Shonto’s archers had controlled the hills since the barbarian army had started down the road, and though many of the bowman were gone now the barbarians were still quite reluctant to venture far from their road.

From out of the foliage ahead one of Komawara’s several guides appeared, trotting at the pace they never seemed to vary. The lord was sure these men could run like that all day without signs of strain. The man stopped, leaning on his bow, waiting for Komawara to approach. A huntsman by trade, he was typical of his type, tall, lean, and sinewy. There was an air of the forest
creature about this man. Even now the lord realized that the guide had stopped where anyone but Komawara would find him hard to see among trees and bushes.

Bowing quickly the man almost whispered, “There is a glade with a stream and new spring grass less than a rih distant. It will be a good place to refresh the horses.” Looking around with the air of a wary animal he went on. “There are signs of barbarian patrols coming into the forest ahead. They are small in number, however. If we see them, we will make them believe Lord Shonto’s bowmen are still here in force.” A smile flashed and was gone. “Tomorrow we will be through the hills, but the danger will be greater then, for a time. The barbarians control the lands immediately beyond the hills, now. We will need to have rested horses to travel quickly. If Botahara smiles upon us, we will be back with Lord Shonto’s fleet in three days.” The smile flashed again.

“What of Captain Rohku?” Komawara asked. “Is there no sign of him?”

The man looked down as he shook his head. “None yet, Sire, though there is no reason we should cross the captain’s track. The hills,” he waved at the trees, “spread over many rih and it is no doubt Captain Rohku’s intention to avoid detection.”

Komawara nodded. “Lead us to the glade, then. Our horses are in need.”

They pressed on. Komawara called a retainer forward and sent him to check on the wounded—so many had been victims of their injuries since the retreat. A second man he sent down the column to inform Jaku Katta of their pending rest. The Guard Commander stayed close to his men and showed great concern for the injured. It gained him much respect and loyalty.

Despite the losses Komawara did not think they had spent lives unwisely in their raid on the supply rafts. It had been impossible to destroy the entire train with such a small force, for there had been many more rafts than Komawara had believed possible. Still, they had acquitted themselves well. Even Jaku Katta had paid him a compliment when the attack was over, not something Komawara had expected.

After Komawara’s force had reached the relative security of the hills, he had listened with some surprise to the reports of the men who had destroyed rafts. Much that the rafts carried was not grown in the desert: grains, rice, corrapepper, dried fish. Many of these foods could have originated only on the islands of the southern barbarians, which unsettled Komawara. Despite
the common pejorative, these two races had nothing in common. Komawara would have guessed them barely aware of each other’s existence—two non-seafaring peoples separated by a wide ocean. Impressive what gold and the ships of pirates could obtain—if, indeed, it had been pirates. He remembered Lord Kintari.

The sound of running water mixed with the sound of the Plum Blossom Wind, wafting through the trees. The forest was more than half pine here, mixed with plane trees and slip maple. The scent of the trees was strong. Unfolding leaves waved in the soft breeze, dappling the sunlight where it touched the forest floor. The paper white of birch trees appeared and beyond them Komawara could see the sun green of spring grass. It was a bigger pasture than Komawara expected and spoke of itinerant herdsmen; there was likely a hut concealed nearby.