“It won’t be enough,” Yorinobu said. “Even if they can destroy my
shikigami
, it won’t be before it has ripped the princess to shreds!”
“It had best move quickly, then. How long, do you think, before our owls destroy it? One is no match for your creature, or even two, but seven? I don’t think the outcome is in doubt.”
“Not long,” Yorinobu said. “Yet plenty of time to accomplish our mission.”
“It would be,” I said, “if it could find her.”
“She is . . . ” His voice trailed off as the full reality of the situation finally began to sink in.
“Just outside the walls? I know what you heard me say, Lord Yorinobu. I really was lying, that one time. She is safe, I assure you.”
At that moment Yoshitsune returned, pushing a squirming little man whose hands were tied behind his back. Yoshitsune kicked the back of the man’s knee and he fell into a kneeling position at my feet.
“Moritomo-san, I presume?”
“I took these from him, my lord,” Yoshitsune said.
Kenji stepped forward to examine the large sheet of
washi
Moritomo had apparently been writing on. After a moment the priest nodded. “This would have been another giant bird, if Yoshitsune-san hadn’t interrupted him.”
I looked down at the cowering Moritomo. Oddly enough, he seemed familiar. “Look at me,” I said. Very slowly and reluctantly the man raised his head, and I nodded. “I know you. I spared your life back when the Abe clan’s northern castle fell. Apparently, I was in error. The chance to correct a mistake is a rare gift.”
“Moritomo—”
Lord Yorinobu didn’t get the chance to finish his threat, as Moritomo had already placed his head on the ground again. “Mercy, Lord Yamada. I can help you! There are things . . . things I know.”
“
Che.
” Yorinobu looked disgusted. “Little weasel of a yin-yang magician! I should have killed you after your first failure.”
I ignored him and tapped Moritomo’s head with the toe of my sandal. “Then we shall have a chat together, you and I, about old times and new, and you will have the chance to convince me your head is best attached to your neck. But I warn you—I am not going to change my mind easily. Yoshitsune?”
Yoshitsune grabbed the man’s shoulder, hauled him not very gently to his feet, and led him out of the courtyard.
Kenji glanced at the sky. “I’m surprised it’s taken as long as it has.”
So many things could have gone wrong up until then. It still could go very wrong. I breathed a hearty sigh of relief when four of the great owls returned to perch on the wall near us, scraps of white paper fluttering in their talons. “That’s done then. Tomorrow, Lord Yorinobu, we will travel to the barrier at Settsu, and you can judge for yourself whether I lied about anything else.”
Yorinobu’s glare would have spoiled a sunny day. “Think what you want, Lord Yamada, but this is not done.”
Considering I still didn’t know what ‘this’ was, Yorinobu’s statement wasn’t one I cared to argue.
“Only a fool would believe otherwise,” I said. “Just as you did.”
Kenji sighed. “Can I discharge these things now? They’re giving me a headache.”
CHAPTER TEN
Back in the safety of Kanemore’s estate, our next meeting with Princess Tagako was more like a council of war than an audience. Aside from Kenji and myself, Akimasa and Morofusa were also summoned. After commending them both for their actions during the confrontation with the governor, Tagako addressed me directly.
“Thanks to you, Lord Yamada, for revealing my enemy. You were right. Though I think we all understand he was likely serving as proxy for another.”
“I could very easily have been wrong,” I said.
“Certainly—and the consequences of being wrong would have been . . . embarrassing, in the extreme,” Tagako said. “Yet the reward of being right is the governor’s plotting has been put to an end.”
“I weighed the risks against the possible gain and took the chance. One of those risks is you were outside of Kanemore’s compound, and I knowingly put your person in danger. The situation could have gone much worse.”
“Speaking of which,” Kenji said, “are you going to explain exactly how you knew the governor was trying to assassinate Her Highness?”
“I did
not
know for certain. Yet the indications were ones we had all been privy to, at one time or another. First, the initial attack took place in Kawachi province. Logistically, such attempts would be more easily accomplished in one’s home territory.”
“There was the attack before we crossed the river into Ise,” Morofusa pointed out. “And the
shikigami
attack was at Osaka Bay in Izumi.”
“True, but as the
shikigami
was a winged creature, it could have been sent from anywhere. As for the previous attack, they were common bandits. If they had been Yorinobu’s men, trained
bushi
, things might have gone very differently. Nor was Her Highness with us at the time, and I think by now we have clearly established she was the target. Then there was the
inugami
incident itself. We knew neither Master Kenji nor I were the intended victims—the creature ignored us. The governor? No, he had already departed, and he would have done so in sight of the creature, since it had been placed with a view of the audience hall. The governor’s leaving when he did could be considered mere coincidence, but in hindsight it was clearly planned. It was Governor Yorinobu’s
bushi
who were tasked with securing the west wing of the temple grounds, and it was there we found evidence of the
inugami
’s creation. I was forced to the conclusion either they did a very substandard job, or they were working with whoever created the creature. I strongly suspected the latter.”
“Yet it was only suspicion,” Kenji said.
I grunted. “Very true. I had no proof of anything. I only hoped the joyful prospect of us willfully delivering the princess into his hands would prompt him to reveal his intentions. Fortunately, he did so.”
“You haven’t mentioned the unfortunate Harutada,” Morofusa said.
“Yes, Morofusa-shōshō. His fate was probably the one raindrop which made the bucket overflow. Such a severe penalty implied a severe affront, and as his execution followed so closely upon his association with us, it was more than reasonable to believe his crime had something to do with us. ‘Disobedience’ implies an order not carried out. Yet, so far as his obligation to us, he had done nothing wrong. I suspected this was precisely the problem.”
Morofusa looked grim. “Aside from what Lord Yorinobu revealed to us, Moritomo has confirmed much of what you suspected,” he said. “He was not called upon to attempt assas-
sination by magic until it was plain Harutada had failed. The governor himself has refused to tell us who took him off his leash or what they hoped to gain. With your permission, I would like to try to persuade him.”
I sighed. “As much as the prospect delights me, I cannot sanction it.”
“I certainly could,” Princess Tagako said. “I will defer to Lord Yamada’s judgment, though I would like to hear the reason behind it.”
Apparently Akimasa felt the same. “Your pardon, my lord, but why not?” he asked. “He deserves worse.”
“We already know the answer to the first question. He talked about his ‘mission,’ so it is clear he was acting for others. The Montoku Genji are known for their association with the Fujiwara.”
“Just as the Seiwa Genji, of which I am a part, were once known as ‘The Teeth and Claws of the Fujiwara,’ ” Morofusa said. “That is no longer true, as Lord Yoriyoshi has chosen to serve the Chrysanthemum Throne first of all. Loyalties may be long-lived, but they are not fixed in stone.”
I bowed slightly. “Morofusa-shōshō makes an excellent point, but you’ll pardon me if I think we can make a reasonable assumption. Whatever the shortcomings of his judgment, Yorinobu knew the potential consequences. Only someone who commanded either his loyalty or gratitude could compel him to undertake this. Since he owed his position to his association with Chancellor Michinaga, the Fujiwara have both.” What I didn’t mention was an overt admission from Lord Yorinobu would implicate the Fujiwara in a plot against the royal family. I thought the emperor and his advisors were in the best position to judge if this was a course they wished to pursue.
“Conceding that, there is still the question of ‘why,’ ” Kenji said.
“Also true, but I have reluctantly come to the conclusion Lord Yorinobu does not know.”
“It is difficult enough to understand how I could be a threat to anyone,” Princess Tagako said. “Yet to see for myself how fervently that man wanted my life . . . I have no words. One could do this without even knowing why?”
Morofusa bowed low. “Highness, I too must reluctantly concede to Lord Yamada’s position. As a
bushi
himself, and the scion of a
buke
family, Lord Yorinobu would understand an obligation to a superior, whoever he accepted in that role. If Lords Yoriyoshi or Yoshiie ordered me to attack an enemy, I would do it with all means at my disposal. I would not ask why.”
Morofusa’s attitude was one I had encountered many times before in my dealings with the military families. While of necessity I had donned armor and fought alongside
bushi
during the war against the Abe, I was not a
bushi
, nor did I aspire to be. I could not see the unquestioning obedience I had seen in Yorinobu and others as an altogether positive thing.
“I am no one’s enemy,” Princess Tagako said, “But I understand your meaning, Morofusa-san. Has there been any further word from the Capital?”
Her last question was directed at me, so I bowed again. “Fortunately I was not mistaken when I told Lord Yorinobu that his
bushi
were standing down. Once the emperor’s representatives arrived in force at the barriers, they were quick to comply. We can expect the new governor with Taira reinforcements within two days. Your return to the Capital should suffer no further delays.”
Princess Tagako sounded a bit wistful. “I know you gentlemen have other duties. Yet what shall I do without you?”
I had been wondering the same thing, so far as her safety was concerned. Now that the immediate danger seemed past, I had received part of the answer in a personal communication from Prince Kanemore. “I am informed you will be taken, if it pleases you, to Prince Kanemore’s mansion compound in the third ward. I hope I have the privilege of being of further service to you, but I trust his ability to protect you until the threat can be identified and removed.”
“So do I,” she said.
Later I found myself wondering if she had been referring to Prince Kanemore or to me or even both. I thought about this far more often than I considered proper, and yet I was still wondering on the day we finally returned to Kyoto.
It had been three long years since my last visit to the Capital. I am not sure what I expected to see, as nothing seemed to have changed. The shrine at Gion still drew its crowds of worshippers, Shijo Bridge still arched over a branch of the Kamo river. I planned to go there some night to verify this, yes, on moonlit nights the ghosts of men and women who had killed themselves for love still made a stately procession over the water and under the bridge. I did notice a very few, very small
youkai
lurking about but nothing which caused me any concern. It was as if I had never left. Except in the multiple instances where it was nothing of the sort.
The Widow Tamahara’s establishment still served wine and otherwise plied its trade, but my old rooms had long since been given over to wine storage, which seemed oddly appropriate, given my history. Not that my return there had ever been a viable option under the circumstances. Only belatedly did it occur to me I needed to make lodging arrangements, but apparently this had already been settled. Akimasa and Morofusa’s escort duties were done, so they left us to make their reports to Lord Yoriyoshi’s son Yoshiie, who was in the city at the time. After they left, my attendants gently ushered Kenji and me to a palatial compound only a little smaller than my home in Kamakura. There was something about the house and garden which seemed very familiar.
“Whose house is this?” I asked Hiroshi, the same runner who had delivered Princess Tagako’s first letter to me.
“Yours, my lord,” was the somewhat bemused reply.
I frowned. “Kenji-san, did I buy a house in the Capital and simply forget?”
The priest shrugged. “While it does sound like something you might do, I cannot recall hearing of such a thing. Hiroshi-kun, is this perhaps merely an expression, meaning that the real owner has given Lord Yamada the use of it while in the Capital?”
“No, Master Kenji,” Hiroshi insisted. “Lord Yamada is the owner.”
I missed Ichiro badly at that moment. Surely, he would know the circumstances, but I allowed myself to be ushered inside, where a collection of servants—including cooks, masters of the wardrobe, couriers, grooms, and other servants, male and female—were arranged and waiting to greet us.
“Obviously, you were expected,” Kenji said dryly.
A balding older man identified himself as Takamasa, my steward for the property. He came forward and bowed, holding up a sealed scroll. I wasn’t sure what I expected to find there, but suddenly I knew why the mansion seemed familiar.
Lord Yamada,
As I am no longer connected to this world, I have no need of this place. For your past friendship and aid to me in my time of confusion and anger, to pay my debt I make a gift of it to you. May the Buddha bless you.
The One You Knew as Lady Snow
I let Kenji read it in turn. “Now I know why this place looked familiar to me,” he said. “It belonged to Taira no Hoshiko. I do not know the name she uses as a nun, but I knew she was still alive.”
Lady Hoshiko was already a nun when I met her, years before, but I didn’t know this at the time, and she had been careful to conceal her vocation. It was true I had spared her life when her crimes and her own sorrow demanded her head, but considering the guilt she had to live with, I was not certain I had done her any kindness. She, it seemed, did not agree. While I did not remember such a large staff when Lady Hoshiko had lived here, I was told all had been arranged beforehand.