Shogun (The Asian Saga Chronology) (138 page)

"Whatever it is, is official," she said in a small voice.

"Listen, Mariko-san, I'm not against the Church.  The Church isn't evil, it's the priests.  And they're not all bad.  Alvito isn't, though he's fanatic.  I swear to God I believe the Jesuits will bow to Lord Toranaga if I get their Black Ship and threaten next year's, because they've got to have money—Portugal and Spain have got to have money.  Toranaga's more important.  Will you help me?"

"Yes.  Yes, I'll help you, Anjin-san.  But, please excuse me, I cannot betray the Church."

"All I ask is that you talk to Toranaga, or help me to talk to him if you think that's better."

A distant bugle sounded.  They looked out of the windows again.  Everyone was staring west.  The head of a procession of samurai around a curtained litter approached from the direction of the castle.

The cabin door opened.  "Anjin-san, you will come now, please," the samurai said.

Blackthorne led the way on deck and down to the jetty.  His nod to Alvito was coldly polite.  The priest was equally glacial.

To Mariko, Alvito was kind.  "Hello, Mariko-san.  How nice to see you."

"Thank you, Father," she said, bowing low.

"May the blessings of God be upon you."  He made the sign of the cross over her.  "
In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti.
"

"Thank you, Father."

Alvito glanced at Blackthorne.  "So, Pilot?  How is your ship?"

"I'm sure you already know."

"Yes, I know."  Alvito looked
Erasmus
over, his face taut.  "May God curse her and all who sail in her if she's used against Faith and Portugal."

"Is that why you came here?  To spread more venom?"

"No, Pilot," Alvito said.  "I was asked here to meet Lord Toranaga.  I find your presence as distasteful as you find mine."

"Your presence isn't distasteful, Father.  It's just the evil you represent."

Alvito flushed and Mariko said quickly, "Please.  It is bad to quarrel this way in public.  I beg you both to be more circumspect."

"Yes, please excuse me.  I apologize, Mariko-san."  Father Alvito turned away and looked at the curtained litter coming through the barrier, Toranaga's pennant fluttering, and uniformed samurai before and after, hemming in a straggling, motley group of samurai.

The palanquin stopped.  The curtains parted.  Yabu stepped out.  Everyone was startled.  Nonetheless they bowed.  Yabu returned the salutation arrogantly.

"Ah, Anjin-san," Yabu said.  "How are you?"

"Good, thank you, Sire.  And you?"

"Good, thank you.  Lord Toranaga's sick.  He asked me to come in his place.  You understand?"

"Yes.  Understand," Blackthorne replied, trying to cover his disappointment at Toranaga's non-arrival.  "So sorry Lord Toranaga sick."

Yabu shrugged, acknowledged Mariko deferentially, pretended not to notice Alvito, and studied the ship for a moment.  His smile was twisted as he turned back to Blackthorne.  "
So desu
, Anjin-san.  Your ship's different from the last time I saw it,
neh?
  Yes, the ship's different, you're different, everything's different—even our world's different! 
Neh?
"

"So sorry, I don't understand, Sire.  Please excuse me but your words very fast.  As my—" Blackthorne began the stock phrase but Yabu interrupted gutturally, "Mariko-san, please translate for me."

She did so.

Blackthorne nodded and said slowly, "Yes.  Different, Yabu-sama."

"Yes, very different—you're no longer barbarian but samurai, and so is your ship,
neh?
"

Blackthorne saw the smile on the thick lips, the pugnacious stance, and suddenly he was back at Anjiro, back on the beach on his knees, Croocq in the cauldron, Pieterzoon's screams ringing in his ears, the stench of the pit in his nostrils, and his mind was shouting, 'So unnecessary all that—all the suffering and terror and Pieterzoon and Spillbergen and Maetsukker and the jail and
eta
and trapped and all your fault!'

"Are you all right, Anjin-san?"  Mariko asked, apprehensive at the look in his eyes.

"What?  Oh—oh, yes.  Yes, I'm all right."

"What's the matter with him?" Yabu said.

Blackthorne shook his head, trying to clear it and wash the hatred off his face.  "So sorry.  Please excuse me.  I'm—I—it's nothing.  Head bad—no sleep.  So sorry."  He stared back into Yabu's eyes, hoping he had covered his dangerous lapse.  "Sorry Toranaga-sama sick—hope no trouble Yabu-sama."

"No, no trouble."  Yabu was thinking, yes trouble, you're nothing but trouble and I've had nothing but trouble ever since you and your filthy ship arrived on my shores.  Izu gone, my guns gone, all honor gone, and now my head forfeit because of a coward.  "No trouble, Anjin-san," he said so nicely.  "Toranaga-sama asked me to hand over your vassals to you as he promised."  His eyes fell on Alvito.  "So, Tsukku-san!  Why are you enemy to Toranaga-sama?"

"I'm not, Kasigi Yabu-sama."

"Your Christian
daimyos
are,
neh?
"

"Please excuse me, Sire, but we are priests only, we're not responsible for the political views of those who worship the True Faith, nor do we exercise control over those
daimyos
who—"

"The
True Faith
of this Land of the Gods is Shinto, together with the Tao, the Way of Buddha!"

Alvito did not answer.  Yabu turned contemptuously away and snapped an order.  The ragged group of samurai began to line up in front of the ship.  Not one was armed.  Some had their hands bound.

Alvito stepped forward and bowed.  "Perhaps you will excuse me, Sire.  I was to see Lord Toranaga.  As he isn't coming—"

"Lord Toranaga wanted you here to interpret for him with the Anjin-san," Yabu interrupted with deliberate bad manners, as Toranaga had told him to do.  "Yes, to interpret as you alone can do so cleverly, speaking directly and at once,
neh?
  Of course you have no objection to doing for me what Lord Toranaga required, before you go?"

"No, of course not, Sire."

"Good.  Mariko-san!  Lord Toranaga asks that you see the Anjin-san's responses are equally correctly translated."  Alvito reddened but held onto his temper.

"Yes, Sire," Mariko said, hating Yabu.

Yabu snapped another order.  Two samurai went to the litter and returned with the ship's strongbox, heavy between them.  "Tsukku-san, now you will begin:  Listen, Anjin-san, firstly, Lord Toranaga's asked me to return this.  It's your property,
neh?
  Open it," he ordered the samurai.  The box was brimful with silver coins.  "This is as it was taken off the ship."

"Thank you."  Blackthorne was hardly able to believe his eyes, for this gave him power to buy the very best crew, without promises.

"It is to be put in the ship's strong room."

"Yes, of course."

Yabu waved those samurai aboard.  Then, to Alvito's growing fury as he continued with the almost simultaneous translating, Yabu said, "Next:  Lord Toranaga says you are free to go, or to stay.  When you are in our land you are samurai, hatamoto, and governed by samurai law.  At sea, beyond our shores, you are as you were before you came here and governed by barbarian laws.  You are granted the right for your lifetime to dock at any port in Lord Toranaga's control without search by port authorities.  Last, these two hundred men are your vassals.  He asked me to formally hand them over, with arms, as he promised."

"I can leave when and how I want?" Blackthorne asked with disbelief.

"Yes, Anjin-san, you can leave as Lord Toranaga has agreed."

Blackthorne stared at Mariko but she avoided his eyes, so he looked again at Yabu.  "Could I leave tomorrow?"

"Yes, if you want to."  Yabu added, "About these men.  They're all
ronin
.  All from the northern provinces.  They've all agreed to swear eternal allegiance to you and your seed.  All are good warriors.  None has committed a crime that could be proved.  All became
ronin
because their liege lords were killed, died, or were deposed.  Many fought on ships against
wako
."  Yabu smiled in his vicious way.  "Some may have been
wako
—you understand '
wako
'
?
"

"Yes, Sire."

"Those who are bound are probably bandits or
wako
.  They came forward as a band and volunteered to serve you fearlessly in return for a pardon for any past crimes.  They've sworn to Lord Noboni who handpicked all these men for you on Lord Toranaga's orders—that they've never committed any crime against Lord Toranaga or any of his samurai.  You can accept them individually, or as a group, or refuse them.  You understand?"

"I can refuse any of them?"

"Why should you do that?" Yabu asked.  "Lord Noboru picked them carefully."

"Of course, so sorry," Blackthorne told Yabu wearily, conscious of the
daimyo
's growing ill humor.  "I quite understand.  But those who are bound—what happens if I refuse them?"

"Their heads will be hacked off.  Of course.  What's that got to do with anything?"

"Nothing.  So sorry."

"Follow me."  Yabu stalked over to the litter.

Blackthorne glanced at Mariko.  "I can leave.  You heard it!"

"Yes."

"That means. . . . It's almost like a dream.  He said—"

"Anjin-san!"

Obediently Blackthorne hurried over to Yabu.  Now the litter served as a dais.  A clerk had set up a low table on which were scrolls.  A little farther off, samurai guarded a pile of short swords and long swords, spears, shields, axes, bows and arrows, that porters were unloading from pack horses.  Yabu motioned Blackthorne to sit beside him, Alvito just in front and Mariko on his other side.  The clerk called out names.  Each man came forward, bowed with great formality, gave his name and lineage, swore allegiance, signed his scroll, and sealed it with a drop of blood that the clerk ritually pricked from his finger.  Each knelt to Blackthorne a final time, then got up and hurried to the armorer.  First he was handed a killing sword, then the short one.  Each accepted both blades with reverence and examined them meticulously, expressing pride at their quality, and shoved them into his sash with savage glee.  Then he was issued other weapons and a war shield.  When the men took up their new places, fully armed now, samurai again and no longer
ronin
, they were stronger and straighter and looked even more fierce.

Last were the thirty bound
ronin
.  Blackthorne insisted on personally cutting the bonds of each.  One by one they swore allegiance as had all the others:  "On my honor as a samurai, I swear your enemies are my enemies, and total obedience."

After each man had sworn, he collected his weapons.

Yabu called out, "Uraga-noh-Tadamasa!"

The man stepped forward.  Alvito was heartsick.  Uraga—Brother Joseph—had been standing unnoticed among the samurai grouped nearby.  He was unarmed and wore a simple kimono and bamboo hat.  Yabu smirked at Alvito's discomposure and turned to Blackthorne.

"Anjin-san.  This is Uraga-noh-Tadamasa.  Samurai, now
ronin
.  You recognize him?  Understand 'recognize'?"

"Yes.  Understand.  Yes, recognize."

"Good.  Once Christian priest,
neh?
"

"Yes."

"Now not.  Understand?  Now
ronin
."

"Understand, Yabu-sama."

Yabu watched Alvito.  Alvito was staring fixedly at the apostate, who stared back with hatred.  "Ah, Tsukku-san, you recognize him too?"

"Yes.  I recognize him, Sire."

"Are you ready to translate again—or haven't you any stomach for it anymore?"

"Please continue, Sire."

"Good."  Yabu waved a hand at Uraga.  "Listen, Anjin-san, Lord Toranaga gives this man to you, if you want him.  Once he was a Christian priest—a novice priest.  Now he's not.  Now he's denounced the false foreign god and has reverted to the True Faith of Shinto and—"  He stopped as the Father stopped.  "Did you say it exactly, Tsukku-san? 
True Faith
of Shinto?"

The priest did not answer.  He exhaled, then said it exactly, adding, "That's what
he
said, Anjin-san, may God forgive him."  Mariko let that pass without comment, hating Yabu even more, promising herself vengeance on him one day soon.

Yabu watched them, then he continued, "So Uraga-san's a Christian that was.  Now he's prepared to serve you.  He can speak barbarian and the private tongue of the priests and he was one of the four samurai youths sent to your lands.  He even met the chief Christian of all the Christians, so they say—but now he hates them all, just like you,
neh?
"  Yabu was watching Alvito, baiting him, his eyes flicking back and forth to Mariko, who was listening as intently.  "You hate Christians, Anjin-san,
neh?
"

"Most Catholics are my enemy, yes," he answered, completely aware of Mariko, who was staring stonily into the distance.  "Spain and Portugal are enemies of my country, yes."

"Christians are our enemies too.  Eh, Tsukku-san?"

"No, Sire.  And Christianity gives you the key to immortal life."

"Does it, Uraga-san?" Yabu said.

Uraga shook his head.  His voice was raw.  "I no longer think so, Sire.  No."

"Tell the Anjin-san."

"Senhor Anjin-san," Uraga said, his accent thick but his Portuguese words correct and easily understandable, "I do not think this Catholicism is the lock—so sorry, is the key to immortality."

"Yes," Blackthorne said.  "I agree."

"Good," Yabu continued.  "So Lord Toranaga offers this
ronin
to you, Anjin-san.  He's renegade but from good samurai family.  Uraga swears, if you'll accept him, he'll be your secretary, translator, and do anything you want.  You'll have to give him swords.  What else, Uraga?  Tell him."

"Senhor, please excuse me.  First . . ."  Uraga took off his hat.  His hair was a stubble now, his pate shaven in samurai style, but he had no queue yet.  "First, I'm shamed my hair is not correct and I have no queue as a samurai should have.  But my hair will grow and I am not less samurai for that."  He put his hat back on his head.  He told Yabu what he had said, and those
ronin
who were near and could hear also listened attentively as he continued, "Second, please excuse me greatly but I cannot use swords—or any weapons.  I've—I've never been trained in them.  But I will learn, believe me I will learn.  Please excuse my shame.  I swear absolute allegiance to you and beg you to accept me . . ."  Sweat trickled down his face and back.