The Initiate Brother Duology (88 page)

Without taking his eyes from the point in the distance or deigning to look at his inquisitor, he answered. “I am only a poor old man, Brother, do not ask me to point the Way.”

“I have no coins, old man, but I will see you receive coins aplenty if you answer my question.”

The old man smiled. “The Way, Brother is not so easily found.” He paused to concentrate on his task for a second. “And I am not a teacher.”

Shuyun went to speak again but realized what he should have seen immediately—the man was blind. Looking around at the many alleys and stairs, Shuyun shook his head. There was no one else to ask.

“Who shall I ask if not you, old sage?” Shuyun leaned against the wall to catch his breath.

“That is the worst of it, Brother. Until the Teacher comes, there is no one.” He managed to free the broken strap suddenly and explored the damage with twisted fingers. He did not like what he felt. “Tell me your name, Brother.”

“Shuyun.”

The thin smile appeared again. “He who bears. What is it you carry, Brother Shuyun?”

Shuyun sat staring for a moment—he had once been a scholar, this shriveled old shadow of a man. Only a scholar would know the origin of his name. He looked down at the man’s feet. His other sandal was as much a ruin as the one he held in his hands.

Shuyun slipped quickly out of his own footwear and put these in the man’s hands. “To aid you in your search for the Way, old sage.”

The man ran his fingers over the soft leather, his smile returning. Shuyun turned back the way he had come, bare feet over cold cobbles. He had not gone three paces before the old man spoke again.

“If you do not know what it is you bear, Brother, you risk taking the wrong path.”

Shuyun looked over his shoulder. The old man sat, gaze still fixed on a distant point, stroking his gift.

“I bare my feet, old sage, and pray to Botahara to guide them.”

The old man smiled now, rocking back and forth like a child. He laughed gently.

*   *   *

As he walked back to the palace, Shuyun was met by an anxious young guard whose great relief at finding his lord’s Spiritual Advisor unharmed was visible. When the guard realized that the monk walked barefoot, he immediately tried to give him his sandals and was somewhat disconcerted when Shuyun refused.

Returning to the palace gate, Shuyun retrieved his scroll from Corporal Rohku and retired from the bustle to his own rooms. After an insistent servant had bathed his feet, Shuyun was able to be alone. He retreated to his balcony with the package, broke the seal with great care, and unwrapped the scroll, holding his breath as he did so, much to his surprise.

The scroll was new, doing away with Shuyun’s most irrational expectation—Shimeko’s words had affected him more than he realized. The paper was plain, common in fact, a dull shade of yellowish-brown, and the brush work, though perfectly executed, was unremarkable. He read.

Shuyun sat for a long moment, looking out over the roofs of the palace. The wind still blew, pulling the clouds into long ragged banners. He unrolled the scroll further, hoping there would be more and something soft fell onto his knees. Looking down, Shuyun closed his eyes and began to pray. As he did so, tears ran onto his cheeks though he did not feel them. He chanted the long prayer for forgiveness and then the prayer for thanksgiving. Yet he still dared not open his eyes.

When finally he looked upon this gift, he thought his soul would swell until it spread across the sky. His fingers trembled when he reached out and took Hitara’s gift into his hands. A simple white blossom, five elongated petals tinged with purple, as soft and supple as if it had just been plucked.

“Botahara be praised,” Shuyun whispered. “The flower of the Udumbara.”

S
HONTO ROLLED THE scroll with great care as though it were very old and rare. He sat near a screen partially opened to the cool day and, like the others present, Shonto still wore outdoor garb. Preparations for the move south were in motion and Shonto had walked the quay to see some of this firsthand. It was the lord’s way to have his presence known in times of difficulty.

Shonto seemed more grave than usual though one could hardly detect any effects of the burdens he bore or the work he had been doing. It was part of the lord’s persona—his apparent youthfulness was due less to his appearance than to his manner, his exuberance. But today the exuberance was muffled under a layer of seriousness.

“It is beyond question, Shuyun, you have no doubt?”

The monk nodded. “Though this man is a mystery to my Order, there is no doubt that he is a true follower of Botahara. I am convinced that what Hitara has written is true.”

Shonto looked to General Hojo Masakado.

The general did not hesitate. “If this information is not true, I am at a loss to know what purpose such lies would serve. It is my counsel, Sire, that we should act as though Brother Hitara’s information is beyond doubt.”

Shonto nodded, then turned to Kamu.

“I agree, Lord Shonto, though I would feel more at ease if we knew more of this Brother from the desert.” Kamu threw up his hand in resignation. Of all Shonto’s senior staff, Kamu was affected most by the preparations that
they engaged in. His age was beginning to tell. Yet he went about his work with customary efficiency and though he seemed to be aging daily, there was never a complaint.

Shonto turned to Komawara next.

“I do not claim to have a truth sense, Sire, but I met Brother Hitara in the desert and I do not believe for a moment that he would lie to us. The guard’s description fit Brother Hitara perfectly and, like General Hojo, I can’t imagine that giving us such information, were it wrong, would benefit anyone. Even the barbarians would rather we stayed in Seh where they could easily defeat us. We have only a few days, Sire, I think we should act immediately.” Komawara bowed.

Shonto looked over at Nishima.

“Certainly we should act, Sire, but I don’t think we can leave Seh before the barbarians have crossed the border. I do not mean to tell you your duties as governor, but we cannot abandon the people of Seh entirely.”

Shonto considered this. “We can begin our move down the canal, though some may stay behind until the true situation is realized in Seh. A small group can still easily outdistance a large army.” Shonto bowed to Nishima, then turned to the Imperial Guardsman. “General Jaku?”

The presence of Jaku Katta at this council was a mystery to everyone but Shonto who had invited him. It was doubly a mystery, for Jaku had not been told of Brother Hitara in the original story of the journey into the desert. Perhaps it was not such a surprise to Jaku that he had not been told everything—he had lived in the Emperor’s palace after all. The Guard Commander bowed formally.

“Lord Shonto, I agree with Lady Nishima. We cannot begin to move our forces south until the barbarian threat is realized by the people of Seh. I am forced to admit that this is a matter of pride as well as prudence. If we leave now, we will be seen as either mad or cowardly. If we leave after the barbarian army has been seen for what it is, our actions will be viewed differently by the lords of this province. As I say, it is a matter of pride—I am a soldier, please excuse me.”

Other men in the room nodded. Pride was at issue here with all but Shuyun and perhaps Lady Nishima, though none had spoken of it.

Shonto nodded thoughtfully. “Lord Komawara, what do you think your countrymen will do when they see the scale of the barbarian army?”

The young lord considered for a moment; he had embarrassed himself in
Shonto’s council in the past and was taking some care not to repeat this. “I fear that fewer men than we would hope will follow us south, Lord Shonto. The Taiki prepare as we speak but, as General Jaku has said, pride will dictate the actions of many. Some will stay to fight, though they will understand the futility.”

Shonto pulled his armrest closer. “Kamu-sum, the tract that you distributed—when can we expect to see some response to that?”

Kamu did a mental count of days. “Soon, I would expect, Sire. The lure of gold is great. Armed men from Itsa and Chiba provinces should be making their way toward us as we speak.”

“Send recruiting officers and staff down the canal,” Shonto said, “as soon as you can—tomorrow if it is possible. Have them begin work in a station south of Seh’s border. Then have them move in seven days. We will keep them ahead of us. Put a responsible man in charge of this, we do not want a stream of soldiers joining our flotilla and slowing us as we move. Camps must be created in strategic places for these men. It will mean thinning our ranks, but we’ll have to assign officers to the recruits—we need to have them ready and useful. General Hojo, it will mean promotions for many junior officers—see to it.”

Kamu and Hojo bowed.

Shonto stared out the open shoji for a moment.

“There is other news.” Shonto reached out and moved Hitara’s scroll as though its angle to the light was not quite correct. “I have received word from the Emperor,” Shonto said quietly. He looked up at the others. “The Son of Heaven writes that an army is being raised for the defense of Seh.”

Shonto seemed to enjoy the response of the people present or perhaps he made some secret assessment of those present by observing how they responded to the unexpected.

Lady Nishima stared openly and with some degree of contempt at Jaku Katta, thinking to herself that he had again proven himself incapable of telling the truth.

Kamu was not the first to recover, but he spoke first. “Si-Sire, did the Emperor not receive his empty tax box?”

“The Son of Heaven has asked that I look into this matter. The governor’s staff, the Son of Heaven suggested, have acted in a most foolish manner. Certainly Seh must retain some of her revenue for defense, but….” Shonto shrugged. “We are asked to prepare a document describing our exact needs.
Our failure to remit our taxes has been overlooked. So, as requested, we will prepare a report for the Emperor explaining our military needs.”

“What will we tell him?” Hojo asked.

“The truth.” Shonto smiled. “Does that shock you, General?”

Everyone, including Hojo, laughed.

“General Jaku, perhaps you can explain the significance of the Emperor’s decision.”

Jaku bowed. “I had begun to lose hope myself, Sire. My friends at court could not prevail in the council to have an army raised to defend Seh. You can imagine why. This army the Emperor writes of is intended to defend the capital from the army that Lord Shonto raises—the tract offering to pay gold to armed men must have caused a great deal of discussion. The Son of Heaven fears other Houses joining with us.

“The Imperial force is not being prepared to fight the Khan, but it is an army nonetheless: who will control this army once the true threat is apparent, that is the issue.”

Shonto’s staff bowed toward Jaku.

“It is some sign of hope, General Jaku. At least the Empire will not be entirely unprepared. How large a force does the Emperor gather?”

Jaku opened his hands. “This is not yet clear. I hope to know soon.”

Shuyun bowed to his liege-lord. “Undoubtedly the Emperor’s force will be large enough to counter Lord Shonto’s army—that is the threat the Throne perceives. If it is to our advantage that the Emperor raise a large force, we could assist our cause by exaggerating the number of our own soldiers.”

Komawara almost grinned. “Brother Shuyun, you surprise me. Is this what one learns from the writings of Botahara?”

Shuyun responded as though no one present smiled. “I have recently tried to broaden my education, Lord Komawara. I have heard it said that the lie no one doubts is spoken by an honorable man. We may tell a great lie and be believed.”