by Guy Antibes
Okiku chewed on her lip. “It wouldn’t hurt if he did that, Torii.”
“Very well. I will give half an hour to fetch the man,” the Pearl Mist leader said.
Jack nodded and teleported to the street across from the inn and stepped inside.
Yoki stood and walked with Jack to an alley across the street. In the span of a quick breath, Grigar’s friend stood facing a seated Torii Ishoru. The leader jumped to his feet.
“I know you can teleport, but it is another thing to see you appear with this man in the midst of my audience room,” Torii said. He looked at Yoki and held up the small scroll. “Are your intentions honorable?”
Yoki nodded. “They are. My old friend Grigar told you about his visit and what we talked about?”
“I don’t know what you discussed, but the ledger pages are evidence they were in your midst.”
“I let them examine our sympathizer list. When you look at it, you will find the names of fellow Masukaians who support your organization and mine. What you sought by subterfuge was always yours for the asking. We are interested in making an alliance. It isn’t a merger, but we have aligned interests at present and will continue to have until the present crisis is over.”
Torii looked uncomfortable as he examined the sheaf of notes that Namori had written. Jack watched him wince from time to time. Some of those names would have to be notable for Torii Ishoru to recognize, Jack thought.
“There might be grounds for exploring a way to cooperate with each other,” Torii said. “I will talk to my advisors and give you an indication of how we lean by the end of tomorrow.”
Yoki smiled. “I will be at the inn should you need me.” He looked at Jack. “Shall we return?”
In a few minutes, Jack reappeared in Torii’s chambers.
“Your thoughts?” Torii asked Jack.
“The Pine Bears indicated that they have multiple people here that inform them of what you are doing. Do you have spies who are assigned to the Pine Bears?”
Torii sucked on his lower lip. “No one has infiltrated the highest levels. We suspected the ledger that held the supporter list was at Minza’s manor, but that was it. The servant who provided us with the map left the academy as soon as you embarked on your mission.”
“All their servants wear uniforms, by the way,” Grigar said. “They are soldiers first, domestics second, or so we were told.”
Okiku sighed. “What else did they tell you?”
Grigar gave Jack an encouraging look.
“They claimed that a previous emperor hid the Battlebone in Yomomai. That is not what you or Iraishi Ranturo told us,” Jack said.
“You are accusing us of lying?” Torii said, somewhat indignantly.
“Some might call it that. Is the Battlebone in Yomomai, or not?”
Okiku put her hand over her eyes. “It is.” She looked at Torii. “It is time to tell them the truth.”
“That is not your decision,” Torii said.
Okiku glared at Torii. “And what are you going to do now that the Corandians have spoken to Takatai Minza and have gotten the Pine Bear side of things? Do you think they will willingly go on another mission for us without question?” She looked at Jack. “Minza is right. The Battlebone is in possession of the emperor, who has no idea how to use it. With the Red Herons stirring up their supporters in the imperial government, the emperor’s rule might become precarious. It isn’t yet.” She turned back to Torii Ishoru. “I’ve said enough. The rest is up to you.”
“Okiku isn’t quite accurate when she says the Battlebone is in possession of the emperor. Everyone thinks it has been hidden somewhere on the palace grounds, but no one has seen it for so long its existence has turned into myth and largely forgotten,” Torii said. “We don’t know exactly where the Battlebone is, and neither does Emperor Rakota. I will talk to Yoki Tirashima, but none of you have a right to sit in on that discussion. You may return to your quarters while I contact Iraishi Ranturo, who has remained in Yomomai.”
Jack left the room with Tanner and Grigar. Namori trailed them out and followed them to the dining hall. Tanner left and returned with Helen. A Masukaian servant watched a napping Jackie, Helen said.
They took a place away from other diners.
“Helen has some interesting news,” Tanner said.
“The Battlebone is in Yomomai, but there is a rumor that a former emperor lost it or hid it,” Helen said. “I had a hard time getting people to talk, but a Deep Mist warrior, a woman, asked to see Jackie. There aren’t many babies at the academy. I took advantage of the social call to ask her about the political situation in the capital. As she played with our daughter, she became very open.”
“What does the woman do at the academy?” Jack asked.
“She trains women how to fight in creative ways,” Helen asked.
“Fight dirty, you mean?” Tanner said.
Namori nodded. “I know her. She seemed very arrogant, to me.”
Helen smiled. “I’m a bit that way myself,” she said. “We became friends in one of her classes while I wanted to keep in fighting trim while carrying Jackie around in my stomach. I have the impression her loyalties are to Deep Mist first, and then Pearl Mist.”
“That is why she opened up to you?” Grigar asked.
“I won’t divulge womanly secrets,” Helen said.
“Fair enough,” the Lajian said. “She is credible?”
Helen snorted. “As much as anyone around here.” She looked at Namori. “Who do you trust in Yomomai?”
“Evidently not as many as I had thought,” Namori said, looking a little surprised Helen had included her in the conversation. “I didn’t know where the Battlebone was, but then I never asked. I never knew anything about it before you showed up in Taiyo.”
“Don’t feel very bad. Most people here don’t even know what it is,” Helen said. “My contact only knew because Torii Ishoru asked a group of Deep Mist graduates some questions about retrieving it not long after we showed up. It was her impression that Torii would eventually send us in after it rather than have Deep Mist Masukaians get caught trying.”
“Politics,” Jack said. “The time isn’t right, so we are sent on missions to keep us occupied until the time is right for him.”
Tanner shook his head. “We could be here for another two or three years waiting for something to happen.”
“Not so. The Red Herons are getting restive,” Helen said.
“Pearl Mist leadership has become timid,” Grigar said. “Okiku wanted to proceed, that was certain. Torii Ishoru is vacillating while the Pine Bears have infiltrated his academy. I’ll bet he is under pressure to wait.”
“Not from Takatai Minza,” Jack said. “Should we begin to get information outside the Pearl Mist?” He looked at Namori, not wanting her to hear what he had to say, but Jack didn’t want to send her away.
“Maybe you might want to talk to Keneto Kaseru,” Namori said. “He is more a friend of Iraishi Ranturo than Torii Ishoru. My father also knows him. Should I try to see if he will talk to us?”
“I don’t know what we have to lose,” Grigar said. “Unless we become prisoners, we can pursue our own interests.”
Tanner grinned. “I agree.” He looked at Helen. “Maybe we should get another place for us than here.”
“I started asking around while you were gone. We can leave whenever we need to,” Helen said.
Jack sighed and looked around at everyone. “We keep this secret?”
“As much as possible,” Grigar said. “If Namori approaches Lord Kaseru, the noble might go directly to Torii.”
“Or he might not really be a Pearl Mist supporter,” Tanner said. “If the government is unstable, that means that there are people who are becoming less persuaded to support the emperor.”
“In the midst of all this, Yoki Tirashima will be discussing an alliance with the Pearl Mist,” Jack said.
“You can’t have too many irons in the fire,” Grigar said.
~
Jack sparred with Hidori in one of the training rooms when Namori appeared at the door.
“We are done here?” Hidori asked, nodding to Namori.
“For now,” Jack said. He had talked to Hidori about what he knew, but it wasn’t any more than Helen’s contact.
“Can you come with me to Lord Kaseru’s mansion?” Namori asked.
Jack nodded. “I just need to wash up a bit and put on my Deep Mist clothes.”
Namori gave him a smile. “That would be fine. I’ll wait outside your room.”
The two of them emerged onto the main thoroughfare leading to Lord Kaseru’s mansion.
“Torii Ishoru will be meeting with Yoki Tirashima tomorrow,” Namori said.
“I hope that is good news. Torii hasn’t gotten back to us with any information, so I would guess that isn’t good news,” Jack said.
Namori put her arm around Jack’s. “Can I do this while we walk?” She smiled up at him.
“I suppose so,” Jack said. “Will you get in trouble if any Pearl Mist members see us?”
Namori shook her head. “I don’t think so. Isn’t this more of the kind of thing Corandians do? Some traditionalists in Masukai insist that women walk behind their men.”
“Am I your man?” Jack asked.
“Not at present, but you are a friend, and I find that I need a bit of comfort while I figure out what is happening in Yomomai and in the Pearl Mist. I constantly have been upset about it ever since our Pine Bear visit.”
Jack didn’t blame her. Helen concurred that Namori had likely been discriminated against when she was ignored for Deep Mist training. He was reluctant to mentally accept her in their group. It wasn’t a matter of trust, but he wondered how other revelations that might occur that would affect her and her father.
Namori asked about his training at Deep Mist. Jack was convinced she would leave him in an instant to become a new candidate and travel to the south steppes. They stopped at the front gate to Lord Kaseru’s mansion. Namori encouraged him to open the gate and step inside. That was being polite. In Yomomai, pounding on the gate wasn’t.
“Is the lord in?” Jack asked a retainer who walked up to them.
“He is.” The answer wasn’t a particularly friendly one.
“Would you tell him Sakoru Sinda and Namori Ganshi would like to talk to him?”
The retainer examined the pair of them before he asked, “Do you know him?”
“And he knows us,” Jack said.
The man nodded and walked through the entrance to the main courtyard. Jack and Namori waited for him to return.
“Lord Kaseru will see you.”
They followed the retainer into the three-story main building in the men’s quarters. Lord Keneto Kaseru stood to meet them.
“You would like some tea?” He showed them to the dining area of his quarters. They sat down on cushions, and a servant served them tea along with a few snacks.
“What is the purpose of your visit? Does it have anything to do with the Battlebone?” Kaseru said.
Jack nodded. “You have been in touch with Torii Ishoru about the Pine Bear meeting tomorrow?”
Kaseru nodded. “I didn’t know it was already scheduled, but yes. I talked with Torii yesterday evening. He didn’t tell me much about your mission to Takatai Minza’s manor.”
Jack gave him a reasonably detailed account of what happened. “I think I got more information from the Pine Bears than I have since I arrived in Yomomai and went south to Deep Mist.”
“You did,” Kaseru said. “I counseled Torii to meet with Yoki Tirashima. Yoki and I have crossed paths a few times over the years. He never has been one to fully discount, regardless of his activities with the Pine Bears. They have recently become more militant in their opposition to the Red Herons.”
“And the Pearl Mist?” Jack asked.
“We have taken more of a wait and see approach to the machinations of the imperial court. Perhaps the time has come to solidify our position since the Red Herons are accumulating supporters among Yomomai’s nobles.”
“Is the Battlebone behind all the strife?” Jack asked.
Kaseru shook his head. “Most people don’t know about the Battlebone and fewer attach any real significance to the object of power. As I understand it, a good intelligence network obviates a need for the thing.”
Jack wasn’t so sure, because Fasher Tempest thought it was a powerful device, but then if the emperor and even previous emperors hadn’t sufficient magic to make the thing work, they would be motivated to publicly minimize its properties.
“Could you give us a description of the various factions in court? Torii has been rather stingy with his knowledge, and we thought you would be more open about the imperial situation.”
Jack couldn’t keep the Masukaian names straight, but Namori would. There were four major factions, the Red Herons, the Pearl Mist, the Pine Bears and another group a little bigger than the Pine Bears that were dominant in the west of the country.
The other group supported the emperor but leaned toward international expansion like the Red Herons did. From what Jack could determine, the Red Herons and the western group were the equivalent size to the Pearl Mist and the Pine Bears combined. It was very clear to Jack that Takatai needed the Pearl Mist more than they needed him.
Just like what he had surmised, the Pearl Mist were defenders of the status quo, but Lord Kaseru adamantly claimed that positions were shifting and if the Pearl Mist didn’t take a stand, the Red Herons would see that as a weakness. When the other minor factions saw the tilting of power that would leave the emperor exposed.
“Doesn’t Torii see that his indecision is hurting the emperor?” Jack asked.
Kaseru nodded. “Iraishi Ranturo is more realistic than Torii Ishoru, and we believe that Ruki Sinda may challenge Torii for the leadership over all the warriors and wizard-warriors.”
Namori pursed her lips. “So the internal conflict within the Pearl Mist needs to be settled before there is any alliance with the Pine Bears?”
Kaseru frowned. “Not necessarily, but inner turmoil always creates a weakness. Torii has fought it by his reticence to act.”
“And the Yomomai Pearl Mist organization is compromised by the Pine Bears which means the Red Herons might also have people positioned in the organization.”
“Not so much. The Red Herons attract a different kind of warrior and different kinds of members, but anything is possible.”
Jack was satisfied with the answers, but not with the situation. Jack thought Torii Ishoru might have seriously weakened the command structure within the Pearl Mist as he tried to maintain his influence over everyone else.
“You support Iraishi Ranturo over Torii?” Jack asked.
Kaseru gave Jack a shrewd smile. “I won’t answer that, and you are smart enough to know the answer.”
“If my group want to retrieve the Battlebone to keep it from the Red Herons, would you support us?”
“More than likely. Let us see how the meeting with Tirashima goes. Before you do anything rash, let me know. I’d much rather see the Battlebone removed from Masukai than have it become a cause for hostilities between factions. We can keep this meeting between us for now,” Lord Kaseru said. “After we have finished tea, would you like to see my ancient armor collection? I’m sure you didn’t get a good enough look at it when you last visited my manor.”
Chapter Thirty-One
~
“W hat do you think about Lord Kaseru?” Namori asked Jack on their way back to the academy.
“He is a noble and is a part of all this. If he is to be believed, I would say he has been careful to keep a little distance between the Pearl Mist and himself,” Jack said. “I would say that classifies him as someone who might have an open mind about the Pine Bears.”
“Or he might end up supporting the
Red Herons if he is an international expansionist,” Namori said.
“Where would Masukai expand to? Lajia?”
“That or Bornan. Both would require a way to get across the Riftsea. It is a difficult crossing for a single ship and would be even worse for an invasion fleet,” Namori said. “The best port to leave from is Taiyo, a Pearl Mist stronghold, and then transport soldiers north into Lajia. The roads are worse in the west, and since there are fewer people, there are no major ports on the western seaboard.”
“Are you interested in international expansion?” Jack asked.
“Not expansion, but my father and I think it would be better to have more open trade relations,” Namori said.
Jack recalled that had been their positions before. “Perilous times in Masukai,” Jack said. “I wonder if all this had anything to do with the timing of Fasher giving us the errand to perform.”
“The mysterious Fasher Tempest,” Namori said. “He seems like he knows much more than he lets on.”
Jack laughed. “He always knows more than he lets on. I don’t know how he does it, but there always seems to be a problem brewing elsewhere that needs fixing. I’ve wondered if he communicates with many other wizards so he can get me out of his office to help.”
“Perhaps he has the gods on his side.”
“Undoubtedly,” Jack said, but that comment applied to him as well.
They talked of inconsequential things like where Helen might have found lodgings for her family.
When they arrived at the academy, Namori and Jack joined Tanner and Grigar in Torii’s audience room. Okiku and other advisors entered the room at the same time.
“You left the academy?” he asked.
“We did,” Jack said. “I took Namori with me to see Lord Kaseru. I thought it would be worthwhile to get a different perspective on the current situation in Yomomai.”
“And did you get one?” Torii said with a tinge of sarcasm.
Jack could tell the Pearl Mist leader wasn’t pleased.
“I got confirmation that what the Pine Bears told us was basically correct, and my personal picture of the situation is a bit clearer,” Jack said.
