“He had too much to drink. What about you? Did something happen to make you leave?”
“Well, yeah.” Oguna was dressed only in a thin robe, as if he had come straight from his bed. “I’d rather do without nighttime hospitality.”
“Were you visited by an assassin?”
“I would have preferred an assassin,” Oguna responded reluctantly. “It was the chief’s daughter.”
Sugaru burst out laughing but smothered it quickly with his hand. “You didn’t? You mean you ran away?”
Oguna said nothing, but from the scowl on his face Sugaru guessed that he had hit the mark. “But the chief must have sent her as a gesture of goodwill. If you run away, you’ll just stir up trouble.”
“But why would he do that? I don’t understand it. It’s so unfair to the girl.” He sounded angry.
Sugaru struggled not to laugh aloud. He could not believe this was the same person who had accepted the chief’s welcome as if he were accustomed to such treatment. “I’m amazed you’ve managed to get away with that so far. There must be many men who would offer their daughters to the crown prince as a form of hospitality. Yet you’ve never accepted? Not even once?”
“I don’t want to. It’s too dangerous.”
“So you’re afraid,” Sugaru said bluntly. “Surely you’ve been with a woman at least once, haven’t you?”
Oguna thought about making some excuse but instead kept his mouth shut, which only amused Sugaru more. “You mean you’ve run out of the room every time?”
“I often spend half the night outside anyway,” Oguna answered finally. “I usually wait with the night watch until the sky lightens and then scout around the area.”
“But think of the poor girl. She’ll be humiliated.”
Oguna seemed taken aback at this thought but then said gravely, “If we became lovers, she would only suffer greater misfortune. I know that. My older brother loved a woman and that love drove him to his destruction. How can I repeat the same mistake after seeing that?”
“Personally, I think it wouldn’t be bad to find a woman you could love so much you didn’t care if she brought you to ruin,” Sugaru said, reflecting on his own behavior. “I suppose the imperial family must be rather large, but what happened to that brother?”
Oguna gave Sugaru a sour look. “You mean you haven’t heard? I killed him. It was my older brother who found me in Mino and trained me. Yet, in the end, it was I who slew him. I hear that Lady Akaru followed him in death. So how could I lead a woman to the same fate?”
They sat on the ground under the starry sky and talked in hushed voices. Oguna seemed to have no intention of returning to his room and every intention of staying outside until daybreak. Bit by bit, he related his story. “It was my older brother who taught me the ways of command, and those lessons as his shadow have been drilled into me. Having killed him with my own hand, I can never be free from his influence. That’s really why I took on the expedition to vanquish the Kumaso in Himuka. And this one to the east as well as.”
“You mean you’re trying to be Oh-usu, the warrior?”
Oguna paused for a long while and then said, “I’m still his shadow. No matter how much I try to prove to the emperor that I have no intention of rebelling, he is suspicious. No matter what he tells me to do, I have no choice but to obey. Even though I know these campaigns are just excuses to keep me away from the capital.”
“I can understand why he’d want to do that,” Sugaru agreed, a bit unkindly. “After all, Prince Oh-usu was just a man, whereas you actually wield the Sword.”
“I’m used to being feared and hated,” Oguna said in a low voice. “Yet I still hoped that the emperor would at least understand that I wouldn’t rebel. I don’t want anything for myself. Yet he never even tried to understand me, or my mother.”
His mother? Sugaru thought for a moment and then prompted Oguna. “I’ve never heard anything about your mother from anyone. Takehiko told me that your sole ally was the Itsuki no Miya, although he said she had passed away.”
“He was talking about my mother,” Oguna said.
“You mean your aunt.”
“No, my mother.” Oguna turned his face away. “If you think about why I’m the only one who can wield the Sword, you’ll understand. The blood of the God of Light runs far too thickly in my veins. That’s why.”
Sugaru caught his breath at the enormity of the taboo that had been broken.
“Let’s change the subject,” Oguna said abruptly. “I shouldn’t have talked about this here.”
“Wait a minute,” Sugaru began, but then he forgot what he had been going to say, his attention caught by the appearance of a strange creature in the shadow of a tree. Its slender form resembled a doe, but it cast a faint white light, almost as if it were burning in the darkness. Its riveting beauty held Sugaru’s eyes, yet he was alarmed by the way it stood motionless, staring intently as though studying them.
“What is that?” Sugaru hissed, jerking his chin toward it. Oguna turned to stare at him rather than at the creature.
“You mean you can see it? I thought I was the only one who could.”
“Don’t underestimate the bearer of the Misumaru. That thing doesn’t appeal to me. I’m going to find out what it is.”
Oguna grabbed his arm hastily. “No, don’t. When it’s time to find out, I’ll be the one to do it. It appears wherever I go.”
“What?”
“Just pretend you don’t see it. As long as we stay on our guard, it’ll leave before morning.”
Sugaru realized that there was still much that Oguna hadn’t told him. Was this creature one of the reasons he spent so many nights outside?
“Have you always seen it?”
“No.” He looked at Sugaru hesitantly. “The first time I saw it was after my mother died—on the night I received news of her death when we were on our way west.”
Sugaru turned to look at the creature once more. Even its eyes glowed white, like two moons. Sugaru felt a chill, as if death were looking him in the eyes. Oguna grabbed him and turned him around. “You mustn’t look at it. If you do, it will come to you. I knew that it would appear tonight.”
“Why?”
“Today, when I faced you, I used the power of the Sword. That’s why—” But he did not have a chance to finish. The doelike creature suddenly broke into a run. Even Sugaru recoiled. It sped light-footed from the shadows straight toward them. Nothing, it seemed, could stop its flight as it raced like flame across the ground. Oguna pushed Sugaru aside and stood to face the charging beast. Sugaru could only blink—frozen and helpless for first time in his life.
The creature soared through the air and plunged into Oguna’s chest, fusing with his body. But, to Sugaru’s amazement, in the next instant it leapt out the other side and ran off, vanishing from sight.
After some time, Oguna sighed. “It’s all right now,” he said. “It won’t come back tonight.”
“What was that thing?” Sugaru was practically shouting.
“The power of the Sword,” Oguna said listlessly. “The power you sealed with your Misumaru has left me and taken shape. It wanders about seeking to return to its master. Right now, I’m able to keep that from happening.”
“What? That thing is no sword. What is the Sword’s power anyway? The Misumaru doesn’t act on its own like that.”
Oguna looked as if he wanted to weep. Struggling for self-control, he said, “I have wondered what that power is for a long time, about why it tries to protect me even against my will. My mother, the shrine priestess, gave me the Sword. Yet sometimes I think that she is really the true owner.”
Sugaru frowned. “But I thought your mother died?”
“She killed herself. In order to protect me. Before I left for Himuka, we had a fight. I told her that I wouldn’t take the Sword, that I would never wield it again. She told me that she would willingly sacrifice her own life to protect mine. When I left … she put her words into action. How can
I justify hating her when she loved me so much? That creature is my mother’s soul incarnate. My mother.” Oguna clutched his arms to his chest as he spoke.
A chill crept over Sugaru. “That’s crazy,” he said, his anger rising. “If you think that’s a mother’s love, you’re out of your mind. That’s not love, that’s delusion. My mother died when I was little, but even I can tell you that much.”
“Maybe we’re both crazy—mother and child,” Oguna said sadly. “But right now, I don’t want that power back. When I encountered Toko again, I realized that.”
6
WHEN MORNING CAME, Oguna walked among his soldiers, talking to each one as though nothing had happened. He wore a very different face in the daytime. He appeared cheerful, speaking easily to his men and exuding confidence and energy. Even his faint hint of arrogance became his station as crown prince. No wonder that ardent admirers like Takehiko exist in his ranks, Sugaru thought. No one knew the Oguna who faced the dead alone at night.
Surely he can’t keep this up for very long, though. No one can last on just an outward display of bravado … But within a few days Sugaru had changed his mind. Oguna, it seemed, could. At the very least, he had grown so accustomed to pushing himself that it no longer felt like a strain.
Oguna was trying to organize the local men into an army under the emperor’s banner to subdue the northern Emishi. Oshiba, the chief, had gathered warriors from all over Sagamu. A mixed assortment, they numbered over five hundred. Oguna and his men spent a month equipping them for battle and training them to work together under a commander. Sugaru, who had no desire to affiliate himself with Mahoroba, stayed aloof and instead spent his time wandering the area in search of any signs of Toko.
Finally, the day came when the soldiers marched off amidst a fanfare of conch shells and a flutter of colorful banners. Everyone gathered to bid them farewell. Sugaru too watched them leave, recalling as he did so how Oguna had come to him at dawn that very day. “I intend to win this battle without resorting to the Sword,” he had declared. “I’ve tried many times before. I think it can be done.”
If he had to come specially to tell me, it probably means he isn’t totally convinced …
That same Oguna was now riding past him, sitting high in the saddle. His burnished gold helmet, fastened with a crimson cord, sparkled in the sun. All eyes were on him. He appeared more than worthy to be the descendant of the God of Light.
Sugaru stood on the path outside where they had been staying. Once Oguna had passed by, he had a clear view of the people from the chief’s hall gathered in the courtyard. The women were now spilling from the building, which instantly drew Sugaru’s attention. He had long been curious about the caliber of the chief’s daughter whom Oguna had jilted. If she was a beauty, Sugaru just might approach her himself. It was with this ulterior motive that he tried to peer through the hedge to get a better look. But at that moment a voice called out to him from behind.
“What are you doing there?”
Hastily schooling his features, Sugaru turned to find a man with a scar across his forehead glaring at him. His interrogator was, of all people, the chief himself.
“You’re one of the prince’s men. Why aren’t you going off to battle with the others? You’re still young.”
Sugaru, who never changed his attitude for anyone, responded in his usual off-handed manner. “I don’t belong to the prince. I’m my own man.”
The chief raised his eyebrows. “If you’re not his man then what are you?”
“A guest perhaps. At any rate, I didn’t come here to fight.”
“If I were your age, I’d be eager to go to war whether I was a guest or not,” the chief said, his beard wagging. “This is the first time I haven’t led my men to battle.” He looked disappointed. “I’m still strong enough to fight, but it’s unavoidable considering my position. Don’t your arms weep to see the troops marching boldly off without you?”
“It suits me better to be the commander rather than a follower.”
“You’re pretty blunt.” The chief fixed Sugaru with a keen, appraising look and, apparently, rather than being insulted, liked what he saw. “I doubt we’ll see a commander who surpasses the prince for a long time. He’s a natural. I’d heard plenty of rumors, but I could tell he was far from ordinary as soon as I laid eyes on him. He’s so young, yet he already has tremendous leadership capacity without a trace of ambition or desire.”
Thinking of the chief’s daughter, Sugaru almost burst out laughing. “Yes. Right. No desire.”
“He told me he has no intention of demanding new territory in Sagamu. Whatever land is reclaimed he plans to return to the people. He’s admirable, truly noble. Although the fact that someone so young should be so selfless and detached is troubling. He may not live long.”
Actually … he could be right. The chief’s words pinpointed something that had been bothering Sugaru for some time, although it was only now that he identified it. Despite Oguna’s passion for the task at hand, an ill-omened shadow seemed to cling to him. Oguna said that he doesn’t want anything for himself. And he really doesn’t.
The elderly chief of Sagamu continued. “Once in a while a man like him comes along—someone with innate ability who excels in everything yet who has no desire nor any attachment to the world. Such people die young, almost as if the gods can’t wait to have them back in heaven. They’re impatient to leave this world, like a bird taking flight, never looking back. Even while they live, there’s an air about them that suggests their lives will be fleeting. The prince has that same look, though to someone who has lived as long as me, that’s also what makes him so compelling.”
If Oguna dies, Sugaru thought, our mission would be fulfilled without even using the Misumaru. Strangely, the feeling this stirred in his breast bore no resemblance to joy. “You know,” Sugaru said abruptly, “I think I’ll go catch up with that army after all. Sometimes it pays to listen to our elders.”
A SENSE OF FOREBODING had driven Sugaru to travel north with Oguna’s troops, but the events that transpired came as a surprise. No battle broke out. Instead, the foreign tribes the large army confronted engaged in only a few short skirmishes before scattering and retreating back to their final outpost. There Oguna and his officers merely negotiated a settlement, and as the leader quickly capitulated, the Emishi were conquered without a fight. Oguna ordered his men to make camp without even setting foot in the village.
When Sugaru stopped by the commander’s tent, he found Oguna in an unusually cheerful mood. “Well, that was a letdown,” Sugaru said. “You lead such an impressive army. I didn’t expect someone from Mahoroba to keep all that strength in check.”
“It went exactly as planned,” Oguna said, almost boasting. He must have been very pleased to have his scheme succeed for he was unusually lighthearted. “But I know that the real test starts now. We’ve managed to quench the enemy’s battle fever, but the problem now is that we must check that same passion in our allies. Many of my men are still burning to fight. Just because we succeeded in settling things peacefully doesn’t mean those feelings can be easily subdued. They need an outlet or they’ll explode. A large-scale project that can take the place of war.” He smiled suddenly. “Besides it would be a waste to disperse such a large force without putting them to good use. I’ve been thinking about this for some time. Did you see the huge wetlands surrounding the swamp on the way here? I noticed when I was surveying the land for this expedition. That swamp was formed when the river changed course, damming up a tributary.”
Oguna took a stick and quickly drew a simple map on the ground. “If we build a canal here at the shortest point, we can drain the swamp. With over five hundred men, we should be able to finish the work in half a month. The land there will be very good for growing rice. And it’ll provide an outlet for the water, as well as for the bottled-up energy of the men.”
Sugaru looked at Oguna as if he were seeing him for the first time. “Is that what you were thinki
ng about as you marched your army to battle?”
“I can’t help it—it’s just my nature. I’m actually better at building than fighting …” He suddenly looked embarrassed and erased the map with the toe of his boot. “I like engineering better than commanding an army. It’s useful. Although no one sees me as anything but a conqueror.”
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, however, everything changed. Oguna’s troops, lulled into a sense of security by their bloodless victory, were attacked under cover of the dark. The assault was aimed with deadly accuracy at the army’s nerve center—Oguna’s tent. Arrows rained down and the guards were felled one after the other by the wild invaders. The plot was so cleverly executed that not even Sugaru, who had remained awake, was aware of it until the arrows flew.
Oguna was too trusting after all! Sugaru could only conclude that they should have subdued the village rather than believing the Emishi. He grabbed the spear beside him, forced now to fight. The Misumaru shone brightly, illuminating the darkness in place of the extinguished torches. He saw at a glance that their attackers were few in number but highly skilled. Joining the fray, Sugaru searched the crowd for Oguna. Although the area around him was now a confused melee, the situation was still manageable. Other soldiers, realizing that something was wrong, were already running over from other parts of the camp, and the attackers ebbed away like the tide, seeming to take this as the cue to retreat.
“After them. Don’t let any escape!” Takehiko bellowed. The darkness, however, aggravated the confusion, and Sugaru could hear Oguna’s men colliding with one another. They can’t hope to compete with the invaders’ expertise, Sugaru thought.
Where is Oguna? If the prince had been hit, this would end in much worse than the chaos of the attack. Sugaru, however, quickly found him. He was being forced back into his tent, surrounded by his men with whom he was arguing heatedly.
“We must treat your wound first, sir. Please don’t move.”
Sugaru peered inside the tent. “Are you hurt?”
Oguna looked up at Sugaru, his eyes blazing. “It’s nothing. Just a scratch. We’ve got to catch them.”
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