Ring of Fire III

by Eric Flint

  He had done well that day, selling his Japanese style bento lunches and snacks to all kinds of folk as he made his journey around Ayutthaya’s island stronghold, the paragon of Siamese civilization. It seemed Moor and Malay, Chinese and Portuguese, Dutch and Cochin all relished his wife’s cooking. Even a silk-clad seneschal of the highest Siamese nobility had sent a servant down to the water’s edge to purchase six lunches! Soon after, a group of gaily clad rich young Siamese women waved to him as he passed by their waterfront gardens. They each bought a bento, opening their banana leaf wrappings right then and there to see what the day’s treat may be, in this case grilled catfish. “Tell your wife we should like shrimp tomorrow if she can manage it!” they told him in the musical tones of their language. He managed to answer that he would do so, his tongue tripping as he blushed at the attention of such fair and noble women.

  As he mumbled his shy thanks and paddled quickly away, Yoriaki thought that such as these were lovely indeed, but to him his wife Momo was still the best. She was as pretty as the peach she was named for. He had to admit to himself that part of the reason he had become a Christian was to get close to the Nihonmachi Christian’s daughters, who were mostly pure blood Japanese. Certainly the Siamese, Mon and Lao girls that most of the samurai and merchant class married were beautiful, with their large smokey eyes and slender figures, but to Yoriaki they couldn’t match the pure radiance of a Yamato no deshiko, a perfect flower of Japanese womanhood such as Momo. Upon their marriage he had left behind the warrior life to become the simple man he was today, and was much happier for it.

  Yoriaki knew that Ayutthaya was one of the few places in the world where people from Asia and Europe mixed so freely. That was certainly a large part of the kingdom’s financial success. He had been lucky to end up here, considering that when he left Japan he had no idea where he was going, content to board any ship that promised to sail far from his homeland. Yoriaki smiled to himself but his mood fell as he sighted the spire of the Portuguese Dominican church down the river’s west side. It was a modest piece of architecture compared to the fantastic designs of the Siamese temples, but with a quiet beauty of its own in the rosy light.

  Through the course of Yoriaki’s daily travels, he had learned to speak and understand the basics of the many languages found in the cosmopolitan realm of Ayutthaya. Everyone said that he had a gift for tongues. As he sold his delicacies he heard many things and lately not many of them had been good. On the last Sabbath after attending holy mass Yoriaki, who had become nearly fluent in Portuguese since embracing the Christian faith, had overheard several of the good fathers discussing rumors from the Siamese court in hushed tones. They feared the new king, Prasat Thong. He had formerly been the regent or Kalahom appointed by the boy’s father, good king Song Tham on his death bed to look after his son and successor, fifteen-year-old King Cetthathirat. There was no doubt the scheming Kalahom was responsible for that boy’s untimely death and had certainly gone on to murder Cetthathirat’s younger brother and successor as well, poor little King Athittayawong, who had been just a boy of ten. Although all feared to say it aloud, Prasat Thong was an ursurper with blood all over his hands. To make matters worse, he had managed to remove the only possible obstacle to his plans, Yamada Nagamasa, who to everyone’s horror seemed fooled by the usurper’s lies and had allowed himself to be sent to the south, safely out of Prasat Thong’s way. Upon hearing such discouraging words from the fathers, Yoriaki slipped away home then, feeling ashamed that his people’s revered leader in this distant land had been tricked by the Kalahom, no, “king.”

  Yamada Nagamasa, trained as a samurai for a war that would never come, had left Japan to become a man of great influence in Ayutthaya. He’d been a favorite of the old King Song Tham and well loved by the court for his skill and courage in battle. A successful merchant with a knack for trade, he had also become the leader of Nihonmachi. Their “Japanese Town” on the eastern shore of the Menam, just south of the city, produced the highly respected Japanese Royal Guard, a force rightfully feared by the kingdom’s many foes. Nagamasa had been the Guard’s commander and Yoriaki had served under him for two years after his arrival here as so many ronin did, masterless samurai seeking glory no longer possible in Japan. They had fought the Burmese together and brought great honor to themselves in the eyes of all those who made Ayutthaya their home. Now those days were gone and Ayutthaya was left without its hero.

  Yoriaki now let his boat drift along slowly with the various flotsam and jetsam that spotted the busy river, his thoughts darkening with the waning light. How could a man as great as Nagamasa not see what even a simple ex-samurai turned food vendor could? It was widely suspected that the new king, well practiced in sycophancy, had appealed to the ego of the otherwise noble Nagamasa, offering him rulership of Ligor province far down the east coast almost to the lands of the Malays, the chance to be the first Japanese to hold such a position outside of Japan! It was surely a trick of that creeping cobra Prasat Thong but it had been too tempting for him to resist and the people of Ayutthaya and particularly Nihonmachi, watched him leave with heavy hearts. “Who?” they asked, “Who would protect us now?” While the new leader of their enclave was a good enough man he was no Nagamasa. Yoriaki had heard unsettling rumors that the Japanese welcome in their adopted kingdom wasn’t nearly as warm as it once was.

  A whistle from the west shore rousted Yoriaki from his brooding. The dock bosses in the Dutch area just north of Nihonmachi were calling to him—he had almost forgotten them and would have drifted right by! Replacing his somber expression with the wide smile that sold his wares so well, Yoriaki paddled over to the float beneath the pier they waited on, his small craft dwarfed by the big Dutch merchant ships tied nearby.

  “Have you anything left for us today, Yo-san?” one of the Dutchmen asked, a plump fellow called Blom whom Yoriaki had grown quite fond of. He was jesting, of course. Yoriaki had been selling to these gentlemen for several years now and always made sure he had a few of the leaf-wrapped bento meals tucked away for them at the end of the day.

  “Yes, yes, here you are, my friend!” He had learned enough of the Dutch tongue to banter with these fellows, who were a jovial bunch. As he passed out the meals (Blom bought two) and collected the lumpy metal Pot Duang coins that the Europeans referred to as “bullet money,” Blom’s usually smiling face took on a thoughtful cast. The beginning of a frown formed beneath his rosy cheeks and plump nose.

  “Yo-san, have you heard the news?”

  “I hear much news, being as how I float all over the place like a leaf riding the stream.” Yoriaki tried to sound lighthearted but his dark eyes met Blom’s bright ones with fierce interest. This was the most serious he had ever seen the man, so the news could not be good. A knot was already tying itself in Yoriaki’s stomach as he waited for Blom to go on.

  “I think you haven’t heard this news yet. Look down the river toward your home.” Blom raised his heavily fleshed arm to point toward Nihonmachi lying about half a mile downriver from them. Yoriaki turned to see a very large ship docked there, one of the great red seal junks that traded between Japan and the rest of Asia. His eyes widened to see that it belonged to Nagamasa!

  “Yes, you see. They must not have heard that your former leader is now a king in the southlands and came straight here thinking to find him. I fear they have made a mistake.” Blom’s sea-blue eyes narrowed and he leaned down close to Yoriaki. “Something is up. Our employers have been conferring in their offices all afternoon, ever since that thing got here. They have doubled the watch for tonight. I like you, Yo-san, you are a good fellow. Have your eyes and ears open tonight and keep that pretty little peach of yours close by. There is contention over who owns that cargo and I fear there may be blood shed over it this night.” With that he clapped Yoriaki companionably on the arm, then gave his little boat a gentle push back out into the current before he could be questioned further.

  “Thank you, Herr Blom, I will do so. You have m
y thanks! Go with God!” Yoriaki called back to him. With his usual friendly wave the Dutchman and his comrades headed home to eat their meal. It was nearly dark now, but the Nihonmachi docks were aglow with lanterns where the brightly painted ship with its cargo of goods from far off Japan was berthed. From the dock behind the ship’s massive bulk he heard the raucous sounds of loud argument in both the Siamese and Japanese languages. There was definitely a fight brewing; the choice of words was less than polite. Yoriaki quickly paddled farther out into the river than he usually would so as not to be noticed by the growing crowd on shore. In the distance the Islamic calls for prayer from the Moorish and Malay enclaves began, their eerie wail skirling above the cries of angry men. This drove him to paddle faster and faster, sweat growing cold on his back despite the humid warmth.

  Any semblance of good humor left to him from a successful day at work was long gone now, replaced by a rapidly growing worry. Yoriaki paddled as fast as he could, passing up his usual place under the docks, tying his boat instead to an old tree growing out over the river at a stretch of grassy shore. The spot was not far from his house in the town’s quiet, mostly residential southern section. He and Momo sometimes enjoyed picnics together in its cool greeness. Yoriaki left his paddles and the few leftover bento behind in the boat. No one would bother them there and he could always retrieve them later. Trying not to break into a full run, he hurried to his home along the cobbled path, his light cotton yukata robe flapping above his softly clacking wooden geta sandals. Around him the houses all perched high on stilts taller than a man by half again to keep them safe from the occasional flood, a feature that sometimes made him feel as if he were shorter than he really was, a child dwarfed by adult-sized buildings.

  Other than their unusual foundations, the houses of Nihonmachi mostly resembled those of Japan: rice paper screened windows glowed a mild white from the lanterns and candles within, peaked roofs pitched a few feet higher than in the old country in order to wick away the heat, but still crafted in the Japanese style. Most of these were thatched with grass like a Siamese house but some sported fired clay tiles of glossy red and blue. Despite its oddities Nihonmachi felt like home to Yoriaki now after seven years, but behind that feeling of warmth and belonging there was a cold fear growing, an anxiety that would not be ignored. Something was indeed up on what would otherwise be just another night in Ayutthaya, the bustling crossroads of the East and West. Something bad.

  Yoriaki slipped through the row of trees that marked their modest plot, taking a shortcut through the small garden in back where Momo grew the Japanese vegetables that she used in her cooking. Despite his hurry he stepped carefully around the heads of the long, white daikon radishes and bunches of savory shiso beefsteak leaves. Reaching the front walk he charged up the steep wooden steps to his front porch three at a time, kicking off his sandals with a clatter. He burst through the door with such a wild expression on his face that it startled his wife Momo so much she dropped the tea she was carrying in from the kitchen. The ceramic cup bounced harmlessly off the springy tatami floor, woven from durable rice stalks, but its spilled contents spread across the golden fibers with a red darkness.

  “Husband! What is the matter!” Her oval face was pale and her eyes wide with shock, their liquid darkness reflecting the lantern light in two bright points, making her seem like some graceful forest creature caught out in the hunter’s path. The silver cross hanging at her neck made a third point of light, flashing as it moved with each of her rapid breaths.

  “Momo! Where are my swords? Get them out, now!”

  His wife paused only for a moment before she ran to the massive teak wood tonsu chest of drawers they kept their few precious belongings in.

  “What is going on?” she asked again plaintively, as her deft hands searched the deep bottom drawer.

  “I’m not sure. Hopefully nothing, but I have a terrible feeling. The men around town have been talking that we Japanese are no longer welcome here now that Nagamasu is gone and we are left with that devil, Prasat Thong. He has no love of us, despite his pretty words.” By the time he had finished speaking Momo had thrust a heavy bundle into his arms which he carefully unwrapped. He took his scabbarded longsword, his prized katana, and shoved it snugly into his waist sash. The smaller but equally deadly wakizashi shortsword he handed back to his wife, who gripped it gingerly by its red lacquered sheath. “Take it! I have the boat tied up at the big tree. I want you to go there now and wait for me. Get in the boat and paddle out a few yards, then anchor. If any Siamese come, row farther out. Do not come to shore unless it’s me or someone you know! Trust no Siamese, do you understand? Do you?”

  Unlike him, his wife had been born here and spoke the Siamese language as fluently as if it were her own tongue. The idea of running away from a native of this land was utterly foreign to her. She stared at him for a moment as if he were a lunatic but then straightened herself up and answered, “Yes, husband, I understand! I will do as you ask.”

  Seeing his beautiful and stout-hearted wife standing there holding his wakizashi filled Yoriaki with an overwhelming combination of pride and fear for her well being. He swiftly took her in his arms and kissed her. The herbs she used to wash her long sable hair filled his head with their sweet scent. She kissed him back fervently. Savoring her for as long as he dared, Yoriaki gently pushed her back.

  “I must go down to the docks and see what is happening. Nagamasa’s red seal ship is there and I heard men arguing as I went by. Prasat Thong will want whatever that ship brought back from Japan whether it is his by rights or not. Blom the Dutchman thinks it will end in a fight, and judging by the curses I heard I fear he may be right. We must be ready for anything.”

  “But, dearest, it is not your fight! You are no longer a soldier, you gave that up when you let Christ into your heart! That ship doesn’t matter to you!”

  “My dearest, it’s not the ship that I care about, don’t you see? I fear this may be the excuse Prasat Thong needs to make a move against us, against all of Nihonmachi! I need to go over there and find out what’s going on. God willing, it’s not serious. Even so, I will not take a chance with you.” Careful to not use too much strength in his excitement, he took her by the arm and led her to the door. “Humor me, Momo, go down to the boat and wait. If I am not there with you by midnight, paddle across to the Portuguese side and wait at the Dominicans’ church. You should be safe there.”

  “What about my mother and father? What about my friends? We must warn them, too!”

  “Your parents’ house is on the way. I will tell them to go to their fishing boat and meet you at the tree. If things go badly we may not be able to come back here.”

  Momo nodded. “I will prepare our traveling clothes and what belongings I can manage.”

  “No! There is no time! I can’t tell you why but I feel the worst will happen! Nothing is more important than your precious life, my love. Please, just go now!”

  Momo looked at him, true fear spreading across her gentle face. “Very well. But I will not leave without at least taking this!” Breaking loose from her husband’s nervous grip she ran across the room to grab a round clay pot sealed with wax hanging by a leather strap on the wall. “These are the seeds of all we grow here!” she told him in a tone of reluctant defiance. “If we take nothing else, at least these will give us a future!” Yoriaki nodded his agreement. His wife was as wise as she was lovely.

  Stepping out onto the porch, Yoriaki slipped into the pair of deer skin boots he had worn as a guardsman. This was no night for wooden sandals. He made Momo put on her most sensible footwear and practically carried her down the steps. Their part of town was farthest from the docks and still quiet, but he could hear loud voices coming from the north. He took Momo’s shapely hands in his, folding his larger fingers over hers and the wakizashi she held.

  “If anyone tries to hurt you, you will use this sword. You know how, I have taught you. Do you understand me?”

  “Yes.” But her
voice was very quiet now.

  “I love you, Momo. Now, go! Pray tomorrow we both are laughing at a protective husband’s foolishness!” He gave her his usual silly grin to which she responded with a laugh despite the overriding tension of the moment. Yoriaki was about to push her in the direction of the river when, with a sigh, she turned of her own accord and broke into a run, something he rarely saw her do. He watched as her brightly floral patterned summer kimono caught the light from a nearby porch, then faded away into the shadows. It was always summer in Ayutthaya, but tonight he was chilled as if he stood high in the mountain snows. Yoriaki turned toward the docks. The voices had grown louder still.

  On his way, Yoriaki swung by Momo’s parents’ house. Her father, old Mori, a kindly gentleman who had fled Japan twenty years before when the persecutions of Christians had begun in his district, was standing out on his porch looking toward the docks. His wife Kiku, younger by some ten years, stood in the doorway, an expression of fear on her softly lined face. They looked down at the panting Yoriaki in surprise.

  “Father! Mother! Something is happening!” That was all he could get out before he had to pause for breath. It had been a long time since he had done much running himself.

  “Yes, Yo-kun.” Momo’s father called him by the honorific a father might use for a son or younger male relative, the older man being very fond of his son-in-law. “I fear there will be a fight at the docks, they grow hotter by the minute. But why are you headed there?” His eyes dropped to Yoriaki’s waist to take in the sword sheathed there.

  “I need to see what’s going on. There has been a lot of talk lately, all around the city. Today a Dutchman, a friend, warned me that something really bad might happen tonight and this last Sunday the fathers were worried about what the new king is up to. I fear he may move on us now that Nagamasa is gone! I am afraid and I have sent Momo to wait in our boat where I left it by the big tree near our house. Please, Father, take Mother to your boat and go join her!” He patiently waited for their response despite the urge to continue on his reconnaissance.