“Stop! Stop, you stupid women! Can’t you understand? He’s my friend! He was just taking me home!”
His high voice finally penetrated the din. One by one, the women fell back. To Zenta’s relief, the female warriors stepped back and rested their weapons.
Yoshiteru glared around him. “You were attacking Konishi Zenta, you stupid fools! I was out hunting crickets tonight and I met him by the moat. Since it was late and dark, he kept me company on the way home. You’d better say you’re sorry! He can cut off all your heads with just two strokes of his sword if he wanted to.” The circle of women stared in dismay. Then slowly, one by one, they bowed down until their heads were almost touching the ground. They were heard to mumble some unintelligible apologies.
Yoshiteru dismissed them with a lordly gesture and turned to examine Zenta. “Are you hurt?” he asked.
Zenta straightened his torn clothing and grinned ruefully down at the boy. “Well, you’ve had your desire. You saw me in a fight. If you hadn’t come to my rescue, I would have been chopped to pieces by those female Deva Kings.” Yoshiteru grinned. “Those women are pretty frightening, aren’t they? My father made them train with the halberd. He heard of a castle which was taken by the enemy, and when all the samurai defenders were killed, it was the women fighters who managed to hold off the besiegers so that the lord had time to commit hara-kiri and escape capture.”
“I’m glad to see that you and your mother have such effective protectors,” said Zenta.
Yoshiteru’s face fell. “We used to have many more of these fighting women, but the chamberlain has been sending them away one by one. Those three are the only ones left.” Then he brightened. “But you should see my sister Tama! She is the best halberd fighter of all, and she is equal to ten men!”
“With such high standards as these, any fight that I can arrange is sure to be disappointing,” murmured Zenta.
One of the women approached and bowed. With her voice now low and humble she addressed Zenta. “My Lady Kaede says that she would like to see you in her reception room so that she can thank you personally for bringing back Lord Yoshiteru. Would you come this way, please.”
Zenta gloomily inspected some tears which had already appeared in his new kimono. His clothes had a habit of going to pieces on him. He followed the attendant in with a resigned shrug, hoping that Lady Kaede would not be influenced by appearances.
In the reception room a beautifully painted door slid apart to reveal Lady Kaede seated on a flat silk cushion upon a low dais. Behind her were a hanging scroll painted in the Chinese manner and a flower arrangement. Both, like Lady Kaede’s kimono, were striking in their simplicity.
Zenta advanced until there was a distance of three tatami mats between him and the dais. Placing his long sword behind him, he made a profound bow. When he raised his head, he found Lady Kaede’s eyes resting thoughtfully on him. They were luminous with unshed tears.
In the dining hall which had been brightly lit by tall candles, Lady Kaede’s beauty had possessed an inhuman brilliance. Seen closer up, her beauty was just as perfect, but it was softened by the mellow light from a flame burning in a dish of oil.
“I am truly grateful to you for bringing home this disobedient boy,” she said in her soft Western accent. “Ever since his absence was discovered, our household has been distracted by anxiety. Thank you for relieving our minds, and for bringing him back to us safe and sound.” Her voice faltered a little at the end.
Then she recovered herself and turned to her son, looking at once indulgent and exasperated. “Why haven’t you been put to bed?”
“You haven’t served any refreshments to our guest yet,” Yoshiteru pointed out. “I think he looks hungry.”
He turned and asked Zenta, “You would like some tea and confection, wouldn’t you? If you go to bed with an empty stomach, you won’t be able to sleep well.”
Zenta kept a straight face. “Some refreshments would be delightful, but I don’t want to put this household to any trouble.”
Lady Kaede bit her lips to suppress a smile. She beckoned to an attendant and whispered some instructions.
“Be sure to bring the yellow citron-flavored yokan, because I don’t like the dark kind,” said Yoshiteru. Then he added, “That is, I’m sure our guest prefers the citron-flavored one, too.” After the attendant left, Lady Kaede’s smile faded. She turned a careworn face to Zenta and asked, “Was Yoshiteru alone when you found him? How did he get out of the gate?”
“There was a woman with him, but she slipped away after I came,” Zenta replied. “I’m afraid I didn’t get a good look at her face. Perhaps your son knows who she is.” As he spoke, Zenta scanned the female attendants in the room.
Yoshiteru looked sulky. “We’ve had so many new attendants lately that I can’t tell them apart. All I know is that she isn’t anyone we’ve had for very long.”
The attendant came back with a lacquered tray and Lady Kaede herself prepared the tea. As Zenta watched her pour hot water into a small bowl and whip the powdered tea, it seemed to him that her tiny hands with their tapering fingers were like the lacy leaves of a miniature maple tree. That was the meaning of her name, after all.
After the attendant had passed the sweet confection to the guest, Lady Kaede permitted her son to take a piece also. Then she summoned a woman to take the boy to bed.
“Let me wait until our guest has finished eating,” begged Yoshiteru.
“Go to bed immediately,” commanded his mother in an unexpectedly firm voice. “You’ve caused us enough worry tonight, and I won’t have any peace until I know that you are safely in bed.”
As he was being dragged out, the boy cast a look at Zenta which seemed to say, “We men have to humor these jittery women, don’t we?” When the door closed behind the boy, Lady Kaede turned to her guest and smiled. “His bedtime has been quite irregular lately, but fortunately he is so healthy that he doesn’t seem to miss his rest.”
Then her face became grave and she shivered slightly. “I think you have guessed a fact that I’ve tried to hide from Yoshiteru: Since my husband’s death, my son’s life has been in constant danger. This woman who took him out tonight must have been sent to murder him!”
Looking at Lady Kaede’s frail form, Zenta could hardly bring himself to burden her with the truth. But for Yoshiteru’s sake, it was essential that she should know the danger. “Yes, you are right,” he said. “That woman was on the point of pushing him into the moat. From now on, your son must never go out with anyone except those whom you trust absolutely.”
Lady Kaede did not break down into hysteria. Her slender hands clenched convulsively as she fought for control. “Thank you for telling me,” she said huskily.
Zenta realized that under Lady Kaede’s fragile exterior, she had strength and determination. Even before coming to the castle, he had already decided to champion Yoshiteru’s cause. Now that he had met Lady Kaede and the boy, he was emotionally committed as well. This indomitable woman and her courageous son were worth dying for.
“At this time of danger, wouldn’t it be wise for members of Lord Okudaira’s family to support each other?” he asked. “Your best plan may be to form an alliance with Lady Tama against the chamberlain.”
“Tama has shown me nothing but hostility,” said the young widow sadly. “When her father married me, Tama’s older brother, whom she idolized, had just been sent away. The double shock of losing her beloved brother and having a stranger become mistress here was too much for her. She became extremely jealous.”
“That’s merely a childish jealousy which she must have outgrown by now,” said Zenta.
“Her jealousy has only deepened as she grew older. It is even extending to Yoshiteru as well. My son is menaced from all directions.”
“Surely Lady Tama would not harm Yoshiteru!” said Zenta. “She must have some feeling for her own brother!”
Lady Kaede sighed. “Yoshiteru is only a half brother. The brother that matters to Ta
ma is Shigeteru. She will do anything to have him instated here.”
“Lady Kaede, you are forgetting something important: Shigeteru was disinherited by his father. Your son was regarded as the only rightful heir. I’m sure that the daimyo would respect the wishes of the late Lord Okudaira.”
“The daimyo!” cried Lady Kaede. “He is far away, and by the time he gives his decision on the succession, my son may be dead! Furthermore, there is talk that Yoshiteru is too young, and that the daimyo wants a tested warrior as commander.”
Zenta had to admit that Lady Kaede was right. This talk of Yoshiteru being too young was not just in her imagination. “At least let me speak for you to Lady Tama,” he begged. “You do have one point of agreement, namely neither of you wants her marriage with the chamberlain to take place. I’m sure that you can form some plan to help each other against the enemy.”
Lady Kaede’s smile was tinged with bitterness. “Tama is very beautiful and extremely persuasive. After speaking to her, you will soon find reason for setting Yoshiteru aside.” She lifted a sleeve and wiped some tears from her eyes. The perfume that came from her clothes was subtle but intoxicating.
Zenta was enchanted. He wondered whether it was a trick of the light or whether Lady Kaede’s lovely eyes really had flecks of gold in them. With a great effort he pulled himself together. While Lady Kaede was accusing Lady Tama of using her beauty to win support, she herself was in the process of bewitching him. After all, the jealousy that she had spoken of could be on both sides. Lady Kaede might also be very jealous of her stepdaughter. He had to reserve his opinion until he had seen Lady Tama.
“Lady Kaede,” he said, “in spite of all the rumors, Shigeteru may not be coming to claim the succession at all. Until you have proof, it is too soon to accuse Lady Tama of plotting to supplant your son.”
Lady Kaede’s lips twisted. “Don’t bother with your pretenses. My guess is that you have already spoken with Shigeteru, and you know exactly what his plans are.”
Without giving him a chance to reply, she stood up, and with a gentle swish of silk, she was gone.
Chapter 9
At first Matsuzo was too happy mingling once more with a cultured society to be bothered by Zenta’s continued absence. When he burst out with poetry on his travels, the common people that he met would stare blankly, or worse, snicker. Now at last he was in the company of people who understood the finer things of life. Or so he thought at first.
It gradually dawned on Matsuzo that the chamberlain’s men were actually hard-bitten warriors with no interest at all in the poetic possibilities of the Sixteenth Day Moon. The moon-viewing party was just a pretense to impress the envoy and his men.
Matsuzo realized eventually that his listeners were more interested in his background than in his poetry. They persistently questioned him about his family and his travels, but most of all they wanted to know everything he could tell them about Zenta. Where had he met the ronin? Under what circumstances? How long ago?
Matsuzo soon lost his patience. Pleading fatigue, he rose abruptly and declared himself ready for bed. He felt an urgent need to find Zenta and warn him that the suspicions of the chamberlain’s men were by no means over. Their questioning showed that clearly.
But finding Zenta proved to be a problem in that confusing garden of twisted paths. Rounding a bend, Matsuzo came upon two of the envoy’s retainers, who were sitting rather morosely on a stone bench. They didn’t seem to be enjoying the party very much.
One of them looked up at Matsuzo and said wryly, “Gay, isn’t it? From the day we arrived at the castle, there has been a dinner party every night to stretch out the evening. I’m beginning to think that the chamberlain will do anything to put off going to bed. He probably gets nightmares.”
Now these were truly men of culture, not like those provincial warriors of the castle, thought Matsuzo. Aloud, he said, “You must find the parties here very dull compared to the sophisticated ones given by the daimyo at his capital.”
“We don’t know anything about the daimyo’s parties,” said the retainer. “Both of us were ronin when Saemon hired us for the envoy’s special mission to this castle. We’ve never even seen the daimyo.”
“Then you are not the envoy’s permanent retainers?” asked Matsuzo, surprised. He thought it really remarkable that the envoy had not brought his most trusted men.
“The envoy is too exalted a person to concern himself with selecting and hiring samurai,” said the retainer. “Saemon made all the arrangements for assembling the retinue.”
“When Saemon told us that we would be part of the retinue of the daimyo’s envoy, we were delighted with our luck,” said the other retainer. “Little did we know that we’d find ourselves in this strange castle where people look over their shoulders all the time and mutter about white serpents.”
“That’s not all,” said the first retainer. “Let me tell you what happened yesterday. I was taking a walk with Saemon, and by accident we found ourselves near Lady Tama’s quarters. Jihei saw us there and set after us with a dozen of his men. One would think that we had indecent designs on the women! When the envoy heard about the incident, he was naturally furious. Jihei had to apologize, but it doesn’t alter the fact that they are keeping us under close watch and treating us almost like prisoners.”
“The chamberlain’s men are certainly in an unnatural state of excitement,” said Matsuzo. “Did you hear about our experience at the gate this afternoon? We came here looking for work, and before we knew it twenty armed men started to attack us!”
“The chamberlain’s men will be even more excited before the evening is over,” said Saemon, coming over to join the three men. “I hear that Jihei is planning to post his men in the women’s quarters tonight so that they can catch the White Serpent Ghost if it tries to make an appearance.”
“Jihei is determined to expose the ghost as a fraud,” said one of the retainers.
“Then we’ll have to join the ghost hunt, won’t we?” said Saemon.
Matsuzo frowned. He didn’t know what Zenta’s exact intentions were, but he was certain that they wouldn’t want to be actively helping the chamberlain. “I don’t think that Zenta and I will be joining you,” he said coldly.
“Ah, but our efforts to chase the ghost will be doomed to failure,” said Saemon, grinning. “My men and I will see the ghost in all the wrong places, and we will be chasing in a dozen different directions. It is certain to heighten the fun.”
Matsuzo finally understood. “In that case I think we’d like to join you after all,” he said, laughing. “But where is Zenta? I haven’t seen him since we left the dining hall.”
Even as he spoke, voices were heard coming down the path. Zenta appeared, escorted by three women of gigantic stature. They were talking animatedly and seemed to be in high spirits. When they saw Saemon’s party they stopped. Bowing politely, the women left.
Matsuzo stared after them with fascinated horror. “You have very strange tastes,” he told Zenta. He himself much preferred women of dainty build.
“Don’t you like these women warriors?” said the ronin. “They are magnificent fighters, and they gave me some exciting moments a little while ago.”
“Speaking of excitement, did you hear about the ghost hunt?” asked Matsuzo. He described Saemon’s plans.
Zenta’s eyes brightened. “Excellent! I would have suggested such a plan if you hadn’t mentioned it first.” He and Saemon then began a discussion of strategic ways to post the men.
Two hours later Matsuzo was wondering what had happened to the promised excitement. He was cold from sitting motionless for so long, and he had a terrible cramp in his legs.
In the courtyard at the heart of the castle, the persons of high rank lived in clusters of rooms with their attendants, and the various apartments were connected by zigzagging wooden walks covered against the weather.
Matsuzo was sitting in the shadowed corner of one wooden walk which connected Lady Kaede’s
apartments with those of Lady Tama. He could just make out Zenta in another corner. Somewhere out of sight, Saemon’s men were keeping watch on the walk that led from Lady Tama’s rooms to the apartments of the chamberlain.
So far, it had been absolutely quiet, and Matsuzo found it increasingly difficult to stay vigilant. After all, he had had a very long day. He thought about the thick quilts filled with silk floss that he had seen earlier in his room, and he felt an overwhelming longing for bed.
He knew that he was dreaming. In his dream a dark shape was looming over him, and he could see burning eyes staring down at him. He could not move. All his limbs ached, and he felt cold and sick. Then he realized that he was not asleep at all, and that there really was something between him and the moonlight. There was a hiss of someone sucking his breath.
At this sound Matsuzo came fully awake at last. He looked up and found that the huge dark shape standing over him was Jihei.
Matsuzo stumbled to his feet, moving as quickly as his numbed and aching legs would allow. It was not until he was face to face with the other man that he realized Jihei was not looking at him at all.
Jihei was staring at something behind Matsuzo. There was such an expression of fear and loathing on his face that Matsuzo felt nothing on earth could make him turn his head to find out what it was. Suddenly Jihei sent him spinning aside with a hard push and started forward.
Recovering his feet, Matsuzo saw the thing. At the far end of the wooden walk, a long white thing glided around the corner. He caught only a momentary glimpse, but he got an impression of something faintly glistening, something fleshy, more like a monstrous worm than a snake. A face appeared for an instant, a ghastly inhuman face with blue lips and unbelievably huge, staring eyes. What was particularly revolting was that one eye was higher than the other. Matsuzo heard a soft slithering sound, but that was immediately drowned out by a pounding of feet from all directions.
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