by Maya Snow
Hana looked at me in dismay. “A single strike of the gong signals closing time, Kimi.”
Just then a sudden movement at the side of the temple caught my eye. I glanced up to see a figure moving in the shadows, and my heart fluttered. Someone was coming out of one of the other halls. It had to be Mother!
Excitement coursed through me and I would have leaped to my feet and run across the temple toward her. But Hana put a gentle hand on my arm.
“It’s not Mother,” she said, her voice so quiet that I could barely hear her.
“What—?” Confused, I stared at the front of the temple.
Just then the figure stepped forward out of the shadows. Flickering candlelight revealed a young man, wiry and strong, wearing hakama trousers and a short dark kimono jacket. A dagger and a long curved sword were fastened at his waist. One sleeve of his kimono was pinned tightly, where he had lost an arm. Recognition lanced through me as I looked at his thin face.
“It’s Manabu!” I whispered to Hana in amazement.
“Who is Manabu?” Tatsuya asked with a frown as he watched Manabu come toward us. The servant was glancing around apprehensively as if to make sure he wasn’t being followed.
“He is—was—one of Father’s most trusted servants,” I said, scrambling to my feet in excitement. “Mother must have sent him to meet us.”
Tatsuya put up a hand to hold me back, but I shrugged him off and ran headlong across the temple.
“Manabu!” I cried.
The servant looked at me in confusion. “What do you want, boy?” he asked gruffly, and I realized that he did not know Hana and I had been disguised as boys.
“It’s me—Kimi,” I said.
Manabu’s eyes widened. He glanced around as if to check that no one else was nearby. “Hush, Kimigozen, do not speak so loudly,” he begged, taking me by the elbow and guiding me into a shadowy alcove where we were half concealed by an enormous bronze statue of the Buddha. “There are spies everywhere.”
“I’m sorry,” I said with a bow. “I am just relieved to see a friendly face.”
Hana and Tatsuya came to join us, and Manabu studied us all cautiously. His gaze lingered on Tatsuya’s face. “Who are you?” he asked with a frown.
“This is our friend Tatsuya,” Hana told Manabu, drawing Tatsuya forward with a hand on his sleeve. “Tatsuya was a student at the dojo with us and has helped us on our journey.”
Tatsuya gave a short bow.
Manabu bowed stiffly in return. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, young master.” But as he turned to me, he looked anxious. “Can this Tatsuya be trusted?” he whispered.
Tatsuya heard him, and bristled instantly. “Surely the question should be—can you be trusted?” he shot back.
For a moment, they stared at each other. Tatsuya’s eyes were narrow and full of suspicion.
At last Manabu shrugged and dropped his gaze. Turning back to me, he reached his only hand into the folds of his clothes and pulled out a paper scroll, rolled and wrapped with a crimson ribbon.
My heart beat faster. “That’s one of Mother’s letters,” I said breathlessly. “Is she here, Manabu?”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Manabu took a breath, and I held mine. All my hopes were centered on seeing Mother’s face, holding her hands, and hearing her tell me that everything was going to be all right.
Ever since the moment when Uncle Hidehira had read Mother’s letter, I had believed that I would see her here today, at sundown. And now at last Hana and I were at the end of our journey. Mother was here—somewhere.
I couldn’t resist glancing once more at the entrance to the other halls of the temple.
“The mistress is safe and well,” Manabu said. “She asked me to come here and meet you in her place.”
I stared at Manabu in astonishment, crushed by the huge weight of disappointment. In an instant, my hopes had been blown away, like cherry blossom petals in a sudden gust of wind. For a moment I couldn’t speak. It felt as though I were never meant to find her.
“But I don’t understand,” Hana said to Manabu, her face anxious. “I felt Mother’s presence here in the honden. She was here…I’m sure she was.”
Tatsuya touched her hand comfortingly.
“You’re right, Hana-gozen,” Manabu said, bowing his head slightly. “Your mother has been here, many times. This temple has become her regular place of worship during our stay on the outskirts of town. She would have been here today. But when we saw a troop of the Jito’s samurai come galloping in through the town gates this morning, we became afraid. The mistress could not risk herself or young Moriyasu being captured. She decided it would be safer for her to slip away to a new hiding place, while I came here to deliver this letter. The soldiers would not be looking for me.”
He held out the scroll letter to me. I saw immediately that it had been written on the same paper as my mother’s other letters. My hands trembled as I took it from Manabu.
“The letter explains everything, Kimi-gozen,” Manabu said. “You must read it, and then I will take you to her.” His good hand went to rest on the hilt of his sword. “I am to keep watch for soldiers and protect you on your journey.”
I was about to untie the scroll when Manabu glanced again at Tatsuya. With a look of warning, he took my elbow and steered me a few steps away. “Kimigozen, I don’t want to intrude, but should you read the letter in front of this…this boy?” he said in a low, tight voice. “What do you actually know about him?”
I hesitated, turning the scroll in my hands. “He’s a friend, Manabu,” I said. “He’s protected Hana and me during our journey here. I would trust him with my life.”
Manabu didn’t look convinced, but he gave a quick nod. “All right,” he said. “I will trust him if you say I should….”
“I do,” I said firmly.
I turned back to see that Hana and Tatsuya were standing together.
“I just don’t like him…,” Tatsuya was saying.
“You’re just jumpy because of the innkeeper,” Hana said in a low, coaxing voice. “But some people can be trusted, Tatsuya.” She beckoned Manabu over to stand beside her. “Manabu was one of our father’s most trusted servants. Kimi and I always imagined that he had died the night of the massacre. But”—she turned to Manabu—“we are so grateful that you helped Mother and Moriyasu to escape.”
Tatsuya softened but asked, “Well, why doesn’t he just tell us where your mother is and we can go straight to her?”
Manabu looked uncomfortable. “My apologies, young master,” he said apologetically. “I cannot tell you where the mistress is because I do not know. She was worried that I might be captured and forced to tell where she was hiding, so she thought it would be safer if she wrote the code down in the letter that Kimi-gozen is holding in her hands. She said it would be something only her daughters could understand.”
“Open it, Kimi,” Hana urged.
I tugged the ribbon free and was about to unfurl the scroll when a gentle cough interrupted us.
A young monk in yellow robes had approached. “The temple is closing,” he said with an apologetic smile. “I must request that you all leave now.”
“Of course.” I quickly tucked the scroll into my wide sleeve and gave a polite bow. “Thank you for your patience and kindness.”
Hana and I made our way toward the doorway with Manabu. I looked over my shoulder to see that Tatsuya was coming along behind us, his face closed and thoughtful.
Outside in the temple clearing, the first stars of the evening were dotted high above the cedars.
Just outside the gate, Manabu glanced around anxiously. “We must be careful, Kimi-gozen,” he muttered, guiding us into a hiding place among the green ferns and cedar trees. “It’s not safe to linger out in the open.”
A light breeze rustled through the branches of the trees around us as I pulled off the ribbon and carefully unfurled the scroll. It wasn’t pitch-dark yet, so there was just enough light left to
read Mother’s elegant brushstrokes and perfect kanji. Hana came to stand close beside me. She let out a long, slow breath.
As I stared down at the scroll, everything seemed to blur. A single tear dropped onto the paper, making the ink blossom and spread. I bit my lip and carefully blotted the wet ink with my thumb.
I read the letter aloud to the others, my heart fluttering.
My dearest daughters,
I wanted so much to be at the temple today to meet you in person and behold your sweet faces once again. But alas our meeting has become impossible. A troop of samurai soldiers arrived in the town this morning. They are questioning people about two fugitives, and it is my belief that your uncle is searching for Moriyasu and me.
In order to keep your little brother safe, I must hide in a place where only you girls can find me.
Seek, and you will find us in the place of Hana’s favorite poems.
Hana’s favorite poems?
The blood in my veins leaped with excitement because I knew what Mother meant. I turned to Hana.
“Fujigoko…,” she said breathlessly, meeting my gaze with wide, excited eyes. “The five lakes that ring Mount Fuji to the north. We saw one of them on our journey here.”
I nodded eagerly, clasping her hand. “There are six poems about Fujigoko,” I said, “each one detailing the beauty of the water at each lake, and the majesty of the mountain.”
But which of the five had Mother and Moriyasu chosen as a hiding place?
“The five lakes cover a wide area,” Manabu said with an anxious frown. “Isn’t the mistress more specific than that?”
I consulted the letter again, rereading Mother’s words. Her kanji had been dashed off quickly, her haste betrayed by the quick upward sweep of the brushstrokes and a rogue blot of ink at the edge of the scroll.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “There’s nothing more….”
“Wait!” Hana interrupted, putting out her hand and tilting the top of the scroll. “There’s something written on the back. It’s so small that we wouldn’t have seen it when the paper was rolled up.”
Manabu leaned closer. “What does it say, Kimigozen?”
I read aloud.
You know that the sixth poem contains all five elements—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water.
Oh, my dearest daughters. Nothing can break the strength of all five elements when they are together.
“What can the mistress mean by that?” Manabu asked.
“I’m not sure,” Hana said thoughtfully. She leaned against my arm to look at the scroll. “The sixth poem was always my favorite…. I used to love hearing Mother read it to me because it talked about the most easterly of all the lakes, Yamanaka, and told of the swans that nested there.”
“I remember that,” I said with a nod. “So she and Moriyasu must have chosen that lake as their hiding place.”
I rolled up the paper scroll and tucked it into my kimono. “How far is it to Fujigoko?” I asked Tatsuya.
He thought for a moment. “Less than a day’s walk from here,” he said.
“So if we travel under cover of night, we could be with Mother and Moriyasu by tomorrow morning,” Hana said.
Tatsuya nodded. “We’ll make it easily if we set out now.”
I glanced at Manabu, who was looking concerned. “Kimi-gozen,” he said hesitantly. “There are soldiers everywhere. Don’t you think it would be easier to hide if there were just three of us? Four is too many.” He shot a meaningful glance at Tatsuya.
Why didn’t Manabu trust him? Tatsuya was our friend. I would trust him with my life. I shook my head. “We stay together,” I said firmly.
We left the temple grounds by the main gate. The pathway was deserted, but we were cautious, creeping from tree to tree with our swords in hand.
I led the way, my footsteps soft on the paving stones, my gaze darting left and right. Hana was next with Manabu beside her, and Tatsuya followed. We slowed our pace as we drew nearer to the end of the pathway. The main street stretched out before us, long and straight, full of eerie shadows.
All the stallholders had packed up and gone home. There were no signs of the town guards, but they had to be nearby. Lanterns glowed in doorways, and the smell of roasted tea leaves drifted on the air. I lingered in the temple entrance for a moment, listening and watching. Then I glanced back at the others and gave a quick nod. “Come on,” I said. “Let’s hurry.”
All our senses were alert as we moved swiftly and silently through the town, heading for the gateway and the path that would take us back out onto the mountainside. The wind seemed to pick up, snuffing out one or two of the iron lanterns that hung at intervals along the street. Away to the north, a dog barked. Closer, I caught the faint sound of someone strumming on a koto harp. Once, an old woman’s face appeared by a half-open screen, peering out at us.
We were almost at the town gates when a sudden movement in a side alley caught my eye. There was a gleam of lantern light on burnished steel, and a pair of glittering black eyes stared out from beneath a samurai helmet.
Please, I prayed to the Buddha. Please don’t let him see us. Make us invisible….
But then a rough shout tore the air and I knew that we had been spotted.
Two patrolling soldiers burst out of the shadows, hands on the hilts of their long curved swords.
“Run!” I cried, drawing my sword in case we were too late.
CHAPTER TWELVE
We raced away, down the street toward the town gates.
“Into the trees,” I gasped to the others. “We should be able to lose them in the pine forest.”
Clutching my sword tightly, I risked a glance back over my shoulder—and saw that the two patrolling soldiers had become six…and there were more behind them. Eight samurai came swarming out of shadow-filled side alleys like angry hornets. All of them wore Uncle’s distinctive red silk mon badges. Their leader let out a fierce battle cry as he sprinted after us, leather armor creaking, sword in hand.
But already we were through the town gates. Veering to the left, we made for the trees. Pine needles crunched beneath our feet and branches tore at our clothes as we ran. Then…thunk! An arrow hit the tree beside me, barely missing my shoulder. I pushed onward, panting now. Fear surged through me in a red-hot tide.
“We’ve got to get away!” Hana gasped.
“We should climb up,” Tatsuya said, “into the trees.”
“But Manabu can’t climb,” I reminded him. “He’s only got one arm.”
“I’m sorry,” Tatsuya said, casting Manabu an embarrassed glance. “I forgot.”
Manabu shrugged.
“We can help Manabu,” Hana said, coming to an abrupt halt beneath a tall, thick pine tree.
I rammed my sword back into its scabbard and pushed up my sleeves. “You first,” I said to Hana. “We’ll pull Manabu up behind us.”
Together we shinned up into the ancient tree, found a firm foothold, and then leaned back down to help the manservant. “Hurry,” Hana urged. “I can hear the soldiers coming.”
Manabu and I locked our hands around each other’s wrists. He climbed quickly, using his feet like a monkey’s while I bore his weight. Hana reached down and grasped him beneath the armpit, hauling him up with all her strength. Her hair had come loose, and it swung like a length of black rope over one shoulder as she leaned down.
A crashing sound carried toward us through the forest, and a hoarse shout reverberated across the pine-scented gloom.
“Hurry, Tatsuya,” I whispered. “They’re so close.”
Tatsuya’s face appeared just below Manabu’s left foot. “Higher,” he whispered back, his face tense. “We need to go higher.”
Hastily we climbed farther up into the tree. Branches swayed above my head, trembling and dipping beneath our weight. Far below, I heard the soldiers coming through the ancient forest. They were moving slowly, stealthily, their weapons at the ready.
I caught a glimpse of the leader, his finger to
his lips. “Slowly, slowly,” he said in a low, husky voice. “Let them think we’ve lost them. They’re only youngsters; they’ll soon give themselves away.”
I counted them as they crept by, their sandals soft on the pine needle carpet. One. Two. Three. Four.
Suddenly I noticed Tatsuya. He was crouching on a branch a little way below me, his weight perfectly held in balance.
Slowly he steadied his longbow, fitted an arrow, took aim…and loosed it.
The arrow flickered through the air, silent and deadly, aiming straight for the samurai warrior who was bringing up the rear. The arrow took out his throat. For a moment he clawed the air, mouth open. Then he pitched sideways. He was dead before he hit the ground and his friends hadn’t even noticed.
Tatsuya loosed a second arrow. It sliced through the air and found a barely visible gap in a samurai’s armor, where shoulder guard met breastplate. The tip buried deep. The samurai pitched forward, but he crashed into the samurai in front of him, alerting the others.
A third soldier backed away from his comrades, looking around for the source of the arrows. In the gathering darkness, his face looked as pale as a bloated fish belly. “Demons are walking the earth tonight,” he said with a shaky voice.
“Stay together, men,” the leader warned. “We must find them.”
But I could see that his sword hand was shaking as he disappeared into the gloom. His men hurried after him, vanishing like the spirits they feared.
“Is it safe to go down?” Manabu asked in a low voice.
“Only if you want them to catch you,” Tatsuya said, giving the servant a sharp glance as he flung his longbow onto his shoulder.
“Let’s stay up here in the trees,” Hana said in a soothing voice. “The branches are so close together that we could travel from one to the next with no trouble. Then we’ll be out of sight if the soldiers cross our path again.”
I tested a nearby branch with my foot, found it was stable, and nodded. “Good idea, Hana.”
