by Fuyumi Ono
"While you're traipsing around asking questions like this, you're bound to run into some real villains. Could get dangerous, don't you think?"
A ring. A ring that didn't match up with the man's overall appearance.
"Don't go looking for trouble. Leave that to the authorities."
Koshou, Youko remembered. Koshou wore a ring just like that one. And so did the kid who'd stopped him from roughing her up. And the girl, Suzu, who'd served her tea.
"Shouldn't go around wasting folks' time like this," he said with a flippant wave of the hand.
He turned on his heels. Youko strode toward him. He glanced back at her suspiciously. She caught him by the shoulder and spun him around.
"You---"
Grabbing him by the collar, she slammed him into the wall, pressing her shoulder against his back. The man bellowed. She laid the tip of the blade against his neck. "Would you like to find out whether or not I can use this sword?"
"---bitch."
"Where did you get that ring?"
The man squirmed and pushed her away. She firmed her hold on the sword. The tip sank a few millimeters into his flesh. "Quit moving unless you want get hurt a lot worse."
The man's head nodded forward and he caught his breath, sending a shiver down the length of the sword. A slash of red appeared from a section of the streaked, stained wall above his head. The forefoot of a beast grew out of the wall, extending its claws atop the man's head. His cheek pressed against the brick, the man grasped something of what was happening and cast her a beseeching, sideways glance.
"You know who Koshou is?"
"I don't."
"You're lying. Look, my arm's getting tired. You'd better have something to say before my hand starts to shake too much."
"I don't know!"
"All I want is to sit down and talk. The way you're holding out makes me think that both of you are criminals."
"You've taken leave of your senses!"
"Now you're just pissing me off. Talk."
A moment passed.
"Koshou isn't that kind of man."
"And if we can sit down and talk about it, then hopefully I'll agree with you."
"You're wrong. Believe me."
"Take me to his place. Then I'll have reason to."
"Okay, okay," the man groaned.
At the same time, the forefoot of the beast vanished. Youko drew back the tip of the sword. Sensing no resistance from him, she released her hold.
The man placed his hands on the wall and shook his head. With the hand bearing the ring, he wiped the back of his neck, looked at his palm, and grimaced. "You would go this far? You're crazy, woman."
"And you'd better keep your promise. Try anything funny, and next time this sword will cut you for good."
16-4
The man led Youko to a block in the southwest quadrant of the city, to a row of inns that had really gone to the dogs. The green paint had mostly peeled off the faded, soot-stained walls. This turquoise color was rare, specially reserved for buildings used as brothels.
"You've got to be kidding me."
"Don't get snooty," the man replied. "You'll understand once you meet Koshou. That's why I brought you here. Don't start distrusting me now."
They entered the brothel. Immediately inside the brothel was a small dining hall. Hardly anybody was there. An old man hurried out to meet them. Following behind her guide, Youko stood with her back to the door and watched as he and the old man exchanged a few words.
The man retreated into the back room. Soon, in his place, emerged the man she'd met before.
"So, it's that girl again."
"And you're Koshou?"
The man nodded. He gestured toward the dining hall with his chin. "Have a seat. But a meal costs even more than it did before."
"I came here to ask you a few questions."
"So sit. I've got no reason to cross swords with you."
Youko hesitated, spotting two or three other men poking their heads out from the back room. But not sensing in the least any impending assault, she nodded and took a seat.
"You were in Hokui."
Koshou sat down opposite her. "I was. As I recall, I was leaving the house of an associate of mine."
"You didn't say so before."
"I've got reasons of my own for holding my tongue. I'm telling you now, so give me a break."
"For quite some time, a suspicious character has been coming by the rike. The man who led him there was Rou."
"The rike?" Koshou asked, disbelievingly. Her guide and the old man were also at a loss for words.
"The rike in Kokei. I've been staying there."
"Whatever the case, Rou is an intermediary. It's rare for him to extend his services to people, but not so rare for him to be around running errands. Rou and I go way back. I guess you didn't know that."
"Before the rike was attacked, some men seemed to be checking the place out. They returned to Takuhou."
"Attacked? The rike in Kokei was attacked?"
Youko nodded. Koshou was so truly astonished that she almost shook her head in wonder.
Koshou glanced back over his shoulder. "Somebody go get Suzu!"
"Youshi--"
Suzu's eyes opened wide when she saw Youko sitting there. Before Youko could speak, Koshou said, "Suzu, when you were in Houkaku, didn't you hear talk about somebody getting kidnapped?"
Suzu nodded. "There was talk about a rike in Eishuu being attacked and the superintendent kidnapped."
"What was the city? And the name of the superintendent who was kidnapped?"
"I didn't get the name of the city. As for the man's name… I know it was mentioned, but I can't recall."
"Enho," Youko interjected.
Suzu nodded forcefully. "Yes, that's right. It was Enho."
Koshou turned back to Youko. "Enho was kidnapped? Really?"
"Do you know him? Enho?"
"My little brother has attended his lectures on occasion. I went with him once. To be sure, it was Rou who made the introductions. Enho is a renown scholar, so I wanted him to meet my brother."
"Brother--oh, the boy I met before? Fourteen or so?"
"That's right, Sekki. You really don't know where Enho is? Was anybody at the rike injured?"
Youko took a breath. Koshou truly looked as if this had all hit him from out of blue. That being the case, the trail for the real criminals had again run cold. "A girl was murdered."
"That would have been Rangyoku?"
Youko nodded. "Shady types had been hanging around the rike, and everything I knew pointed to you. To make matters worse, after the rike was attacked, you packed up and left."
Koshou smiled at the irony. "We had things on our hands as well. Not something to make a big deal about, but people snooping around puts us on edge. There was this suspicious character who came around twice. We didn't like the way the wind was blowing, and pulled up stakes."
"Where did you go?"
"Not far off. That was the same day the rike was attacked?"
Youko nodded. "Sometime between noon and sundown. Probably about the same time I was talking with Suzu, or just after."
"I was in the inn the same time you were. I returned when you were talking to Suzu."
"Eh?" Youko said, looking at him.
"You were talking about the Marquis of Baku. You seemed awful suspicious to me. I spied on you from the kitchen." He spoke with the same wry smile.
"It was Shoukou," Suzu said in a low voice. Youko turned to her. "That day, after the gates of Takuhou closed, a wagon returned to the city and the gates were opened again to let it in."
"I see," she heard a small voice behind her say. She glanced back over her shoulder. Sekki was standing there.
"You--"
"Have you thought about why Enho would be targeted?"
"No," Youko answered honestly.
"What kind of person is Enho?"
"I know that he was originally a citizen of Baku. That's all."
"The Evergreen Seminary?"
"In the middle of the city in San County. A highly respected private school dedicated to the teaching of the Way. Last year it was raided by arsonists. The school was destroyed and all the instructors killed, but a number of people managed to survive. Rou has mentioned that he was attending the Evergreen Seminary, so I'm sure he has some connections to it."
"So all these people who came to visit Enho--"
"Most likely, yes. Rou earnestly asked that this not be divulged. Even today, people connected to the Evergreen Seminary are being hunted down."
"Hunted down? Why?"
Sekki answered plainly. "Because it's a thorn in the side of those who have fallen from the Way following after their own selfish desires."
"Men like that--"
"Men like that can't abide people knowing about the Way. Neither can they abide it when they take up the reins of government. You see, if they can't completely surround themselves with people just like them, who claim not to give a damn about Virtue or the Way, they'll be deposed sooner or later."
"But--"
"I've heard that the Marquis of Baku attended the Evergreen Seminary as well. Because they found the existence of the Marquis so intolerable, they plotted to unseat him. Those who followed the pretender on one side, and the Marquis--who opposed her--on the other. If he turned out to be right, then all those who followed her would lose their place of power. So they whispered half-truths in the ear of the Empress and entrapped the Marquis. Such is the nature of the lot we are dealing with."
"Indeed," Youko said, placing a hand on her forehead.
"According to Rou, the attack on the Evergreen Seminary came at the instigation of the vice-minister in the Shisui Prefecture Ministry of Summer."
"What?"
"We asked for further details, but nobody would talk, so we only heard this second-hand. But the criminals who attacked and burned the Evergreen Seminary were said to be itinerants, coiled snakes that crawled out of Takuhou. Right after the attack, the current vice-minister, a mere itinerant at the time, was promoted to the ministry. That's some promotion. The criminals and the vice-minister were surely acquaintances."
"Shoukou, you mean."
Sekki nodded. "The vice-minister was pulling the strings behind the scenes, but the mastermind was surely Shoukou. I have no idea why Shoukou should so despise a seminary in Baku Province. But if he knew that survivors from the seminary were in Hokui, he would make every effort to finish them off. That's the kind of man he is."
Youko looked at the face of the boy who was relating all this so calmly. "So Enho is perhaps in Takuhou?"
"The possibility is high. Whether alive or dead, I can't say."
Youko jumped to her feet.
"Hey, where you going?
She stopped at the sound of Koshou's voice. "I'm going to rescue him."
"Don't talk nonsense!"
"I have to!" She owned him that debt of moral obligation and respect. Rangyoku was dead and Keikei lay at death's door. Only Enho could she save.
"Stop!"
Koshou grabbed her by the arm. She jerked herself free of his grasp. Sekki stood in front of her, blocking the way. She took him by the shoulders and pushed him to the side.
"Youshi! Wait!" Suzu's shrill voice froze her in her tracks. "Shoukou has dozens of guards at his beck and call. His carriage entered Takuhou, but do you have any idea where he went? Or the many places Shoukou could be imprisoning his detractors? Don't go leaping before you look."
"But--" Youko started to say, when Koshou again took a hold of her arm.
"We have associates constantly keeping an eye on Shoukou. I think they'll know where that troublesome carriage ended up."
"Associates?"
"We've been on his trail for three years. There's not a day that goes by when we don't know what the bastard's been up to."
"Koshou--you--" Youko scanned the faces of men in the dining hall, whose numbers had at some point swelled to a dozen or more. "You are--?"
If she'd thought it through, this was the conclusion she should have come to. There was no way Suzu's malice toward Shoukou would have abated in the least.
Koshou lightly clapped Youko on the back. "You're packing a helluva weapon there, but can it cut a wizard? Or should I ask, can you wield a sword that will cut a wizard?"
PAGE 235
Youko smiled thinly. "To the bone."
Koshou sent off a messenger, who returned past midnight. Koshou looked at the people assembled in the main hall. "The carriage entered the prefectural castle. As you all know, of late, Shoukou hasn't left his official residence at the castle."
Youko glanced at the nodding faces. The faces of those willing and able to do what I cannot.
"We don't know why he brought Enho back to the prefectural castle. But that's how the man operates. He's definitely up to no good. If Enho still lives, then I want to rescue him."
The silence filled with a powerful feeling of mutual consent.
"In any case, I don't intend to wait much longer to get things rolling. That could mean tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow." Having spoken his mind, Koshou surveyed the crowd gathered in the main hall. "What say you?"
His question was answered with a shout of approval.
"Good!" Koshou said with a nod. "We have bided our time for three years. The moment has come to bring an end to Shoukou's rule!"
Part XVII
17-1
In the second year of Sekiraku, according to the calendar of the Kingdom of Kei, during the early dawn hours on the first day of February, one of the official residences of Shoukou, the governor of Shisui Prefecture, was attacked. The assailants, comprising some twenty citizens of Shisui Prefecture, shot fire arrows from the surrounding streets, scaled the walls, and fought their way into the inner sanctum. Yet the person of Shoukou was not found within.
After crossing swords with the residential guards, the assailants scrawled the characters Shu On on the walls. As soon as the city gates opened, they broke through the Horse Gate and fled. Pursued by provincials guardsmen, at least half their number slipped free and escaped to Ei Province.
Shoukou's full name was Seki On. Shoukou read the characters Shu On ("a special gift") as Chuu On ("the gift of execution"), expressing a desire for his assassination. In his indignation, he sent two hundred of his troops after the assailants and ordered five hundred more mustered from the surrounding territories to stand guard at the prefectural castle.
Just before these troops were scheduled to arrive at Takuhou, on the night of the first attack on the governor's residence, the granary in the center of the castle compound was attacked. Mere moments before the arrival of the praetorian guard assigned to Shoukou's personal protection detail and the provincial garrison at Takuhou, the assailants set fire to the granary and fled.
The fires were extinguished before the structure was consumed, yet the assailants again left behind the characters Shu On, and absconded to Ei Province. This time, approximately thirty individuals broke through the Horse Gate, half their number escaping capture and crossing the provincial border into Ei.
Clearly rogue elements were attempting to foment a rebellion. Suspecting another attack on the granary in the works, Shoukou assigned provincial guardsmen along with his praetorian guard to cordon off the granary. Three hundred praetorians were further dispatched to watch the roads and the borders. However, after two days, no assault had come. Early in the morning of the third day, Shoukou having let down his guard if only in the slightest, the attack came at his countryside estate east of Takuhou.
The assailants numbered a hundred. When the provincial guardsmen and praetorians stationed at the granary arrived at the estate, the forces inside and outside the estate fought to a standstil
l.
"I wonder if they're okay."
At the window of the brothel, Suzu looked in the direction of the Hare Gate. In the midst of the chaotic city, dusk was already falling.
"They'll be okay, as long as they've got Youshi," Koshou reassured her. He didn't offer any reasons, and Suzu took an uncertain breath. Koshou said, "I offered two hundred men, and Youshi said she could get the job done with a hundred. I'd say the odds are on their side."
Youshi had promised if they could capture Shoukou without killing him, she'd make it happen with a hundred.
"You need to be concerned for yourself, Suzu," Sekki said, as he strung a bow.
"I'll be okay," she'd replied. "After all, nobody can handle the sansui without me around."
"I'll leave Sekki to your care," Koshou said.
She nodded. "But what about you, Sekki? Can you draw a bow like that?"
"No problem. I don't have the best aim, but I'm not totally useless." He laughed nervously. "Do you know how they settle things when two kids applying to school come out the same in grades, character, and relative merits?"
"I don't. An archery contest, perhaps?"
"That's right. The best shot wins. So I did a lot of practicing."
"I see."
Sekki wanted to become a government official. If he wished to make anything of himself in this kingdom, that was his first step, Sekki had the brains to succeed. In fact, he had an almost uncanny ability to read things right.
First, we send out twenty to get Shoukou all riled up.
These twenty had set fire to Shoukou's official residence on the inner loop road. Then hightailed it out of there. The next time, thirty struck the granary.
The granary was a warehouse that stored grain against times of famine. Setting it alight was a bold gesture on Sekki's part. "Our actual intent is not to burn it down," he explained. "And if by chance it should be consumed, Shoukou never had any intent on distributing it to the people, anyway."
But by doing so, Shoukou would have to post guards. And when the attackers fled, in a rage, they would chase after them. Shoukou would recall the constabulary from the surrounding districts and harden defenses around the castle.
