by Fuyumi Ono
Her hand trembled. She drew the sword from its sheath.
The man who killed Seishuu.
"Suzu."
Youshi spoke in a low voice. Suzu started, her eyes wide in surprise. When she looked back over her shoulder, Youshi shook her head, no. She lightly patted Suzu on the arm and then pressed through the ring or people, who all stood there as if frozen in place.
"So you're Shoukou."
"No, I'm not!"
"What did you do with Enho?"
"Enho?"
"If you can deliver Enho alive, we may spare your life for the time being."
The man little eyes nervously flitted back and fro.
"On the other hand, if you wish to die, I will accommodate your desires." She drew her sword. The man frantically backed away. He looked like a fat bear trying to scratch his back on the divan.
"Really? You're really going to help me?"
"You have my word."
Youko looked up at Koshou. With a bewildered expression, he looked back and forth between Youko and Shoukou. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Now you're making promises like that. He's all yours, then."
Youko replied with a slight nod. She knelt down in front of Shoukou. "Out with it. Where's Enho?"
"H-he's n-not h-here."
"What?"
The man raised a quavering hand, his stubby forefinger tracing a crooked circle in the air. "Meikaku. I know nothing. The Marquis of Wa asked me to. So I sent him to Meikaku."
"Gahou? Why would Gahou want to kidnap Enho?"
"I was told to kill him. Because he was a survivor of the Evergreen Seminary. That's what he said. I ordered the raid, but didn't kill him. The fools brought him here. When I informed the Marquis, he said to deliver Enho to him."
"So he is still alive?"
"I didn't kill him. Truly."
Youko glanced behind her, at the flustered and perplexed faces looking down at them. "I understand the malice in your hearts, but please discipline yourselves for now. This man is tied to Gahou. If he is killed and Gahou escapes, all will be for naught."
His knowledge of the depraved lengths to which the Wa Province Lord had gone made Shoukou a vital link.
A man standing next to Koshou cast his eyes up toward the heavens and heaved a big sigh. Taking that as a signal, the room shook with jeers of derision. Some crying out in scorn, a few others quietly holding back tears of despair.
The room once again fell into silence and the human cordon around Shoukou dispersed. Dejected, shoulders drooping, they exited the room. Behind them, Koshou suddenly scraped the tip of his broadsword against the floor.
"The provincial guard is coming! This is no time to get complacent!"
At once, his crestfallen comrades were seized by the warrior spirit. After the requisite disrespectful glances at Shoukou, they snapped out of it, lifted their heads proudly, and marched out of the room.
Suzu continued to stare at Shoukou. He was nothing but a frightened, stupid-looking man. Her malice for him was deep, but that malice was hers alone. Not even Seishuu had shared it when he died. If Seishuu had spoken any words of revenge in his final moments, she would have killed him no matter what Youshi said.
"You killed a child in Takuhou."
Shoukou shuddered violently, like a wounded bird.
Suzu balled her hands into fists as she turned on her heels. "And I will never forget it."
17-4
The soldier arrived at a gallop in the middle of the night. After counting the dead hanging from the walls across the mote, he'd come to the conclusion that the castle defenders had given up the fight.
A nearby vassal looked up and said, "Meaning--"
Astride his horse, the battalion commander nodded. "Meaning the rebels have control of the keep."
The castle grounds were still as death. Rugged gates and thick walls guarded the prefectural offices. When the provincial guard had arrived, the castle was already in the control of the rebels. They would have no choice but to directly challenge these formidable defenses. Even if they broke through, what they had come to defend was likely no longer there.
"Tell them to cease fighting and pull back. Launching an offensive now would be meaningless."
"But the praetorians--"
The commander's gaze fell upon the praetorians, who were feverishly readying themselves for a charge upon the main gates. "Give them fair warning as well. In any case, the rebels will have already found their quarry. Say that I'm ordering them to cease engaging and withdraw because the person who would call them to account likely no longer draws breath."
He knew that the zeal of the praetorians had little to do with honor or loyalty, but sprang forth from fear. If they pleased Shoukou, they won whatever rewards they could imagine. But if they displeased him in the least, they would be dispatched without mercy. Those who served Shoukou knew this better than any.
"Retreat and regroup. Pitch camp at the West Gate. We'll rest until dawn and await reinforcements from Meikaku. The rebels may attempt to flee before then. Capture anyone who attempts to leave the castle. If they resist, do not hesitate to employ deadly force."
Most of the praetorians within the castle grounds had been killed or had given up. Any remaining ministers had immediately surrendered. They were gathered together and locked inside the buildings. The remaining bodies of the praetorians were hung from the castle walls.
The provincial guard posted outside the castle walls pulled back and formed a battle line outside the West Gate. They settled in and awaited the dawn.
"Well, now what?"
From the guard tower, Koshou looked east, surveying the scene before the Blue Dragon Gate. The guard towers were squat stone structures built at critical junctures along the parapets. The towers projected over the inner and outer portions of the castle wall, studded with merlons and crenels from which firing positions could be established, and thick doors and walls facing the wall walks to the left and right. Such a vantage point offered a clear view of both the interior and exterior of the castle from which fire could be directed at the enemy. Closing the doors cut off access to the wall walks.
"If we don't move first," said Sekki, "we'll have no choice but to break through their lines and make a run for it." He peeked through a catapult crenel at the city beyond.
"Sure seems that way. Things are quiet around here."
The external environs of the castle seemed asleep, but no one was sleeping. Uneasy groups of people here and there, people returning to report after cautiously checking out the state of the prefectural castle. That the rebels had control of the castle could be ascertained from the bodies hanging from the walls. But more than that, what would they do next?
"Well, what are we going to do?" Youko asked Sekki.
Sekki shook his head. "Whatever we decide upon, we've got to act before dawn. Once it becomes light, we will find ourselves at a distinctive disadvantage."
"Could we retreat with Shoukou as our hostage?"
"Shoukou does have some value as a hostage. Other than that, if the citizens of Takuhou don't rise to our defense, there's not much hope for us. One battalion of provincial guards and close to five hundred praetorians are guarding the border with Ei Province. If we can't create enough chaos in Takuhou to entice them back here, we'll be left with no escape route. And the provincial guards stationed at Meikaku are currently marching from the east."
"And to the north?" Ken Province could be reached by crossing the mountains to the north.
"Our only option there would be to reach the mountains in twos and threes and make our way to Ken. We know what's coming if we remain in Wa. Our only recourse is to flee to a neighboring province. Yet Gahou could put an end to that option by asking the Province Lord of Ken to mobilize his guard units. By the time we crossed the mountains, news of the rebellion would have preceded us, and the Ken Provincial Guard would be waiting for us."
"So it's Ei Province or nothing."
"Yeah," Sekki said with a nod. "The Taiho's
duchy across the river remains our best bet." He looked hopefully out at the sleeping city.
A knock at a door and a small voice whispered, "The prefectural castle has fallen."
Voices full of surprise echoed back and forth. Then silence.
The opportunity had come to liberate Takuhou, some argued strenuously. "How many people have been killed so far? If we don't act now and prove to the powers that be that we're no cowards, after Shoukou is gone we'll be saddled with another like him."
"The next governor may be worse than this one."
"Shoukou doesn't rule the kingdom. That's a lesson they need to learn."
"Yeah, they need to know that no beast will govern us, at least in Shisui."
The voices were cut off by the sound of a closing door. In ones and twos, downcast men gathered in the southwest corner of the city.
"How'd it go?"
"Not well. Nothing but cowards in this city."
"Nobody seemed happy even hearing that the castle had fallen. They still all have that constipated look on their faces."
"No matter what happens, they'll invent some reason to be afraid. It's soaked into their bones."
"Do they think if they make of themselves a small enough target, the arrows won't find them? That's how they plan to live out the rest of their lives?"
"So what do we do then?"
A hush fell upon the darkened streets as the whispers ceased.
"If it only comes down to us, we're going to help--"
"Somehow we've got to help make good their escape."
The night sky began to brighten.
"This is bad," a quiet voice said.
Suzu turned and looked at Sekki. They were standing on the wall walk next to the watchtower atop the gate. The darkness had already lifted enough to make out people's faces in the dim light.
Acknowledging Suzu's gaze, Sekki laughed nervously. "We can't afford to wait. Daybreak is coming."
A deathly still fell upon the wall walk. Koshou took a deep breath.
"After this, we'll never see Shisui again. It may not be much, but we brought down Shoukou a few pegs. No matter what, he's going to have to account for the chaos that occurred here. Let's just leave it at that."
Dejected sighs filled the air.
"What now, Sekki?"
"Distribute the minimum necessary provisions from the storehouse. Then head straight north into the mountains."
"Escape to Ken Province?"
"That's our only recourse. Honestly speaking, if we turn toward the west, in the time it will take us to engage the provincial guard waiting for us, the guard from Meikaku will have caught up with us."
"And south?"
"No good. The distance is too great. The cavalry would overtake us before we made it to a neighboring province. There's no way we can compete with soldiers on horseback. No, going north is our only option."
From the start, they had no defense against the airborne cavalry riding pegasi. The provincial guard had few air cavalry, Sekki said, and they'd had no choice but to gamble that such a rare asset would be held back in reserve.
"We'll break through in the north, where no battalion commanders are stationed. It may not be much, but troop moral cannot be high."
Including the wounded, at least seven hundred had made it this far--more than any of them expected. But Koshou and the rest of them could only count it as a defeat, the citizens of the city not having come to their aid. After this, they had no choice but to run for the hills.
Everybody seemed to understand this. Heavily armed men hung their heads in frustration.
"Well, then!" Koshou declared in a clear, loud voice. "So the citizens of Takuhou are nothing but cowards! Look around, and that is how many are not. In short, we are the only people left in Shisui with real heart. And we had the gall to all gather here together!"
A ripple of laugher arose from the downcast crowds.
"We did it once, and we can do it again! We'll make good our escape!" With this cry, Koshou rallied their assembled forces.
"He really is something," Suzu heard Youshi mutter to herself. When she turned to her, Youshi smiled. "A little speech like that, and Koshou renews their fighting spirits. Incredible. He'd make a good general."
"I wonder."
"Indeed," Youshi laughed.
At that moment, Suzu heard the sound of wings overhead.
17-5
Suzu flung back her head. There in the gray sky above, she caught a glimpse of a dark shadow, the silhouette of great wings.
A bird.
"No, a pegasus!"
The crowds dissolved into panic.
"The air cavalry!"
"Sekki!" Koshou roared.
Suzu looked for Sekki and saw that he was already bending his bow. The arrow flew into the sky and was swallowed up by the black shadow. A second later a spear shot down at him.
"Sekki!" They all shouted. Suzu was paralyzed with fear. Koshou and Youshi reached for him. Youshi gave him a shove and Koshou yanked him out of the way just in time. The spear planted itself in the wall walk where Sekki had been standing the moment before. The cries of relief and terror mingled together.
"To the guard tower!"
At the sound of Koshou's voice, they rushed to the guard tower doors. Suzu grasped the reins of the sansui. A spear pierced its neck. Suzu screamed. The sansui toppled over, its weight dragging her along, the whiplash in the reins flinging her to the side. She drew painful breaths as Koshou grabbed her by the arms and hoisted her up. Another spear plunged into the ground at their feet.
"Yeah, those provincial guards are in a different league," Koshou grunted, pushing Suzu toward the closest guard tower. "Get in there! Look after Sekki!"
Nodding, Suzu stared at the heavens, overcome with feelings of hopelessness. The swarm of pegasi darted to and across the breaking dawn sky. She couldn't tell how many. The spears and arrows fell like rain. The trueness of their aim made it clear they were the elite of the elite.
"You too, Koshou. Come on!" Suzu grabbed his arm.
They didn't have the weapons to shoot down the air cavalry. Arrows began to fly from the roof of the guard tower, but there was otherwise no defense against an airborne enemy.
"I can't believe the air cavalry was mobilized!"
"Please, let's go in!"
Suzu shoved him with all her might toward the guard tower. As soon as they stepped inside the thick doors, she saw another flock of pegasi flitting through the air. She estimated fifteen. However, just as one mounted knight was the equal of eight infantrymen, one air cavalryman was a match for twenty grunts.
Uttering a string of oaths, Koshou ducked into the guard tower. The empty room contained only the block and tackle mechanism for hoisting the portcullis. Koshou ran through the room and climbed the stairs, scrambling to the top floor of third level above the main gate.
"Suzu!"
Following on Koshou's heels, no sooner had Suzu reached the top floor but she found a crossbow pointed straight at her. Sekki quickly aimed it elsewhere and tossed her a bolt. "Arm it for me," he said.
Suzu nodded. She placed her foot in the stirrup at the nose of the crossbow and pulled up on the cord with all her might. Then she laid the bolt in the groove and handed it back to Sekki. She picked up a spent crossbow and similarly loaded a bolt and passed it to one of the soldiers firing through the crenels at the air cavalry.
Alongside them, men were shifting the platform of a crossbow-like catapult that faced the exterior of the gate. Following Koshou's shouted commands, another group of men raised shield walls to protect themselves from descending projectiles and crossfire.
The large main room of the guard tower was made of stone. No walls faced outside or inside the gate. Instead, the room was enclosed by a ring of columns that formed the merlons and crenels, leaving the room otherwise completely open along its two lengths. They took axes and hacked away at the architectural flourishes to widen the field of view for the archers, and then set up temporar
y shield walls covering the gaping rectangular apertures that otherwise were protected only by the merlons and overhanging eaves. From between the gaps, the dark city of Takuhou spread out beneath their gaze. The sky was barely light enough to discern the outlines of the city.
They were not completely without hope. They'd figured out how to aim the large catapult. Even without hitting the target, its presence drove the air cavalry away from the guard tower. Now the cavalry repeatedly charged and pulled back.
"Damn and blast, but they're fast!" Suzu heard Koshou cursing. He'd missed. With the shield walls in place, their exterior view was obstructed as well.
"We're out of bolts!"
The cry came from the men grouped around the catapult. The weapon didn't shoot ordinary arrows, but projectiles as long and as heavy as spears, that could slam straight through a building. They'd exhausted their supply.
"We've still got crossbows. Use them and your longbows. You've got pikes, don't you?"
Someone shouted behind them, "Koshou!"
As they turned, the shield wall at the back of the guard tower blew inwards. Splinters of wood rained down around them. Outside the gaping hole was a pegasus, its coat the color of red copper.
"Don't let them board us!"
With the attack concentrated on their forward positions, they'd neglected the rear. If pressure were brought to bear here, it'd all be over. Once they could no longer lay down covering fire, the air cavalry would swoop down upon them. Sekki was closest. He spun around and readied his bow. Youshi drew her sword and started running.
Two figures were astride the pegasus. One bore a spear. He jumped off the back of the pegasus, vaulted over the parapets, and somersaulted to the floor. Suzu focused her attention on the pegasus. It was a kitsuryou. She recognized the rider.
Suzu leapt forward. "Sekki! Youshi! Stop!"
At the reins of the kitsuryou was a young woman.
"It's Shoukei!"
As if recognizing the sound of Suzu's voice, the head of the kitsuryou turned back. The flowing mane glimmered red in the first rays of light from the east. Suzu ran toward the crenels.
