The Nightingale

by Kara Dalkey

  “You may not enter,” said the guard. “It is the order of His Excellency the Chancellor, representing the wishes of the Emperor. No more priests are needed in the Palace.”

  “Far be it from us to defy an imperial order,” said the old monk dryly. “In that case, we shall conduct our services outside.” And the monks turned and began to chant loudly, marching single file around the palace wall. “Wait!” called the guard. “There must be silence! You cannot do this!” He was about to run after them when the other guard shouted, “Here come some more!” Walking through the snow towards the gate was another, larger group of monks. “Who are you?”

  “We are the priests of Chisoku In. It is the New Year and—”

  “We know what the date is! And you may not enter!”

  “In that case, we will join our brothers in their services.” And this group of monks followed after the priests of Ninna-ji, chanting loudly the Lotus Sutra.

  Exasperated, the guard determined to collar one of the priests, while the other guard dashed off to get help. But then he saw yet another group approaching, all dressed in white robes and led by someone in a sedan chair.

  “We are the priests from the Kamo Shrine,” said a female voice from inside the sedan. “And as it is my father’s wish that we do not enter, we shall join our brothers in their services.”

  The guard gaped after them as they joined the procession around the perimeter, banging on gongs and rattles. He knew the woman must be the High Priestess, the eldest daughter of the Emperor. He wished he could have caught a glimpse of her, and watched with admiration the shy and nervous vestal girls who shuffled daintily after her sedan.

  Suddenly he heard a cough behind him and he jumped around. Standing just behind him were many monks who were nearly invisible in their black robes. Moonlight glinted off the sword hilts at their sides and they stood with an assured calm that seemed almost threatening. “We are the Tendai priests of Mount Hiei,” said the foremost one in a voice smooth as a tachi blade.

  The guard gulped, all too aware of the reputation of the infamous warrior monks of Hieizan. Quickly, he stepped back. “Yes, by all means, feel free to follow your brothers in their services.”

  And the warrior monks joined in the line of marching priests, chanting as loud as the rest.

  The guard sat by the gate, knowing now he dared not interfere. Holding his head between his hands, he thought, Well, there goes my promotion.

  Kuma and Takenoko crouched low in the ditch just inside the city’s north wall. Each wore white trousers and red over-jackets similar to the palace guard uniform. Katte had made them from her old kimonos and some cloth she had been able to scrounge from a neighboring merchant. To disguise Takenoko’s short hair, Katte had fashioned a fake helmet from an old wooden rice bowl and some bamboo slats. Kuma was grateful this excursion was taking place at night—their disguises would never have withstood the light of day.

  Across the broad avenue from where they hid was the low wall of the Imperial Palace compound. Just behind the wall, Kuma knew, were stationed two armed, and probably drunk, guardsmen.

  Kuma peeked cautiously over the edge of the ditch, looking up and down the avenue. No one was wandering in their vicinity. Revelers will still be at the mansions of friends, Kuma reminded himself. He had heard that the Minister of the Left, a Minamoto, was throwing a particularly large banquet tonight.

  Then, from off to the right came the sound of chanting. “Do we go now?” Takenoko asked anxiously.

  “No. Wait.”

  They waited until the voices got louder and they could see the dark forms of the monks coming around the corner of the compound one block away. “Now!” said Kuma.

  They left the ditch and rushed across the street to the wall. Kuma leapt onto it and looked down to see two guards, holding sake cups, looking up.

  Thought so. “Hoy! You there! We’ve got trouble coming! Priests from Mount Hiei! Come out here and guard this wall.”

  “What! Hiei? Here?” The guardsmen scrambled in confusion in the snow before managing to clamber over the wall.

  “Here they come,” said Kuma, pointing down the street.

  “Almighty Buddha, there’s a lot of them!” said one guard.

  “Hold fast,” said Kuma. “My comrade and I will go bring reinforcements.”

  “Sir, don’t leave us here!”

  “Wouldn’t we be more effective on the other side of the wall, sir?”

  Kuma affixed the guardsman with a stern glare. “If they get past this wall, guardsman, there will be nothing left to protect! Understand?”

  “Y-yes, sir!”

  “Good.” Kuma turned to Takenoko. “You come with me.”

  Takenoko gave a curt nod and followed Kuma over the wall. Behind them they heard:

  “Who was that fellow?”

  “Probably one of the Inner Palace men. You know how pompous those bastards are.”

  “Hai. Goddess of Mercy, what do we do now?”

  Kuma chuckled to himself. He almost wished he could stay to hear more of the conversation as he and Takenoko rushed towards the Imperial Shrine. There was little cover on the white graveled grounds of the compound, so they made little attempt to hide. Kuma called out to the few guards they passed: “Warrior priests! Go to the walls! Defend the Palace!” This created confusion more than anything else, which also served their purpose.

  Seeing the shrine ahead, Kuma and Takenoko hid behind a snowbank until the area was clear of guards. Then, fast as they could, they dashed through the torii, past the giant stone dogs, up to the stairs of the shrine. There, Kuma stopped. “Something’s wrong.”

  “What is it?”

  “Shhh!” Kuma crept up the steps to the large wooden doors of the main sanctuary. One of the doors was ajar, and faint candlelight spilled through the doorway. “Someone’s in there.”

  “There shouldn’t be any services until dawn!” said Takenoko.

  “Shhh!” Kuma pushed the door open further and winced as it creaked. Slipping out of his shoes, he stepped inside, feeling Takenoko follow right behind. As quietly as possible, they moved through the two small antechambers to the inner sanctuary. There an old priest sat facing away from them, praying before the altar.

  On the altar, between a sakaki branch and the purification wand sat a gold and sandalwood cabinet. Behind its locked doors lay the Imperial Sacred Mirror, the shintai of Amaterasu.

  Suddenly, the priest sat upright. “Who is here?”

  Kuma, not having expected this turn of events, felt his throat go dry.

  The old priest turned around and regarded them angrily. “What do you want?”

  Kuma finally managed to force out a bluff. “We saw the light in the shrine, Holy One. We were concerned and came to see what was happening. We had heard there was trouble at the walls.”

  The priest’s eyes narrowed. “What section are you with?”

  “The Middle Guards, Holy One.”

  “Then you should know that for the past month I have been in here every night, praying for our Emperor. Surely someone must have told you.”

  “No, no one did.” And that’s truer than I care to admit.

  “Well now someone has. I assume you have not purified yourselves?”

  As if we had time to stop in the lustration pavillion and bathe before coming in here! “No, Holy One.”

  “Then I suggest you leave before you desecrate this place any further.”

  Kuma frowned regretfully, but did not move. We have come too far to let this old priest get in our way. But how do I get him to leave?

  “Is it your intention to offend the Great Kami, or do you have something else to say?” snapped the priest.

  “Holy One, there are monks surrounding the Palace walls, conducting services against the Chancellor’s orders. Perhaps if you were to speak to them, they might see reason and disperse.”

  “If they are followers of Buddha, they will pay little attention to me. And if they mean harm, I am safer h
ere, where I may also protect our holiest relic.”

  Suddenly Takenoko brushed past Kuma. “Enough of these word games! Holy One, we have been sent by Amaterasu herself to save our Emperor. We need to take her shintai to him. Please open the altar.”

  The old priest’s face contorted as if he might be about to laugh. “Sent you herself, did she?”

  “Yes! You may open the altar and ask her.”

  “You mean open it so you may bash me and take the Sacred Mirror to satisfy your greed. Never!” The priest stood, his back against the altar. “You shall not touch this altar without spilling my blood.”

  Kuma anxiously fingered the sword hilt at his side. It brought very bad karma indeed to kill a priest … particularly in a shrine. Takenoko, you fool! “You are right, Takenoko. We are wasting too much precious time. Go join the others. Your part of the plan is more important.”

  “But we cannot succeed without the Mirror!”

  “I will bring the Mirror myself shortly.”

  “You … You’re not going to harm him, are you?”

  “Go.”

  Takenoko hesitated, looking at Kuma, then the priest. Then he ran.

  Kuma, hand on his sword hilt, took a step towards the stubborn priest.

  Korimizu watched his father in the flickering lamplight. Daimigi showed no outward signs of tension as he sat writing the formal declarations of promotion, but Korimizu knew he was worried. Possibly even afraid.

  “I am pleased for your company, Korimizu,” the Chancellor said. “It is not as comfortable to do these things alone.”

  “The kami who kept me awake must have had your welfare in mind,” said Korimizu.

  His father rewarded him with a brief smile. “I hope some kami watches over at least one of us.” Then his face became very serious. “The days ahead of us will be difficult, Korimizu. We shall need all the friendly assistance we can gather. You especially, because you are so young. Tell me, do you think any of the guards are loyal to you personally?”

  “I don’t know, father.”

  “I think you are wiser than that, Korimizu. The guards obey you because your father is the Chancellor. If something should happen to me, who will guard you from your own guards?”

  Korimizu looked down at the floor. He felt uncomfortable with the way his father hinted lately at such dire changes. He could not sleep this night because visions of a dead Emperor, of a court in chaos, kept filling his head.

  Suddenly Daimigi sat upright. In the distance, the chanting of monks could be heard. “What is that?”

  “It sounds like … sutras, father!” Korimizu’s heart suddenly filled with hope.

  “Priests chanting when I have forbidden it?” Daimigi stood and glared at the blinds.

  There came the pounding of feet down the corridor and the shoji slammed aside. A guard stood there bowing and breathing hard.

  “Your Excellency, the palace is surrounded by priests. Hundreds of them! They insist on performing New Year’s services.”

  “They must not be allowed to enter the Palace!”

  “They seem content with remaining outside for the time being, My Lord, but …”

  “But?”

  “But some of them are from Mount Hiei.”

  Korimizu saw his father’s eyes flash with anger. No doubt he suspects new treachery.

  “Send the Thunder Guard to the walls and gates. Double the guards on the Seriyō Den. I shall go to the Eastern Gate myself to speak to these priests.”

  The guard bowed again and hurried off. Korimizu said, “Father, what—”

  “Shh. There is no more time for talk, I’m afraid.” Then with a rueful smile, the Chancellor added, “I’m sorry, my son. You should have been the one to give the orders. And I should be sending you to lead your men. But you are the only son I have left whom I may trust. I prefer that you remain here, safe.”

  “I understand, father.” Korimizu bowed. He did not resent the usurpation of his duties this time. It gave him the chance to look into something much more important.

  “Take care, my son,” said the Chancellor. He took his long tachi sword from its rack and hung it from his belt. Then with a last nod to Korimizu he departed.

  Korimizu sat very still for some moments after the shoji slid shut. As soon as he no longer heard his father’s footsteps, he slipped out of the room and headed towards the Emperor’s chambers.

  Uguisu walked behind the priests of the Kamo Shrine, trying to pretend she was just another one of the temple’s female attendants. Katte and Shonasaki walked on either side of her, doing the same. All three wore white kimonos over vermillion skirts, and each carried a large cypresswood fan.

  Uguisu hardly felt the cold of the night. She was both afraid and excited. She also felt proud and relieved that she could finally do something good for her Emperor. Perhaps in this small way I may atone for my sins to him.

  Hinata stuck her head out of Uguisu’s sleeve and meowed inquisitively. “Not yet,” Uguisu whispered and gently pushed the cat’s head back in.

  “There it is,” whispered Shonasaki. Uguisu looked up to see the great triple crossbeams of the Southern Gate just ahead. She almost wished to turn and run away. Instead she sighed and continued plodding forward, hoping that their friends from the Kamo Shrine could give them the chance they needed.

  In front of the gate, their procession halted. The High Priestess called out from her covered chair to the guards who stood within the gate: “Come here! I would speak with you.”

  The bewildered and curious guards approached. Suddenly all the other Kamo priests surrounded the guards, waving purification wands at them and blessing them in the name of Amaterasu. At this moment, the three ladies rushed past them through the gate, onto the palace grounds.

  Creeping cautiously among the snowbanks, Uguisu hoped their white kimonos provided some camouflage against suspicious eyes.

  “The Seriyō Den is this way,” said Katte.

  Uguisu felt lost. Despite the time she had lived at the Palace, she had actually seen very little of it. She thought it ironic that the one of them who had held the lowest rank was the one who knew the Palace best.

  As they moved further within the grounds, they saw people running by, but no one paid them much attention. From the exclamations she could hear, Uguisu learned it was the presence of priests from Mount Hiei that most worried the guards and courtiers. Uguisu almost laughed. Takenoko’s master had only been able to convince a small number of Hiei priests to come, and even those had been skeptical of the project. But apparently those few were enough.

  “There it is!” whispered Katte.

  Peeking over a snowbank, Uguisu saw the ornately carved eaves of the Emperor’s private quarters.

  “Are you sure?” said Shonasaki.

  “Yes, but … something’s wrong. Kuma didn’t say there would be that many guards.”

  Poking her head up further, Uguisu saw three guards sitting on the veranda, laughing and holding sake cups. “What do we do?”

  “We must try anyway, I suppose. If they are drunk enough, we might slip past them.”

  So the three ladies, keeping low behind snowdrifts, hurried towards the building. But the men on the veranda saw them and with surprising speed rushed over. Uguisu felt one of them grab her sleeve and pull her close. His breath reeked of sake as he said, “Well, look at the fine rabbits we hunters have caught! Shall we stroke their pretty white skins?”

  “A fine winter harvest, indeed,” said the guard who had grabbed Shonasaki.

  “Let me go!” cried Uguisu.

  “Now, now … ladies should be more polite. You must say, ‘I’m so sorry, pretty please!’ ”

  “If you please,” said Katte to her captor, “we have come to wait upon His Majesty. He will be most upset if we don’t arrive. You really ought to let us go.”

  The guards laughed. “We had heard His Majesty was ill. If so, he cannot have much energy for fine ladies like you. I don’t see that he will blame us for
detaining you a little longer.”

  “He wished to see us right away!” Shonasaki yelled, pummeling her captor’s chest. Uguisu struggled. Suddenly Hinata leaped out of her sleeve and streaked off into the Seriyō Den.

  “What was that?” said one guard.

  Uguisu’s guard said, “Our lady here brought a pet kitty, but our love-play was too much for it. Shall I show you how I would like to be petted, pretty one?”

  Uguisu continued to struggle, fearful that their plans would fail. She could not overpower the guard, nor could she talk reason into his besotted skull. Amaterasu, what now?

  “Stop what you are doing!” commanded a tenor voice.

  “Eh?” The guards grunted and all heads turned in the direction from which it came. On the veranda stood Korimizu, glaring down at them. Hinata stood beside him, her tail thrashing to and fro.

  “Well, if it isn’t the pipsqueak general!” said Uguisu’s guard.

  “These ladies are too old for you, lordling,” said another, “you’d best leave them to experienced men like us.”

  “How dare you!” growled Korimizu. “I am your commander! Let them go at once or your positions are in peril!”

  “Ai, the puppy is growing teeth.”

  “You will go and tell your papa on us, eh?”

  “Besides, we are performing our lawful duty by preventing these ladies from disturbing His Majesty. We are following your father’s orders.”

  After a pause, Korimizu said, “My father sent for these ladies to wait upon His Majesty. Do you dare interfere with the Chancellor’s orders? If you do not let them go at once, I will see that you are all ronin before the sun rises!”

  Another young guard stepped out of the shadows and said, “Do you need some help with these ruffians, my lord? Shall I go bring some others to deal with them? We can’t have our court ladies subjected to such shameful, boorish behavior.”

  Uguisu recognized the voice. It’s Takenoko! But where’s Kuma?

  Korimizu looked at the young guard a moment, then glowered at the other three. “Well?”

  One by one, grumbling, the guards released the ladies. Uguisu gasped with relief and stumbled towards the steps leading to the Seriyō Den. Takenoko took her arm and helped her up. Korimizu also assisted her until she was inside, behind the blinds. Then they went to help the other ladies.