by Sarah Ash
“You don’t remember, do you? We were seven, maybe eight. Two of the older boys had found an abandoned tanuki cub in the woods and were tormenting it. I tried to stop them and they turned on me. You came to my rescue just in time.”
Masao had a sudden vivid recollection of coming upon Yū backed up against a tree trunk, frantically trying to untie a wriggling, snapping ball of stripy fur as the two page boys advanced upon him. “To this day I don’t know who was squealing louder, you or the tanuki.”
“So you do remember.”
“Your hair was black as ink then.”
“The ungrateful creature bit me.” Yūgiri pushed back his right sleeve to show him. “I still have the scar.”
“And I got a split lip and a black eye for my pains.” Masao ran his fingertip over the ridged scar on Yūgiri’s forearm. And then he laughed. “That was a good fight.” His heart felt lighter now that had decided to act.
“I’ve brought sake,” Yūgiri said. “What do you say to a private moon-viewing ceremony, just the two of us?”
“Sake? But how did you – ”
“I’m Lord Toshiro’s healer, remember. He can be generous to his servants, when he’s in the right mood. Will you share it with me?”
***
“Drinking sake on the beach beneath the summer stars.” Masao held up the little sake dish for Yūgiri to refill it. “The moonlight on the waves…”
Yūgiri nodded. “It’s such a perfect night. So warm.”
Masao stole a glance at him; the moonlight had turned his hair from white to spun silver. He reached out to stroke it, threading soft strands between his fingers.
“What are you doing, Masao?” Yūgiri asked, his voice teasing.
“I wanted to make sure you weren’t a ghost.”
“Oh, I’m flesh and blood all right.”
“How can I be sure?” The sake was making Masao light-headed.
“You know very well how.” Yūgiri was gazing into his eyes again. Masao set down his sake dish.
“When you look at me like that it makes me want to kiss you.” And he drew Yūgiri close and pressed his mouth to his.
“You taste of sake,” Yūgiri said softly.
“So do you.” Masao kissed him again, more deeply this time. His hands started to explore Yūgiri’s body, burrowing beneath aside his light robe.
“What are you doing?” Yūgiri whispered, making no effort to stop him.
“Making sure,” Masao whispered back, his hands sliding further down, “that you’re a man, not a ghost.”
He felt Yūgiri shudder at his touch and felt an answering tremor of desire awakening, heat beginning to pulse through his veins.
“Is that proof enough?” And Yūgiri wound his arms around Masao, pulling him closer, until they fell back onto the soft sand together.
***
They lay close together as the moon set, lulled by the distant susurration of the tide, using Masao’s robes as a blanket. Yūgiri said, “All the years I was kept apart from the clan to undergo my training, I still thought of you, Masao. I used to sneak out to watch you training. Did you ever know?”
“Maybe,” Masao said drowsily.
“I got beaten for it a couple of times. I was supposed to sever all ties to purify my mind and body. Did you ever wonder where I’d gone?”
“After the fire, there was no time to think. Too many people died. I didn’t want to ask. I just did what I had to do to survive.” Masao slid his arm around Yūgiri, pulling him closer. Sleepy and sated as he was, he wanted more. The faint clove scent of Yūgiri’s skin was stirring new tremors of desire. “Why?” he wanted to know. “Why you? Why me?”
“Sometimes it happens. It’s as if the thread of healing, once forged, is too strong to break. The connection can’t be severed. My father used to say that if it ever happened, it was meant to be. A fated link.” Yūgiri’s hand strayed across Masao’s bare chest and cupped his chin, turning his face toward him. Silvered eyes pierced his. “That’s why you have to stop being so damned stubborn for once and let me help you.”
“Persuade me, then.” Masao caught hold of the errant hand, pinning it above their heads, and rolled Yūgiri over onto his back on the sand, reversing their positions. Yūgiri laughed.
“Tell me your part of the plan.”
“I’ve already warned Lord Toshiro of the dangers of using the fire drug. If there were to be an explosion near the armorers’ tent. Just a small one. No one would be hurt, but…”
“But Lord Toshiro would go out to investigate. And if I just happened to be attending to him at the time in his tent, I’d be in exactly the right place to lay my hands on the jewels.”
***
In the grey light before dawn Masao went back to camp. Yūgiri had left him a while earlier, a pale shadow drifting along the shore through the fading darkness like a ghost emerging from the sea.
“We’d better return separately,” the shaman had said. “If we go back together, tongues will start to wag.”
As he had hoped, there was no one in the armorers’ tent. The smell of the saltpeter had impregnated the air inside, so that every breath he took left its rank taste on his tongue and palate. Laid out on the table were the fire arrows Lord Toshiro had ordered to be made, ready for the assault on the castle.
Masao paused, agonizing over the best way to set his plan in motion. If I’m careless, a stray spark could set the whole lot off and kill us all.
Then there was Yūgiri. He had tried to dissuade him from taking such a risky part in the plan but the shaman had been determined to help. And he calls me stubborn! Yet as he began to prepare for the ‘accident’ he realized that he was glad that he was not acting alone.
I must remember everything Saburo taught me. If not, I’ll end up blown to pieces before I’ve achieved anything. And this new mixture is lethally volatile.
As he gingerly lifted the cover from the wooden barrel in which they had stored the fire drug after mixing it, he heard Saburo drily warning him, “Be careful – it’s so volatile even a sneeze could set it off.” So vivid was the memory that he glanced round, almost expecting to see the armorer, kerchief tied around his nose and mouth, eyes crinkled in a knowing, amused smile.
Masao could already hear the sounds of the camp stirring to life; soon Saburo’s assistants would arrive, ready to continue their work. At least Saburo had insisted that the armorers’ tent be placed at the furthest end of the Kites’ encampment. He took two of the bamboo capsules already filled with fire drug, snatched flints and a length of fuse cord, and slipped out the far end of the tent into the cover of the nearest trees. The light of the rising sun was strong and clear. Seagulls floated overhead, on the lookout for scraps from last night’s supper.
Lord Toshiro and his retainers would already be preparing themselves for the planned attack, eating a warrior’s ritual meal of shellfish and seaweed with chestnuts, washed down with sake.
“I’m afraid that this may give you indigestion, my lord,” Masao murmured as he lit the fuse with Saburo’s flints. The instant the little flame began to travel along the length of cord, he summoned the Kite Shadow.
It was only a few moments since he had lit the fuse, but it seemed much longer to Masao as he alighted at the far end of the camp. Suppose the fuse had burned itself out? Suppose the fire drug was damp and fizzled out? Suppose –
The bright flash and explosion shattered the calm of the early morning. Crows rose from the forest trees, squawking hoarsely in alarm. A cloud of smoke and dust rose above the camp; Kite soldiers ran to investigate, calling out to each other in panic.
As Masao sped toward Lord Toshiro’s tent, he heard Raiko and the other squires’ shouted comments; the young men had seized their swords and were hurrying toward the site of the explosion.
“Are we under attack?”
“Be careful. Another explosion like that could blow us all to pieces!”
I’m relying on you now, Yū.
“What in Ryūj
in’s name – ”
Masao heard Lord Toshiro’s voice as the clan lord stormed out of his tent, closely followed by General Okitane. Masao pressed himself close to the canvas, keeping out of sight. Go and investigate, please, I beg you. He closed his eyes, willing them to move away from the tent.
“Have the Cranes learned how to use fire drug?” Okitane was demanding. “Or have they stolen some of our munitions?”
“Masao.” The soft voice was almost inaudible against the confusion of shouts and commands. “Here.” The tent flap opened a crack and a pale-skinned hand pressed a small casket into his, their fingertips briefly touching.
“Well done, Yū,” he whispered, slipping the box inside his tunic.
“It’s all down to you now. Take care.”
“You too.” Masao cloaked himself in the Kite Shadow again and dashed for the shade of the trees, springing from branch to branch, penetrating deeper into the forest. The Kite Shadow came much more easily to him since Yūgiri had purged the onmyōji’s binding spell from his body. But as he sped through the forest, he could only think of one thing.
If our plan goes wrong, I’ll never see Yū again.
Chapter 32
“Lord Kaito.” Naoki’s eyes glinted in the dawn light. “Was it you I heard, playing the flute last night? You’re under siege…and yet you still have time for such frivolities?”
“I haven’t got time for small talk.” Kai heard his own voice as if it were someone else’s, low and hoarse with tension. He pushed back his sleeve and thrust his left wrist under Naoki’s nose, underside uppermost.
Naoki looked at it. “Ah,” he said, a strange smile twisting his lips. “So you’ve just found out the truth.”
“The truth?”
Naoki raised his left hand, palm upwards; the heavy fetters chinked. Kai came closer; the early light illumined the faintly pearlescent oval of the seal on the underside of Naoki’s wrist just visible beneath the manacle. He held out his own wrist, bringing it close to Naoki’s until he could see that the intricate designs of the curled dragons were mirror images. The tiny flames flickered into life, one blue, one sea-green.
“We’re in this together, whether we like it or not,” Kai said. “I’m bound to Flood, as you are to Ebb. Just as our ancestors were. But there’s more to it, isn’t there?”
“It’s a closely guarded secret of the imperial house.”
“Tell me what you know, Naoki.”
“So we’re on first-name terms, now? I don’t remember giving you permission to address me so intimately.”
But Kai was not going to be put off by Naoki’s deliberate diversions. “Secret or not, it concerns both of us, doesn’t it?”
Naoki hesitated. Then he began to speak in a low voice, not meeting Kai’s eyes but staring fixedly at the floor. “You’ve seen the flame that burns at the heart of the Tide Jewels? That flame is the light of a mortal soul. If the emperor uses the Tide Jewels to command Ebb and Flood to control the tides, that flame will be extinguished – and another must be substituted. Or, to put it more simply, the price of using the Tide Dragons’ powers is the sacrifice of the lives of the two who are marked with the Tide Dragon seals.”
So what Lady Inari had told him was true. Not that he had doubted the goddess’s word. But he needed to understand what had driven Naoki to risk so much to steal the Tide Jewels. “Did your father tell you?”
Naoki merely raised one eyebrow at this question.
“Then who?”
“If I told you, you’d never believe me. But he said he knew of a way to break the seal. To set me free. Only I had to bring the Tide Jewels to him first.”
“But it could have been a trick. A ruse to get you to steal the Tide Jewels for him.”
“And for all the good it’s done me, it might as well have been so.” A rueful smile passed across Naoki’s face, as swiftly as a scudding cloud.
“Who is he? A member of the imperial family?”
The guarded look returned. “He’s a scholar. He has access to the secret imperial archives.”
“And a powerful onmyōji?”
Naoki said nothing.
“The one who created the diversion when you broke into the shrine? I found the evidence afterward, so don’t deny it.”
Still Naoki said nothing.
“What did he promise you? It wasn’t just a way to set you free, was it?”
“All I had to do was to deliver the Tide Jewels to him.”
“And you believed him?” Kai could not believe that Naoki had been so naïve as to fall for such a ruse.
“I had no reason to believe he would deceive me.” Was Naoki holding something back? He seemed so confident, in spite of his chains. Was he under some kind of spell?
Or was it possible this onmyōji could free them both? And then Sakami and I could be together. The temptation was so strong that for the moment he forgot his debt to Flood and his family’s vow to the emperor, and he could only think of his own desires.
Then he sensed a ripple of Shadow energy, as if a dark-winged bird had come swooping down into the castle compound.
He knew Naoki felt it too, for the Kite suddenly turned his head toward the barred window. For a moment, Kai saw a look of hope soften the hard, unyielding gaze, making him look much younger and more vulnerable.
Then he heard the shout from far below in the courtyard. “Drop your weapons, Kite! You’re surrounded.”
Naoki was at the window, gazing down, before Kai.
“Masao?” Kai heard him mutter under his breath.
***
A Kite shinobi knelt in the centre of the courtyard, his head bowed. His skin was mottled with the distinctive dark feathery marks of the Kite Shadow and he was breathing hard.
General Tachibana stood over him, the tip of his drawn katana just grazing his throat. Crane archers had formed a ring around them, bows raised, arrows aimed at the intruder.
As Kai stared, the Kite raised his head and said in a strong, defiant voice, “My name is Takanaga no Masao. I need to speak to Lord Takeru.”
“You break into our stronghold and demand to speak to our lord?” Tachibana’s reply was brusque. “Any Kite who crosses our threshold uninvited deserves nothing but death.”
Kai felt a faint tingling in his left wrist. Could it be that the Kite had brought…
“Stop!” he shouted down with all the force he could muster. He saw the general pause and look up. “I’ll speak to him.”
Tachibana did not lower his blade. “Very well,” he said.
“You felt it too, didn’t you?” Kai said to Naoki. He paused as he made for the door and pointed to his left wrist. “The Tide Jewel seal?”
Naoki said nothing, but raised his arm to gaze at the Ebb Dragon tattoo. Kai caught a glimpse of a shimmer of color on the underside of his wrist.
The two guards waiting outside bowed as Kai opened the cell door.
“Bring Lord Naoki to the main courtyard,” he ordered.
“But my lord – ”
“Just do it.”
As Kai limped down the stair, he felt a new, unexpected sense of hope overwhelm him. Is this the end of the siege? Has Lord Toshiro agreed to our terms? Can it really be true? He wanted so much to believe it was that in his haste he almost tripped, and had to grab at the wall to save himself from falling. This damned leg; why can’t I move any faster? From the clank of chains two storeys above, he guessed that the guards were already following his orders, and hurrying Naoki down the stairs behind him.
As Kai came out into the courtyard, he saw that a curious crowd had gathered, staying well back behind the archers. Villagers and servants drew back to make way for him, all bowing respectfully.
“Let our lord pass!” cried out one of the archers; Kai recognized Rikyu as the circle of bowmen parted, without for one instant losing the line of fire on the Kite.
And then Kai found himself standing in front of the intruder. He’s a young man, he found himself thinking, surprised.
About Takeru’s age. And yet Lord Toshiro has entrusted him with this vital mission.
“My name is Kurozuro no Kaito,” he said. “What do you have to say to me?”
The clink of chains behind him could be heard in the tense silence. The Kite glanced up at the sound; the guards had brought Naoki, still fettered, within the circle of archers.
“Lord Kaito,” the intruder began, “if I return the Tide Jewels to you, will you release Lord Naoki?”
“You have the Tide Jewels?” Kai asked, although the throbbing in his left wrist had already told him the answer.
“But will you honor your part of the bargain?” The look on the young man’s face was so earnest and desperate that Kai guessed he must be very close to Naoki; perhaps even his squire.
Tachibana dealt his prisoner a sudden harsh blow to the side of the face. “How dare you question our lord’s word?”
The Kite swayed, almost losing his balance, but bore the blow in silence. Kai saw an angry red stain blotching his feather-mottled cheek where the general’s mailed hand had struck him. He sensed the tension simmering in the air, the pent-up hatred of his clansmen and women, all silently staring at their enemy. Matters could so easily turn ugly – and he wanted to avoid more bloodshed at all costs.
“General,” he said quietly, “if this man has indeed brought us the Tide Jewels, then we must act honorably and let him and his lord go free.” He turned to the men holding Naoki by the arms. “Remove Lord Naoki’s chains.”
“My lord, no – ” began General Tachibana, but Kai raised one hand to silence him.
“Thank you, Lord Kaito,” said the Kite shinobi and Kai heard a tremor of relief in his voice. A thin trickle of blood had begun to slide down his bruised cheek but he seemed not to have noticed. He reached inside his tunic; Tachibana tensed, gripping his sword more tightly, as if fearing he was about to fling a handful of shuriken at Kai. But all the young shinobi drew out was a small ebony casket, which he presented in both hands to Kai, bowing again as he did so.