L5r - scroll 04 - The Phoenix

by Stephen D. Sullivan

  Isawa Kaede, Mistress of the Void and Tadaka's half-sister, stood calmly, as placid as the lotus flowers upon the River of Awakening. Next to her stood Isawa Uona, Mistress of the Air. Unseen wind tugged at Uona's hair, making it fall in pleasing curves around her pretty face. Behind them stood Isawa Tomo and Isawa Tsuke. Tadaka's brother, the Master of Water, had a mischievous glint in his eye. Tsuke looked grim—as always. The

  Master of Fire knitted his fingers together and moved his lips as if whispering silendy. Even now, the Fire Lord catalogued and practiced pyrotechnic magic.

  With a nod to his brethren, Tadaka stepped off the engawa and put his foot on the Road of Life's Passage. He stopped between the pillar and the dragon at the entryway.

  "In fire from ashes we are born; in fire to ashes we return," Tadaka chanted after the ancient tradition. He took a handful of ashes from the bowl on his right and raised the fist containing them to his chest, just over his heart. The other Elemental Masters echoed his words and did the same.

  Holding his fist tight, Tadaka walked the white sand path counterclockwise around the pool. The others followed—first Kaede, then Uona, Tsuke, and Tomo. At the foot of the wooden bridge, Tadaka stopped and bowed.

  "We pass now from life to spirit," he said, placing his right foot upon the bridge and walking over it. The others stopped and did the same. Beneath the great torii, they paused and bowed once more.

  "Out of the world and to this land we come," Tadaka intoned, "seeking wisdom and the guidance of our mother Amaterasu." He picked up the bamboo hammer with his left hand and struck the iron bell once.

  A pure, clear tone filled the air. The hairs on the back of Tadaka's neck stood up. The air around the Elemental Masters shimmered, as if touched by fire. Tadaka bowed again and picked the first of the black lacquer bowls from its stand. He raised it to his breast with his left hand, just below the hand that held the ashes.

  Stepping off the bridge, he walked to the platform on the far side of the grassy island. He crossed his legs, sat down, and watched as his brethren repeated the ancient ritual that he had just finished. They, too, seated themselves on the wooden platforms. Each faced toward the center of the space. Some days, a petitioner or guest might sit in the midst among them. Today's business was for the masters alone.

  When all of them had been seated, Tadaka held up his bowl. He positioned his hand containing the ashes above the container. "I

  come for earth," he said. "The power of stone speaks through me."

  He opened his clenched hand, and a stream of rocks poured out into his bowl. When the stream stopped, he flexed his hand to show that it was empty and set the bowl down. He looked at Tsuke, seated to his left.

  Tsuke raised the bowl and his hand in the same manner Tadaka had. "I come for fire," he said gravely. "I speak for the power of flame." He opened his fist, and fire poured into his bowl. It continued burning as he set the container on the grass before him. He turned to Uona, seated on his left.

  She raised her bowl and hand. "I come for air," she said. "The power of the wind speaks with my voice." As she opened her fist, breezes shimmered between her hand and the bowl, and soft whispers filled the air. Though the others saw nothing in Uona's bowl, the noises continued as she set her bowl down.

  Tomo raised his bowl and hand. "I come for water," he said, a smile creeping across his face. "The ocean's voice fills my words." He opened his fist, and a stream of water poured forth, filling his bowl. He set the bowl down and turned to his half-sister, Kaede, seated on his left.

  Isawa Kaede raised her fist and bowl as the other Elemental Masters had. "I speak for the void," she said. "My words echo the emptiness that is one." She unclenched her fist, and darkness poured out. The darkness seemed liquid, but it caught no light. Its surface showed neither shimmer nor ripple. When her bowl was filled, she set it down on the grass before her.

  All the Elemental Masters leaned back and assumed the lotus position—their legs crossed, the backs of their hands resting upon their knees, their open palms turned upward. As one, they took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. The air in the sacred garden tingled with arcane power. From high overhead, Amat-erasu shone her warm light on her children.

  Tadaka spoke. "Our fears are confirmed," he said. "The Black Scrolls are being opened by Yogo Junzo."

  The other members of the council nodded grimly. For a moment, no one spoke. Finally, Tsuke said, "We've all suspected this, feared it in our dreams, felt it in our bones. But how do you know? Can you be sure?"

  "The Nameless One brought word to Ujimitsu, as the champion and I battled evil in Mori Isawa," Tadaka said.

  "You saw our father?" Kaede asked.

  Tadaka shook his head. "Not I. He appeared only to Ujimitsu."

  "Do you trust our father's words?" Tomo asked.

  "I do," Tadaka said. "Though he's lost his name, and though he's become mysterious of late, I see no reason he would lie about such a grave matter."

  Tsuke frowned and looked around the walled garden. "The question, then," he said, "is this: Will we raise our eyes to heaven as this scourge runs like wildfire across our lands, or will we fight?"

  "A samurai cannot fight an enemy he does not know," Uona replied. "Not effectively."

  "Tadaka knows the enemy," Tomo said.

  Tadaka shook his head and frowned behind his hood. "Though I've fought the Shadowlands long and hard, I've only touched the surface," he said. "And Junzo I hardly know at all."

  "We need more knowledge," Tsuke said. "Three Black Scrolls are in our possession, taken from the Scorpion long ago and hidden away. We should retrieve them and bring them here for study."

  "That path is dark indeed," Kaede said, her voice barely more than a whisper.

  "Darker than falling to the minions of Fu Leng?" Tsuke asked, his eyes blazing. "We must abandon our pacifism. Now is the time to fight."

  Kaede shook her head and lowered her eyes.

  Tomo turned toward her and said, "Sister, I fear the Master of Fire is right. Perhaps we could sit here in our fortress, safe from the Evil One and his minions. What good would our peace be, though, if all else is swept away by an evil tide?"

  "To study the scrolls might be enough," Uona said, her hair still dancing around her face. "Our divinations could give us the insights needed to turn back Fu Leng. The wards surrounding our Great Library would protect the scrolls. We need not open them; we need only examine them."

  "Think of the price if we don't," Tsuke said. "Already the Crane have gone mad. Hoturi is killing his own people. Tsukune and our forces have done little to slow the Doji's shadow army. The knowledge we have now is not enough."

  Kaede looked at Tadaka. "What say you, Brother?"

  Tadaka took a deep breath before speaking. "The shadow is on our doorstep," he said. "I've fought the Evil One's minions in our sacred forest. Clearly our current strategy is not working. We must do more if the Phoenix Clan—if Rokugan—is to survive."

  "But the Black Scrolls," Kaede said. "I feel them in my soul even now—and I fear their power."

  "All of us do," said Tsuke. "That is only right. But it is also because we do not know them. And because of our ignorance, we do not know how to defeat them. We need knowledge to conquer the might of Junzo's Black Scrolls. The scrolls brought Fu I eng's downfall once. Surely with knowledge we can turn their power to that end once more."

  "We are the masters of the elements," Uona said, "but also I heir voices—the voices of the land itself. Those voices cry out to me. The land suffers. We must act."

  Kaede sighed. "Yes. We must act—soon." In her mind, she saw I he infirm emperor, heard the rasp of his cough, saw the bleak lire in his eyes.

  "Controlling the scrolls may not be enough," Tomo said. He looked around the circle, studying his brethren, wishing he could wash away their cares. "We need firsthand knowledge of the enemy, too—current knowledge of Junzo and his forces."

  "Perhaps we could convince the Nameless One to be our eyes in the Shad
owlands," Uona said. "He seems able to withstand lethal dangers."

  "That might work," Tsuke said, "if we could find him."

  "I fear he serves his own agenda more than ours," Kaede said. "I... I do not know that I trust him any longer."

  Tomo and Tadaka nodded their agreement.

  "One of our own number, then," Uona said. "One of us should journey to the Shadowlands and try to learn more about Junzo and the Evil One's plans. We could ferret out the knowledge we need, and perhaps strike a blow against the enemy as well."

  "I'll go," said Tadaka.

  Kaede looked at him. "Brother," she said, "you've already given so much, seen so much darkness and death, fought so many of the Evil One's minions ..."

  "Surely those battles must blast your soul," Tomo said. "Let one of us go, Brother. You have done enough."

  "No," Tadaka said. "It is because of those struggles that I am best suited to go. No one can truly know the Shadowlands, but I know them better than any of you. I've journeyed beyond the Carpenter's Wall many times. I've seen the darkness that the Kaiu Kabe protects Rokugan from. I understand Fu Leng's minions better than anyone, save perhaps the Crab who man the wall. I must be the one to go."

  "Tadaka is right," Tsuke said. "He has fought the Shadowlands and its taint long and well. He should scout out Junzo if he can, discover the Evil One's weaknesses. It only makes sense."

  The others sighed and looked uncomfortably around the circle. Finally, Tsuke spoke again. "While Tadaka is gone, three of us will gather the Black Scrolls in our possession—to see if we can plumb their secrets. We will bring them here for study, to a hidden chamber in the Great Library. We will ward the room so that anyone entering without our permission will die."

  "Which three?" Tadaka asked. He looked from his siblings to Uona and Tsuke. Recovering the hidden scrolls might hold hidden dangers. Tadaka found himself wishing he could take on part of that burden as well.

  "Where the scrolls are hidden will determine who is best suited to fetch them," Tsuke said.

  The others nodded in understanding.

  Kaede looked around the circle, realizing she had been subtly excluded from the quests. "I should return to the capital," she said. "Perhaps I can learn more there. Kachiko still has the eyes of the Scorpion. Maybe I can persuade her to tell us what she knows—to share her knowledge of the Evil One and his movements."

  Uona snorted. "You'd easier pry secrets from a dead man."

  "I daresay our tasks will be simple compared to that of our sister," Tomo added.

  "It will be difficult, but worth trying," Tadaka said. He lifted his hands from his knees and spread his arms wide. "We ask the Sun Goddess to sanctify our decisions. May the Seven Fortunes bless our actions and preserve our people. This council is at an end."

  As one, the council rose. They picked up the bowls before them—bowls that now contained only ashes. Each master turned and scattered the ashes on the River of Awakening. Then they gathered before the torii in the same order in which they had entered the sacred space.

  Silently, they walked across the bridge and back along the Road of Life's Passage. When Tadaka reached the pillar near the veranda's rail, he set his empty bowl down where it had lain before. He took the ladle from the dragon's basin and washed away all trace of ash. The soiled water fell into the stone-lined pool on the garden floor. The others did the same.

  Tadaka opened the trap door in the northeast corner of the engawa. He stood aside, letting the others descended before him. As they went, he took one last, lingering look at the garden.

  Will I see this place again? he wondered.

  WARS

  l^^achiko, wife of the emperor, fixed Seppun Ishikawa with her gaze. The captain of the guard fancied he saw green flecks dancing within her deep black orbs.

  "Why have you come, Captain Ishikawa?" Kachiko asked, her voice like music on a summer evening. Her tone belied the momentary flash of ferocity in her eyes. Though stripped of the Scorpion name, Kachiko still wore the fine silk mask she had favored as the wife of the late Bayushi Shoju. Ishikawa found the mask disconcerting. Why does the emperor permit her to wear it? he wondered.

  "My men are on edge, Kachiko-sama," Ishikawa replied. He touched his forehead to the wooden floor of the audience chamber where the two of them sat. The room was deep inside the Hantei castle, not too far from the emperor's bedroom. Kachiko sat on a thick tatami mat at one end of the room. She looked radiant in the flowing imperial robes that both

  hid her figure and enhanced it. The robes spread out around her, two arms' lengths in every direction—a visible reminder of her vast sphere of influence.

  Despite himself, despite knowing the scorpion that lurked beneath the pretty facade, Ishikawa still found her beauty intoxicating. He swallowed hard to fight down the feeling. When he looked up again, Kachiko was rolling her head languidly, waiting for him to continue. Her black hair fell about her shoulders like a waterfall. Her movements made a sensuous groove at the pit of her neck.

  "The guardsmen know of the turmoil in the country, and yet they must sit and do nothing," Ishikawa continued. "They long to join the fight against the minions of the Evil One."

  "By protecting the emperor," Kachiko said calmly, "they do fight the Evil One."

  "They know that," Ishikawa said. "As do I. To guard the emperor is their honor as well as their duty. It is the job they were born to, and they would have no other. Yet, the emperor is ill, and an enemy to fight is one thing, but this plague—"

  Kachiko nodded sympathetically.

  "It robs them of their honor. It attacks the emperor where they cannot defend him. Some of the men say we should ride to the Shadowlands and wipe out the plague at its source."

  "Is that what you say, Captain Ishikawa?" Kachiko asked, arching one delicate eyebrow.

  Ishikawa face reddened. "It is not my place even to think such things, Your Highness."

  Kachiko leaned back and straightened the folds of her kimono. "I already know all this, Ishikawa," she said. "I repeat my question. Why have you come?"

  Ishikawa tucked his thumbs into the edge of his obi and said, "Your samurai would feel better, I think, if they could see the emperor."

  "See the emperor?" Kachiko asked skeptically.

  "He has not made a public appearance for some time," Ishikawa replied. "Rumors say he is dead."

  "Dead?" Kachiko said. "And if that were so, why would I not have announced the fact to the world?" Her words came out terse and clipped. She frowned at him.

  "The clans still vie for supremacy," Ishikawa replied. "The daimyo think that whoever wins will seize the right to succeed to the Emerald Throne. Such people don't care that the emperor still lives. Some are spreading rumors like the ones my men have heard. The royal yojimbo speculate that you are waiting to see who is the most worthy before announcing Hantei's death. Choosing the time of the announcement would be your right, of course."

  "Is that what you think, Ishikawa?"

  "No, Kachiko-sama. But I have heard it said."

  Kachiko turned and straightened her robes once again, tracing the folds into intricate, origamilike patterns. "Your samurai need to hold their tongues and put wax in their ears," she said quietly but sternly. "Such talk can cost lives."

  Ishikawa nodded. "Hai, Kachiko-sama. I know it. And, if it is your wish, I'll cut out the tongue of anyone speaking such lies, but..."

  "But what?"

  "But all these rumors would cease if the emperor himself would appear to the men."

  "Impossible. He's far too ill."

  "Perhaps if I were to see him, then," Ishikawa said.

  The room grew suddenly cold. "Do you doubt my word that the emperor is alive, Captain Ishikawa?" Kachiko asked.

  A chill ran up Ishikawa's spine. He bowed, touching his head to the floor. "Of course not, Highness," he said.

  "Do your men doubt my word?"

  "Of course not, Highness."

  Kachiko pulled a fan from her robe and waved it open
.

  "The matter is settled, then."

  As she spoke, the fusuma panel to her right slid open a crack. Kachiko stood suddenly, her robes ruffling about her like the fur of an angry tiger. "Who dares ...!" she began. Then she stopped, and the fury melted off her face.

  In the entryway to the room stood her husband, Emperor Hantei.

  Kachiko sat quickly and bowed her forehead to the floor. "Hantei-sama," she said affectionately. "I did not know you were up."

  "I heard someone calling," the young emperor said. His voice had a distant, dreamy quality to it.

  Ishikawa looked up as Kachiko rose and went to her husband's side. "You're not well, Otennoo-sama," she said.

  She was right. The emperor looked sick near unto death. His damp black locks fell in jagged points over his forehead, casting dark shadows around his eyes. His face had a pale cast.

  The boy was thin, little more than a skeleton in a dark blue kimono. A glistening sheen of sweat shone on his skin. A sickly sweet odor—like burning flowers—accompanied him as he entered the room. His feet were bare and bony. His fingernails and toenails were long and ragged.

  Only Hantei the 39th's eyes looked alive—but the life they held seemed wrong, suspicious if not actually malevolent. As the young emperor tottered into the room, Kachiko put one graceful arm around his shoulders.

  "You should not be up," she said gently. "You need rest."

  "Someone called me," Hantei repeated.

  "Perhaps you heard us talking," Kachiko offered.

  "You were talking about me?" Hantei asked, fixing her with a feverish gaze.

  "Your samurai are asking for you," Ishikawa said. He rose, to help Kachiko with the emperor. Kachiko shot him an angry glance as he joined her at the boy's side. "They wish to know that you are well, Hantei-sama," Ishikawa continued.

  "I am well," the emperor said. Ishikawa couldn't tell if it was an original thought, or if the plague-stricken Shining Prince was merely repeating Ishikawa's own words.

  "Perhaps well enough to review the troops?" Ishikawa ventured.

  Hantei glanced at him, a look of bewilderment flashing across the emperor's boyish face. He staggered forward, and Ishikawa caught him. The boy's body pressed against the captain of the guard. Ishikawa felt the heat of the emperor's fever. How can he live through such fires? Ishikawa wondered.