by Travis Bughi
“I see you were excessive with the timber supports,” Aiguo said.
“That’s ridiculous,” the officer replied. “The ground is heavy here, and the tower heavier. If I’d used less, the place would collapse.”
“And what’s wrong with that?”
The officer blinked, then raised his eyebrows, taking a moment to calculate the implications.
“But,” he ventured, cautiously, “what about the men who’d be assigned to collapse it? We’d lose them. And we’d have to collapse the entire place at once. I don’t know if it can be done. You’re clearly not an engineer.”
“Engineer, bah! Do you think Qadir had engineers disperse barrels of oil about this place to burn it down? No, because you don’t need to be an engineer to realize wood burns. Did you find any?”
“I’m sorry?”
“The oil that Seiji used to burn the city. Surely you’ve searched the city and found a few barrels that survived the fire.”
Again, a pause ensued as the officer caught up.
“Well, yes,” the man said. “Yes, that . . . that could work.”
Aiguo glanced at Takeo, this time raising his chin triumphantly. Takeo gave a short nod in response.
“You’ve escaped death once more,” Takeo replied. “Stay with the officer and see that everything goes well.”
“Thy will be done, my lord,” Aiguo replied with a bow.
Takeo and Lady Anagarika returned to the main camp, which had been moved to inside the city. This was a wise decision, as now the camp had the Phan city walls as added protection in case a Nguyen army came to lift the siege. News spreading that no Nguyen threat remained, as Takeo had crushed their main fortress in a single day, in a single hour, and the once untouchable Lord Xianliang Nguyen was dead. Ever since that news had arrived, Anagarika had sent messages to the lone Phan tower, begging Seiji to give up the fight and submit himself and his family to Takeo’s will.
Takeo put a stop to that. No mercy would be shown here. Seiji’s chance to surrender had passed.
If Gavin didn’t get to live, then none of them did.
To pass the time, Takeo strode up to the Phan city walls and took up a place to watch what was to come. He chose a spot with a clear view of the tower and the Hanu army. The camp was a hive of activity in their lord’s presence. When last Takeo had left, they’d suffered a terrible defeat, but now he was back and on the heels of a marvelous victory. Now rumors were spreading that barrels of oil were being drug down into the mines, and soldiers began to vie for their own vantage points.
The best part, however, was when a special escort arrived, which Takeo had not expected to see so soon. Young Pleiades Shaw, still wrapped in bandages and limping, had been brought to the camp and presented to Takeo.
“My lord,” the escort officer said, bowing. “The doctor said she needed more time to rest, but you demanded this child be brought to you the moment she could walk.”
Takeo nodded as he examined Pleiades. He’d forgotten how literally his orders were taken these days.
Her left arm was completely wrapped, more so than his. Each finger had been set back into place, presumably, and it would be some time before she could begin training with a weapon. She’d been wrapped in a full-length kimono, which covered most of her bruises and fresh scars, except for the thick ring around her neck and the gash along her forehead. That had been unfortunate, really, but he had warned her to stay still. Thankfully, as young as she was, most of these would heal and fade over time. Takeo had done his best to prevent the scars from showing with age. He didn’t want the marks to stay, just the memory of the pain.
And it seemed what he’d done had worked. The girl, once so full of entitlement and weakness, now looked far more watchful and stoic. She did not look directly at Takeo anymore in defiance. She looked at his feet, or at his hands, and flinched when he moved. Her eyes were purposeful now, mistrusting. The illusion of protection that had once sheltered her, that had made her believe the world was a warm and welcoming place, was shattered. She understood now, as Takeo understood, that reality was not forgiving. Pleasure was a gift; pain a certainty.
He raised his good arm towards her. She drew away.
“Come,” he commanded.
Pleiades blinked. Even at such a young age, the beauty of her parents was beginning to shine through. It was easy for an adult to look at her and see nothing but innocence and, in return, treat her with a gentle hand. She’d been used to that, too, until now. Her eyes bore down on the hand Takeo held out, and memories came.
But she was also smart. Smart enough to know the consequences of disobedience.
Pleiades inched forward until Takeo could catch her shoulder and draw her close to him. He knelt down and met her eye to eye. His pitch black versus her soft hazel.
“Who am I?” he asked.
Pleiades sniffled and trembled slightly in his grip.
“Takeo Karaoshi,” she said. “The Dark Lord.”
“Hm, been listening to the soldiers, have you?” he said, smiling. “Good. It pays to be observant. But I want you to call me something else. From now on, you can call me Uncle, okay?”
She stood motionless.
“Your father and I, we were close,” Takeo went on. “I know you don’t understand, or maybe believe that, but I’m the closest thing to family you have left. You and I, we’ve had a rough start, and you don’t realize what I’m doing is for your own good. Your life was so important to your father that he sacrificed himself to save you. That means you’re important to me, too, because if you die, then he’ll have died for nothing. And we can’t have that now, can we?”
Mentioning Gavin brought fresh tears to Pleiades eyes. Takeo brushed one away.
“Daddy?” she asked.
“He’s gone now,” Takeo said, “and he won’t be coming back. There’s only you and me and the future. It’s going to be a bright future, you’ll see, but not yet. For now, it will be dark and brutal, and I’ll need you to survive to see the end of it. I see now that my dream for your father can live on through you, but I’ll need you to be stronger than your parents were. Perhaps you'll need to be stronger than me. Life for you will be a series of lessons. The first of which you’ve already survived, admirably. The second is waiting just ahead in that tower. Look.”
Takeo turned her towards the Phan tower and pointed.
“Some lessons can only be learned firsthand, but wise people learn equally well from the mistakes of others. You see, in that tower is a family of people who chose to defy me. That is a mistake, perhaps the worst one can make these days. You see those men there? See the torchlight? Watch what happens.”
Takeo had pointed out the tunnel officer and a small group of men around the tunnel’s entrance. The oil had finished being distributed, and all that was left was to start the fire. A bright torch was lit and then tossed into the tunnel’s mouth. Orange flames sprang to life, burning the oil first, and then slowly but surely catching onto the wooden supports. The flames disappeared into the ground.
“Watch carefully,” Takeo whispered now, as much for Pleiades as for those around them. “The fire will spread throughout the tunnels, burning the supports. It will take some time, but those timbers bear a lot of weight, and when they break, the tunnels will collapse. The entrance will collapse first, but that won’t snuff out the flames. Fire, if it gets hot enough, will continue to burn even underground, so long as there is something to consume. The ground will collapse, if not today, then by tomorrow, and when that happens, Seiji and his family will no longer occupy a fortified tower, but a pile of rubble. If they don’t die in the collapse, they’ll be consumed in flame. If they survive that, they’ll perish to the sword soon after. Won’t they, Anagarika?”
The lady snapped an order at the nearest guard, sending him running to fetch soldiers to surround the tower. No one would escape.
“Watch,” Takeo whispered to Pleiades. “Watch and learn what happens to those who oppose me.”
&
nbsp; The scene played out as described. The timbers were dry, and the oil was a strong combustible. They worked fast, and by nightfall, the tower had collapsed into a cauldron of burning wood and oil. The breath of fresh air stoked the flames, and the ruins became an inferno. The screams of the short-lived survivors filled the night air for a brief time before all was silent.
In the morning, the ruins were examined. Only ashes and stone remained, and it was assumed no one had survived. Takeo gave orders to have the place watched for an entire month, day and night, just to be sure, then left. He took his guards, Aiguo, Anagarika, Pleiades, and the oni with him.
It was important, he thought, that the oni remember whom their lord was. Takeo Karaoshi wasn’t some typical mortal, powerless without aid from supernatural beings. He was cunning, resourceful, and vindictive. Seeing the Phan fortress fall the way it did should have reminded them of that but, just in case, he would show them one more.
The Ngo fortress was next.
* * *
On arrival, Takeo was once again greeted with a full report, though this time from a source he was more familiar with. Qing and Lord Oiu both spoke to Takeo from a bowed position in a comfortable tent while Takeo sipped hot tea.
“If I may, my lord,” Lord Oiu began, “I’d like to congratulate you on your recent victories. I know I asked to kill my brothers personally, but I’m glad they’re dead. I’m that much closer to having the position I never thought possible. Thank you.”
He bowed, and Takeo sipped.
“My lord, if I may,” Qing cut in. “As much as we’d like to celebrate the destruction of the Nguyen and Phan fortresses, there is still one more nut to crack before we can claim victory.”
“That’s why I like you, Qing,” Takeo said. “You think practically, like I do.”
He lied about the first part, they both knew, but it was the second part that stung Qing to hear.
“Yes, well,” she continued. “We appreciate the reinforcements you sent us, but the situation remains dire.”
She paused, but Takeo waved his teacup, indicating that she should continue.
“The good news is brief, though important,” she said. “We were able to quarantine and kill off the plague, though it was costly. It’s lethal and spreads quickly, and as far as I know, every soldier we sent there died. We had to institute some harsh laws for a time, but I won’t bore you with the details. The good news is that the plague is contained to a dead village, and once we’re sure no one else is infected, we’ll have the place burned to the ground to wipe the disease out.
“Now, though, for the bad news. Despite being told about the fall of the Nguyen and Phan fortresses, Lord In-Su refuses to believe that both his brothers are dead. As we don’t have the bodies to show him, he’s in denial, and he sees no reason to leave his place of safety. The Ngo fortress is still nigh impregnable. The walls are thick, out of reach, and the fortress gate is still in a place that can’t be easily breached. We’ve built the mobile catapults you asked for, but we haven’t had much luck using them. Because they’re light and easy to move, they lack the power to crack down the walls or the gate. We can only toss a few small boulders from them before we’re forced to retreat from the enemy trebuchets, and we’ve not made any progress. We even tried raining fire into the city itself, but to no avail. They have a good system in place to deal with that sort of attack, apparently.
“I see you have the oni under your command now, but I’m not sure what help they can offer. These walls aren’t like the ones at the Nguyen fortress. They are taller and larger. Plus, the city is much bigger. A whole army is inside, perhaps too large for even these oni to handle.”
Takeo waved, indicating Qing should stop. She did so. Takeo set down his cup and showed Pleiades how to properly pour tea. The girl did okay for having one good hand. Qing watched the girl but said nothing. She’d heard the rumors by now. Takeo and Nicholas’ argument had happened well within earshot of gossiping peasants and guards. Everyone would know what had been said between them, and Takeo didn’t care.
“Where are the one hundred that Kuniko sent?” he asked.
“My lord?” Oiu replied.
“I didn’t just send the main bulk of the Hanu army here,” Takeo said. “I had Kuniko carefully select one hundred soldiers prepared to die. Where are they?”
“They’re in the camp,” Qing answered, “awaiting your orders, same as all of us.”
Takeo sipped his tea, letting the warmth spread down his throat, all the way to his stomach. His comfort seemed to increase Qing’s unease.
“Do you remember the Old Woman of the Mountain?” Takeo asked.
“My mother?” Oiu piped up.
“Yes, somewhat,” Qing answered.
“She had a saying about her enemies,” Takeo said. “What was it, Oiu? Do you remember?”
“Never do unto others what they will gladly do unto themselves.”
Takeo nodded.
“Wise words,” he continued. “Like watching people hang themselves with their own nooses. Qadir and Xianliang sent oni to kill me, and I used the oni to destroy them. Seiji burned my army. I used the very same oil to cremate his family. Lord In-Su has taken to a cowardly tactic of creating some deadly disease to infect my army, but it is he who will fall upon that sword.
“Qing, relay these orders to the one hundred. They are to take the mobile catapults and go to the plagued village. They will collect up all the corpses and haul them to the Ngo fortress. In the night, they are to surround the city and fling all the dead bodies over the walls. Spread them out as much as possible. Blanket the city with plague. When they’re done, they’ll load themselves onto the catapults and do the same. The last man left standing will burn the catapults and throw himself on the flames. I expect to find only ashes in the morning.
“Afterwards, we will clear the forest around the city as far back as we can and surround the place. Arm the men with bows and set up ballistae. The Ngo fortress will be our new quarantined area, and no one is to enter or leave.
“Then we wait.”
Chapter 20
The scene unfolded as Takeo expected.
On the night that the corpses were rained into the city, sporadic screams filled the air as people within the walls awoke to a barrage upon their homes. Surely the first fear they had was that, now that Takeo was here, he was finally attacking their city in a more traditional manner. However, afterwards, when they went outside to inspect the damage, an even more grisly scene awaited them.
Takeo imagined what they’d seen. Showers of decayed flesh covering their homes and streets, filtering through the cracks of wood and stone, contaminating their food, their water, their beds—the very air they breathed. If anyone had suspected Takeo’s plan at that moment, he would never find out because by then it was too late.
Although Takeo had never seen the infected, he was quite familiar with how a body rotted after death. He estimated that enough time had passed that his sacrificial men wouldn’t be flinging whole corpses into the Ngo city, but something more akin to thin bags of decayed flesh. Upon impact against any hard surface, especially when flung from a catapult, what remained of the corpses would explode and spray the entire area in infected remains. The result meant that there was no way to clean the mess up completely. Unless the entire city was burned to the ground, there could be no stopping what was to come.
It was only a matter of time.
But Takeo’s army kept busy. They cleared the trees back from the Ngo fortress and made projectiles available on all sides, from ballistae to bows to javelins. Every soldier was expected to be ready to slay at a distance, and Takeo added a level of protection by assigning a group of ‘fire-starters’ who would be ready to set alight any plague-infected corpses they found.
Then Takeo stretched out in his tent and did what his doctor had ordered not so long ago—he relaxed.
It took a month, an entire month, and Takeo was surprised because he didn’t think Lord In-Su was a man o
f such fortitude. Then he remembered what Lord Oiu had said about his brother, and he realized that In-Su likely lasted so long not through grit, but through indifference. While the people of the city began to fall to the plague, filling the Ngo fortress with sobs during the day and silence by night, Lord In-Su would have remained walled up in his pleasure rooms, behind an extra thick layer of stone, wine, and women. But then his guards and servants would have been infected, then his courtesans, and then his cook. His infected doctor would have explained the weird symptoms and how they bore a striking resemblance to the very infection that had occurred outside the city before they’d retreated inside the walls ahead of Takeo’s invasion. Only then would it have sunk in for Lord In-Su that he had lost.
A signal for truce was waved over the city gates, and Takeo selected four oni bodyguards as his escort to travel out into the no-man’s land between his camp and the Ngo fortress. Some time passed, and then the Ngo city gates were cracked open, and Lord In-Su rode out with ten guards of his own, all mounted.
Lord In-Su turned out to be short, chubby, and balding prematurely. Despite this, he wasn’t an ugly man, and Takeo got the sense that Lord In-Su was rather carefree in most situations, judging by his rosy cheeks and the permanently upturned corners of his mouth. It appeared Lord In-Su was cursed with a face that always smiled, even when encountering something as terrible as the slow death of his only defense against the Dark Lord.
Lord In-Su attempted to close the distance between them, but Takeo held out his hand to stop the daimyo short. Lord In-Su stopped dead in his tracks at Takeo’s command.
The ronin smirked.
“Lord Takeo Karaoshi?” In-Su called out.
“Lord In-Su,” Takeo replied, nodding. “Pardon my request, but I prefer you keep your distance for now. I don’t know which of your men are infected with the plague.”