L5r - scroll 01 - The Scorpion

by Stephen D. Sullivan

"The royal sword!" Yojiro gasped.

  "I will have no need of it on this trip," Shoju said. In the back of his mind, the humming song of Yashin, the bloodsword, grew stronger. "Protect it until I return," the daimyo said.

  "With my life, great lord," Yojiro replied. He bowed low, reverently holding the package containing the sacred sword.

  Shoju swung into the saddle of his horse, ignoring a twinge from his lame arm as he did so. "When next we meet," he said to Yojiro, "the world will be safe once more."

  "May the Fortunes ride with you," Yojiro said.

  Shoju snapped the reins of his horse, and it strode forward; the rest of the host followed behind.

  xxxxxxxx

  On the afternoon of the twenty-first day, the Scorpion host came within sight of the City of the Shining Prince. It was another oppressive summer day, as most of the days of their journey had been. High, dark clouds rolled toward the city from the west, dimming the light of the setting sun.

  To ordinary eyes, the approaching storm seemed nothing unusual. Bayushi Shoju knew the clouds portended the subtle art of his shugenja at work. Soon, it would begin to rain; the rain would build into the early hours of the evening when the city would be engulfed in a cascading thunderstorm.

  This storm would hide the movements of his people as they massed both inside and outside the city. The lightning would also add a dramatic flair to the speech Shoju intended to give that night. Such omens were only fitting, given the violence that was to come.

  The Scorpion retinue approached the city via the Emperor's Gate—so called because beyond it lay the only paved road into the capital.

  In Rokugan, nearly all roads were composed of common dirt. Bad weather made the use of wheeled vehicles nearly impossible—as it would later tonight. The Emperor's Road, however, had been constructed of stone, and once a year, the emperor would ride in his carriage along that road, from the palace to the outskirts of the sprawling city. The carriage was far more impressive than the palanquin that the emperor usually used, and even more impressive than his ornate litter. Unfortunately, the carriage could travel only this one road.

  Dairu marveled as his father's retinue rode through the gate. He had been in the city before, but never this way. The Emperor's Gate was immense, composed of timbers wider than the young Scorpion and taller than a three story temple. The doors had been painted white and carved with powerful runes. They were bound with wide bands of iron. The great hinges were iron, too. Golden filigree decorated the dark metal with mythological scenes of samurai and dragons.

  A huge torii stood just beyond the portal. Usually these decorative arches stood in places of worship, doorways to heaven. The symbolism here was obvious; those who rode through this gate had set themselves on a divine path. At the end of the road sat the great palace of the Hantei.

  The castle thrust itself above the rest of the city and into the morning sky. Its white towers seemed to merge with the clouds. Even the approaching storm could not dim its brilliance. It looked to Dairu as if a piece of heaven had fallen to ground. The young Scorpion glanced at his father, wondering if the Scorpion lord felt the same thing he did.

  Shoju nodded as he noticed his son's glance. Somehow, the nod reminded Dairu of the grim nature of their errand.

  Besides availing themselves of the honor of taking the Emperor's Road, Shoju had chosen the Emperor's Gate for another reason. The parts of the city controlled by the Scorpion Clans abutted the road. The faithful could watch from their houses as their leader entered Otosan Uchi. This would signal the Scorpion people—those who knew of Shoju's plans—that their preparations had entered the final stages.

  On their way to the palace, the retinue passed fragments of several ancient walls. In the past the city had expanded often, and as it did, the old outer walls came down to supply stones for the new. Fragments of the former bastions remained where local architecture had attached itself vinelike around them.

  The houses of Otosan Uchi followed traditional Rokugani plans. Their frames were timber with rice paper walls. Most had a single wooden door or gate leading from the main road into the house. The houses of wealthy people centered on a garden and perhaps a pool. The rest of the structure was built around this captive bit of nature. All Rokugani houses were well ordered, though some were not well maintained. In Otosan Uchi, even the most modest dwellings sparkled. To keep a household in less that perfect condition—especially along the Emperor's Road—would have been an insult to the Son of the Sun. Such insults led to quick executions.

  Soon the Scorpions came within sight of the Forbidden City. The walls of the Imperial Precinct were impressive, tall and white like ivory. They shone brightly, even as thunderclouds eclipsed the afternoon sun. Shoju remembered stories he'd heard of these enchanted walls. One—a true one so near as he could tell—said the emperor who had ordered the wall built had commanded it be made of stones of the same size. Samurai scoured the whole of Rokugan to fulfill the Son of the Sun's wish. This perfect symmetry added strength to the wall's enchantments.

  Legends said the wall had never been breached, either by earthquake or enemy. Shoju doubted this was true. In any case, he intended to put the second part of the legend to the test—though not in the way the builders had anticipated.

  As the Scorpions drew near, the gates of the Forbidden City opened before them. For a moment, Shoju thought of the dream he'd had so many months ago—his dream of entering the city amid death and carnage.

  Beyond the gates he didn't see fire and demons. Instead, a great crowd waited to greet the Scorpion host. At the head of the crowd, on a gold-canopied litter, sat Emperor Hantei the 38th.

  The crowd within the Forbidden City cheered as the Scorpions dipped their banners in respect to the emperor. Behind his pleasant mask, Shoju smiled a grim smile.

  Shoju recognized most of the people with the emperor. Shosuro Taberu, the Scorpion envoy, stood in his usual place to the emperor's left. He nodded when Shoju caught his eye. Also to Hantei's left stood Kakita Yoshi of the Crane, his hair bleached white in Crane fashion. He was a tall, thin man and good looking, not so offensive as Cranes went, and a fair poet. Though he had never wielded a blade, Yoshi was one of the most powerful men in the empire. He held the ear of the emperor. The Scorpion lord hoped it would not be necessary to kill him. Yoshi had been an ally of the Scorpion in the past.

  With the Crane stood Doji Shizue, as fair as a willow even under the shadow of the approaching storm. The girl had been lame since birth but possessed an exceptionally keen mind. Both the infirmity and the intellect were traits she shared with the Scorpion lord. He reminded himself to keep an eye on her.

  To the right stood Isawa Kaede, the Phoenix Mistress of the Void, and Seppun Ishikawa, the captain of Hantei's guard. The Phoenix shugenja would bear watching as well. Shoju hoped the trouble with her fiance, Akodo Toturi, would dull her wits. She would not be easy to deceive, and her powers were formidable. The Scorpion would talk to Kachiko's handmaid, Yogo Miyuki, about neutralizing the woman.

  Ishikawa posed less of a problem. Though a fine warrior, he would be no match for Shoju's men, either in prowess or in physical strength. The Scorpion daimyo's brother, Aramoro, could make short work of him if necessary.

  There were others in the imperial party, and Shoju catalogued the weakness of each man and woman.

  Seppun Bake was a sycophant. He used his knowledge of religion and prophecy to bolster his otherwise tenuous opinions. Otomo Sorai could almost have been a Scorpion. His main purpose was to subtly pit the clans against each other and thereby keep them in the emperor's control. For the emperor's sake, the Scorpions sometimes let him think he had succeeded. In fact, Sorai was an amateur compared to the courtiers of Kyuden Bayushi.

  The herald, Miya Yoto, was too old to be of any consequence. Shoju did not see Yoto's young, energetic son Satoshi in the crowd. Seppun Daiori had seen better days. Though he tried to carry himself proudly, in his mannerisms the Scorpion lord detected the weakness of an op
ium addict. He would pose no threat, either.

  Nor would the royal heir stand in the Scorpions' way. To judge from what Shoju saw, Sotorii would be even less a threat than they had thought. Rather than give the visiting lord the attention that courtesy demanded, the young Hantei hung to the back of the greeting crowd and flirted with Miya Matsuo's daughters.

  Not only were the girls considerably beneath his station, Sotorii seemed to be unduly familiar with one of them—

  Yumika. The boy looked hung over. Better he should die than live to disgrace the empire with his reign, thought Shoju.

  Akodo Toturi was conspicuously absent. His spot, next to the emperor's right hand, stood empty. During the final days of the Scorpions' journey to Otosan Uchi, Kachiko's spies had brought news of the Lion's impending demise.

  Shoju reined in his horse before the Son of the Sun Goddess and bowed low. The company behind him came to a halt and did the same.

  "Your Most August Majesty," the lord of Scorpions said politely.

  Hantei nodded to him. "Bayushi Shoju, our most loyal servant and friend, welcome to our city. We rejoice that you have chosen to visit us during the Festival of Fire. We also rejoice at your son's recent coming of age. Where is the boy?"

  Shoju motioned to Dairu, and the Scorpion's heir rode forward. "Majesty," he said, bowing deeply.

  "We are honored to receive you at court, young Scorpion," Hantei said. "We trust the trials of your gempuku were not too strenuous."

  "The heat of the forge determines the strength of the steel," Dairu said somewhat nervously.

  The emperor smiled at him.

  Dairu's heart grew warm, as if the sun had fallen upon his shoulders. He smiled back and bowed. Deep inside, he prepared for the grave test to come. This day, I am truly a Scorpion, he thought.

  "And your lovely wife, Lord Bayushi," the emperor said, "We trust she has made the journey as well?"

  In answer to the question, a servant opened the door to Kachiko's palanquin and the great lady stepped out, her movements as graceful as a cat. All eyes followed her. Even Hantei Sotorii stopped flirting long enough to pay attention.

  "I am honored to return to the white-walled City of Clouds," she said, bowing.

  "Ah, Kachiko," the emperor said jovially, "you chase the fog of age from this old man's eyes. We trust you will join us by our lotus pond after dinner."

  Kachiko bowed again, holding the emperor with her eyes. "Of course, Majesty," she said. "Weather permitting."

  "Very good, very good," the emperor said, rubbing his hands enthusiastically. "Perhaps we should dispense with formalities and get right to feasting. We understand we have chosen a particularly good menu this evening."

  "Your selections have been most excellent, Celestial One," said Seppun Bake, stepping forward momentarily and then melting back into the crowd.

  "Good. Good," Hantei said, nodding. Having apparently had his fill of pomp and pageantry, he added, "We should get right to it, eh?"

  "As you wish, Your Majesty," Shoju and Kachiko said simultaneously. The lord and lady pretended not to notice the emperor's friendly informality. Shoju and Kachiko bowed, as did Dairu, and—a moment later—the rest of the Scorpion host.

  "Well, then, let's go," said the emperor. He waved his fan, and his bearers carried him in the direction of the great tower. He winked playfully at Dairu as he went. Shoju and the others fell into step behind.

  Shosuro Taberu dropped back in the procession so that he could speak with the Scorpion lord and lady. He bowed as they reached him. They nodded in reply.

  "You will find everything in readiness," Taberu told them. "I've secured some of the finest rooms in the palace for your retinue."

  Shoju nodded. "Yosh," he said, realizing his retainer's double meanings.

  "I'm sure you've done your usual excellent job, Taberu," Kachiko added. "The lord and I will take time to freshen up before the feast. I expect many of our people have last-minute details to attend to as well."

  "I'll see to it," Taberu said, smiling at her. Despite the years they had worked together, he remained enthralled by her beauty and cunning.

  xxxxxxxx

  Taberu's accommodations proved as good as his word. The chambers of the Scorpion lord and lady were sumptuous, with a beautiful view of the palace gardens. They were also easily defended and difficult to spy upon. After their arrival, Yogo Miyuki set up a series of subtle spells to make sure any conversations taking place in the room remained private.

  After the shugenja had gone, Shoju and Kachiko bathed in an adjoining room and prepared for the feast.

  The Scorpion lord stretched. Noticing a weakness in his lame arm, he traced the intricate design of his tattoo and felt the stiffness slip away. He fetched his blue bottle and drank a draught to reinforce the tattoo's magic.

  As Shoju did his kata, Kachiko inventoried her poisons. Because of imperial security, she had not been able to sneak many into the castle. Fortunately, her position as advisor to the emperor had allowed her to secrete a goodly supply throughout the castle during her earlier visits. The poison she chose for tonight would have to be special. She needed something subtle but powerful, something that would dull the mind of the emperor and his guests but not let them suspect they were being drugged.

  A diluted form of the black lotus seemed best for this purpose, and Kachiko set about mixing the proper doses. She would make sure the poison found its way into the emperor's food. Fortunately, his food taster had Scorpion ties and was immune to the mixture Kachiko intended to use.

  Probably, the poison would not be necessary at all, but neither Kachiko nor Shoju liked to take chances.

  Having finished their personal preparations, the Scorpion lord and lady dressed. They chose their most beautiful kimonos and masks for the feast, though their robes were also cut to allow the maximum freedom of movement. In her obi, Kachiko concealed two small folding daggers. She also hid another two in her hairdo as hairpins and a third in her fan.

  Shoju secreted a number of shuriken within the folds of his garments. Normally, he would have hidden a folding staff as well, but tonight he had a far better weapon.

  Just behind his head, suspended in the very air itself, hung Yashin—Ambition. The bloodsword's ancient magic made it invisible, hidden even better than it had been beneath the Scorpion Palace. No one could see it now unless the Scorpion daimyo took it in his hand. The enchantments set upon it long ago made it undetectable by any but the most skilled sorcerers.

  Realizing this slight weakness, Kachiko added Isawa Kaede to the list of those sure to be poisoned. No one would be allowed to carry weapons at the feast, but Yashin would be there anyway, waiting for the perfect moment.

  A final item completed the Scorpions' wardrobe. Bayushi's Mask, a delicate silken cloth, had been handed down through the generations to Shoju. The enchantment of the mask rendered the wearer immune to mind-reading and other forms of mental magic, but it served another purpose as well. When worn, the artifact increased the persuasive power of its owner. Anything the wearer said became reasonable under the influence of the mask. Even outlandish things took on some plausibility, and righteous things framed in well-chosen words became tantamount to orders.

  In his reign as daimyo, the Scorpion lord had never found it necessary to use the mask—until now. Always the persuasive power of his voice and the logic of his arguments had been enough to sway listeners to his cause. Tonight, if he was to save the empire, Shoju needed every advantage.

  He reverently donned the mask of his ancestors and carefully placed a decorative mask over it. The top mask was complex and colorful. When worn one way, it was a cheerful laughing face, but when worn upside down, it became a frightening, almost demonic visage. Shoju turned the mask so that it presented its happy countenance—at least for the start of the evening. Later, he would use the frightful aspect.

  Kachiko's silken mask accentuated the beauty of her face, just as her kimono emphasized her perfect body. She wore just enough make-
up to be alluring without seeming wanton. She did up her long hair in graceful knots secured with the large hairpin daggers she had chosen earlier.

  As the Scorpion lord and lady finished their preparations, the storm outside broke. Great gouts of rain poured down f rom the heavens, and thunder crashed and echoed through (he streets of Otosan Uchi. Summer heat turned the rain into clinging mist almost as soon as it hit the ground. Soon the city lay shrouded in rain and fog.

  Shoju and Kachiko smiled; Yogo Junzo and Soshi Bantaro had done their jobs well. Everything was now in its place. Tonight they would save the empire, or sacrifice their lives trying.

  XXXXXXXX

  The feast was a glorious spectacle. The palace's great hall was nearly four times the size of the one at Kyuden Bayushi. A rich man's house could have easily fit inside it. Tall timbers supported a roof so high that four men standing on each other's shoulders could not have touched it. Many-colored lanterns hung from the rafters, dappling the room in rain-how light.

  Banners and paintings decorated the chamber. Some depicted the exploits of Hantei's illustrious ancestors. Others had been hung for this occasion and showed the many brave deeds of the Scorpion Clan. Dairu and Tetsuo marveled at these works of art, proud to be part of the Scorpion line.

  In accordance with tradition, the tea ceremony was held first, to honor the emperor's guests. The woman who poured the tea performed the movements gracefully, and with great precision, showing her dedication to the art. Shoju and Kachiko sat on the floor and drank alongside the emperor, renewing their friendship and devotion.

  Next came the customary presentation of gifts. The emperor gave the Scorpion lord and lady a beautiful scroll painting of the mountains near Beiden Pass. For their part, the Scorpions presented the emperor with a jewel-encrusted ivory horse. "To waft your dreams into heaven," said Kachiko.

  Then the celebration began in earnest. The entertainment included a Noh performance, dancers, acrobats, musicians, and a poetry reading. Kakita Yoshi had returned to his homeland earlier in the day, after greeting Shoju's company, so one of his poems was read by Daiori—who also included a verse of his own in the reading. Daiori had the good sense to save the Crane's work for last.