He was right. It was only a superficial wound. Yet the fact that his attackers had succeeded even in grazing him in the midst of a well-equipped army demonstrated that they were no common adversaries.
“There’s no way we can catch them,” Sugaru said. “I never expected the Emishi to be capable of something so sophisticated.”
“They aren’t Emishi,” Oguna said bitterly. “That was just a disguise. This isn’t the first time I’ve been attacked by opportunists in the midst of another conflict. I’m guessing they were from Mahoroba.”
“You mean they were men from your troop?” Sugaru asked in surprise.
“No … I think they were assassins. Probably sent by the emperor.”
“What? The emperor sent you off to fight the Emishi because he wants you to be killed in battle?”
“My own men understand. But the soldiers from Sagamu won’t. They’ll believe it was the Emishi and descend upon their village. I have to show them who the real murderers are.”
But Oguna’s fear was soon realized. Receiving a report from one of the soldiers sent after the assassins, Oguna flew out of his tent to see flames rising from the direction of the Emishi village.
“Yet another crime will be added to my name,” he whispered as he stared at the fire.
Sugaru noticed that Oguna was shaking with anger. Then he blinked in surprise. Less then ten steps away from Oguna stood the creature—like a graceful, white doe. Oguna had buried his face in his hands, but he did not weep. Then slowly he raised his head and looked at the creature. He did not seem surprised to see it standing there. He gazed straight into its burning, blue-white eyes.
Sugaru strode over and grabbed him by the shoulders. He thought he could guess what Oguna was thinking. “Don’t,” he said. “Don’t use the power of the Sword.”
“There’s no other way left.”
Sugaru shook him, trying to distract him from the creature. “Don’t ruin everything over something like this,” he shouted. “You said you wouldn’t use it, remember? If you want to stop your army, I’ll do it for you. Don’t take that creature back into yourself.” He finally managed to jerk Oguna around so that he was facing away from the thing. “Don’t look at that thing. I know what it is. It’s madness. If you don’t keep it out, you’ll go mad too.”
“But … it’s my mother,” Oguna said.
Sugaru was forced to acknowledge just how difficult it was going to be to sever the Sword from its master. While despising the Sword’s power, Oguna could not help craving it. For him, it represented something he could not completely reject—something that comforted him even as he tried to turn away, something to which his heart returned when wounded.
His mother … Sugaru could understand, but he must not sympathize. He hardened his voice. “You’re too old to yearn for your mother. You’ll never grow up until you vanquish that thing.”
Oguna’s eyes wavered. “Vanquish it?”
“Break with it. If you don’t, I’ll kill it. That’s what I came here to do in the first place.”
Sugaru was focused so intently on Oguna that he failed to watch the creature. But it recognized what he was trying to do. Kicking off the ground, it launched itself at Sugaru. By the time he noticed, the flaming white body was already upon him, its jaws opened wide to reveal sharp, wolflike fangs. The impact of its forepaws knocked Sugaru to the ground just as the Misumaru whisked him out of reach. His chest burned where the creature’s paws had touched him. He shuddered to think what would have happened if it had sunk its teeth into his throat. Its doelike appearance was just that—appearance only.
What a monster! Sugaru was on his feet instantly, his spear at the ready, but the creature had vanished. Only Oguna stood there, staring vacantly at Sugaru—his body glowing like blue flame.
“You fool!” Sugaru yelled. Although Oguna and the creature had their own separate wills, in the end they were one. They could not be challenged separately.
“Don’t get in my way,” Oguna said in a low voice. “I’m going to the Emishi village to stop my soldiers. That’s all.”
“You’re out of your mind. You’ll destroy your allies as well as your foes. Your own men will die.”
“Stay out of this.”
Nothing Sugaru could say was going to stop him. It was his emotions that ruled Oguna now—deep, raging feelings that suppressed every other part of him. There was no choice left but to fight. Sugaru focused on the Misumaru. The four stones shone with a blinding light and began drawing the wind. The Misumaru centered this force on the Sword, compressing its lightning will into a single point and striving to seal it away. The Misumaru could create space. It was this that enabled the bearer to move instantly from one place to another. And it was this that eliminated the Sword’s power, channeling it into a different dimension. Concentrated on a human being, this force could erase someone from the face of the earth. It took four stones to raise this power to the extreme of death itself. Having been the bearer now for some time, Sugaru understood this instinctively. But he had never tapped that power to its limit.
I guess it can’t be helped …
The two powers slammed together with a force that ripped the leaves off the nearby trees. Sugaru thought he had steeled himself for this battle, but it was far harder to seal the Sword than he had anticipated. He knew it would be fatal to underestimate Oguna, yet his power surpassed even Sugaru’s expectations. Sugaru was hampered by the fact that his usual style of scoffing at his opponent was useless. Worse still, he was plagued by doubt. He could not rid himself of the fear that if he killed Oguna, who believed that Toko still lived, he would be killing Toko as well. Moreover, Oguna had found his way too far into his heart for Sugaru to utterly reject and destroy him. For some reason, Sugaru actually liked the young prince. It was at this weakness, so brief that it could not even have been called an unguarded moment, that the Sword struck. It sundered the net of power woven to bind it and sent Sugaru flying.
He’s so strong … Unable to withstand that force, the string joining the stones together snapped. Perhaps his power surpasses even the Misumaru, Sugaru thought. After all, Oguna drew strength not only from the Sword but also from his mother, who had transcended death to possess her son. Sugaru watched the stones fall to the ground. Anger washed through him, not for himself, but for Toko.
“Wake up!” he yelled at Oguna. “How do you think Toko will feel? I thought you said you wanted to see her again!”
The blue-white flame launching itself at Sugaru vanished, replaced by Oguna. He stood staring at Sugaru, as if he had been shaken from a dream and only now realized who Sugaru was. Sugaru waited a little longer, preparing himself for another attack, but Oguna did not slip away again. He appeared to have escaped the creature’s control. Sugaru chose his words with care. “As long as you continue to wield that Sword, as long as you harbor that creature, we’re enemies. Even if Toko is alive, even if you do meet her again, we’re still enemies. Take a look around. See what you’ve done. You lose yourself.”
Oguna did as he was told and surveyed the scene. The earth itself had been gouged open and the trees torn out by their roots and burnt black. Wisps of smoke still rose from their charred remains. That the damage did not extend into the distance was only because Sugaru had consciously fought to contain it.
“You’ve tried to extinguish that power before, right?”
“I’ve tried many times,” Oguna answered, despondent. Completely returned to his senses, he seemed overcome with shame.
“You’ve got to sever yourself from that thing.”
“I know …”
The blue-white flame had left him. The only light was cast by the magatama, which Sugaru had gathered together again. In their glow, Oguna looked like neither a glorious prince nor a daring commander. In fact, he appeared so forlorn that Sugaru couldn’t help berating him. “How can you act like such a great leader before your men and be so utterly useless when it comes to yourself? It’s your lack of will, of belief in
yourself, that lets that creature get inside you.”
“The man you see in the daytime isn’t me. It’s my older brother. I know what he would think, how he would act. I learned it all from him, and that’s the role I played. I’m still doing that.”
“Oh, come on. Are you trying to excuse yourself by saying he never taught you how to deal with your mother? What are you? Just a puppet?”
Despite this scolding, however, Oguna only looked at Sugaru. His eyes were full of sorrow. “I don’t understand myself very well …” he whispered. Then, he said more defiantly, “I should never have been born. I know that. I should not be here. But that’s not what my mother wants. She sacrificed her own life for mine, to protect me. That’s what that creature wants. That I’m alive at all is because of my mother. Without her, I would have been snuffed out by the emperor’s hand long ago. In Himuka and in Izumo, my father’s shadow came for me. Each time, the Sword intervened and saved my life. I know it’s not right. But as long as I’m alive, how can I justify rejecting my mother?” His shoulders drooped. “If I really wanted to, I think I could probably sever myself from that creature. But if I do that, what would I have left? I’d be all alone—isolated among people who hate and kill their own kin.”
“What do you want?” Sugaru asked. “Surely you aren’t living just because of what your brother or your mother want? You must have desires of your own. Why don’t you try to fulfill them? Why don’t you recognize what you really want?”
“I’m not in a position to—”
Sugaru cut him off. “Worry about your position later. It’s because you’ve got nothing inside where it counts that strong-willed people can push you around so easily. You can’t even decide between right and wrong. Why don’t you try choosing something for yourself and sticking to it, without worrying about other people? If you choose something evil, then at least people like me could do something about it. The way it stands now, you’ve got no way out. Make up your mind. What do you want to do?”
Oguna bit his lip. “I want to meet Toko again,” he said finally. “I want to live so that I might see Toko.”
“Then work toward that and don’t get distracted. Show me that you can find her yourself. That’s what Toko did. She told everyone she was going to get the magatama and she lived up to her word.”
“Toko was always stronger than me.” Oguna’s face softened. Sugaru felt for a second as if he were seeing the old Oguna. “I don’t expect that there’s any way to make up for breaking my promise, but if she’s alive somewhere, I want to find her.”
In the end, I guess Toko really is the only one who can help him change. Who else but Toko, Sugaru thought, could stand a chance against the power of the Sword when it was augmented by the spirit of Oguna’s dead mother? Even with four magatama, Sugaru had not been able to destroy Oguna’s power or sever him from it. Staring at the broken cord of the Misumaru, Sugaru suddenly remembered that there ought to be another stone. Toko said there were five magatama in Toyoashihara guarded by five Tachibana clans. I wonder what would happen if we added the other one … But he could not remember whether she had told him where that other land was. He wished he had listened more carefully, but it was too late now. It all comes down to the same thing, he thought irritably. We won’t get anywhere without Toko …
chapter
nine
REUNION
Reunion
WITH THE CRUSHING DEFEAT of the Emishi tribes by the prince’s army, Oguna’s fame spread rapidly, albeit against his wishes. In the end, he had no choice but to act like the leader he was acclaimed to be. Having won the people’s awe and also gained their fear, he launched his canal-building project. This selfless dedication to the betterment of Sagamu astonished the inhabitants of that land. Only Sugaru realized that Oguna was motivated by the desire to atone for what he had done.
The project was even more successful than Oguna had anticipated. His hardworking men finished far ahead of schedule. Oguna then handed over the entire project to the chief and prepared to depart. “Are you sure you want to give it all to us?” the chief asked incredulously. “This was really your achievement. Surely the emperor of Mahoroba will be displeased. Allow me to keep this territory in your name as it was you who won it back from the Emishi.”
“I already told you,” Oguna responded. “Land belongs to those who cultivate it. I won’t allow Mahoroba to interfere. Let me write you a deed to the land as proof.”
The chief looked at him searchingly for a moment but finally said with deep reverence, “Wherever you may go, our hearts belong to you. If you but send us word, I will provide men, supplies, whatever you need.”
“I thank you for the offer,” Oguna said. He smiled suddenly. “But don’t even bother thinking that. Concentrate instead on cultivating these fields. My men and I were never meant to settle down in one spot, and I doubt we ever will.”
The warships were launched and stood ready in the bay. Waving farewell to a crowd that was loath to see him go, Oguna boarded his ship and breathed a sigh of relief.
“You’re quite the object of worship, aren’t you?” Sugaru teased him as he climbed aboard Oguna’s ship as if he belonged there. Oguna’s face lit up at the sight of him.
“I can’t understand why people are so impressed just because I didn’t ask for anything.”
“I expect because most people in your position would do just the opposite,” Sugaru said dryly. “Greed and power generally go together, you know. That old man told me you were going to die young because you don’t have enough attachment to the world.”
Oguna looked uncomfortable. “He’s wrong. What I desire is just different, that’s all. Look at you, Sugaru. If anyone’s going to die young, it would be you.”
“What’re you talking about?” Sugaru frowned.
“You stayed with me all this time, even though you have absolutely nothing to gain by it. You’ve been kind to me even though you aren’t related to me in any way. You’re the one who doesn’t seem to have any desire.”
“Ha! Fat chance,” Sugaru said. “I never do anything that doesn’t have something in it for me. I’m just a bundle of desire. I guarantee it. And besides, I come from a long-lived family. My father was unlucky, but most of us are tough like my grandpa. It’s my dream to get to his age and bully my grandchildren.”
“Bully your grandchildren?” Oguna burst out laughing. When he laughed, he looked so carefree he seemed a different person. Sugaru realized suddenly that Oguna was opening up to him. It had happened so gradually that he hadn’t noticed until now.
“I wish I were you,” Oguna said. “It must be good to have a home to go back to.”
“Well, I can’t go back with the Misumaru. Not until I’ve finished this. Once it’s over, I’ll go home in a flash.”
“It won’t be long now,” Oguna said with a conviction Sugaru found puzzling.
“How do you know that?”
“We’re on our way from Sagamu to Hidakami. That’s our last destination, the eastern edge of this country where it borders on Emishi territory. The success or failure of this mission will most likely be determined there. That’s what the emperor expects. And I can’t help but think that Toko is there somewhere in Hidakami.”
“Hidakami?” Sugaru’s voice rose sharply. “I’ve heard that name before. Hidakami! That’s it! The other place where there’s a magatama. It’s Hidakami, the land where the sun rises.” He looked at Oguna. “Why would Toko be in Hidakami? You don’t think she’s looking for the other magatama, do you?”
“I don’t know,” Oguna said quietly. “But last night I dreamt of her. She was standing with the rising sun behind her. So we’re heading east. I’ve heard that Hidakami is a vast country, but I’m sure that’s where I’ll find her. I just know it.”
THE THREE WARSHIPS carrying Oguna and his men pushed east night and day, until they reached the mouth of a river so wide it looked like a bay. They sailed straight up it. The low-lying tideland along the edges mad
e it difficult for the ships to approach the banks, but the river’s breadth meant that they could sail far inland quite easily. Before them, as far as the eye could see, spread fields of dry, withered reeds interrupted by the occasional glittering marsh. There were no mountains in sight.
“It certainly is vast,” Oguna said, straining to discern the horizon that separated the land from the shimmering white sky. “I remember what Nanatsuka once told me. That the plains spread on forever and the antlers of the deer look like trees in the distance. I thought he was exaggerating, but now that I’ve seen it for myself I can understand what he was talking about.”
Sugaru gave him a quick glance. “You sound quite fond of him.”
“He gave me so much …” Oguna paused. “But he’ll never forgive me for killing my older brother.”
“That’s not the impression I got.”
Oguna’s eyes grew round. “You know him? Where did you meet him? Is he alive?”
“He certainly looked alive and well to me. And he has a whole troop of men under him. He’s the leader a gang of highwaymen near the capital. He’s planning to overthrow the emperor.”
“That sounds like him all right.” Oguna laughed faintly, but then his face darkened and he fell silent. Sugaru gazed off across the plains. He had no idea of where to start looking in a land so wide and empty. Is Toko really here somewhere?
A soldier came back from the prow of the ship. “We’ve sighted people. I believe we must be approaching Karuno, the village the chief of Sagamu told us about.”
Oguna quickly pulled himself together. “Good. Let’s send a messenger. Prepare to land.”
ONCE THE BOATS were moored along the shore they settled down to await the return of the messenger. They could not afford to begin traveling in a strange and unfamiliar place without a guide.
“I wouldn’t be surprised at anything that happened here,” Takehiko confided to Sugaru. “Why, even the rivers flow toward land instead of to the sea.”
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