The Assassin's Touch

by Laura Joh Rowland

  “You’d better come inside,” Yugao told Tama.

  A gasp of fresh alarm sucked the sigh back into Reiko’s lungs. Tama said, “I can’t. I have to go home.”

  “Just for a little while,” Yugao said.

  A little while would give Yugao time to keep Tama quiet

  forever. Run! Reiko silently exhorted Tama. If you go in there, you won’t come out alive!

  “If my mistress finds out I left the house without permission, she’ll punish me,” Tama said, backing toward the stairs. Reiko sensed that she was afraid of Yugao’s lover, and perhaps of Yugao as well.

  Yugao hurried after Tama and caught her hand. “Please stay. I want you to keep me company. At least sit down and rest before you walk back to town.”

  “All right,” Tama said reluctantly.

  She let Yugao lead her to the door. Yugao picked up the bundle of food, then she and Tama disappeared inside the house. Reiko heard the door scrape shut.

  The valley was silent except for the diminishing chorus of birdsong and the wind rustling in the forest. The sky had turned a dark cobalt hue now, glinting with stars, adorned by a moon like a scarred pearl. Reiko felt sick at having placed the sweet, gullible Tama in danger. She turned to her escorts.

  “We must hurry back to town,” she said. Five inexperienced fighters and herself weren’t enough to capture Yugao and the Ghost. “We have to bring my husband and his troops.”

  They stole quickly down the trail along the valley, then groped downhill through the forest that was now so dark that they couldn’t see each other or the hazardous ground underfoot. But as they emerged onto the road, Reiko saw lights glimmering along its slope below them. She heard stealthy footsteps.

  “Someone’s coming,” she whispered.

  Chapter 30

  Human shapes erupted out of the darkness and surrounded Reiko, Lieutenant Asukai, and their companions. Reiko felt herself seized by strong hands, her arms pinned behind her with cruel force. She writhed and cried out and kicked. Violent, noisy thrashing exploded around her as her escorts were caught.

  “I’ve got him!” shouted a man’s excited voice.

  The man who held Reiko said, “This one’s female. Looks like we’ve captured Kobori and his lady love.”

  To her surprise, Reiko recognized his voice, although she couldn’t place it. Another familiar voice called, “If you’ve got Kobori, then who’s this I’ve caught?”

  A chorus of confusion arose. Lights flared, momentarily blinding Reiko. They came from flames burning inside metal lanterns held by soldiers. There looked to be hundreds of them, a small army crowding the road, encircling Reiko. Some were armed with bows and arrows as well as swords. On the ground near her, Detective Fukida sat atop Lieutenant Asukai. Soldiers wrestled with Reiko’s other guards. Reiko twisted around and saw that the man who’d caught her was Detective Marume. They beheld each other in mutual amazed recognition.

  “Sorry,” Marume said, embarrassed and gruff. He released her, then told his comrades, “It’s Chamberlain Sano’s wife and her escorts. Let them go.”

  Fukida and the soldiers desisted; Lieutenant Asukai and the other guards stood up and dusted themselves off. Reiko saw Sano striding toward her through the troops who parted to let him pass. Hirata came limping after him. Both men wore helmets and armor, as if in preparation for a battle. Their faces showed the same shock that Reiko felt.

  She and Sano spoke simultaneously: “What are you doing here?”

  “I followed Yugao’s friend Tama,” Reiko said. “She led me to a house up that way.” As she pointed toward the trail, she rejoiced that Sano had come. He was still alive. He’d not only found her but brought the troops necessary to capture the fugitives. She would have flung herself into his arms, if not for the men watching them. “Yugao and Kobori are there.”

  “I know,” Sano said. “We’ve come to get them.”

  She and Sano gazed at each other in shock that their separate inquiries had led them to the same destination. “But how do you know?” Reiko asked, astounded by his miraculous arrival.

  “Captain Nakai told me.” Sano gestured toward a big, handsome samurai who stood near him.

  “Captain Nakai?” Puzzled, Reiko said, “Wasn’t he your first suspect?”

  “He was. Now he’s my newest retainer. But I’ll explain later. Right now, we have to invade that house.”

  Sano spoke orders to his troops. They started up the trail, led by Captain Nakai, moving almost without a sound. Only their lanterns, flickering through the trees, marked their presence.

  “Wait,” Reiko cried in alarm. “Yugao and the Ghost aren’t alone. Tama is with them.”

  Concern rearranged Sano’s expression. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I saw her go in the house.” Tense with urgency, Reiko said, “I think Yugao means to kill Tama. We have to save her!”

  “I’ll try,” Sano said. “But I can’t promise. My mission is to capture the Ghost.”

  Reiko was stricken by dread, but she nodded. Sano’s orders from the shogun and Lord Matsudaira took precedence over all else, including the safety of civilians. If Tama should become another victim of Yugao, or a casualty of the raid, Reiko must accept fate. Yet she wished there were something she could do to save Tama, who wouldn’t be in danger if not for her!

  “I want you to go home now,” Sano told her, then turned to Lieutenant Asukai. “See that she gets there safely.”

  “Please let me stay,” Reiko exclaimed. “I want to see what happens. And I can’t leave you!”

  All right,” Sano conceded, partly because he didn’t want to waste time arguing, but also because he didn’t want them to be apart any more than Reiko did. This night might be their last together, even if he spent it hunting down an assassin while she watched from a distance. “But you have to promise me that you won’t interfere.”

  “I promise,” she said with immediate, ardent sincerity.

  Memories of their past gave Sano serious doubts. He only hoped she would keep her promise this time and not go anywhere near the Ghost. The last thing he needed was to worry about her safety. “Then come on.”

  They followed the army up the trail. The soldiers extinguished their lanterns before they reached the forest’s edge. The moon lit their way as they filed silently around the valley. Sano sensed pulses of excitement beating through himself and his men, as though they shared one heart set on battle. He remembered what the priest Ozuno had told Hirata about the Ghost.

  Your best strategy is to bring as many armed troops with you as you can. Then be prepared for many of them to die while he’s resisting arrest.

  Yet Sano felt confidence in his army and himself; one man couldn’t possibly defeat them all. Sano might already be doomed, but he would win this battle tonight. He felt Reiko’s hand graze his as they walked, and he stifled the thought that this might be their last journey. Now he saw the house, and the light shining in its window, but no other sign of occupation. He joined the army in the woods, some fifty paces from the staircase. He and Hirata and the detectives gazed up at the three levels of the house.

  “That’s a complicated building,” Hirata said quietly.

  “It gives the Ghost too many places to hide,” Fukida said. “How are we going to find him in there?”

  “We could holler at him to come out, and when he does, we’ll arrest him, no problem,” Marume joked.

  “There must be just as many ways he can sneak out of it,” Hirata said, studying the numerous windows and balconies.

  “That works in our favor as well as his. We’ll use those ways to sneak in on him.” Sano divided his forces into teams of three. “First we surround the property so that even if Kobori escapes from the house, he can’t leave the grounds. Then we go in.” He assigned teams to various positions and duties. “Remember that Kobori is more dangerous than any fighter you’ve ever met. Stick together in your teams. Don’t tackle him alone.”

  While one team kept watch on the fro
nt of the house, the others started up the hill and merged into the darkness. Sano said, “Mamms-san and Fukida-san, you’re on my team. Hirata-san, you stay here.”

  “No—I’m going with you,” Hirata said, clearly dismayed by the prospect of being left behind.

  Sano recognized how hard Hirata had struggled to keep up with the investigation and how much he hated to miss the final action. But they both knew he was unfit to clamber over rough terrain in the dark, let alone confront a lethal assassin. If he went, he would slow down their team or endanger the other men. Sano grasped at the only excuse that might save Hirata’s pride.

  “I’m counting on you to supervise this team and guard my wife,” Sano said.

  Humiliation shone in Hirata’s eyes even as he nodded. It was clear that he knew the team could supervise itself and Reiko’s guards could protect her better than he could. “Do you remember the old priest’s techniques that I showed you for fighting Kobori?” he asked Sano, Marume, and Fukida.

  They nodded. Hirata had given a quick lesson to them and all the troops before they’d left Edo. Sano had doubts about how much good it would do, but at least Hirata could feel that he’d contributed something to the mission.

  “Well, then, good luck,” Hirata said. Marume clapped a hand on Hirata’s shoulder. “When this is done, we’ll all go out for a drink.”

  He and Fukida moved to the edge of the forest. Sano turned to Reiko. The moonlight silvered her features. His gaze traced them, committing them to memory even though her image was already etched in his spirit. She gave him a tremulous smile.

  “Be careful,” she said.

  Her beauty, and his fear that they would soon be parted forever, shot pain through Sano. “I love you,” he whispered.

  “No,” she said, her voice fractured and barely audible.

  He knew she didn’t mean she rejected his love. She knew he’d spoken it in case he didn’t survive this mission or didn’t have time enough afterward to tell her. The words were akin to saying good-bye, which she didn’t want to hear. Sano touched her cheek. They exchanged one heartfelt look to sustain them until he came back—or until they were reunited in death. Then Sano turned and set off into the night with Marume and Fukida to have his revenge on the man he believed had murdered him.

  Reiko sat beside Hirata in the forest; her guards and the team of soldiers crouched nearby. No one spoke. Everyone was too intent on peering through the trees at the mansion and listening for noises that would tell them what was happening. Reiko projected her mind across the distance toward Sano. They had a unique spiritual connection that enabled them to sense each other’s presence, thoughts, and feelings even when separated. Surely she would know if he was in danger, hurt—or dead. But tonight she felt nothing except her own mounting fear for him. A chasm of loneliness opened in her heart. She closed her eyes, the better to listen.

  The night wove a fabric of sounds that muffled those of Sano and his army. Wolves howled; the wind moaned through the trees; Reiko heard the screech of predatory birds, and the stream gurgling in the valley. Temple bells signaled midnight. When she opened her eyes, she saw the mansion, still as ever. The light behind the window flickered as if the lantern inside was burning low on oil. The moon ascended to its zenith; the stars revolved on the wheel of heaven while Reiko wondered what Sano was doing. The air turned wintry, but she didn’t notice she was trembling with cold until Hirata put his cloak over her shoulders. Time passed, slow as water eroding stone. They waited in tense anticipation.

  Suddenly a thin, faraway voice yelled, “Who’s out there?”

  Reiko stiffened. She felt her heartbeat skitter. Hirata, her guards, and the soldiers stirred alert.

  “Answer me!” ordered the voice.

  It was shrill with panic, and it came from the house. “That’s Yugao,” Reiko said apprehensively. “What’s going on?”

  “She must have heard our troops coming,” Hirata said in dismay. “She and the Ghost know they’re under siege.”

  “Go away!” Yugao shouted, her voice sounding closer and louder. “Leave us alone!”

  Now Reiko heard the familiar sound of the door opening. Yugao burst out onto the veranda. Her back was hunched, her hands curled like talons. She resembled a wild, cornered beast. She prowled behind the railing and cried, “Listen to me, whoever you are!”

  Even from a distance, in the dim light, Reiko could see that terror and hatred twisted Yugao’s features. Her gaze frantically explored the darkness, seeking her foes. “We won’t let you take us. Get out of here or you’ll be sorry!”

  “Our orders from Chamberlain Sano are to bring in the fugitives alive or dead,” Hirata said. “Here’s our chance at one of them.” The soldiers had already drawn their bows; they pointed their arrows at Yugao. “Fire as soon as you’ve got a good shot.”

  Even though Reiko knew Yugao was a murderess who deserved to die, she winced at the prospect of the spilling of a young woman’s blood. And if Yugao died, she would take her secrets to the grave.

  Yugao paused. Three bows twanged. Three arrows hissed across the darkness. They thumped against the veranda railing and the wooden wall of the mansion. Yugao shrieked. She flung up her arms to protect her head, ducking and turning from side to side, trying to see who was firing at her. The archers shot more arrows. She howled, fell flat, and Reiko thought she’d been hit. But then Yugao was scuttling fast on hands and knees toward the door. She crawled into the mansion, and the door shut behind her, pelted by another volley of arrows.

  The archers lowered their bows and muttered curses. Hirata shook his head. Reiko was torn between disappointment that Yugao had escaped and relief that another life had not ended in violence.

  Yugao shouted through the door, “You can’t kill me! If you even try—” She stepped outside, holding Tama in front of her, pressed against her body like a shield.“—I’ll kill her!”

  Tama stood rigid, her round doll’s face a mask of terror. Her hands clutched the arm that Yugao held locked across her chest. Horror seized Reiko as Yugao waved a knife whose blade gleamed in the lantern light. The soldiers took aim again.

  “No!” Reiko whispered. Panic launched her to her feet.

  The soldiers looked to Hirata for orders. One said, “If we shoot at Yugao, we’ll hit the other girl instead.”

  A heartbeat passed, then Hirata said, “Hold your fire. I’ll talk to her.”

  As Reiko exhaled in relief, Hirata stepped out from the woods. He limped along the trail toward the mansion. “Yugao!” he called.

  She whirled in the direction of his voice, turning Tama with her. Her hostile gaze searched the darkness and she shouted, “Who are you?”

  “I’m the shogun’s sosakan-sama,” Hirata said.

  “Stop right where you are. Or she dies!”

  Yugao jerked the blade to Tama’s neck. Tama screamed. Reiko gasped; her hand flew to her own throat. Hirata froze on the trail halfway to the stairs. “All right,” he said in a falsely calm tone. “I’ll stay here—if you let Tama go and come with me peacefully.” “No!” Yugao’s voice shrilled higher with alarm. “Go away, or I’ll cut her throat, I swear!” “Killing her won’t do you any good,” Hirata said. “The house is surrounded by soldiers.”

  “Call them off!” Yugao ordered.

  “I can’t,” Hirata said. “Surrendering is your only chance to live.”

  “I’ll never surrender! Never!”

  “Then just let Tama go,” Hirata said. Reiko could hear that his patience was running out. “If you do, we won’t hurt you. I promise.”

  “Liar! I don’t believe you!” Yugao shrieked.

  Anxious to help, Reiko spoke softly to Hirata: “Tell her that Tama is her friend. Tama doesn’t deserve to die.”

  Hirata called out the words to Yugao. She shouted back, “Tama’s not my friend anymore. She told the police where I was.” Her voice was bitter with anger and resentment. “She’s the reason you’re here.”

  “I didn’t,” Tama c
ried, sobbing as she strained away from the knife. “You must believe me!”

  “Yes, you did.” Yugao held tight to Tama. Cruelty twisted her face. “You’re a traitor. You should be punished!”

  Reiko lost all hope that Hirata could talk sense into Yugao or save Tama. Yugao was beyond reason. Even though she’d promised Sano she wouldn’t interfere, Reiko couldn’t stand by and do nothing. She ran out of the woods, up the trail, in front of Hirata.

  “Yugao!” she called even as she regretted breaking her word to Sano.

  “What are you doing?” Hirata said in dismay. “Go back!”

  He tugged at her arm. She shook him off. “Please let me try.” Her gaze met Yugao’s across the darkness.

  “Well, if it isn’t Lady Reiko,” Yugao said. “Did you come to watch the fun? Haven’t you anything better to do?”

  ’Tama didn’t bring the army to you,” Reiko said. “Don’t blame her. It was me. I followed her here.”

  “You.” The word gushed, like a sac of venom bursting, from Yugao. “I should have known. All the while you were pretending you wanted to help me, you were plotting to bring me down.”

  “I did want to help you,” Reiko said. She spoke in her most earnest, persuasive manner. Yugao had never trusted her, but Tama’s life depended on her winning the woman’s trust now. “I still do.”

  Yugao shook her head in contemptuous disbelief. “Then prove it. Get those soldiers out of here.”

  “All right,” Reiko said, even though she could do no such thing. “But first you have to let Tama go.” She paced forward until she reached the foot of the stairs. Hirata and her guards followed. She extended a hand to Yugao.

  “Stop!” Yugao clamped her arm tighter around Tama, who squealed and wept. She said, “You must think I’m really stupid.” She puffed air out her mouth in disgust “Well, I know that the moment I let Tama go, they’ll rush up here and kill me. She’s my only protection.”

  Reiko knew Yugao was right, but she said, “They won’t kill you. Not if you cooperate. Let Tama go.”