As the Master of Water spoke, the earth shook, and a great gout of flame shot up near the main gate to the city.
Toturi nodded. "Tadaka and Tsuke are about their business, it seems."
"They've breached the gates," Uona called from above. "The Shadowlands troops are falling back inside. We can press them farther if we hurry!"
"Do so," Toturi called up to her.
Uona swooped down and seized Tomo in her slim arms. Together, they flitted over the battling armies toward the great gate to the city.
As they disappeared from sight, Toku staggered forward, his wiry form covered head-to-toe in blood. He looked like a crimson fountain.
"Are you all right?" Toturi asked, worry crossing his face.
Toku smiled at the Black Lion. "None of the blood is mine. Some is my horse's, but most belongs to our enemies. I'd say a horse is a good trade for an oni and five undead samurai, wouldn't you?"
Toturi couldn't help smiling.
Yukihera, the Dragon general, rode up to Toturi. He spat blood from his mouth and said, "This diversion of forces wasn't necessary, Toturi-san. I had everything under control. Rest assured that the Dragon can do their part in this." Turning, he galloped off into the retreating enemy line, taking his battered people with him.
"Well, the Lion may be united again," Toku said, "but that doesn't mean everyone's on the same side—even if we are all fighting Fu Leng."
"Never mind Yukihera," Bentai said gruffly. "No great loss if his recklessness gets him killed."
Toturi frowned and shook his head. "In the end, the actions of one man may turn the course of the war."
"I still say we're better off without him," Bentai replied. He turned to rejoin his samurai, but a black-barbed arrow flew across the enemy lines and found the joint in his armor, between his right arm and his breast.
The old general looked at the shaft, pain and surprise playing equally across his grizzled face. Then the arrowhead exploded. The force of the blow knocked Bentai from the saddle. He landed hard in the mud next to Toturi's steed.
The Black Lion slid from his saddle. Another black arrow arced toward him. Toturi acted instinctively. The lion blade flashed from its sheath, destroying the deadly missile before it could strike.
With a cry of rage, Toku ran toward the retreating army and threw himself into the milling crowd. He cut down two black samurai and reached the maho bowman who'd felled Bentai. The evil sorcerer pointed his bow at the boy, but Toku severed the string with his first slice. His second cut spilled the magician's guts. The shugenja fell dead.
Toku ran back to Toturi's side.
The Black Lion knelt beside his old comrade.
Bentai lay in the mud, his right arm gone, his blood spurting onto the dark earth. Toturi cradled the general's neck in his hand. He looked at the wound, and then at his friend's face. There was no hope.
Bentai's breath rattled in his throat. "Take my helmet," he said to Toturi, "and place it on the highest tower of the castle. Turn it to the east, so that I may see the sun rise over a free Rokugan."
"I will," Toturi said, removing the helmet from Bentai's head.
A smile crept over the general's craggy face. Then his breath leaked out, and he was gone.
"I—I will miss him," Toku said, wiping tears from his eyes.
"All of Rokugan will miss him," Toturi replied. He removed his cloak and laid it over his friend's body. The rain pressed the silk down around the slain general, outlining his body.
The Black Lion stood, anger burning in his breast. He mounted his steed and pulled Toku into the saddle behind him. They galloped off into the fray and slew many enemies in Bentai's name.
xxxxxxxx.
The allied armies quickly forced the enemy back within the city's outer wall. Toturi's samurai swept into Otosan Uchi, driving the Shadowlands troops before them. Fu Leng's minions set fire to the few standing buildings as they fled. The city filled with choking black smoke.
Uona used her powers to dissipate the evil vapors, and Tsuke quelled the flames where he could. The fighting within the walls, though, was brutal. Many brave samurai died within Otosan Uchi before Amaterasu dipped her golden head below the mountains.
As night fell, both armies pulled back, though bloody skirmishes still raged before the walls of the Forbidden City. Toturi's men set up his headquarters inside Otosan Uchi's tall gates. The Black Lion called his generals and the great lords to meet with him. One by one, they straggled in, as their duties permitted.
"I haven't seen Ikoma Ujiaki," Toturi said, glancing around among his own people. "Where is he? Was he slain in the battle?"
Tsanuri shook her head, and her black hair fell limply over her shoulders. "No. Though my heart fills with shame to tell you, he has taken his troops from the field."
"What?" Toturi asked, fire burning in his eyes.
"They say he would not desert the emperor, so he has marched away. Where he has gone, I do not know."
"I know," said Tetsuo, stepping from the crowd. "There's little that a Scorpion's ears do not hear. Ujiaki has gone south, to the lands of the Evil One, to do the Hantei emperor's bidding. I doubt he will return, Lord."
The Black Lion silently cursed Tetsuo's subtlety. He seemed to know more than he was telling. "Make sure our troops are prepared," Toturi said to Yojo, Motso, Tsanuri, Toku, and the others. "The enemy must gain no ground tonight. Tomorrow, we will storm the Forbidden City and take the palace, or die trying."
The Lion and ronin generals bowed and left Toturi alone with his other guests. Toturi scanned the assembly.
The Elemental Masters looked tired, but grimly determined to carry on. Near the end of the day, Junzo had sallied out of the Forbidden City and caused them some difficulty. Still, the combined might of Tadaka, Uona, and Tomo had been enough to drive away the evil shugenja; Tsuke had been busy suppressing fires at the time.
The Great Dragon and the Hooded Ronin looked little the worse for wear, though both had fought hard. Toturi admired their cool serenity, even in the midst of chaos.
Aramoro, Kachiko's envoy, seemed—if possible—even more unruffled. He stood near the tent flaps, his muscular arms folded across his chest, his black eyes drinking in every nuance of the scene. In tribute to his dead lord, he once again wore his Scorpion mask.
Kakita Toshimoko, the Emerald Champion, stood near the tent flaps, rubbing salve into an arrow wound in his arm.
Utaku Kamoko sat on a low stool near the center of the pavilion, having a long cut on her arm bandaged by her lieutenant Tetsuko. Many Unicorn forces still fought, trying to save the citizens of Otosan Uchi from their demonic oppressors. Toturi admired the Unicorn's courage, and their devotion to peoples often ignored by the other clans.
Hida Yakamo grumbled some final orders to his Crab generals and sent them back to the fray. They bowed low to the other lords as they left the tent. Yakamo lifted his gaze and stiffened.
Mirumoto Hitomi had just emerged through the flaps of the pavilion. She folded her arms over her chest, and the Obsidian Hand gleamed in the dim light cast by the paper lanterns scattered around the room's perimeter.
"Hitomi," Toturi said cordially, nodding a quick bow. "Good to see you. Where's Mirumoto Yukihera?"
A wry smile drew across Hitomi's lips. She bowed in return. "Yukihera had an urgent appointment with his ancestors. The Dragon army is under my control once more."
Toturi and the other members of the council looked grimly at the Mirumoto daimyo, then nodded their understanding. The Black Lion glanced from Hitomi to Yakamo and then back again. The two stared daggers at each other and clenched their stony fists.
Doji Hoturi walked to Toturi's side and whispered, "Can we trust them not to kill each other?"
"I don't think we have much choice," Toturi answered.
The evening wore on as they discussed plans for the next day's battle. The hour grew late, and many of the daimyo drifted off to their clans to relay information, shore up battle lines, and get what littl
e rest they could. Toturi felt some relief when Hitomi returned to her own tents. Yakamo also relaxed after his old enemy left. As midnight approached, only the Black Lion and a handful of lords remained in the pavilion.
Suddenly, the tent flaps opened, and Yoritomo, the Mantis leader, strode into their midst. He was a tall, muscular man wearing green armor. From one side of his wide obi hung the familiar daisho swords. From the other hung a pair of matched scythes with short handles. In battle, Yoritomo wielded the scythes like the claws of the Mantis from which his clan derived its name. Two green-armored lieutenants flanked their leader as he entered.
"Welcome, Yoritomo," Toturi said. "Your aid today is greatly appreciated."
All eyes turned to the Mantis. Instead of kneeling before the general of the combined armies, Yoritomo merely bowed cordially.
The hands of several lords strayed to the hilts of their swords at the perceived insult. Toturi, though, merely stood quietly in the center of the tent.
"You say you appreciate my help," Yoritomo said, his rough voice booming. "I'm here to tell you that it is the last help you'll receive from my army. I will not fight beside you again, unless I fight as an equal.
"Even now, my troops hold the beaches below the castle. Make the Mantis one of the Great Clans, or we will board our ships and sail home this very night."
THE MANTIS
You dare to speak to us this way?" Doji Hoturi said, stepping forward. His bright eyes flashed, and he tightened his grip on the sword. "You have not earned the right to be a Great Clan. In a thousand years, no minor clan has risen to that prominence."
"I have earned that right today," Yoritomo insisted. "My people have won this prize with their blood. Without me, the Dragon would have been crushed. Without my troops, you would never have gained entry to the walls of the city. If we leave—as we will, I assure you— you will not be able to hold what you have taken. Your strength is nothing without mine. We deserve to be treated as equals."
"You would leave the battlefield even though it means the empire might fall?" Toturi asked.
"What care I for the empire if it cares nothing for me?" Yoritomo replied. "I repeat: the Mantis have won this right with their blood. We will die before we relinquish that right."
"You cannot force us to elevate your station," Doji Hoturi said sternly, "though we can force you to obey Toturi's commands."
"You can try," Yoritomo admitted, "but many of you will die in the attempt. We are committed to this cause and will sacrifice our lives if need be—just as we are willing to sacrifice our lives to your cause, if we may do so as equals." He folded his arms across his muscular chest and stood silently amid the assembly.
Deep laughter broke the quiet. All eyes turned to Hida Yakamo. The Crab Thunder chuckled and folded his arms over his chest as well. "A bold move," he said. "So bold, in fact, that I must support it."
Others in the pavilion nodded and grunted agreeably.
The Emerald Champion edged close to Toturi. "We will need the strength of every samurai if we are to succeed."
Toturi nodded. "Hai," he said quietly. "I know it." Raising his voice, he said, "Yoritomo, no one can doubt your valor upon the battlefield today, nor the boldness of your request." The Black Lion turned to the others in the room. "I suggest we grant his clan the status he desires—and that they deserve."
One by one, the others present nodded their approval.
"We're agreed, then?" Toturi asked.
"Hai," the others said as one.
"Then may Amaterasu bless our decision," the ronin lord said. "With her grace, the Mantis are now a Great House and Yoritomo their daimyo."
Yoritomo bowed curtly to the others and they bowed in return.
Toturi turned to the Mantis and said, "If we fail to destroy Fu Leng, though, your clan, Lord Yoritomo, will be very short lived."
The Mantis puffed out his wide chest. "Then we shall not fail."
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Morning dawned darkly. Battles raged within the once-proud city. Thunderclouds hung low in the heavens, and lightning struck the earth with frightening regularity.
Toturi slept little, directing the movements of the troops throughout the night, making sure that the enemy gained no advantage during the darkness.
Yoritomo's forces fought with renewed fury after the meeting of the lords. Many Shadowlands creatures died upon the blood-soaked beaches of Otosan Uchi.
After dawn, Toturi moved through the lines, speaking with each of the five other Thunders present: Hitomi, Yakamo, Tadaka, Kamoko, and Hoturi. Each was confident, eager for the final confrontation. The previous day's success filled the Thunders' troops with inspiration.
Toturi's heart felt uneasy, though. Before the day's initiative, he talked to his old friend, the Crane daimyo, under the boughs of a withered cherry orchard. The leaves on the trees were small, brown, and brittle. Long cuts in the trees' bark bled oily sap. Toturi picked one of the leaves and crushed it in his hand. He frowned.
"It seems more like late fall than summer," he said. "The Evil One sucks the life out of the land itself."
"Save the people, and you save the land as well," Doji Hoturi said.
"Do we?" Toturi asked. "I hope so. We've yet to reckon with Junzo. He's barely been visible in the fray, and we know he can bring considerable force to bear."
"We have the Elemental Masters, though," the Crane said. "That must frighten even a shugenja of Junzo's power. Besides, raising the dead to fight on their side must occupy much of Junzo's time."
Toturi nodded. "Hai. It must." He thought of their former comrades, returned from the dead to battle for the dark lord.
Hoturi gazed toward the distant towers of the moldering palace. "The sooner we confront the emperor, the sooner this will be over."
"Let's seize the day, then," Toturi said. "I'll see you at the palace." He mounted his warhorse.
"Hai." Hoturi smiled. "And I'll get there first."
"Only if you grow wings," Toturi replied. He shook the reins and spurred his mount toward the battlefront.
The Black Lion soon rode past a pile of bodies as deep as his horse's flanks-—remnants of the previous day's fighting. Most of the dead belonged to the Shadowlands forces. Too many, though, were brave ronin and samurai from Toturi's army. Some still gasped out their last breaths. Priests and healers tended those they could, but few of these victims would live to see the day's end.
Up ahead, Toku darted in and out of the lines, joyously slaying his foes. Each time Toturi saw him, the young Emerald Magistrate was covered with more blood. Fortunately, very little of the blood belonged to Toku.
"They're not so tough," Toku said to Toturi during one of his forays near the ronin lord.
"Keep your helmet on," Toturi replied, "or someone may hand your head to you."
"I know that," Toku said, slightly annoyed. "You think I don't know that?"
At that moment, thunder cracked, and the earth shook beneath them.
Tetsuo, the former Scorpion, emerged from the battle to report. "Junzo has ridden out of the Forbidden City. He's cut deeply into the Unicorn line, but the Elemental Masters are moving to help."
Toturi nodded. "We'll take our forces there as well. We need to take the inner gates and force them open so that we can carry the fight to the Evil One. This may be a fatal mistake on Junzo's part."
"Or it could be a trap," Tetsuo said.
Toku frowned. "Leave it to a Scorpion to think of such things."
"I'd thought of it as well," Toturi replied, smiling. He turned to Ikoma Tsanuri, riding nearby. "Rally our forces to me. We'll catch Junzo in the open and crush him."
"Hai, Toturi-san," Tsanuri replied. She rode into the troops, commanding them to form up behind their leader.
Toturi spurred his horse toward the gates of the Forbidden City. Toku ran beside him, felling Shadowlands samurai as he went.
Junzo wasn't hard to find. A black cloud of biting flies hovered
around the evil shugenja and
his dark troops.
Toku swatted a fly on his cheek. "Ouch!" he said. "I guess bugs don't bother dead samurai."
"If these bites are the worst you get," Doji Hoturi called, "you'll be a very lucky young man."
The Crane's troops had rallied to Toturi's call as well. Hoturi split the skull of an undead samurai and trampled the creature's body beneath the hooves of his horse.
Thunder clapped, and Isawa Uona flew low over their heads. The Phoenix Mistress of Air's face was set in a grim mask. She gestured toward the cloud of flies, and they parted before her winds.
Junzo shot a bolt of red fire toward her, but Isawa Tomo rose up from the melee like a great wave and swallowed the evil magic. He belched boiling steam, scalding the flesh from a number of Junzo's retainers.
Tadaka stepped forward, and the ground shook. The earth opened up at his command, swallowing the right side of Junzo's bodyguard. The evil magician shot pale lightning toward his enemy. Tadaka reached into his kimono and drew out his jade fan. He flicked it open just as the magic struck.
The bolt rebounded off the enchanted jade and felled a dozen of Junzo's own troops. Cursing, Fu Leng's lieutenant retreated toward the Forbidden City. The massive gates creaked open as the shugenja approached.
Toturi's voice boomed over the clamor of the melee, calling to the only Elemental Master not otherwise occupied. "Tsuke! Stop him!"
The Master of Fire glanced at the Black Lion, his eyes burning. Then he turned toward Junzo and unleashed a firestorm. Many allied samurai had to dive for cover as the hellish conflagration roared past.
It was no use. Before the flames reached the evil sorcerer, the enchanted gates of the Forbidden City slammed shut. Tsuke's magic broke against the walls like the surf against a mountain, and with as little effect.
Toturi cursed.
He and Hoturi rode forward as their troops mopped up the few Shadowlands forces remaining outside the gates.
"Get those gates open," Hoturi cried. "We need to press our advantage against Junzo while he is weakened."
Samurai rushed forward at the Crane lord's command and threw themselves against the immense doors.
"Stand back!" boomed a deep voice. Samurai turned and saw Isawa Tadaka approach. The Master of Earth's eyes glowed green beneath his wide-brimmed straw hat. "The Elemental Masters will handle this."
L5r - scroll 07 - The Lion Page 18