by Bryce Allen
A violent realization came over Kenji. The raw shock of it forced him to stand. The beat of his heart buzzed in his ears. His emotions threatened to consume him.
If Kaito hadn’t started the war, Kenji’s father would still be alive. They’d be together, probably at that very moment. This corpse of a man was the object of Kenji’s childhood rage.
“Kaito’s Uprising?”
It was all Kenji could think to say.
The sickly old man gave a slow nod.
“You should be dead.”
Kaito nodded his head again.
“Why aren’t you?” There was a wicked tone to Kenji’s voice, and he made no effort to conceal it.
“I ask myself that every day.”
“History says that you were killed during your failed attack on the capital.” Kenji pressed, “They say that almost all of your men were killed.”
Kaito leaned against the side of his cell and slid down to the ground. Every little movement seemed to cause pain in the old man. Kenji was surprised he didn’t topple over.
“My men were slaughtered, yes, but I was left alive. At first I thought it was a punishment, or perhaps it was mercy? Doesn’t really matter, I suppose.”
Kaito let out a long, rattling sigh and continued.
“We pierced the capital’s defenses with only five hundred of my finest, most loyal men. We marched to the palace, demanding Taishi’s abdication. We promised his surviving family safe passage. After we heard no response, we stormed the palace.”
Kaito took a moment to regain his breath and went on. “I heard shouting from the rear of our formation. I looked back down the path, and the first thing I thought was how beautiful the cherry blossoms were. Stunning, really. Then I realized what was beyond them: Over a hundred cavalry raced towards us.”
“Did you make it into the palace?” Kenji asked, wrapped up in the old man’s story.
Kaito shook his head, “The whole thing had been a trap. Taishi wasn’t even in the palace. We knocked the doors down and found hundreds of fully armed men waiting for us. The first barrage of arrows killed half of us there on the palace steps.”
Kenji thought about the impressive stone staircase. There had been no sign of the violence and death when he’d walked up them. A shiver ran down Kenji’s limbs when he recalled the view of cherry blossom trees from atop the palace stairs. It was stunning, indeed.
“We were crushed between the impenetrable palace and the ferocity of the cavalry. I told my men to run, to scatter to the city streets and survive, but they wouldn’t listen. They tried to form a circle around me, but we didn’t have the numbers.”
Kenji felt the man’s sorrow. Kaito’s cloudy eyes welled up. Kenji couldn’t tell if he was fighting back the tears, or simply too weak to weep for his comrades. The anger that Kenji felt towards him mixed with pity. This man was responsible, yes, but he had been punished for the uprising, too.
“Why are you telling me this?” Kenji asked softly.
“Taishi is dead?” he asked.
Kenji hesitated, still in shock at the emperor’s death.
“He is.”
“Then I, too, will be dead soon.”
Kenji shook his head in confusion. “They have left you alive this long, why kill you now?”
“Once my men were dead at my feet, strewn across the palace steps, Taishi climbed off his horse and approached me. I took a knee at his feet, ready to pay for the death I caused. It wasn’t a blade that found my heart. Taishi didn’t kill me. He told me I was to live.”
Kenji shook his head in disbelief, but he didn’t interrupt.
“Ah, but Hiroshi was not so easily appeased. He was riding next to his brother in the charge and heard Taishi say the words. Hiroshi tried to kill me then and there, as I kneeled at Taishi’s feet. He had every right, but Taishi blocked the strike that would have taken my life. Hiroshi screamed at his brother, demanding vengeance, but Taishi wouldn’t have it. He locked me away in this cell.”
“Why did Hiroshi want to kill you so badly? Wasn’t life in a dungeon enough?”
“For what I did, I doubt any punishment would be enough.”
“What did you do? You mean punishment for the uprising?”
Kaito was silent for a while. His jaw tensed beneath his paper like skin. Kenji could tell the old man didn’t want to tell the next story. He was shocked when Kaito started speaking again.
“No. This all started because my region, North Toku, was starving. We sent ambassadors to Tenno to beg for help. Taishi refused, saying that the winter had limited their food, and all the regions were suffering. That was fair. But then, I saw our ambassador, the person who was supposed to represent us. He was fatter and happier than I’d ever seen him. At a time when even our farmers didn’t eat for days, he was almost obese.
“In the early days of the uprising, we simply wanted to survive. We didn’t want war. So we started by attacking what we could, when we could. Caravans, outposts, supply caches.
“In the dead of night, I was told of a caravan carrying weapons and food to the palace from a military outpost. We weren’t far away from it, and the supplies going to the capital were always the highest quality. We found the right spot in the road, perfect for an ambush, and we waited. Just as promised, they came.
“There were more guards than normal, but there were more carts than we were told, so it made sense. They nearly tripled our numbers, but with surprise on our side, we killed most of them before even showing our faces.
“In the midst of our attack I heard a woman scream. I was at the front of the caravan, so I ran around to see where it was coming from. The first thing I saw was one of my men, pulling his sword from a slender, limp body on the ground. I ran up to him, screaming. ‘What have you done,’ I said. On the ground were three bodies. One of them was a child.”
Kaito rested his head in trembling hands.
“Who were they?” Kenji whispered.
“I will never forget their names. Yumiko, wife of Taishi. Shima, lover of Hiroshi, and Taro, son of Hiroshi.”
Kenji didn’t believe what he was hearing. Kaito was speaking clearly, but the words were strange. None of Kenji’s history lessons went into detail about the passing of the emperor’s wife. He’d always assumed it was disease.
This was the first he’d even heard of Hiroshi having a family.
“I assume from your silence that this is news to you.”
Kenji ignored Kaito and pressed him again, “Why haven’t I heard about this? Why keep it a secret?”
Kaito nodded, prepared for the question, “Hiroshi never married. He fell in love with a woman during one of his military campaigns. I’ve only heard pieces of the story, but this woman was a farmer’s daughter, not royalty. She became pregnant and Hiroshi thought it best to protect her privacy and the emperor’s reputation.”
“How could Taishi forgive you for that?” Kenji asked.
“I’ve thought many years on that question,” Kaito said slowly.
After a few rattling breaths, he continued.
“He showed me mercy for Hiroshi’s sake, not mine. I believe he thought that by overcoming his grief and fury he could forge a path for Hiroshi to do the same. I know now that he failed.”
Hearing of Hiroshi’s loss served as a reminder of Kenji’s own loss. His anger swelled and he spoke. He didn’t need to say anything to the old man, Hiroshi would kill him soon. But he wanted Kaito to hear the words.
“My father died in your uprising. He left for war and never returned. My mother lost her mind with grief.” Kenji didn’t speak with anger or bitterness, but with a detached emptiness. “Your actions left me without a family.”
Before Kenji could form another word, the door at the end of the hall swung open. Kaito scurried back to his shadow and disappeared from sight. Several guards led Hiroshi and Ebusu back to Ebusu’s cell.
Instead of stopping at Ebusu’s cell, they stopped in front of Kenji’s. The guards backed away and left Hi
roshi and Ebusu standing before him. Kenji stood and looked to Ebusu, but Ebusu avoided his gaze.
“Master?” Kenji asked.
Before Ebusu could respond, Hiroshi answered for him.
“Your master and I have come to an agreement.”
“You killed the emperor, what could we possibly agree on?” Kenji responded.
“Tell him,” Hiroshi ordered.
Ebusu took a slow breath and met Kenji’s gaze, “My student, it is important that you listen to my words and obey me no matter what.”
Kenji shook his head, confusion and dread mixing in his core.
“I am going to plead guilty to the assassination of the emperor. I am going to confess to conspiring with the Shadow.”
“Master, that makes no sense.” Kenji was bewildered. He wanted to laugh at the absurdity of Ebusu’s words, but his demeanor told Kenji he was serious.
“In exchange, you and Kami will be granted free passage to your homes,” Ebusu said.
Kenji’s stomach turned over and he nearly vomited. The world seemed to spin around him as he started to process what Ebusu was saying.
“Master, you can’t. Everyone needs to know what Hiroshi did! We can find a way out of this. You don’t have to do this.”
Ebusu lowered his voice and leaned towards Kenji, “I have imagined a thousand different scenarios, and this is the only way you can live.”
“They’ll kill you, master,” Kenji said, his knees growing weak.
“I will be fine, Kenji. You will know the truth, and that is enough.”
Hiroshi stepped forward, “If you do not honor this agreement, Kami and your mother will be hunted down and killed.”
“Like your wife and son?” Kenji said.
The smug look on Hiroshi’s face faded and Kenji knew that Kaito’s words were true. Hiroshi’s face twisted with grief and fury. Instead of directing his anger at Kenji, he turned to the cell behind them.
“You will suffer!” Hiroshi spat into the cell. He turned back to Ebusu, “Practice your confession, Ebusu. I’ll come for both of you in the morning.”
The guards shoved Ebusu back to his cell. After a quick, bitter glance, Hiroshi and his men left. Once Kenji was sure that they were gone, he attacked Ebusu with flurry of hushed questions.
“Master, how is confessing going to help us escape? What is your plan?” Kenji asked. “Did you know about Kaito?”
Ebusu settled back in to his cell. He didn’t match Kenji’s anxiety. Kenji could hear him taking his time getting comfortable.
“I do have a plan, and that is all you need to know,” Ebusu said. “You must obey me no matter what. I am going to confess, but you need to trust me. This will work out.”
Frustration made Kenji wanted to shout, but he held back.
“I protected the emperor, too. I fought in the Tenno Tournament. Why don’t you trust me?” Kenji said.
“You are one of the finest swordsmen I’ve ever seen. I trust you with my life, and when the time comes, I know you will do what is right. Everything will become clear soon enough,” Ebusu said. “Empty mind, Kenji.”
Kenji tried to find the words that would persuade Ebusu to share his plan, but he knew it was useless. It did bring Kenji some comfort to know that Ebusu had something planned. His master was a wise man, and Kenji respected that.
A chill came over him, though. His mind wandered back to the ghost of a man across the hall from them.
“What about Kaito, do you know what he did, what Taishi did for him?”
“Taishi kept Kaito alive so that Hiroshi might forgive him. Taishi knew that Hiroshi would live with pain the rest of his days if he was allowed to take revenge on Kaito. Hiroshi never understood.”
“Can you blame him?”
Ebusu ignored Kenji and continued, “Emperor Taishi did what he thought was right. Who are we to question that?”
Kenji wanted to kick through the wall and wring his master’s neck. How could he know so much and do so little? The worst part was that none of it even mattered now. They were locked in a cell and Ebusu was resolute in his choice.
Kenji’s anger faded and desperation took its place. Ebusu would be killed for assassinating the emperor, and Kenji would be left in Tenno alone. Ebusu was one of the few constants in Kenji’s life. He loved the old swordsman like a father.
“Master, please don’t do this. We will fight our way out,” Kenji said, his throat tightening before a sob.
“No tears, Kenji,” his master said.
Kenji slept in short bouts of nightmares and pain. There was no semblance of comfort to be found in the cell, and Kenji’s wounds were hot and agitated. When his eyes closed, all he saw was the emperor’s cold, dead body surrounded by the bodies of his men. He spent the hours both cursing and mourning Ebusu.
The hours felt like days, but the door eventually opened again. This time, at least a dozen men filled the narrow dungeon hall. Hiroshi was nowhere to be seen, but without a word, the guard opened Ebusu and Kenji’s cell and dragged them out.
Kenji took a final look towards Kaito’s cell. He could see the man’s pale outline resting in the shadows. His breaths were so slow Kenji wondered how he could be alive. Before Kenji’s eyes could linger, a guard shoved him forward and out of the dungeon.
They weren’t shackled or treated roughly, but the number of men assigned to guard them made it clear Hiroshi was not taking chances. They walked with a tight formation surrounding Kenji and Ebusu two men deep.
Kenji didn’t really care where they were going, but it brought him comfort to be near his master again.
They rounded the first corner and climbed a long set of stairs. They came to another iron door, and as it swung open, they were blasted with daylight. Kenji covered his face, but his eyes burned. The fresh breeze rolled over him, the sweet aroma of cherry blossoms filled his lungs.
Once he could open his eyes, Kenji looked around. It didn’t make sense, but they were in an abandoned street. The door they had just come from was unmarked. They appeared to be in an alley of some kind.
He didn’t have much time to marvel at their location. The guards ushered them down the street. It was early morning and the city hadn’t yet come to life. Only tired merchants and vagabonds roamed, and they didn’t pay any attention to the soldiers.
Kenji quickly realized they were being brought back to their quarters. They passed through the gate where they first fought Manzo, and after a few more minutes, they were in front of the Gawan headquarters.
The formation opened slightly and one of the guards addressed them.
“One at a time. Go to your rooms, bathe, and change your clothes. You have ten minutes.”
Ebusu was shoved out of the circle and stumbled towards the entrance. Once he caught himself, he held his head high and disappeared into the building without a look back. Kenji couldn’t understand how calm Ebusu was. If it wasn’t for his disheveled appearance, it could have been a normal day.
Kenji took the time alone to think about Kami. He wondered if she was experiencing the same treatment, or perhaps she had turned like Sagura. In the end, Kenji couldn’t bring himself to care. The hopelessness of their situation cast a darkness on everything.
Ebusu emerged from the building like nothing had happened. His robes were clean and crisp. His beard was neatly trimmed and the fire had returned to his eyes. His mere appearance sparked a bit of unrest in the guards around them.
Kenji didn’t wait to be told to go, he slipped past Ebusu without acknowledgment and entered the Gawan dormitories. Being alone felt strange, and it didn’t make sense. Kenji thought about escaping for a brief moment, but that would condemn everyone he cared about to death. Hiroshi had placed him in a prison without walls or guards.
Kenji slipped into his room and froze. Sitting in the corner across from him was Sagura. With his hands folded simply in his lap, he looked like he was meditating. Kenji lowered his weight and instinctively reached for his sword. He grasped at the air before r
ealizing he was unarmed.
“Why are you here?” Kenji spat.
“To inform you.”
“You should have been there to fight with us, for the emperor.”
“Then I would have been in jail with you. Or dead.”
Kenji narrowed his eyes and watched the governor closely. He didn’t straighten up, but he allowed the governor to explain himself.
“I just spoke with Ebusu. We have a plan.”
“Can I trust you?”
“Can you trust anyone?” Sagura snapped back. “I only have one message for you. Do as Ebusu says, no matter what. He is going to challenge Hiroshi to a duel. With Hiroshi dead, we will plead our case to Taijin. As long as Hiroshi lives, not a soul will believe us.”
Kenji groaned with clear frustration, “And I will do nothing? Why doesn’t he trust me?”
Sagura gave a slow nod and met Kenji’s gaze with sympathy, “He trusts you with everything, Kenji.”
Kenji had enough of the half-truths and secrets. He’d go along with whatever they had planned, but he would not be patronized any longer. Perhaps it was the exhaustion or the stress, but he snapped at Sagura.
“Get out!” Kenji shouted.
Sagura’s eyes dimmed a little as a sad understanding came over him. He stood up and shuffled past Kenji. He didn’t speak another word, but he slid the paper door shut behind him and left.
Kenji didn’t move until he heard Sagura’s footsteps fade down the hall. He felt manipulated. He slumped down on the side of his bed and held his face with his hands. He didn’t sob or scream, but he took steady breaths.
Whatever Ebusu had planned was important enough for Sagura to risk being discovered. In the back of his mind he felt guilty for the way he treated the governor, but he didn’t regret it.
At least there was hope.
Chapter 10
Kenji stepped back into the street and was immediately surrounded by the guards. He did his best to walk naturally, but bandaging his own wounds had been difficult. Without Ebusu’s soothing tea or his skill with treating wounds, Kenji was reminded of them with every step.
He did feel better, though. Their cause was no longer hopeless. Uncertainty still gnawed away at him, but he trusted Ebusu to do what was right. The change of clothes and having been able to drink some water were welcome changes.