The Jade Lioness

by Christina Courtenay

  Kazuo clenched his jaw and set off at a run without another word. He knew that it might already be too late and their quarry had managed to evade capture. It was precisely the outcome he had feared the most and he ground his teeth in frustration while swearing again under his breath.

  He ran round the outside of the entire house, alerting Kumashiro’s men to what was occurring along the way, but there was no sign of Tanaka. Kazuo made himself stop and think. What would he do if he wished to escape? Where would be the most logical place to have the tunnel come into the open if it wasn’t immediately adjacent to the house?

  ‘Of course,’ he muttered. ‘The lake!’

  Beginning to run once more, he took off in the direction of Lake Biwa as fast as he could, his eyes searching the gardens ahead of him as he went. The gloom of the pre-dawn was starting to disperse and there was slightly more light now, making it easier to see into the distance. Kazuo thought he detected movement over by the far wall and headed that way.

  He reached the gate he and Temi had slipped through all those weeks ago, but he didn’t stop. The guard was long gone, having been taken care of by Kumashiro’s men earlier. Kazuo noticed that the door was slightly ajar and he pushed through as fast as he could. Down by the lake, he could just make out a fleeing shadow, and he forced his legs into even greater efforts, sprinting towards the water.

  The mist was once again swirling around the marshy ground, but out of the bushes to his right, Kazuo saw Tanaka emerge with a boat in tow, pushing it into the lake with a mighty heave.

  ‘Stop!’ he cried out as he came closer, and to his surprise Tanaka did, turning to face him with tendrils of mist curling round his legs.

  ‘You don’t give up easily,’ he stated matter-of-factly. ‘But you have come in vain. You’ll not catch me.’ He drew his sword from its scabbard and awaited Kazuo, looking sure of himself, but with a slightly mad glint to his eyes that was unnerving. Kazuo drew in a deep breath to steady his heart, which was beating rapidly from the exertion of his long run, and wiped his hand on his trousers before grabbing his own sword.

  ‘I will catch you,’ he said quietly with conviction. ‘You deserve to be punished for what you did to my father, and others too no doubt.’

  ‘Your father?’

  ‘Kanno-san.’

  ‘Ah, now I understand. I thought you looked vaguely familiar. I should have listened to my instincts as always, but you fooled me with your letter from Lord Ebisu. Very well, come and punish me then, if you can.’

  The time for talking had come to an end and Kazuo launched himself at his opponent. Although he was tired from running, he was by now fully recovered from his wound and back in shape. He had trained with Kumashiro’s men every day in order to improve his strength and he knew that being at least twenty year’s Tanaka’s junior was a huge advantage.

  Tanaka was an expert swordsman, however, and Kazuo found it far from easy to get past his defences. It was clear that the man had been trained by a master of the art, and although older and not as agile, his technique more than made up for this. It would seem they were evenly matched.

  Back and forth across the shore of the lake they went, first Kazuo gaining the upper hand, then Tanaka clawing it back by foul means or fair. The old fox had several tricks up his sleeve and wasn’t above using tactics such as hurling rocks and sand at his opponent to throw him off his stride. After one such incident, when Kazuo was furiously rubbing grit out of his eyes, Tanaka struck him a blow on the side of the head with his fist, which sent him reeling.

  ‘Hah! Thought you could best me, cur?’ Tanaka taunted. ‘It would take a better man than you, I tell you.’

  A flame of fury shot through Kazuo, electrifying his limbs and propelling him to his feet in one lithe movement. ‘No, it wouldn’t,’ he grunted. ‘I am the man who is going to beat you.’ The certainty of this flowed through him, giving his tired sword arm added strength, and he rained down a flurry of thrusts which had Tanaka retreating towards the bushes.

  ‘This is all in vain, you know,’ Tanaka panted as he parried the blows, steel meeting steel with jarring clangs of metal, tiny sparks shooting off to either side. ‘Even if you best me, you’ll never prove that I was the man to oust your father.’

  ‘Why is that then?’ Kazuo didn’t waver once in his attack, but continued on relentlessly, not giving Tanaka another opportunity to bend and pick up more sand or devise any other diversionary tactics.

  ‘Because the proof is going to disappear.’ Tanaka smiled and stopped suddenly, pulling the little jade ornament out of his sleeve. ‘Like this,’ he continued and threw the object into the lake before Kazuo had time to react.

  ‘No!’ Shock reverberated through Kazuo as he realised that Tanaka was right and he stopped dead. Without the proof of the man’s treason the Shogun might not believe in his guilt, much as he may want to. The two men stood facing each other, Tanaka’s face split by a huge grin now while Kazuo’s brain raced to try and find a solution. A calm voice cut through the morning air, making them both turn.

  ‘I think you’re forgetting something.’ Kumashiro was standing not ten yards away, his arms crossed and a calm expression on his face.

  ‘You!’ Tanaka scowled at the newcomer. ‘I should’ve known you’d be behind all this. Kanno and his idiot offspring would never have the guts to try and take back their position and you were ever jealous of my influence with the Shogun.’

  ‘That’s where you’re wrong,’ Kumashiro said mildly. ‘Young Kanno thought of this all by himself and I have only lately been apprised of the situation and asked to lend him aid. Furthermore, I have never coveted your so-called influence, as it is enough for me to count our ruler as my friend. Not everyone in this world wishes for as much power as you do.’

  ‘Fine words,’ Tanaka sneered, ‘but you don’t fool me.’

  ‘Be that as it may, shall we return to the matter in hand?’ Kumashiro approached slowly. ‘What you forgot was that I heard your words to young Kanno here, so I can testify to the fact that you were the man behind his father’s downfall. Furthermore, I saw the Shogun’s ornament in your hand just now and watched you throw it into the lake. The mere fact that you had it in your possession is proof enough. Several of my men have infiltrated your household in the past few days and they can also testify that the lioness and her cub were in your room.’

  Tanaka looked from one man to the other, then unexpectedly lunged at Kazuo. ‘Well, you’ll not take me alive,’ Tanaka averred.

  Kazuo jumped out of the way at the last moment, but felt the sting of Tanaka’s blade cutting his upper arm. He drew in a hissing breath, but let the hatred he felt for the man in front of him supersede the pain that jolted through him. Whether he had proof or not, he would rid the world of this scum.

  Afterwards, he never quite knew how he accomplished it, because the red mist in front of his eyes obscured everything but the need to kill the evil man before him. Shouting out the war cry of his clan, he bombarded Tanaka with sword thrusts, kicks and blows from his left fist in such rapid succession, that the older man had to retreat towards the lake. Kazuo vaguely noted a look of alarm in the other man’s eyes as he came to realise that perhaps he had misjudged his opponent. But before Tanaka had time to retaliate, he stumbled on a small rock and this gave Kazuo the opportunity to finish him off. Without hesitation, he slashed his sword across Tanaka’s exposed throat as the man lost his concentration for a moment, and in the next instant, the lifeless body fell into the water with a huge splash.

  Kazuo followed, ready to continue if the man wasn’t truly dead, but as he stood panting over Tanaka, his sword still raised in readiness, the mist cleared from his sight. He could see the man’s eyes staring unseeing into the sky while a huge red stain spread through the water all around him.

  ‘Well done,’ he heard Kumashiro say from behind him. ‘Your father will be proud of you.’

  Kazuo turned and nodded, too tired to even feel triumphant yet that he had succee
ded. ‘Thank you for not interfering,’ he said. ‘I know that together we could have beaten him sooner, but I wanted to do it myself.’

  ‘I know,’ Kumashiro said with a smile. ‘And you had no need of me, I could see that.’

  Kazuo wasn’t so sure as it had been touch and go for a while, but he was grateful to Kumashiro for his understanding. Despite his earlier words, however, there was one thing Kazuo felt he had left to do. He held out his sword towards Kumashiro. ‘Here, please can you hold this for a moment?’

  ‘Nani? What are you doing now?’

  Kazuo didn’t reply, just stripped to his loincloth as quickly as possible and ran into the lake, diving head first into the water. He shuddered as the icy cold hit his skin, but he blanked out the discomfort and concentrated on his task. In his mind’s eye was an image of Tanaka throwing the ornament as far as he could, the object glinting in the early morning light because of the golden plinth. Its trajectory had created a bright arc that pinpointed the exact spot where it had sunk. Following his instincts, Kazuo took a deep breath and headed down into the murky depths.

  Visibility was almost non-existent as, this close to the shore, the water consisted of a thick soup of seeds and mud all mixed together, although a few rays of light penetrated the gloom below. At first Kazuo couldn’t see anything at all, other than blurry shadows of vegetation and the vague outline of boulders that were strewn across the bottom of the lake. After coming up for air, however, and trying a second time, his sight began to adjust and he could make out more details. He tried a third, then a fourth time, without success, then stayed on the surface for a while to get his bearings. Moving slightly to the left, he tried again and this time he caught a glint of something in the mud below as a beam of sunlight penetrated the darkness. Kicking out with all his might, he propelled himself towards the spot and reached out. His fingers closed around a small animal body and he let out a whoop of delight, causing air bubbles to swirl all around him while he swallowed a goodly amount of water. He shot up to the surface and coughed until he thought his lungs would burst.

  ‘Did you find it?’

  The shout came from the shore and in reply, Kazuo held the lioness aloft. The plinth she was standing on glinted in the rays from the rising sun, as did the pearl her cub was playing with, and her mouth was split into a huge grin. Kazuo grinned back.

  ‘Well, I never …’ Kumashiro began to laugh and as Kazuo waded ashore, he enveloped him in bear hug. ‘Well done. I have to say I thought you were on a wild goose chase there. Here, dress yourself before you die of cold. Temi would have my guts if I let any further harm come to you.’ He glanced at Kazuo’s arm which was oozing blood from a nasty looking gash. ‘We’ll have to have that seen to.’

  ‘I think the cold water took care of the worst of it. It’s enough to freeze your blood.’ Kazuo’s teeth were now chattering with a combination of cold and relief that it was all over. ‘Are you unscathed, my lord?’

  ‘A few scratches, that’s all.’

  ‘Good, I’m glad. Thank you for everything. I couldn’t have done this without you, I realise that now.’

  ‘Do you know, I think you could,’ Kumashiro replied with a smile. ‘But I’m very happy to have been of assistance in bringing down that madman.’ He glanced at the dead man still floating near the edge of the lake. ‘He deserved to die and I’m only sorry his death was so swift.’

  ‘Me too, but at least we can breathe easily now. How soon can we go back north? I want to tell Temi.’

  ‘Soon, but first, I believe there is someone who wishes to see you.’

  Chapter Thirty-One

  ‘Kanno-san, I am pleased to see that you are in good health.’

  The Shogun inclined his head and waved a hand to indicate that Kanno senior, Kazuo and Kumashiro no longer had to remain with their foreheads on the floor. They knelt on cushions placed in front of the ruler, who was seated slightly above them on a small dais.

  Kazuo’s father had arrived only the day before and to his son’s relief appeared to have made an almost miraculous recovery from the illness that had plagued him for weeks.

  ‘My joy at hearing of your success was a large factor in the healing process,’ Kanno senior had told Kazuo, but the latter thanked the gods and his ancestors as he was sure it was more down to their influence than his own efforts on the clan’s behalf. Either way, he was extremely happy to see his father again.

  They had all been summoned to attend the ruler at their earliest opportunity and were now alone with Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third person of this powerful family to occupy the exalted position of Shogun. It was a singular honour accorded to very few. He sat stiffly before them, his face a polite mask. He was dressed in the most sumptuous of robes and flanked by two guards who were as immobile as statues. Kumashiro was one of his most trusted advisers, however, and Kanno senior had been a childhood friend of Iemitsu’s, which had helped to secure him favours prior to his spectacular fall. Kazuo was sure he detected a certain warmth in Iemitsu’s eyes as they rested upon them each in turn.

  The room they had been ushered into was small and intimate in comparison to most of the Shogun’s other chambers, but still vast by anyone else’s standards. Decorated with the most exquisite of silk screen paintings and with several shelves filled with decorative ornaments of various types, as well as exquisite ikebana flower arrangements, it was a haven of tranquil beauty. Chief among the objects on the middle shelf was the little lioness and her cub, now restored to their rightful place. It seemed to Kazuo that Temperance had been right – the animal was laughing, but this time he could discern no mockery. She was simply happy to be back where she belonged.

  ‘Kumashiro-sama has told me what has transpired and I am pleased to hear that Tanaka is dead. The rest of his family will soon follow him to the grave. I have given orders for you to be reinstated in all your former positions and for your possessions to be returned to you, as well as a small additional gift – that of the Oki island you have so recently inhabited.’

  ‘You are most generous, Your Excellency.’ Kanno-san bowed low once more and Kazuo followed suit.

  ‘There is one matter upon which I would seek clarification, however,’ Shogun Iemitsu said. ‘I have been told that a young gai-jin woman was instrumental in the success of your son’s mission. Is this correct?’

  ‘Indeed, sire. She had been captured by Tanaka and was being held against her will, and when my son helped her to escape, she agreed to assist him in return. It was her cunning plan that freed him from Tanaka’s torturers so that he could complete the mission. And when given the choice of whether to return to her own people or save my son’s life, she selflessly and courageously opted to aid him.’

  ‘That is indeed commendable.’ Shogun Iemitsu nodded gravely and looked thoughtful.

  It was a well-known fact that he feared and disliked foreigners and wanted to have as little to do with them as possible. It had been at his instigation that all gai-jin and their offspring had been expelled from the country some ten years before and the Dutch traders, the only ones he tolerated, were relegated to the island of Dejima. Kazuo held his breath to see what the Shogun would say about Temperance.

  ‘I have further been informed that your son wishes to take the gai-jin woman to wife,’ Shogun Iemitsu said, frowning slightly. ‘Is this so, young man?’ He looked directly at Kazuo, who tried not to show any emotion whatsoever, although inside he was quaking.

  ‘Yes, sire. I owe her my life and wish to repay her in this manner.’

  ‘Would not a gift suffice?’

  ‘I’m afraid not, sire. The foreigners consider her honour compromised because she has been in my company for so long and the only way to redeem it would be by marriage. If it pleases you, my lord, we propose to go and live on the Oki islands and will not set foot on the mainland without your express permission. I will withdraw any claim I have to my father’s other titles and lands. I have several brothers, all of whom are capable of succeeding him in my
stead.’

  Shogun Iemitsu pursed his mouth while pondering the matter. He was no longer a young man and Kazuo wondered if perhaps some of the fervour of his early years had left him, but he was still a force to be reckoned with. Should he decide to humour Kazuo, he and Temperance would be safe, if still virtually banished from the mainland. On the other hand, if he didn’t give his consent, Kazuo could find himself an outlaw once more.

  Shogun Iemitsu chuckled suddenly. ‘Ah, the impetuosity of youth,’ he said. ‘I remember feeling passionate about a woman to the point of madness and I can see in your eyes, young Kanno, that this is the case with you. For your sake, I hope that it is not a passing fancy, since you are taking a very serious step, but I wish you well. Thanks to you I have one of my most treasured possessions returned to me, as well as my old friend, a man I always believed I could trust. You have proved my instincts right.’

  Kazuo and his father both bowed low, the former with relief and gratitude. With the Shogun’s permission his father could no longer voice any objections to his marriage and he was free to live his life in peace.

  ‘You are most gracious and kind, my lord Shogun. I shall be forever in your debt and will do my utmost to serve you in any way I can.’

  ‘I shall bear that in mind.’

  And Kazuo knew he would, for Shogun Iemitsu was as cunning as they came and he had a long memory. Somehow Kazuo would be made to serve the ruler, but he didn’t mind, as long as he could have Temperance by his side.

  ‘What could be taking them so long? Surely it doesn’t take a whole month to ride to Tanaka’s estate and back,’ Temperance complained, standing up to stretch her cramped legs and aching back. Although she was used to sitting on the floor by now, it still made her stiff if she did it for too long and she had to stand up at frequent intervals to move her muscles.