The Initiate Brother Duology

by Russell, Sean

  He misses very little, this son of mine, but he does not know the real danger or he would have written of it.

  And the barbarians, that situation was not as it seemed either. Shonto had received no reports about a buildup of barbarian fighters along the border and he knew his son was aware of this. So Komawara had been right, Shonto had sensed it immediately; there was more to the raids in Seh than the northern lords were willing to see.

  Shonto rolled the scroll and put it back in his sleeve. May Botahara smile down upon me for I sail toward the abyss. Yet had not Hakata said: “Only from the abyss can one turn and see the world as it truly is.” Then soon I shall see.

  From his son, Shonto’s thoughts turned to Lady Nishima, alone in the capital. If it is my enemies’ hope to distract me, they could not have chosen a more effective ploy, he reasoned. Lady Okara is the key to Nishima’s safety—if she will agree to my plans. I must make no mistake in monitoring the situation in the capital. He thought of the distance to Seh. Fourteen days, though the Imperial messengers covered the distance in only seven.

  Thus occupied, Shonto sat on the quarter deck of the Imperial Governor’s barge and, to anyone watching, it would have seemed that he was enjoying the passing countryside and attending to the correspondence his position required.

  It did not appear so to Shuyun, who emerged from a hatch on the foredeck and stood for a moment looking at his liege-lord. Shuyun was aware of the lord’s concerns, both from his discussion with Brother Hutto, and from what he was able to learn from Tanaka and Shonto’s steward, Kamu.

  Shuyun had spent his short time in the Shonto household meeting as many of Shonto’s staff as was possible. It was as his teachers had said—the Shonto had an unerring sense of a person’s abilities. This seemed to be coupled with insight into where a person’s talents could best be employed and an ability to inspire great loyalty.

  If there was to be criticism of Shonto’s staff, it would be that many of them were older, with the inherent weaknesses that age brought. Shuyun wondered if this was just the “prejudice of the young” his teachers had warned him against. He must consider this in his meditations.

  To the degree that he had been able, Shuyun had talked and listened to Shonto’s guards and soldiers and, more importantly he had watched them, gauging their attitudes by the thousand minute actions which spoke to his Botahist training. Everything he saw told him they had utter faith in their lord, but even so, all of them went to Seh with misgivings.

  Shuyun turned his gaze from Lord Shonto to the canal bank. A tow path ran along the shore, though it was only used in the spring floods when the river craft could not make way against the strong currents. Several Botahist neophytes from a nearby monastery bowed low to the passing lord. In the fields behind, as far as the eye could see, peasants stopped their work and bent low until the progress passed. We minister to them also, Shuyun found himself thinking, but still the obeisance caused in him a feeling of discomfort. This is not the world of the spirit, he told himself, it is my task to dwell here while keeping the goal of the spirit at the center of my being.

  Yet, as he said this, a vision of Lady Nishima, laughing in the summerhouse, came to him unbidden, and he could not easily push it from his mind.

  Eleven

  The cycle of the rise and fall of

  dynasties seems to be the reverse

  of the pattern which affects the

  flourishing of art. For at the end

  of a dynasty, art is invariably at

  its most vigorous, while it is at

  its crudest at the outset of a new

  political era.

  One of the contributions

  of Lady Okara, and her few

  students, was the preservation of

  the Hanama aesthetic through the

  early days of the Yamaku.

  From Study of Lady Okara

  by Lady Nishima Fanisan Shonto

  LADY NISHIMA LOOKED again into the mirror of polished bronze and felt nothing but dissatisfaction with the image she saw. “I am plain,” she said in a whisper. “I am without talent. Lady Okara wastes her time with me. Oh, if only the Emperor had not forced me to take his patronage! Lady Okara would not be burdened with someone so undeserving of her attention, and I would be in Seh, away from the Emperor and his weakling sons. Close to my uncle, who may need my assistance.” She worried about Lord Shonto, gone now three days. He is strong and wise, she told herself for the thousandth time, I can help him by avoiding any further traps the Emperor may lay.

  The water clock in the courtyard rang the fifth hour and she knew it was time for her to leave. A boat waited. The Guard Captain himself had insisted upon accompanying her with a large escort, but she had refused, knowing this would only draw attention to her going to the Lady Okara—only draw attention to her shame, for that is what she felt. Shame that she was being forced on so great a painter, and only to fulfill the Emperor’s hidden design. She felt anger and frustration boil up in her. And worse—she felt trapped.

  Forcing an outward calm over her emotions, Nishima went out into the hall and down the wide stairs into the main courtyard. Rohku Saicha, Captain of the Shonto House Guard and the man charged with her safety, met her as she crossed the tiled enclosure.

  “Your sampan awaits you, Lady Nishima,” he said bowing. “I hope you have reconsidered. I do have orders from your father to…”

  “I will take the responsibility, Captain Rohku, please be at your ease,” she said, nodding but not stopping.

  He fell into step beside her. “All well and good, my lady, but I’m not sure my lord would accept that if something were to happen.”

  “Shall I put it in writing, then?”

  “It isn’t that, Lady Nishima. I am concerned about your safety.”

  “And what do you foresee happening to me in the capital in broad daylight?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “I do not know, Lady Nishima.”

  “You have assigned guards, that will be adequate. The Shonto must not go about as though the wrath of the gods were about to fall upon them. Where is the dignity in that?”

  “I understand your point, Lady Nishima…” he meant to say more but they had reached the stairs to the small dock the Shonto family used and she had given him her hand to assist her in boarding the sampan.

  She looked back at him from her seat. “You have done all that is required, Saicha-sum,” she said, chiding him, “I will return by late afternoon or send a message if I am detained. Do not be concerned.” She motioned to the boatmen and they pushed off—three sampans, two as escort and Lady Nishima’s personal craft.

  Outside the gate, Nishima felt a pang of guilt at having thwarted the captain’s precautions. Uncle would be furious if he knew, she thought. Ah well, it was done.

  Her thoughts turned again to Lady Okara. Despite her guilt she felt excitement at the idea of seeing the great painter’s studio. She cannot know how much I admire her, Nishima thought, and she is so modest, so unassuming. How can she be so, when everyone agrees that she is the most important painter in three generations? I must try and learn this modesty myself, she thought. I am too vain about my meager accomplishments. Already she had forgotten her session in front of the bronze mirror.

  The escort took the sampans by a preselected route that would be reasonably quick while not subjecting Lady Nishima to the cruder areas of the city. Large residences passed on either side, partially hidden by their walls. Few of them were mysteries to Lady Nishima, though, for she had been to social functions in many of the more important homes in the capital.

  At last they came to the island on which Lady Okara resided. It was one of the dozen islands on the edge of the city where the homes overlooked the Lake of the Lost Dragon and the rolling, green hills beyond. An attendant of Lady Okara’s met Nishima at the dock, a man of middle age whose smile was as disarming as a child’s.

  “Lady Nishima, it is a great honor that you choose to visit. Lady Okara awaits you
. Her home is nearby, but a hundred paces—do you wish to ride?” He gestured to an open chair and four bearers who bowed before it.

  “It is a good morning for a walk,” Nishima said and waited for the attendant to show them the path.

  They started along the narrow cobbled street that led up the hill from the dock, the attendant and his bearers, the empty chair, Lady Nishima and her escort.

  “I have never been here before. Are there many homes on the island?” Nishima asked the attendant who walked beside her shading her from the sun with a parasol.

  “Perhaps a hundred in all, Lady Nishima, though most are on the other side closer to the capital. Only those who choose a quiet existence live here on the lake, though as you can see, it is very pleasant.”

  Nishima looked around her and had to agree. The vine-maples had turned a bright crimson and the cherry trees lining the street were turning their own, darker reds. Fall flowers fell in drapes over the top of a low stone wall, and behind them the lake lay shimmering in the sunlight, white sails cast across the surface like petals in the wind.

  They turned into a tree-lined lane and in a few paces crossed a small bridge over a gurgling stream. Beyond this stood a wooden gate set into a sun dappled stone wall.

  Entering the courtyard Nishima saw a medium-size residence built in a charming country style she had always admired. From the upper terrace Lady Okara saw her guest arrive and she descended a wide stairway to greet her.

  “Lady Nishima, I am honored that you are able to accept my invitation so soon.” The two women bowed to each other.

  “I…I wish it were only that, Lady Okara, but I come with some embarrassment. We both know why.”

  “We won’t talk of that, Lady Nishima. Our families have had too much in common in the past for us to be concerned by such things. It is long past time that I took an interest in you. I had heard of your talent before, you should know. It is only a reflection on my terrible manners that I had not invited you here long ago.”

  “You are too kind, Lady Okara.”

  The great woman smiled warmly and gestured for Nishima to accompany her. “Tell me of your father, Lady Nishima. Did he set out as he’d hoped?”

  The two women turned and walked back toward the stairs. “He is gone three days now, Lady Okara. I received word from him this morning. They make excellent time and all goes well.” Nishima paused. “If I am not being too presumptuous, Lady Okara, I would be pleased if you would call me Nishima-sum.”

  Lady Okara smiled. “You could never be too presumptuous with me, my dear, I have known Lord Shonto for over thirty years. I was also an acquaintance of your mother’s—did you know that?”

  Nishima shook her head in surprise.

  “It was long ago, when we were younger than you are now. You look a great deal like her, you know, though you are more beautiful, I must say.”

  Lady Nishima went almost as red as the vine-maples. “That can’t be, Lady Okara, I have seen the portraits of my mother in her youth and she was a great beauty.”

  “Nonetheless, you are more beautiful than she. Please call me Okara-sum; I too, would be honored.”

  The two ascended the stairs to the terrace where cha was served in steaming bowls.

  “The view is breathtaking, Okara-sum, it must be very peaceful to live here.” Nishima said as they sat taking their leisure in the warm autumn sunlight.

  “It is, both beautiful and peaceful, but nothing is a fortress against the world, Nishima-sum. It is a good thing to remember.

  “I worry about Motoru-sum and this appointment to Seh,” Lady Okara said suddenly. She touched Lady Nishima’s arm, “I don’t mean to cause you anxiety. He is wise, your father, and far more clever than anyone realizes.”

  “You don’t cause me anxiety, Okara-sum. It is true that he is wise, but he is also without fear, and that is what concerns me.”

  “He has always been that way. All the years I have known him. His father was no different. It is in the blood.”

  Yes, Nishima thought, it is in the blood and I do not share that. My blood is Fanisan. Inside her she felt her resolve suddenly strengthen and she thought, But my spirit is Shonto.

  “Would you like to see my studio?” Lady Okara asked.

  “Oh, yes. I would be honored.” And they rose from their cha and walked down the terrace toward the studio doors.

  * * *

  A breeze had sprung up by the time Nishima left the home of Lady Okara and the lake had developed a short swell before her boat was into the system of canals of the Imperial Capital. Opening the curtains of the sampan, Nishima saw small whitecaps sweeping across the lake and suddenly the sailboats seemed to be hurrying on their way.

  The experience of seeing Lady Okara’s studio still excited and deflated her. What a wealth of talent! The decades of hard work showed themselves in the fine detail and control apparent in all of the paintings. It is as Shuyun said, Lady Nishima thought, a part of Lady Okara’s inner beauty goes into each work. She does not hide herself in her art. Strange, for she obviously tried to seclude herself in life. But perhaps that was only to allow her time to work. Someone of her fame could be interrupted continuously if she were not careful.

  The paintings Lady Nishima had seen appeared before her mind, all of them so perfect. One, an unfinished view of the lake from the terrace, struck Nishima particularly for its beauty. Yet when she said this to Lady Okara the painter had answered, “Oh, that. I started it years ago and was never happy with it. I don’t think I’ll finish it now.” And she had gone on to something else.

  Nishima was left feeling very humbled—she dreamed of starting a painting of such mastery and here Lady Okara abandoned such a work as though it were a mere trifle.

  Lady Okara’s life had immense appeal to Lady Nishima—the freedom, the removal from the social whirl and the responsibilities of one’s House. It seemed the perfect life.

  The artist had taken time to look at sketches Nishima had brought with her and had been most complimentary.

  She is an old friend of my uncle’s, Nishima thought, she could hardly say anything else. Yet a part of her wanted to believe Lady Okara’s words and a few moments later she had convinced herself that Lady Okara was too honorable not to have told her the truth. An instant later she was sure this could not be—Lady Okara was simply being polite in her comments, as any person of breeding would do.

  As she swung back and forth between her secret hopes and her lack of confidence, the boats rounded a corner into a larger waterway and were immediately confronted by a dozen craft waiting to pass through an Imperial Guard blockade. She heard her own guard on the escort boat in front of her begin to shout. “Make way for the Lady Nishima Fanisan Shonto! Make way! Make way!” How inconvenient, she thought, settling back into her cushions, and then her instincts told her to beware.

  It was too late to turn back now—to avoid a blockade was forbidden, and her guards had announced her presence. Already, they had moved to the head of the line. She could hear the lieutenant of her escort talking to the Imperial Guard now. Her name was mentioned several times with the emphasis on Shonto, Governor Shonto. Yet they did not move.

  Her sampan swayed as someone boarded it. The Shonto lieutenant bowed to her as the circumstances would allow. “The Guard wish to detain us, my lady, it is not clear why. They are claiming ‘orders.’ They wish to speak with you personally. I have told them it is out of the question, yet they insist and will not let us pass. I shall send a boat to the palace immediately, but it will take time. I apologize for this inconvenience, Lady Nishima.”

  She considered for a moment, controlling her fear. “Do they doubt that it is me here?” she asked.

  “That does not seem to be the case, Lady Nishima.”

  “Huh. Tell them I will complain of their actions directly to the Emperor and see what effect that has.”

  The lieutenant bowed quickly and went forward again. Nishima pulled the curtains, leaving only a slit through which to watc
h. She could see the lieutenant draw himself up into a suitable posture of outrage as he approached the guards, but she could also see that they were not going to allow themselves to be intimidated. They argued back and forth for a moment, voices becoming louder on both sides. Without bowing, the Shonto guard turned and came back across his boat and stepped now onto hers.

  “They refuse to let us pass,” he said bowing, and she could see that he fought to control anger. “They are intolerably insolent,” he spat out suddenly. “Excuse me, Lady Nishima, pardon my outburst.”

  She said nothing, not seeming to notice his apology. The situation was becoming dangerous, and she could see the anger rising in the other Shonto guards. Do they seek to provoke us into violence? It could serve no purpose. She had never been put in a situation like this before and did not know how to deal with it. Rohku Saicha would be furious when he heard, she thought.

  “Tell them I will speak with them,” she said suddenly.

  “Are you certain, my lady?” the lieutenant was obviously shocked by her decision.

  “I am certain,” she said forcing confidence into her voice. I am Shonto, she told herself, they dare not interfere with me.

  The lieutenant crossed the boats to the Guard again, obviously feeling humiliated that they should be in such a situation. Nishima watched as he nodded to the Guard commander and explained his lady’s decision. She could not quite hear the words, but suddenly the lieutenant went rigid for a split second and then reached for his sword. Imperial Guards jumped forward to protect their officer and Shonto guards did the same. The lieutenant came to his senses before a melee erupted, though, and ordered his men back. He turned, again without bowing, and returned to Lady Nishima, his face scarlet with rage.

  Lady Nishima’s heart was pounding with fear.