The Initiate Brother Duology

by Russell, Sean

  Komawara waved his sword toward the base of the hill behind which they had hidden that morning. “They will collect their forces there,” he shouted over the noise. “The barbarians will soon realize how few we are. Gather every man you can and we’ll carry the fight to them once more.” He gestured now to the rafts that his men swarmed over. The barbarians had managed to cut loose more rafts than he had hoped and these floated slowly in the current. Others had simply been abandoned at their moorings and not yet dealt with by his men. “We need more time to complete this.”

  A shout went up then and Komawara realized it came from the barbarians gathering under the ginkyos.

  “There, Sire.” One of Komawara’s guard pointed to the south. A host of mounted barbarians were rounding the base of the hill, banners waving.

  Komawara looked back at the work progressing on the rafts.

  “It is a patrol only,” Jaku said quickly, “no more than a hundred men.” He pointed his sword toward the barbarians at the hill’s base. “They hope it is reinforcements.”

  “Sound the call,” Komawara shouted to his guard. He looked back at Jaku. “What have your losses been?”

  Jaku waited as three long notes from a conch echoed across the field. “I cannot say, Lord Komawara.”

  The lord looked around the field, strewn with both barbarians and men of Wa. “Nor can I, General.”

  Men began to ride to Komawara’s banner, and the lord wheeled his horse to face them. “Corporal, your company will join General Jaku in an assault on the forces gathering there.” He pointed toward the men at the base of the hill.

  “General Jaku…”A shout from the barbarian horse patrol, echoed by the men who were forming ranks, cut off the lord’s words. The sound of galloping horses came to them. Komawara shouted as he turned his horse. “General Jaku, engage the barbarians who are reforming their ranks. My company will prevent these horsemen from joining them.”

  Komawara spurred his horse and waved his men to a gallop, aiming to intercept the horsemen before they reached the others. Banners waved and pipes shrilled. The shout from the men of Wa caused a visible hesitation on the part of the barbarians struggling to prepare an assault of their own. Most were without horse and armor, though they outnumbered the riders of Wa almost three times.

  Jaku Katta quickly marshaled his own men and the company given him by Komawara and sounded the charge. It was his intention to drive directly through the center of the enemy, thwarting any attempts to fight in an organized fashion. If the barbarian formed solid ranks, the advantage of being on horseback would be seriously reduced.

  The initial charge broke the front of the barbarian warriors, but in the ensuing fighting the tribesmen showed greater resolve and their superior numbers began to tell.

  A sword blow to a foreleg brought Jaku’s horse down and the kick boxer jumped clear. On his feet immediately, Jaku found himself surrounded by barbarians. He jumped over a stroke aimed at his leg by the same man who had taken down his horse and dispatched the man as he spun toward the attackers at his back. This display of skill caused a second of hesitation and Jaku used this to cut down two near-boys and jump clear of the circle.

  Without men on all sides the fight would be different though Jaku was not sure how long he could maintain this situation. He parried a blow and kicked the man under the chin, engaging another as he did so, but each time a barbarian fell another took his place. An Imperial Guard on horseback was desperately cutting his way toward his commander, but just when Jaku was convinced he would win through, an arrow took the guard through the face-mask. He slumped over the neck of his mount which bolted into the fray.

  It is an honorable end, Jaku told himself, deserving of a song. Pressed on all sides again, Jaku knew he was fighting to stay alive from minute to minute. A rider in darkest blue drove his horse into the barbarian warriors at Jaku’s back sending them sprawling, and before the barbarian could recover the Guard Commander vaulted onto the rider’s horse. The two men fought their way toward a group of Imperial Guards on horseback, hard pressed on all sides.

  Komawara spotted an officer and gestured to him as he continued to fight. A moment later the clear note of a conch lifted over the battle. It was the men of Wa who would retreat now.

  Joining the Imperial Guards, Jaku grabbed the reins of a riderless horse and managed to calm it enough that he could mount, barely touching the ground as he moved from one horse to the other. The men of Wa began to fight their way free of the battle, one knot of riders joining another, then another until they gathered enough force to push toward clear ground.

  Once free of the fighting, Komawara turned his mount to assess the situation. Most of the barbarians still fought on foot. In their midst a few riders swung their last sword strokes. An urge to attempt a rescue was swallowed down quickly—Komawara had an entire company to consider.

  The men of Wa who destroyed the supply rafts had been caught by the barbarian assault and boarded rafts, pushing out into the canal where they tried to protect themselves from arrows while poling the rafts toward the dam. There is nothing to be done for them, Komawara realized. Their situation is probably better than ours.

  Jaku stopped beside him. Komawara opened his face-mask and let it hang, conserving the energy it took to hold it. “We ride north and west, General. If we can make the hills, we may be able to rejoin the main army. Our work is done here.” He pointed with his sword. Perhaps a third of the barbarian supply rafts had been fired or their cargo turned into the canal.

  Jaku looked at Komawara, his gray eyes striking behind the black lacquered face-mask. It appeared he was about to speak, but Komawara nodded to him. “Gather your company, General. We must be far ahead when these barbarians recapture their horses.”

  Calling over an officer, Komawara turned and spoke to him. The conch sounded again and the banner of the Komawara House was raised aloft on a lance where it fluttered in the breeze.

  “We must ride, General. Any wounded who cannot keep the pace are to be left behind without horse.” The young lord wheeled his mount and set off at a slow canter. To the west the ginkyo wood was already alive with crows and blackbirds.

  Thirty-nine

  COLONEL JAKU TADAMOTO considered the idea of fortune as his sampan swept through the Imperial Capital. Fortune, both good and ill, seemed to be holding sway in his life just when he thought he had taken control of it. Were he a more devout Botahist, Tadamoto would never view his life in such terms. Rather than fortune he would believe in karma, and would think the sense that one was in control of one’s life was merely part of the illusion. But he had not been a devout follower of the Perfect Master since his childhood, so he was beginning to believe in fortune, both good and ill.

  The young guard officer pulled aside the curtain and contemplated the world beyond. The city lay silent in the darkness, almost peaceful—although, as acting Commander of the Imperial Guard, he knew that was without question an illusion.

  He let the curtain fall back into place. It would be foolish to risk being seen; for all he knew Lady Fortune might not be smiling on him at that moment and some informer of the Emperor’s, returning home after an evening of drink, might chance to see him. That would be ill fortune indeed.

  One could never be sure of the favor of Lady Fortune. She was more fickle than any woman, more volatile than the Emperor. Tadamoto believed it unwise to rely on her.

  Fortune had certainly favored Tadamoto that evening but, at the same time, it had been the worst possible fortune for the man he journeyed to meet. No, perhaps that was untrue. The guards who found the man could have reported their discovery through official channels and the Son of Heaven would have been informed. That would have been much worse.

  As a retainer of Lord Shonto, this man was the object of an Imperial search—Shonto himself had defied Imperial orders and betrayed his duty as Governor of Seh. He was a declared rebel now, a general in charge of a growing and illegal army. All of the rebel lord’s senior retainers h
ad disappeared like phantoms before the Emperor’s guard could reach them. Only one had been apprehended, and that was due to fortune only: misfortune. This unfortunate man had his river junk go aground on a shifting sand bar outside the capital. A boat bearing Imperial Guards had stopped to offer assistance and the response of the crew had raised suspicions. A subsequent search led to the man’s discovery. Good fortune for Tadamoto, ill for Shonto’s retainer.

  Some important questions plagued the colonel; did what appeared to be fortune have significance? Were there powers beyond that moved the pieces on the board to some end Tadamoto could not discern? If so, what was the meaning of this “discovery?” and what was Tadamoto’s part to play?

  He pulled the curtain back and watched the city slipping past. If all was controlled by some unseen power, did it matter what choices he made? Did he, in fact, choose any of his actions?

  “I waste my time,” he whispered to the night. Who can know the truth of this? Perhaps there is no such thing as fortune but only coincidence. Either way I must blunder along not knowing, doing what my instincts tell me is correct, for now that the Empire is thrown into chaos the intellect is giving way to instinct.

  Instinct had brought him here. Fortune or coincidence would dictate the results.

  The sampan glided to a silent halt beside stone steps and boatmen stepped ashore to hold the craft in place. A man appeared at the top of the stair and whispered. One of Tadamoto’s guards leaned close to the curtain. “The way is clear, Colonel.”

  Tadamoto moved quickly, coming ashore with a grace that would have seemed more appropriate to his famous brother. Light duty armor had been chosen by the colonel for this meeting, not because there was any foreseeable danger, but the helmet visor shaded his eyes well. Tadamoto’s green eyes made him immediately recognizable and there were times when that was not desirable. Even on a night this dark he was not willing to take chances.

  He crossed the stone quay to a small guard house. The doors opened immediately and Tadamoto found himself facing a bowing officer of the Imperial Guard.

  “Captain.” Tadamoto nodded. “You have spoken with him?”

  “Only in an attempt to establish his identity beyond doubt, Colonel.” He paused, then almost smiled. “He asked for a chair. We have treated him according to your orders.”

  “How many men know of our guest?”

  Doing a quick mental tally, the captain, a man twenty years older than his acting commander, answered formally. “Nine, Colonel Jaku. We have kept him well hidden.”

  “None of these men can leave this compound. Keep them to themselves until I order otherwise. I will speak with him.”

  They climbed a set of stone stairs and walked down a dimly lit hallway. Outside a heavy wooden door stood two guards. They bowed when the officers approached and at a signal from the captain one unbolted the door.

  As he stepped into the room, Tadamoto held up a hand to the captain. “I will speak with him alone, Captain, thank you.”

  A single lamp set on a low table illuminated the tiny room. The floor was covered with grass mats and in one corner bedding had been neatly folded. An expensive hat sitting on the table cast a shadow like a boat under sail. On a wooden arm chair sat a large man, well dressed, calmly regarding his visitor and making no effort to rise.

  Tadamoto nodded. “Tanaka.”

  The man shrugged and opened his hands as if to say, I would deny it, but what good would that do me!

  Tadamoto continued to regard the man. He realized that if he sat he would be staring up at his prisoner, as though he sat at the foot of a throne. Sly old fox, he thought. Stepping back, he leaned against the door frame. The older man did not seem to be made at all uncomfortable by this examination; he sat calmly returning the colonel’s gaze. The younger man reached up and removed his helmet, tucking it under his arm.

  “You are a merchant,” Tadamoto said suddenly, “so I have come to offer an exchange.”

  The man nodded. “You have captured my attention, Colonel Jaku.”

  The green eyes, Tadamoto thought. The guardsman nodded. “I wish to be told everything you know about the barbarians; this Khan and his army.”

  “You spoke of an exchange, Colonel?” Tanaka said dryly.

  “The Emperor does not know you have been found. I will not hide you from the Son of Heaven, for it would mean my life if your capture became known. When I report your capture, the Son of Heaven will want to know everything about your lord’s intentions and his holdings. You will be required to divulge these things. In return I will protect you—the Emperor, as you know, is neither patient nor refined in his methods. If you fall into the Emperor’s hands, I think you will answer all these questions even if you don’t wish to, and the process will be far less pleasant than the one I propose.”

  Tanaka nodded sadly. “You ask me to betray my liege-lord and his House with an impressive casualness, Colonel.”

  Tadamoto walked across the bare room, looking down at the floor. When he returned to the door, he put his back against the jamb again. “Let us be open, Tanaka.” He paused, choosing his words. “Civil war has all but been declared. If the Yamaku win this war, your lord’s holdings will mean nothing—there will be no Shonto to inherit them. If Lord Shonto wins, all of his holdings will be returned to him. Either way your betrayal will hardly matter. If I can give this information to my Emperor, he will be satisfied, at least for a while, and it is unlikely he will want to question you himself.” Tadamoto kicked at the floor. “For myself, I need to know what transpires in the north. This Khan, does he truly pursue Lord Shonto down the great canal?”

  Tanaka regarded the young man for a moment. “And if you are told that he does and that the Empire is threatened and you also learn, if you don’t already know, that the Emperor has played a part in bringing this about, what will you do with this knowledge, Colonel Tadamoto?”

  Tadamoto stopped kicking at the mat and looked up. The merchant was obviously less afraid than Tadamoto had anticipated. He is used to trading and knowing the value of what he offers, the guardsman thought. And then Tadamoto realized the truth. Tanaka believed Tadamoto kept him hidden so that he could acquire the Shonto wealth for himself. “I am not certain. Be assured, however, that my loyalty is to my Emperor.”

  “That is why you have me hidden from his view and why you have offered me this exchange?”

  Tadamoto looked away for a moment. “If this Khan comes to take the Throne, I must convince the Emperor to prepare for that war and forget this feud with the Shonto. But I must have proof.”

  “You have your own sources, I am sure. What do they tell you?”

  “I ask this question of you, merchant, in fair exchange.” And then he added, “I tell you in truth that I do not share my Emperor’s hatred of your lord’s House.”

  “Perhaps, Colonel, I should be the one offering the exchange.” Tanaka leaned forward in his chair, putting his palms together. “My liege-lord cannot hope to defeat the barbarian without an army. You raise an army to defend the Yamaku against the Shonto, but the threat comes from beyond our borders. The man who controls the Imperial Army will decide if Wa stands or falls.” Tanaka looked up at the younger man; it was an appeal. “As you are the man raising this force and the acting commander of the Emperor’s Guard, you are the man most able to seize control of the forming army. Would you not rather have the histories say that Jaku Tadamoto saved the Empire than Jaku Tadamoto followed his Emperor, loyally, in Wa’s destruction.”

  “Treason, in either act or word,” Tadamoto said coolly, “is a serious crime in our Empire and I view it as such. You are aware of the penalty.”

  “Treason…” Tanaka said, ignoring the threat. “It was treason to pay gold to the barbarians to raid into our Empire, Colonel Jaku.”

  Tadamoto turned slowly, trying not to show any response to this last remark. Raising his hand to knock on the door, he said, “All of the Shonto holdings. I will have paper and brush brought to you. And I must kno
w Shonto’s intentions.”

  “I am only a vassal-merchant, Colonel, do you really believe I am party to the plans of Lord Shonto Motoru?”

  “You have known him longer than anyone. He calls you sum—I know this.”

  Tanaka seemed to struggle for a moment before speaking. “You have a reputation as a historian, Colonel, so you are aware that the Throne of Wa has been within reach of the Shonto many times…yet they have always refused it. Imperial dynasties come and go, the Shonto have seen many. If one wishes, without doubt, to eliminate one’s House, ascend the Dragon Throne. Every Imperial Family falls within a few generations.”

  Tadamoto raised his hand to knock again. “All of his holdings, to start with.”

  “I will need a table and another lamp.”

  Tadamoto nodded toward the table at Tanaka’s feet.

  Holding his hand up the older man said, “This high, and a second lamp.”

  Tadamoto rapped on the door which was immediately opened by the guard. The colonel stopped as he was about to step out. “If you will not assist me, merchant, I cannot help you.”

  Forty

  DESPITE THE SEASON and weather, the entire situation seemed very familiar. Lord Komawara walked his horse through the forest in the hills west of the man-made sea. Unlike his time in the Jai Lung Hills, the day was warm and filled with the sounds and scents of spring.

  War seemed of no concern to the animals of the hills. Birds sang their mating songs and hawks and falcons hunted without regard for the long line of warriors that snaked through the trees.

  Thirteen hundred men had survived the attack on the barbarian supply rafts and the several skirmishes that followed. Rohku Saicha must have performed his task admirably, bottling up the enemy army on the road, for no barbarians came to the rescue, allowing Komawara and his force to escape. Pursuit by barbarian warriors from the supply rafts had been tentative at best; they were not willing to risk the rest of their supply train by leaving it undefended. Jaku and Komawara had easily beaten back these attempts and then had led their men into the hills.