The Initiate Brother Duology

by Russell, Sean

  “Step away, General, Lord Komawara, I have been in contact with the plague.” The others did as Shuyun asked. “The Khan is dead, killed by one of his own chieftains. They war among themselves now—those who would lay down their arms and be cured and those who would avenge the death of their leader.”

  “At least they expend their energies upon each other,” Hojo said.

  “It is the saddest of days, General. The Kalam has always maintained that most of the tribesmen followed the Khan against their will.” He pointed out toward the raging battle. “The innocent are dying in numbers as great as those who came to murder and burn.”

  Komawara waved toward the city. “We must retreat to the walls, Shuyun-sum. There is nothing we can do and it is possible they may turn against us yet.”

  Reluctantly Shuyun turned and followed the young lord back toward the city.

  Shonto guards held boats at the canal and Shuyun waited while the others were whisked across the canal to the open door, the sound of battle echoing off the walls. He would need to bathe himself in the appropriate herbs and destroy his clothing.

  The monk stood among the trees, unable to block the sounds of the fighting from his ears. He knelt upon the grass but an attempt to chant came to nothing so he was left, battered by the sounds of the terrible battle.

  I have accomplished that which any warrior of Wa would have willingly sacrificed his life to achieve—I have caused the enemy to destroy themselves. Botahara forgive me, I meant only to heal them and save the people of the capital.

  Shonto guards spread out around Shuyun suddenly, keeping their distance, staring out at the raging struggle. A light step stopped three paces away.

  “Shuyun-sum?” the Empress said softly. “Even a selfless act of charity may bring about utter calamity. Knowing this cannot stop us from being charitable. These tribesmen have their own karma which even the Teacher may not control.”

  Someone came forward then and set the monk’s trunk a few paces away. Shuyun looked up to see the Kalam, his face drawn as though in pain.

  “Shimeko-sum,” Shuyun whispered. “It was she who carried the plague to the tribes.”

  The Empress slowly sank to her knees, covering her mouth as she did do. “She could not have done such a thing…not knowingly.”

  Shuyun shook his head sadly. “She could hardly have acted so out of ignorance. The Botahist trained….” He left the sentence unfinished.

  “I cannot think what karma this will bring,” Nishima said. “Life after life after life….”

  Shuyun nodded.

  “Excuse my interruption, Empress.” General Hojo stood some distance off. “This is not a secure place. The battle is spreading over the fields. We must allow Shuyun to perform his purification so that we may all find safety inside the walls.”

  The Empress nodded. “Shuyun-sum. Only you tried to save the tribes. Do not forget the purity of your intent. All others would have let them die, taking the population of the capital with them. Your purpose was pure.”

  “Thank you for your council, Empress,” Shuyun said.

  The woman in crimson robes stopped as she rose. “No one can hear our words, Shuyun-sum. Please, do not banish Nishi-sum from the world entirely. I—I must exist somewhere,” she said, her voice growing small, “in your company, if I may.” She retreated then and guards surrounded her quickly.

  Shuyun went to his trunk and opened the lid.

  By the time Shuyun entered the capital, the barbarian tribes had divided themselves into distinct camps and, for the most part, the fighting had ceased although it flared up again for brief moments between one group and another.

  Shonto guards escorted the monk into the nearby guardhouse where he found the Empress accompanied by Lady Kitsura. Lord Komawara, Lord Shonto Shokan, Hojo, the Kalam, and Rohku Saicha had appeared, taking charge of the Empress’ personal guard.

  All bowed low to Shuyun as he entered and he found this disturbing, considering the results of his recent action.

  “We have a boat awaiting in the nearest canal, Empress. It is a short walk. I apologize, we have no sedan chair,” Hojo said.

  “Apologize only when you have a sedan chair, Masakado-sum,” Nishima said. “I will have the council pass an edict ordering all sedan chairs in the capital be put to the torch.” She nodded toward the door.

  Guards formed a tight circle around the Empress, Kitsura, and Shuyun, and the monk found himself hemmed in and close to his sovereign.

  Out in the avenue two long lines of warriors held back the jostling crowds. Shuyun saw the black of Imperial Guards, Shonto blue, Butto purple—the remains of Lord Shonto’s army assuring the safety of the woman they had placed on the throne.

  Once the Empress was seen, the people bowed low and a whisper passed down the street like a cool breeze. Both the name of the Empress and his own became almost a chant. Suddenly flower petals of all colors were strewn before the party as they made their way to the quay.

  Lord Butto stood at the head of the stairs where several boats were moored, and he knelt and bowed low as the Empress approached. Quickly the small group embarked, Kitsura and Shuyun into the same craft as the Empress, the others into boats both before and behind.

  Shuyun felt Nishima breathe a sigh of relief as the boats gained the center of the canal. The banks were thick with the thousands who had hoped to flee the war, and had come to its very center. They began to cheer suddenly, their respect for their new sovereign momentarily overcome by their relief at being delivered from the barbarian army.

  Shuyun heard his name chanted now as he had heard the crowds chant Komawara’s name for the many lives he had taken in battle. He felt a warm hand take his own and looked over to see his young Empress turned toward him—a look of understanding, of compassion.

  The lords of Wa were wise, he found himself thinking. Here sits the woman deserving to rule the Empire. And yet her subjects will never understand that she has given up her own peace so that theirs would be assured.

  Sixty-two

  IN A SMALL audience hall near the Imperial Apartments the Empress had gathered her closest advisors, which meant the only functionary of the Empire’s government present was the Major Chancellor, Kamu.

  It was late and the sounds of movement on the fields outside the city had finally ceased. For the second time an enormous fire burned outside the city as the barbarians burned all those who had fallen that day. At last light it appeared the barbarian army had split utterly and though this had caused a flood of relief throughout the capital, anxiety had not disappeared. Everyone waited to be sure the barbarians would not reform their vast army under a new leader. First light would see crowds gathered on the northern walls, there was no doubt of that.

  General Hojo bowed low. “The barbarian army has split into three parts,” he began, addressing his remarks to the Major Chancellor.

  Nishima almost grimaced and waved a gold silk fan at the Shonto officer. “Masakado-sum, please, I cannot bear this custom. We are not in a council of state…do not speak to Kamu-sum as though I were not present.” She tried a small smile.

  “Excuse me, Empress,” the soldier said bowing. He returned to the kneeling position and took a second to gather his thoughts. “Since the fall of the Khan this morning, the barbarian army has split. One company, the easternmost tribes according to Kalam, have begun to move north, some on the canal but many by foot and on horse. This is perhaps a fourth part of those who survived the battle between the tribes. A much smaller group has broken off and makes its way northeast—we are not certain of their intent, Empress, but Brother Shuyun has suggested they may make their way toward the temples on the Mountain of the Pure Spirit. They know the Botahist Brothers possess a cure for their disease. The third group—the majority by far—remain in the fields north of the city, awaiting the healers we have promised.”

  Nishima nodded at this. “What is your advice, General Hojo. Large armed parties wandering through our lands is a matter for concern.”
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  Hojo considered a moment. “Combining all the men who remain from the Imperial Army and our own, Empress, gives us a force of perhaps thirty thousand men. Certainly enough to meet the threat of any of the three barbarian armies, though hardly enough men to deal with them all at once. The barbarians outside the city have disarmed, but we cannot leave them unwatched. If they do not receive assistance soon…” Hojo shrugged. “Thirty thousand barbarian warriors, well armed or not is a significant force. They will also need to be fed.” Hojo stroked his graying beard. “The companies making their way toward the Botahist temples are of concern. We have sent messages to the Brothers so that they will be prepared, but still it would be best if these barbarians could be reasoned with, though I would prefer to send out a force of some size to emphasize the prudence of finding a solution that does not require swords.

  “The army moving north is of greater concern to me, Empress. It is both larger and its intent less clear. Do they plan to take Seh and hold it as their own? Is it their wish to simply return to the desert? The Kalam believes they hope to escape the plague and do not trust the people of the Empire sufficiently to lay down their weapons. Brother Shuyun is certain the plague will begin to show its hand among these men very soon. We have sent patrols out to warn any citizens who are on the barbarian’s path, but who knows what dying men might do? If the Botahist Brothers agree to minister to the barbarians, then perhaps we will be able to take some number of Brothers north in the wake of the retreating barbarians in hopes that the men of the desert will see the futility of what they do and allow the Brothers to help them.” Hojo bowed and fell silent.

  Nishima nodded. “I thank you, General.” She looked around at the others, raising an eyebrow as they had often seen her father do.

  Komawara touched his head to the mats. “Empress. I agree entirely with General Hojo. May I suggest that with the force that travels north we might send the Kalam? He is of an eastern tribe himself and may gain their trust more easily than the leader of a well armed force.”

  Nishima looked over to Shuyun who sat between Komawara and the tribesman. “Brother?”

  Shuyun bowed low before speaking. “I will ask the Kalam, Empress, if I may?”

  She nodded and the monk spoke quietly to the tribesman who responded in a whisper. Shuyun turned back to Nishima. “The Kalam asks me to say that he will do anything within his power to serve the Empress.”

  Nishima gave a half bow to the tribesman who touched his forehead to the floor in return, his embarrassment obvious.

  “General Hojo, we remain in a state of war, so I do not feel the need to consult the Great Council in this matter. Who would you suggest to carry out each of these tasks? We must send no one who is bent on revenge upon the tribes—we have had a thousand years of raids and war because of a barbarian vendetta, let us do nothing to fuel their anger.”

  Hojo looked over at Kamu as though the two consulted silently. “I would send Lord Butto to pursue the barbarian army north on the canal. The lord has his own interests to consider there and I must say, Lady Ni…Empress, that he is a young man of great political skills. Kamu-sum has made the same assessment.

  “Certainly Lord Taiki would be the correct choice to defend the temples, his devotion has been great since Brother Shuyun saved the life of his son. If I remain in the capital, I will see to the barbarians beyond the walls, with Brother Shuyun’s counsel, if he will be so kind.”

  Nishima looked at Shuyun who nodded. Lord Butto and Lord Taiki were out in the fields patrolling beyond the barbarian encampment. “General Hojo, I will leave this in your hands. I wish to be kept constantly informed. We must restore peace and security to the Empire before we can begin to address the other ills the Yamaku have left us.”

  Nishima turned to Kamu who consulted a small scroll. “The matter of the Brothers, Empress,” he said. The young sovereign turned to Shuyun.

  “I have spoken to the Primate of the Imperial Capital, Empress.” Shuyun said. “Brother Hutto and the Supreme Master of the Botahist Order sailed from Yankura recently. They should arrive in the capital very soon, perhaps tomorrow.”

  “The Supreme Master?” Nishima opened her fan. “Does he not sequester himself on an island in the sea?”

  “He does, Empress,” Shuyun answered. “Events in the Empire may have convinced him his presence would be required.”

  “How are we best to proceed to gain their support?” Nishima asked.

  “I would speak with the Supreme Master and Brother Hutto myself, Empress, if that is acceptable.”

  Nishima nodded. “I will concern myself with this matter no more, Brother Shuyun, if I know that it is in your capable hands.” She turned back to the Shonto steward. “Kamu-sum?”

  “There is a shortage of grain in the capital, Empress, and many other things as well. Crowds have begun to gather at the gates of the palace asking for food. As of yet they have been orderly, but if they grow desperate this will change.”

  “They must be fed,” Nishima said. “Certainly we did not destroy all the grain in the Empire as we came down the canal?”

  Kamu nodded in response to this, glancing over at Hojo, whose face remained grave but whose eyes smiled. “There is perhaps someone more suited to dealing with this matter than any present, if you will excuse me for saying so,” he hastened to add, addressing his remark to all present. Turning back to Nishima; “We have had word from Tanaka, Empress. He comes from Yankura even now.”

  Nishima greeted this news with a great smile, something her retainers had not seen in recent days. “The barbarians did not find him after all!” she said happily. “Colonel Tadamoto was mistaken.”

  “No, they did not,” Hojo said. “Our good merchant is unscathed, or so he says. There is certainly food in the Empire despite the attempts of many to hide it away. Tanaka will know the best method to bring it forth, and he will not empty the Imperial Treasury to accomplish it, either.”

  Nishima looked over at Shokan who shook his head in mock dismay. “My steward, my senior general, my guard captain, and now my merchant. Will you leave my personal servants at least, and perhaps my gardener? But what do I say? Anything for my Empress.”

  “Lord Shonto,” Nishima said gravely. “I wish only to borrow Tanaka-sum—for indeed I shall raise his rank so that he is addressed as he deserves, as my father always addressed him. In a brief time I’m sure he will have rooted out all of the corruption in my government. For this service I will pay you well, brother—and I shall pay Tanaka-sum well also. As to your gardener…” Nishima said, as though this thought had not occurred to her. She moved her head back and forth, weighing the idea. “Perhaps not at this time, thank you.”

  Shokan nodded.

  Nishima turned to Kamu who became serious immediately. “My list is without end, Empress, but may I suggest that we have all done much this day. Brother Shuyun must prepare for his meeting with the senior members of his Order, for their cooperation is crucial to the peace we have arranged. We have, after all, pledged the Brotherhood’s assistance without consulting them. This may please them less than we hope, Empress.”

  Nishima tapped the edge of the low dais with her fan. “You are no doubt correct, Major Chancellor. There are so many matters to consider and so many who have risked so much in these last days, yet I can hardly begin to think of this until we are assured of peace and the plague is contained.” She nodded to all present. “I thank you. Brother Shuyun, I wish to discuss your coming audience with your superiors, if it is convenient.”

  Nishima rose and everyone bowed their heads to the mat as she left.

  * * *

  Nishima did not feel a desire to live in the apartments that had been the quarters of the Yamaku nor was she comfortable with the thought of moving into the abandoned rooms of the Hanama Emperors—ghosts or no—they had fallen to bad luck in the end and Nishima did not want be reminded of that. Fortunately the palace had any number of rooms to choose from and she was soon settled, if only temporarily,
in apartments meant for visiting relatives of the Emperors. These apartments had been left in the Hanama style, uncluttered, almost austere in their simplicity and Nishima had the rugs she had brought from Seh spread over the straw-matted floors. With her own servants and retainers about, her situation did not feel as strange as she expected. Occasionally she even forgot that her father was no longer part of this present in which Nishima found herself, though these moments were brief.

  A warm evening had arrived, creeping silently up the river from the sea, and with it came cloud. The sound of falling rain seemed comforting to the new Empress as though it formed a protective barrier from the world beyond. Outside her rooms a terrace with small trees situated carefully about it looked out to the west. The soft cadence of the spring rain on the terrace stones and the leaves of trees—a sound in harmony with the mood of the young aristocrat.

  Nishima wore her own familiar robes, avoiding Imperial finery, though her clothing was of white—not of her choosing. She sat near a partially open screen that led onto the terrace and rubbed a resin stick over the blackened surface of her inkstone. A bead curtain of water drops had formed from the rain as it ran off the tile roof, and this caught the light from her lamp and glittered like strings of bronze colored jewels.

  So many things had occurred in the past two days that Nishima did not feel as though she were part of it somehow—her life was changing more rapidly than she was able to change herself, there was little question of that. Only the day before she had been lost in the fog with Kitsura and Shuyun and the Empire had been poised on an edge, about to slide into the abyss of the complete unknown. That morning Lady Nishima Fanisan Shonto had lit a torch to the pyre of Lord Shonto Motoru. She closed her eyes tightly. And now, miraculously, the Empire had been delivered. A half-barbarian chieftain who had been destined for the throne had fallen to the sword of one of his own followers…and Nishima had ascended the throne left empty by the passing of the Yamaku. Ascended against her most profound desires.