Chasing the Secret

by Maya Snow

  We both bowed low, bringing our fingers close together across the front of our thighs to show our respect.

  Master Jin led us to a long wooden bench set beneath a red maple tree at the far end of the terrace.

  “Yorio has told me that you wish to join our fight,” he said when we were all seated. “He explained that Hidehira murdered your father and brothers, and that you were forced to dress as boys and take refuge in a samurai-training school. In time, I would like to hear more of those events. But first, will you give me news of my great friend Master Goku? It is some moons now since we corresponded, much to my sadness.”

  My heart sank as I realized that news of Master Goku’s death had not traveled as far as Sagami. With a small bow, I said, “My sister and I carry terrible news. Master Goku is dead.”

  Master Jin looked shocked, but he controlled his emotions quickly. “How did this happen?” he asked.

  Haltingly I told him about the fight between Master Goku and Lord Hidehira’s son, Ken-ichi. Master Jin held my gaze, but when I finished speaking he looked away for a moment. A wave of pain and anger passed across his face. “Goku was a great man,” he murmured. “He should not have died in such a way, weakened by poison and defeated by an unworthy opponent.”

  He was silent for a moment, and Hana and I folded our hands in our laps, giving him as much time as he needed. But at last he spoke again, “Will you tell me about the events that have led you here?”

  Taking turns to speak, Hana and I told him about our time at the dojo and our journey to Mount Fuji. I found myself speaking of my brothers, who had also been students of Master Goku, as had our father and Uncle Hidehira long ago.

  At last I came to a halt. Master Jin folded his hands into his wide sleeves. “Your father was Lord Yoshijiro,” he said calmly, his words more a statement than a question. “Are you the only members of the Yamamoto family to have survived the uprising?”

  Hana shook her head. “Our mother and little brother, Moriyasu, managed to escape as well.” I could see the pain in her eyes as she went on. “We journeyed far to find them, but they were captured again. We think she and Moriyasu are being taken to where the armies are gathering outside your Jito’s stronghold. That’s why we want to go with your soldiers—somehow we must get into the camp and rescue them before Uncle Hidehira puts them to death.”

  Master Jin raised his hand. “And so you shall,” he said. “Moriyasu must be saved because he is the rightful heir to the stewardship. He is the true Jito, and under his young rule the land will be restored to order and there will be peace between our provinces, as there was when your father was steward.”

  Hana and I had carried our burden alone for so long that I felt suddenly weak with relief to know that someone was on our side. Master Jin understood. He was willing to help us. We all had the same goal—to defeat Uncle Hidehira and restore honor to my family.

  Master Jin stood up in a ripple of gray robes and went to stand at the balustrade. As he moved I realized there was something about him that reminded me of Goku. Although both men were very different in looks, they had the same inner serenity and wise, calm manner.

  Master Jin beckoned Hana and me to the balustrade. “That is our Jito’s stronghold,” he told us, pointing toward the shinden complex surrounded by a stone wall in the distance. “My scouts tell me that even now, Hidehira’s army is massing just outside the makeshift barriers, preparing their attack as they await the arrival of their lord. If Hidehira takes the town, then the rest of these estates will surely fall, and we will be plunged into chaos.”

  I tried to remember Uncle’s words to Mr. Choji in the tea pavilion, the morning of Goku’s funeral. “I fear my uncle plans to seize the whole kingdom of Japan in his grasp,” I said.

  Master Jin turned and regarded me for a moment. “I know,” he said sadly. “It would have broken Master Goku’s heart to see such a thing.”

  I clenched my fist. “Hidehira must be stopped,” I said.

  “And he will be,” Master Jin said. “Walk with me, Kimi and Hana.” He gestured the way with his hand. “I have something I wish to show you.”

  As we made our way across the terrace and through a wooden archway, Master Jin talked. “For many moons, we have had free trade with your estates. Lord Yoshijiro treated neighboring provinces with respect. There has been peace between our people for almost a generation. Hidehira may think he has power, but there is more to being a lord than grinding everyone beneath your heels. Your father understood that.”

  We walked beneath the wooden archway and came to a walkway that led over a lily pond toward an enormous inner courtyard shaded by trees. A hundred or so students were gathered there. Some of them tested weapons, holding blades up to the light or weighing spears in their hands. Others kneeled on mats, sleeves rolled back as they rubbed oil into hardened leather armor. A couple of servants hurried back and forth, handing out iron helmets and o-sode shoulder guards. The scene reminded me of the morning of the Great Tournament, when we had all prepared for combat.

  “As Yorio has told you,” Master Jin said, “we are planning a surprise attack on Hidehira’s troops tonight. He has focused all his attention on the Jito’s shinden—but he has forgotten that there are many samurai-training schools situated in the hills outside the town.”

  “How many training schools?” Hana asked.

  “Four,” Master Jin said. “And all of us have been plotting with local villagers to ambush Hidehira’s troops before they can make the first strike on the barriers.”

  “When is Hidehira’s first strike planned?” I asked.

  “Our scouts say tomorrow,” Master Jin said gravely. “They will attack the stronghold at first light.”

  “And you will stop them.” Watching the activity in the main courtyard, I felt a thrill of hope and anticipation. I turned to Master Jin, my heart singing. “We will fight alongside your students,” I said firmly. “And during the siege we will search for Mother and Moriyasu.”

  Master Jin bowed. “It is imperative that young Master Moriyasu is rescued, if these lands are ever to be at peace again. Our attack on Hidehira’s troops will be a distraction. Guards will be drawn away, allowing you and your sister to search. Your goal must be to free them.”

  I turned to Hana. “What do you think?” I asked.

  She nodded, her dark eyes shining like black pearls. “I think that karma has led us here,” she said. “We have more chance of success with Master Jin than we would ever have had on our own.”

  Master Jin gestured to Yorio, who was standing nearby. “Ask one of the servants to fetch Kimi and Hana some food,” he said. “And then make sure they are armed. They are coming with us tonight!”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Dusk came early that evening, settling across the land like a velvet cloak. Four stars glinted in the sky far above as Hana and I kneeled side by side on a mat at the edge of the courtyard. I gazed upward, thinking about Tatsuya. I wondered where his captors had taken him and offered a small prayer that he was safe and unharmed.

  Hana gently touched my hand, gazing up at the sky. “Those four stars signify you and me, Mother and Moriyasu,” she said. “After tonight, we’ll be together again.”

  “I hope so,” I said.

  “Surely you know, Kimi.” Hana turned to meet my gaze, her face questioning. “Don’t you?”

  Thoughtfully I smoothed my thumb over the lacquered hilt of my new sword. The blade was long and curved, beautifully forged, and the scabbard had an engraving of a dragon chasing a flame. When I tested the weight, it felt alive in my hand. Yorio had made sure we had armor, daggers, swords, and short spears. Hana had even found a nihonto that was as perfectly balanced as the one the ninja took from her.

  I sighed and turned back to Hana. “No, I don’t know,” I said. “Even if we survive, who is to say that we will save Mother and Moriyasu? For all we know, they may already be dead.”

  Hana looked down at her lap. “I would have felt it if Uncle
had already killed them,” she murmured. “They’re still alive, Kimi. I know they are.”

  “I pray that you are right,” I said. “But we must be realistic about our chances. This could be the last night of their lives…and of ours.”

  Hana nodded soberly. “This is the first time we’ve ever gone into a fight knowing that,” she said. “It’s a strange feeling.”

  “Father always said not to fear death, but to embrace it,” I said. “He told his men to walk with death at their shoulder, shadowing their every footstep.”

  Hana nodded. “If we accept death,” she said, “then fear of it cannot be used as a weapon against us.”

  As dusk deepened in the sky above, the courtyard seemed to hum with energy. More students came, packing the gravel square. I saw villagers join them, armed with sickles from the rice fields.

  I spotted Yorio threading his way through the crowd toward us. He had a small bowl cupped in his hands.

  “Smear some of this mud on your faces,” he said. “It will help to keep you hidden.”

  I dipped my fingers into the cool mud and pasted it across my cheeks. Beside me, Hana twisted her hair up into a topknot and secured it with a pin.

  Yorio crouched in front of Hana and me, and told us the plan for tonight’s surprise attack. “Stay with me,” he instructed. “Everyone from the dojo is going to make our way down the hill into the valley. The scouts have arranged a time for a simultaneous attack from all sides under cover of darkness.” Yorio grinned. “The enemy will be asleep. And we’ll have the advantage of surprise.”

  Hana and I nodded.

  “One more thing,” Yorio said, resting his fingers lightly on my wrist. “If we’re separated, try to make your way back here to the dojo. Master Jin’s plan is that we should gather here and wait until morning for news.”

  “And if no one comes back?” I said, a sudden dread gripping my soul.

  Yorio looked solemn. “In that case, the few survivors must escape across the border when they can—to carry on the fight at the next time and place when Lord Hidehira attacks.”

  Shortly after, we all began to move out. Students and villagers stood shoulder to shoulder, brothers in arms as they filed silently out of the courtyard. They formed a long line that began to wind slowly down the narrow pathways that led through the woods. The light of the dying day picked up the dull gleam of a helmet here or a curve of kote sleeve armor.

  I had an impression of an overwhelming number of men and boys, their faces darkened with mud, moving in a solid mass toward their common goal—Hidehira, the enemy. And though we were marching into battle, I felt safe for the first time in many moons. I was surrounded by an army. An army of friends. I had Hana on one side of me, Yorio on the other side, and Yorio’s friends at my back. We were led by Master Jin, a trusted friend of Master Goku’s.

  Could it be that our troubles were almost at an end?

  My heart swelled with hope. Perhaps tonight we would be victorious. Perhaps tonight would be the night when I challenged Uncle in open combat and exacted my revenge. We would defeat Uncle Hidehira and his troops, rescue Mother and Moriyasu, and restore honor to the name of Yamamoto. And then, I promised myself silently, I would track down Tatsuya’s captors and rescue my friend.

  We slipped through the woods and gathered at the curve of the river, as silent as ghost spirits. More farmers and peasants joined us, all dressed in dark clothes, their faces smeared with mud. I was surprised at how many people there were—hundreds willing to risk their lives to stand against Uncle.

  We moved on, cutting across the valley toward the town. The watchtowers loomed up in the darkness ahead, and beyond them stood the shinden with its prickly-looking roof. I caught glimpses of movement along the tops of the watchtowers, and the occasional flicker of light.

  “Sentries,” whispered Yorio. “Our Jito has posted them throughout the town, but especially along the barriers. They’ll be preparing for a siege.” He grinned, his teeth flashing white in the darkness. “They don’t know we’re here to help them. We’ll attack, then pray to the Buddha that they aim their arrows at Hidehira’s men and not at us.”

  Treading cautiously, we moved on toward the enemy encampment. The first thing I saw was the glow of a campfire, then a dozen or more horses tied to posts, and beyond them hundreds of white tents huddled together beneath the town walls.

  Uncle Hidehira’s men will be in those tents, I thought with satisfaction, sleeping in preparation for their dawn attack.

  But then my heart thumped because as we drew closer I could see that far from being a sleeping village of quiet tents, the army encampment was a hive of activity. Lanterns had been lit and strung from iron stands. Samurai were everywhere—fastening armor, sharpening swords, fitting iron helmets onto their heads.

  Hana reached out and grasped my wrist. “The attack is not tomorrow,” she said in an urgent whisper. “The scouts made a mistake. Those soldiers are preparing to go into battle now.”

  Yorio’s jaw hardened. “You’re right,” he murmured.

  Around me, villagers and students were silently drawing their weapons. Keeping low, we slipped into camp, ducking under tent ropes and skirting lantern stands. Somewhere a horse whinnied. I saw one of Yorio’s friends—Norio—rise up behind a samurai who was strapping on a piece of sleeve armor. A blade flashed and there was a spurt of blood, black in the darkness.

  The samurai sagged at the knees. Norio lowered him to the ground.

  The kill had taken less time than three of my heartbeats.

  Other students rose up out of the darkness, silently, like ninja. They dispatched four or five samurai, blades glittering in the lantern light. The smell of blood and sweat caught in my nostrils.

  Then one of Uncle Hidehira’s battle-hardened warriors spotted us….

  Bellowing loudly, he snatched up a spear and advanced.

  The lone warrior was met by a wave of students. Steel clashed on steel. I could hear a warning cry rippling out across the darkness. Other soldiers came running, snatching up weapons, some of them still fastening their breastplates. Master Jin’s army poured in from all sides to join the slaughter—no need for stealth now.

  In the confusion, Hana grabbed my hand and we slipped away. “Now’s our chance. We must find Mother and Moriyasu.”

  We crept between the tents, ducking at intervals to cast glances inside. Hidehira’s soldiers ignored us. They were running back and forth, shouting frenzied battle cries as they wielded their swords. Suddenly a hail of arrows came out of the sky, like rain, and I knew that the sentries on the town wall were coming in on the side of the students.

  In the midst of the chaos I spotted a large tent with lavish red and gold banners hanging on either side of the entrance. It had to be Uncle’s.

  “Over there,” I said to Hana. But before we could make a move in that direction, the flaps of the tent were pushed open and a figure in full samurai armor came running out, sword in hand.

  “Manabu,” Hana whispered hastily, pulling me back into the shadow of a nearby tent. His eyes glistened with the sounds of battle, and I could see that he was eager to spill blood.

  As the tent flaps rippled closed behind Manabu, I caught a glimpse of Mother and Moriyasu. They were on their knees in the middle of the tent, hands tied behind their backs, shoulders bowed in defeat.

  “They’re alive!” I felt as if I could fly. “We have to rescue them,” I said to Hana, as soon as Manabu was gone. “Come on.”

  We left the shadows and raced across the clearing. I ducked into the tent and found myself face-to-face with a fierce-looking samurai guard.

  He was more surprised than I was, and it gave me the advantage. Swinging my sword high, I sliced through the strap of his horned helmet and cut his throat. His eyes bulged and he made a wheezing sound. But I was already past him. I caught a glimpse of Hana clashing with a second guard. She dispatched him without a word, her face pale and terrible.

  Together we ran to Mother and Mo
riyasu. They both stared at us in disbelief as we dropped to our knees and began to untie them. Fingers fumbling, I tore the ropes from Mother’s wrists and fell into her arms.

  “I’m sorry.” I wept. “So sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t choose you!”

  As Hana freed little Moriyasu, my mother held me close. “Hush,” she said softly, stroking my hair. “Hush, Kimi. Do not weep. I understand what you did, and why.”

  Moriyasu flung himself at us, stretching his arms around Hana and Mother and me, burying his face in our kimonos. “We are all together again,” he said, his voice small and muffled.

  After a few moments, Mother pulled away. “We can’t stay here,” she said. “Hidehira’s arrival is imminent. We must get away before he comes. He will be bringing an army with him.”

  “Isn’t there an army here already?” I asked in astonishment.

  “When Hidehira gets here, the troops will triple in size,” Mother said. Rising, she hurried across to the far side of the tent and selected two swords from a stand of weapons. Then she turned to look at Hana and me. “We will all protect Moriyasu,” she said firmly. “Whatever else happens, we must get him out of here alive.”

  Hana and I nodded. We kept our little brother between us as we made our way out of the tent.

  Outside, we found ourselves in the midst of a frenzied battlefield. The clang of steel blades echoed in the night air, broken by hoarse cries and the hammer of iron on wood. Several wounded samurai lurched past us. One of them was missing an ear, another had a gaping hole where his eye should have been.

  Suddenly a soldier wearing one of Uncle’s red silk mon badges came rushing at us from the left, teeth bared. He swung his sword in a slanting curve. I would have met him with my sword—but before I could move, Mother was there! Her long hair swung like silk as she blocked him, twisted, and attacked.

  Steel flashed by the light of a nearby lantern, and the samurai fell onto one knee. He groaned and clutched at his stomach. Crimson blood leaked from between his fingers.