The sudden convergence of so many high-born supporters of the progressive party did not escape the notice of the agents that Lord Ieyasu had managed to station inside the domain of the Yama-Shita and elsewhere.
Despite a great deal of effort and ingenuity, he had not succeeded in placing an agent in a key long-term position within the palace walls, but that had ceased to be a problem. Two years ago, one of his special agents, trained in the ancient arts of the ninja to perform what were often suicide missions, had succeeded in planting an electronic bug in the main council chamber before his presence was detected. Unable to escape, he had killed himself.
To the Yama-Shita family it looked like a failed assassination attempt which was also strangely ill-timed since Lord Hirohito, the presumed target, was absent on a tour of his domain. But the ninja had done his work well. The chamber was used for important policy meetings, and the miniaturised listening device had relayed a great deal of useful intelligence to a secret listening post aboard an innocent-looking fishing boat that always cast its nets within a mile of the palace ramparts.
Ieyasu had been assured that the small, bean-sized battery – another long-dog miracle – had one more year of life, but now, as the age-old rivals of the Toh-Yota gathered to plot new treasons, the device had fallen silent.
How tiresome! thought Ieyasu. Never mind. His network was resilient. Messages would be sent, ways would be found. And if all else failed, he could always rely on Domain-Lord Kiyo Min-Orota, a true and trusted ally who had already passed on the wording of the invitation he had received to join a group of like-minded friends at Sara-kusa.
Ieyasu was right about Sakimoto’s motives for inviting his fellow-progressives, but he was wrong about the reason for the break in transmission. The electronic bug had not suffered battery failure; its presence had been detected and its location revealed by Cadillac.
Acting on a wild hunch, he used parts of the radio equipment stripped from the damaged Skyhawk to sweep several key areas of the palace, including the main conference chamber. Just when he was about to give up, the tell-tale feedback noise had led him to the device which had been embedded in the underside of the long, low, eight-legged table.
After examining the bug, he deactivated it then restored it to its hiding place. There was no point in showing it to the Regent, Aishi Sakimoto, ahead of the meeting. The device itself was physically insignificant and would mean nothing to anyone who had not grasped the concept of electronic surveillance. It needed to be woven into a carefully-prepared scenario and revealed with a dramatic flourish when he had secured the undivided attention of his powerful audience. He had promised them proof of the Toh-Yotas treachery, and he intended to supply it.
The Skyhawk transceiver unit contained a tape-deck with an eight-hour digital cassette which enabled pilots to record ground-to-air or air-to-air conversations. Using his gift of mimicry and his fluent grasp of Japanese, Cadillac recorded two voices from a sending and receiving station, in which the sender reported that the secret conference summoned by the Yama-Shita was now underway, but that the listening device had suddenly stopped relaying the voices of the conspirators.
Both speakers referred to the Lord Chamberlain and the Toh-Yota by name, their voices rising and fading against a background of static – created by rustling a crumpled piece of rice-paper close to the tiny microphone. It took several tries before Cadillac pronounced himself satisfied with the balance of the voices and Roz’s sound-effects, but the final version was impressive – with just enough roughness and depthto convince any listeners that the voices were coming from some point far beyond the castle walls.
His audience would not have heard voices ‘captured’ from the air before, so the impact would be even greater. They would listen more intently, and when the full implications of what was being said dawned on them collectively, the Lord Chamberlain would be mired in shite right up to his hairless armpits.
The last guests to arrive were Lord Fu-Jitsu and Na-Shona, the domain-lords who held the far northern reaches of Ne-Issan. With the destruction of the pre-Holocaust locks on the San-Oransa, the river was no longer navigable along its whole length. The only way to reach Sara-kusa was by an arduous ride on horseback. Sakimoto made them welcome, and granted a twenty-four hour respite to ease the soreness generated by so many days in the saddle.
The next evening, before joining the earlier arrivals for a lavish banquet, they were taken aside by Aishi Sakimoto and given a preparatory briefing on the strange nature of the outlandish couple that he intended to bring before them on the following day.
The encounter, said Sakimoto, would involve a grave breach of protocol, even an affront to their dignity, but it was absolutely essential that they – like the other nobles who had arrived before them – subdued their natural reactions and prejudices, and listened with an open mind and, above all, watched with open eyes.
‘Outlandish couple…?’ Lord Fu-Jitsu exchanged a cautious glance with his neighbour and travelling-companion, Domain-Lord Na-Shona. ‘What manner of creature are they?’
‘Grass-monkeys,’ replied Sakimoto, ‘who are able to speak our sacred mother-tongue.’
Having been over the same ground with his other guests, the shocked reaction of Lord Fu-Jitsu and Na-Shona came as no surprise.
‘Y-You expect us to sit in the same room and…’ Na-Shona could hardly bring himself to express the thought, ‘… treat with them as equals?!’
‘You will certainly be expected to sit and listen to what they have to tell us,’ said Sakimoto with undiplomatic firmness. ‘It goes without saying they can never be accepted as our social equals. I am merely asking you to suppress – as I have – your natural feelings of superiority.’
‘And disgust.…’
‘That too,’ said Sakimoto. ‘But once you have surmounted these mental barriers, I am confident you will find the experience most instructive. These are witches, able to grip and chill the minds of men by conjuring up spirit forms which are as real as you and I, and alter the world around us.’ He saw their eyes widen in alarm. ‘And they have come here to aid us to achieve what we all desire the most!’
When Cadillac and Roz were brought into the main council chamber, they found Aishi Sakimoto and the six senior members of the Yama-Shita family council sitting at the long table, interspersed with their guests – Domain-Lords Ko-Nikka and Se-Iko, their nearest neighbours, Lord Hi-Tashi and San-Yo from the far south, Lord Fu-Jitsu and Na-Shona and Lord Min-Orota of Masa-chusa and Ro-diren. Behind each domain-lord sat a trusted advisor, but there were no armed guards – although a number were stationed outside all the entrances and could be summoned in an instant.
Approaching the small, low table that had been placed opposite the centre of its larger neighbour, Cadillac and Roz knelt on the mats provided and put their noses briefly on the floor then, in impeccable Japanese, Cadillac said: ‘Noble lords of the Yama-Shita. We greet you and your illustrious guests on behalf of the Plainfolk.’ He bowed his head to Sakimoto. ‘Sire, we have already spoken of our desire for friendship and cooperation between your great houses and the warrior clans we represent. It is our belief that we can help you gain the place that is rightfully yours. In order for your guests to be able to judge for themselves our usefulness in that regard, may we have your permission to offer a brief display of the powers at our command?’
‘Proceed,’ said Aishi Sakimoto, bracing himself.
Before the word was fully uttered, Roz had imprisoned their minds. The assembled domain-lords rocked back on their heels as Cadillac and Roz and the small table disappeared and were replaced by a fully-armed samurai-warrior astride a magnificent horse with flaring nostrils. A black stallion, caparisoned in crimson and silver.
The samurai – whose face was concealed behind a fearsome battle-mask – brandished a gleaming sword as he reined in the restive animal. The room was filled with the stamp of its iron-shod hooves. Its muscular neck with its flowing mane arched as the rider pulled the steaming muzzle in against its neck. Then, lowering its haunches, the stallion bared its teeth, flexed its rear legs and leapt forward as the masked rider loosed a tremendous yell.
Sakimoto – part of whose brain knew it wasn’t real – could not smother the instinctive desire to throw himself sideways as the horse flew over his head. Even those not directly in line tried to get out of the way then, to their utter consternation, horse and rider vanished in mid-leap.
Cries of astonishment filled the council chamber, cries which soon turned into strangled gasps of disbelief as the Iron Masters picked themselves up and found Cadillac and Roz sitting calmly behind their small table as if nothing had happened.
Lord Fu-Jitsu, angered at being tricked – and thoroughly frightened into the bargain – ignored Sakimoto’s warning to keep his cool. He slammed his right hand down upon the table. ‘You painted apes! How dare you mock us in this impudent manner!’
An audible gasp from his neighbours and a sudden crawling, burning sensation drew his attention to his hand. Starting at the tips of his splayed fingers, the skin began to steam and bubble. Within seconds, the bubbles had spread to cover the back of his hand, wrist and the exposed part of his arm then, beneath his horrified gaze, the bubbles became festering pustules which burst, revealing seething nests of maggots feeding on the rotting flesh beneath.
His fellow domain-lords recoiled in horror as he pulled back the wide sleeve of his kimono. The whole of his forearm was being consumed. The stench was unbearable, the pain indescribable. Fu-Jitsu screamed and thrust the quivering limb towards Lord San-Yo who had been seated on his right. ‘Strike! I beg you! Cut it off! Before it devours me!’
San-Yo found himself unable to draw his sword. But it was not necessary. Fu-Jitsu’s arm and hand had been magically restored to their previously healthy state.
Hawwwwwww-wwwww!
At Sakimoto’s urging, the domain-lords settled down in their allotted places. A servant was summoned to pour out a cup of sake for the shaken Fu-Jitsu, and many of the others took the opportunity to settle their nerves with a quick snifter.
When the hubbub had died down, Cadillac said: ‘My lords, before we can offer you our aid, we must come to a certain understanding. We are not "painted apes". We are of the Plainfolk – a warrior race as proud and courageous as the Sons of Ne-Issan. We do not accept the notion of inferior and superior beings. Every colour and shape of humankind born under the sky has an equal claim to the air that he breathes and the earth on which he stands. And it is our belief that the gods who rule the fate of nations, punish and cast down those who ignore this great truth by granting themselves privileges and considerations denied to those they deem unworthy.
‘We acknowledge your society is both different and far more advanced than our own, but while it has much to commend it, the Plainfolk are superior in other ways. We are armed with magical powers drawn from the ancient wisdom of heaven and earth – powers that can defeat the swords, bows and guns of your mightiest armies!
‘Our magic makes us invincible because we draw our strength from those who would raise their hand against us. Your anger, your hatred, your evil intent fuels the magic and makes it more potent! Your wrath becomes our shield!’
It was all lies, of course. Cadillac was making it up as he went along, but after witnessing what had happened to Lord Fu-Jitsu none of the shaken Iron Masters was prepared to doubt his word.
When he felt composed enough to speak, Lord Fu-Jitsu said: ‘I regret the rashness with which I addressed you.’
Cadillac bowed in return. ‘I fully understand, sire. It is no easy matter to change the habits and attitudes of a lifetime.’
With Roz having helped him reduce his audience to a state of cowed attentiveness, Cadillac dispensed with further courtesies and got down to the business of nailing the Toh-Yota to the wall.
Placing a cloth package on the table, he announced in a suitably hushed voice that he was about to unveil an artefact fashioned by the long-dogs – a black box bearing hieroglyphs, hand controls and glittering red and green jewel-like eyes. A device filled with the Dark Light.…
His mention of the forbidden words triggered an audible intake of breath. With ritualised gestures, he and Roz carefully unwrapped the Skyhawk’s radio set then refolded the cloth neatly and set it aside. The Iron Masters loved ceremony. They even made a major production out of the simple process of preparing a hot drink by pouring boiling water on dried leaves. Not only did it take forever, you had to put on special clothes in order to participate.
Lord San-Yo eyed the radio uneasily and voiced the question on everyone’s lips. ‘Are we in any danger from that … device?’
‘No, sire. It threatens only those who have abused the trust of this nation.’ Besides the fake messages, Cadillac had also recorded several useful sound effects. The box, he explained, had several functions, one of which was its ability to detect the presence of other devices filled with the Dark Light. It was not, as many people thought, a demonic energy, but it was created by the interaction of elemental forces. It had many forms and attributes, but it could be likened to a flowing river whose dynamic force turned the water-wheels of grinding mills, and to bands of light – like sunbeams striking through a pine forest in the early morn – but invisible to the naked eye. It was these unseen bands that were able to join one device to another, and they also could capture and carry away the sound of the human voice!
Hhhawwww-wwww!
Selecting the appropriate track, Cadillac coaxed a faint high-pitched bleep from the radio. His audience, of course, had no idea that he was manipulating the controls to produce the desired noises – and that Roz had been doing so beneath the table even before the radio had been unwrapped.
They exchanged meaningful glances. ‘Listen!’ cried Roz. ‘It speaks to another device!’
Most of the domain-lords present had a fair to good grasp of Basic, but Cadillac quickly repeated what she had said in Japanese. The Iron Masters reacted with murmurs of surprise.
Taking the radio reverently between both hands, he rose and moved carefully up and down in front of the long table, sweeping the room for the hidden device as he surreptitiously raised and lowered the volume control to simulate the technique of direction finding. Finally, as he neared the point where the device was concealed, he raised the volume and pointed an accusing finger.
‘My lord! The device must be hidden in the table itself!’
‘But that’s impossible!’ cried Sakimoto.
‘Not so, my lord. You underestimate the cunning and duplicity of those who seek to destroy you!’ Cadillac scanned the table closely as the Iron Masters scrambled to their feet and backed away cautiously. ‘It must be underneath! Allow me!’ Handing Roz the radio, Cadillac grasped one edge of the heavy table.
‘Wait! said Sakimoto. ‘I will summon servants!’
Lord Ko-Nikka and several other domain-lords stepped forward. ‘There is no need. The less people that know of this the better!’
They turned the table on one of its long edges. Cadillac drew their attention to the neatly-drilled cavity, carefully levered out the small device and held it up for all to see as the table was lowered back into place.
The domain-lords eyed the bug sceptically as Cadillac pushed it round the table for each of them to examine. ‘It looks like a black stone from a go board,’ said Mitiyake Se-Iko. ‘Can it really capture voices?’
Cadillac shot a quick glance at Roz, then pretended to make a crucial adjustment to the bug. Roz quickly rewound a section of the tape and hit the play button as Cadillac raised the bug between thumb and forefinger. To their utter astonishment, the Iron Masters heard the voice of Lord Se-Iko issue from the black box: ‘It looks like a black stone from a go board. Can it really capture voices?’
Hhhawwwww-wwwww! This was magic indeed!
‘But what does this mean?!’ demanded Lord Min-Orota.
Cadillac twisted the two faces of the bug between his fingers and held it near the radio. There was no high-pitched bleep. Roz had switched tracks but no one had noticed. ‘I have emptied the Dark Light from it. It no longer hears. But while it was alive, it noted the words spoken in this room as faithfully as a scribe!’
Aishi Sakimoto and the other members of the family council paled visibly. ‘Merciful heaven!’ exclaimed Hide-oshi Yama-Shita. ‘It was around this table that our late and much-beloved Lord Hirohito held many of his most important meetings!’
Cadillac nodded. ‘Which probably included his future plans for expanding trade and the strategies to be employed in countering the machinations of the Toh-Yota.’ He did not wait for Hideoshi to answer. Holding up the bug, he said: ‘You may be sure that every word was carried from this room to eager ears beyond these walls – by this cunning device! Ears belonging to the Toh-Yota! For it was the agents employed by Lord Ieyasu who placed it beneath this table!’
Lord Min-Orota, astounded by what he had seen and heard, was not yet ready to condemn the Toh-Yota. ‘The device can only have come from the long-dogs, and it must have been placed there by someone, but there is, as yet, no proof they were agents of the Toh-Yota. The Shogun’s feelings on this matter are well known. His family has always upheld the edict against the Dark Light. It is not possible for him to be involved in such an appalling act of treachery!’
Aishi Sakimoto nodded then turned to Cadillac. ‘Can you back up this charge?’
Cadillac bowed. ‘Sire, if my accusation is well-founded, there will be agents of the Toh-Yota stationed nearby equipped with more powerful devices to capture the words spoken here. Their task is to despatch them unheard and unseen, together with any other intelligence, to their ultimate destination. Let us see what we can find.’
Returning to the small table, he sat down beside Roz, and whispered: ‘I think we’ve got ‘em.’ Twiddling the controls of the radio, and manipulating the buttons controlling the multi-track tape, Cadillac succeeded in ‘capturing’ a conversation between two voices for his attentive audience.
The content of the transmission removed any shred of doubt in the minds of the listening domain-lords. The unidentified agent – who had apparently been standing by to eavesdrop on the present meeting – reported that the listening device had stopped working before anything incriminating had been said.
Questioned by the ‘home station’ he expressed his certainty that the Yama-Shita family, led by Aishi Sakimoto were plotting a coup of some kind, and passed on the names of all those present. It was vital, said the agent, that Lord Ieyasu and the Shogun were informed of what was afoot. With the failure of the device within the Sara-kusa Palace, information on the plotters would have to be gathered elsewhere.
The domain-lords gasped as they heard the ‘home station’ tell the agent that that was not a problem. Lord Ieyasu, said the voice, had been able to place a string of black beads across the length and breadth of Ne-Issan and with their help he would be able to strangle any conspiracy to remove the Toh-Yota.
Seeing the effect this had on the domain-lords, Cadillac went for the kill. Addressing Sakimoto, he said: ‘Sire! I promised you proof of the Toh-Yota’s treachery. Now you have seen and heard it with your own eyes and ears! They have not only betrayed you, they have betrayed the soul of the nation!’
Coming hard on the heels of his discovery of the listening device, these phantom voices banished all doubt – even in the mind of Lord Kiyo Min-Orota. The Toh-Yota had abused the power accorded to them by their fellow domain-lords in the most heinous way imaginable – demanding death, money and other punitive forms of retribution for crimes which they themselves had perpetrated for years. And were continuing to do so!
Cadillac and Roz sat back calmly as the shocked domain-lords tried to hammer out a coherent response to these revelations. All were agreed that the Toh-Yota shogunate had to be swept away, but they were hopelessly split over the means by which this could be best accomplished. Hawks and doves both knew it would require the use of considerable force. Probably full-scale civil war. Despite their present sense of outrage, that was not a course the majority of the assembled nobles were ready to embark upon without careful preparation.
It would be better, said the doves, to gather more support for their progressive ideals by exposing the corrupt behaviour of the shogunate. Quite so, said the hawks – but could it be done quickly and effectively before the Toh-Yota – who would be bound to learn what was afoot – launched a pre-emptive strike on the Yama-Shita with whom they shared common borders?
When the steam ran out of the discussion without any agreed plan of action having being produced, Cadillac asked permission to speak. Aishi Sakimoto, who was presiding over the meeting, invited him to do so.
‘Great and noble lords, I have listened to your deliberations and sensed your rightful anger. The house of Toh-Yota, the supposed guardian of tradition, has flouted the sacred edicts it imposed on the rest of Ne-Issan. For this alone, it should fall. But I would advise you against the use, at this stage, of military force.
‘The Shogun and his principal advisors have shown themselves to be cunning, unscrupulous adversaries. They may well find ways to ridicule or deny the proofs I have laid before you. Through their great wealth and the patronage they can bestow, they may be able to purchase the support of domain-lords who are less principled than yourselves. The answer to this problem lies elsewhere.
‘It is the Shogun and Lord Ieyasu who stand condemned. If you remove them, the house of Toh-Yota will be plunged into confusion. Ieyasu is like the head of a viper with a thousand forked tongues – spies and provocateurs who have poisoned the minds of this nation and filled them with fear and hatred for those – like you – who wish to see it strong and secure. Able to resist the Federation. For there, beneath the Deserts of the South, is where the real threat lies.
‘A threat which the Toh-Yota cannot meet, because it lacks the will. It has no vision of the future and, most of all, with its pretence of clinging to tradition, it deprives you of the means to adequately defend yourselves!’
His words met with strong murmurs of assent. Cadillac turned to Roz who sat cross-legged beside him and sought encouragement with a raised-eyebrow ‘how am I doing?’ look. She maintained the same blank expression she had assumed on entering but nodded approvingly.
Lord Min-Orota, in whose domain the ill-fated Heron Pool had been built, said: ‘Are you suggesting the assassination of the Shogun and Lord Ieyasu?’
‘As the first step, yes,’ said Cadillac. ‘From what I have learned, Lord Ieyasu is the most powerful man in Ne-Issan and your most feared adversary. The Shogun, Prince Yoritomo, has certain strengths, but he is manipulated by his great-uncle – and is thus equally guilty.
‘He has no male heir and he has no brothers. The question who would succeed him is bound to cause great dissension amongst the rest of the Toh-Yota family – especially after his guilt is revealed. That is the moment when you should make your challenge against their authority.’
Sakimoto shook his head. ‘I commend your insight, but the proposal you have just put forward has been considered and rejected on countless previous occasions.’
‘Rejected,’ added Lord Se-Iko, ‘because of the difficulties of placing an assassin within reach of the Shogun. If anything, Lord Ieyasu is an even more difficult target. The assassination of both of them simultaneously or in quick succession is not a practical proposition.
‘On all formal occasions they are surrounded by guards whose loyalty is beyond question, and there are watchers who exercise extreme vigilance at all times. Access to the Inner Court is strictly controlled and no one is allowed to carry anything that might be remotely considered as a weapon when accorded a private audience.’
‘What constitutes a "private audience" …?’
Sakimoto swapped glances with his co-conspirators. ‘The phrase is usually applied to meetings between members of the Inner Court in which two individuals – although it can be more – engage in some form of sexual intercourse.’
Lord Se-Iko enlarged upon his colleague’s reply. ‘In the case of Ieyasu, these audiences are said to be a daily event. The Shogun, despite his youth, is somewhat less voracious.’
Cadillac looked at Roz, then said: ‘Can you enlighten us further?’
‘In what way?’
‘By telling us what kind of partners they prefer, how they are chosen and how they are introduced into the presence of Lord Ieyasu and Prince Yoritomo.’
‘We can give you some information,’ replied Sakimoto, ‘but this is a blind alley. Anyone chosen to receive the intimate attentions of these gentlemen has to strip and bathe – and of course they are washed and groomed by trusted members of the palace staff.
‘Every orifice is searched – even their fingernails are trimmed – and they are then dressed in clothes which have been specially prepared and checked, and offer no possibility of concealing any dangerous objects.’
‘And,’ said Lord Min-Orota, ‘any food or drink served on such occasions is carefully prepared, inspected and tasted beforehand.’
The other Iron Masters seated around the low table took it in turns to reveal what they knew, providing Cadillac and Roz with an entertaining mixture of fact, speculation and gossip.
It emerged that Ieyasu’s preference was for pre-pubescent young girls between ten and twelve years old. These were supplied by a group of favoured ladies of the Inner Court. On the much rarer occasions when the Shogun indulged his baser passions it was with partners nearer his own age – male and female.
An unsubstantiated rumour which had gained currency because of its juicy content hinted at a romantic attachment to several of the Heralds. Founded by Prince Yoritomo soon after his accession, the College of Heralds was a body of intelligent, dedicated, handsome young men, chosen by the Shogun to be his personal representatives. His ‘eyes and ears’.
With their appointment came the privilege of direct access to the Shogun, a move which had threatened Ieyasu’s influence at court and his grip on the reins of power.
Cadillac sought further details about their exact role and it was at this point that the name of the Herald Toshiro Hase-Gawa came into the conversation. This, he recalled, was the Iron Master who had been closely involved with Steve.
It transpired that, following the successful unmasking of the conspiracy led by Lord Yama-Shita to resurrect the Dark Light, the Herald Toshiro Hase-Gawa – who had played a pivotal role in the Shogun’s triumph – had been obliged to take his own life because of a compromising letter that had been intercepted by one of Ieyasu’s agents.
No one knew what the letter contained, but its penning and posting by Toshiro had led directly to his death. Slicing open his own belly in the time-honoured fashion before being beheaded by his second – Kamakura, a Captain in the Palace Guard.
The recounting of this incident caused the assembled Iron Masters a great deal of merriment. Sakimoto explained: The good captain has five daughters and an ambitious wife, who entertained hopes of marrying one of them off to the Herald. Not only was he a good friend of the family, he was also Kamakura’s pupil. The poor man – who is a magnificent swordsman – works lovingly for years and then has to cut off the head of his most outstanding pupil!’
Sakimoto slapped his thighs and roared with laughter. His colleagues seemed to find it equally amusing.
When the laughter subsided, Moro Ko-Nikka, who was there to represent his brother, the domain-lord, said: ‘I think the letter was an excuse. The palace gossips say it was Lady Mishiko who sent the Herald to his death by asking her brother’s permission to marry him – a little too soon after the death of her husband.’
This met with a murmur of agreement.
The Consul-General Nakane Toh-Shiba had been the Shogun’s official representative in Lord Min-Orota’s domain. Cadillac not only knew of him, he had witnessed his fiery descent from the sky. He sensed a trail that might finally be leading somewhere.…
‘Was he a man of noble birth? An acceptable candidate for her hand?’
‘Indeed he was,’ replied Moro. ‘The house of Hase-Gawa has always been a staunch ally of the Toh-Yota.’
‘So why did the Shogun view this match with such disfavour?’
The Iron Masters around exchanged knowing glances.
Lord Se-Iko leant forward. ‘Because the same palace gossips claimed that Yoritomo was secretly in love with Toshiro but had not yet found the courage to declare his affection! His carnal desire for men is something he tries to deny! You can imagine how mortified he was when he found that his favourite Herald loved another – and had been doing so for some time in secret!’
Lord Min-Orota, who had been a party to the plot with the Yama-Shita family and had only managed to save his neck by switching sides at the last minute, provided the capper. ‘I happen to know there was more to it than that. It was Ieyasu who pushed him into allowing Mishiko to marry Nakane – to bolster their alliance with his family.
‘The Herald wasn’t the only one who wanted Mishiko’s husband out of the way. Yoritomo couldn’t bear the idea of her being in Nakane’s bed – and not just because he was a dissolute pig whose conduct dishonoured his wife and, by extension, the Toh-Yota. He couldn’t bear it because he had been, and still was, in love with her himself!’
There were gasps of astonishment from those around the table who had not heard this particular nugget before.
Cadillac’s pulse quickened. ‘My lord, are you suggesting that the Shogun had his sister’s lover killed because they had both rejected him?’
‘Rejected is not the word I would choose,’ replied Min-Orota. ‘It seems pretty certain that Yoritomo slept with his sister fairly regularly over a number of years before Ieyasu managed to remove her. The Herald was, I imagine, merely a consolation prize.’
Lord Min-Orota shrugged. ‘Whether he did or not doesn’t really matter. The important thing is that Yoritomo couldn’t bear the idea of anyone else touching his sister.’
‘Or the idea that they might love her and were only humouring him,’ suggested Cadillac.
‘Very likely. In the past, ambitious young men have been known to use their bodies to gain preferment. We call it promotion by the backstairs. Women do it all the time, but they, of course, come equipped with two tunnels of love.’
‘The last time I counted it was three!’ said Lord Se-Iko. This provoked another round of thigh-slapping laughter.
Cadillac and Roz exchanged another glance. Her eyes told him she knew what he was thinking. And approved. ‘Does the Lady Mishiko have any children?’ he asked.
Aishi Sakimoto nodded. ‘Yes. Two daughters, Miyori and Narikita, aged five and four – and a two-year-old son.’
‘Toshi,’ added Lord Min-Orota. ‘There was a vague rumour he was fathered by the Herald.’
‘And she grieves for him still.’ Cadillac swept his eyes over his Iron Master audience. ‘My lords, I think we may have found our assassin – the Lady Mishiko.’
The domain-lords and the other high-ranking nobles reacted with gasps of surprise. Sakimoto laughed. The idea seemed so preposterous. ‘She obviously has access, but even if some way was found to smuggle a weapon in, what makes you think she would want to kill her brother?’
Cadillac responded with a bow. ‘Sire, we are going to make her want to. When we have finished our preparations she will be unable to think of anything else. The desire for revenge will overwhelm all other thoughts.’
He pointed to the electronic bug and the radio he had placed on the small low table in front of him. ‘We will show her these devices, and persuade her to listen to the voices of Ieyasu’s agents that I managed to draw from the air and trap inside this box.
‘We will reveal Ieyasu’s treachery, and we will tell her that her lover, the Herald Toshiro, discovered Ieyasu’s secret pact with the long-dogs under which they supplied him with devices filled with the Dark Light for use by his network of spies. Devices which were also used to discredit the College of Heralds.
‘We will tell her that Toshiro intended to reveal all this to the Shogun and that, in order to stop him, Ieyasu had the fatal letter forged and mailed in Toshiro’s name in order to protect his own position.
‘And we will tell her that her brother, the Shogun, ignored the Herald’s protestations of innocence – even though he suspected he was telling the truth – because he was insanely jealous of the intimate relationship she had – all too hastily – revealed. And she will believe this because that part, at least, is true.
‘She and the Herald both wanted her husband Nakane out of the way, but it was the Shogun who ordered Toshiro to arrange his death.’ Cadillac paused and surveyed his audience, sensing their rapt attention. ‘When these facts are laid before her she will want to kill Ieyasu and her brother because it all fits in neatly with what she already knows – and because it is what she wants to hear.
‘We must make sure nothing stops her. We have to arrange for the evidence she needs to be put in place, plus the means to commit murder.’ He gestured towards Roz. ‘Rain-Dancer and I can provide much of this, but first we need more details about the organisation of the Inner Court and the personalities who surround the Shogun. Plus a body of stout-hearted horsemen willing to ride with us into the Toh-Yota heartland and aid our escape when the deed is done.’
Lord Min-Orota could hardly believe his ears. ‘You intend to enter the Shogun’s palace?’
‘If necessary, yes.’
There was a long silence, then Sakimoto said: ‘I hate to admit this, but you may have actually produced a plan that could work. It has some exquisite touches. You deserve to be made an honorary Iron Master.’
Cadillac bowed low. ‘You are most gracious, sire. But it would be too great an honour for such an unworthy outlander. We are happy to be accepted into your presence and your confidence as we are, and to offer you, on behalf of the Plainfolk, whatever assistance we can.’
‘There’s something I’d like to know,’ said Lord Na-Shona. He was one of the few who had refrained from dishing up the dirt. ‘If the Lady Mishiko takes the bait, how will she kill Lord Ieyasu and Prince Yoritomo?’
‘That, sire, must remain a secret – for reasons I am sure you understand.’
Aishi Sakimoto could hardly contain his excitement at the prospect of toppling the Toh-Yota family. ‘If you succeed, you will both be richly rewarded.’
Cadillac bowed again. ‘We seek no reward, sire, other than a firm and continuing friendship between our two nations. But even though we are able to call upon powerful magic we need your help and guidance to gain access to the Lady Mishiko. Will you furnish us with the men, ships and resources we require?’
Sakimoto did not hesitate. ‘You shall have them.’