CHAPTER SEVENTY

THE SOUL CAN JOURNEY A THOUSAND RI

The floor at the far end of the inner audience chamber was raised a foot above the rest of the room. Lord Hino sat cross-legged there, as though he were part of the clouds of cherry blossoms and peacocks painted on the gilt sliding panels of the wall behind him. He wore a stiff, formal black hakama and haori coat over a black-and-white-checked robe with the red satin underrobe showing at the collar. He sucked in his breath politely as he bowed to Cat and Hanshiro kneeling on the tatami below.

So the rumors were true, he thought. Asano did have a daughter. The resemblance was remarkable. Unsettling, actually. Hino had the feeling he was holding audience with Lord Asano’s ghost. Fate had delivered the young woman here, and Lord Hino wondered what other improbable surprises it might be about to spring on him.

“I see that Hanshiro of Tosa persuaded you to accept his services.” Hino was a small, dapper man, as trim and well tended as the garden beyond the open hallway at the end of the audience chamber.

“He did, sir.”

“And now you seek information about the councilor.”

“We do.”

“You have overcome great obstacles to get here,” Hino said. “I will open my heart and speak frankly.” He paused as he considered where to start this complicated story. “First, you should know that Oishi-san always intended to avenge the injustice done his lord.”

“But he handed over the castle without a protest.” Cat’s outrage overcame her breeding. She allowed her anger to show. “He didn’t register a vendetta.”

Hino held up a calming hand and gave her an indulgent smile. Lady Asano had inherited her father’s temper as well as his looks.

“If he had filed a notification of his intentions, Kira’s son would have taken his father to his estate in Yonezawa, out of Oishi’s reach. Besides, Lord Asano’s closest relatives had the duty of registering the vendetta, and we know your father’s younger brother lacks”—Hino tried to be diplomatic—“resolve.”

“But to do nothing …”

“Oishi maneuvered brilliantly through those tumultuous days. He sent a petition asking for reinstatement of the family name under Lord Asano’s brother. While he waited for a reply he shamed even the most reluctant of the retainers into vowing to defend the castle.”

Hino sucked on his teeth reflectively. “But he knew that in these times of ease and peace many warriors lack the courage to die for a cause. He knew that when the day came to fight the armies that would undoubtedly be raised against them, most of the men would decide to flee.”

“Gihei said only sixty appeared to defend the estate.”

Hino nodded ruefully. The behavior of the Ako retainers had shown all the daimy what they could expect of their own men in a crisis. “Oishi then proposed that those who did assemble form a vengeance league. He even had the papers with the pledge already written on them.”

“He was right about the cowardice of the others.”

“Of course, my lady. He proposed defending the castle as a way of separating out the cowardly and the disloyal. From the first, Oishi was half a ri down the road while the others were still trying on their sandals. That’s why several of us tried to persuade him to enter our service once it became evident …” Hino trailed off when he realized he had blundered into a discussion of the obliteration of young Lady Asano’s father’s family.

“Still, after he vowed to hold the castle, how could he give it up so easily?” Cat diverted the subject without changing it.

“Oishi made sure Lord Asano’s brother heard of the plan to withstand a siege. As he expected, Asano Daigaku sent a letter ordering him to turn over the holdings.”

“Gihei said Oishi-san’s behavior these past months was a ploy.”

“Gihei.” Hino chuckled. “Did he tell you he’s been supplying the league?”

“No.”

“As you know, Kira’s spies settled on everyone like flies on fresh bean paste. To throw off suspicion, the loyal rnin sold everything, including their armor and weapons. But Gihei secretly bought a great deal of it back through agents and hid it for them.”

“One wonders where one might find the councilor.” Cat was almost too excited by this news to sit still.

“He left for Edo more than a month ago. I gave him false papers and an escort so he could pass as one of my men. He had bought uniforms, and my servants carried them and his armor in two large boxes with my crest on them. He arrived at an inn near Nihon Bridge the night you fled Edo.” Lord Hino’s bow expressed genuine regret. “Your quest has been in vain.”

Cat sat in stunned silence.

“A pity time was wasted.” Hanshiro was so angry that he allowed the reproach to escape unchecked.

“In keeping the information from you, Hanshiro, my councilor obeyed my orders not to tell anyone of Oishi’s whereabouts.” With hooded eyes Hino regarded Hanshiro. He recognized him as dangerous. “He saved Lady Asano from being connected with a plot that will certainly mean the death of everyone involved.”

Cat knew that to be angry with Hino was ungracious. She was kicking up sand with the hind legs, as Kasane would so eloquently have put it. She should be grateful to Hino for aiding the Ak men at some peril to himself. But she was furious with him for gulling her into continuing a fruitless chase. He sat there so sleek and smug and condescending. How dare he talk of saving her from danger?

Cat wanted to leap up and flee back down the long corridor. She wanted to run to Lord Hino’s stable, order the grooms to saddle the fastest horse, and start at a gallop for Edo. Instead she kept her voice calm and low and almost, but not quite, respectful.

“When is Oishi planning to take revenge?”

“He has taken it already.”

“What!” Trembling with rage at Hino’s trickery, Cat leaped to her feet.

Hanshiro stood just behind her and to her left. He rested his hand on the hilt of his short-sword. He was prepared to defend her if her impetuous nature got her into serious trouble. And it well might. Obstinacy and impulsiveness had caused her father’s death.

From behind the nearby wall screens they heard the dry, cool sigh of honed steel sliding across lacquer. In the adjoining anteroom Hino’s bodyguards were drawing their swords from their scabbards. Hino made a slight gesture with his pipe, and Hanshiro sensed the guards relaxing.

“The attack on Kira’s mansion was planned for yesterday,” Hino said. “The loyal retainers left as warriors. They shall return as buddhas.”

Cat sank to the floor. She buried her face in her arms and sobbed until the hot, bitter tears soaked her sleeves. Hanshiro gently put his stack of paper handkerchiefs in her hand, then looked on helplessly.

Cat struggled to control the sobs that shuddered through her. She took a long, deep breath before she spoke.

“I used to watch my father, standing with his tall bow in the snow on the archery range,” he said. “He shone like a mirror in the sun. I trusted in my father as a sailor trusts in his ship. And I used to wish that those days would endure with heaven and earth.” She fell silent again until she could speak without tears causing her voice to waver. “But my greatest sorrow under heaven, my wildest grief in this world, is that I have failed him. I did not witness the destruction of his enemy.”

“My lady …” Hino came down from his platform and knelt in front of Cat. “You may stay here with us as long as you like. The servants will see to your every need.” He glanced at Hanshiro. “And I would be pleased to accept you into my service, Tosa.”

“Thank you for your generosity,” Cat said. “But when word comes that Oishi has accomplished his duty, I shall join my father.” She looked up at Hanshiro. “Will you honor me?”

Hanshiro bowed his assent. He knew she was asking him to sever her head with his long-sword once she had driven the knife into her breast.

“I also thank you for your offer, Lord Hino,” Hanshiro said. “But I will accompany my lady on the Three Paths.”

He helped Cat to her feet and walked with her out of the chamber, followed by Lord Hino. Cat was in a daze. She didn’t see the artful arrangement of ponds and rocks and trees in the garden just beyond the open corridor. She didn’t hear the chirping from the strategically placed nails and metal cramps under the polished cherrywood planks of Lord Hino’s nightingale floor, his melodious alarm against intruders.

They passed the first and second Great Chambers where the most important visitors were received. They passed the ornate waiting rooms and the offices of Lord Hino’s administrative staff. At the doorway of the messengers’ room stood the steward. Beyond him a dusty figure knelt on the tatami. He was obviously exhausted by the ordeal of five sleepless days and nights in a kago. His hands were still bloody from clutching the strap to keep himself from pitching about in the jolting basket.

“A messenger has just arrived, my lord.” The steward bowed low. “From Edo.”

Lord Hino accepted the letter, then he led Cat and Hanshiro into a small, inner audience chamber safe from curious ears. He seemed to while away an eternity slitting the wax seal with his long thumbnail, unfolding the heavy outer paper, taking out the letter inside, and reading it.

“The attack must have been called off,” he said finally. “Though of course the councilor gives no names or details. He writes only that the tea ceremony was canceled.” He handed the letter to his steward, who in turn passed it to Cat.

“He says the ‘forgetting the year’ tea ceremony has been rescheduled for the fourteenth.” Cat looked at Hanshiro. “The fourteenth!”

“The monthly anniversary of Lord Asano’s death.” Hino bowed to acknowledge the ironic turn fate had taken.

“It hardly seems possible that Oishi and sixty Ak men could have been in Edo all this time without the authorities being aware of them,” Hanshiro said.

“Indeed!” Hino smiled. “Rumors of their presence have been abundant, yet Tsunayoshi has taken no action to stop them.”

“Even he must realize the justice of their cause,” Cat said.

“I would not be surprised.” Hino filled his pipe with threads of tobacco. Usually a servant was on hand to do it, but he had dispensed with servants in the interests of secrecy. “Lord Uesugi provided his father with a bodyguard of his finest archers, but he has not offered him sanctuary at his mountain retreat. It seems that Kira’s son wants to protect the reputation of his clan’s retainers as warriors, but doesn’t intend to interfere otherwise. He too must agree with the virtue of the Ak men’s quest for vengeance.” Hino smiled at Cat. “Do you remember Kanzaki Yogoro?”

“Of course.”

“He disgused himself as a rich rice dealer from Kyto, and gained entrance to Kira’s mansion. He made a detailed plan of the house, the guard posts, and the retainers’ barracks. But the problem remained of learning Kira’s schedule. He had been spending time at his son’s mansion near the shgun’s palace. There’s no sense attacking the hole when the fox is away, is there?”

“You speak wisely, my lord.” Cat wished Lord Hino would get to the point. Patience was proving bitter indeed.

“Another Ak man, Otaka Gengo, disguised himself as a rich draper and was accepted as a student of Kira’s tea master. He learned of the tea ceremony Kira had planned for the morning of the sixth, which meant that the evening before he would surely be at home making preparations.”

“But it was rescheduled. I can still reach Edo in time.” Cat half rose, but Hino gestured for her to sit.

“You would only be carrying water to the river,” he said. “The councilor will do his duty. Members of the league believe it far better to die with their names on everyone’s lips than to live out inglorious lives. It’s doubtful you could arrive in time. And if you did, you would jeopardize their undertaking.”

Cat kept her anger in check. She knew that Hino could not understand how determined she was. When he looked at her he saw a girl, and girls were by nature weak and irresolute. But that was due to his lack of perception, not hers.

She also knew that if he decided to hold her here behind the walls and moat of his castle, neither she nor Hanshiro could escape. She bent gracefully, like a willow in the winds of circumstance. And like a willow, she would not break.

“You are right, of course, my lord,” she murmured. “Time is short, and my arm is weak. The spirit, however, is invincible. And a soul can travel a thousand ri in a day.”

Hino bowed in gracious defeat. Her unspoken threat was plain. If he held her against her will, she would kill herself. Hino didn’t believe that her resentful ghost would haunt his corridors, alarming the chambermaids and disturbing sleep, but the scandal would linger for a long time.

“Judging by your past accomplishments, my lady, your endurance is admirable. But you might find it difficult to stay in the saddle for so many days and nights. I will arrange for a relay of kagos to take you to Edo.” Besides, Hino thought, I can also arrange for the kago bearers to arrive after the fourteenth.

A page arrived with a message, which Hino gave to Cat.

“Most honorable mistress,” Kasane wrote:

There is talk in the servants’ quarters. For the safety of your exalted person and the success of your most worthy cause, blessed by Buddha and approved by all the gods, you should know of it.

Your humblest, but most devoted servant,

Kasane of Pine village

Hino sent for Kasane, who came at a run and entered on her knees. She touched the floor three times with her head and on the third time left her forehead resting there. She was trembling. She was sure Lord Hino would be angered by her news.

“Speak up, girl,” Hino said. “No one will harm you.”

“A certain scullery maid …” Kasane searched for the words that would minimize Hino’s wrath at the intrigue in his house. “Grants her favors to an apprentice stable groom whose cousin is a courier married to the sister of the third assistant clerk in the armory at Lord Kira’s estate in Mikawa.”

Hino scowled because it wouldn’t do for him to appear to condone such goings-on. He was chagrined that a stranger in his house, and a servant at that, had learned so much in a day’s time. But he was secretly amused, too. A courier! No wonder secrets passed so quickly. “And what did the scullery maid tell you?”

“She heard that Kira’s chief councilor in Mikawa knows of Her Ladyship’s arrival in Kyoto. He knows she was coming here. The third assistant armory clerk says an unusually large number of weapons have been withdrawn from the inventory. He heard that Kira’s councilor plans to ask his lord’s son’s allies to ambush Her Ladyship should she try to reach Edo. Her life is in peril if she leaves the shelter of your castle walls.”

Hino considered the information. Kira had few friends and almost no influence, but his third son, the powerful Lord Uesugi, could call in favors. Hino suspected that Uesugi’s steward, a man noted for his cunning, was behind any plans to stop Asano’s daughter.

Hino couldn’t imagine one young woman being worth so much trouble, but he didn’t know about the litter of dead bodies Lady Asano had left behind her. He did know that if Lord Asano’s daughter reached Edo, she would certainly be an embarrassment and possibly a threat to Uesugi’s father. However, if Asano’s illegitimate offspring disappeared on the road, no one would be likely to come looking for her. The most widely believed rumor was that she was dead already.

Kasane’s news didn’t surprise Hino, but it did complicate matters. One of the lords who might help Uesugi lived nearby.

“We could divert them,” Hanshiro said.

Cat felt a shy tug at the trailing end of her long sleeve. Kasane leaned close to whisper in her ear.

“She says she would be honored to commit suicide in my stead so you could claim I was dead.” Cat’s calm face showed no trace of what she was feeling. “Then I could escape in disguise.”

“We must regretfully decline your generous offer.” Hino graced Kasane with a nod. “Only a head inspection would satisfy Lady Asano’s enemies that she is truly dead. But your idea of falsifying her death is a good one. Perhaps a lingering illness.”

“We haven’t time for a lingering illness.” Cat’s face was still impassive, but she was almost mad with impatience. Each beat of her heart marked that much less time left to reach Edo and the league of loyal Ak men.

“When in a hurry, make a detour,” Hino said. “I have an idea that’s a bit kabuki, outlandish, but it should work.” He looked pleased with himself. “Lady Asano, you don’t fear heights, do you?”