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you, that you have been chosen by heaven and are protected to a certain
extent until your goals are achieved."
"I wish I were protected from sorrow," I said. "Then you would indeed
reach enlightenment," he replied dryly.
The full moon brought a change in the weather.The heat lessened and the
air cleared. There was even a hint of autumn in the coolness of the
mornings. Once the festival was over, my spirits lifted a little. Other
words of the abbot came to me, reminding me that my followers, all
those who supported me, did so of their own free will. I had to set my
grief aside and take up my cause again so that their
deaths would not be in vain. And the words Shigeru had spoken to me in
a small village called Hinode, on the far side of the Three Countries,
also returned to me.
Only children weep. Men and women endure.
We made plans to move on the following day, but that afternoon there
was a slight earth tremor, just enough to set the wind chimes ringing
and make the dogs howl. In the evening there was another, stronger one.
A lamp was knocked over in a house up the street from where we were
lodging, and we spent most of the night helping the townspeople contain
the ensuing fire. As a result, we were delayed another few days.
By the time we left I was mad with impatience to be with Kaede again.
It made me hurry toward Maruyama, rising early and pushing the horses
till late at night under the waning moon. We were silent mostly; Jiro's
presence was too sharply missed to allow the light-hearted banter with
which we had ridden out, and I had a vague sense of apprehension that I
could not rid myself of.
It was well into the Hour of the Dog when we reached the town. Most of
the houses were already darkened and the castle gates were barred. The
guards greeted us warmly, but they could not dispel my unease. I told
myself that it was just that I was tired and irritable after the
tedious journey. I wanted a hot bath, something decent to eat, and to
sleep with my wife. However, her woman, Manami, met me at the entrance
to the residence, and as soon as I saw her face I knew something was
wrong.
I asked her to tell Kaede I had returned, and she fell to her knees.
"Sir... Lord Otori..." she stammered, "she has gone to Shirakawa to
bring her sisters here."
"What?" I could not believe what I was hearing. Kaede had gone off on
her own, without telling me or asking me? "How long ago? When is she
expected back?"
"She left shortly after the Festival." Manami looked as if she would
burst into tears. "I don't want to alarm Your Lordship, but I expected
her before now."
"Why did you not go with her?"
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"She would not allow it. She wanted to ride, to go quickly so she would
be back before your return."
"Light the lamps and send someone to fetch Lord Sugita," I said, but it
seemed he had already heard of my return and was on his way.
I walked into the residence. I thought I could still smell Kaede's
fragrance on the air. The beautiful rooms with their hangings and
painted screens were all as she had designed them; the memory of her
presence was everywhere.
Manami had told the maids to bring lamps, and their shadowy forms moved
silently through the rooms. One of them approached me and whispered
that the bath was ready for me, but I told her I would speak with
Sugita first.
I went into Kaede's favorite room and my gaze fell on the writing table
where she knelt so often to copy the records of the Tribe. The wooden
box that held them always stood alongside the table; it was not there.
I was wondering if she had hidden it or taken it with her when the maid
announced Sugita's arrival.
"I entrusted my wife to you," I said. I was beyond rage, just cold to
the depths of my being. "Why did you allow her to leave?"
He looked surprised at the question. "Forgive me," he said. "Lady Otori
insisted on going. She took plenty of men with her, led by Amano Tenzo.
My nephew, Hiroshi, went too. It was a pleasure trip, to see her family
home and bring her sisters here."
"Then why has she not returned?" It seemed harmless enough; maybe I was
overreacting.
"I am sure she will be back tomorrow," Sugita said. "Lady Naomi
made many such journeys; the domain is used to their mistress traveling
in this fashion."
The maid brought tea and food, and we talked briefly of my journey
while I ate. I had not told Sugita exactly what I'd had in mind in case
it all came to nothing, and I did not go into details now but merely
said that I was working out a long-term strategy.
There was no word from the Miyoshi brothers and no reports on what
either Arai or the Otori were up to. I felt as if I were wandering in
half-darkness. I wanted to talk to Kaede and I hated this lack of
information. If only I had a network of spies working for me... I found
myself wondering as I had before if it would be possible to find
talented children--Tribe orphans, if such children existed--and bring
them up for my own purposes. I thought of my son with a strange
longing. Would he have a combination of Yuki's talents and mine? If he
did, they would be used against me. Sugita said, "I hear young Jiro
died."
"Yes, sadly. He was struck by an arrow that was intended for me."
"What a blessing Your Lordship escaped!" he exclaimed. "What happened
to the assassin?"
"He died. It will not be the last attempt. It is the work of the
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Tribe." I wondered how much Sugita knew about my Tribe blood, what
rumors had been circulating about me during my absence. "By the way, my
wife was copying something for me. What happened to the box and the
scrolls?"
"She never let them out of her sight," he replied. "If they are not
here, she must have taken them with her."
I did not want to show my concern, so I said no more. Sugita left me
and I took a bath, calling to one of the maids to come and scrub my
back, wishing Kaede would suddenly appear as she had at Niwa's house, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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