"I am very fond of Ishida," Fujiwara said, "and I know you had become attached to your woman. It's a tragedy, but we must try to comfort each other in our grief." He clapped his hands. "Bring wine, Mamoru. And I think we will begin our entertainment." He leaned toward Kaede. "We don't have to hurry: We have all night."

She still had not grasped his meaning. She glanced at his face, saw the cruel set of his mouth and the skin's pallor, the tiny muscle in his jaw that gave him away. His eyes turned to her and she looked away to the posts. A sudden faintness came over her; the lanterns and the white stones began to swirl around her. She took a deep breath to steady herself.

"Don't do this," she whispered. "It is not worthy of you."

In the distance a dog was howling. It howled and howled without ceasing. It is Ishida's dog It is Ishida's dog, Kaede thought, and could almost believe it was her own heart, for it expressed utterly her horror and despair.

"Disobedience and disloyalty to me must be punished," he said, "and in a way that will discourage others."

"If they must die, make it swift," she said. "I will do anything you ask of me in return."

"But you already should do that," he said, almost puzzled. "What else can you offer that a wife should not already do?"

"Be merciful," she begged.

"I do not have a merciful nature," he replied. "You have run out of bargaining power, my dear wife. You thought you could use me for your own purposes. Now I will use you for mine."

Kaede heard footsteps on the gravel. She looked toward the sound as though the power of her gaze could reach Shizuka and save her. Guards walked slowly to the posts. They were armed with swords and they carried other instruments whose appearance brought a metallic taste of fear to her mouth. Most of the men were somber-faced, but one of them was grinning with nervous excitement. Between them, Ishida and Shizuka were two small figures, weak human bodies with an immense capacity for pain.

Neither of them made a sound as they were tied to the posts, but Shizuka raised her head and looked at Kaede.

This cannot happen. They will take poison, Kaede told herself.

Fujiwara said, "I don't think we left your woman with any way of saving herself, but it will be interesting to see."

Kaede had no idea what Fujiwara intended to do, what torture and cruel death he had devised, but she had heard enough stories at Noguchi Castle to be able to imagine the worst. She realized she was on the edge of losing control. She half rose, in itself unthinkable in Fujiwara's presence, and tried to plead with him, but even as the words came stumbling from her there was a disturbance at the front gate. Guards called out briefly, and two men came into the garden.

One was Murita, the man who had come to escort her and had then ambushed and killed her men. He carried his sword in his left hand; his right hand was still scarred from when she had cut it. She thought she did not know the other, though there was something familiar about him. Both knelt before Fujiwara, and Murita spoke.

"Lord Fujiwara, forgive me for disturbing you, but this man says he brings an urgent message from Lord Arai."

Kaede had sunk to the floor again, grateful for this brief respite. She turned her eyes to the other man, noticed his big hands and long arms, and realized with a shock that it was Kondo. He had dissembled his features, and when he spoke, his voice was changed too. But surely Murita and Fujiwara would know him.

"Lord Fujiwara, Lord Arai sends his greetings to you. Everything is going according to plan."

"Is Otori dead yet?" the n.o.bleman asked, glancing briefly at Kaede.

"Not yet," the man replied. "But in the meantime Lord Arai asks that you return Muto Shizuka to him. He has a particular personal interest in her and wishes to keep her alive."

For a moment Kaede felt hope flood into her heart. Fujiwara would not dare harm Shizuka if Arai wanted her back.

"What a strange request," Fujiwara said, "and a strange messenger." He ordered Murita, "Disarm him. I don't trust him."

The dog howled with a new intensity of fear. It seemed to Kaede that there was a moment of stillness, and then as she tried to call out, as Murita stepped toward Kondo, as Kondo drew his sword, the whole world groaned and lifted. The veranda rose through the air; the trees flew and then crashed; the house behind her shook and was torn apart. More dogs were barking now, frantically. The caged birds shrieked in alarm. The air was full of dust. From the fallen buildings came the screams of women and the instant crackling of fire.

The veranda landed heavily with a thud that shook Kaede's body; the floor was slanting back toward the house, the roof splintering above her. Her eyes were full of fragments of dust and straw. For a moment she thought she was trapped, then she saw that she could climb out and began to scrabble up the strange slope the veranda had a.s.sumed. Over its edge she saw as if in a dream Shizuka slip her hands from the bindings, kick one of the guards between the legs, take his sword from him, and slash him in the neck. Kondo had already dealt Murita a blow that had almost cut him in half.

Fujiwara was lying behind Kaede, partly covered by the fallen roof. His body was twisted and he did not seem to be able to get up, but he reached out to her and took her ankle in his hand, the first time he had ever touched her. His fingers were cold and his grip inescapable. The dust was making him cough, his clothes were filthy, and he smelled of sweat and urine beneath the customary fragrance; yet when he spoke his voice was as calm as ever.

"If we are to die, let us die together," he said.

Behind him she could hear the flames, crackling and snarling like a living creature. The smoke thickened, stinging her eyes and masking all the other smells.

She pulled and kicked against his clutching fingers.

"I just wanted to possess you," he said. "You were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I wanted you to be mine and no one else's. I wanted to intensify your love for Takeo by denying it so I could share in the tragedy of your suffering."

"Let go of me!" she screamed. She could feel the heat of the fire now. "Shizuka! Kondo! Help me!"

Shizuka was fully occupied with the other guards, fighting like a man. Ishida's hands were still tied to the post. Kondo killed one of the guards from behind, turned his head at Kaede's voice, and then strode toward the burning house. He leaped onto the edge of the veranda.

"Lady Otori," he said, "I'll free you. Run to the garden, to the pools. Shizuka will look after you." He climbed down and deliberately cut through Fujiwara's wrist. The n.o.bleman gave one harsh scream of pain and outrage; his hand fell from Kaede's ankle.

Kondo pushed her upward and over the edge. "Take my sword. I know you can defend yourself."

He thrust it into her hands and went on swiftly: "I swore allegiance to you. I meant it. I would never let anyone hurt you while I live. But it was a crime for someone like me to kill your father. It's even more of a crime to attack a n.o.bleman and kill him. I'm ready to pay for it."

He gave her a look stripped of all irony and smiled. "Run," he said. "Run! Your husband will come for you."

She stepped backward. She saw Fujiwara try to rise, the blood pouring from the stump of his arm. Kondo wound his long arms round the n.o.bleman and held him firmly. The flames burst through the fragile walls and received them both, wrapping them, concealing them.

The heat and the screams engulfed her. He is burning, all his treasures are burning He is burning, all his treasures are burning, she thought wildly. She thought she heard k.u.miko cry out from the inferno and wanted to do something to save her, but as she started toward the house, Shizuka pulled her back.

"You are on fire!"

Kaede dropped the sword and put her hands uselessly to her head as the flames erupted on her oiled hair.

11.

The sun set and the moon rose over the still surface of the sea, making a silver road for our fleet to follow. It was so bright, I could see clearly the range of mountains behind the coast we were leaving. The tide rippled under the hulls and the sails flapped in the offsh.o.r.e breeze. The oars splashed in a steady rhythm.

We came to Oshima in the early hours of the morning. A white mist rose from the surface of the sea, and Fumio told me it would be the same for the next few nights as the air grew colder. It was perfect for our purpose. We spent the day on the island, reprovisioning from the pirates' stores and taking on board more of Terada's men, who were armed with swords, knives, and a variety of other weapons, most of which I'd never seen before.

At the end of the afternoon we went to the shrine and made offerings to Ebisu and Hachiman, praying for calm seas and the defeat of our enemies. The priests gave us conch sh.e.l.ls for each ship and auspicious fortunes that encouraged the men, though Fumio took it all with a certain skepticism, patting his firearm and muttering, "This is more auspicious, in my opinion!" while I was happy enough to pray to any G.o.d, knowing that they were simply different faces, created by men, of one indivisible truth.

The moon, one night off full, was rising over the mountains as we set sail for Hagi.This time Kenji, Taku, and I went with Ryoma in his smaller, swifter boat. I left Zenko in Fumio's care, having told him of the boy's parentage and impressing on him the importance of keeping Aral's son alive. Just before dawn the mist began to form above the water, shrouding us as we approached the sleeping city. From across the bay I could hear the first roosters crowing and the early bells from Tokoji and Daishoin.

My plan was to go straight to the castle. I had no desire to destroy my city or see the Otori clan wash blood with blood. I thought that if we could kill or capture the Otori lords right away, there was every chance the clan would side with me rather than tear itself apart. This was also the opinion of the Otori warriors who had already joined me. Many of them had begged to be allowed to accompany me and take part in the vengeance firsthand. They all had experiences of ill treatment, insults, and breaches of faith. But my aim was to penetrate the castle silently and secretly. I would take only Kenji and Taku. I placed all the other men under Terada's command.

The old pirate had been alight with excitement and the antic.i.p.ation of settling long-standing scores. I'd given him some instructions: The boats were to remain offsh.o.r.e until daybreak. Then they were to sound the conch sh.e.l.ls and advance through the mist. The rest was up to him. I hoped to be able to convince the city to surrender; if not, we would fight through the streets to the bridge and open it for Arai's army.

The castle was built on a promontory between the river and the sea. I knew, from my visit on the day of my adoption, that the residence was on the seaward side, where a huge wall, considered to be invulnerable, rose from the water around it.

Kenji and Taku had their grapples and other Tribe weapons. I was armed with throwing knives, a short sword, and Jato.

The moon set and the mist grew thicker. The boat drifted silently toward the sh.o.r.e and nudged the seawall with the faintest of sounds. One by one we climbed onto the wall and went invisible.

I heard footsteps above our heads and a voice called out, "Who's there? Name yourself.'"

Ryoma answered in the dialect of a Hagi fisherman, "Only me. Got a bit lost in this dirty mist."

"Got a bit p.i.s.sed, you mean," a second man called back. "Get out of here! If we can see you when the fog clears, we'll put an arrow in you." The sound of the oar faded away. I hissed at the other two-I couldn't see either of them-and we began to climb. It was a slow process; the wall, washed twice a day by the tide, was coated in seaweed and slippery. But inch by inch we crawled up it and eventually came to its top. One last autumn cricket was chirping and it fell suddenly silent. Kenji chirped in its place. I could hear the guards talking at the far corner of the bailey. A lamp and a brazier burned beside them. Beyond them lay the residence where the Otori lords, their retainers, and families would be sleeping.

I could hear only two voices, which surprised me. I'd thought there would be more, but from their conversation I gathered that all available men had been posted on the bridge and along the river in antic.i.p.ation of Arai's attack.

"Wish he'd get it over with," one of them grumbled. "It's this waiting I can't stand."

"He must know how little food there is in the town," the other replied. "Probably thinks he can starve us out."

"I suppose it's better to have him out there than in here."

"Enjoy it while you can. If the town falls to Arai, it'll be a bloodbath. Even Takeo ran away into a typhoon rather than face Arai!"

I felt alongside me for Taku, found his shape, and pulled his head close to me. "Go inside the wall," I mouthed in his ear. "Distract them while we take them from behind."

I felt him nod and heard the tiny sound as he moved away. Kenji and I followed him over the wall. In the glow from the brazier I suddenly caught sight of a small shadow. It flitted across the ground and then divided in two, silent and ghostly.

"What was that?" one of the guards exclaimed.

They were both on their feet and staring toward Taku's two images. It was easy for us: We took one each, soundlessly.

The guards had just made tea, so we drank it while we waited for daybreak. The sky paled gradually. There was no separation between it and the water; it was all one shimmering surface. When the conch sh.e.l.ls began to sound, the hair stood up on the back of my neck. Dogs howled in response from the sh.o.r.e.

I heard the household within erupt into activity: the padding of feet, not yet frantic, cries of surprise, not yet alarm. The shutters were thrown open and the doors slid apart. A group of guards rushed out, followed by Shoichi and Masahiro, still in night attire but with their swords in their hands.

They stopped dead as I walked toward them, Jato unsheathed in my hand, the mist wreathing around me. Behind me the first ships were appearing; the conch sh.e.l.ls sang again over the water and the sound echoed back from the mountains around the bay.

Masahiro took a step back. "Shigeru?" he gasped.

His older brother went white. They saw the man they had tried to murder; they saw the Otori sword in his hand, and they were terrified.

I said in a loud voice, "I am Otori Takeo, grandson of Shigemori, nephew and adopted son of Shigeru. I hold you responsible for the death of the rightful heir to the Otori clan. You sent Shintaro to a.s.sa.s.sinate him, and when that failed, you conspired with Iida Sadamu to murder him. Iida has already paid with his life, and now you will!" I was aware that Kenji stood behind me, sword drawn, and hoped Taku was still invisible. I did not take my eyes off the men in front of me. Shoichi tried to regain his composure. "Your adoption was illegal. You have no claim to Otori blood nor to the sword you carry. We do not recognize you." He called to the retainers. "Cut them down!"

Jato seemed to quiver in my hands as it came alive. I was prepared to meet the attack, but no one moved. I saw Shoichi's face change as he realized he was going to have to fight me himself.

"I have no wish to split the clan," I said. "My only desire is for your heads." I thought I'd given them enough warning. I could feel Jato thirsting for blood. It was as though Shigeru's spirit had taken me over and would have his revenge.

Shoichi was the closer and I knew he was the better swordsman. I would get rid of him first. They had both been good fighters, but they were now old men in their late forties and they wore no armor. I was at the height of speed and fitness, flesh and bone planed by hardship and war. I killed Shoichi with a blow to the neck that cut him diagonally. Masahiro swung at me from behind, but Kenji parried the stroke, and as I spun to meet my other opponent I saw fear distort his face. I pushed him back toward the wall. He avoided each stroke, weaving and parrying, but his heart was not in it. He made one last appeal to his men, but still not one of them moved.

The first ships were not far offsh.o.r.e. Masahiro looked behind him, looked back, and saw Jato descend on him. He made a frantic, ducking movement and fell over the wall.

Furious that he had escaped me, I was about to jump after him when his son, Yos.h.i.tomi, my old enemy from the fighting hall, came running from the residence, followed by a handful of his brothers and cousins. None of them was more than twenty.

"I'll fight you, sorcerer," Yos.h.i.tomi cried. "Let's see if you can fight like a warrior!"

I had gone into an almost supernatural state, and Jato was enraged by now and had tasted blood. It moved faster than the eye could follow. Whenever I seemed to be outnumbered, Kenji was at my side. I was sorry such young men had to die but glad that they, too, paid for the treachery of their fathers. When I was able to turn my attention back to Masahiro, I saw he had surfaced near a small boat at the front of the line of ships. It was Ryoma's. Seizing his father by his hair, the young man pulled him upward and cut his throat with one of the knives fishermen use to gut fish. Whatever Masahiro's crimes, this was a far more terrible death than any I could have devised for him: to be killed by his own son while trying to escape in fear.

I turned to face the crowd of retainers. "I have a huge force of men on the ships out there and Lord Arai is in alliance with me. I have no quarrel with any of you. You may take your own lives, you may serve me, or you may fight me one-on-one now. I have fulfilled my duty to Lord Shigeru and done what he commanded."

I could still feel his spirit inhabiting me.

One of the older men stepped forward. I remembered his face, but his name escaped me.

"I am Endo Chikara. Many of us have sons and nephews who have already joined you. We have no desire to fight our own children. You have done what was your duty and your right in a fair and honorable way. For the sake of the clan, I am prepared to serve you, Lord Otori."

With that he knelt and one by one the others followed. Kenji and I went through the residence and placed guards on the women and children. I hoped the women would take their own lives honorably. I would decide what to do with the children later. We checked all the secret places and flushed out several spies hidden there. Some were obviously Kikuta, but neither in the residence nor the castle was there any sign of Kotaro, who Kenji had been told was in Hagi.

Endo came with me to the castle. The captain of the guard there was equally relieved to be able to surrender to me; his name was Miyoshi Satoru: He was Kahei and Gemba's father. Once the castle was secured, the boats came to sh.o.r.e and the men disembarked to move through the town street by street.

Taking the castle, which I had thought would be the hardest part of my plan, turned out to be the easiest. Despite its surrender and my best efforts, the town did not give in altogether peacefully. The streets were in chaos; people tried to flee, but there was nowhere to go. Terada and his men had scores of their own to settle, and there were pockets of stubborn resistance that we had to overcome in fierce hand-to-hand fighting.

Finally we came to the banks of the western river, not far from the stone bridge. Judging by the sun, it must have been late afternoon. The mist had lifted long ago, but smoke from burning houses hung above the river. On the opposite bank, the last of the maple leaves were brilliant red and the willows along the water's edge were yellow. The leaves were falling, drifting in the eddies. Late chrysanthemums bloomed in gardens. In the distance I could see the fish weir, and the tiled walls along the bank.

My bouse is there, I thought. I will sleep there tonight I will sleep there tonight.

But the river was full of men swimming and small boats loaded to the gunwales, while a long stream of soldiers pressed toward the bridge.

Kenji andTaku were still alongside me, Taku silenced by what he had seen of war. We stared at the sight: the remnants of the Otori army in defeat. I was filled with pity for them and anger at their lords who had so misled and betrayed them, leaving them to fight this desperate rearguard action while they slept comfortably in Hagi Castle.

I had been separated from Fumio, but now I saw him at the bridge with a handful of his men. They seemed to be arguing with a group of Otori captains. We went over to them. Zenko was with Fumio, and he smiled briefly at his brother. They stood close to each other but did not say anything.

"This is Lord Otori Takeo," Fumio, told the men when I approached. "The castle has surrendered to him. He'll tell you." He turned to me. "They want to destroy the bridge and prepare for siege. They don't believe in the alliance with Arai. They've been fighting him off for the last week. He's right behind them. They say their only hope is to get the bridge down immediately."

I removed my helmet so they could see my face. They immediately dropped to their knees. "Arai has sworn to support me," I said. "The alliance is genuine. Once he knows the town has surrendered, he will cease the attack."

"Let's break the bridge down anyway," their leader said.

I thought of the ghost of the stonemason entombed alive in his cre-ation and of the inscription that Shigeru had read aloud to me: The Otori The Otori clan welcome the just and the loyal. Let the unjust and the disloyal beware clan welcome the just and the loyal. Let the unjust and the disloyal beware. I did not want to destroy such a precious thing, and anyway, I could not see how they would dismantle it in time.

"No, let it stand," I replied. "I will answer for Lord Arai's faithfulness. Tell your men they have nothing to fear if they surrender to me and accept me as their lord."

Endo and Miyoshi came up on horseback and I sent them to carry the message to the Otori soldiers. Little by little the confusion settled. We cleared the bridge and Endo rode to the other side to organize a more orderly return to the town. Many men were rea.s.sured enough to settle down where they were and rest, while others decided they might as well go home, and set off for their farms and houses.

Miyoshi said, "You should be on horseback, Lord Takeo," and gave me his horse, a good-looking black that reminded me of Aoi. I mounted, rode across the bridge to speak to the men there, causing them to break out into cheers, and then rode back with Endo. When the cheers died away I could hear the distant sound of Arai's army approaching, the tramping of horses and men.

They came down the valley, a stream of ants in the distance, k.u.ma-moto and Seishuu banners unfurled. As they came closer I recognized Arai at their head: chestnut horse, stag-antlered helmet, red-laced armor.

I leaned down to say to Kenji, "I should go and meet him."

Kenji frowned as he peered across the river. "Something feels wrong," he said quietly.

"What?"