Gloria Oliver (30 page)

Toshi strolled down the wide street as the city of Narashi awakened around him. People ignored him as he walked past, too busy with the rituals of opening their shops and restaurants. The strong scent of cooking rice and fish began to permeate the air, reminding him he’d yet to have breakfast.

Disregarding his awakening hunger, he stared only straight ahead, not letting himself be distracted by all the activity around him, and tried to look fierce as he’d seen samurai do. The kettle felt heavy in his hand.

He passed a couple of samurai, and it took all his will not to cringe and shy away from them as they passed each other. They paid him no attention as they strolled by.

A steep hill soon rose before him, the way paved with worn, flat stones split into long tiers. Merchants along the road shouted at him from their colorful stores, trying hard to draw his attention to their wares, making it sound like his life couldn’t be complete without some new cups, melons or wine. He felt a pang inside him as the activity reminded him of home.

Lord Asano’s castle grew like a mountain before him. Its white, multi-storied towers reached grandly toward the sky. Its dark, angled roof beckoned him ever closer.

As he reached the top of the long hill, he noticed the huge stone wall surrounding the castle grounds. He stared at what he could see of the buildings beyond it, their white, magnificent walls gleaming in the sun.

Excitement mixed with nervousness as he forced himself to go on and try to find the castle’s main gate.

Moving along the slow curving wall, he eventually came upon it.

The wooden gates stood open. They were as tall and thick as a man and reinforced with studded iron bands. It was obvious they would be able to withstand all forms of attack. Beyond them, he could see a broad, paved road leading into the interior. Three samurai stood on either side of the entrance, and they stared at him as he approached.

Trying hard to remember what Miko had told him about whom he was supposed to be, Toshi strode purposefully toward them and ignored their stares. As he started to enter through the gate, the samurai moved to block his path.

“Move out of my way. I have urgent business with Lord Asano,” he commanded. He hoped his voice didn’t reflect the fear he felt. A shiver shot through him when the men didn’t stir.

“We had not heard anyone was expected to visit our lord today,” one of the guards said.

“I am not expected.” He tried to put a touch of impatience in his voice as he saw the guards tense before him. “This will explain everything.”

He reached inside his kimono and removed the bamboo tube. He carefully removed the writ from its container and handed it to the nearest samurai. He tried his best to look indignant, trying to imitate Master Shun’s favorite expression as the man read through it.

“I see. Sorry, sir, for the delay,” the samurai said quickly. “I’ll escort you to the next duty station immediately.”

Toshi tried to hide his relief and retrieved the writ from the guard. Following him, he attempted not to stare at the steep walls on either side of the road as it wound into the castle grounds. They hadn’t gone far before the road began to narrow and then took a ninety-degree turn. Four guards waited around the corner and questioned him on his business. As soon as he’d shown them the writ, the samurai that had walked up with him turned back around and returned to the main gate. One of the four guards volunteered to escort him to the next duty station.

Though he could catch glimpses of the castle proper as they continued up the winding road, the high walls kept all else from view and also kept him disoriented. He was about to despair of ever reaching the end when a large, closed gate came into view around a bend. A brawny samurai stood before a door cut into the gate. His guide led him right to the man.

“This man has business with our lord, Kitaro-san.”

“Is that so?” Kitaro said. Toshi tried not to flinch at the guard’s haughty tone. “Well, there may be a problem, then. Orders are no one is to be allowed within unless it is under the express orders of Tsuyu-sama or Asano-sama.”

Automatically, Toshi presented the writ with a crisp twist of his arm. The samurai’s left eyebrow arched high as he read the parchment. His gaze rose to meet Toshi’s. Toshi kept his face expressionless, telling himself over and over he had every right to be there, and this man wouldn’t be able to stop him.

The samurai’s hard gaze rested on him for a few moments more and then broke away. Toshi held out his hand for the writ. Reluctantly, the guard returned it to him.

“What are the contents of the bundles you carry?” the guard asked.

He opened his mouth to give some sort of lie, then clamped it shut. He stared the samurai in the face and didn’t answer. He nervously waited for something to happen, not willing to give anything away so early in the game.

With a slight nod, the samurai turned away and pounded on the door.

“Rin, open up. Our lord has a visitor.” His words were followed by a coded knock.

The door built into the gate swung inwards. The brawny samurai stepped out of the way.

“Thank you.” Toshi slightly bowed toward both samurai and then, with curiosity welling inside him, he stepped through the doorway.

Eight guards stepped aside as he entered. As he walked forward, two of the samurai fell in with him, one in front and one behind. Following their lead, he crossed an immaculate courtyard to an open entrance leading into one of the castle’s white, tall buildings.

He tried to quell a sharp spear of excitement as he readied the writ to hand to one of the two samurai standing at the entrance. Once it’d been verified things were in order, his escorts returned to the gate. The two guards at the door stepped aside to let him pass.

Trying to seem confident, he strolled on in. There, he found a small foyer with a place for him to remove his shoes. Slipping off his sandals, he turned to face away from the door and allowed his gaze to sweep across the simple room. As he began to wonder what he should do next, a young woman, probably three to four years older than he with a bright smile appeared from a side room he hadn’t noticed before.

“Welcome to Shiroyama Castle, young sir.” The woman bowed low, and he did the same.

“I am here to see Lord Asano,” he told her.

“I understand. Please, if you would follow me?”

Holding the handle of the wrapped kettle a little tighter, he followed the woman down a broad, wood-paneled hall. Unable to help himself, he stared into every open room they passed on the way. He admired the dark, thick columns and roof beams and the thick scent of oiled wood. The beams looked as solid as mountains. Everything around him was immaculate and perfect.

The young, dark-blue-dressed woman reached a huge wooden staircase and bade him follow her upstairs. The stairs narrowed and continued past the third floor. He watched servants and guards as they went about their daily business, none of them paying him any attention.

He followed the woman down a small corridor to the left of the landing. They’d gone about halfway down when she stopped before a sliding door and gracefully opened it for him.

“Please, go right in. Kirin-san schedules Asano-sama’s appointments with all visitors,” she said.

“Thank you.” After they’d exchange bows, he peered after her as she strode back the way she’d come.

Once she’d disappeared, he took a deep breath and entered the room.

The place was small and sparsely furnished. All it contained were a low table and a niche at the back displaying a colorful scroll that brightened up the otherwise drab room. Sitting behind the table was a thin, gnarled man who was hunched over, writing.

He slid the door closed behind him. The old man didn’t look up. Toshi bowed toward him. “My name is Kazete Toshiro, and I desire an appointment to see Lord Asano.”

The thin face turned up to him. “Lord Asano is not seeing any visitors.”

Toshi stared at him in surprise as the man looked back down to continue his writing as if nothing else needed to be said.

“It is urgent I see him,” he said. “I’ve a very important package to deliver to him.”

“I’m sorry, but our lord doesn’t have time to see every messenger that requests an appointment. If you have something for him, please leave it here and I’ll see that it eventually reaches him.”

He heard a touch of impatience sift into the old man’s tone.

“This must be delivered in person,” he insisted.

“That is impossible.”

He felt a tendril of anger growing in him at the man’s indifference.

“This should make it possible.” He removed the bamboo container from his kimono and laid it on Kirin’s table.

With a touch of curiosity showing on his face, the gnarled man reached for the cylinder and carefully extracted the writ from inside. He brought it close to his narrowed eyes and raked over its contents.

There was an intensity in his gaze when he looked up at Toshi that the boy hadn’t seen in him before.

“This document is quite old. How did you come by it?” Kirin asked.

“My lord entrusted it to me so I might finally finish the task for which it had been originally issued. Lord Asano has waited for what I carry for a long time, and it is my task to deliver it only to him.”

“Hm, yes, I see. Well, young sir, getting in to see him may not be easy. Things are not as they once were.”

Wondering what the old man meant, Toshi retrieved the writ as Kirin handed it back to him.

“I make the appointments for visitors, but I need to confer with the man responsible for his internal appointments, and then with the secretary of Lord Asano’s affairs. Only then will I be able to request for a time to be allotted for your appointment.” Kirin rose to his feet.

“I would appreciate anything you could do.”

The old man nodded, his gaze not meeting Toshi’s.

“I’ll send someone to show you to the waiting room. I’ll notify you as soon as an appointment has been arranged.”

“Thank you.” He sat down on the tatami floor and wondered at the odd things Kirin had said once he had gone. After only a short while, the same young woman who had brought him here showed up at the door.

“Kazete-sama, my name is Yuko,” she said. “I’ve been assigned to care for you while you wait for your appointment. If it’s convenient, I’ll show you to the waiting room.”

He nodded and then rose to his feet to follow her out into the corridor. They walked back to the landing and, crossing it, turned down another hall. Yuko led him to a lively decorated room on the left.

“Refreshments will arrive shortly,” she said. “If you have need of anything, please call, I won’t be far.”

“Thank you.” He watched Yuko close the door, leaving him alone. Sitting down in the middle of the six-mat room, he took his time studying the diversified paintings on the panels forming the walls. Gold leaf around their rims increased what small amount of light poured through the small, strategic windows set high on the wall. He hadn’t been looking at them for long before Yuko returned.

He felt his mouth water as she set a tray of sweet cakes and tea before him. With practiced ease, Yuko served him.

“Thank you.”

“If I might ask, sir, you’re not from around here, are you?” she asked as she gazed at him curiously.

He took a long sip of tea, wondering why it always seemed so obvious to everyone he was a stranger.

“No, I’m new to these parts. This is my first time in Narashi. Why do you ask?”

Yuko smiled. “Just curious, sir. You see, this room has lain empty for a long time. No one has come asking for an audience with our lord, not since—”

He saw her eyes suddenly narrow suspiciously, and she didn’t finish what she had been about to say.

“Yes?” he prompted.

“I’m sorry, sir, I guess I was getting a little carried away. Please forgive me.” She stood up to leave. “If you’re still here during lunch, I’ll make sure something is brought to you.”

He watched as she bowed and left, confused by her abrupt change in attitude. First Kirin had mentioned some rather disturbing things, and now Yuko had done so as well. What was going on here?

He puzzled over what he had heard for a while. As time crept by, he realized he hadn’t seen or heard anyone since Yuko had brought him his tea. It somehow didn’t seem natural.

Bored, he stood up and walked about the large room to look more closely at the paintings. He ignored his stomach as it clamored for more food. He turned around as he heard the door slide open.

“Sir, would you like me to serve you?” Yuko bowed from where she sat before the door, a filled tray beside her.

“Please, if you would.”

Not totally displeased his visitor was Yuko rather than Kirin, he sat and waited as she served him a healthy portion of soup, rice and steamed vegetables. He was eager to start in on his meal, but held back as she got up to go.

“Yuko-san, would you please tell me what you meant by what you told me earlier?”

The young woman stopped in the midst of gathering his morning tray.

“I spoke out of turn, sir.” She wouldn’t meet his eyes. “It was wrong of me to have brought it up. Please, forget about it.”

“No, you must tell me,” he insisted. “I’m new here. I need to know what’s going on. Please, Yuko-san.”

The young woman stared at him for a long time before she replied.

“It is my duty to care for the needs of those waiting for an audience with our lord. Normally, it kept me very busy, but that isn’t so anymore. For some time, I’ve had more free time on my hands than I might have ever wished for.”

“So, no one comes to see Lord Asano? Do you know why?”

He studied Yuko’s almond-shaped face as she hesitated. He saw her take a quick glance toward the door before answering him in a whisper.

“Asano-sama is not the man he once was. Tsuyu-sama runs everything now. I don’t know if our lord is even aware of the fact.” She hesitated. “Asano-sama isn’t allowed visitors without Tsuyu-sama’s consent.

No one is allowed into the castle without his invitation.” She stared at him oddly at the last. “I really must be going, sir. I’ll return later.”