Gloria Oliver (33 page)

Looking around, he saw a giant paneled painting in the back of the room that colorfully depicted the goings-on of a busy city street. On the rest of the walls were less colorful but still magnificent paintings depicting nature’s sweet serenity.

“I’m glad you accepted my invitation, Toshiro-san.” Himiko sat across the room from him, a soft blue-green kimono immaculately arranged around her. A low table sat at her side and two well-dressed women sat a foot or so behind her. “Please come forward. Share some tea with me.”

She gracefully used a folded fan to point to a place not far from her.

A little nervous now that he was with her, he rose to do as he’d been bid. As he sat, one of the two women shuffled forward and served him tea as the other presented him with a dish full of delicate tidbits.

He felt Himiko’s gaze lingering on him as he took a sip of his drink.

“Have you seen any good Noh plays lately?” she asked.

He looked up at her as she delivered her evenly paced question.

“No, I’m afraid I haven’t. I haven’t seen a play in some time.”

“A pity,” she said. “Normally, I go see every new Noh play or group that comes into the city. Noh, Bunraku, even the rising Kabuki—I love them all. Unfortunately it’s been beyond my power to get away to enjoy any of late.”

He looked at his cup, wondering at the words she’d chosen. Were the troubles in this castle even worse than he’d thought?

“I’ve never been outside Narashi,” she added. “This city is Nihon to me. It always fascinates me when someone from the outside comes here. It’s almost like being visited by gaijin.”

He saw an undercurrent of excitement fill Himiko’s face. He knew the look; he’d had it himself when he’d first met Captain Valez and his crew. It had been a very frightening and wondrous thing to meet gaijin.

“Have you ever been outside Nihon, Toshiro-san?” she asked.

He felt all their eyes glued to him. “Well, ah, no, I haven’t. Though I have made copies of maps and charts of other countries brought to us by gaijin.”

Himiko leaned forward, her eyes alight. “Do you think you could draw one for me?”

“It wouldn’t be exact—” Her gaze held his. “But I guess I could try.”

“Excellent! Akiko, please fetch paper and ink for Toshiro-san.”

Within moments, the servant returned with what he required. After arranging it all on the small table that had been brought for him, he blocked out everything but the empty paper before him. He planned in his mind what would go where—the compass points, the equator—and then carefully rolled his brush in the ink and started to draw. As the countries took shape, he wrote down what names he could remember.

He purposely left Nihon for last.

“That’s us?” Himiko asked in amazement.

He jerked his head up, not having realized she had risen to sit beside him.

“Uh, yes, that’s Nihon.” He licked his lips, nervous to have Lord Asano’s daughter so close. The sweet fragrance of her long black hair coiled around him as she leaned past him to point at the map.

“It seems so small. I had always thought it would be larger.”

Not sure if he should say something or not, he found the decision torn from him as the doors slid open with a bang. Everyone in the room turned to stare in surprise.

Dominating the open doorway was a hefty man with fists set on his hips and an arrogant look plastered on his face. His clothes bore the new crest Toshi had seen on two of the four guards at the landing.

Toshi glanced at Himiko as she rose to her feet. Her expression was as hard as stone.

“Lord Tsuyu.” She did not say the name kindly.

“Ah, good evening, Himiko-chan
.”
He used the endearment as if she were trivial rather than a close friend. “I hope you don’t mind my impromptu visit.”

Tsuyu barely bowed in her direction as he came into the room. Himiko didn’t return it.

“It’s always so pleasant to see you.” Himiko’s voice was cold.

“Yes, so nice of you to say so.” The hefty man’s penetrating gaze left her and stabbed at the two servants. They instantly rushed to serve him where he stood. Tsuyu sipped his tea as the tension palpably grew in the room. “I see you have a guest, Himiko-chan. Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

With a slight nod, she turned in Toshi’s direction. He saw a look of worry momentarily flash across her eyes. “This is Kazete Toshiro. Kazete-san, this is my father’s current main vassal, Lord Tsuyu.”

Toshi bowed low. “I am honored to meet you, sir.” As he sat back up, he heard Himiko move away to return to her original seat. She didn’t invite Tsuyu to sit.

“So, Kazete-san, how long have you been here in the castle?”

“Only a few days, sir,” he answered.

“Are you on urgent business?” The question was asked pleasantly enough but at the same time seemed forced.

Toshi stared into the lord’s antagonistic face and didn’t like what he saw there. “No, sir, nothing urgent.”

“Kazete-san and I were introduced at a Noh play a year or so ago,” Himiko said. “We spoke at some length during the intermission. He happened to mention he was about to go on a long journey in which he would get to meet gaijin. Since I’ve never been outside Narashi, I invited him to visit me upon his return.

Father had been well enough then to sign a permit allowing Kazete-san to visit me once he did so.”

He dared not move lest it be taken as a sign she might be lying.

“How unusual. I’d heard nothing of this.” Tsuyu’s eyes were dark. “How long had you been planning to stay?”

Toshi looked away, not liking the question. “It shouldn’t be long.”

“I would think not,” Tsuyu responded haughtily. “Asano-sama has not been well, and we can’t have his guests abusing his hospitality.”

“My father has not minded your long stay or that of your associates. I doubt he would care about one more, especially since he’d previously approved it,” Himiko told him without emotion. “If you wish, though, we could bring the matter to his attention and let him decide how long Kazete-san may stay.”

Tsuyu paled with anger. Toshi didn’t understand the game they were playing. Were there things Asano had not given Tsuyu the authority to deal with?

“I doubt that will be necessary,” Tsuyu said quickly through gritted teeth. “Your father is a very busy man and should not be bothered by such petty concerns.” His dark gaze raked Toshi from head to foot before he abruptly changed the subject. “He’s met gaijin, you say?”

“Yes, just so.” Himiko’s gaze turned toward Toshi. “Kazete-san, why don’t you show Lord Tsuyu the picture you drew for us?”

He took his drawn map from the table and offered it to Tsuyu.

“That is what the world looks like outside of Nihon. A humbling sight, wouldn’t you say, Tsuyu-san?”

Himiko’s eyes were hard.

Toshi watched the large man stare carefully at the map before his eyes rose to stare neutrally toward Himiko. “Perhaps I’ve come at a bad time. I think it would do you good, however, if you could learn as much about traveling as you can from your friend. For, though, you’ve never traveled before, you’ll soon be leaving Narashi forever.”

Tsuyu nodded curtly to both of them then departed as abruptly as he had come in. As Toshi glanced away from the doorway, he saw Himiko sag forward.

“Himiko-sama!”

He and her two attendants rushed to her side even as she forcefully straightened up and waved them away. Her face looked pale. “Akiko, Suyako, we have been very negligent. Surely, our guest is very hungry after all that work. Please fetch our dinner, and close the doors on your way out.”

The two women looked at each other, making no move toward the door.

“Should we not send in some of the others while we’re gone, Himiko-sama?”

“No, you will not. Now, get out!” With fire flashing in her eyes, Himiko grabbed an empty teacup and threw it at them. The two women jumped out of the way of the missile, bowed and rushed from the room.

As soon as the doors had closed, Himiko sagged again, hiding her face behind her hands. Having no idea what he should do, Toshi turned away so as not to shame her and stared at the doors as she cried softly behind him.

He was surprised a few minutes later when Himiko whispered to him, sounding calm, “You must take care, Toshiro-san. I have been careless in my selfishness and now have placed you in great danger.

Tsuyu is a cold and ruthless man. He has taken over as my father’s spirit has waned. It is he who controls who comes and goes from the castle. It is he who has imprisoned me here.”

Toshi glanced over his shoulder to look at her. Her profile was toward him, her gaze far away.

“Not long ago, I loved it here,” she said. “Often, my father and I would stay awake late into the night talking. It was a time when he took an interest in things. It was a time when he valued my opinion. It was a time when Shiroyama was a happy place, infused with a life all its own. It was a time before Tsuyu.”

Her voice grew hard.

“Then he arrived, a visiting lord from some far-off province. No one paid him much attention when he came. He was but one of many others, the son of an old rival. Only, something happened, something between him and my father. Everything began to fall apart.

“My father distanced himself from everyone and everything. He handed Tsuyu the reins of power piece by piece, though he had sons and though there were many more capable and deserving than he.” She grew quiet. “Things have continued to slowly degrade ever since.” She faced him, her gaze locking with his. “You must be careful. Though I’ve no idea what you carry, my father wouldn’t have issued such a writ unless he wanted it badly. Anything he wanted so much might seem like a threat to Tsuyu. And if he perceives you as a threat, he will even bargain with demons to be rid of you.”

The servants returned with their dinner, disturbing the shocked silence. As the women served them, Himiko smiled and gave no hint anything had happened to interrupt her evening at all.

Toshi quietly ate his dinner, a thousand questions piling up inside him. He made light conversation and followed Himiko’s lead, trying to appear as unworried as she.

“Toshiro-san, I’m feeling a little unwell, I think I ate too much. Would it offend you greatly if we cut the evening short?”

Himiko’s servants were busily collecting their dinner dishes.

“Not at all, Himiko-sama. I hope you will feel better soon.” He bowed deeply and picked up the wrapped kettle as he prepared to leave.

“I would like to make it up to you,” she called after him. “Could I impose on your time tomorrow?”

“I would be honored if you would, Himiko-sama.”

“Thank you. It means a lot to me. I have very little with which to distract myself of late.”

Bowing again, he took his leave, the image of Himiko’s delicate face haunting him. To his surprise, he found Yuko waiting for him in the hallway. She bowed before silently leading him back to his room.

As they entered the dark wing filled with empty guestrooms, he couldn’t help but notice the oppressive silence of the place. Anything could happen to him in that silence. Himiko’s warning replayed over and over in his mind.

He tried to shake off his growing dread as Yuko set out his bedding. With a brief glance out into the garden and its own forbidding silence, he slowly closed the panels leading onto the porch. He bade Yuko goodnight when she had finished with his bed and listened to her footsteps as she left. With goose bumps playing over his arms and legs, he disrobed before getting beneath his covers. He tucked the wrapped kettle in with him and made sure to keep his wakizashi at his side. Wide-eyed, he watched the candles burn down in their lanterns as he vainly sought the courage to try to sleep.

Around mid-morning the next day Himiko and her entourage appeared in the garden outside his room.

“Good morning, Toshiro-san,” she said.

“Good morning.” He bowed, glad to see her smiling.

“Isn’t it a beautiful morning? An excellent time for a friendly stroll, don’t you think?”

He grabbed the wrapped kettle and walked outside. The women surrounding Himiko parted as he joined her. He noticed her servants stuck very close to them as they walked, until Himiko curtly gestured at them with a closed fan. The women hesitantly dropped back a small distance.

They walked in silence for a while, until they entered a flowering path almost as bright as Himiko’s flower-studded kimono.

“After our two meetings yesterday, you must surely think ill of me.” Her tone was pleasant, but her eyes stared only straight ahead, making no move to look at him.

“No, Himiko-sama, I don’t,” he responded. “We don’t always act the way we would normally when pressed by stressful circumstances.”

She glanced coyly in his direction for a moment. “You talk as if from experience, Toshiro-san.”

He was silent, not having realized until she’d said it that it was true. “I guess we have something in common, then,” he said. He didn’t add being prisoners within the castle was another thing they shared.

She was forcibly kept here by an enemy; he was kept here by his need to see his mission through.

Himiko raised her voluminous sleeve to hide her mouth as she laughed for a moment. He liked the sound and was pleased he’d somehow been responsible for it.

“Yet, I’m not really sure that’s such a good thing to have in common.” She stared at him, her face becoming serious. “I was not exaggerating about what I told you last night. Tsuyu is an extremely dangerous man. He has plans, and he will do whatever is necessary to see them succeed. I, among others, tried to warn my father of what we saw in him, but by then it was too late. My father would listen to no one but Tsuyu.”

Toshi frowned. “But his power is only temporary, isn’t it? Your father is the true lord, and his sons will inherit his lands after he’s gone.”

Himiko gave him a humorless smile. “Oh, Tsuyu knows this and has already taken steps to rectify it.

Somehow, he’s convinced my father to offer him my hand.”

He stared at her in surprise, Tsuyu’s comment of her upcoming travel echoing in his mind. “I’m sorry.”

“That’s not necessary. It is my fate. So be it. But Tsuyu will rue the day he marries me.” Her smile was filled with malice. He could see a streak of stubbornness and strength inside her greater than his own.