L5r - scroll 04 - The Phoenix (26 page)

The setting brought Kaede wistful memories of tea ceremonies past. This serene place seemed so far from the decaying castle, even though it was just a short distance from the once-white walls. She took a sip of her tea, savoring the warm liquid as it ran down her throat.

"Thank you, Ishikawa," she said, "for arranging this."

He nodded. "Think nothing of it. It's my job to plan for every contingency." He took a sip of tea and smiled at her.

A blush of color rushed into Kaede's cheeks. She turned her eyes down. "Any word from your brother?"

"No word from Kiaku himself," Ishikawa said, "though I have heard o/him from other sources. Apparently he reached Toturi's army safely. I gather he's happy to be there, though their burdens are great."

Kaede nodded. "Hai, I imagine they must be. This winter has been difficult for all of Rokugan."

"The Black Lion especially, I think," Ishikawa said. "Toturi has few friends, and not enough supplies, probably. The Unicorn say that the peasants support him—though that's exactly what you'd

expect the Unicorn to claim."

"Their clan is very close to the soil," Kaede said.

"Too close, if you ask me," Ishikawa replied. "But I hope what they're saying is true. I may not agree with my brother's choice, but I don't wish him unnecessary hardship."

Kaede had a sudden insight. "Ishikawa, my friend, would you have gone with him if I were not here, at the castle?"

The captain of the guard frowned and folded his arms over his broad chest. "I know where my duty lies."

Kaede smiled slightly. "I know that, but you haven't answered my question. If I were to leave here, would you leave as well? I know that your term of service is long passed. Your commission would allow you to live where you liked. Would you leave if I did?"

"Are you thinking of leaving?" he asked.

"Constantly. I can hardly think of anything else."

"You've had word of your brother, Tadaka, then?"

She shook her head. "No. No news. I can't feel him in my mind, either."

"You fear him dead, then?"

"No," she said. "He still lives. I'm sure of it. He's just beyond the reach of my power."

"Why return home, then?" Ishikawa asked. "You can't hold the council without him."

"I would return home before this place destroys my soul," she said, feeling emotions well up. "I can hardly bear to be here any longer. The walls of the castle weigh me down, the air crushes my lungs. There is evil in here, Ishikawa, pure evil."

Ishikawa nodded. "Hai, the empress."

She shook her head. "No, beyond that. Something even Kachiko can't control. A sickness, like the plague that poisons the land—but not a physical sickness, a disease of the soul."

"So, why don't you leave?"

"I doubt the empress will let me," Kaede said. "She wearies of our cat-and-mouse games, but she doesn't want me to go."

"She's like a serpent that torments a caged bird."

"A bird. Yes." Kaede said, adjusting her feather-patterned kimono. "But I'm not sure if she's tormenting me, or trying—in her own way—to ask for help." "Help?" Ishikawa scoffed. "That woman? What kind of help could she need that her brother-in-law couldn't provide?"

"Even revenge grows stale after a time, my friend," Kaede said. She reached across the gently smoldering fire pit and put her hand on his.

Ishikawa started to reply, and then stopped. He closed his mouth and looked into the eyes of the Mistress of the Void.

"I... " she began, and then faltered, her lips slighdy parted.

He leaned over the fire pit and kissed her. Heat from the coals welled up between them. Sweat formed on their brows. Kaede twined her fingers around his. Ishikawa drank the sweetness of her lips.

With a shudder, she pulled free. Their lips parted, and they both sat back on their tatami. She pointed her chin down and looked at the floor. He turned his head away from her.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Don't be," she replied quietly. "I wanted to as well. It's just..."

"Just what?" he asked.

"I still have duties to perform," she said, pulling her kimono tight across her breast.

"Is it your engagement to Toturi?" Ishikawa asked. "I thought the emperor called that off."

"What the emperor commands and what the heart feels are two different things."

Ishikawa leaned back; his face grew grim. "You still have feelings for the Black Lion, then."

"Yes. No. I'm not certain," she said. "The whole world seems upside down—especially here, in the Forbidden City."

"Hai," Ishikawa said, nodding grimly. "We should leave," he said. "Both of us. I'll find a way that even the empress can't foil."

She noticed his cup was empty and refilled it. "I cannot go," she replied. "There's something else. Another reason."

"What is it?"

"The heir. You and I saved his life during the coup. I won't abandon him now. I can't, no matter how sick he is—not without trying to help him at least once more."

"You tried before," he said, "but couldn't lift the plague." "I know," she said. "But all these long months I've studied the disease. I know more about it now. Perhaps I can burn the plague from his body. Perhaps I can succeed where I failed before."

"And if you can't?"

"Then you will need to get us both out of the casde, for I won't have the strength."

Ishikawa nodded.

"The trouble is getting to see Hantei," Kaede said. "Kachiko keeps him locked up tight. If I didn't know better, I'd think she feared him."

"I doubt that," Ishikawa said. "He's still just a boy. And he may not be locked up as tightly as you think."

"What do you mean?"

Ishikawa rubbed his chin. "Recently, I've heard that the emperor wanders the palace late at night."

"Where do you hear such stories?" Kaede asked.

"From the guards. They're willing to tell me things that they'd never tell the Mother of Scorpions. They've seen Hantei prowling the back corridors of the palace, and they're worried. Something about him frightens them. It's as if he were a ghost. The few that have dared speak to him have been quite shaken."

"And you believe these rumors?"

Ishikawa nodded. "I do. Some of the men who have seen him are very reliable."

"Does Kachiko suspect?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "If she did, she'd have someone's head on a pike."

"How could the emperor get past Kachiko and her guards?" Kaede asked.

"Scorpions can't be everywhere at once," Ishikawa said, "not even Kachiko and Aramoro."

Kaede frowned. "So, what do you propose?"

"The next time one of my men sees the emperor, I'll fetch you. We'll speak to him in the dead of night, far from Kachiko's influence."

Kaede nodded. "All right. I'll await your call."

xxxxxxxx

Disquieting blackness swirled around Kaede. She found herself wandering the corridors of the palace, not sure of what she was looking for or even where she was. She wore a light kimono. Chill drafts raised goose bumps on her skin and made her shiver. White lanterns cast long shadows before her feet and down the length of the hall.

A figure stepped from the shadows, barring her way. Kaede gasped; it was her father. He reached out and took her arm with his one good hand. Even in the dim light she saw that his fingers were gnarled and pockmarked. His grip was like iron.

"You're hurting me," she said.

Isawa Ujina looked at her, his eyes blazing beneath his hood. "The clan is in danger," he said."
You
are in danger."

"Father, where have you been?" she asked. "It's been so long since we've seen you."

"They won't listen to me," he said. "You must warn them."

"Warn them of what?"

"The darkness beyond the shadow," the Nameless One said. "They must fight it, not seek it out. Remember! Tell me you'll remember!" He shook her as he said it.

"I'll remember, Father," she said. "But I don't understand. What do you mean?"

"Remember, Kaede. Remember!" he said, still shaking her.

The Mistress of the Void nodded, but the shaking didn't stop.

"Kaede ..." Ujina cried plaintively.

"Kaede!" echoed another voice.

Kaede's eyes snapped open. She was lying on the futon in her room at the palace. A strong hand gripped her shoulder. A husky voice whispered in her ear. "Kaede!" The voice belonged to Ishikawa.

Kaede sat up. "I was dreaming," she said. She ran her hands through her raven hair. Her sleeping kimono fell in revealing folds around her body.

"Kaede, it's time," Ishikawa said. He let go of her shoulder and looked toward the door.

"Time for what?" she asked sleepily.

"I've found the emperor," Ishikawa said. "Get dressed. We must go quickly."

The fog of sleep left Kaede's mind, and she nodded. Ishikawa stood guard while she fetched a heavier robe.

They walked quickly through the halls, their bare feet making hardly a sound. Ishikawa used a series of secret passages to move through the palace. Finally, they reached a little-used corridor abutting the southern wall.

Rounding a corner, they saw the wan form of Hantei the 39th. The boy emperor had propped open a small window and stood looking out across the bare gardens. He wore a pale silk kimono, decorated with designs of mountains and waterfalls.

Ishikawa looked cautiously back down the corridor. "I'll stand guard—buy you time in case anyone comes. You go to the emperor. See what you can do."

She nodded and said, "Be careful, Ishikawa." Reaching out, she squeezed his hand. His flesh felt warm and strong in the darkness.

"You, too," he replied, letting her hand drop. He took up a position at the corner, out of sight of the emperor. Kaede turned and walked toward the boy.

For a moment, Kaede wondered if she were still dreaming. Hantei stood still and silent. She couldn't even hear him breathing. She walked to within arm's reach before he turned to her. His brow was slick with sweat; his eyes were dark and liquid.

"Kaede," he said languidly. "It is you, isn't it?"

"Yes, Majesty," she said, bowing deeply. "It is I."

"I couldn't be sure," he said, turning back to the window. "Everything seems like a dream sometimes."

"Hai," Kaede replied. "I know what you mean. What are you looking at, Majesty?"

"I'm trying to see my father," the boy said. "But I can't make him out through the snow."

"Otennoo-sama," she said quietly, "your father is dead."

"Is he?" Hantei replied. "I would swear that I hear him calling me. His voice is quiet, as if it comes from far away."

"It's your fever speaking, Sire," Kaede said. "Perhaps I could lessen the fire."

"Could you?" Hantei said, smiling. "I think I'd like that." He turned to her and held out his thin fingers.

She reached out, embracing his pale hands in her dark-skinned ones. His skin was cold, clammy, his flesh soft—little more than skin over his bones.

"Relax, Majesty. Open your mind to the healing."

Hantei looked into her eyes. Kaede saw darkness behind his liquid orbs. She reached out with the power of the Void. Their eyes locked; their breath grew shallow; their hearts beat in time with each other.

Kaede felt the pain of the emperor's heart in her own chest. His pulse was weak, irregular, fast. She let her power flow. Hantei's heartbeat slowed and became stronger. She moved on, feeling disease in every fiber of his being. It wrapped around his spine like a serpent, coiling and crushing. She thrust it back, clearing the paths of his nerves, sending the pain into infinity. She was winning this time! Winning!

Disease surged through his blood. No, not plague, poison— some terrible venom brought on by the illness. She tried to fight it but could not. She needed Hantei's help, but he was too weak. She would have to strengthen him, give him hope.

She melded their beings in the Void. She sought out his chi— the seat of his soul, the eternal heart of the samurai. Blackness sprang up around her like ink, but she pressed deeper, ever deeper.

I will enlist his spirit in the battle, she thought. Together, we will banish this illness.

She swam through the toxic sea of darkness, seeking the soul within. Finally, she saw a pinpoint of light, like a distant star. Urging her mind on, she flew toward it.

Kaede raced forward. She could see its shape now—a man, strong and powerful; Hantei as he should be. The man had his back turned, looking away from the troubles that assailed him.

She slowed as she drew near. Gently, she touched him on the shoulder. The glowing man turned. In his eyes, Kaede saw darkness, utter, complete darkness. A leering smile drew across his pleasant face, turning his countenance demonic.

He reached toward her. She tried to pull back, but he caught her hands. His black eyes bored into her. Kaede's soul began to burn. She screamed and pulled back with all her might.