Shogun (The Asian Saga Chronology) (149 page)

Ochiba and all of them complimented her on her choice.  Kiyama was genial now, and said, "Excellent, but we'll have to be very good to compete with you, Mariko-san."

"I hope you will excuse me, Sire, but I won't be competing."

"Of course you'll compete!" Kiyama laughed.  "You're one of the best in the realm!  It wouldn't be the same if you didn't."

"So sorry, Sire, please excuse me, but I will not be here."

"I don't understand."

Ochiba said, "What do you mean, Mariko-chan?"

"Oh, please excuse me, Lady," Mariko said, "but I'm leaving Osaka tomorrow—with the Lady Kiritsubo and the Lady Sazuko."

Ishido's smile vanished.  "Leaving for where?"

"To meet our liege Lord, Sire."

"He—Lord Toranaga will be here in a few days,
neh?
"

"It's months since the Lady Sazuko has seen her husband, and my Lord Toranaga hasn't yet had the pleasure of seeing his newest son.  Naturally the Lady Kiritsubo will accompany us.  It's been equally long since he's seen the Mistress of his Ladies,
neh?
"

"Lord Toranaga will be here so soon that to go to meet him isn't necessary."

"But
I
think it is necessary, Lord General."

Ishido said crisply, "You've only just arrived and we've been looking forward to your company, Mariko-san.  The Lady Ochiba particularly.  I agree again with Lord Kiyama, of course you must compete."

"So sorry, but I will not be here."

"Obviously you're tired, Lady.  You've just arrived.  Certainly this is hardly the time to discuss such a private matter."  Ishido turned to Ochiba.  "Perhaps, Lady Ochiba, you should greet the remainder of the guests?"

"Yes—yes, of course," Ochiba said, flustered.  At once the line began to form up obediently and nervous conversation began, but the silence fell again as Mariko said, "Thank you, Lord General.  I agree, but this isn't a private matter and there's nothing to discuss.  I am leaving tomorrow to pay my respects to my liege Lord,
with
his ladies."

Ishido said coldly, "You are here, Lady, at the personal invitation of the Son of Heaven, together with the welcome of the Regents.  Please be patient.  Your lord will be here very soon now."

"I agree, Sire.  But His Imperial Majesty's invitation is for the twenty-second day.  It does not order me—or anyone—confined to Osaka until that time.  Or does it?"

"You forget your manners, Lady Toda."

"Please excuse me, that was the last thing I intended.  So sorry, I apologize."  Mariko turned to Ogaki, the courtier.  "Lord, does the Exalted's invitation require me to stay here until He arrives?"

Ogaki's smile was set.  "The invitation is for the twenty-second day of this month, Lady.  It requires your presence then."

"Thank you, Sire."  Mariko bowed and faced the platform again.  "It requires my presence then, Lord General.  Not before.  So I shall leave tomorrow."

"Please be patient, Lady.  The Regents have welcomed you and there are many preparations on which they'll need your assistance, against the Exalted's arrival.  Now, Lady Ochi—"

"So sorry, Sire, but the orders of my liege Lord take precedence.  I must leave tomorrow."

"You will not leave tomorrow and you are asked, no, begged, Mariko-san, to take part in the Lady Ochiba's competition.  Now, Lady—"

"Then I am confined here—against my will?"

Ochiba said, "Mariko-san, let's leave the matter now, please?"

"So sorry, Ochiba-sama, but I am a simple person.  I've said openly I have orders from my liege Lord.  If I cannot obey them I must know why.  Lord General, am I
confined
here until the twenty-second day?  If so, by whose orders?"

"You are an honored guest," Ishido told her carefully, willing her to submit.  "I repeat, Lady, your lord will be here soon enough."

Mariko felt his power and she fought to resist it.  "Yes, but so sorry, again I respectfully ask:  Am I confined to Osaka for the next eighteen days and if so, on whose orders?"

Ishido kept his eyes riveted on her.  "No, you are not confined."

"Thank you, Sire.  Please excuse me for speaking so directly," Mariko said.  Many of the ladies in the room turned to their neighbors, and some whispered openly what all those held against their will in Osaka were thinking:  'If she can go, so can I,
neh?
  So can you,
neh?
  I'm going tomorrow—oh, how wonderful!'

Ishido's voice cut through the undercurrent of whispering.  "But, Lady Toda, since you've chosen to speak in this presumptuous fashion, I feel it is my duty to ask the Regents for a formal rejection in case others might share your misunderstanding."  He smiled mirthlessly in the frozen hush, "Until that time you will hold yourself in readiness to answer their questions and receive the ruling."

Mariko said, "I would be honored, Sire, but my duty is to my liege Lord."

"Of course.  But this will only be for a few days."

"So sorry, Sire, but my duty is to my liege Lord for the next few days."

"You will possess yourself with patience, Lady.  It will take but a little time.  This matter is ended.  Now, Lord Ki—"

"So sorry, but I cannot delay my departure for a little time."

Ishido bellowed, "You refuse to obey the Council of Regents?"

"No, Sire," Mariko said proudly.  "Not unless they trespass on my duty to my liege Lord, which is a samurai's paramount duty"

"You-will-hold-yourself-ready-to-meet-the-Regents-with-filial-patience!"

"So sorry, I am ordered by my liege Lord to escort his ladies to meet him.  At once."  She took a scroll out of her sleeve and handed it to Ishido formally.

He tore it open and scanned it.  Then he looked up and said, "Even so, you will wait for a ruling from the Regents."

Mariko looked hopefully to Ochiba but there was only bleak disapproval there.  She turned to Kiyama.  Kiyama was equally silent, equally unmoved.

"Please excuse me, Lord General, but there's no war," she began.  "My Master's obeying the Regents, so for the next eighteen—"

"This matter is closed!"

"This matter is closed, Lord General, when you have the manners to let me finish!  I'm no peasant to be trodden on.  I'm Toda Mariko-noh-Buntaro-noh-Hiro-matsu, daughter of the Lord Akechi Jinsai, my line's Takashima and we've been samurai for a thousand years and I say I will never be captive or hostage or confined.  For the next eighteen days and until
the day
, by fiat of the Exalted, I am free to go as I please—
as is anyone
."

"Our—our Master, the Taikō, was once a peasant.  Many—many samurai are peasants, were peasants.  Every
daimyo
was, once, in the past, peasant.  Even the first Takashima.  Everyone was peasant once.  Listen carefully:  You-will-await-the-pleasure-of-the-Regents."

"No.  So sorry, my first duty is obedience to my liege Lord."

Enraged, Ishido began to walk toward her.

Although Blackthorne had understood almost nothing of what had been said, his right hand slid unnoticed into his left sleeve to prepare the concealed throwing knife.

Ishido stood over her. "You-will—"

At that moment there was a movement at the doorway.  A tearstained maid weaved through the throng and ran up to Ochiba.  "Please excuse me, Mistress," she whimpered, "but it's Yodoko-sama—she's asking for you, she's. . . . You must hurry, the Heir's already there. . . ."

Worriedly Ochiba looked back at Mariko and at Ishido, then at the faces staring up at her.  She half bowed to her guests and hurried away.  Ishido hesitated.  "I'll deal with you later, Mariko-san," he said, then followed Ochiba, his footsteps heavy on the tatamis.

In his wake the whispering began to ebb and flow again.  Bells tolled the hour change.

Blackthorne walked over to Mariko.  "Mariko-san," he asked, "what's happening?"

She continued to stare sightlessly at the platform.  Kiyama took his cramped hand off his sword hilt and flexed it.  "Mariko-san!"

"Yes?  Yes, Sire?"

"May I suggest you go back to your house.  Perhaps I may be permitted to talk to you later—say, at the Hour of the Boar?"

"Yes, yes, of course.  Please—please excuse me but I had to. . . ."  Her words trailed away.

"This is an ill-omened day, Mariko-san.  May God take you into His keeping."  Kiyama turned his back on her and spoke to the room with authority.  "I suggest we return to our homes to wait . . . to wait and to pray that the Infinite may take the Lady Yodoko quickly and easily and with honor into His peace, if her time has come."  He glanced at Saruji, who was still transfixed.  "You come with me."  He walked out.  Saruji began to follow, not wanting to leave his mother, but impelled by the order and intimidated by the attention on him.

Mariko made a half bow to the room and started to leave.  Kiri licked her dry lips.  Lady Sazuko was beside her, tremulously apprehensive.  Kiri took the Lady Sazuko's hand and together the two women followed Mariko.  Yabu stepped forward with Blackthorne and they strode out behind them, very conscious that they were the only samurai present wearing Toranaga's uniform.

Outside, Grays awaited them.

"But what in the name of all gods possessed you to take such a stand?  Stupid,
neh?
"  Yabu stormed at her.

"So sorry," Mariko said, hiding the true reason, wishing Yabu would leave her in peace, furious at his foul manners.  "It just happened, Sire.  One moment it was a birthday celebration and then . . . I don't know.  Please excuse me, Yabu-sama.  Please excuse me, Anjin-san."

Again Blackthorne began to say something but once more Yabu overrode him and he leaned back against the window post, completely aggravated, his head throbbing from the effort of trying to understand.

"So sorry, Yabu-sama," Mariko said, and thought, how tiresome men are, they need everything explained in such detail.  They can't even see the hairs on their own eyelids.

"You've started a storm that'll swallow us all!  Stupid,
neh?
"

"Yes, but it's not right we should be locked up and Lord Toranaga did give me orders that—"

"Those orders are mad!  Devils must have taken possession of his head!  You'll have to apologize and back down.  Now security's going to be tighter than a gnat's arsehole.  Ishido will certainly cancel our permits to leave and you've ruined everything."  He looked across at Blackthorne.  "Now what do we do?"

"Please?"

The three of them had just arrived in the main reception room of Mariko's house that was within the outermost ring of fortifications.  Grays had escorted them there and many more than usual were now stationed outside her gate.  Kiri and the Lady Sazuko had gone to their own quarters with another "honor" guard of Grays, and Mariko had promised to join them after her meeting with Kiyama.

"But the guards won't let you, Mariko-san," Sazuko had said, distraught.

"Don't worry," she had said.  "Nothing's changed.  Inside the castle we can move freely, though with escorts."

"They'll stop you!  Oh, why did you—"

"Mariko-san's right, child," Kiri had said, unafraid.  "Nothing's changed.  We'll see you soon, Mariko-chan."  Then Kiri had led the way inside their castle wing and Browns had closed the fortified gate and Mariko had breathed again and come to her own house with Yabu and Blackthorne.

Now she was remembering how, when she was standing there alone, carrying the banner alone, she had seen Blackthorne's right hand readying the throwing knife and she had become stronger because of it.  Yes, Anjin-san, she thought.  You're the only one I knew I could count on.  You were there when I needed you.

Her eyes went to Yabu, who sat cross-legged opposite her, grinding his teeth.  That Yabu had taken a public stand in her support by following her out had surprised her.  Because of his support, and because losing her own temper with him would achieve nothing, she dismissed his truculent insolence and began to play him.  "Please excuse my stupidity, Yabu-sama," she said, her voice now penitent and overlaid with tears.  "Of course you're right.  So sorry, I'm just a stupid woman."

"I agree!  Stupid to oppose Ishido in his own nest,
neh?
"

"Yes, so sorry, please excuse me.  May I offer you saké or cha?"  Mariko clapped her hands.  At once the inner door opened and Chimmoko appeared, her hair disheveled, her face frightened and puffed from weeping.  "Bring cha and saké for my guests.  And food.  And make yourself presentable!  How dare you appear like that!  What do you think this is, a peasant cottage?  You shame me before Lord Kasigi!"

Chimmoko fled in tears.

"So sorry, Sire.  Please excuse her insolence."

"Eh, that's unimportant,
neh?
  What about Ishido?  Eeeee Lady . . . your shaft about 'peasant,' that hit the mark, that hurt the mighty Lord General.  You've made such an enemy there now!  Eeeeee, that took his Fruit and squeezed them before everyone!"

"Oh, do you think so?  Oh, please excuse me, I didn't mean to insult him."

"Eh, he
is
a peasant, always has been, always will be, and he's always hated those of us who are real samurai."

"Oh, how clever of you, Lord, to know that.  Oh, thank you for telling me."  Mariko bowed and appeared to brush away a tear and added, "May I please say that I feel so protected now—your strength. . . . If it hadn't been for you, Lord Kasigi, I think I would have fainted."

"Stupid to attack Ishido in front of everyone," Yabu said, slightly mollified.

"Yes.  You're right.  It's such a pity all our leaders aren't as strong and as clever as you, Sire, then Lord Toranaga wouldn't be in such trouble."

"I agree.  But you've still put us into a latrine up to our noses."

"Please excuse me.  Yes, it's all my fault."  Mariko pretended to hold back tears bravely.  She looked down and whispered, "Thank you, Sire, for accepting my apologies.  You're so generous."

Yabu nodded, believing the praise merited, her servility necessary, and himself peerless.  She apologized again, and soothed and cajoled him.  Soon he was pliant.  "May I please explain my stupidity to the Anjin-san?  Perhaps he can suggest a way out of. . . ."  She let her words fade away penitently.