Double Feint

 

by Shawn Carman

Edited by Fred Wan

 

 

Toshi Ranbo, the Imperial City

 

Otomo Atsutane could not help but smile as he walked down the street. He had never felt so confident, so certain of himself. Throughout his years of service as a courtier to the noble Otomo family, he had been forced to compete for every possible advantage, not only against the representatives of the Great Clans, but also against his own kinsmen. Years of merciless competition had turned him into a ruthless predator, a man who took what he wanted and left none of his rivals in a position to challenge him ever again. An enemy that could strike back at him was far too dangerous, after all. He had ruined dozens of careers, shaming countless courtiers for no reason other than to ensure they could never pose a threat to him. He regretted nothing.

And now, perhaps, he had achieved his finest conquest. There was a young newcomer to the court, an exquisite young woman that turned the eye of every man there, save those who were senile. The number of her potential suitors was nearly limitless, but he had captured her attention. He had used every trick at his disposal to eliminate other rivals, from seeing to it that they were reassigned to distant courts, to arranging for their superiors to find their service wanting, and any number of other unpleasant tactics. It would all be worth it when she surrendered herself to him. He was not particularly interested in marriage, of course, but she did not have to know that. At least, he thought with a smile, not yet.

Atsutane’s private estate was the only place where he could truly feel at ease. He had paid handsomely to ensure the absolute loyalty of the guards that protected him, and there had been even greater expense to establish protective wards around the perimeter. There was little reason to suspect such things were necessary, of course, but Atsutane was not the sort to take any chances. There were more than enough fools in the world for one to eventually believe he could take vengeance for some perceived slight, and the Otomo courtier wished to ensure he never had the opportunity.

The Imperial left his yojimbo at the gate and entered his private suite, taking a moment to secure all the seals on the doorway. Once inside, he poured himself a cup of his favorite sake and drank it down in one gulp, a moment’s indulgence in celebration of his victory.

“Good evening, Atsutane-san.”

The Otomo dropped his sake cup and let out a mild yelp of surprise. He looked about in confusion, uncertain where the voice had come from. It was not until now that he noticed someone had placed a light cloth over the lantern, casting much deeper shadows in the room than normal. It was from one of these shadows that a figure emerged.

The intruder wore a terrible mask, one that seemed to be carved of bone. It covered the young man’s upper face, ending in horns that extended well above the crest of his head. His eyes were clear enough, however, and they burned with hatred. His mouth was a thin, grim line. The warrior’s hand hovered at the hilt of his blade.

“Guards!” Atsutane screamed. Or attempted to scream, at least. All that came out was a rasping squeal that sounded vaguely like the word he had attempted.

“They cannot hear you,” the warrior said. “It is merely a side effect of the night silk poison you just consumed, although a useful one.” The man smiled bitterly. “I placed it in your sake while waiting.”

“Who?” the Otomo sputtered. “How? Why?”

“You ramble like a fool,” the intruder sneered. “As I should have expected. My name is not important. Neither is how I gained entrance, although I feel obligated to point out how ridiculously simple it was. As for why,” his voice trailed off as he leaned in close, “because you have called into question the honor of my sister.”

“Sister?” Atsutane rasped. “You... you mean Bayushi Kurumi?”

“Yes,” the intruder said. “Among the many lies you told to try and claim her as your own, you questioned her honor to the Phoenix representatives, ensuring that he would prevent his son from pursuing her. Did you think no one would know? Did you think I would allow you to disgrace my family?”

“No, no! You... you don’t understand!”

“Do not lie to me!” the intruder snarled, drawing his blade. “I will cut you open rather than let the poison do its work if you lie to me!”

“No!” Atsutane shrieked. Again, all that emerged was a pitiful squeal. “Please! I can help you! I can restore your family’s honor, and more!”

The warrior’s eyes narrowed. “If you play games with me, old man...”

“No, I can!” Atsutane’s mind raced. “I... I am highly placed within the Otomo family! I attend the private family courts of Otomo Hoketuhime herself!”

The intruder hesitated. “The Otomo family daimyo, you say. She is among those rumored to have the Crane Clan’s support for the throne.”

“Yes, yes!” Atsutane seized the opportunity. “I can... I can bring you the information from the court! Anything you wish to know! Everything!”

The intruder took a slow, hesitant step backwards. “My sister’s honor is worth much,” he said carefully. “But my clan’s is worth far more.”

“Yes, of course,” Atsutane rasped. “Please... night silk poison?”

“Oh yes,” the Scorpion said, almost absently. “I have no antidote, but this will delay the effects for... perhaps two days at the most.” He tossed a small vial to the Otomo, who drank it readily. “This had best not be a game, old man. I will not hesitate to kill you if I must.”

“No games,” the courtier said shakily.

“We shall see,” the Scorpion said.

 

           

“There!” Atsutane pointed, grinning triumphantly. “That is the one.”

Two young Scorpion looked up from where they were taking their meal in the Scorpion estate, obviously surprised. One, a young woman beautiful almost beyond description, glanced at the courtier with a confused expression. “Atsutane-san?” she asked. “What is it?”

“That man,” Atutane said, ignoring her and pointing to the man sitting across the table from her. “That is the one who broke into my home last night and attempted to poison me! Who threatened a member of the Imperial Court!”

The man accompanying the courtier raised a hand for him to be silent. “I beg your pardon for this intrusion, my friends. I am Seppun Katsura, master sensei of the Sapphire Blade Dojo and commander of the Seppun magistrates.” He glanced at the courtier. “Otomo Atsutane has... requested my intervention. He has allegations against you, young samurai. What is your name?”

The young man rose and bowed sharply. “I am Bayushi Eisaku, Katsura-sama. I have heard of your prowess as a magistrate, and it is my honor to meet you. However I may assist you, please only ask.”

“Thank you,” Katsura said. “I presume this is your sister, Bayushi Kurumi?”

The young woman only looked more confused, but bowed regardless. “I am Kurumi, sensei-sama, but... I do not understand. I have no brothers.”

“What?” Atsutane demanded. “Do not be ridiculous!”

“Atsutane!” Katsura barked. “Do not speak again or I will have to remove you!” The courtier glared, but said nothing.

“Where were you last evening, Eisaku?”

“Here, my lord,” Eisaku replied. “I have had the great honor of being appointed to serve in the honor guard for the new head of the Scorpion delegation.”

“Of course,” Katsura said. I believed that you looked familiar. You were present last night at the reception at the Seppun estates.”

The young man could not suppress a grin. “I am greatly flattered that you remembered me, Katsura-sama.”

“This man broke into my home and poisoned me,” Atsutane insisted. “With something... what did you call it? Night silk!”

Katsura shook his head. “There is no such poison that I am aware of, and I have taught magistrates all about such things for more than a decade.”

“He called it that, not me!” Atsutane insisted. “I insist that he be arrested!”

The Seppun sensei turned to glare at the courtier. “I have tolerated your behavior,” he said in a quiet voice, so only the two of them could hear. “I have done this because my family owed you a debt. That debt is now paid. You want me to insist that the new Scorpion head-delegate’s honor guard be arrested when the delegate himself will testify that this young man was in attendance at the reception in my home last evening? Do you really want something of such ridiculousness to be heard throughout the city? Think carefully at the possible outcomes. I can think of many, and none of them are beneficial to your career.”

“They all wear masks! It could have been anyone at the reception!”

Now Katsura’s eyes blazed like fire. “Are you suggesting,” he said in a menacing tone, “that I am incapable of making such a distinction? That the sensei of the Seppun magistrates could be confused by a simple half-mempo?”

Atsutane licked his lips nervously and held up his hands. “No, no of course not. My apologies, Katsura-sama.”

The sensei pointed to the two young Scorpion. “It is to them you should apologize.” He smiled in their direction and bowed his head respectfully. “Thank you for your time. I apologize for interrupting your meal. Atsutane, we are finished.”

The sensei turned to leave, followed by the courtier. Atsutane glanced over his shoulder once at the two Scorpion, and caught the coy, knowing smile of young Bayushi Kurumi.

It made his blood run cold.

 

           

Otomo Atsutane sat in the darkest recesses of the sake house, staring at the half-empty bottle that sat in the center of the table. A week ago, he would never have permitted himself to be seen in such a situation, but now he wondered if there was any point in attempting to salvage his reputation. He had been defeated. Utterly defeated. And by little more than children. How could he have permitted such a thing to happen? Already he knew there must be whispers about his odd behavior over the past few days. He had played directly into their hands, and now there seemed little point to the game. Why should he participate if he knew that he could so easily be manipulated? When could he be certain that any course of action was for his benefit, or for the benefit of someone orchestrating events behind the scenes? He wondered idly if this was the feeling so many of his former rivals had felt after he had crushed their attempts to unseat him.

“May I sit?”

Atsutane looked up, and felt a momentary swell of panic at the sight of a masked samurai standing next to his table. The panic subsided almost immediately, for this was not the young warrior Bayushi Eisaku, and the courtier felt a fresh wave of self-disgust for his reaction. “I have little to say to a Scorpion, I fear,” he said bitterly.

“More than you think, perhaps,” the Scorpion said, sitting across the table from the surly Imperial. “I think that just this once, perhaps it would be best if we dispensed with formalities. I am Bayushi Nomen. You have not heard of me, for I have only been promoted to the Imperial City. However, I am intimately familiar with the... let us call it the unpleasantness, that you have endured these past few days.”

“Unpleasantness,” Atsutane said with a humorless laugh.

“It was extremely unpleasant, of that I have no doubt,” Nomen said. “It does not have to change anything, however. It can, in fact, improve your standing, if you desire it to, and are willing to follow your conviction with action.”

The courtier glared across the table. “How do you mean?”

Nomen leaned in conspiratorially. “It is no secret among certain circles that your mistress Hoketuhime holds you in some degree of poor regard. Would you say that is correct?”

“Brutish, she once called me,” he confirmed. “Unsophisticated.”

“I think we both know how naive that viewpoint is,” Nomen said. “Hoketuhime is part of an older generation, and holds views that are, in many ways, anachronistic. She is far too old and far too traditional to successfully rule the Empire, no matter how badly the Crane wish to place her there. You know this.”

Atsutane’s eye’s narrowed. “You speak of my lady.”

“I speak of your daimyo,” Nomen said. “Do I speak untruths?”

The courtier hesitated, then slowly shook his head. “No,” he said. “No, you are not incorrect.”

“Someone will take the throne, that much is inevitable,” Nomen said. “Ultimately, the battle will rage throughout the courts and spill onto the battlefields, and only one clan can emerge victorious. The Scorpion will be that clan.” He leaned in even closer. “You have seen what we can do,” he said, just above a whisper. “Do you doubt that we will do whatever it takes, no matter the cost?”

“No,” Atsutane said at once. “I do not doubt that.”

“Then stand with us,” Nomen said. “You are already in a situation where you have no choice but to give us the information, or else risk losing everything. Be our ally. Join our cause, and you stand to gain everything, not lose it. If a Scorpion sits upon the throne, who better to legitimize their claim than a sympathetic Otomo daimyo?”

Atsutane sat up straight and rigid in his seat. “Daimyo?” he whispered.

“The position will be vacant soon enough,” Nomen said. “Hoketuhime is too aged to endure the stress of a long-term struggle, and this will be no simple matter. She will need a replacement, and we will need a man we can call an ally among the Otomo.”

“Yes,” Atsutane said eagerly. “I can be that man.”

“Good,” Nomen said. “Then here is what we must do first.”