Yamada Monogatari: To Break the Demon Gate (30 page)

On another day I might have found that admirable. “I’m not asking you to break faith. Do not name your patron, do not confirm anything I have told you. Nor should you reveal the full extent of your patron’s plans, even if you do know them. I do not ask you to betray him or anyone, Lady Snow. Simply answer a question of mine on a separate matter.”

“A separate matter? What is it?”

“As an
asobi,
you are well accustomed to journeys. If one were planning a trip to the old capital, how long should such a journey take, if one did not remain there?”

She hesitated, then looked away. “Four days. No less.”

One last piece of the bowl. “Thank you. I must go now, Lady Snow. If I do not return, chances are you will be released as it is likely no one living will remember why you are here. If that happens, may you be contented with the price of your freedom.”

I was a little ashamed of myself for that last, but under the circumstances I thought my restraint more than adequate. I also had reason to believe that when Lady Snow had a little more time to digest what I had told her, especially when she made the connection to Taira no Kei, likely her own thoughts would be even less kind.

Before I left, I had a few words with the guard at the gate: “At some point during the next day or so, your prisoner is probably going to try to kill herself. Please make certain that she lacks the means.”

Four days.

We had already used three. I made my way from Lady Snow’s house to the Demon Gate, but all was quiet. I knew I should have been grateful for that, but it was hard to do so when I knew what lay ahead, whatever our preparations might be. My attempted subterfuge concerning Prince Takahito was likely moot—the spiritual darkness was on its way to kill Teiko’s son. Yet Lord Sentaro was wrong about at least a few things: I did know when, and I had a reasonably good idea of where. Yet I wasn’t certain how much difference this would make when it came to his final pronouncement; that there was nothing I could do. All we had to bring against the coming darkness was my best guess, Kanemore’s sword, a mostly charlatan Yin-Yang magician, and a scruffy band of poorly trained, disreputable priests.

I considered our chances no better than terrible.

It was obvious there were serious flaws in my plan, not least of which was how we were going to smuggle nineteen mendicant priests into the Imperial Compound. Even with the Captain of the Palace Guard, Kanemore, on our side, the real trick was to get them inside the walls and in position without sending the Court into a flurry of speculation and gossip that would surely leak like a fisherman’s net.

Once we had them inside, Princess Teiko’s former mansion—now Takahito’s quarters—was isolated enough from the rest of the Compound that we could probably maneuver as necessary. But first we had to get them inside.

When I reached the hostel the following noon, I found Prince Kanemore, Kenji, and two of the mendicants whom I remembered from the night the weaver’s wife was taken, in hushed but spirited conversation on that very topic. Nidai kneeled some distance away, off Kanemore’s left side.

Prince Kanemore nodded at me as I entered the dim room but didn’t drop his sentence. “I can secure enough monk’s robes to clothe everyone here as members of the Tendai sect,” he said. “But I do not think this would work.”

“Why not?” Kenji asked. “Enryaku-ji is Tendai. You’ve already let it be known that Prince Takahito is ill. Say that the priests were sent to pray for his recovery.”

“Enryaku-ji wouldn’t send this many if the Emperor himself was ill,” Kanemore said. “It will arouse suspicion, and suspicion is something we cannot afford unless we waited until the last moment. I do not think waiting until the last moment is wise.”

“I’m afraid I must agree with Prince Kanemore,” I said. “It is best if get into position well in advance. Now, simple enough to get Master Chang inside . . . ”

“Already done,” Prince Kanemore said.

I smiled. “As I said. Still, nineteen?”

“You asked for as many as possible,” Kenji said dryly.

“And I meant it, and I am grateful to you all,” I said, loud enough at least for my voice to carry through the room. “And the wise course would be to get into position far ahead of time. But I’m afraid the situation requires we wait until the last possible moment, so matters may unfold quickly enough that a suspicion—on anyone’s part—will be too late to change what happens.”

“That is very risky,” Kenji said. “I’ll do what I can, but without preparation . . . ”

“I don’t like this,” Kanemore said. “Yet what other option is there?”

“Ano . . . ?”

The voice was small and hesitant. It took me a moment to realize it was Nidai who had spoken. He bowed low and Kanemore scowled.

“Yes?” I asked, “What is it, Nidai-kun?”

“Well . . . ” he said, “I realize it is not my place to speak here, but would it solve the immediate problem if the priests could enter the Imperial Compound unseen?”

Kanemore and I exchanged glances; then everyone, ourselves included, had their attention fixed on the boy.

“Of course,” I said. “Yet how could this be accomplished? The Compound is walled and all the gates are guarded. Even Prince Kanemore cannot remove a detachment from any of the gates without attracting unwanted attention.”

“There is another way. The north gate of the Compound is seldom used and borders a wooded area. There’s a large
sugi
whose branches slightly overhang the wall there. It would be a simple matter to lower oneself from the branch.”

“How do you know this, if I might ask?”

“I’ve seen it before,” he said, bowing even lower.

I smiled. “Nidai-kun? The truth, remember?”

I heard him sigh. “Very well. I used that avenue, once or twice.”

“Thief,” Kanemore muttered, but Nidai denied this vigorously.

“No, Your Highness. I took nothing, I swear. It was just . . . well, she was so pretty. I had never seen anyone like her before.”

Kanemore frowned. “She? Who?”

Nidai was blushing furiously. “I do not know her name. Her home was not far from the wall. I could see her from the tree sometimes, taking the air on her veranda with her servants. At other times I came closer just to see her. I swear, nothing more.”

“By the north wall . . . ” Prince Kanemore looked confused for a moment, and then his eyes went wide. “Princess Ai?” Kanemore’s eyes glistened, and I knew it was taking every scrap of restraint he possessed not to burst into laughter.

“Is that her name?” Nidai asked. “It’s a pretty name . . . ”

“If she ever finds out you’ve been spying on her, you’d rue the day you ever heard it,” Prince Kanemore said sternly.

“You . . . you won’t tell her, will you?” Nidai pleaded. “I swear I meant no harm.”

Prince Kanemore kept his voice gruff with obvious effort, and now I was trying not to laugh myself. Well enough to appreciate Princess Ai’s beauty from a distance for she was, by any measure, a handsome woman, but the closer one got the less enthralled one might be. She remained one of the Emperor’s principal wives, but even he did not visit her more than once a month or so; an arrangement apparently agreeable to both of them.

I turned to Kanemore. “I assume he’s telling the truth about that tree. Were you aware of this?”

“Certainly. I tried to get the branches pruned more than once, but Princess Ai wouldn’t hear of it. Said it would spoil her view.” He turned to Nidai. “That area is heavily patrolled. How did you manage to do this without getting caught?”

Now Nidai smiled. “The guards keep a consistent pace. All one need do is count ten fingers ten times from the last patrol to the next. They never vary more than the time you can count one hand.”

Kanemore grunted and I could tell he was impressed despite himself. “I’ll make a note to vary those patrols . . . tomorrow.”

“Even so,” Kenji said, “we’re talking about the difference between one boy and nineteen men. Even if we all get in, I doubt any of us are as nimble as our young Nidai-san here. We’ll never be able to climb back out.”

“If we succeed, it will not be an issue,” I said. “If we fail . . . well, it will not be an issue either.”

Kanemore rose. “Tonight two of the guards will be ill. Furitake and I will take the northern patrol ourselves. There’s no moon tonight, so it’s unlikely Princess Ai will be outside. If she is, well, the gods have not smiled on us.”

“It’s not much time,” Kenji said. “We won’t be able to move until after nightfall.”

I shrugged. “Some time is better than none. Besides, we’ll probably need the interval between sunset and dark to get everyone to the north wall in the first place. We still have the patrols from Enryaku-ji to deal with, unless Master Nidai has a solution for that as well?”

Nidai blushed again but kept silent. Kenji shrugged and went to a stack of plain wooden chests and opened the topmost. He pulled out a set of clothes.

“So many of my brothers have seen the worst for so long that they’ve come to expect it.” He held up a fine silk
hakama
and jacket. “I’ve always wanted to try being a lord for a day.”

I turned to the gathered priests, who had watched all this with expressions varying from fear to amusement. “So, gentlemen,” I said, “does everyone remember how to climb a tree?”

When their preparations were well under way, Prince Kanemore and I departed separately from the hostel, and met again in the southwestern corner of the city where Takahito’s new quarters were announced to be. For the first time, we saw monks from Enryaku-ji on the streets there.

“I suppose it was mere coincidence,” Prince Kanemore said, “that now they’ve shown an interest here?”

“Say rather that certain people may have given them reason to think so,” I said, “though the command would not have come from the monks. Surely you will concede that?”

“I hadn’t thought it was a subject for argument,” Prince Kanemore said.

I bowed. “Just so. Forgive me.”

He sighed. “There will either be nothing
to
forgive,” he said, “or far too much. I’m not enough of a seer to know which, so I guess we must both wait.”

Since Prince Kanemore was supervising Takahito’s move to this part of the city, it made sense he come personally to check on the preparations. All appeared in good order and proceeding well; the mansion would be ready for the crown prince by the following evening, on schedule, Kanemore was assured. The workmen and servants were told to expect Prince Takahito and his household before sunset the following day.

On our way back up Karasuma, Prince Kanemore said, “I assume you’ve already spoken to Lady Snow.”

“Yes,” I said. “What she’s told me confirms what I already suspected.”

He looked at me. “We’re all taking a terrible risk, Lord Yamada. Can she be trusted?”

I smiled. “No, she almost certainly cannot be trusted,” I said, “but that’s all right. The crux of the matter is whether or not I clearly understand
why
she cannot be trusted. And I believe I finally do.”

“I knew better than to ask,” Prince Kanemore said. “And yet I did it anyway. I’m praying that you’re far less a fool than I am.”

I had no answer to that which would not either insult my friend or worry him any more than he already was. I decided to change the subject. “I’m just picturing all those reprobate priests scaling the wall of the Imperial Compound. One should laugh. I think the alternative is madness.”

Prince Kanemore checked the position of the sun. “We’ll know soon enough who laughs and who does not.”

There would be no answer to that save time. I left Prince Kanemore at the east gate to make his final arrangements for the coming evening.

For my part, I had done all I could do for the moment. I found a nice shaded spot in the grove north of the Imperial Compound, and to the degree I could force myself to do so I rested and waited. I may have dozed, but only just.

The shadows were lengthening when the first of the priests slipped furtively into the grove. One by one they joined me there and spread out among the trees and bushes so as to be less conspicuous. I moved toward the edge of the grove where it bordered on Karasuma, and kept watch for patrols.

The priests crossed Karasuma in ones and twos, no group larger than three. Kenji himself arrived with the last group and we gathered by the wall. The sun was well set, and the shadows were turning into night. We didn’t dare wait any longer. I made certain my sword was secure and led the way up the tree.

I would have preferred that Nidai had been present to lead this part of the operation, but he had other duties. I slipped only once, and froze on the branch like a lizard until I was certain my fumbling had not been noticed within the Compound. When I finally pulled myself on the large branch that crossed the wall, I got my first good look into the area we were trying to reach. The guards were immediately evident, but as one of them was Kanemore, I took no more notice of them. To the right the veranda of Princess Ai’s mansion was in clear view.

There was someone standing there.

I almost swore or something else equally foolish before I realized it was only one person, a servant, and she was merely finishing a hastily arranged meal outside. I waited until she had finished and gone back into the house. When the screen slid shut, I inched forward on the branch.

I heard a scraping sound behind me and knew that Kenji had followed. He eyed the branch with some suspicion.

“And how shall we deal with this portion of the plan?” he asked.

“Watch me and have those that follow do as I do,” I said.

“Suppose you break your neck?”

I sighed. “Then have them do something else. I’ll leave that part up to you.”

The descent looked simple enough: one hand to grip the branch, the other to swing forward to a handhold further down, then at the lowest part of the swing, push off on the center of the wall’s tiled roof and use that momentum to catch one more handhold an arm’s length further down. At that point, we simply had to hold on and let our weight lower the branch as far as it would yield, and then let go. There would certainly be some sound as the branch snapped back into place, but there was a breeze off the western mountains freshening the air; with luck the sound of a swaying branch would be just one among many. I took one last breath and put the plan into effect.