第43节

i in her bedchamber. She shrank away as he went down on one knee

beside her, but he indicated by gestures that he wished her no harm.

Putting a finger to his lips, he told her in fractured Basic that a

gentleman who was concerned for her future was waiting near by and

wished to speak with her. If she came of her own accord, he would

ensure her safe return. Seeing her hesitation, the samurai assured her

that both her guardians had been drugged and would not wake until dawn

at the earliest, by which time she would be safely back in bed.

Clearwater put her travelling cape over the thin cotton shift she was

wearing, pulled the cowl over her head so that her face was shadowed

and picked up a pair of wooden-soled sandals.

The samurai, whose voice and build she thought she recognised, slid

open the door to the antechamber and ushered her past Su-Shan and

Nan-Khe. Both women lay sprawled on their futons, breathing heavily

through their mouths. Stepping barefoot on to the veranda, Clearwater

followed the samurai to the far end past several other guest rooms and

then slipped on her sandals as they stepped down on to a winding

path.

The moon had disappeared, leaving the post-house shrouded in almost

total darkness, but as she was being taken to her room earlier in the

day, Clearwater had noticed that the path led to a small pavilion set

apart from the other buildings. No light came from the windows but as

they drew closer she saw two red-stripes standing guard outside. One

of them slid open the door-screen and bowed as she and the samurai

mounted the steps, parked their footwear and went inside.

Standing in the light of a masked lantern was a man swathed in black.

Only his eyes were visible. As the door slid shut the man stepped into

the shadows. 'Take off your cape and stand in the light."

Clearwater let the cape fall to the floor. The ankle-length cotton

shift she wore hung from the points of her breasts, moulding itself

softly over her belly and thighs. Her hair, now unpinned, framed her

face and throat. She swept it up with her hands and pushed it back

over her shoulders. ?The shrouded eyes of the Man in Black glistened

briefly in the lantern light. He motioned her to lift the hem of her

shift.

Clearwater reached down and gathered it up around her thighs.

'Higher."

She lifted the hem clear of her pelvis. The Plainfolk had no complexes

about nakedness. They dressed and observed a certain decorum, but to

be without clothes was viewed as neither shameful nor embarrassing.

Plainfolk were vigorous and lusty but they were not filled with

prurient curiosity.

'Higher."

Clearwater calmly hoisted the shift up over her breasts. She felt

nothing because exposing her body to these cold-eyed strangers meant

nothing. It was the same with the Consul-General. Even though she had

lost count of the times he had penetrated her she remained inviolate.

For Mutes, it was the inner self that was sacred. Her soul was pledged

to the cloud warrior and would remain so.

'Turn round."

Clearwater turned to face the masked samurai. She was sure he was the

same man who had inspected her when she had been held in the cave. She

sensed that neither of the Iron Masters lusted after her. If anything,

they viewed her with a certain repugnance. So why were they so curious

about her body? The fact that she had hair on her head and belly

where they had none could not be the real reason why she had been

carried off, released without any explanation, and was now once again

in the hands of the same man and yet another of his accomplices.

Yama-Shita and his friends had kept her hidden in a carriage-box and

windowless rooms. If these men hid their faces behind masks and

wrappings of black cloth then they must be adversaries of Yama-Shita.

Her clear-skinned body had, in some way, become important to both

sides.

'Cover yourself."

Clearwater pulled the shift down over her hips and let it fall. The

masked samurai handed her the cape. She wrapped it round her shoulders

and turned to face the Man in Black.

Toshiro switched to Japanese and addressed the ronin.

'Send one of your men to keep an eye on the housewomen. If they should

wake and raise the alarm . . ."

'I'll make sure it doesn't happen."

'Good. I want you to stay out here and keep watch while I talk to

these two. If I need any assistance I'll call.

Otherwise, there are to be no interruptions. Is that understood?"

Noburo bowed. 'Absolutely."

The Herald slid open the door-screen to the adjoining room and motioned

Clearwater to enter. She bowed respectfully to both men, then went

through. Her hand flew to her mouth as she saw the cloud warrior

kneeling on the mat by the masked lantern.

Steve was equally surprised to see her.

Toshiro pointed to a spot on Steve's right. 'Move over there."