第93节

ad between

the lines, it was cold and dismissive.

Toh-Shiba was astute enough to realise it marked a change in their

relationship. Had Lord Min-Orota been correct when he had hinted that

news of his present dubious liaison could have reached the wrong

ears?

The position could only be resolved through a personal encounter with

his brother-in-law but, unfortunately, that would have to wait.

Perhaps it was time to deny himself the delights furnished so willingly

by the long-dog. The thought of parting company with her serpent-like

body was unbearable, but sometimes a man had to sacrifice that which he

held most dear in order to prove he was master of his own heart - if

not his own destiny. Not yet, perhaps, but soon. He would then travel

with his family to Aron-giren to present his report on the

flying-horses in person. And when that matter was disposed of, he

would draw Yoritomo's attention to the apparent coldness of his letter,

secure in the knowledge that the probable cause of the Shogun's

displeasure had been dismembered, boiled and boned before being ground

into pig-food.

Perhaps it was the Herald Toshiro Hase-Gawa who had passed on some

scabrous rumour garnered in the sinks and stews frequented by the

soldiers from the government garrison. A handful of them had been

present when the long-dog had revealed her true colours. They did not

know what had become of her, and the staff of the lake-house where she

had been placed like a bird in a gilded cage never left the island.

News of her presence could have reached shore through the boatman who

ferried supplies across, as well as the Consul-General, but it would

have to have been in the form of a letter, because Toh-Shiba had

ordered the man's tongue to be removed some years before. It was a

simple precaution and a salutary warning to others whose tongues were

inclined to wag, but it was unlikely to prove a major stumbling-block

to the impudent young Herald. His zealous pursuit of traitors and

backsliders had proved so successful he now felt it was his right and

duty to stick his nose into everyone's affairs, without regard to

whether they were friend or foe.

The nests of vipers to which the Shogun often alluded needed to be

rooted out but, like all the Heralds, Toshiro Hase-Gawa was imbued with

the same tiresome morality as his master. At the first whiff of

wrongdoing, be it high treason or an illicit liaison that posed no

threat to anyone, the Herald's nose was aquiver and he was off on the

trail like a game-dog. Nakane admired 'upright' men, but he favoured

the more earthy interpretation that Ieyasu, the Court Chamberlain, put

upon the word.

The blissful state of uprightness he had enjoyed throughout much of

the night caused him to reflect on the third cause for his present

sombre mood. Despite his private fears about taking to the air, he had

boasted to the long-dog that he was about to do so, and he had scoffed

at the Herald's lack of courage. The long-dog to whom he had given the

name Safaiya - Sapphire-because of her wondrous blue eyes - had greeted

the news excitedly. Her admiration for him knew no bounds.

He was, she said, as adventurous as he was ardent, and her only regret

was that she would not be there to witness his bravery on this truly

momentous occasion.

Toh-Shiba was unable to recall quite what it was she had said to

persuade him, but he had finally agreed to have her conveyed in a

sealed carriage-box to the Heron Pool. But he did remember explaining

that she could not travel as part of his retinue, and that she would

have to watch the proceedings from a discreet distance. These

conditions had been accepted without hesitation, and she had kissed his

feet and dried her tears of happiness on the hem of his robe.

Oh, what joy his words had brought her! By what undeserved stroke of

good fortune had she, a worthless slave, been blessed with so noble,

glorious and generous a master? His presence within brought her to a

state of ecstasy, but merely to look upon him made her heart leap and

her loins tremble. When he addressed her with words of kindness or of

love, her enraptured soul felt as if it had entered paradise. To be

touched by his shadow, to breathe the same air, was an unparalleled

honour, a source of constant delight and exaltation. Et cetera, et