第108节

taken place.

If it was true that Clearwater had employed the demonic powers that

witches were reputed to possess then it placed him in a rather delicate

position. Better by far to attribute the highly selective earthquake

to a wayward Mother Nature and the stories of flying stones to shock,

hysteria or over-heated imaginations.

Travelling by the longer but considerably faster sea-route, the Shogun

returned to Aron-giren before the Herald arrived with the newly widowed

Lady Mishiko.

After she had been welcomed in private by the Shogun and had received

his brotherly condolences, the Herald was summoned to give his account

of what had taken place at the Heron Pool.

When Toshiro entered the Shogun's study, he was surprised to find that

Yoritomo was not alone. His uncle, Ieyasu, was with him and had

apparently been invited to sit in on the meeting. The Herald paid

homage to both men, then sat back cautiously when given permission to

do so. It was the first time that the Lord Chamberlain had been

present at a debriefing, and Toshiro found his grey, spider-like

presence unsettling. What, he wondered, did it presage for the College

of Heralds - the end of their privileged access to the Shogun? Had

Ieyasu finally managed to outmanoeuvre Yoritomo in their thinly

concealed struggle for control of the Inner Court?

Yoritomo and Ieyasu listened in silence as Toshiro presented his

carefully edited version of the catastrophic outcome to the flying

display. Since he was unsure just how far the Shogun had taken Ieyasu

into his confidence, he avoided any reference to the part he had played

in the escape of Brickman and his friends and the Consul-General's

downfall. Or to the fact that Yoritomo had ordered both.

When he fell silent, the gaunt, ageing Chamberlain said: 'Your tact is

highly commendable. But let me put your mind at ease. I have been

made fully aware of your central role in this affair and, especially,

your negotiations on behalf of this court with the so-called

"mexican".

The real Brickman, as opposed to the individual who - for reasons we

have yet to discover assumed his identity."

'There is another aspect of this affair which fascinates us. His

Exalted Highness and I would like to know if you have had any thoughts

on the role of the female who . . ." Ieyasu chose his words carefully

'... was the object of the Consul-General's fatal fascination."

Toshiro had a sudden presentiment that he was standing on quicksand,

but he had talked his way out of tight corners before. This time,

however, he had no glib reply. 'I am not sure I understand you,

sire."

'Perhaps I can explain." Yoritomo leafed through the wad of papers

that lay beside him and selected three handwritten sheets. 'These are

recorded eyewitness accounts of the disaster at the Heron Pool - some

of which cover incidents that occurred after you led the troops from

the Mara-bara garrison from the field."

Toshiro bowed. 'I did explain my reason for doing so."

'You did - and it was a wise decision. I am, by the way, extremely

pleased at the way you handled this assignment. It has turned out much

better than any of us could have hoped."

Ieyasu nodded. 'I agree. Most satisfactory."

Yoritomo perused the top sheet, then let it fall back on top of the

others in his lap. 'What puzzles me are these accounts - all confirmed

by independent witnesses - about the actions of a female long-dog. Am

I right in assuming that this is the same individual who occupied the

lake-house?"

'I cannot state that with absolute certainty, sire. But I have been

given to understand that the female you are referring to was wearing a

white mask."

'Of a courtesan."

'Again, I did not see it myself, but that may be so."

'You seem to be avoiding my question,' said Yoritomo. 'My

brother-in-law's harlot wore a white mask when you met her on the way

back from Kari-varan. She was part of the escape package, and you

arranged her transfer to the Heron Pool. I think we can safely assume

that it was she who performed the actions described by these

eye-witnesses - don't you?"

The Shogun consulted the papers on his lap, picking out various lines:

'... splitting the earth with a shout ... causing stones to rain down

from the sky ...

turning aside arrows with a wall of light. killing up to a dozen