The kindness of dragons, p.1
The Kindness of Dragons, page 1
The Kindness of Dragons
Akitada mysteries, Volume 18
I. J. Parker
Published by Ingrid J. Parker Inc., 2018.
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
THE KINDNESS OF DRAGONS
First edition. August 3, 2018.
Copyright © 2018 I. J. Parker.
ISBN: 978-1386792161
Written by I. J. Parker.
THE KINDNESS OF DRAGONS
An Akitada Mystery
I. J. Parker
2018
Copyright 2018 by I.J.Parker
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission of the author or publisher. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination.
This edition published 2018 by I.J.Parker 3229 Morningside, Chesapeake, VA 23321
http://www.ijparker.com
Cover design by I. J. Parker.
Cover image: Korean, unknown 19th c. artist
Formatting by Polgarus Studio
Praise for I. J. Parker and the Akitada Series
“Elegant and entertaining . . . Parker has created a wonderful protagonist in Akitada. She puts us at ease in a Japan of one thousand years ago.” The Boston Globe
“You couldn’t ask for a more gracious introduction to the exotic world of Imperial Japan than the stately historical novels of I. J. Parker.” The New York Times
“Akitada is as rich a character as Robert Van Gulik’s intriguing detective, Judge Dee.” The Dallas Morning News
“Readers will be enchanted by Akitada.” Publishers Weekly Starred Review
“Terrifically imaginative” The Wall Street Journal
“A brisk and well-plotted mystery with a cast of regulars who become more fully developed with every episode.” Kirkus
“More than just a mystery novel, (THE CONVICT’S SWORD) is a superb piece of literature set against the backdrop of 11th-cntury Kyoto.” The Japan Times
“Parker’s research is extensive and she makes great use of the complex manners and relationships of feudal Japan.” Globe and Mail
“The fast-moving, surprising plot and colorful writing will enthrall even those unfamiliar with the exotic setting.” Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“. . .the author possesses both intimate knowledge of the time period and a fertile imagination as well. Combine that with an intriguing mystery and a fast-moving plot, and you’ve got a historical crime novel that anyone can love.” Chicago Sun-Times
“Parker’s series deserves a wide readership.” Historical Novel Society
“The historical research is impressive, the prose crisp, and Parker’s ability to universalize the human condition makes for a satisfying tale.” Booklist
“Parker masterfully blends action and detection while making the attitudes and customs of the period accessible.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Readers looking for historical mystery with a twist will find what they’re after in Parker’s latest Sugawara Akitada mystery . . . An intriguing glimpse into an ancient culture.” Booklist
Table of Contents
Characters
1 Monkey in the Rain
2 A Close Call
3 Bridging the Years
4 A Terrified Town
5 The Outcasts
6 A Noble Neighbor
7 Monks and Other Villains
8 Family Matters
9 The Betto Asano
10 Another Murder
11 The Grieving Family
12 A Gain and a Loss
13 The Letter
14 Sadamoto
15 Saburo Rebels
16 The Knife
17 O-Bon
18 The Dragon’s Lair
19 A Killer is Caught
20 The Kindness of Dragons
21 Akitada Changes his Mind
22 The Fan
23 The Dragon King’s Palace
24 Speaking of the Dead
25 Of Dwarves and Dragons
26 Toshiyasu
27 Brother and Sister
28 The Road to Sunomata
29 Travelers
30 More Dragons
31 The Fragrance of the Plum Tree
32 The Escape
33 Trouble
34 Shibata
35 The Murder of Shigeie
36 The Lovers
37 Lord Otomo
38 The Hunting Lodge
39 The Dragon’s Gift
Historical Note
About the Author
Books by I. J. Parker
Contact Information
Characters
Sugawara Akitada nobleman, serving in the government
Yasuko (12) & Yoshitada (10) his children
Tora, Saburo, & Genba his retainers
Abbot Shinsho abbot of the Dragon Temple
Taro a murdered farmer
Kuniko his daughter
Nagaoka Kojiro Akitada’s brother-in-law
Yoshiko his wife, Akitada’s sister
Sergeant Shibata the local police officer
Miyo an outcast woman
Otomo Muroya a provincial nobleman
Tabito his son
Asano his betto (manager)
Toshiyasu Asano’s son
Maeko Asano’s daughter
Sadamoto Asano’s nephew
Moroe Asano’s servant
Shigeie Asano’s slave
Minor characters: Unjo (a dwarf), Jugoro (a hunter), Ikugoro (an outcast), as well as owners and managers of brothels
1
Monkey in the Rain
Akitada had gradually become aware of their danger. This journey should have been easy and fast. It turned out to be neither, and now he began to fear for their lives.
They were headed for his sister’s home in Mino Province. The distance from the capital was not great, and he had decided to aim for even more speed by riding and taking only one pack horse. His position as senior secretary in the Ministry of Justice provided him with ample tokens for service and horses at the inspection stations. It was midsummer, a dry, pleasant summer without any ominous forecasts from the onyoryo, the Bureau of Divination. And they would travel only during daylight hours when there was plenty of other traffic on the roads.
He was in the company of his children and of Saburo, his secretary. The children, Yasuko and Yoshi, had seemed quite mature to Akitada at twelve and ten respectively, but close contact with them for the three days of travel had alerted him to the fact that they were still children and very dependent on him. Add to this that he missed Tora, who normally accompanied him on his travels. Saburo, while resourceful and agile, had never been a fighting man. He had been a spy and a monk in his colorful past. Neither experience was useful against robbers.
The early part of the journey on the Tosando, the central mountain road, had passed quickly and pleasantly as they traveled along Lake Biwa. There had been frequent changes of horses due to liberal tips handed to grooms at the post stations. But then they had to leave this comfortable government highway just before Sunomata to turn into the Mino Mountains.
At this point, the weather had changed abruptly.
A thunderstorm moved in with violent squalls, cracking thunder, and frightening lightning strikes. They were caught in the mountains, on a steep, slippery track, and in a thick pine and cryptomeria forest. Saburo and Yoshi rode ahead, and Akitada had his daughter beside him.
They were drenched. Akitada, Saburo, and Yasuko wore straw rain gear—Yasuko with many complaints—but Yoshi had disdained such garb as unmanly and now sat on his horse shivering in his thin, wet clothes.
The storm abated eventually, but the rain did not. Yasuko fell silent. Akitada feared she was crying. And they could barely see the track, let alone watch out for hostile attacks.
Akitada had expected to have reached his sister and brother-in-law’s place by now. He had carefully gone over the map and discussed the route with the station master at their last stop. That was where he had picked up the first warning about bandits. If the man was to be believed, the entire Mino Province was in the hands of highwaymen.
Akitada doubted this. His sister had not mentioned it in her letters. But then the storm had come and it had turned dark early, and they were alone on this god-forsaken track. Both he and Saburo rode one-handed as they gripped their swords.
And his daughter was crying. She was unused to riding, unlike Yoshi.
“I saw a monkey wearing clothes,” Yoshi called out suddenly.
“What?” Akitada gave him an anxious look. Was the boy hallucinating?
But Yoshi turned his pale face back to him, wet hair plastered about it, and said through chattering teeth. “I did! Just for a moment. He jumped from a tree and disappeared.”
Saburo asked, “Could it have been a man, Yoshi?”
Yoshi shook his head. “Too small for a man, I think. Maybe I just thought I saw clothes.”
Yasuko gave a sob. “How much longer, Father?”
“Sorry, Yasuko. I’d hoped to reach your uncle’s house before now, but the rain has slowed us down.”
“It’s getting dark. I’m afraid.”
“I know.” Akitada would not admit it, but he was also afraid. He and Saburo both had wondered if Yoshi’s sighting meant that robbers had posted a look-o ut who had gone to announce them. To reassure her and himself, he said, “When I looked at the map, I saw that there’s a temple on this road. It’s on top of the mountain, and we are almost there. We’ll spend the night there.”
The next half mile was nerve-racking. He expected an attack at any moment, but then the trees receded a little on either side, it grew lighter, and he saw that they had reached a plateau. On the plateau was a huddle of dark buildings with a small pagoda.
Akitada pounded on the gate. All was silent within. Saburo was scanning the road and the surrounding forest
“Patience, Yasuko,” said Akitada to his sobbing daughter, “we’ll be inside in a moment and in some dry place. We’ll have you both warm in no time.”
Yoshi said, “I’m hungry. I was hungry at the bottom of the mountain and now my stomach hurts.”
“Food, too, will shortly appear.” Akitada pounded again on the gate and shouted, “Open up! Travelers ask for shelter.”
Finally the gate creaked open and an elderly monk in a threadbare robe looked up at them. “We have no room for guests,” he said. “This is a very poor temple.”
Akitada glowered and moved his horse forward. The monk raised his arms to stop him but then stepped aside. When they were all in the courtyard, Akitada snapped, “Close and bar the gate. I don’t want any unpleasant surprises. Tell your abbot that I’m Lord Sugawara from the capital with my children and secretary. And hurry up. The children are nearly frozen.”
The monk started his protest again, but now Saburo brought his horse closer and raised his sword. “You heard my master. Do you want to die?”
The monk fled.
Akitada dismounted, suppressing a groan at the shooting pains in his back and sides. When he helped Yasuko down, she clung to him and he had some difficulty to get her to stand on her own. Saburo also dismounted and gave Yoshi a hand. The children were pale and looked frightened.
Yasuko glanced around. “I don’t like it here, Father,” she whimpered. “It looks scary.”
Akitada could see little in the darkness and driving rain. The temple buildings looked small and quite old. Time and weather had turned them dark. Yasuko was familiar with the colorful temples near the capital, those graceful buildings with blue roofs, red lacquered trim, and gilded ornamentation on their white walls. Here all was dark and forbidding.
Akitada made out a building near the gate that might be a stable. He gestured. “Take the horses there, Saburo,” he said. “Then come back. We’re going into that main hall to be out of the rain and wind.”
The hall was one of the temple buildings, and while it was dry inside, they had stepped into a darkness much more impenetrable than the trail through the forest. Something moved in the murk, and Yasuko cried out and flung herself into her father’s arms.
“It’s just a rat,” Yoshi sneered. “Girls don’t have an ounce of courage, do they?”
“A . . . r-rat?” Yasuko shuddered. “You needn’t talk. You saw a monkey wearing clothes.”
Akitada held her, feeling her slight body tremble and shiver against him. After a moment, he released himself long enough to take off her heavy, wet straw cape and his own. Then he pulled her close again and wrapped his hunting cloak about her. She snuggled into it and. after a while, the dreadful trembling slowed.
“Where is that cursed monk?” Akitada muttered.
Yoshi seemed to be exploring the hall. “Some cushions over here, Father,” he reported. “Poor, thin things, I’m afraid. Bet they don’t have any bedding. Do monks sleep in bedding like we do?”
“I don’t know. These are very poor, I think. If we can get a brazier or a place near a fire, we can make do with our clothes. Saburo will bring dry things from the saddle bags.”
“If I can get warm and get some food, I’ll sleep like the dead,” Yoshi said.
“Don’t say ‘dead,” Yasuko reproached him. “This place may be full of evil bandits that cut the throats of poor travelers.”
Yasuko was a great one for reading. Somehow this was not helpful at the moment. Akitada said, “Those stories were written to frighten children. They aren’t true.”
“Tora says they’re true,” Yoshi said. “He’s seen them cut their victims’ throats.”
Tora had once been captured by a gang of bandits. Akitada said, “Yoshi! You’re not helping. Stop frightening your sister.”
Yoshi snorted.
Then they heard voices outside and the door opened, admitting Saburo and the monk. The monk had brought a lantern and the doors admitted a weak gray light and gusts of wind and rain. Yasuko gasped. She was staring at a carved pillar. A dragon appeared to climb it. Such decorations were common enough in temples, and he said, “It’s just a carving.”
“We don’t take guests,” the monk announced, raising his lantern to see them. Akitada was about to start shouting at the man again, when he added, “Follow me. The abbot wants to see you.”
They went back out in the rain, Yasuko clinging to her father. The abbot’s house was not far. It was more than modest but had been kept in good repair. Inside, they found an room with a few mats and trunks, a brazier and oil lamps, and an old man wearing a brocade stole.
“Abbot Shinsho bids you welcome,” said the monk and left.
The old abbot peered up at them as they stood there, shivering and dripping. “Welcome,” he quavered. “Sit down.” He fixed his eyes on Yasuko. “Women are not permitted.”
“My daughter is a child. She’s twelve. She stays. I wonder at your lack of charity.”
“Hmph.” The abbot nodded slightly. “You are called Sugawara? An official from the capital?”
“That is so.”
The abbot studied him. “Are you traveling alone? Without an escort?”
“We were in a hurry.” Akitada was becoming impatient.
“I see. We do not take in guests, but in charity I will make an exception. We are, however, a very poor community.” He waited.
Akitada glowered. “I’ll pay for the accommodations. We need a dry place, braziers for warmth, food and drink. Tomorrow morning we’ll be gone.”
The abbot smiled. “Of course.”
They stood and waited. Yasuko clutched her father and gave another sob. Akitada took a threatening step forward. “Well? Give the orders! If you don’t, I’ll report you and your temple to the authorities in the capital. The Bureau of Buddhism will be interested.”
The abbot smiled more widely. Then he reached for a small bell. The sound of the bell brought the monk back. The abbot waved a hand, and the monk nodded and said, “Follow me, please.”
Back out into the rain and wind. They walked to an outbuilding near the stable. It was apparently used for storage. Bundles of straw, bags of beans, baskets of assorted root vegetables filled half of it. In one corner, near the straw, a space had been cleared and some woven mats had been laid down. Three plain wooden neck rests marked this as a sleeping place. Near it, another mat held two wooden bowls with nuts, and plums and a stoneware basin containing some sort of gruel. For drink they had been given a jug of water. In the farthest corner stood a wooden bucket that the monk indicated was for bodily functions.
The monk looked at Saburo and said, “Your servant can sleep in the stable.”
Akitada seethed, but he said nothing and dismissed the monk.
Saburo said he had planned to keep an eye on the horses anyway and went to get their saddle bags with dry clothes.
When he returned, he looked worried. “I don’t trust this place, sir,” he said, “I think they’ve gone through our saddle bags. You have the money safe?”
