Spider, p.25
Spider, page 25
“Untie them,” I rasped. “Both of you. One each.” Masai and Shō were bound with tight cords. The messenger picked at the knots with his fingernails and then cursed and took a dagger to the job, as did Mayu. When the bonds were loose enough for the men to wriggle free, Mayu tugged the thick hoods from their heads.
Both men blinked hard, turning their heads from side to side as if they feared a trap. The light made their eyes water, and it obviously took a moment for them to focus.
“You.” I tapped the messenger sharply in his chest with my knuckles. He yelped as if I had hurt him. “Get some water for them. I’ll be back very shortly, so make sure they are cared for.” I glanced at Masai and Shō and smiled at them. “You’re safe now. I promise.” Both men stared at me as if they were not quite sure I was real.
Mayu said, “You want to see the other prisoner at once?” I smelled fear on him and immediately I wondered what they had done to Yo. Had he been tortured? Beaten and starved? Was he severely injured? Worry for him rose like acid in my throat. I wasn’t sure my voice would be steady if I spoke, so I simply nodded.
I followed Mayu at a discreet distance down the corridor. He performed his magic trick with another wooden door and then stood aside. I took a deep breath and spoke calmly.
“Please, go back to your messenger. I will be happier if you are there to watch him. If I were you, I wouldn’t trust him. If I need any help, I will call you.”
My fears intensified as I walked into Yo’s cell. I was certain that I was too late. He lay bundled on a futon, the kakebuton pulled over his head. From the way he was lying, I thought he was unbound, but he was so still I understood at once that there was no need to bind a dead man. I crouched at his side and put my hand on his shoulder.
Even through the kakebuton, I could feel the warmth of his flesh. I jerked back in confusion as my apparently dead lover stirred and pulled the cover away from him. Even though I was staring straight at him, I barely recognized Yo.
His hair was longer than he usually wore it. So long that he had braided it into a neat plait. The lower half of his face was covered with a heavy beard. It gave him a strange, rough look that was totally unlike the Yo I had known. I stared and stared, and Yo held his hand out and touched my face and spoke softly. His voice trembled.
“Keiko-chan, I knew you would come for me. It was only a matter of time.”
“Did they hurt you?” How very formal my voice sounded! Almost as if we were acquaintances rather than lovers.
“No, not physically, at least. They took me as I left the ryokan to enjoy a final evening with some new acquaintances. There was nothing I could do. One of the yakuza was obviously expert with a slingshot. The pebble hit me just here.” Yo put his hand to his temple, and I saw a slight depression beneath his finger. “I knew nothing after that until I woke up here with the worst headache I have ever had.”
“You didn’t try and escape?” I sounded accusing. Yo looked at me with a hurt expression on his face.
“Of course I did. Soon after they imprisoned me, I managed to overpower the guard who brought me food and got as far as the tilting floor before it knocked me off my feet and brought many more men to me. They had weapons. I had nothing. But still, I fought like a cornered bear. They seemed to think my efforts were amusing.” He leaned forward and put his hand on my arm, his stranger’s face beseeching me to understand.
“After that, there were always two of them who brought me my food. I think they must have put some drug in it as I seemed to want to sleep all the time. I refused to eat or drink when I realized what was happening, so they tied me up and held a cloth over my nose so I had to open my mouth to breathe. When I did that, they poured liquid down my throat and I went to sleep again.
“I decided that my only chance was to pretend that my spirit had left me. I spoke to them humbly, and after a while they stopped drugging my food. But they didn’t leave me alone, even then. One of them came in and stared at me without speaking for hours on end, every day. And then the same man came back, carrying a weapon. Sometimes a whip, sometimes a short dagger. Every day I expected to be tortured, but it never happened. Eventually, I began to hope that they would torture me, just to get it over with. And then I was left completely alone. My door was opened only far enough to push food through. They waited until I was asleep to take the plate away. I saw nobody, heard nothing.
“And then all that changed. Whenever I tried to sleep, men stood outside my prison, whispering and laughing. I strained to hear what they were saying but could not.”
I thought of the same trick that had been played on me and reflected sadly that it had only made me more determined to find my enemies and break them. Yo paused for a moment, watching my face, and then went on pitifully.
“I thought I was going to die here without seeing you again. All I could think about was that you would believe I had simply left you, without a word. That’s why I snatched the chance when they offered to let me send a note. I knew Aisha would understand my code, and that he would tell you and you would come for me.”
He looked at me beseechingly, his face so full of joy that I was here at last that I could not speak. I stared at him, wondering how it was possible that my brave, free-spirited lover could have been turned into this sad shadow of himself. He had been so sure that I would come and rescue him that he had been content to wait for me, without, it seemed, ever considering the danger I was walking into. I knew at that terrible moment that Yo was no longer the man I had once loved. I felt nothing for him but compassion for the destruction of a once-proud spirit. I had carried out my mission. We owed each other nothing at all.
And Akira? Just like Yo, he had betrayed me. I would surely be the world’s greatest fool if I spared a tender thought for him.
I was free. I turned the words over in my mind, wondering why I found no excitement in the knowledge. Instead, there was only emptiness. Neither joy nor sadness. Instead, I felt that I was a stranger to myself. It was as if I was a bystander watching a woman I knew only vaguely.
And just like the curious onlooker, I wondered what I was going to do now.
Epilogue
Masai said he would take care of Niko and Shō. A good, sharp young man was always an asset for the bunraku. I assured him that Shō would be a good apprentice and—given a chance—would prove he was invaluable.
Niko was a far greater problem.
“I’ll come with you!” she wailed. “Shō loves it here in Kobe. He’ll soon find somebody to take my place.”
“And you?” I asked gently. “Who will you find to take his place?”
Her sweet face crumpled and fat tears ran down her face. They must have stung as she wiped them away angrily.
“You,” she said firmly. I shook my head.
“No, Niko. I don’t know where I’m going, what I’m going to do. To be honest, I would be happier if I knew you were safe here, with Shō and Masai. I don’t want to have to worry about you all the time.”
How such a lie came to pass my lips, I had no idea. If Niko had continued to argue, I would have given in and taken her with me. But she did not.
“Well, if I’m going to be a burden to you, I’m better off here.”
We looked at each other, both of us understanding the other’s lies. I hugged her hard, and then let go. Perhaps the hardest thing I have done in my life.
Masai looked at me sadly. “I have nothing I can offer that will keep you,” he said softly. “I have heard from Haruto. As I thought, he is with his son in Kyoto, but when I assured him the yakuza who threatened his life were no longer interested in the bunraku, he promised to come back. And when he does, I will make him train a young man. There’s no point, I suppose, in offering myself to you.”
I could find no words that would soften his disappointment and simply shook my head. Masai paused. I waited, wondering what else he was going to say to try and keep me. His words, when they finally came, surprised me.
“Who are you, Keiko? At least tell me that. Don’t leave me wondering about that for the rest of my life.”
I answered quickly, trying to speak lightly. “You know who I am, Masai. I am Keiko. I came here to rescue Yo. I played the samisen for your bunraku. I lived in your house. We were friends, and I hope we still are.”
“I know all that,” he said patiently. “But I still don’t know the real Keiko. And I suppose it’s too late for me to find her now. Will you laugh at me when you’re gone, Keiko? Laugh at the man who was foolish enough to fall in love with a spirit?”
“No. Never.” I had no other words to comfort him with. I kissed him softly on his lips and turned away from him. I knew he was watching me, but he neither called out nor moved toward me. I was grateful for that.
Yo cried. I stared at him and wished I could feel at least a little regret for the way we were parted, but there was nothing. My mind understood that the yakuza had broken his spirit, which was not his fault, but my heart could not forgive him. He should have been stronger. He should have relied on himself rather than luring me to what could so easily have been my death. I wished him well for his future, but I wanted no part in it.
A number of ships were swaying gently at anchor as I walked down to the port. There was no logic in my choice, I simply walked toward one of them. I had no idea where it was bound for, nor how long the journey would take, only that what I was doing was right for me.
As I put my foot on the wobbly gangplank, a nearby sailor laughed at some joke I could not hear. His laughter was the harsh caw of a seagull, ugly and raucous, and I paused, wondering if this was a bad omen and I should take another ship. I told myself not to be so foolish and climbed aboard anyway.
The gangplank creaked and groaned beneath my tread. I felt guilty that I had caused it such pain.
Dragonfly
Warrior Woman of the Samurai Volume 5
books2read.com/u/3k1RjG
Even the strongest woman has her breaking point, and Keiko has reached hers.
Sick at heart and wanting only to leave her past behind her, Keiko is drawn to the sea. Seeking refuge from the world that has nearly torn her spirit apart, she boards the first ship she finds and sails away gladly from her former life.
Although Keiko thinks she is done with her past life, fate has much more in store. Her ship is taken by a band of wokou–desperate pirates who will kill to gain the treasure they seek. But just like Keiko, the wokou captain hides a secret. He is a man who, like her, has walked away from his past life, and Keiko comes to believe that she has truly found a kindred spirit in this man who is not what he appears.
Yet still, the gods are not ready to give Keiko the peace she craves. Once more, the way of the samurai calls to her and she has to face her greatest challenge.
Only this time, love and honor are two sides of the same coin.
About the Author
India Millar started her career in heavy industry at British Gas and ended it in the rarefied atmosphere of the British Library. She now lives on Spain’s glorious Costa Blanca North in an entirely male dominated household comprised of her husband, a dog, and a cat. In addition to historical romances, India also writes popular guides to living in Spain under a different name.
Website: www.indiamillar.co.uk
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