Warlords Of Gaikon

Chapter 10

Gaikon's year moved on toward spring. The snow melted on the mountains to the west, swelling buds made the trees a green haze on the hills, the farmers worked late in their paddies setting in the fresh shoots. Winter clothing and winter quilts were stored away one by one. Yezjaro moved his sword practice with Blade out into one of the courtyards.

The year was also moving toward the journey of Obedience. People no longer made any particular effort to hide their concern about it, although they said more to Blade with their faces than with their lips. Only Lady Musura continued to speak freely. Blade found himself more than willing to join the hunts that Yezjaro and other senior dabuni organized in the forests that lay between the castle and the mountains. Like them, he needed something to take his mind off the approaching crisis.

The morning of his fourth hunt, Blade awoke to find an arrow sticking in the wall above his head. It had obviously been fired in through the narrow latticed window during the night. Blade did not need the letter that was tied around the arrow to know that it could only have been fired by Lady Musura. No one else in the castle could have hit the narrow window from the nearest place that offered a clear shot, a good hundred and fifty yards away.

The note said:

«I will speak to you with another arrow today while you ride on the hunt. Ride so that none may overhear.»

Blade couldn't help wondering what Lady Musura had in mind for him if he followed her request-and what she had in mind for him if he didn't. But if she felt he was dangerous, she could and would pick him off when and where she chose. Besides, his curiosity was aroused. So he decided to watch for her arrow and then «listen» to what it might say to him.

It bothered no one when Blade asked to ride in the rear of the hunting party. Except for Yezjaro and Doifuzan, the gray-haired first dabuno of Lord Tsekuin, most of the warriors of the castle found Blade a little hard to understand or accept. Therefore they never objected when he chose to remain a little apart.

The six hunters rode in silence for several miles, then dismounted to cross a shallow river by a ford marked by two large yellow-barked trees growing side by side on the opposite bank. Blade was just stopping his horse to remount on the far side when he heard a faint whuffff overhead and a slightly louder chunk. He recognized the sound of one of Lady Musura's special silent jinai arrows, and looked up. The arrow was sticking into the right-hand tree about three feet above Blade's head. He swung up into the saddle, waited until the last of the other hunters was out of sight ahead, then stood in his stirrups and pulled down the arrow.

The paper around this one read:

«At sunset, the arrow's feathers bid you to the correct path.»

Blade looked along the direction from which the arrow had come. The «correct path» led straight downstream for about a hundred yards, then vanished into the forest again. When he had memorized the direction, he urged his horse forward to catch up with the rest of the hunting party.

The day's hunting was for wild mountain sheep, elusive game that more often than not led their hunters a merry chase over mile after mile of countryside. So Blade only had to be a little «careless» in keeping track of his fellow hunters in order to find himself alone as the sun began to sink toward the horizon. By the time it had dipped to the treetops, he was back at the ford.

Blade dismounted and led his horse along the bank of the stream until the forest began to close about him. Then he found a concealed place to tether the horse, took his spears, and struck off into the trees.

It was heavy going. The shadows were already thick and the heavy underbrush made it difficult to keep on course. Blade could not help wondering about his chances of getting anywhere in this unknown forest after darkness came down. He had the feeling that he might wind up getting lost. That wouldn't be dangerous, but it would be embarrassing.

On the other hand it might be dangerous after all. Nerves were growing tighter and tighter in the castle. His absence might be hard to convincingly explain. Suppose Lord Tsekuin came to suspect that Blade had been out in the forest meeting with agents of the Hongshu?

Before Blade could consider any more unpleasant possibilities, he saw ruddy sunset light shining through the trees ahead. A few more steps, and Blade saw a small clearing with a tumbledown but, obviously long abandoned. On the roof of the hut lay a small figure dressed in black. Blade recognized Lady Musura, wearing the black costume of a jinai without the hood and mask.

He stayed under cover, though, until he had examined the forest around the clearing almost tree by tree and bush by bush. He trusted that Lady Musura had some good reason for wanting him here. But he realized he still did not know enough about life in Gaikon to completely rule out treachery.

There seemed to be nothing in the forest within sight or hearing except a swelling chorus of insects. Blade unslung his spear and held it in one hand as he stepped out of cover, then raised it in salute. Lady Musura sprang to her feet, raised one hand in greeting, and pointed downward with the other. She seemed to be pointing toward the door of the hut. Blade saw that the gap between the sagging door and the frame had been largely sealed with strips of red leather.

The color and the material struck sparks in Blade's memory. Lady Oyasa and her red leather mask, the day she had come out to inspect the new dabuno! Blade froze almost in midstride, then glared up at Lady Musura. The black-clad jinai woman returned his glare with a bland smile-then nocked an arrow to her bow and pointed it at Blade. Blade measured the distance to the hut and the cover of the forest. It would be a miracle if he could make it to the forest safely, but to the hut-

Without any tensing of muscles to warn the sharp-eyed woman, Blade sprang forward. He covered the twenty feet to the hut in two tremendous leaps, stopping just below her. The lady crouched on the edge of the overhanging roof, turning to bring her bow to aim at Blade. Before she could draw a bead on him he thrust upward with his spear. The spearhead shot up between the bow and the bowstring. Then Blade swung the spear outward with all his strength and weight behind it.

In her surprise at Blade's attack, Lady Musura was a fraction of a second slow in letting go of her bow.

The spear jerked the bow savagely outward and she followed it, to the edge of the roof and over.

She was still in midair as Blade jerked the spear back, sending the bow flying out into the field. Then he reversed the spear, striking with the butt and shaft at Lady Musura as she landed. With the catlike quickness of the trained jinai, the lady flipped in midair to land on her feet. But once again she was a fraction of a second too slow to cope with Blade. His thrust with the butt end of the spear caught her in the stomach. She gasped and started to double over. Then he swung the spear shaft sideways and caught her behind the knees. She went down, and Blade reversed the spear again, closed in, and stood over her with the point of the spear at her throat.

Then he laughed. «Lady Musura, I hope you'll believe me when I say that I don't have any quarrel with you. So I wouldn't like to kill you. Also, killing you would weaken the forces of Lord Tsekuin, to whom I have sworn an oath, at a time when he must be as strong as possible. But I could kill you if I wanted to. You admit that?»

From somewhere Lady Musura managed to drag out one of her rare smiles. But there was also sincere respect in her voice as she said, «I do admit it. I would stand little chance against you unless I caught you by surprise, and then I might at best die beside you. A jinai of your size and strength at the height of his power and training would no doubt do a better job. But even he would find himself with a fight to remember, if he won.»

«I thank you for the praise, Lady Musura. But you have not said if you will answer my questions.»

«I can make no promises when I do not know the questions, Blade. Is it strange to you that there are things I would rather die by slow torture than speak of to you?»

«It is not,» admitted Blade. «Very well. Who is inside that hut? And why are they here, and why are you guarding them?»

The woman on the ground smiled more broadly. «If you had not been so afraid of traps, Blade, you would have found answers to those questions by now. The answers lie there-«She pointed at the door with the red leather.

«I never fear traps unless I'm made to suspect them,» said Blade sharply. «But having arrows pointed at me for no good reason makes me suspect traps and treachery. There is so much of it in the air now.»

The lady jerked her head, acknowledging that Blade had a point. Then her face softened. «Blade, go through that door-I ask you as an honorable comrade and dabuno. Go through that door, and if you keep silence and show discretion, no harm shall come to you or anyone else.»

Blade detected sincerity in her voice-enough to make him relax somewhat, not enough to make him shift the spear. «Do you swear by Kunkoi and by your honor as a jinai?»

«By these I swear, Blade,» said Lady Musura. «And I will gladly swear by any of the gods of your own land that will accept my oath.» There was an unfamiliar note in her voice, almost a pleading one.

«Well, then,» said Blade, raising the spear. He had turned away before Lady Musura could say anything to thank him.

Inside the hut the light was dim and ruddy, but it was strong enough for Blade to see that the place had recently been swept free of dust and cobwebs. The air was close and thick, in contrast to the fresh coolness of the evening outside. It was heavy with the smells of dust, dry rot, incense, and perfume.

Perfume? Blade looked more closely and realized that the far end of the hut had been partitioned off with dark red curtains hung from the ceiling. Through the crack under the curtains Blade saw the faint orange yellow glow of lamplight. Then he saw the curtains move slightly, as though pushed from behind, and heard a deep-throated woman's laugh.

«What are you waiting for, Blade? I heard Lady Musura promising you safety. Do you doubt her word?»

Blade could not have stopped more suddenly if a bear trap had clamped itself on his leg. The voice belonged to Lady Oyasa.

Blade's wits did not stop, however. His voice was cool as he replied, «I do not doubt her word, Honorable Lady. But I-«

«Then why do you stand there?» There was an imperious note in that question. This was a young woman accustomed to getting answers to her questions, whether they made any sense or not.

«I doubt the wisdom of my being here in this hut with you at this hour and no one else present,» said Blade sharply. «I will say nothing out of loyalty to Lord Tsekuin. But I will say something about folly that could bring us both under the executioner's sword-if we were granted such a merciful death. And what of the Hongshu? Would you throw him a perfect excuse to intervene in your husband's affairs, with Kunkoi alone knows what consequences?»

A hiss of indrawn breath followed Blade's words, and after that came a long silence. Blade heard the rustle of garments and the scrape of sandals on the floor as Lady Oyasa shifted position, but still she made no answer. He waited in silence, his eyes occasionally flickering toward the door. It was the lady's move now, if she chose to make it.

He rather hoped she would have the sense not to.

«Blade,» she said finally. «Come behind the curtains and sit down. I see that you speak from a wisdom that I once had. But no more. I am not afraid of folly. I beg of you-come and listen to me, at least.» There was no mistaking the tone in her voice. She was begging now, not commanding. She sounded almost desperate.

Blade shrugged and stepped forward. A woman who demanded or threatened-that he could refuse and had refused. It was one reason why he was still alive. But a woman who begged made an appeal he had to answer.

Lady Oyasa sat behind the curtain at the head of a long double sleeping pad, with several folded quilts stacked at the foot. She wore a robe the same color as the flame of the lamp, with a circlet of small diamonds set in gold around her unbound black hair. Her face was not only unmasked but free of any cosmetics. Blade was surprised at how young she now seemed-no more than twenty.

He made a ceremonial bow, and saw a grimace pass across her face. One hand clenched around a fold of her robe. «Blade, I beg you also-no ceremony. Do you have any idea of how tired one can become of ceremony? No, I do not imagine you have been in Gaikon long enough to see all the horrors our etiquette can inflict on one who must live with it always. And when one is married to a man-«She hesitated, then her courage returned and her words came out in a rush. «When one is married to a man one saw for the first time the day of the wedding, who makes even the few times he comes to one's bed a ceremony, who has the skills of a scholar but the temper of a spoiled boy-Kunkoi has sent enough already. One should not have to endure more.»

«But one does, Honorable Lady,» said Blade.

The lady shook her head and smiled. «Not tonight, Blade. Not tonight, not here, and not between us.»

Blade had barely recognized the suppressed desire in her voice when she stood up and came toward him. She moved with long free strides, not with the normal half-shuffle of noblewomen in Gaikon. As she moved, her hands went to the diamond-studded clasp that held together the sash of her robe. The sash dropped to the floor. The robe did not follow it, but it swung open and shut as Lady Oyasa covered the last few steps to Blade. He could see the flicker of slim, rounded, creamy brown limbs inside the robe.

Then Lady Oyasa was flowing up against him, her hands working on his own robe, working up under it. He was responding, and he knew it, and he knew that she knew it. She laughed and murmured, her lips pressed against his throat. «I thought you were no eunuch, Blade. Now I know. It would be a pity for someone like you not to be a man.»

It certainly would be, Blade thought. He knew that castration was one of the penalties for what he was about to do. But he was going to do it anyway. Lady Oyasa was right. There was a time for worrying about what was foolish and what wasn't, and a time for throwing caution to the winds. He reached down and wrapped his arms around Lady Oyasa, drawing her more tightly against him.

She was tall for a woman of Gaikon, tall and long-limbed. She could run her fingers through his hair without reaching, press her warm lips against his throat and run them up and down the side of his neck. She twisted from side to side as she did this, and bit by bit the robe crept wider and wider open. Then suddenly with a faint hiss of silk on soft skin it was gone, falling and spreading on the sleeping mat at her feet. Her whole exquisite body gleamed bare, the highlights shifting as she slowly turned about in front of Blade.

Then suddenly she knelt down and after a moment almost threw herself backward. «Oh, Blade,» she murmured. «Let it be now. Let it be now, and not a moment later. It is time for us. Kunkoi would have it so.» Slowly her legs spread apart, inch by inch, as she spoke. Meanwhile her hands cupped her small conical breasts, whose nipples were already solidly erect spots of darkness against the creamy brown skin.

If Blade hadn't already decided to answer Lady Oyasa's appeal, he would have decided at that moment. He was not a stone statue, and nothing else could have resisted the appeal of Lady Oyasa's naked body-and the naked desire in her eyes and voice. His hands worked swiftly, stripping off his own robe, then he lay down on the mat beside her.

His hands roamed up and down her body, while her hands did the same on his. She nuzzled his throat again, and nipped the tanned skin with small sharp white teeth. Desire swelled further in Blade, a desire to lose himself in this woman, to lock his arms around her. He had not felt such a total desire for a long time; he had wondered if it was perhaps something he had lost.

But it was not, and so he gave into it. He pulled Lady Oyasa over on top of him, and she settled down to take him into herself, deep and deeper, until they were locked together more tightly than Blade would have imagined possible. His arms bent her downward even farther, until her gorged and solid nipples brushed his chest. Her flesh was both cool and hot at the same time. Its feel against his own drove Blade's desire higher-higher and faster even than the tightness and wetness and warmth that were wrapped around him.

Lady Oyasa began grinding her hips down against Blade, twisting them around in a circle, rocking her body from side to side against his chest. She began to whimper, then to gasp in a rhythm that increased to match Blade's. Her long fingers arched themselves into claws and raked through his hair, digging into his scalp. But the pain did not penetrate Blade's mind. Nothing did, nothing could. He was becoming totally absorbed in this woman, in the act of love with her. No, not necessarily love, or even affection. Passion-raw, burning, and exhilarating enough in its own right.

Suddenly Lady Oyasa's fingers clamped down hard, her nails digging deep into Blade's scalp. He gasped with the sudden stabbing pain and his efforts to hold on. She opened her mouth wide and let out a howl of pure animal feeling, a howl that filled the hut. It was so loud Blade could imagine it escaping through the walls and being carried for miles through the forest outside. The lady thrashed and heaved and twisted as though an electric shock was passing through her, alternately jerking half upright and plastering herself harder than ever against Blade.

Then Blade himself groaned and let out a shout of relief and triumph as his own spasm came. It was his turn to lock his arms around Lady Oyasa, his turn to run his fingers through her hair, his turn to pull her hard against him as he jetted furiously up into her still-twisting body. For long minutes they stayed locked together in a common release, and if the hut had fallen in on them they would not have noticed it.

Eventually the explosion of passion faded away. Blade lay on the mat, one arm curled around Lady Oyasa, waiting for his breathing to return to normal, feeling his body as damp with sweat as it would have been after a battle. Even after he had the breath to do so, he did not feel like speaking.

Lady Oyasa broke the silence, propping herself up on one elbow and looking down at Blade with a soft smile on her face. Even now Blade could not help noticing that her breasts were so firm they did not sag or droop out of shape as she took this ungraceful pose. She ran the tip of one finger lightly across Blade's rib cage and said, «Well, Blade-what of folly now?»

Blade shrugged. «I think I will not try to judge folly for you, Lady. You seem to follow your own judgment and no one else's.»

«How well you know me,» she said with a laugh. «How much better than Lord Tsekuin. Yes, I do follow my own judgment. And look where it has led me. Now I will not have to submit to a widow's seclusion at twenty-one without ever having known real pleasure.»

«It may yet lead you farther than you wish to go,» said Blade, trying to keep his voice light.

«Perhaps,» she said. «But I have only one head to cut off. I have only one body they can torture, one back they can flog. I can lose only so much to Lord Tsekuin's whims.»

Blade had to admit that she was right. But he did not share her casualness about his «one head» or «one body.» What there was between them had been marvelous and might be so again. But he could hardly share Lady Oyasa's notion that it was worth so much.