Black and Crimson, part 2

Kuroneko rode at the back of the party, with Gensu and Tonedo leading the way. They were off the roads now, heading for a pass that Hakuhime had advised as the shortest route to the Lion provinces. Ahead of her, she could see Heiko talking to the Akodo. He seemed relieved to be leaving the custody of the Scorpion and heading back home, but he answered Heiko's questions bluntly and without elaboration, completely failing to be put at ease by her tried and tested techniques. Kuroneko watched for some time, and came to the conclusion that this Lion had his Clan's traditional dislike for the Crane. He didn't appear too clever, and had probably been trained to react badly to powder blue without ever questioning the prejudice. Riding up alongside him she quietly gestured for Heiko to fall back. Her friend nodded and did so, leaving Kuroneko to try talking to him.

"Akodo-san." She put on a friendly and open voice, with just the right amount of authority.

"Yes, sama?" He didn't sound impressed.

"Did you know that your mission was against the Emperor's law?"

"No, sama."

"No? You were unaware of the law?"

"Yes, sama. I do as I am ordered, sama."

"I thought the Emperor's laws were known by all samurai."

"I have had an unusual upbringing, sama."

"Clearly, Akodo-san. You should know that ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaking it. However, if you were following orders, then your superior is the one I should be speaking to." She watched him closely, and saw the hope appear in his eyes.

"You will not execute me, sama?"

"If you were indeed following orders, you were behaving properly. I do not wish to kill a dutiful samurai because his superiors ordered him to break the law. Others do not think as I do, however, and you would be well advised to learn the law at the earliest opportunity. A wise samurai will avoid crossing either his master or the law." She could see him thinking about her words. It was almost as if he had never heard of the Emperor's law before, or never thought it important. He was certainly not a typical Akodo.

By nightfall they were among the hills below the pass, and began to pitch camp. They had brought light tents with them, and the calm weather made it easy to set them up. Kuroneko ensured that the prisoner was properly secured, and they divided up watches. Gensu was on first, and after a brief meal the others retreated into their tents to get some rest.

It was about midnight when Kuroneko was woken up by someone softly saying her name. She woke up to see Tonedo leaning into her tent, looking at her. It took her a moment to realise that this wasn't a dream, and she reached slowly for her wakazashi as she sat up.

"Is there a problem, Tonedo-san?" she asked warily.

"No, Kuroneko-sama. I just wanted to ask you if you were sure you wanted to go to Lion lands. I couldn't bear it if the Lion tried to cover up their crime by attacking you." His eyes were pleading. "Please, let us go back and report, so that even if we fall we will have fulfilled our duty."

She was about to reply, when she realised that she had a chance to answer one question that had been bothering her. Lying back down, she looked up into his eyes. "Tonedo-chan. May I see your face?"

He looked momentarily baffled, but came fully into the tent and knelt over her. Reaching up to his face, he removed his mask.

She started in shock. It was exactly as he had looked in her dream. He noticed her distress and smiled. "Turn back, Kuroneko-chan. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"What is going on? Who are you?" Her hand gripped the handle of her wakazashi, but she knew that in this position he would easily be able to catch her arm if she tried to swing it.

He ran his right hand over her belly, caressing her through the material. "I am the man of your dreams. Can you not trust me?" There was a glint of madness in his eyes, madness but not lust. She felt fear begin to gnaw at her stomach: the situation was spiralling out of control.

"No, I can't trust you. I don't know you; I don't know what you are. And I won't let you sway me from my duty!" Her voice was getting louder.

He gracefully rose away from her and began to back out. "A pity. I had such hopes for you." Once more, his face had the sad, hopeful eyes of Shosuro Tonedo. Just before he became hidden by the tent flaps, he replaced his mask.

She lay there in shock, trying to decide what to do. If she woke the others, what would she tell them? She could hardly detain Tonedo on their way to Lion lands. And she wasn't sure if he was dangerous or delusional. Maybe she should wake the others and interrogate him thoroughly. But then... she was suddenly aware how tired she was. Wait a second: someone was casting a spell...

Seconds later, she was fast asleep.

She awoke with a jolt as the tent was ripped from over her head. Four men, dressed in black with large hoods concealing their faces in shadow, stood over her with yaris lowered. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see four more over where Heiko had been sleeping. There was no sign of Tonedo or Gensu.

She was quickly and efficiently bound and gagged, then tied over a horse. Heiko received similar treatment. Neither struggled: there were at least a dozen opponents, and they couldn't hope to break free. Their Akodo prisoner was untied and wearing his swords again, answering questions from one of the other men. If they were bandits, they were overly keen on long robes and hoods. They looked more like cultists, a thought that sent chills down Kuroneko's spine.

Their journey took no more than an hour or two. Short enough, Kuroneko realised, for Tonedo to have headed off during his watch, before coming to see her. Or Gensu, for that matter - but then Tonedo must have known something about it. His warnings to her made only too much sense in light of her current situation. She cursed herself for going to sleep, and then remembered: someone had cast a spell on her. She looked around, but she couldn't tell if any of their captors was a shugenja. Encouragingly, however, her keen senses picked up portions of a conversation between two of their captors. It appeared that they had been expecting to capture three people - which meant that Gensu was still free. She offered a quick prayer for his safety.

They were taken into a cave - no, a cave complex, thought Kuroneko as her eyes adjusted to the lack of moonlight - and removed from the horses. Someone lit a torch and took Kuroneko and Heiko along a passage to a cell carved from the rock with a large, heavy metal door. Still bound and gagged, they were left there and the door was secured. Kuroneko examined the walls of the cell closely - they were fairly smooth, as if they had been carved by a master stoneworker. Or, thought Kuroneko, a shugenja. It was a small cell - only six feet or so across - and several sets of manacles were fastened to the walls. In the flickering candlelight leaking through the grille in the door, she noted that the iron was beginning to rust, as if the chains had been there for some time. So, this was a hidden stronghold that had been used for many years: there was no way she was getting out of here alive. Or at least, no other magistrate ever had.

Knowing that was almost a relief, since it put an end to the uncertainty. She looked across at Heiko, who was looking at her with an expression of fear and bewilderment. Slowly, Kuroneko shook her head. It seemed Heiko understood, for she slumped back against the stone floor and shut her eyes. Seeing no reason to stay awake, Kuroneko followed her example and tried to get some sleep. When that failed she lapsed into a meditative trance, clearing all the fears and worries from her mind. There was nothing she could do at this point; she might as well prepare herself for any future chance to escape.

Shosuro Gensu had his own problems. He had followed Tonedo back to the cave complex, and seen a group of cloaked figures emerge with him shortly afterwards. Unfortunately, there hadn't been enough cover for him to get back to the magistrates to warn them without being spotted. He'd trailed them at a safe distance, and watched them encircle the camp before moving in. He'd followed them back, noting that Tonedo rode off ahead. On their return to the caves, he began to look around in case there was another entrance. Sticking close to the rock face, he worked his way up and around a third of the mountain and froze. Sitting among a collection of boulders ahead of him was another robed man, sitting about a foot away from a hole in the rock. A rope emerged from the hole and dangled behind the man - a warning bell? Slowing his breathing in time with his movements, Gensu crept up behind the man, moving along the cliff face. His target was looking out across the valley below, not suspecting an attack from behind. Suddenly leaping out between the man and the bell, Gensu swung his katana straight for the man's throat. His victim didn't even have time to flinch. Wiping his blade on the man's clothes Gensu crawled into the small passage, being careful not to touch the rope. This looked like a ventilation passage for the complex, and was dirty and dusty. About twenty feet in, he flicked a tanto from his bracer and sliced through the rope, in case anyone came across the body he'd left behind. Shortly afterwards, the passage widened into a small chamber - tall enough for him to stand stooped - with three further ventilation passageways emerging from it. The rope went into the right hand one. Sighing, he began to explore.

Kuroneko did not have to wait long. Two of the cultists came in and slit the bonds at her ankles before leading her out. She didn't resist: there was no point. As she left, she managed one last glance at Heiko. As their eyes met she could tell that her friend was thinking the same as her: that this might be goodbye. A tear came to her eye, and dropped onto the stone floor. As the heavy door closed, she forced herself to focus. If she got out of this, there would be time for grief later. But if she allowed herself to be overcome now, she would definitely never escape.

She was led a short distance down the passageway and into another small room. This one was similar to the cell in shape, but demarcated only by a curtain. Inside, there were cushions scattered around the floor with a cultist seated on one of them. Her escorts pushed her to her knees, and removed the gag. The seated figure spoke.

"Shiba Kuroneko, Emerald Magistrate. Your devotion to the truth is commendable." The voice was that of an elderly man, and made the compliment sound like an embarrassing personal problem. She noticed a scroll case at his waist, with the Kitsu mon on it.

"To whom am I speaking, please?"

"Around here, I am called Noreto. You have my thanks for returning my protégé. He is a useful individual."

"Why am I here?"

"You are here to file your testimony concerning recent events in the area. Support by the Lion Clan of criminals. I will ensure that it is delivered to the appropriate authorities."

"And I will go missing? Laid low by the bandits, no doubt?"

"Very perceptive. Unless, of course, you see the light."

"What are you talking about?"

"Testimony. Then I shall show you."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then I shall bring the Doji in here. I am sure we will find you willing to co-operate to spare her pain."

"We are both dead anyway."

"I said nothing about killing her, Kuroneko-san. I have associates here who can cause her considerable pain for a considerable length of time. Put simply, she will suffer excruciating agony until you co-operate."

She relented. This voice sounded like it would carry out the threat - not because it enjoyed causing pain, but because it was necessary to achieve an objective. No doubt he was a leader of some sort: he sounded like a man willing to use whatever method would be effective. And smart enough to know what method that would be. "Untie my hands."

"I see you have decided to be sensible, Kuroneko-san. Very good." He set in front of her a scroll, quill and ink, and waited for her to finish. Once she was done he took the scroll off her and read through it carefully.

"Acceptable." He handed it to one of the cultists. "Send it off."

That lackey bowed and departed, while the other one tied her hands again. 'Noreto' rose and left, ordering her to follow. She was led further down the passageway, which opened up to a larger chamber. The sight of it caused her face to turn as white as death. A large altar stood in the middle of the chamber, the surface supported by a hideous carving. In front of it, a circle was carved in the stone floor with mysterious symbols lining the outside. Manacles hung from the wall all around the walls, and bloodstains were everywhere. The place had the stench of death and blood. But most terrifying of all, behind the altar was a statue built in the style of the statues of Kami in shrines. The depiction was not familiar to her, but it didn't need to be.

"Behold, the One True Kami!" The old man's voice was elated, and two cultists bowed in supplication before the altar immediately stood and stepped aside. The man turned to her, and slid his hood back to reveal the face of an elderly man, eyes burning with a furious passion. "Shiba Kuroneko. Bow before your new god, and swear to serve Him with your life, your body and your soul. Or you shall be the next sacrifice."

Shock threatened to drive her to her knees, but she forced herself to remain standing. "Never." Bloodspeakers. This was worse than she had ever imagined. If she were very lucky, she might escape with her soul. Fear clenched her stomach as she was dragged to the altar, resisting with every bit of strength she could muster. But she was hardly strong enough to fight three men, and her screams were in vain. Once she was firmly fastened down her captors stepped back, and she stopped screaming. Terror retreated into a cold shell around her heart and she lay back to wait for whatever fate awaited her. The old man stepped up beside her, his eyes cold and hard. Behind him, she could see the ceiling. It was painted with images of oni, terrifying creatures from the nightmares of humans. Over the door and looking slightly out of place was a rough hole in the rock, no more than two feet across. Before she could think about it, the old man spoke.

"Give me your name, Shiba Kuroneko." He spoke quietly, with quiet authority. Those simple words were more threatening to her than an army of screaming Matsu would have been.

"Never." Her voice was quiet, devoid of any emotion. All feeling was blocked out by the terror. She would not give up her name. She knew what would happen if she did.

"Persuade her," the old man snapped to the man next to him. "Bring the other one in, and tell me when you have their names. Don't take too long, I need to be gone by daybreak." He turned to leave, and two of the cultists followed him. The third took out a tanto and held it in front of her face. Its blade was covered in tiny sharp spines and he turned it over and over in front of her, mesmerising her with the gently spinning instrument. Then, suddenly, he put the flat of the blade to her cheek and pulled it sharply across. She screamed as the tiny spines dug into her flesh and tore it, leaving blood pouring from her wounded face. Opening her mouth to scream brought even more pain. The man put his hand to her forehead and muttered something under his breath. The pain in her cheek grew and spread, spilling out to fill every corner of her body. She spasmed, but the pain only grew stronger, unimaginable agony filling every fibre of her being. She could feel blood pouring from openings all over her body, and behind her tightly clenched eyes images of her body covered in blood tortured her still further. She wished she would die, but even that relief was denied her.

The agony seemed to last forever, but at some point the pain relented. She lay there, panting and sobbing, still aching all over, before finally recovering enough to open her eyes. Blood still ran from her cheek, but the rest of her seemed unhurt. It had all been an illusion, but the pain had been very real. Across the room she saw Heiko being led in, heard her friend's shriek of shock as the Doji saw her on the altar. Heard the tsukai's voice: "Give me your name, or the pain will start again."

She almost blurted it out. Almost. But she remembered herself just in time, and caught the words before they passed her lips. "Never." But she wasn't sure if she could resist that pain again.

She wasn't quite sure what happened next. A blur seemed to fall from the ceiling behind the two men trying to drag Heiko towards the altar. Both collapsed to the floor in a shower of blood. The tsukai standing over her spun around, and a sword passed through his stomach and over her neck, showering her in black blood. She shut her mouth and eyes just in time. She felt cloth wiping her face, and felt something cut her bonds.

"Kuroneko. Kuroneko!" She heard a man's voice, speaking low and urgently. Through the haze of shock that clouded her mind, she recognised it. Gensu. Gensu! She opened her eyes, to see his mask staring down at her. A thin spray of blood had splattered down one side, the same colour as the trimmings. Behind him, Heiko was getting to her feet, also freed.

She swung her legs off the altar. There was a residual ache in all her muscles; a reminder of her recent ordeal, but her legs took her weight as she stood. Blood on her lips left a salty taste in her mouth, while she was still bleeding freely from her cheek. Gensu passed her a patch of cloth, which she held to her face, and took a length of silk cord out of a pouch. He expertly tied the patch in place, and she bit her tongue to avoid yelping in pain at the pressure. At least it would staunch the bleeding. He was speaking to Heiko in a low voice, but she couldn't concentrate on what he said. The two of them led her over to the door, and Gensu gave Heiko a leg up to the opening above the doorway.

"Your turn." She still wasn't thinking straight, and it took her a moment to determine what she was meant to do. But soon she was pulling herself up after Heiko, gritting her teeth and trying to force her aching body to be strong enough. With Gensu's help she was able to pull herself into the vents. Heiko was ahead of her, quietly encouraging her to keep moving. She did so, more out of blind obedience to her friend's voice than anything else. Behind her, she heard Gensu leap up to the vent and pull himself through.

She had no sense of how long the journey took. It could have been minutes or hours, she had no idea. Crawling slowly and painfully through the tunnel she fixed her gaze on Heiko's feet ahead of her. Occasionally one of her companions would speak, but she wasn't listening. She concentrated on the task at hand, namely, moving. The journey was punctuated by small rooms where they could almost stand: at one of these, Gensu moved to the front and Heiko to the back. She didn't know how many such chambers there were: more than one, but beyond that her memories all blurred together. Slowly, she began to regain focus. I am Shiba Kuroneko, she thought to herself. I did not give my name away. I am still whole.

Ahead of her, she saw Gensu leave the passage, and she was left staring at the night sky. She pulled herself out and fell to the ground exhausted, but Gensu knelt in front of her. "Kuroneko-sama, we must move on."

Yes, he was right. She could think clearly again, though it took great effort. Unsteadily, she got to her feet and followed him down the mountain, Heiko walking beside her and helping her when the ground got rough. Gradually, she began to return to normal, the after effects of the experience fading away. "Where are we going? Our swords are back at the camp."

Gensu turned to look back at her. "We'll check if you like. But fast: if they haven't removed our gear yet, they will do soon."

She nodded. It would be better if they could just leave, but there was no way she would not leave her swords in the hands of bloodspeakers. She wasn't too sure of the theology, but she knew that her swords were her soul and honour. She didn't want to think what sort of rituals the blasphemers could perform with them.

They reached the camp without hearing the sound of a rider overtaking them, and approached cautiously. The journey had allowed her to recover herself fully: asides from a slight residual ache, she felt back to normal. The magistrates' swords were lying with the rest of their kit where the tents had been pulled from over them. They were just about to grab their weapons when Kuroneko heard something move in the bushes behind them. She spun around as cultists stepped out of cover around them. Quick calculation had them outnumbered two to one. Clearly some of the bloodspeakers had remained behind to watch the camp.

Gensu drew his wakazashi and lobbed it to Kuroneko in one movement as their ambushers closed in, passing Heiko a tanto with his off hand. The three of them fell into stance, covering each other's backs, while on an unspoken signal the six cultists charged. The first one to arrive faced Heiko, who tricked him by dropping her dagger and then grabbing the man's arm, throwing him past Kuroneko and into the path of the men attacking her. As they avoided their companion she leapt into the attack, the short sword finding the belly of one attacker and leaving him falling to the ground clutching his entrails.

She heard Gensu cry in anger as a blow caught him, and hoped that he was still all right. The one cultist still standing opposite her swung his sword low, and she stepped backwards. His style seemed that of the Bayushi, and she adjusted hers accordingly. As the second strike came in, she ducked under it and slashed her short blade under the man's sword arm. He cried out and dropped his blade, and her follow up strike sent him to the ground.

Then she realised that she was covered with blood. Blood... all around her... covering her body in a wave... She began to feel the agony building again as she approached the man whom Heiko had thrown. He had drawn his wakazashi, having lost his katana, and closed with her just as every nerve in her body seemed to burst into flames. She almost failed to dodge his first blow, pain dulling her reflexes, and her return strike was far too slow. She tried to back off, but he was already too close to her. Gritting her teeth against the echo of her earlier ordeal, she blocked his next strike with the last of her strength before sinking to her knees, unable to fight in such pain. The cultist raised his sword to strike, and was knocked aside as something big blurred across her vision and smashed into him. Through eyes misty with rising tears she saw two figures stand and fight - or was that four? No, two - and watched as a katana met a wakazashi with a clang that echoed around her head. As the pain grew, she passed out.

Gensu took down the last cultist with a precise strike to the forehead, using the superior reach of his weapon, and turned around. Kuroneko had collapsed, though he couldn't see any obvious signs of injury. Heiko was still conscious, but lying on the ground after taking a nasty cut to the head while sticking a tanto through her assailant's ribs. Before he could move to help her, however, he heard a voice behind him.

"Freeze." The voice sounded familiar. He turned around slowly. Another cultist was standing behind him, pointing a bow at his chest. Behind the cultist were the horses and the prisoner, the Akodo. Here to retrieve their kit, no doubt. At this range he had nothing that would be effective, he had to hope the man would close. Behind him, he heard Kuroneko move.

She woke up with a splitting headache, the aftermath of the carnage all around her. She pulled herself to her knees and looked around bleary-eyed. As the scene came into focus, she recognised Gensu, standing looking away from her... at a man with a bow. And at Kuto. Memory returned, and with it an understanding of the situation.

She found her voice. "Kuto."

"Silence." The cultist spoke with, she realised, Tonedo's voice.

"Tonedo! Kuto! Why do you serve bloodspeakers?" The bow wavered between her and Gensu.

"Stop asking questions, and turn around." Tonedo's voice was harsher than she had ever heard it, no trace of regret. "Kuto-san, tie their hands."

"Tonedo, I will not go with you. I would rather die than lose my soul." He forced a measure of defiance into her voice.

"As you wish." He shrugged, and pointed the bow at her. As he did so, Kuto's sword sliced into his side. The arrow flew into the air, as Gensu leapt forward. Kuto struck a second time, and Tonedo's body fell to the ground. Gensu stopped in front of Kuto, sword in hand.

"Why did you do that?" the Scorpion demanded, katana ready to attack. "Because it was the right thing to do. My mother told me so," the boy replied, sheathing his sword.

A few minutes later Heiko was patched up and what was salvageable from their kit was on the horses. Before they headed back, Kuroneko took the chance to thank Kuto.

"What will you do now?" she asked.

"Return to Akodo Manesu-sama, and tell him what happened here," the boy replied.

"You do not fear being punished for your part in this?"

"I was following orders, Phoenix-sama. Manesu-sama knows that."

"Here, take this." She pulled out a scroll and wrote a brief note for him, signing her name clearly at the bottom. "You now have the word of an Emerald Magistrate that you saved her life. That should get you a deserved promotion."

"I doubt he'd promote me, Shiba-sama," he said, reading her name from the note. "But I do have one favour to ask of you."

"Yes?"

"Don't hunt the men I was sent to talk to. They're innocent in this as much as I am."

"You realise you're asking me to ignore bandits breaking the Emperor's laws, Kuto-san? This is a serious request."

"They are just men, sama, living as they can. Don't judge them just because they don't call themselves a Clan." True enough, she reflected. Sometimes Clans did engage in banditry, though they called it war. Though they had responsibilities to match... clearly Kuto had much to learn about the world. On the other hand, he had saved her life. Her honour demanded that she repay that debt.

"Very well, I will spare them - on one condition."

"Yes, sama?"

"You tell me why you care so much about them." She asked more through curiosity than anything else.

"They raised me, sama." And with that, he turned and started walking up to the pass. She watched him go; wondering at the fact that such a person actually existed. Governed by such a simple faith in orders, superiors and the ghost of his mother. She shook her head sadly. If only everybody were that simple, the job of the Emerald Magistrates would be much simpler.

"It is my belief that the bloodspeakers wished to start fighting between yourself and Akodo Manesu-sama, Taberu-sama." Kuroneko had been offered a private audience in which to give her report, and was just summing up. "With samurai fighting in the vicinity, they would easily be able to abduct victims with each side assuming that they were taken by the other. Those whose lives are ruined by such conflicts are also common recruits. Witness Tonedo-san, for example."

The young daimyo nodded. "My uncle and Anuro-san are personally vetting every man and woman we have in the province as we speak. I would like to extend my personal thanks for your work on this case, and my apologies that we allowed such an individual to get close to you. Anuro-san has been disciplined for not uncovering this cult himself, and Gensu-san has been disciplined for failing to remove Tonedo-san in time."

Kuroneko's heart fell. Gensu was not to blame for any of this. "Not too harshly, I hope. He was single-handedly responsible for rescuing myself and Heiko-san from the bloodspeakers."

Tabura smiled. "So I understand. His punishment is to continue to serve you to the best of his ability for as long as you require it. He seemed to take it very well, I thought."

Kuroneko returned the smile, relieved. "I am most grateful that you can spare a man of Gensu-san's ability to assist me."

"I am glad you think so highly of him." She leaned closer, just in case anyone was listening to their private conversation. "Many among my Clan do not share that view. I am glad that Gensu-san has found a position where a junshin can truly act as he believes he should. It is so hard to find appropriate positions for junshin of true ability."

Kuroneko nodded. She had heard rumours of these junshin - honourable Scorpions - but never knowingly met one. Given their reputation among their kinsmen it surprised her that Tabura seemed so sympathetic towards them - an act, or an insight into the Shosuro's true nature? She wondered if she would ever fully understand her hostess.

Some hours later, she was sitting in the garden, painting the cherry tree again. It had blossomed while she was away, the stark dark lines of the twigs covered with soft pink flowers. Snatches of song drifted across the garden to her ears, the sound of a man and a woman singing in near-perfect harmony. She smiled to herself: her two doshin were barely seen apart these days. She wondered idly how long it would be before they approached their families.

As the sun began to set, the sky turned a fiery orange. The light on the cherry tree made the petals appear like drops of blood hanging from the branches, and she winced as the memory of her ordeal came to mind. She focused, concentrating on the shape of the tree rather than its colour, on structure rather than form. Slowly, the memory faded, brought under control by sheer force of will. She would have to watch that, in the future. As the chill night air began to percolate through her clothes, she packed up her paints and brushes and headed inside to the warm glow of the keep.

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