Jodi and Kelso dragged themselves into a sitting position against the wall and listened as the jabber of voices faded away. It was too dark to see one another but she could hear Kelso gulping down air as he tried to recover his breath. When he finally lapsed into silence, Jodi heard her own heart pounding.

'At least we're still in one piece,' she murmured.

'For the moment,' grunted Kelso. 'f.u.c.king Brickman..." He spat into the darkness. 'If you hadn't gone back for him, we wouldn't be here!

I must have been crazy to let you talk me into it."

It was a familiar refrain. 'It wasn't just you and me, Dave."

'd.a.m.n right! You dropped Medicine-Hat and Jinx in it too!" 'Gimme a break. There were plenty of other guys who got picked up - and they were miles away."

'Yeah, and we could have been miles away too! If we'd stuck with Malone, we might still be out there! Instead of which we walk right into it! Christo! That f.u.c.king Brickman was waiting to meet those lumps!" He laughed bitterly. 'I heard of guys bouncin' beaver but, boy - I never thought I'd live to see a true blue dolled up the way he was!" 'Yeah, I know,' said Jodi tiredly. 'I asked him about that. He said it was all in a good cause."

'Yeah, well, friend or no friend -' 'Dave, how many times do I have to tell you? He's no friend of mine."

'So you say. But if our paths ever cross again I swear I'm gonna kill that lump-sucking sonofab.i.t.c.h stone dead."

'I hope it's soon, Dave, I really do." Jodi wriggled deep into the straw. Maybe then you'll quit bellyaching...

A carrier pigeon, landing in the loft atop the western tower of the Shogun's summer palace at Yedo, brought news of Lord Yama-s.h.i.ta's arrival at Kari-faran. A second confirmed his docking at Pi-saba; a third announced his departure for Wirimasa-poro. None of them made mention of any untoward activity. Using the abbreviated secret code, the third message also reported that two long-dogs had been selected for dispatch by road convoy to Lord Min-Orota. One red-haired male, one female, her face and neck disfigured by pink scar tissue. There was no mention of the mysterious Yoko Mi-Shima, or any other unidentified voyager. * Toshiro began to feel uneasy, and took to pacing the upper stone terrace along the outer wall, scanning the sky for the next arrival.

Since carrier pigeons were arriving at frequent intervals from all parts of Ne-Issan, his hopes were first raised and then dashed as the incoming birds failed to deliver the news which could make or break his career.

It was that crucial. He had laid accusations of treachery on two counts against the most powerful domain-lord in the country, had accused a second, a close ally of the Toh-Yota, of disloyalty and conspiracy with the first, and had accused the Shogun's brother-in-law of dishonouring his wife by coupling with a long-dog.

If he now failed to substantiate any or all of these claims he could to use a phrase from the ancient language of Iyuni-steisa - find himself well and truly up s.h.i.t Creek without a paddle.

Six agonising days after Yama-s.h.i.ta's reported departure for Wirimasa-poro by the northern road, a courier pigeon finally winged its way out of the west and brought a glimmer of light to the end of Toshiro's tunnel.

The message came from Pi-saba. The carriage-box transporting a certain Yoko Mi-Shima had been booked into a road convoy travelling along the Great East Road.

Ox-cartage had also been reserved for her two Vietnamese house-women.

The carriage fees had been paid by a merchant connected by marriage to the Ko-Nikka family. The given destination was Fin, but travelling with the same convoy were two long-dogs bound for the Heron Pool at Marabara.

The Shogun pa.s.sed Toshiro the tiny slip of rice paper without comment and watched with an expressionless face as his Heraid's eyes hungrily devoured the almost microscopic text.

Toshiro was swept by an overwhelming sense of relief.

He was not out of the woods yet but he sensed it was all coming together.

'What do you think?"

'I think we've got 'em, sire." A quick laugh broke from his lips.

'Can you imagine - I mean, using the same name both ways? Unbelievable . . .".

'So... what now?"

'We have to lift her and the two servants while the convoy's pa.s.sing through Lord Se-Iko's domain. As I understand it, you have him down as, uh - neutral."

'Not exactly. If the balloon went up, Se-Iko would probably wait to see how things were going then come down on Yama-s.h.i.ta's side of the fence."

'Then it's the best place. It would be safer once they cross over into Mitsu-Bishi territory, but they're one of the pillars of the Shogunate.

It would look too much like a setup."

'True. But how about this? Take them out of the convoy while it's travelling through Se-Iko's patch, hold them overnight, then cross over the border and release them on the other side. That way we can stage-manage whatever. judicial response is required."

'Meaning?"

'My dear Toshiro, we cannot allow such lawlessness to go unpunished.

I'll ask Mitsu-Bishi to gather up thirty or more common criminals, dress them up as ronin, chop their heads off to exhibit by the roadside, and have him claim his men caught the people involved.

Before anybody gets to question them, of course."

'Who is going to make the raid on the convoy?"

'A very reliable group led by a man who answers to the name of n.o.buro Naka-Jima. A real pro."

'May I ask, sire, if he knows what is expected of him?"

'Not yet. I'll set up a meeting. The most convenient place is the post-house at Midiri-tana. Just south of Ari-saba. You'll need a disguise, of course. Ieyasu will provide you with false papers and give you all the details."

Toshiro sat back on his heels, his mouth opening and shutting like a stranded carp. 'M-me, sire? B-but ' 'Yes, I know what you said, but I've decided it's better not to have too many people involved. That's why I want you to handle this personally. After all, it is your conspiracy. And if anything goes wrong, I'll know who to blame."

'B-but sire. Ari-saba is ' '- miles away. That's right,' said Yoritomo. 'You'd better get moving."

Toshiro placed his forehead on the top step of the veranda, then rose, backed down the path for the required ten paces and turned and hurried away.

Yoritomo watched him until he disappeared behind the neatly trimmed shrubbery. He knew that when the Herald had recovered his composure, he would tackle this a.s.signment with his usual vigour and dedication.

His hunch about Yoko Mi-Shima, the itinerant courtesan, was probably correct. Toshiro had a flair for sensing the ins and outs of this kind of situation. Even so, success was not guaranteed. The risks were considerable but it was worth the gamble. If the Herald had proved to be right, Yama-s.h.i.ta and his friends would be severely, perhaps fatally, compromised and his dear brother-in-law, Nakane, the Consul-General, of whom he had never been particularly fond, would finally get his well-deserved comeuppance.

And it was not that much of a gamble. Yoritomo had taken steps to limit the risks. n.o.buro's 'ronin' could be relied upon to die without revealing their connection with the Shogunate. Indeed, not all of them were aware they were in Yoritomo's employ. His Herald was another problem. If things did not go as planned and Toshiro was caught in the subsequent fiasco, he could be recognised and the Shogun's hand would be revealed. It was for this reason that Yoritomo had made separate arrangements with the head of his own very private team of a.s.sa.s.sins for Toshiro to disappear without trace if circ.u.mstances required it.

Yoritomo might, in Ieyasu's eyes, still be wet behind the ears, but no one ever became Shogun without first learning to cover his a.s.s.

It was not the way Yoritomo would have liked to conduct the business of government, but his scope for action was limited. The Yama-s.h.i.ta could not be brought to heel by direct confrontation. They were too powerful, their influence too widespread. Yoritomo could not afford to have the authority of the Shogunate openly rebuffed and the alternative - armed conflict was out of the question. The years of peace under the Toh-Yota had sapped the desire for large-scale conflicts.

But it had not stilled ambition. The struggle for power continued, and the secret weapon Hiro Yama-s.h.i.ta had turned against the Shogunate was far more destructive than the greatest army ever raised. It was called progress.

Yama-s.h.i.ta was a cunning, ruthless individual. He was also highly intelligent and capable of great subtlety.

Given the present situation, his plans had to be countered by equally devious means. The unsuspecting Herald who would soon be galloping westwards, changing horses at the post-houses on the way, had likened it to a poker hand. It was an apt comparison.

Yoritomo weighed up the odds and concluded that the only way he could win this particular game was to play a wild card.