The sudden switch from s.a.d.i.s.tic brutality to apparent sympathy at having survived the terrible ordeal had left him and the remaining woman confused and close to tears. The six armed red-stripes moved in and hustled them towards Yamas.h.i.ta.

On the order of the samurai-interpreter they turned the pair towards Clearwater and forced them to their knees.

'Lord Yama-s.h.i.ta wishes to know if you are happy to accept the gift of these two individuals now that they have given proof of their fitness."

Clearwater bowed in the direction of the domain-lord.

'I am deeply honoured to receive any token- be it great or small - from the hands of the most high lord, and will do all within my power to make my undeserving self worthy of his unparalleled generosity."

The samurai interpreter turned back to Yamas.h.i.ta expectantly. The domain-lord nodded. The samurai bowed, then spun on his heel. 'They will be brought before you shortly." He barked out another unintelligible order to the red-stripes and waved Clearwater to her feet.

She paid the usual courtesies to Yamaos.h.i.ta and was escorted back to her cramped quarters.

That evening, at the time the two house-women usually brought her something to eat, the door was unlocked by the usual red-stripe but instead of the two small dark-eyed women, Su-Shan and Nan-Khe, the samurai interpreter entered followed by two white-stripes carrying two circular dishes covered with domed lids. Clearwater knelt as she was required to do when in the presence of a samurai.

The whites placed the dishes on the low table in front of her and withdrew.

The samurai motioned to her to lift the lids from the dishes.

Clearwater did so and found herself confronted by the severed heads of the two Mutes who had survived the ordeal on the paddle wheel. That, in itself, was bad enough, but they had not simply been beheaded, they had been savagely mutilated as well.

Clearwater was no stranger to either death or violence, but the cruelty that had been inflicted on this luckless pair made her senses reel.

The samurai bowed. 'Lord Yama-s.h.i.ta wishes you to reflect on the fate of your Mute friends." He placed a subtle emphasis on the word 'friends'. 'If such things can happen to those who did nothing to incur my lord's displeasure, then the fate of those who betray him will be terrible indeed." So saying, he picked up the domed lids and brought them together sharply, smashing them to pieces.

Clearwater flinched as the fragments of porcelain showered over her.

'You will never speak of this journey to anyone. Nor will you ever reveal what you have seen or who you have spoken to since you left the presence of Consul-General Nakane Toh-Shiba. In particular you will never confess to having been in the presence of Lord Yama-s.h.i.ta. Is that understood?"

Clearwater nodded meekly, and tried to avoid looking at the charred sockets that had once framed the eyes of the two young Mutes. 'Yes, sire..."

The samurai gestured to the severed heads. 'Neither you or your house-women are to touch these. They will remain here, uncovered, on this table, until you are ordered to leave this vessel. Is that also understood, long-dog b.i.t.c.h?"

'Yes, sire." Clearwater remained with her head bowed until the samurai left the room.

And I also swear by Mo-Town, the great Sky Mother, and by the might of Talisman, the Thrice-Gifted One, that the deaths of my brothers and sisters will be avenged a thousand times over...

CHAPTER FOUR.

At the beginning of June, Toshiro Hase-Gawa returned from yet another fact-finding mission. The Shogun received him, as before, in the pebble garden. Toshiro began with a progress report on the work at the Heron Pool, and the problems encountered in trying to find a suitable propulsion unit for the flying-horses now under construction.

The Shogun listened with his usual attentiveness, but it was obvious he was more interested in getting an update on the affair between his brother-in-law and the latest resident of his notorious lake-house the female long-dog.

'She is no longer there, sire."

'No longer there...?"

Toshiro bowed under the Shogun's impa.s.sive stare.

'According to the information I have, she disappeared from the Consul-General's estate towards the end of April ' 'So in other words, you've caused me considerable anguish over the plight of my sister without providing one tangible piece of evidence, and you are now telling me it's over and done with,' said Yoritomo brusquely.

'Uhh... not quite."

Yoritomo's mouth tightened. 'What do I have to do to get the rest of this story - drag it out of you with red-hot pincers?"

Toshiro bowed again. 'Towards the end of April, a sealed carriage-box carrying an unidentified female personage of high rank joined a road convoy at Nyo-poro. That, at least, was the impression formed by the few people who managed to catch a glimpse of her.

My informant was the wife of the convoy-master.

According to her, the lady in question also bore the mask of a courtesan."

'Go on..."

'The name on the travel doc.u.ments was given as Yoko Mi-Shima, the portage fees were paid by a merchant known to have connections with the Consul-General, and her final destination was Karifaran."

'One of the ports of call for Yama-s.h.i.ta's wheelboats.

And you think this woman was....9' 'It works for me."

'Incredible... Did you check the local registers to see if there is such a person, or was this name pulled out of a hat?"

'Well, I've never heard of her - but that doesn't mean very much. And I couldn't bandy her name around in case I gave the game away. Your grand-uncle, Ieyasu, might know. It is said that the Lord High Chamberlain -' 'Ye-esss..." Yoritomo turned his eyes back to the garden. 'Where is the monkey man right now?"

'Out west." In the Iron Master's native language, the Mutes were often referred to as saru - gra.s.s-monkeys and it had become the Shogun's nickname for Yamas.h.i.ta.

'Do we have a return date?"

'Not a firm one,' replied Toshiro. 'But the ferry-captain did tell me that a vessel was being readied at Nyo-poro to take one of Lord Min-Orota's house-captains down to Fin. The town is hosting a slave auction in about a month from now."

'Which means the wheelboats should be docking at Kari-faran in the next few days..."

'Kari-faran first, then Pi-saba. That's the main unloading for the goods to be sold on the open market."

'And you think this female will be on one of the boats?"

'Yes, sire. No one else has been moved into the lake-house. That in itself is not significant but, if he was not expecting to see her again, why would the Consul-General send her gift-wrapped to Kari-faran at his own expense? If he wanted to get rid of her, he could have had her buried under the nearest dung-heap - or chopped up and fed to the pigs."

'You're right. But if, as you suggest, Yama-s.h.i.ta has taken great care to stand well back from all this - I mean, the way you tell it, he and Min-Orota are practically fireproof- right?"

'It certainly looks that way..."

'So why would the monkey man compromise himself by taking the long-dog for a boat-ride?"

'Good question, sire. It depends what the initial deal was. She may have to report back - or maybe she's taken a shopping list of things that they need at the Heron Pool. There could be all kinds of reasons.