"I've already been through those papers, and I can't recall seeing anything that might be a reference to a siege on Miyako."

"It wouldn't hurt to check again," Sano said.

With a shrug, Yanagisawa conceded, "What have we got to lose?"

When Sano arrived at Nijo Manor, Reiko met him at the gate, her face vivid with anxiety. "I've been watching the soldiers march through the city," she cried as Sano dismounted from his horse. "The shoshidai has ordered all the samurai at the inn to report for military duty. Does this mean the revolt is going to start soon?"

"Yes." Sano explained about the emperor's letter and disappearance. "Unfortunately, we don't know when or where the rebels will attack."

"What are you going to do?"

At least they were speaking again, Sano thought. A stable boy took charge of his horse, and he went into the inn with Reiko. "You and I will review the papers from Left Minister Konoe's office."

In their room Sano discovered that Reiko had emptied the boxes; journals, scrolls, and loose pages lay sorted into piles around the room. Pointing at various piles, she described their contents: "These are the left minister's calendars, which list meetings, ceremonies, and holidays. Those are his notes on palace business. Drafts of imperial edicts. Lefters from the bakufu and other court n.o.bles. Banquet menus. His diaries include the history of his rivalry with Right Minister Ichijo, insults toward Lady Jokyoden, and complaints about Emperor Tomohito's bad behavior, but if there's anything here to say who killed him, I can't find it."

"That doesn't matter. Chamberlain Yanagisawa and I are almost certain that Ichijo is the murderer," Sano said.

Reiko stood perfectly still as Sano told her about the apparent link between Ichijo and the imperial restoration conspiracy.

"Ichijo admits he was in the Pond Garden during Konoe's murder," Sano finished, "and his alibi for Aisu's murder is weak. As a high court official and intelligent, ambitious politician, he's the likeliest instigator of the revolt, although he claims he's innocent and won't talk. What I hope to find in the papers is a clue to the rebels' strategy."

"Then Kozeri really did see him. She told me the truth." Reiko dropped to her knees. Wide-eyed, she pressed a hand to her throat as if choking.

"What's wrong?" Alarmed, Sano knelt beside his wife.

To his delight, Reiko leaned into his embrace. He felt her trembling as she spoke through sobs: "Last night Kozeri said she'd tried to seduce you, but you wouldn't let her because you love me. I didn't believe her then, but I can now. And I know that she did use magic to deceive and entice you, because she tried the same thing with me. Please forgive me for doubting you!"

Sano held Reiko tight. Almost weeping himself in the bliss of their reunion, Sano whispered, "It's all right now." He thanked fate for the way the threads of the case had woven together.

After a moment Reiko disengaged from him. "Enough," she said, wiping away tears. Her voice was brusque, but her face shone with relief and happiness. "We have work to do."

They began going through the papers she'd sorted. Even with a war looming on the horizon, Sano found a keen pleasure in their task. Still, as he pored over doc.u.ments, his hope of a successful search waned.

"I'm not finding anything useful," he said. "Maybe the information is in code."

Reiko laid aside a scroll and took up another. "If so, I didn't recognize it. The meaning of all these writings seems perfectly clear to me. I can identify the purpose of each doc.u.ment, and there are no ambiguous phrases. I haven't seen anything that I would judge as not what it appears to be."

... ambiguous phrases... the meaning... seems perfectly clear... not what it appears to be... Reiko's words formed a mesh of sound that drifted like a net through Sano's mind and snared a dim, amorphous memory. Where had he recently read an ambiguous phrase whose meaning had seemed clear, but might not have been what it seemed? Instinct told him that the answer was critically important. Holding his breath, Sano concentrated. The memory crystallized into bright clarity.

"We're looking in the wrong place," he said.

Reiko glanced at him in surprise. "You mean you don't think the information is in Left Minister Konoe's papers?"

"Yes, I do," Sano said, "but these aren't his only papers." He hurried to the cabinet. "Konoe also wrote those letters to Kozeri." With trembling fingers Sano took out the last letter. "This was written seven days before Konoe's murder. Listen." He read the angry expressions of unrequited love, concluding with the pa.s.sage he'd recalled: " 'Soon the forces of defense and desire will clash upon the lofty, sacred heights where spires pierce the sky, feathers drift, and clear water falls.'

"It sounds like a poetic allusion to s.e.x between a man who wants it and a woman who doesn't," Reiko said, "which describes the relationship between the left minister and Kozeri."

"That's what I thought at first. But what if he's describing a different kind of struggle, at a real place? 'Forces of defense and desire' could mean the Tokugawa army and the rebels who want to take over j.a.pan." Another inspiration struck Sano. "Didn't you say that Konoe had asked Kozeri to meet him at the palace to celebrate a 'special occasion?' "

Reiko nodded; comprehension sparkled in her eyes. "He asked her six days after he wrote the letter, and one day before his death. Maybe he was hinting in the letter that he'd discovered the rebels' strategy-"

"And where they planned to launch the attack," Sano said.

"The 'special occasion' was the revolt, which would fail because Konoe was going to report it to the bakufu in time for the army to-"

"Head off the siege of Miyako. Then the bakufu would-"

"Reward Konoe by granting his request to shut down the Kodai Temple convent and force Kozeri to go back to him," Reiko finished triumphantly.

Exhilarated by their shared reasoning, they laughed together. "I found the clue on our first day in Miyako, but 1 didn't recognize its significance," Sano said. "Now we just have to figure out where this place is."

"Lofty, sacred heights," Reiko mused. "Maybe Konoe was talking about a mountain, but if so, which one?"

"Spires could mean a temple," Sano said, "though there must be as many of those as there are mountains in the Miyako area."

"Drifting feathers and clear water?" Reiko shook her head.

"That part doesn't make any sense to me."

"I've read something like that before, in writings about Miyako..." Sano thought hard, but couldn't grasp the memory. "My knowledge of the city is limited, but a local citizen might recognize the reference."

He rushed out the door and found the innkeeper's wife kneeling in the corridor, her ear to the wall. She gasped in alarm and said, "h.e.l.lo, master."

"Please come in," Sano said, hurrying her into the room. He read her the pa.s.sage from the letter. "Does that suggest anything to you?"

The woman smiled, obviously relieved because he didn't scold her for eavesdropping. "Oh, of course. It means Kiyomizu Temple-the Clear-Water Temple on Sound-of-Feathers Mountain. A very beautiful place. You must see it while you're in Miyako."

"I expect I will. Many thanks for your help."

Now Sano recalled what he'd read. Kiyomizu Temple, strategically situated on high ground, had been for centuries a favored spot for mobilizing troops and a secret rendezvous site of spies and rebels. He and Reiko exchanged jubilant smiles, but immediately sobered as their gazes moved to the window. It was nearly dusk.

There wasn't much time to head off the rebels' attack.

33.

It was the last night of Obon. The time had come for the visiting souls of the dead to leave the world of the living. Throughout Miyako, people threw stones on roofs to drive the spirits away. As the pale pink sunset sky deepened to magenta, crowds converged upon the Kamo River. They launched small straw boats, each containing incense, a lantern to light the spirits' way to the netherworld, food for the journey, and written prayers. The water became a sparkling stream of lights. Huge bonfires in the shape of auspicious characters burned on the hillsides, guiding the spirits back to the cemeteries.

Marching southeast from Nijo Castle, the Tokugawa army, two thousand strong, made slow progress through streets flocked with citizens. "Make way!" shouted the banner bearers at the head of the procession. "Take cover. Go home!"

Gunners, archers, and mounted troops pushed through the heedless crowds. Sano, clad in full armor, rode at the end with the commanders. He said to Marume and f.u.kida, "The rebels probably chose tonight to attack because they thought the entire militia would be busy partic.i.p.ating in the Obon rites."

"If not for the emperor's decision to announce his plans, they might have succeeded in capturing Miyako," said Marume.

"They might still cause ma.s.s destruction," f.u.kida said, "if we don't get to Kiyomizu Temple in time."

The army crossed the Gojo Bridge. Below, tiny bright boats floated downstream. For Sano, the scene had the atmosphere of a nightmare. The long Tokugawa peace had lulled the samurai cla.s.s into complacency; never had he imagined riding off to civil war, except in fantasy. But fantasy had become reality. Beneath his metal breastplate, Sano's heart thudded like the urgent cadence of a war drum. He smelled the sharp odor of nerves and antic.i.p.ation rising from his comrades. Would he fulfill the ultimate samurai destiny of dying in battle for his lord? Sano offered a silent prayer that he and Reiko would be safely reunited. She was in Nijo Manor, protected by her guards, and she'd promised that if the war reached the city, she wouldn't join the fight. Sano hoped she would keep that promise.

Someone rode up beside him. "Are you ready, Sosakan Sano?"

It was Chamberlain Yanagisawa, mounted on a black steed. He wore a magnificent suit of red-lacquered armor and a golden-horned helmet. Since learning the rebels' plans, he'd applied his impressive organizing skills to the task of defending the regime. He'd marshaled the best fighters and gotten them under way in an impossibly short time, while leaving forces behind to guard the city. Sano had been amazed to discover that inside the corrupt chamberlain beat the heart of a samurai.

Now, as they rode through the eastern suburbs toward Kiyomizu Temple, Sano bowed to Yanagisawa, who looked the perfect general, ready to inspire his troops to victory. Never had Sano envisioned fighting under the command of the man who'd so often tried to destroy him. Yet the ancient mystique of great warriors like Tokugawa Ieyasu and Toyotomi Hideyoshi surrounded Yanagisawa like a magic spell. The warrior in Sano cleaved to it. He willingly placed his life in his enemy's service.

"You understand your orders?" Yanagisawa said. The gaze he swept over Sano, Marume, and f.u.kida was clear of animosity, focused on larger concerns than personal strife.

"Yes, Honorable Chamberlain. We three will find the emperor and capture him alive," Sano said.

"Good. I'm counting on you."

As Yanagisawa moved on to confer with his other commanders, Sano felt strangely uplifted by the encounter. Surely all the men present would fight their best for Yanagisawa tonight.

The approach to Kiyomizu Temple led the army up a steep incline, along a narrow lane of shops where craftsmen had produced pottery for generations. High above loomed the temple gate, its square arch and flaring roof stark against a landscape of forested cliffs. The sky was the color of a fresh wound.

A murmur rippled through the ranks of the army: "Listen!"

From beyond the gate came the thunder of hoofbeats. Torches borne through the temple precinct by the approaching rebel army cast an eerie glow. Sano felt battle l.u.s.t consuming him and his allies like invisible flames.

Chamberlain Yanagisawa called, "Ambush them at the top of the hill!"

The army surged forward, reaching the crest just as several thousand rebels stampeded through the gate and down broad stone stairs leading to a plaza. Some were samurai in elaborate armor, but many wore ragged peasant clothes. Gangsters sported leather tunics over bare, tattooed skin. White hoods cowled the shaved heads of priests in saffron robes. Banner bearers waved flags imprinted with the imperial crest. Foot soldiers carried bows, guns, and spears; mounted troops brandished swords and lances. Their torches illuminated shocked faces: They hadn't expected such prompt opposition. Now they froze in ranks.

"You're trapped!" Yanagisawa shouted from his position behind his troops. "Surrender!"

Instead, a defiant yell came from the rebel general, a mounted samurai clad in full armor: "Stand and fight!"

Simultaneously the archers and gunners of both armies dropped to their knees, aiming bows and arquebuses. A storm of arrows whirred across the plaza. Volleys of gunfire rocked the night. Amid gunpowder fumes and smoke, men fell dead and injured. Conch trumpets and war drums signaled troop movements. Then a maelstrom of swinging blades and rearing horses engulfed the plaza as the troops fought. Pressing forward through the melee, Sano felt arrows clatter against his armor. A rebel samurai galloped at him, waving a sword. Sano cut his opponent across the neck. The rebel's horse galloped away, dragging a corpse. The glory of destruction horrified Sano, and thrilled him to the core of his samurai spirit.

"Come on!" he shouted to Marume and f.u.kida. "Let's find the emperor!"

They fended off attackers while their mounts trampled fallen bodies. Torches lay scattered on the ground. In their light, Sano scrutinized the rebel soldiers. He didn't see the emperor among them. He guessed that the rebels wouldn't allow Tomohito to join the battle. Tomohito represented their claim to power, and they needed to keep him safe.

"He must be in the temple," Sano said.

As he and his men urged their mounts up the stairs beyond the plaza, gunfire exploded behind them. Shots ricocheted off Sano's armor, jolting him. Marume's lance speared a swordsman who blocked their way, but another rebel dragged him off his mount. While they fought, a bullet struck f.u.kida's horse. It screamed and tumbled down the stairs. f.u.kida jumped out of the saddle, but his arm caught in the reins. Sano leapt from his own mount and jerked f.u.kida loose. They fought the enemy past twin statues of roaring lion-dogs and up the second flight of steps, leaving dead men in their wake. Marume joined them. They raced through the gate.

The temple precinct, built on terraces hewn from a steep hill, was enveloped in a darkness relieved only by flames in stone lanterns along the paths. The sounds of gunfire and clashing blades faded as Sano and his men sped up more steps, through an inner gate, past a paG.o.da. Pausing to catch his breath, Sano saw several low buildings to his left. All were apparently deserted. Moving cautiously, he led his men past a tinkling fountain, through another gate. Beyond stretched a covered pa.s.sageway, and ahead, the main hall.

With its vast, humped roof, it looked like a giant outgrowth of the hill. Huge, square pillars supported lower peaked roofs above exterior corridors. The windows were dark, but Sano pointed to a glow emanating from the south side. He and Marume and f.u.kida advanced stealthily through the pa.s.sageway and into the hall's west corridor, toward the light. It came from bra.s.s lanterns attached to the ceiling of a wide veranda that jutted over the Kin-un-kyo Gorge. Far below, in the distance, the lights along the river and in Miyako twinkled. Hearing voices from the veranda, Sano halted.

"I want to fight in the battle. Why do I have to stay here?" It was Emperor Tomohito, sounding petulant.

"Because you'll get killed if you go down there," said a man's stern voice. "We're protecting you."

Then came the sound of a scuffle, and Tomohito's outraged cry: "Let me go! I'm the emperor. You have to obey me!"

"If you want to live to rule j.a.pan, you'll obey us," said a different voice.

Sano peered around the corner. The lanterns lit the veranda like a stage. Two samurai in leather armor tunics stood with their backs to Sano. Through the gap between them he saw Tomohito, dressed in his old-fashioned imperial armor, a long sword at his waist.

"This is the first time I've ever been outside the palace," Tomohito pouted, "but I haven't seen anything except this stupid temple. You wouldn't even let me look out the window of the palanquin on the way here." His voice quavered tearfully. "And now I'm missing the battle that I've dreamed about for so long!"

While the emperor raged and tried to push past the soldiers, they entreated him to be quiet. Sano could tell from their worried voices that they knew the coup attempt had gone wrong. Sano whispered to his detectives. Then he circled the hall. He stepped onto the veranda behind Tomohito.

"Surrender quietly, or you will be killed immediately," he said.

The emperor spun around, his babyish face startled beneath the ornate helmet. "You?" he exclaimed.

The two rebel samurai froze. When they drew their blades and started toward Sano, Marume and f.u.kida rushed them from behind. Then the four men were battling in a tornado of darting figures and flashing blades.

Backing away from Sano, the emperor bl.u.s.tered, "What are you doing here?"

"I've come to take you home, Your Majesty," Sano said.

"I won't go." Tomohito puffed out his chest and stood his ground. "Not until I've conquered the Tokugawa."

Sano pitied the boy's delusion, fostered by his isolated existence and the people who had spoiled him all his life. "I'm sorry, but that is not your destiny," Sano said. "The shogun's force is slaughtering your troops as we speak. Listen: You can hear the sound of defeat."

Diminishing gunfire resounded across the hills; the ring of fewer steel blades echoed. Marume and f.u.kida had driven the emperor's guardians off the veranda, down to the path beside the hall. Yet Emperor Tomohito shook his head in angry denial.

"We can't lose," he said. "I have the divine sanction of the G.o.ds. My victory is certain."

"It's time for you to face reality," Sano said. "The few rebels who get to the city will find more troops waiting for them, thanks to the advance notice that you couldn't resist giving. That was poor military strategy, but a good thing for you. The revolt will be crushed with minimum damage, and you can save yourself from punishment by surrendering."

"Surrender?" Tomohito laughed scornfully. "On my grave!"

Grabbing the gold-inlaid hilt of his sword, he unsheathed the weapon. Sano gazed in awe at the steel blade, etched with archaic designs and characters, that shone with an almost unearthly glow. This was the sacred imperial sword, pa.s.sed down through generations of emperors, and taken from the palace treasure-house by this foolhardy youth. Now Tomohito sliced looping swirls in the air. He took a prancing step toward Sano.

"I'm off to war," he said. His eyes, filled with nervous jubilation, reflected the blade's gleam; he grinned at Sano. "And you shall be the first enemy I slay."

"Don't do this," Sano entreated the emperor. "You can't beat me."

Tomohito laughed. "I could have killed you yesterday. Now I will."

He swung the sword. Sano leapt backward, and the blade whistled past his chin. The emperor howled, lashing out furiously while Sano dodged. When Tomohito sliced at his legs, Sano jumped over the blade. Cuts battered his armor tunic.

"Your Majesty, the revolt wasn't your idea," Sano said. He darted behind a pillar, and Tomohito's sword stuck in the wood. "Right Minister Ichijo incited it, didn't he?"

Yanking the blade free of the pillar, Tomohito lunged after Sano. "Ichijo has nothing to do with this. I want to conquer the Tokugawa. And you can't stop me!"

"You couldn't have recruited an army or procured weapons by yourself," Sano countered, dodging more cuts. "Ichijo must have done it."

"Stop talking nonsense!"