The Amtrack Wars - Earth Thunder Part 27

'Every orifice is searched - even their fingernails are trimmed - and they are then dressed in clothes which have been specially prepared and checked, and offer no possibility of concealing any dangerous objects."

'And,' said Lord Min-Orota, 'any food or drink served on such occasions is carefully prepared, inspected and tasted beforehand."

The other Iron Masters seated around the low table took it in turns to reveal what they knew, providing Cadillac and Roz with an entertaining mixture of fact, speculation and gossip.

It emerged that Ieyasu's preference was for prep.u.b.escent young girls between ten and twelve years old.

These were supplied by a group of favoured ladies of the Inner Court.

On the much rarer occasions when the Shogun indulged his baser pa.s.sions it was with partners nearer his own age - male and female.

An unsubstantiated rumour which had gained currency because of its juicy content hinted at a romantic attachment to several of the Heralds. Founded by Prince Yoritomo soon after his accession, the College of Heralds was a body of intelligent, dedicated, handsome young men, chosen by the Shogun to be his personal representatives. His 'eyes and ears'.

With their appointment came the privilege of direct access to the Shogun, a move which had threatened Ieyasu's influence at court and his grip on the reins of power.

Cadillac sought further details about their exact role and it was at this point that the name of the Herald Toshiro Hase-Gawa came into the conversation. This, he recalled, was the Iron Master who had been closely involved with Steve.

It transpired that, following the successful unmasking of the conspiracy led by Lord Yama-s.h.i.ta to resurrect the Dark Light, the Herald Toshiro Hase-Gawa - who had played a pivotal role in the Shogun's triumph had been obliged to take his own life because of a compromising letter that had been intercepted by one of Ieyasu's agents.

No one knew what the letter contained, but its penning and posting by Toshiro had led directly to his death.

Slicing open his own belly in the time-honoured fashion before being beheaded by his second - Kamakura, a Captain in the Palace Guard.

The recounting of this incident caused the a.s.sembled Iron Masters a great deal of merriment. Sakimoto explained: 'The good captain has five daughters and an ambitious wife, who entertained hopes of marrying one of them off to the Herald. Not only was he a good friend of the family, he was also Kamakura's pupil. The poor man - who is a magnificent swordsman - works lovingly for years and then has to cut off the head of his most outstanding pupil!"

Sakimoto slapped his thighs and roared with laughter.

His colleagues seemed to find it equally amusing.

When the laughter subsided, Moro Ko-Nikka, who was there to represent his brother, the domain-lord, said: 'I think the letter was an excuse.

The palace gossips say it was Lady Mishiko who sent the Herald to his death by asking her brother's permission to marry him- a little too soon after the death of her husband."

This met with a murmur of agreement.

The Consul-General Nakane Toh-Shiba had been the Shogun's official representative in Lord Min-Orota's domain. Cadillac not only knew of him, he had witnessed his fiery descent from the sky. He sensed a trail that might finally be leading somewhere ....

'Was he a man of n.o.ble birth? An acceptable candidate for her hand?"

'Indeed he was,' replied Moro. 'The house of HaseGawa has always been a staunch ally of the TohYota."

'So why did the Shogun view this match with such disfavour?"

The Iron Masters around exchanged knowing glances.

Lord Se-Iko leant forward. 'Because the same palace gossips claimed that Yoritomo was secretly in love with Toshiro but had not yet found the courage to declare his affection! His carnal desire for men is something he tries to deny! You can imagine how mortified he was when he found that his favourite Herald loved another - and had been doing so for some time in secret!"

Lord Min-Orota, who had been a party to the plot with the Yama-s.h.i.ta family and had only managed to save his neck by switching sides at the last minute, provided the capper. 'I happen to know there was more to it than that.

It was Ieyasu who pushed him into allowing Mishiko to marry Nakane - to bolster their alliance with his family.

'The Herald wasn't the only one who wanted Mishiko's husband out of the way. Yoritomo couldn't bear the idea of her being in Nakane's bed- and not just because he was a dissolute pig whose conduct dishonoured his wife and, by extension, the Toh-Yota. He couldn't bear it because he had been, and still was, in love with her himself!"

There were gasps of astonishment from those around the table who had not heard this particular nugget before.

Cadillac's pulse quickened. 'My lord, are you suggesting that the Shogun had his sister's lover killed because they had both rejected him?"

'Rejected is not the word I would choose,' replied Min-Orota. 'It seems pretty certain that Yoritomo slept with his sister fairly regularly over a number of years before Ieyasu managed to remove her.

The Herald was, I imagine, merely a consolation prize."

'That he didn't collect."

Lord Min-Orota shrugged. 'Whether he did or not doesn't really matter.

The important thing is that Yoritomo couldn't bear the idea of anyone else touching his sister."

'Or the idea that they might love her and were only humouring him,'

suggested Cadillac.

'Very likely. In the past, ambitious young men have been known to use their bodies to gain preferment. We call it promotion by the backstairs. Women do it all the time, but they, of course, come equipped with two tunnels of love."

'The last time I counted it was three!" said Lord Se-Iko.

This provoked another round of thigh-slapping laughter.

Cadillac and Roz exchanged another glance. Her eyes told him she knew what he was thinking. And approved.

'Does the Lady Mishiko have any children?" he asked.

Aishi Sakimoto nodded. 'Yes. Two daughters, Miyori and Narikita, aged five and four - and a two year-old son."

'Toshi,' added Lord Min-Orota. 'There was a vague rumour he was fathered by the Herald."

'And she grieves for him still." Cadillac swept his eyes over his Iron Master audience. 'My lords, I think we may have found our a.s.sa.s.sin the Lady Mishiko."

The domain-lords and the other high-ranking n.o.bles reacted with gasps of surprise. Sakimoto laughed. The idea seemed so preposterous. 'She obviously has access, but even if some way was found to smuggle a weapon in, what makes you think she would want to kill her brother?"

Cadillac responded with a bow. 'Sire, we are going to make her want to. When we have finished our preparations she will be unable to think of anything else. The desire for revenge will overwhelm all other thoughts."

He pointed to the electronic bug and the radio he had placed on the small low table in front of him. 'We will show her these devices, and persuade her to listen to the voices of Ieyasu's agents that I managed to draw from the air and trap inside this box.

'We will reveal Ieyasu's treachery, and we will tell her that her lover, the Herald Toshiro, discovered Ieyasu's secret pact with the long-dogs under which they supplied him with devices filled with the Dark Light for use by his network of spies. Devices which were also used to discredit the College of Heralds.

'We will tell her that Toshiro intended to reveal all this to the Shogun and that, in order to stop him, Ieyasu had the fatal letter forged and mailed in Toshiro's name in order to protect his own position.

'And we will tell her that her brother, the Shogun, ignored the Herald's protestations of innocence - even though he suspected he was telling the truth - because he was insanely jealous of the intimate relationship she had - all too hastily - revealed. And she will believe this because that part, at least, is true.

'She and the Herald both wanted her husband Nakane out of the way, but it was the Shogun who ordered Toshiro to arrange his death." Cadillac paused and surveyed his audience, sensing their rapt attention.