The Amtrack Wars - Earth Thunder Part 30

At the earliest."

Kiyo Min-Orota swore loudly and paced up and down again. Five days .... He mentally calculated the distance they could travel in that time in an effort to figure out where Ieyasu and Yoritomo could be going.

The TohYota had a fortress at Beni-tana in their northern domain, Koneti-kuta; a long strip of forested hills that ran along the east bank of the Uda-sona to the Great Forest Lake and onward to the San-Oransa, the river border between Ne-Issan and the Fog-People.

Koneti-kuta, the largest of the Toh-Yota's three domains, was their original home before their rise to power, but the river and lakes strung along its western border also formed the major part of the front line between the Toh-Yota and the Yama-s.h.i.ta. Since the deterioration in their relationship, the Shogun had never stayed in the palace at Beni-tana despite the number of troops stationed in the domain.

Min-Orota had been told this by Yoritomo himself.

Five days .... The only alternative was the Summer Palace on Aron-Giren. But why on earth were Ieyasu and Yoritomo going there?

And why the secrecy? Min-Orota would have dearly loved to know the answers, but at this moment in time, where was more important than why.

What mattered was that the Chamberlain and the Shogun were travelling without their usual ma.s.sive retinues. If they were going to Aron-Giren as he surmised, they would only have a limited number of personal servants and guards around them, plus the basic permanent staff whose job it was to maintain the palace in readiness for a surprise visit such as this.

With most of the Inner Court and Ieyasu's front men still on the mainland, it would make Lady Mishiko's task much easier. But she would have to move fast - and so would he ....

Lord Min-Orota turned to face the secretary. 'So...

they have gone to the Summer Palace?"

'My lord, I regret that I am - ' Min-Orota cut him off with a wave. He had caught the tell-tale flicker in Shikobu's eyes. That was enough.

'Of course, of course. In any case, I cannot go there. Your masters may have begun their journey in secret but how long will it remain one?

If I was seen to follow, I would be hopelessly compromised. And since you won't confirm that's their destination, it could be a wild goose chase."

Shikobu bowed. 'The Chamberlain warned me that this situation might arise, my lord. If you will not pa.s.s on this information through me as he has requested - then I must ask you to wait here until he returns."

Min-Orota drew himself up, a move which caused the secretary to retract even further - like a tortoise sensing trouble. 'That is one solution.

On the other hand- seeing he cares so little for the future of this country - I could go home. And you could send him a message suggesting he might learn something to his advantage if he came to see me!"

'Y-Yes my lord!" 'And now,' said Min-Orota, 'kindly conduct me to the Lady Mishiko. I would like to pay my respects before leaving."

Kiyo Min-Orota had missed Ieyasu and the Shogun by just under eight hours. Travelling in closed unmarked carriages, with a heavily-disguised armed escort, the two princ.i.p.al targets of Cadillac's plan had left the palace through a secret underground tunnel in the dead of night and were now following a circuitous route to the Summer Palace for a meeting with two emissaries of the Federation.

There was a quicker and more direct way to reach Aron-Giren from the Winter Palace, and that was by ocean-going junk from the nearby fishing port of Oshana-sita.

But the Shogun, who was an even worse sailor than Cadillac, hated boats, and avoided travelling by sea whenever possible.

The last time he had been persuaded by Ieyasu to go to Bo-sona by sea, the return journey had been so dreadful he had vowed never to do so again. The longest boat journeys he was prepared to undertake were the ferry crossings from Nyo-Jasei to Manatana and on to Aron-Giren. Going by road and travelling only during the hours of darkness, stretched the journey out over several days, but for the Shogun, the attendant discomforts were cancelled out by the peace of mind that came from knowing that his carriage wheels were rolling on a firm foundation.

Apart from their immediate personal staff - riding ahead and behind the closed carriage - few people were aware that Yoritomo and Ieyasu had left the Winter Palace. The Shogun often cancelled his daily audiences and other scheduled court appearances when he felt the need to do so.

Since his accession, the conflict between what he judged to be the good and bad sides of his character and the pressures of high office in one so young had led to frequent and sometimes extended bouts of introspection.

The stone garden at the Summer Palace was a favourite place where he spent hours contemplating the harmonious arrangements of rocks set amongst a raked sea of gravel.

From the age of five, Yoritomo had developed into a secretive, solitary child who preferred reading for hours on end to more active, outdoor pursuits with boys of his own age. Studious, intelligent and imaginative, he impressed his tutors with his learning, but alongside the textbooks on the shelves of his father's library were other, less erudite but more enticing works such as - for example - the bulging folios of delicately coloured prints depicting, in explicit detail, men and women engaged in every conceivable phase and variation of the s.e.xual act.

There is little doubt it was his avid study of this ma.s.sive collection of erotica which inspired the febrile fantasies Yoritomo had woven around his sisters.

Through fear, they had kept his secret, but the court and the whole country was awash with secrets and intrigue. In the upper reaches of Iron Master society, conspiracy was in the blood, and the Shogun was the focal point of the constant scheming - by those who sought to curry favour, and by those who sought to remove him.

In a world where false friends lay on all sides, the ruler of Ne-Issan needed the clear and concentrated mind of a Grand Master playing simultanous games of chess with several opponents.

The few friends he had at court also knew that these periods of contemplation were sometimes used to cover a brief s.e.xual liaison.

Unlike his late father, who positively enjoyed outraging people's sensibilities, Yoritomo liked to keep these affairs secret, and anyone who openly referred to them soon felt the weight of his displeasure.

Ieyasu, too, as the supreme puppet-master, preferred to do much of his work behind the scenes. The absence of either for a period of days inevitably raised a few curious eyebrows, but was not a cause for concern; Ieyasu, as the nominal head of the government, had a string of high-powered aides to front for him, and the layers of court officials ensured that the palace ran smoothly in the Shogun's absence. It was, in other words, business as usual.

But not for much longer ....

By the time Lord Kiyo Min-Orota reached Lady Mis-hiko's private apartments, she already knew the real reason for his visit. A trusted member of his staff had succeeded in delivering an invitation to pay an informal visit to the post-house. The letter stated that Min-Orota had uncovered new information concerning the death of the Herald Hase-Gawa, but because of its sensitive nature, it was essential that the proposed meeting took place without the knowledge of Ieyasu's staff or any other palace official who did not enjoy her complete and utter trust.

The lure proved irresistible.

While refreshments were served, Lady Mishiko's three children were summoned to pay their respects and receive several small presents from the domain-lord.

Mishiko - obliged to speak in code because of Secretary Shikobu's lurking presence - thanked Kiyo for his continued friendship and support, emphasised the pleasure this unexpected visit had brought her, and expressed the hope that it would not be too long before they saw each other again.

'My children,' said Mishiko, 'are so excited by the toys and gifts you have brought them, they will not sleep tonight." Then with a slight change of emphasis she added. 'And neither shall I - for your visit has revived fond memories of happier times."

There was no need to say more.

After spending an hour in her company, Min-Orota who had been closely shadowed by his personal guard - gathered up the remainder of his small retinue and returned to the main courtyard. As the palace grooms brought their horses out of the stables, Shikobu- who had excused himself from Min-Orota's presence as soon as the audience with Lady Mishiko had ended - reappeared with the Chief Steward of the Royal Household, Kenzo Tokugami.

Kenzo ranked immediately below the Chamberlain, but whereas Ieyasu ran the country on behalf of the Shogun, Kenzo was solely concerned with arranging the social and domestic activities of the court. It was his job to ensure everything ran smoothly. A flow chart would have shown Kenzo was responsible directly to the Shogun, but like most key appointees, he was in Ieyasu's pocket.

After exchanging the formal bows and greetings that prefaced all verbal exchanges between people of exalted rank, Kenzo Tokugami expressed his delight at being able to welcome Lord Min-Orota to the Winter Palace.

The Court was honoured by his presence, and he - as Chief Steward - was deeply distraught to discover that the n.o.ble domain-lord was not staying within the safety of the palace walls.

'Dare one express the hope,' said Kenzo, 'that my n.o.ble lord will accept the offer of an apartment befitting his station, in which he can rest and be entertained until the Shogun and the Chamberlain return."?"

A simple 'yes' was all that was needed, continued the Steward. He, Kenzo Tokugami, would take care of every detail, including the transfer of the n.o.ble lord's retinue from the post-house to the palace.

Kiyo Min-Orota thanked him, and answered with a simple 'no'. The accommodation at the post-house had already been paid for, and although he was sure the Chief Steward would be happy to reimburse him, it was not a question of money.

'I came here at considerable risk to myself to warn the Shogun of a serious threat that could topple the TohYota only to suffer the indignity of being rebuffed by this ink-stained dung-worm."

Kiyo waved dismissively at Shikobu.

'I find it deeply distressing that a trusted friend of your family cannot be privy to Lord Ieyasu's movements, especially when - at this very moment- those movements might place him and the Shogun in even greater peril!" 'M-My lord,' stammered the hapless Shikobu, 'I beg you to believe it was not my decision to withhold this information from you!" 'Even I do not know where they have gone,' added Kenzo.

'That may be so,' replied Min-Orota loftily. 'For my part, I do not intend to impugn your honesty and reliability. But someone here knows.