The Amtrack Wars - Earth Thunder Part 36

'Wait!" cried Mishiko. As she went to run after him, her foot caught in the hem of her robe. She fell to her knees. In a few swift strides the Herald reached his horse. Swinging into the saddle, he wheeled round, his right hand raised in farewell. The horse reared against the sun, its rays burning out the edges of its body and that of its rider.

Then the light swallowed them both, and as they vanished so did the the woodland glade.

Mishiko found herself back in the pavilion, kneeling on the mat in front of the charcoal brazier, with her arms stretched out imploringly.

She gave a despairing cry. The wall panel slid open and an instant later, Lord Min-Orota was at her side.

'What is it, mi'lady?"

'Nothing. I... Do not worry, I have not been harmed."

She used his arms as a support as she rose unsteadily to her feet. 'I cannot thank you enough. What I have seen and heard is beyond belief!

Such a journey! To so many places! Have you waited long?"

Min-Orota waved the question aside. 'It was but a matter of moments."

'Then their magic is even more powerful than I thought.

For not only did they allow me to recapture the happiness we once shared, they have restored my hopes and given me a new sense of purpose." The light in Mishiko's eyes faded. Her face became an expressionless mask. 'Where is my brother, Yoritomo?"

Min-Orota answered with a bow. 'I believe the Shogun and the Lord Chamberlain are making a secret journey to the Summer Palace."

'I must go there. Immediately. Can you help me?"

'Yes, mi'lady." Min-Orota smiled inwardly. The monkey-witches had done their work well. 'I will arrange for a vessel to take us from Oshana-sita to AronGiren.

If we leave at first light, you can be in the Summer Palace before they arrive - a move which may be to your advantage."

'Can the spirit-witches accompany me?"

'They are prepared to follow you anywhere, mi'lady.

And I am sure that if you wish to speak again with the Herald, they will be only too happy to oblige you. Their powers are yours to command."

Mishiko cast a nervous glance at the two seated silhouettes. 'But how will they ... ? What form will they a.s.sume?"

Roz took control of Mishiko's and the domain-lord's mind as Cadillac stood up and stepped into the light.

To Min-Orota, he was no longer the tall striped gra.s.s-monkey dressed in the robes of a courtesan, but a samurai dressed in black, with a white headband bearing the house symbol of the TohYota.

'Whatever form is appropriate, your highness." Cadillac bowed to Lady Mishiko. When he straightened up, she found herself looking at a mirror-image of herself, who also bowed - and became Lord Min-Orota!

Kiyo stepped back in surprise and stared at his illusory twin. Mishiko clapped her hands in delight. 'Does this not fill you with wonder?"

'Indeed it does,' said Min-Orota. Wonder and alarm.

The one thing Min-Orota hadn't bargained for was having a magical version of himself turn up at the scene of the crime.

Cadillac stepped back into the darkness, then emerged a few moments later, with Roz, their faces now concealed behind chalk-white masks and their hands covered with the long white gloves that courtesans wore whenever they appeared in public. Dropping down on one knee, they bowed to Mishiko.

'Rise,' she said. 'It is I who should defer to you, for I am in awe of your magic. The courtesies afforded me because of my exalted position in this life mean nothing to me now. From this hour onwards, I exist only to carry out the wishes of my beloved Herald and I count upon you to guide me to him."

'In that case, we should board ship as soon as we can, your Highness.

How far are we from Oshana-sita?"

It wasn't a question Lady Mishiko could answer. When you were carried everywhere, the distance from A to B was someone else's problem.

'About ten miles,' said Min-Orota. 'There is some urgent business to attend to before we depart, but we should be able to reach the coast before dawn."

'No, mi'lord. I cannot go directly from here. I must first return to the palace - and the sooner the better."

Min-Orota was visibly taken aback. 'Mi'lady! With all due respect, that is most ill-advised!" Cadillac weighed into the argument: 'You have seen how the Chamberlain has armed himself with the Dark Light.

The black boxes convey the reports from his servants and his orders to them as swiftly as the sound from my lips reaches your ear. It is entirely possible that he already knows of Lord Min-Orota's visit to the Winter Palace and his audience with you. If you return, you might discover that he has ordered his men to keep you confined to your quarters."

'He might, but he won't. He has no grounds for suspecting me."

'But why take a needless risk?" insisted Min-Orota.

Mighiko looked more determined than ever. 'Mi'lord.

You are a dear friend and I thank you for your concern, but I cannot leave without my children, their nurse and my personal servants. And I certainly do not intend to embark on such a journey with only the clothes you see me wearing now!" 'Of course? said Min-Orota. 'I understand perfectly.

But once the Steward of the Court sees you preparing to leave with your retinue -' Mishiko cut him short with an imperious gesture. 'Kenzo will not see me leave! I am the favoured sister of the Shogun - and as such, I am privy to the secret paths by which one may leave the Winter Palace in times of danger?

Min-Orota accepted this mild put-down with a polite bow. 'Then you must tell us when and where we are to meet."

The distances one had to travel along various escape routes was something that high-born Iron Masters did know about. 'A mile due east of the Winter Palace, a track runs southwards off the road to Oshana-sita. The track crosses a stream by a wooden footbridge.

'Just past the bridge as you continue south is a wayside shrine. In the trees, immediately behind it, is a summerhouse - barred, shuttered and partly overgrown. It is joined to the palace by a tunnel. Wait for me by the roadside. I will be there one hour after sunrise. Two at the most."

'How many will there be in your party?" asked Cadillac.

Mishiko did a rapid mental calculation. 'Twenty, not including myself." She turned to Min-Orota. 'Can you provide transport?"

'Of course. But do you really need to bring so many?"

Her voice became frosty. 'My lord, I am normally accompanied by twice that number! I am a.s.suming you will provide porterage. It is impossible for me to travel with less. If I was seen to arrive in reduced circ.u.mstances, eyebrows would be raised. If our two friends are to accompany me, they can be concealed more easily in a larger group - or would you prefer just the three of us to fly magically from ship to sh.o.r.e followed by our luggage?"

'Of course not. Forgive me. My men will wait at the appointed place all day if necessary- and I shall arrange for our vessels to anchor in deep water so that we are not at the mercy of the tides."

'Good. Now... please be kind enough to summon my maid-servants and have them bring the clothes I came in.

And after that I would like you to conduct me to the gate."

Min-Orota bowed. 'At once mi'lady."