To Defend the Emperor, Part 2 of 3

By Shawn Carman
Editing & Assistance by Fred Wan

The Emerald Champion’s residence, Toshi Ranbo
Yasuki Hachi slid the door to his private chambers open with a sharp crack. The wood on the screen snapped and sent a shower of splinters peppering down on the floor, but Hachi did not notice. He stormed into the room without preamble and began to gather his things. Clothing, scrolls, and all other manner of personal objects were seized and roughly shoved into a furoshiki sack, with only the Emerald Champion’s weapons and armor receiving any careful attention.

Two men approached the chamber and stood in the doorway, impassively watching as Hachi stormed purposefully back and forth throughout the room, assembling everything he would need for a long trip in only a few moments. “When do we leave?” the older of the two men asked quietly.

Hachi glanced up at the doorway. “I leave as soon as I can gather my men,” Hachi answered. “You will be needed here, Sekawa.”

Asahina Sekawa raised one eyebrow curiously. “The messengers bound for the Great Clans departed less than an hour ago. If you leave now, then you shall either find yourself waiting impatiently in the Crab lands for their forces to assemble, or you will ride ahead and accomplish nothing. And I will be accompanying you.”

Hachi stood and turned to the doorway. “Do you really think that the clans will suddenly just forget their wars and rally to our cause? Do you think they will rush their forces to the gates of the Shadowlands and stand shoulder-to-shoulder in an attempt to find the Emperor?”

“To a certain extent, yes,” Sekawa said at once. “I believe they will send small, fast units to your banner, just as you asked. Perhaps they will not stop fighting one another even as they do so, but I believe they will join us.”

“Then perhaps you have more faith in the Great Clans than I do,” Hachi said, turning back to his work. “I will go alone and meet with those the clans send. You will be needed here.”

“I am the Jade Champion,” Sekawa said. “It is my duty to serve the Emperor, and to protect both him and his Empire from corruption.”

“I have heard that one of the Lost has been sighted in the Scorpion provinces,” Hachi said smartly. “Perhaps you should try there before venturing into the Shadowlands.”

“I see,” Sekawa said flatly. “You do not trust me, then.”

“I do not believe you are a dishonorable man,” Hachi offered, “but nor do I trust your judgment. This book of yours, Rosoku’s book… it has affected you in some way I do not understand.”

“It has affected me in many ways,” Sekawa said, “but it has not altered my adherence to duty or the role I play in the Empire. I am not beholden to you, and I will not stand idly by and watch as you race into the Shadowlands unprotected.”

Hachi shook his head. “I cannot have someone whose instincts I doubt at my back.”

“That will be your problem, not mine,” Sekawa said sharply. “I will meet you in the Crab lands.” And with that, he turned and stormed from the room.

The other man in the doorway watched the Jade Champion’s retreating back until he was gone from sight. The masked man turned to Hachi. “I can ensure he remains within the city, if you wish,” he said quietly.

The Emerald Champion looked up, obviously considering the offer. After a moment, he sighed and shook his head. “No, Norachai. I will not walk down that path. The kami are scarce in the Shadowlands, and therefore the abilities of a shugenja cannot be depended upon consistently. Still, perhaps the Keeper of Five Rings will be able to succeed where others fail.”

“As you wish,” Bayushi Norachai said. “When do we leave?”

Hachi shook his head. “I need you here.”

Norachai frowned. “I have been stuck within the city for months. I do not wish to remain when something so important is taking place elsewhere.”

Hachi stopped and turned to face his friend. “If I do not return, then the Emperor is most likely dead,” he said quietly. “If the Emperor is dead, then there will be no Emerald Champion, or at least not until one of the many backstabbing sycophants in the Imperial Court decides that they can benefit from placing their pawn in the position. I need to know that someone I can trust will be here to fulfill my duties in the absence of any real authority. I need you here, Norachai.”

The Scorpion magistrate frowned even deeper, but nodded quietly. “As you wish,” he said. “There are others who could fulfill the task for you, though.”

“None as well as you,” Hachi said. “If the Emperor dies, if he is already dead, then you know what manner of chaos will envelop the Empire. You alone have the conviction to do what must be done in unpleasant circumstances.”

A wry smile flickered across Norachai’s features. “You want me to stay behind because I am the only one you trust to be evil enough to save the Empire?”

“I suppose so.”

Norachai nodded. “I just wanted to be certain. One might be able to make a convincing case that you have serious problems in where you place your trust, given that you just insulted the Jade Champion and then praised me for somewhat questionable practices.”

Hachi tied his furoshiki sack closed and stood. “No one is perfect,” he said.

“I suppose you don’t need to be,” Norachai said. “Let honor be your guide.”

“Always.”

The Crab Estate
A servant barely managed to remove the items sitting atop the table before the old sensei dropped a series of scrolls. He unrolled the first and spread it across the tabletop, revealing a detailed map of the entire Seikitsu Mountain range. The old man glanced across it, dragging his finger as he did so. Finally, he shook his head. “Shamate Pass is the closest, but it leads directly into the Scorpion provinces. We can’t risk it.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Hida Benjiro placed his blades into his obi and attached a tetsubo to his opposite hip. He lifted a bag and tested its weight, mentally calculating the amount of rations within purely by how heavy it was. “I will travel in disguise. It is the quickest route. We do not have time for me to travel west to Seikitsu Pass.”

“Disguise?” Toritaka Tatsune asked, his face completely blank. “Have you gone utterly mad? Do you honestly think the Scorpion won’t notice?”

“They aren’t prescient!” Bejiro snarled. “They just want everyone to think they are, so they spin their little tales and play their shadow games. They will not know who I am.”

“The Scorpion have been watching you since the moment you arrived in the city,” Tatsune insisted. “Do you think they will stop caring where you are once you leave? They will not allow the opportunity of so important an enemy traveling unaccompanied through their lands to pass them by. Don’t be foolish.”

“I am no fool!” Benjiro said. “We do not have time for this!”

“I did not say you were a fool! I said you are being foolish! But perhaps I was being too forgiving in my old age!”

Benjiro’s face twisted up in a fierce expression of anger, but after a moment he drew a deep breath and visibly relaxed. “We have no time for this,” he repeated. “The other clans will not tarry in sending their forces to the Crab lands. If we are to be ready when they arrive, I must leave at once to marshal our forces and gather resources for the advance into the Shadowlands. You know as well as I do what madness awaits there now.”

“The war,” Tatsune said simply. “The others have no idea what they will be walking into.”

“All the more reason for me to get there as quickly as possible and prepare,” Benjiro said. “We must hurry.”

Tatsune shook his head. “You know as well as I do that the thing we need the most, the Crab do not have,” he said quietly. “What will we do?”

Benjiro said nothing for a moment. “I do not know,” he finally answered.

“I may have a solution for you, if I may.”

The two men turned suddenly to the chamber’s entrance, where a slight man in a non-descript blue kimono stood. The man bore a Crab mon, and one denoting his family, but Benjiro did not recognize him. “Who are you?” he asked roughly.

“Yasuki Jinn-Kuen,” Tatsune answered. His tone was cold.

“Indeed,” the younger man smiled. “As I said, I think I can help you.”

“How?” Benjiro demanded. “I have no patience for word games today.”

“No games,” Jinn-Kuen said. He reached into his obi and withdrew a small parcel. He crossed the room and placed it on the table. “Only this.”

Benjiro took the parcel and tore the wrapping off, only to go completely motionless when he saw what was inside. He reached into the small box and lifted out the large green rock within, holding it up to the light. “Where did you get this?” he asked.

“Does it matter?” Jinn-Kuen replied lightly.

“Uncarved, straight from the earth,” Tatsune said with a grunt. “I have not seen a piece of jade that size taken from the earth in nearly a decade.”

“Where did you get it?” Benjiro asked. “Why have you not brought it forth before?”

“I acquired it recently,” Jinn-Kuen answered. “Where I acquired it does not matter. All that matters is that I have enough for the entire force heading into the Shadowlands, and it is yours for a very small favor.”

“There is not that much jade left in the Empire,” Tatsune rumbled. “What manner of deception is this?”

“There is no deception.”

“What is it you want?” Benjiro said. “What favor?”

“I wish to accompany the Crab contingent,” Jinn-Kuen answered.

The other men were silent for a moment. “You cannot be serious,” Tatsune said.

“A courtier,” Benjiro said. “A courtier wishes to accompany the Crab into the Shadowlands. For what purpose?”

“Does it matter?” Jinn-Kuen repeated. “I can give you what you need. I can even arrange for you to be transported through the Scorpion lands with no fear of discovery. I can make all of your problems disappear, and in return I ask only for this favor.”

“You’ll be killed,” Benjiro said.

“Will that be a great loss to you?” Jinn-Kuen said.

“Not particularly,” Tatsune grumbled.

“Shall I make the arrangements? Or leave?” Jinn-Kuen asked.

Benjiro hesitated only for a moment. “Make the arrangements.”

Near the ruins of Kosaten Shiro
The Kakita officer looked up from the scroll, fixing the courtier with an inscrutable expression. “Are you absolutely certain this is correct?”

“I am, Nakazo-sama,” Daidoji Minoru answered. “I was present when the events described took place. Unlikely as it may seem, the account is completely accurate.”

Nakazo closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead with his hand. “This is ominous news indeed.”

“The entire affair does seem somewhat unlikely,” a young man standing to the side said. “Minoru, what is your assessment of what took place? Not whether or not the scroll tells the story correctly. What do you think?”

The courtier frowned. “I have served in the court for nearly two years, my lord, and I have never seen Bayushi Kaukatsu surprised. If this is some manner of deception or elaborate plot, Kaukatsu knows nothing of it.”

“Which means that it is not a deception,” the young man said. “Nothing takes place in the court that the old Scorpion does not know of long before it happens.”

“The Emerald Champion likewise seemed genuinely surprised at the news, both of the Emperor’s travels and his whereabouts,” Minoru added. “However, I suspect that the Empress and the Jade Champion were aware that the Emperor had left the city. They did not seem surprised at the news, although their concern over his well-being appeared genuine.”

“Of course,” the young man replied. “Nakazo, what are our orders?”

Nakazo held the scroll aloft. “We are to dispatch troops immediately,” he answered. “It bears the chops of both Nagori and Seishiro. We have standing orders that any edict from the Imperial Court bearing both their chops is to be treated as if issued by lady Domotai herself.” He shook his head. “It seems we have little choice, Kikaze-sama.”

Daidoji Kikaze frowned. “I am familiar with the protocol, Nakazo.” He considered the matter for a moment. “You will lead the expedition,” he finally said. “Gather two dozen or so of your finest troops. I will make the arrangements for your supplies.”

Nakazo did not move. “With all due respect, Kikaze-sama… no.”

The Daidoji daimyo stopped and stood quite still for a moment. “I beg your pardon?” he asked quietly.

“I cannot leave my post,” Nakazo said. “Forgive me, my lord, for you are the Daidoji daimyo and I am but a taisa in the Crane armies, but my duties were given to my by Domotai-sama herself, and I cannot set them aside, not even for your order.”

“We are discussing the fate of our Emperor,” Kikaze said. “There is little time to argue. I can deal with the Dragon in your absence. Prepare to leave immediately.”

Again, Nakazo shook his head. “My lord, your talents are far better suited to the task than mine. I do not fear the Shadowlands, but failure is another matter. I can hold the Dragon, but I cannot lead an army into the Shadowlands. You, however, are capable of both. Save perhaps for Sekawa-sama, there is no Crane who has conducted more research into how to fight the Lost.”

“Do not be ridiculous,” Kikaze said. “My place is here. This war cannot be fought without the harriers.”

“If this war cannot be won without the harriers,” Nakazo said quietly, “then perhaps we do not deserve to win.” He allowed the comment to hang between the two for a moment. “My lord, the Dragon shall not gain one foot of our land in your absence. This I can promise you. I cannot promise you that I can find the Emperor, or bring him back safely. I believe you can.”

Kikaze said nothing for a moment. Finally, he nodded. “You are right, of course. This is an unsavory task, best left to unsavory men. I will go.” He stopped and turned to the waiting officer. “I trust that upon my return, I shall see that the Dragon shall be defeated and that the rebuilding of my home shall be underway?”

Nakazo bowed deeply. “I shall build it from the ashes of our enemies, if you desire it, my lord.”

Shiro Kitsuki
The southern reaches of Dragon lands were steeped heavily in stark peaks and rolling foothills, stretching gradually into the low plains that marked the Dragonfly lands to the south. The entire region had seen heavy fighting over the past month as the Crane and Dragon had begun fighting in earnest, with the Lion participating intermittently. As a result, the normally serene Shiro Kitsuki had been transformed by necessity into something that might be accurately described as a war fortress. Impromptu barracks had sprung up all throughout the village surrounding the castle, and they were filled to capacity and beyond with the Mirumoto armies that fought the Dragon Clan’s wars.

In what had once been the primary court chamber of Shiro Kitsuki, a strange assortment of Dragon samurai gathered together to discuss the many realities of war. Supplies, sentry patterns, scouting patrols, attrition rates, and dozens of other banal considerations were discussed at length. One taisa was in the middle of a detailed report when Kitsuki Iweko, lady of Shiro Kitsuki, suddenly held up a hand, plunging the room into silence. She craned her head to the side, staring at the chamber’s entryway. She had only enough time to gesture to the guards to draw their weapons before the doors swung inward suddenly and a blur of movement entered the chamber.

The choral sound of dozens of blades being drawn simultaneously was the only sound that could be heard over the sudden roaring of wind that accompanied the blurring motion. All at once it stopped, and in the chamber’s center stood a young woman. Her black hair was short and pulled back into a tight wrap. Her robes were loose, revealing a generous amount of skin, much of it covered in tattoos. Her face bore a sheen of perspiration despite the cool weather, and her face was split in a triumphant grin. “Forgive me, lady Iweko,” she said. “I meant no disrespect, but I bear an urgent message for lord Rosanjin.”

Iweko frowned and turned to the warrior at her right. The massive man had barely looked up from the dozens of scrolls scattered across the table. His bald head turned slowly to the tattooed monk and one eyebrow lifted in an expression of surprise. “You are Hitomi Maya, currently residing in Toshi Ranbo, are you not?”

“Yes, Rosanjin-sama,” the monk answered.

“What is your business here?”

Maya’s smile faltered. “The Dragon representatives to the Imperial Court report that the Empress, Emerald Champion, and Jade Champion received testimony from the Nezumi ambassador indicating the Emperor has entered the Shadowlands.”

The silence that fell throughout the chamber was absolute. “What?” Iweko demanded. “The Emperor in the Shadowlands?”

“So it would seem,” Maya reported. “He has spent the past few months traveling the Empire in search of enlightenment, and now has apparently decided it is to be found in Fu Leng’s realm. The Emerald Champion has decreed that all clans loyal to the Toturi dynasty must send troops to the Crab lands to follow him into the Shadowlands. It is Hachi-sama’s intent to find the Emperor and protect him for however long he chooses to remain.”

Iweko turned to Rosanjin with an expression of utter disbelief. “I have never heard anything so ludicrous in all my life.” She paused. “Can we trust the Nezumi?”

Rosanjin nodded. “I have met with the chieftain of the Broken Shinbone,” he answered. “I believe they are a race with little capacity for deception, and no understanding of human society. Yet they are fierce warriors and loyal allies. If the Nezumi report the Emperor was sighted, and the Empress cannot and does not refute such a claim, then it must be true.”

“What will we do?” Iweko asked. “We hardly possess troops to spare.”

“That means nothing,” Rosanjin said. “The Emperor must come first.”

“Whom shall we send?”

Rosanjin adjusted his blades. “I shall go. My absence will mean less than the loss of one of our field commanders. Kei and Mareshi shall oversee the battle in my place.” He turned to the assembled samurai. “My personal guard is to make ready to leave at once. We travel light and quickly.” He turned to Maya. “How many of your order are there here?”

Maya shrugged. “I cannot say, my lord. I’ve only just arrived, but I would be surprised if there were not a dozen or so.”

“Find them,” he ordered. “If I am to march into a realm of madness, I would have Lady Moon’s favored servants at my side.”

Maya’s grin returned. “That sounds wonderfully exciting, my lord. I will have them ready to go within the hour.”

Shiro Matsu
Ikoma Otemi read the scroll a second time, extracting every possible detail from the brief message, the handwriting, the chop used to seal it… nothing was too insignificant. After a third reading, he finally placed it on the table and walked away. He stood on the balcony that overlooked the assembly grounds below, and considered the message Katsuko had sent him.

“My lord,” one of his officers said. “Is everything well?”

“No, Takuya,” the Lion Champion answered. “All is not well.”

“What news from the capitol?” Matsu Takuya answered.

Otemi turned back to the war room. “The Emperor is not in seclusion as we had been lead to believe. He is, in fact, somewhere within the Shadowlands. Yasuki Hachi has requested all clans send a small force of warriors to join him in finding and protecting the Emperor.”

“The Shadowlands?” Takuya said, his tone incredulous. “For what purpose?”

“I do not know. I suspect none do.” Otemi’s voice was calm, impassive. “If the Emperor is in danger, the reasons do not matter. The Lion must stand with him.”

“Of course. How many legions do you wish mobilized?”

Otemi shook his head. “Speed is of the essence. The time to mobilize even a single legion, to gather the supplies and the support necessary, would be too long. We cannot send such a number.”

Takuya looked surprised. “Surely a smaller force would not survive the Shadowlands.”

“There will be troops from all clans there,” Otemi said. “If a legion from each clan were sent, it would require months of preparation, and movement through that dark realm would be slow indeed. The risk of discovery by the Lost is great. It will be a dangerous feat.”

Takuya nodded. “I understand, Otemi-sama. Shall I marshal the wardens? They are our fleetest units.”

“They are fleet,” Otemi acknowledged. “Their training, however, is quite rigid and structured. I fear the Shadowlands will tax them to their limits. They will require an adaptable commander, someone not bound by the conventions of traditional tactics.” He considered the matter for a moment. “Who is the beastmaster that trains in the courtyard each week? The young woman.”

“Matsu Benika?” Takuya could not keep the surprise from his voice. “My lord, she is so young and untested. She has only seen battle a handful of times, and then against the Dragon. She is ill-suited for command.”

“Two dozen wardens,” Otemi said. “You will accompany them.  You will hold command until the border to the Shadowlands is crossed. After that point, you will allow Benika to make decisions regarding battle and tactics. Watch her warcats, however. If the Taint seems to affect them, then you will have to do what she will be unwilling to.” He turned to face the commander. “These are my orders. Do you understand what you must do?”

“Yes, my lord,” Takuya said with a bow.

“The honor of all Lion sits on your shoulders, Takuya,” Otemi said. “Bring glory home with the Emperor.”

Matsu Takuya held his sword and saluted. “For Ikoma Otemi and Rokugan,” he said quietly.

To Be Continued