like to lose a child? Do you have any children of your own?”
Lady Matsumae jerked as though Reiko had stabbed her. Pain shattered her indifference. “How dare you-you shouldn’t-you have no idea-,” she stammered. An upheaval of anger broke through the flat surface of her eyes.
Puzzled by her reaction, Reiko said, “I’m sorry. What did I say that disturbed you?”
There was a creaking noise, as if weight on the floor had shifted someplace nearby but out of sight. Lady Matsumae seemed to forget about Reiko. The anger congealed on her face as she whispered, “What was that?”
“Your son?” Lord Matsumae’s gaze turned cagy. The audience chamber went still, the air thick with tension, as he narrowed his eyes at Sano. “I don’t know anything about him.”
“You’re lying!” Furious, Sano leaped to his feet, but Deer Antlers and another guard dragged him down.
“I never saw him,” Lord Matsumae said, suddenly defensive. “He must not have gotten here.”
“Tell me the truth!” Sano demanded as terror shot through him. Had Masahiro been killed while Sano searched for him? Had he been dead while Sano and Reiko were traveling north? “What have you done to my son?”
He lunged at Lord Matsumae. Two guards seized him as Lord Matsumae jumped backward, avoiding his clutching hands. Rage and grief stained Sano’s vision so dark that he could hardly see. He lashed out blindly.
“Stop!” ordered Lord Matsumae.
Hirata, Marume, and Fukida jumped the guards who held Sano. Deer Antlers and the other guards hurried to restrain them. Sano hit, kicked, and cursed at anyone who came near him. Hirata attacked the guards, who shrieked in pain from his strikes, flew through the air, and crashed bleeding and motionless. The Rat cowered fearfully in a corner. Lord Matsumae backed against the wall behind the dais as Sano went charging at him.
“Help!” he shouted.
Sano fell upon Lord Matsumae and seized him by the throat. “Where’s my son? What have you done to him?”
Lord Matsumae gurgled and coughed while Sano choked him. His hands clawed at Sano’s. Soldiers exploded into the chamber. They pulled Sano off their master. Three wrestled Sano to the floor. So many more pinned down Hirata that he barely showed under them. Others held Marume and Fukida. Around the room lay the broken, dead bodies of eight guards that Sano and his men had killed with their bare hands.
Sano panted, exhausted and bathed in sweat. The hot red tide of temper receded, stranding him in cold despair. His son must surely be gone forever. At this moment Sano didn’t care what happened to himself.
“Take them outside,” Lord Matsumae told his men. “Execute them all.”
“My pleasure.” Deer Antlers glared at Sano. His mouth was swollen and bloody. He told his friends, “Get the chamberlain’s wife. She dies, too.”
The thought of Reiko aroused Sano’s survival instinct. Self-discipline returned. He had to act despite the terrible temptation to give up.
“Go ahead and kill us, Lord Matsumae,” he called over his shoulder as the guards hauled him and his men away. “But don’t think you can get away with it.”
Hirata and the others resisted fiercely. Sano saved his strength to push words out past the weight of misery on his heart. “If you know so much about me, then you know I’ve got an army back in Edo. When I don’t come home, they’ll come looking for me. And there’ll be too many of them for your army to hold off. They’ll kill you and your entire clan to avenge my death. So unless that’s what you want, we’d better talk.”
He was almost out the door when Lord Matsumae said, “Wait. Bring them back.”
Muttering curses, the guards hurled Sano and his comrades onto the floor in front of the dais.
Talk about what?“ Lord Matsumae was apparently not so insane that he’d lost his entire sense of self-preservation.
“You made some mistakes,” Sano said, “but it’s not too late to undo the
Lady Matsumae jerked as though Reiko had stabbed her. Pain shattered her indifference. “How dare you-you shouldn’t-you have no idea-,” she stammered. An upheaval of anger broke through the flat surface of her eyes.
Puzzled by her reaction, Reiko said, “I’m sorry. What did I say that disturbed you?”
There was a creaking noise, as if weight on the floor had shifted someplace nearby but out of sight. Lady Matsumae seemed to forget about Reiko. The anger congealed on her face as she whispered, “What was that?”
“Your son?” Lord Matsumae’s gaze turned cagy. The audience chamber went still, the air thick with tension, as he narrowed his eyes at Sano. “I don’t know anything about him.”
“You’re lying!” Furious, Sano leaped to his feet, but Deer Antlers and another guard dragged him down.
“I never saw him,” Lord Matsumae said, suddenly defensive. “He must not have gotten here.”
“Tell me the truth!” Sano demanded as terror shot through him. Had Masahiro been killed while Sano searched for him? Had he been dead while Sano and Reiko were traveling north? “What have you done to my son?”
He lunged at Lord Matsumae. Two guards seized him as Lord Matsumae jumped backward, avoiding his clutching hands. Rage and grief stained Sano’s vision so dark that he could hardly see. He lashed out blindly.
“Stop!” ordered Lord Matsumae.
Hirata, Marume, and Fukida jumped the guards who held Sano. Deer Antlers and the other guards hurried to restrain them. Sano hit, kicked, and cursed at anyone who came near him. Hirata attacked the guards, who shrieked in pain from his strikes, flew through the air, and crashed bleeding and motionless. The Rat cowered fearfully in a corner. Lord Matsumae backed against the wall behind the dais as Sano went charging at him.
“Help!” he shouted.
Sano fell upon Lord Matsumae and seized him by the throat. “Where’s my son? What have you done to him?”
Lord Matsumae gurgled and coughed while Sano choked him. His hands clawed at Sano’s. Soldiers exploded into the chamber. They pulled Sano off their master. Three wrestled Sano to the floor. So many more pinned down Hirata that he barely showed under them. Others held Marume and Fukida. Around the room lay the broken, dead bodies of eight guards that Sano and his men had killed with their bare hands.
Sano panted, exhausted and bathed in sweat. The hot red tide of temper receded, stranding him in cold despair. His son must surely be gone forever. At this moment Sano didn’t care what happened to himself.
“Take them outside,” Lord Matsumae told his men. “Execute them all.”
“My pleasure.” Deer Antlers glared at Sano. His mouth was swollen and bloody. He told his friends, “Get the chamberlain’s wife. She dies, too.”
The thought of Reiko aroused Sano’s survival instinct. Self-discipline returned. He had to act despite the terrible temptation to give up.
“Go ahead and kill us, Lord Matsumae,” he called over his shoulder as the guards hauled him and his men away. “But don’t think you can get away with it.”
Hirata and the others resisted fiercely. Sano saved his strength to push words out past the weight of misery on his heart. “If you know so much about me, then you know I’ve got an army back in Edo. When I don’t come home, they’ll come looking for me. And there’ll be too many of them for your army to hold off. They’ll kill you and your entire clan to avenge my death. So unless that’s what you want, we’d better talk.”
He was almost out the door when Lord Matsumae said, “Wait. Bring them back.”
Muttering curses, the guards hurled Sano and his comrades onto the floor in front of the dais.
Talk about what?“ Lord Matsumae was apparently not so insane that he’d lost his entire sense of self-preservation.
“You made some mistakes,” Sano said, “but it’s not too late to undo the
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