Warlords Of Gaikon

Chapter 8

Late in the morning of the fourth day they rode out of the forest into the fields around the castle of Lord Tsekuin.

Yezjaro had sent a messenger on ahead to bring word to the castle. So Blade was not surprised to see the farmers, who had been working knee-deep in the flooded paddy fields, crowding up to the edge of the road as the party rode past. He was only slightly surprised at the open smiles, the cheers, and the ribald remarks that greeted the young swordsman. Yezjaro, for all his swashbuckling arrogance, was obviously popular.

They rode past paddy fields and villages of thatched wooden houses for nearly an hour. Then Blade saw a sprawling tangle of towers, buildings, and walls crowning a high hill about three miles ahead. He didn't need Yezjaro's comment to realize that they were approaching the castle. Nor did he need the instructor's pointing hand to notice the cluster of banners gliding out of the gate and moving swiftly down the hill toward them.

«As I hoped, the Lord Tsekuin himself is coming out to greet us. That is good news for you, Blade. If the lord is prepared to admit in public that you have rendered him a valuable service-well, you may find yourself in a stronger position than I had expected. But do not buy the barrels for saya made from grain as yet unharvested.»

«We have such sayings and rules in my own land, Yezjaro,» said Blade, deliberately showing more irritation than he felt. «As I have told you, I can see more than a small child and hardly like being treated as one.»

«So shall it be,» said Yezjaro, with a small bow and a large grin. Both held a hint of mockery. Then the instructor was reining in his horse and signaling the rest of the party to do the same. They pulled up to a stop in the road, and waited while the cluster of banners came bobbing and waving toward them.

The man who was obviously Lord Tsekuin was spurring along well ahead of his men. Blade had an extra chance to observe him as he rode up. The warlord was certainly no child. In fact, he must have been on the wrong side of thirty. But there was a softness about his face and his lanky figure that suggested he was still more accustomed to chairs and scrolls than to saddles and swords. Although he was riding out in front of his escort at a good clip, he was obviously not doing it because he felt comfortable on a fast-moving horse.

With much sawing on the reins the warlord brought his horse to a stop in front of Blade and Yezjaro. Blade noticed that he nearly went headfirst out of the saddle as the horse stopped. Yezjaro removed his broad leather hat and bowed from the waist. Blade did the same.

«Welcome home, Worthy Instructor Yezjaro,» said Lord Tsekuin. «And welcome, dabuno Blade. I understand it is your wish to enter my service?»

«It is, Honorable Lord Tsekuin,» said Blade.

«That is good. Our house has need of strong dabuni, and many such rise high.» The warlord's voice was clear but highpitched. He put no force and no sincerity that Blade could detect into the formal greetings. Perhaps he didn't feel any? There was nothing to do about it if he didn't. Besides, there was something else about Lord Tsekuin that practically jumped out at Blade and slapped him in the face.

The warlord positively dripped diamonds. Blade saw small ones in rings on three fingers of each hand and others set in a large circular gold pin that held his sash together. Slightly larger ones flashed from a medallion on a chain around his neck and from a badge on the front of his hat. A huge one-a good forty carats of the finest gem quality-flashed from the hilt of his sword.

As the warlord's escort rode up Blade noticed that they too were decked out with a princely abundance of diamonds. Not quite on the scale of their lord, of course. No doubt those forty-carat monsters didn't grow on bushes even in Gaikon. But all had at least one piece of diamond-studded jewelry and a jeweled sword-hilt.

Blade realized that he didn't need to ask what Lord Tsekuin's mines produced. Nor did he need to wonder why the Hongshu might be intriguing against Lord Tsekuin and casting greedy eyes on his lands.

He also realized that Yezjaro and Tsekuin had been exchanging polite formalities while he stared at the warlord. Now both broke off suddenly and looked back along the road toward the castle.

A large red two-wheeled cart was rumbling toward them, drawn by four horses and carrying a tented enclosure perched behind the two drivers. Blade saw both Yezjaro and Lord Tsekuin grimace. The warlord's escort reluctantly made a clear path for the cart. With shouts and whip-cracking it came to a stop just behind Lord Tsekuin's horse. The green curtains were thrust open from within, and a woman's head peered out.

The woman wore a narrow mask of red leather over her eyes, and black silk gloves. She wore no jewels on her fingers or clothes. But these were her only concessions to the public modesty that custom required of noblewomen in Gaikon. Around her slender, creamy brown throat and in her black hair she wore enough diamonds to stock a fair-sized home dimension jeweler's store. The eyes that stared out through the large holes in the mask did not drop to the ground when Blade met that stare. They held his own eyes, openly, frankly, almost appraisingly. Then the initial boldness in the woman's eyes faded. Blade sensed something admiring and almost welcoming in them. He felt it so strongly and unmistakably that he wondered how Lord Tsekuin could avoid noticing it.

Whatever Lord Tsekuin noticed, it was enough to set off his temper. His eyes flared as he saw the woman peering out of her cart. His voice rose to a screech.

«Back to the castle, Lady! You shame the house out here. Back, I say!» If the glare on his face had been turned into heat, the lady, cart, horses, and drivers would have all vanished in a puff of smoke.

The lady at least had enough sense not to argue. The curtains closed behind her as the two drivers began struggling with reins and whips to get the cart turned around. Lord Tsekuin did not help matters by storming at them with shrill curses and snapping his own riding whip at the heads of the horses. But finally they clattered off toward the castle, followed by a good many stares-including Blade's.

Lord Tsekuin turned back to Yezjaro and Blade, his voice still hoarse and shaking from his burst of rage. «I am shamed for this befouling of your welcoming, worthy brothers. But I-«He threw up his hands in a gesture of disgust and despair, turned his own horse, and cantered off after the cart. His escort followed in disorderly haste.

When the last of them was out of earshot, Blade turned to Yezjaro. «The woman in the cart-that was the Lady Oyasa, wasn't it?»

«Do you think there is great wisdom in realizing that, Blade?»

«No, I think there is only the ability to see what is in front of one's eyes. And that ability I told you I have.»

«True. But there are times when a blind man may reach a higher level of wisdom than one who sees clearly.»

«No doubt there are such times. But is this one of them? Or is it a question of merely a longer life, rather than a higher level of wisdom?»

«You place so little value on life, Blade?»

«That is a question that must be answered each time one's life is in danger. If there was one answer and only one, all warriors would either die young or live to a great age.»

Yezjaro threw back his head and laughed. «Blade, if you spend enough time in Gaikon, I can conceive that your sayings will fill many scrolls, like the war words of the great dabuno Mino Tojai. You speak like a man both brave and wise. I hope your wisdom will make it possible for your bravery to receive the honors it deserves.»

Blade rather hoped so too. But there was certainly a nasty mixture of elements here in the fief of Lord Tsekuin. A young, hot tempered, and petulant lord, ill-suited to his rank and position. Diamonds that apparently could be scooped out of the ground as easily as potatoes out of a backyard garden. A strong-willed lady with a sharp eye and little wish to bow to the customs of Gaikon that governed other ladies of her rank. And hovering over them all, a greedy Hongshu who understandably lusted after that openly flaunted wealth of jewels.