Brilliance of the Moon Read Free Page B

almost as shabbily dressed as
he was, a fugitive, exhausted and starving. Now I was aware of the robe I wore,
my hair dressed in the warrior style, the sword in my belt. I knew the sight of
me talking to the outcast would shock the monks profoundly. Part of me was
tempted to have him thrown out, to deny that there was any relationship between
us, and to throw him from my life at the same time. If I so ordered the guards,
they would kill him immediately with no second thought. Yet, I could not do it.
He had saved my life; moreover, for the sake of the bond between us, both born
into the Hidden, I had to treat him not as an outcast but as a man.
    “No one will kill me until the Secret One calls me home,” he
muttered, raising his eyes and looking at me. “Until that time, my life is
yours.“ There was little light where we stood, just the lamp the monk had
brought from the guardhouse and placed on the ground near us, but I could see
Jo-An’s eyes burning. I wondered, as I often had before, if he were not alive
at all but a visitant from another world.
    “What do you want?” I said.
    “I have something to tell you. Very important. You’ll be glad I
came.”
    The monks had stepped back out of pollution’s way but were still
close enough to hear us.
    “I need to talk to this man,” I said. “Where should we go?”
    They threw an anguished look at each other and the older man
suggested, “Maybe the pavilion, in the garden?”
    “You don’t need to come with me.”
    “We should guard Lord Otori,” the younger said.
    “I’m in no danger from this man. Leave us alone. But tell Manami
to bring water, some food, and tea.”
    They bowed and left. As they crossed the courtyard they started
whispering to each other. I could hear every word. I sighed.
    “Come with me,” I said to Jo-An. He limped after me to the pavilion,
which stood in the garden not far from the large pool. Its surface glittered in
the starlight, and every now and then a fish leaped from the water, flopping
back with a loud splash. Beyond the pool the grayish white stones of the graves
loomed out of the darkness. The owl hooted again, closer this time.
    “God told me to come to you,” he said when we were settled on the
wooden floor of the pavilion.
    “You should not talk so openly of God,” I chided him. “You are in
a temple. The monks have no more love for the Hidden than the warriors.”
    “You are here,” he muttered. “You are our hope and our
protection.”
    “No,” he agreed docilely, “I have to fetch the others.”
    “What others, Jo-An?”
    “The rest of us. The ones who came with me. You saw some of
them.”
    I had seen these men at the tannery by the river where Jo-An
worked, and I would never forget the way they had stared after me with burning
eyes. I knew they looked to me for Justice and protection. I remembered the
feather: Justice was what Shigeru had desired. I also had to pursue it for the
sake of his memory and for these living men.
    Jo-An put his hands together again and gave thanks for the food.
    A fish leaped in the silence.
    “How many are there?” I asked.
    “About thirty. They’re hiding in the mountains. They’ve been
crossing the border in ones and twos for the last weeks.”
    “Isn’t the border guarded?”
    “There’ve been skirmishes between the Otori and Arai’s men. At
the moment there’s a standoff. The borders are all open. The Otori have made it
clear they’re not challenging Arai or hoping to retake Yamagata. They only want
to eliminate you.”
    It seemed to be everyone’s mission.
    “Do the people support them?” I asked.
    “Of course not!” he said almost impatiently. “You know who they
support: the Angel of Yamagata. So do we all. Why else are we here?”
    I was not sure I wanted their support, but I could not help but
be impressed by their courage.
    “Thank you,” I said.
    He grinned then, showing his missing teeth, reminding me of the
torture he had already suffered because