Dragonfly, p.1
Dragonfly, page 1
Dragonfly
Warrior Woman of the Samurai Book 5
India Millar
Red Empress Publishing
www.RedEmpressPublishing.com
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Copyright © India Millar
www.IndiaMillar.co.uk
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Cover Design by Cherith Vaughan
www.CoversbyCherith.com
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recoding, or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the author.
Contents
Also by India Millar
Preface
Prologue
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
Twenty-Five
Twenty-Six
Twenty-Seven
Twenty-Eight
Twenty-Nine
Thirty
Thirty-One
Scorpion
About the Author
About the Publisher
Also by India Millar
Secrets from the Hidden House
The Geisha with the Green Eyes
The Geisha Who Could Feel No Pain
The Dragon Geisha
The Geisha Who Ran Away
The Song of the Wild Geese
The Red Thread of Fate
This World is Ours
Warrior Woman of the Samurai
Firefly
Mantis
Chameleon
Spider
Dragonfly
Scorpion
Cricket
Moth
Haiku Collections
Dreams from the Hidden House
Song of the Samurai
This book is humbly dedicated to Baizenten, the Japanese Goddess of Writers and Geisha. May both you and she enjoy the words written herein!
Preface
Though the sex to which I belong is considered weak you will nevertheless find me a rock that bends to no wind.
Queen Elizabeth I of England, 1558—1603
Prologue
Should you mention the sea to any Japanese person, the response will always be prompt. It might even be said to convey a certain smugness. You must understand that we have the sea in our blood. You may be tempted to smile at the certainty of the words—but naturally, as you are a polite person, you will hide your amusement and respond courteously.
You may think to yourself that all island nations insist that they have a special affinity with the sea. Surely, if one’s home country is surrounded by saltwater, could it hardly be otherwise? But before you dismiss this particular claim, you would be wise to consider the legend that surrounds the birth of the islands of Japan. You see, it is this that makes the Japanese deep affinity with the sea understandable.
According to the legend, in the very beginning there was nothing at all. No light or dark, no up or down. No today, no tomorrow. Nothing but primeval chaos that knew nothing and had neither future nor past. Out of this chaos came the Tenchikaibyaku—the creation of heaven and earth.
It is said that the earth itself was created by two of the younger gods—Izanagi and Izanami. The elder gods decided they had tired of the churning chaos beneath them, so they gave the divine couple their instructions—they were to reach down from the home of the gods in the heavens and give solid form to what was to become the earth.
The couple was provided with the means to do this. The elder gods gave them a miraculous spear named Ame-no-nuboku—the Heavenly Jeweled Spear. With this spear, they leaned down from the Floating Bridge of Heaven and thrust its tip into the chaos beneath them. Where drops of water fell from the tip of the spear, the first island—Awaji-no-ho-no-sawake-no-shima—was formed. The first solid land to emerge from the primeval chaos.
When they saw this first land, the couple were so delighted with their efforts that they came down to earth and stood on a heavenly pillar, the better to view their creation. They were pleased with what they saw and—being young and no doubt very much in love with each other—they decided that the moment had come to make love. Unfortunately, youthful and inexperienced as they were, their first two attempts were bitter failures. Two children were born of the union, but both were ill-formed and so were not considered legitimate offspring of the divine pair. Being respectful deities, the couple consulted the elder gods as to why this had happened, and they were advised that the problem was that the female god—Izanami—had been the first to speak, rather than waiting for her husband.
Confident that if they obeyed the elder gods all would be well, the divine couple returned to view the first island and enacted another ritual encirclement of the heavenly pillar. This time when they met, Izanagi ensured that he was the first to speak, and the elder gods were right. As a result of the couple’s union this time, more islands were born. Eight large islands at first, and then six smaller islands. These islands the ancients gave the name Japan.
So, now that you know that Japan was originally not only the whole of the earth, but was the first creation by the gods from the sea, perhaps you understand why Japanese people know that they have the sea in their blood? That this is no more than the literal truth?
Also, the legend explains perfectly why Japanese women are always submissive and subservient to their husbands. Look what happens when they are not!
One
The beauty of the
Sea is immortal. Only
Man must leave this earth
I was so filled with weariness that I felt as if my sleep the previous night had been infinite. That I had slept away my youth and awoken as an old woman, full of bodily aches and pains and, far worse, a bitterness of spirit that would not leave me.
The sea rippled beneath the bezaisen coastal trading boat I had boarded in Kobe. I had chosen this particular bezaisen entirely by chance. I had walked along the dock, passing many more ships that looked exactly the same, until instinct made me turn. I was level with a gangplank, which I walked toward, and then I climbed on board. A group of sailors was sitting on barrels on the deck beneath a covered area. One glanced in my direction and his jaw dropped foolishly. In their turn, each of the other sailors followed his gaze and the conversation died in their mouths.
“Where is your captain?” I spoke crisply and stared from man to man until one of them recovered his wits and climbed to his feet. He returned with another man before his companions had stopped gawping at me.
“Yes? Why are you on my ship? Do you want to sell me something?” The captain stared at me as rudely as his men, but I was certain that I saw a troubled puzzlement in his eyes.
“I want passage. To Edo.”
My words caused general amusement. The sailors laughed out loud, so entertained by my frank words that they slapped their knees and rocked back and forth with glee. I ignored them and watched their captain.
“Do you? And you think I’m going to accept a woman as a passenger, especially one traveling on her own? Apart from the fact that women on board ships are unlucky, this lot would eat you alive before we reached the next port.”
He turned his head and spat over the side. I guessed the gesture was not just normal rudeness, but intended to intimidate me. His attitude didn’t disturb me at all. I had clearly boarded the right ship. If this bezaisen was not bound for Edo, the captain would have had no need to insult me to get rid of me. Perhaps the gods were minded to be kind to me this day.
“I can look after myself.” I smiled, and the captain’s head tilted to one side a touch warily. “Tell me how much you want for the journey, and then I’ll decide how much I’m prepared to pay you.”
“And who do you think you are, to come aboard my ship and tell me what I’m going to accept from you? What are you, some sort of high-class whore looking to find new customers in Edo? Or are you a married woman, running away from your husband just because he tried to beat some sense into you? Either way, I don’t care. Get off my ship before I send a man to the militia and have you taken away in chains.”
The sailors laughed again, their gaze darting between their captain and me. Oh, but this was amusing! Who would have thought that a humdrum day finding a ship to board would turn out to be so entertaining?
I thought about my answer for a heartbeat and then shrugged. I raised my head and asked calmly, “Tell me, captain, do you sail from here to Edo frequently?”
The captain was clearly annoyed by my question. He tapped his fingers on the rail and frowned. “What’s it to you?”
I knew he was unsettled by my cool response when he answered my question anyway.
“It’s our regular route. Kobe to Edo, around by Wakayama and up past the Shima Peninsula, stopping at any port on the way where we have cargo to drop off. Then we do the whole thing in reverse until the weather’s so bad we have to layover, either here or in Edo. What’s it to you?” he asked again.
“I want to go to Edo. And I am going on this boat.” I spoke very slowly, as if I was talking to a sulky child.
“I daresay you do want to go to Edo. But you’re not going there on my ship. Easiest way is to go overland anyway. Get yourself a decent horse or a palanquin and some bearers and an escort and get on Tokaido Highway. Quicker than going by sea. I’ve got cargo to drop off at nearly every port on the way. Even if the weather’s kind to us, the journey will take many weeks, more if the winds go against us.” By the time he finished speaking, the captain’s voice was almost pleading.
The sailors stopped nudging each other and laughing. Their eyes flickered from their captain to me as they sensed that something very odd was happening, though they had no idea what. I ignored them and fixed my stare on the captain. I had been guided to this ship. There would be no other.
“I hear what you say. But the gods have led me to your vessel, so I will sail with you.” The man’s lips opened and closed, but for a long moment, no sound came out of his mouth.
Finally, he said, “This is a trading vessel, I don’t take passengers. And if I did, I would never have a woman on board. It’s fierce ill fortune, and I don’t need that.”
Ah, that was better. He was offering me explanations. I smiled and spoke very quietly so he had to concentrate to hear me.
“I see. When you spend time in Edo, have you heard the rumors that are circulating in the Floating World? It is said that an onna-bugeisha has arisen once again from legend. This noblewoman is bound by the code of bushido to right the wrongs that have been done to her and her family, and no man has the power to stop her. It is also said that she has vanished from Edo in her quest to find justice, but will no doubt return as soon as she has finished her business. Have you heard that, I wonder? And if you have, did it cross your mind to think where she might have gone?”
I held his gaze and watched as his thoughts were reflected in his expression. Finally, he swallowed and took a deep breath before he spoke again.
“I have heard such rumors. In fact, when I was last in Edo, I attended a performance at the kabuki that is said to represent a tragic episode in the onna-bugeisha’s quest. It was a most moving performance,” he added lamely.
I nodded, staring at him calmly. It would be simple from now on. I had his full attention and all I needed to do was use my mind to subdue his will. It would be like training a dog. My intellect was the superior one, and that was all there was to it. The captain would obey me. He might not like it, but he would do as I wanted.
“I am very fond of the kabuki,” I said very calmly, as if we were simply making polite conversation. I felt almost sorry for him as he squirmed, unable to look away from me. “But I have not had time to see that particular play. I shall do so as soon as possible after we reach Edo. But I must tell you, I am already well acquainted with the plot. In fact, I could tell you the story myself.”
It seemed that the captain’s mind was both quicker and more subtle than I had given him credit for. His face turned a curious green color, reminiscent of oyster flesh that has been exposed to the air for too long. He closed his eyes and took a breath so deep it hissed in his lungs. When he opened his eyes and found me still standing there, his expression told me he had admitted defeat. He licked his lips, his gaze running from my head to my feet. I held my head high and arched my eyebrows as if I was amused by his inspection.
Finally he bowed, deeply, and barked an order to one of the sailors. At the same time, he stood aside, his hand outstretched courteously. I supposed I should have felt pleasure at his surrender, but I did not. I had known it was inevitable from the start.
“I will be honored to take you to Edo. What name should I call you, lady?”
I thought for a moment, pondering on his words. For the moment, I was tired of Lady Keiko. When I returned to Edo, I would resume my own name, if and when I wanted.
“You may address me as Soru.” I was pleased with my choice as soon as the word passed my lips. Soru means sky, and is a name that is given to both boys and girls. It also had a very special meaning for me.
As the culmination of my training as onna-bugeisha, my brother Isamu had taken me with him to steal a golden eagle chick from its mother. The bird was to be a very special gift for our father, who had loved the thrill of the hunt above all else. In the whole of Japan, only the shogun had a golden eagle to hunt with, and it was rumored that his bird had been obtained from the Kingdom of Chosun. How proud Father would have been of me when we presented him with a native eagle! The climb to the eagle’s eyrie had almost killed me, but we had succeeded, and the danger had been worthwhile. I had called our prize Soru and had taken care of him until it was developed sufficiently to present to Father. Soru, in his turn, had taken care of me when I had found my menfolk’s bodies. I was pleased that I could honor him by taking his name now.
The captain’s eyes swiveled in their sockets as he pondered my words. I watched him calmly, my expression calm. The sailor who had risen to his feet was still awaiting his orders. It was only what I expected when the captain barked a few words and the man darted down the gangplank and returned a moment later bearing my furoshiki and the long, silk-wrapped package that concealed my samurai sword, the katana of my ancestors. I saw the captain glance at its shape and watched as his shoulders slumped and he sighed deeply.
Any lingering resistance fled. His capitulation was both sudden and total.
“Soru-san, this is all you have? We sail shortly, and my humble vessel is not intended to transport passengers. Please, if you have need of anything else, tell me now and I will arrange for it to be brought on board for you.”
Even as he spoke, his head moved slightly and his stare switched instinctively out of the harbor, toward the open sea. I recognized his gesture at once. In a samurai warrior, it would have been an intuitive summation of the enemy—his height, his strength, the way he held himself. Most important, the way he held his weapon. The captain was assessing the state of the tide, the way the clouds moved, any change in the waves that were so much higher beyond the safe harbor mouth. Just as I would have done when faced with an unknown, his mind was an abacus, clicking the beads of certainty and doubt and summing them up without any conscious thought. His survey over, he glanced back at me.
“You have enough food and water for me?” I asked curtly. The captain bowed his head in assent.
“We always carry far more than we need in the event that the weather is unkind and we have to dock in a wild area where nothing can be obtained. At this time of year, it should not be needed.” He licked his lips and tried for a smile. “In fact, it seems to me that the weather is quite fair, and is likely to continue as such. Perhaps it is a message from the gods. Perhaps they knew that on this journey I would have more precious cargo than I have ever carried before.”
I decided it could do no harm to reinforce his superstitions. As if he truly were a dog that had performed a task well and was waiting for its reward, I nodded and spoke kindly to him.
“Perhaps so,” I murmured. “Who can know the minds of the gods? Thank you. I need nothing more than what I have with me.”
“Asahi.” The hovering sailor snapped to attention. “You and Kaito clear my things out of the cabin and make Soru-san comfortable.”
“I could not dream of taking your cabin, captain,” I protested politely, but I didn’t mean a word of it. If the choice was between throwing the captain out of his space and sleeping with the crew, there was no choice at all as far as I was concerned.
