[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] signs were reported daily; faces speaking of doom were seen in lanterns outside Daifukuji temple; a flock of birds had traced characters of ill luck in the sky. As soon as they arrived, Shizuka was aware of the real grief and anger of the townspeople at Taku's death. She did not go to the Arai mansion, but stayed in an inn not far from the Umedaya, overlooking the river. On the first night the innkeeper told her that Taku and Sada were buried at Daifukuji. She sent Bunta to inform Zenko of her arrival, and rose early the next morning, leaving Miki asleep, limbs twitching and lips moving in some vivid dream, to walk along the riverbank to where the vermilion temple stood among the sacred trees, facing out to sea to welcome sailors home to the Middle Country. The sound of chanting came from within, and she heard the sonorous and holy words of the sutra for the dead. Two monks were scattering water on the boardwalks before sweeping them. One of them recognized Shizuka, and said to the other, 'Take Lady Muto to the graveyard. I will inform the abbot.' She saw their sympathy and was grateful for it. Under the huge trees there was a hint of coolness. The monk led her to the newly dug graves; no stones yet covered them; lamps burned beside them and someone had laid an offering of flowers - purple irises - before them. She forced herself to picture her son's ashes in the casket beneath the ground, his strong agile body stilled, his quick sardonic mind silenced. His spirit must be wandering restlessly between the worlds, demanding justice. The second monk returned with incense, and shortly afterwards, as Shizuka knelt in silent prayer, the abbot himself came and knelt beside her. They remained in silence for some time; then the man began to chant the same sutra for the dead. Tears formed in her eyes and traced their way down her cheeks. The ancient words rose into the canopy of the trees, mingling with the morning song of sparrows and the gentle cooing of doves. Later, the abbot took her to his room and served her tea. T have taken it upon myself to arrange for the stone to be carved. I thought it was what Lord Otori would have desired.' She stared at him. She had known him for some years, but had always seen him in a merry mood, as able to joke with the sailors in their rough dialect as to compose elegantly humorous verses with Takeo, Kaede and Dr Ishida. Now his face was drawn, his expression grave. 'Surely his brother, Lord Zenko, has dealt with all this?' 'I'm afraid Lord Zenko has become somewhat influenced by the foreigners: no formal announcement has been made, but everyone's talking about it. He has taken on their religion and now professes it as the one true faith. This renders him unable to enter our temples and shrines, and unable to perform the necessary ceremonies for his brother.' Shizuka stared at the priest, hardly able to believe what she heard. 'It's caused a great deal of unrest,' he went on. 'There have been signs and omens that the gods are offended. People fear they will be punished for their lord's actions. The foreigners insist on the contrary that their great god, Deus, will reward Zenko and anyone else who joins him. 'Which includes most of his personal retainers,' he added, 'who have been ordered to convert or die.' Page 190 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html 'What absolute madness,' Shizuka said, resolving to speak to Zenko as soon as possible. She did not wait to be summoned to his presence, but on her return to the inn dressed with care and ordered a palanquin. 'Wait here for me,' she told Miki. 'If I don't return by evening, go to Daifukuji, and they will look after you.' The girl hugged her with unusual intensity. Zenko came out to the veranda steps as soon as the palanquin was set down inside the gates, lightening her heart for a moment and making her think she had misjudged him. His first words were of sympathy, followed by expressions of pleasure at seeing her, surprise that she had not come directly to him. Her eyes fell on the prayer beads he wore round his neck, the symbol of the foreigners' religion, the cross, hanging from his chest. 'This terrible news is such a shock to us all,' he said, as he led her into his private room, overlooking the garden. A little child, his youngest son, was playing on the veranda, watched by his nurse. 'Come and say hello to your grandmother,' Zenko called, and the boy obediently came into the room and knelt before her. It was the first time she had seen him: he was about two years old. 'My wife, as you know, has gone to Hagi to be with her sister. She was reluctant to leave little Hiromasa, but I thought it best to keep at least one of my sons with me.' 'You recognize then that you are gambling with the lives of your other children?' she said quietly. 'Mother, Hana will be with them within two weeks. I don't think they are in any danger. Anyway, I have done nothing wrong. My hands are clean.' He held them up to her and then took the child's hands. 'Cleaner than Hiro-masa's,' he teased him. 'He has Kikuta palms!' Shizuka exclaimed in astonishment. 'Why did you not tell me?' 'Interesting, isn't it? Tribe blood is never completely eradicated.' He smiled broadly at her, and gestured to the maid to take the child away. 'He reminds me of Taku,' he said, wiping his eye with his sleeve. 'It is some shred of comfort to me that my poor brother lives on in my son.' 'Perhaps you will tell me who killed him,' Shizuka said. 'Bandits, obviously. What other explanation can there be? I will pursue them and bring them to justice. Of course, with Takeo out of the country, desperate men grow bold and come out of hiding.' It was obvious that he did not care if she believed him or not. 'What if I order you to tell me the truth?' His eyes flickered away from her, and he hid his face in his sleeve again, but she had the feeling he was not weeping but smiling, in surprise and glee at his own audacity. 'Let us not speak about ordering, Mother. I will observe all my filial duty towards you, but in all other terms I believe it is now appropriate for you to obey me, both as Muto and Arai.' 'I serve the Otori,' she replied. 'So did Kenji, and so have you sworn to.' 'Yes, you serve the Otori,' he said, his anger showing. 'That has been the problem for years. Wherever we look in the history of the Otori's rise, we see your hand - in Takeo's persecution of the Tribe, in my father's murder, even in Lord Fujiwara's death - what led you to betray the secrets of the Tribe to Shigeru?' 'I will tell you! I wanted a better world for you and Taku. I thought you should live in Shigeru's world, not the one of warlords and assassins that I saw around me. Takeo and Kaede created that world. We will not let you destroy it.' 'Takeo is already finished. Do you think the Emperor will favour him? If he does return, we will kill him, and I will be confirmed as ruler of the Three Countries. It is my right, and I am Page 191 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html ready for it.' [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl blacksoulman.xlx.pl