Traveler of the Blue Road - Part 1 Chapter 1 - The Future Holy Sage

 Traveler of the Blue Road

(Book 7 of the Guardian of the Spirit Series)

Author: Uehashi Nahoko

Translator: Ainikki the Archivist

 

 Part 1 - The Mikado and the Crown Prince

Chapter 1 - The Future Holy Sage

 

    It was just past sunrise. Candle flames flickered in their holders on the upper floor of Toya and Saya’s store in Kosenkyo. Shuga and Torogai sat across from one another in the dim light of the candles. One of Torogai’s knees was pulled up in front of her.

    Torogai leaned forward slightly to pour herself a cup of wine. “You look tired, Star Reader,” she said.

    Shuga smiled tightly. “You always seem full of energy, Master Torogai.”

    Torogai laughed, making her look about ten years younger. She was rumored to be the greatest magic weaver of the age. Shuga guessed that she must be past seventy-five now, but she hadn’t changed at all in the years he’d known her.

    “It’s not because I’m your master, or a magic weaver,” she said. “I’ve just gotten good at hiding my troubles. That’s the secret to a long life.”

    Shuga nodded, still smiling. He was only twenty-four years old, but he was in charge of Crown Prince Chagum’s education. He also continued to serve the Holy Sage at the Star Palace, so his workload was always heavy.

    Torogai sighed. “What are you worried about now? I’ve been hearing rumors and seeing disturbances in Nayugu, but...”

    Shuga nodded. “Strange signs and omens have appeared in the Star Palace as well. Whatever is going to happen will likely happen soon.” 

    Torogai snorted. “Don’t be so sure. The time scale of Nayugu is vastly different from ours. You’re being impatient. There’s no need to jump to conclusions. Most of the signs you’ve noticed are probably because the season is changing in Nayugu.”

    “The season is changing?”

    Torogai nodded. “Nayugu has seasons much like ours. It seems that the snow melted unusually early in Rota this year.”

    Shuga nodded. He’d heard the same thing at the imperial palace.

    “So the strange weather events this year, like the flowers blooming in the mountains over winter, are because it’s spring in Nayugu now?” Shuga asked.

    Torogai shrugged and poured more wine into her cup. “There are places where Nayugu and Sagu are connected. The place where the flowers bloomed in the mountains is probably a place like that.”

    Torogai tasted a bit of the wine in her cup, then gulped it all down. She seemed utterly content and at peace as she drank.

    “The Yakoo believe that Nayugu’s spring is long--as long as a hundred years in Sagu,” Torogai said. She glanced up at Shuga and grinned. “So you see why I think you’re being impatient.”

    Shuga grimaced. “Well, I can’t really help it. I can’t ignore disturbances in Nayugu any more than I can ignore disturbances at the imperial palace.” Shuga appeared genuinely worried. “I’m most concerned about Crown Prince Chagum.”

    “Why? What’s wrong with the boy?”

    Shuga opened his mouth, then closed it. He smiled reflexively. Torogai hadn’t referred to Chagum with such easy casualness in a long time. Chagum wasn’t the Crown Prince of New Yogo to Torogai; he was more like a member of her own family. Shuga couldn’t stop referring to him by his title; neglecting to use it inside the imperial palace would get him in a lot of trouble. But he did forget--sometimes, very briefly--that Chagum was the Crown Prince.

    “Physically he’s fine,” Shuga said. “But there are rumors among the common people that Crown Prince Chagum is the savior of the country, not the Mikado. I can’t help but worry at the effect these rumors are having.”

    Torogai nodded in slow understanding. “I see. The Mikado is jealous of Chagum, is he? That’s not good news.”

    Shuga nodded. “I’m also worried about the future of the country. We’ve received threats from the Talsh empire. I’m worried that the Mikado might twist the people’s admiration for Chagum to force him into a foolish confrontation with the Talsh.”

    Torogai didn’t fully understand the political implications of what Shuga had said, but it seemed to her that Chagum was being threatened with assassination by his father. Again. New Yogo had to fortify itself against the Talsh empire. Using Chagum for that pretext provided opportunities for getting rid of him. The Mikado had never needed much of a reason to threaten his son’s life. He’d shunned him since Chagum had returned to the palace after the incident with the water spirit.

    Chagum knew full well that his father had ordered him killed. That knowledge had been a thorn between them for years. Time may have smoothed over the rougher edges of their relationship, but neither Chagum nor the Mikado ever forgot how their estrangement came to be. But Chagum was essentially good-hearted, so he’d never hated his father. He was also unusually clever and possessed a unique strength of spirit.

    He’d just turned fifteen at the start of the new year. At his adulthood ceremony, several young retainers and warriors came out to pay their respects to the future Mikado. Seeing this strong show of support for Chagum had angered the Mikado and his fanatical supporters, who viewed the Mikado as a god. The Mikado was not skilled at winning the hearts of his people; for the first time, this lack in himself caused deep personal dissatisfaction.

    Shuga understood how the Mikado felt. He and Chagum were completely different. Chagum was already shifting the balance of power inside the palace; people that clung to the status quo were threatened by Chagum’s growing popularity and influence.

    If the Talsh empire attacked New Yogo now, the nation would be vulnerable due to the power split between Chagum and the Mikado. Chagum’s supporters believed that he could save New Yogo from the Talsh, which was a further blow to the Mikado’s pride.

    “If the Second Prince hadn’t been born...” Shuga trailed off.

    “I guess the Mikado’s supporters think of the second son as his true heir now.” Torogai stroked her chin thoughtfully. “They don’t have to worry about the succession if Chagum dies.”

    Torogai was as blunt as ever. The Second Prince, Tugum, was three years old. Most children who lived to that age survived to adulthood. Chagum’s half-sister by the Third Queen was ten years old; her future husband had already been selected.

    It certainly seems like the Second Prince is being set up to inherit his father’s position. Is there any way to weaken his claim?

    Even thinking about such things made Shuga feel heartless and bitter. The Third Queen’s father, Army Grand General Radou, was a very strong supporter of the Mikado. He doted on his grandson Tugum, but treated Chagum with indifference at best.

    “Is there anyone in the palace who can protect Chagum?” Torogai asked.

    “There’s the Navy Grand Admiral Tosa, his grandfather. He’s disciplined and level-headed, which suits his role and helps him stay above the political noise at court. He’s never supported Crown Prince Chagum openly, but he often speaks of his concerns regarding the next Mikado’s safety inside the palace.”

    “Sounds like the boy has at least one decent ally, then,” Torogai said. Shuga was still frowning, so she added, “Is there something else I should know about Tosa that you haven’t said?”

    “Well... He’s popular. A lot of people support him, so...”

    Torogai nodded. “If he can gather supporters to his side, then Chagum’s supporters would increase, too. Which would make the Mikado even angrier.”

    She spoke of the Mikado and Chagum as if they were ordinary people, not bothering with their honorary titles or a respectful tone. Shuga understood that this was because she was a magic weaver and unacquainted with the etiquette of the imperial palace, but he still frowned.

    Torogai leaned forward and peered at him with interest. She was smiling, but Shuga didn’t smile back. The factions forming in the palace now could become violent with just the slightest push on either side. The entire court’s eyes were on Chagum, regardless of whose faction they supported. The atmosphere in the imperial palace was extremely tense.

    He’s still so young. Chagum was both intelligent and perceptive; he understood that the threats to his life were very real. He couldn’t possibly save himself from every potential assassin.

    Torogai extended her leg and kicked Shuga to shake him out of his melancholy mood. “Don’t make that face,” she said. “You’re supposed to be cunning and crafty, Shuga. If you’re really that worried, think of some way to protect him.”

    Shuga smiled stiffly. He was in a bit of a precarious position himself. The Holy Sage was getting on in years, so he’d recently taken on three apprentices--including Shuga. One of the apprentices would take over for the Holy Sage after his death. Gakai had also been chosen as an apprentice; he was fully loyal to the Mikado and the Second Prince. He’d been openly hostile toward Shuga for a long time, and now they were literally in opposing camps. Gakai lacked many of the Holy Sage’s gifts, however, and he was also fairly easy to manipulate. Shuga wasn’t sure how much of a threat Gakai posed, but he was definitely an adversary.

    The third apprentice chosen was Ozuru, who had recently turned fifty. The Holy Sage had consulted him on difficult interpretive tasks in the past; they’d also performed research together as students. Ozuru was smart, but ruthlessly logical and stubborn; neither Gakai nor Shuga considered him a true rival.

    Shuga never wanted to be the next Holy Sage. The role was too severe and rigid to suit him, but there was no way to refuse his selection as an apprentice; the Holy Sage had made that clear almost immediately.

    “You are the youngest of all the candidates,” the Holy Sage had said upon his selection. “You are unshakably loyal to Crown Prince Chagum. The current Mikado scarcely knows that you exist. That is a problem that you will have to solve, Shuga. The Holy Sage guides the Mikado, and the Mikado guides our nation. If the Crown Prince does not become the next Mikado, you know who is next in line.”

    The Holy Sage had as good as told him to reject Chagum and switch sides to the Mikado’s faction. It was true that Shuga’s current position was wholly dependent on Chagum; it was also true that if Shuga acted too strongly in support of him, the Mikado might notice and punish him somehow. But Shuga couldn’t bring himself to abandon Crown Prince Chagum, whose father hated him so much. Most of his familial bonds had been strained or severed by that hatred.

    Shuga nodded at Torogai, who was still staring at him. “You’re right. I can’t show any sign of weakness, and I can’t lose here. I’ll do my best.”

    Shuga appeared determined, but he was still frowning. Torogai felt a deep sense of unease. Something was seriously wrong.

    Torogai and Shuga finished their wine and descended the steps to the first floor. Toya waved to them and brought over a tea tray.

    “It smells wonderful, Master Torogai!” Toya said brightly. “Are you sure it’s all right for us to drink whatever’s left over?” he asked as he poured the tea.

    Torogai laughed and nodded. She took a slow sip of her tea.

    Toya poured tea for Shuga, then retrieved a wrapped package from one of the store’s shelves. “Mr. Shuga, three people stopped by and left these messages for you,” he said.

    “Oh--thank you, Toya,” Shuga said. He accepted the package and passed Toya a few coins as payment. Toya knelt down and bowed his head to express his thanks.

    “Thank you, Mr. Shuga and Master Torogai! You honor us with your continued patronage.”

    Shuga finished his tea quickly, said his farewells and left the store. Toya grinned down at the coins in his hand.

    “Toya,” Torogai said, “I see you’re helping Mr. Shuga. Are you being careful?” 

    “Huh? What do you mean? All I do is take messages.”

    Torogai frowned. Shuga was worried about the Talsh empire invading New Yogo. It didn’t seem like that invasion could be stopped. Torogai knew that the messages that had just arrived came from southern merchants who had collected news from the Talsh empire; Shuga had told her as much. It seemed he wanted to understand the Talsh better in order to prepare a strategy.

    Torogai was concerned that he was having his messages sent to this store. She didn’t want any negative rumors to spread about the place. Shuga had told her about spies of the Talsh empire walking among them in disguise. If those spies learned of this store, they might attack it--or, more insidiously, use it to spread false information.

    “Are you sure about this, Toya? It could be dangerous.”

    “Thanks for your concern, Master Torogai, but we’ll be fine. I’d rather keep gathering information; that way I know what’s going on. I’d do it even if I knew for sure that it would get me into trouble. Saya’s pregnant, so we need the money that Mr. Shuga and his friends bring in.”

    Torogai shook her head sadly. Toya had come a long way from living under a bridge in the lower city. It was clear that he never wanted to live like that again.

    “Well... All I can do is tell you to be careful. If you sense danger, run. It’s better for you and Saya to run and lose everything than stay here and be killed.”

    Toya nodded and gave her a confident smile.

 

 

     When Shuga left Toya’s store, it was still half-dark and drizzling; the road back to the palace was difficult to make out. He walked briskly toward the palace in the rain.

Shuga pictured Crown Prince Chagum in his mind’s eye, talking to him on the Hill of the Full Moon in Sangal. “Forgive me, Shuga. I'm dangerous, so I might destroy you one day without meaning to. I might try to drag you down with me. If you ever feel that happening, I want you to let go. I don't want you to hate or resent me, and I don't want you to die. Live. Find some other way to help the country.”

Shuga’s face contorted in pain. I can’t do that. I have to see terrible situations like that coming and prevent them from happening. I can’t let go.

Shuga stared down at the ground and stalked down the empty street in the darkness.

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