Traveler of the Blue Road - Part 1 Chapter 3 - Retaliation

 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 3 - Retaliation

 

    Chagum wandered in dreams. The world outside his window was hazy with blue pre-dawn mist; Chagum could almost see it in his dream. He felt himself lightly floating on water.

    I’ve felt this way before.

    The memory was painful. He was overwhelmed with the desire to go home--but where was he? Where was home from here? He sank into deep blue water. He felt like if he could reach the bottom, he’d finally be able to go home.

 

 

    Someone called out to Chagum while he was still sleeping. Chagum stirred and opened his eyes. His eyelashes were wet; he’d cried in his sleep. Chagum traced the trail of tears from his eyes to place below his ears with his fingertips.

    “What’s going on?” he asked.

    Ruin, one of his attendants, was standing over his bed. He was still a child and seemed extremely nervous. “Please forgive me for waking you, Your Majesty,” he said in a trembling voice. “A messenger from Princess Saluna of Sangal just arrived at the imperial palace. He seems quite anxious for you to receive the message right away. He begged me to wake you, even though it’s still before dawn--”

    “Prepare my clothes,” Chagum said, cutting him off. “I will hear this message immediately.”

 

 

    On the first day of each new month, it was the Mikado’s custom to draw water from the bubbling spring inside the garden of the imperial palace. He awoke early, dressed himself in pure white and wandered out into the morning mist surrounding the spring.

    Water gushed forth from stones covering the spring where it fountained up from the ground. The air was heady with the fresh smell of green moss. The Mikado placed a plain wooden ladle into the spring and drew up a measure of water. He spun in a circle to scatter the water while praying for the prosperity of the nation. The flying water droplets reflected the light of the sun and new moon and glittered like gems.

    Harsh sunlight passed over the Mikado’s pale face. The Mikado closed his eyes and focused on the reddish light he could see through his eyelids while praying fervently for divine protection.

“My father, Ten no Kami, protect and guide me. These are troubled times. I ask for your guidance in choosing the best path forward.”

The Mikado felt his chest thrum in resonance with the power of the god. He carried the fate of the nation on his shoulders; only the god made him strong enough to bear it. He took a deep breath and stood up straight. He was the son of a god; the wisdom to steer New Yogo in the right direction was his birthright. All of his thoughts were inspired by the god, and the god was inerrant and infallible. The Mikado believed all of this as absolute fact.

He filled a bucket with water from the spring. This water would be used to make the morning’s rice porridge, which he would eat with the Holy Sage. The Mikado’s attendants accepted the full bucket of water from him and followed him back inside. Today’s rice porridge would be shared among five people instead of the customary two: the Holy Sage would be bringing his apprentices to breakfast.

Predawn light filtered into the eastern-facing room near the Mikado’s garden. This was called the Sunrise Room. The Holy Sage and his apprentices were already present when the Mikado entered. The apprentices looked at him nervously as his attendants brought in serving dishes to distribute the rice porridge. The rich, sweet smell of the porridge and the fresh sharp scent of bitter orange tea brewing wafted through the room.

The three apprentices had nearly finished their porridge when a loud noise made them flinch. There was a commotion in the hallway outside the Sunrise Room.

The Mikado frowned and looked up. “What is happening?”

“My sincerest apologies,” a servant said from the other side of a green-and-white folding screen painted with trees. “Crown Prince Chagum is requesting an audience. He claims that the matter is urgent.”

The Mikado wrinkled his forehead. He sighed, then said, “Send him in.”

The sliding screen was pushed aside, revealing Chagum sitting seiza in the hallway. He bowed deeply, bringing his forehead to the floor. He stood up quickly and entered the room, stopping directly in front of the Mikado. The cold morning air blew in through the open door behind Chagum.

Chagum knelt before the Mikado and bowed his head once more. “I hate to disturb the water ceremony of the first day of the month, but I had to see you as soon as possible, father. Please forgive my terrible rudeness.”

“And what is so urgent?” the Mikado asked quietly.

“Early this morning, I received a message from Princess Saluna of Sangal.” He removed a letter from his breast pocket and passed it to his father. The Mikado unfolded the letter, which had been written on paper perfumed with exotic flowers.

As the Mikado’s eyes scanned the letter, his expression became grim. He lifted his head and looked toward the Holy Sage. “Please read this,” he said, extending his arm to give the Holy Sage the letter. “I wish to hear your thoughts.”

The Holy Sage stood up and leaned forward to accept the letter. His eyes flicked toward the wax used to seal it. “There’s no impression in the wax. It’s blank,” he said with a little frown. Then he started reading the letter, which was written in Yogoese. The script was so beautiful and fine that it was difficult to believe that a foreigner had written it.

When the Holy Sage finished the letter, he said, “Crown Prince, I would like to pass this letter to my apprentices so that they, too, may read it. Is that acceptable?”

Chagum nodded.

The Holy Sage passed the letter to Shuga. It said:

 

Crown Prince Chagum,

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you for previously saving our nation from the threat of Talsh invasion. Sangal now faces a similar crisis. Sangal is extending a hand to New Yogo to request aid. We require all the help you can spare.

I will be plain: we are drowning. Sometimes the one who attempts to save a drowning man drowns themselves, but I still must ask. Sangal is like a hatchling seeking to shelter beneath the wings of its mother. You once held the lives of my brother and I in your hands, and I have not forgotten. Neither have my brothers and sisters. We are trying to chart a safe course so that our nation will not fall.

Crown Prince Chagum, if the ship of Sangal should sink, please do not grieve for us. Brave sailors survive a storm and live to see better weather. Know that you will always have my deepest gratitude. I hope I can repay your kindness and generosity one day.

 

No one spoke for a long while. When the letter reached Ozuru, he shook his head in confusion. “I can’t understand what she’s trying to say at all,” he complained.

The Mikado’s face expressed clear irritation. “What do you think, Holy Sage?”

“I would like to hear the Crown Prince’s thoughts before expressing my own,” the Holy Sage said.

Chagum’s eyes fixed on the Holy Sage. “This letter came from Princess Saluna. I have no doubts about that at all. She writes of when Shuga and I concealed her and Prince Tarsan when their lives were in danger.”

Shuga nodded. He explained Crown Prince Chagum’s last visit to Sangal in broad outlines to the others in the room. The apprentices and the Holy Sage all nodded in understanding of the reference in Princess Saluna’s letter.

“Father,” Chagum said, “what if Princess Saluna is warning us of a trap?” He pointed out various sentences in the letter and began speaking quickly. “She asks me not to grieve if the ship of Sangal should sink. She requests help, but without details. Maybe she’s trying to give us hints--clues so that we don’t fall into a trap that the Talsh have set for us.” He paused. “It seems likely that their navy is already under the control of the Talsh empire.”

The Mikado frowned deeply and stared down at the letter. Gakai tilted his head to the side and said speculatively, “If I may speak... I would like to express some doubt of that claim, Your Imperial Majesty.”

The Mikado nodded and gestured for Gakai to continue speaking.

Gakai frowned and stared at the floor. “If Sangal is truly surrounded or subjugated by the Talsh, why would they send such a message to the Crown Prince? Why would Princess Saluna send it, specifically? Why would she choose to warn us in such vague terms? We all know of the Crown Prince’s heroic rescue of Sangal’s royal family a year ago. Perhaps this letter was sent to curry favor with our nation in advance of the King of Sangal requesting aid. The messages were likely sent around the same time.”

Shuga squirmed in his seat. The Mikado looked at him and asked him to speak.

“I believe there is a reason that this letter was delivered now,” Shuga said. “The timing is deliberate.”

The Mikado frowned in confusion. “What do you mean by that?”

“The letter came just after our naval forces mustered and sailed to Sangal. It’s almost like it was delivered now to influence our decision of how much of our navy to send,” Shuga said calmly. “I’ve spoken with Princess Saluna several times in the past. She’d never use flattery or past obligation for personal gain. She’d be much more likely to request aid for Sangal in direct terms--unless she knew that Sangal was beyond saving. It may be that Sangal will be coerced into tricking us and that this letter is meant as a warning. That is entirely in keeping with her character. Princess Saluna is genuinely grateful to Crown Prince Chagum for saving her life. Even if the rest of the royal family of Sangal has been manipulated somehow, I doubt Princess Saluna would betray us.”

Shuga looked at Chagum. “I do not believe that this letter is simply a warning. It may also be an apology.”

Chagum nodded deeply. The scent of flowers on the letter was the same as the perfume she’d used when they’d first met. He remembered her clear and lively brown eyes. She would never betray him and Shuga unless she had no other choice.

“Apology?” Ozuru furrowed his eyebrows. “I see no apology. I see no warning, either. This letter makes no sense.”

Chagum leaned forward and spoke in an impassioned tone. “Father, this is exactly why I had to see you right away. This message was sent to prevent our navy from sailing into a trap. If this letter was simply meant as an apology, she could have sent it later, after Talsh or Sangal attacked us. She’s definitely trying to warn us.”

Shuga frowned slightly. You may be wrong, Chagum. It seems that Sangal has fallen. There may be no way to avoid the trap now.

Princess Saluna understood politicians very well. Once a politician made a decision, they hated changing their minds. The Mikado had already sent reinforcements to Sangal; he couldn’t possibly change course now. The Mikado’s words were the words of Ten no Kami, the God of the Heavens. He was infallible and could never be mistaken about anything. All the Mikado could do was push forward with his original plan and await the results.

Shuga thought that Princess Saluna understood that, as well. The more he thought about it, the more Shuga considered her letter an apology. Any possible warning contained in the letter would be futile. Crown Prince Chagum should have taken the letter as Princess Saluna’s attempt at an apology--and as a farewell.

This message wasn’t meant for the Mikado. Maybe both the warning and the apology were meant for Chagum? Did Princess Saluna deliberately hide the warning from the Mikado because she knew he would never change his mind?

“Father, we must make use of this information,” Chagum said.

The Mikado was silent for a long while. He tilted his head and stared at Chagum, whose face was flush with over-excitement. “And what is it that you expect me to do?”

Chagum’s eyes opened wide in surprise. He hadn’t expected the Mikado to listen to him at all. “We need to recall the navy and gather our resources here,” Chagum said. “We can’t send our people into danger now that we know there could be a trap.”

The Mikado stared directly at Chagum. His eyes were utterly devoid of emotion. Chagum shifted uncomfortably under the pressure of his gaze. The Mikado had just realized that Chagum was an adult capable of making mature and reasoned decisions.

“I have already considered the possibility of a trap,” the Mikado said in an admonishing tone. “That is why I am only sending one third of our navy. If that force discovers or falls into an enemy’s trap, our nation will officially declare war. If we ascertain that Sangal did attempt to warn us, we will be able to deal honorably with them, even if they become our enemies.”

A chill went up Chagum’s spine. He opened his mouth slightly and stared up at his father’s composed, refined politician’s mask.

“I’ll have Grand Admiral Tosa see to this matter personally. I am certain he would be able to see through any trap and extricate the navy without any loss of life or ships. I’ll send the order now.”

The Mikado’s voice seemed to come from far away.

It was a logical order. Navy Grand Admiral Tosa was definitely the best man for a job like this--but Chagum swore he saw the hint of of a mischievous smile in his father’s eyes.

He’s trying to get grandfather out of the way. Chagum felt his bones freeze to ice. Tosa was the shield that protected Chagum’s back. Ever since his adulthood ceremony, Tosa had been a guiding hand at council meetings and in other matters of governance. He’d also clearly supported Chagum from the start. He was a stoic, steely-eyed warrior; Shuga once told him that he’d taken limited interest in matters of state before Chagum came of age. He was the driving force of the faction that supported Chagum over the Mikado. It was no surprise that the Mikado wanted to dispose of such a troublesome father-in-law.

But it would be impossible to remove Tosa from court without a good reason. He was the head of the Harusuan noble family in New Yogo and hugely popular. By insisting that the Mikado should do something about the trap set for the navy, Chagum had inadvertently given the Mikado an excuse to make Tosa disappear.

Chagum couldn’t guess the scale of the potential trap waiting in Sangal, but Tosa was experienced at sea; it was likely that he would be able to avoid it or flee with the rest of the navy. It was also highly possible that he could die. Even if he survived an attack by the enemy and returned home, he would almost certainly not come back without losses. Those losses could serve as a pretext to remove him from his position as the navy’s Grand Admiral.

His father would be happy no matter what the outcome was. The loss of a competent, capable and popular leader of the navy meant nothing if he could cut off Chagum’s primary source of support at the same time.

His mother’s face appeared in his mind’s eye. She was Tosa’s daughter. She’d be so sad when she found out what happened to him. Did the Mikado consider her feelings at all? Such thoughts made Chagum’s heart hurt.

Do you really hate me that much?

He’d seen the Mikado’s almost-smile as he’d given the order. The Mikado had reprimanded Chagum and encouraged him to keep pushing so that he would be able to blame Tosa’s eventual fate on Chagum. Nausea made his stomach roil.

Chagum felt Shuga staring at him out of the corner of his eye. He was clearly trying to tell Chagum to calm down. Grin and bear it.

But Chagum refused to be calm. He couldn’t stand for this. All his emotions intensified; he couldn’t repress them any longer. He looked up at the Mikado with tears in his eyes.

“You’re almost certainly sending my grandfather into danger. If there really is a trap... will you do nothing to protect him?”

The Mikado’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “You are rude,” he said haughtily. “I am your father. What do you think to accuse me of?”

“If you were really my father, you wouldn’t take such delight in sending my mother’s father to his death.”

Everyone in the room stood still as if they’d frozen to ice. Chagum understood that he might get cut down here for what he’d just said. If his father wanted a fight, fine. Both their swords were drawn now.

Chagum glared at his father with tears streaming down his face. His shoulders shook with rage.

“Apologize immediately,” the Holy Sage called out in a loud, clear voice. He stood up and faced Chagum head-on. Chagum met the Holy Sage’s stare with burning eyes. He had no intention of apologizing. He’d meant every word he said.

“Enough,” the Mikado said in a disinterested tone. A tiny smile played around the edges of his lips. “It seems the Crown Prince thinks he knows the course our country should take better than I. Maybe he believes he’d be a better Mikado than I am.”

Shuga’s feet froze to the floor. He hunched in on himself and shook. What’s he going to do to Chagum?

The Mikado was still smiling as he said, “Chagum. You’ve demonstrated your competence in the past, so I shall delegate this situation to you. Accompany your grandfather to Sangal and save him from falling into the hands of our enemies.”

Everyone held their breath. The Mikado ignored the ashen faces of his advisors and looked at the Holy Sage. “It seems the Crown Prince will be crossing the Yaltash ocean. Perhaps the water spirit he once saved will protect him now. Have you heard that the people call him Torugal reborn?"

Shuga started to stand, thinking to beg the Mikado to allow him to go with Chagum to Sangal, but the Holy Sage stepped in front of him to shield him from the Mikado’s gaze. The Holy Sage must have guessed what Shuga wanted to ask.

He sat down again, his fervor to save Crown Prince Chagum no matter the cost temporarily quashed by practicality. He wasn’t going to give up, but he understood what he had to do in this moment.

Shuga stared down at the floor and forced his expression blank.

 

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