Seirei no Moribito - Volume 2 - Chapter 2.2

CHAPTER II THE CAPTORS 

Balsa and her aunt talked late into the night. Although tired, they were too agitated to sleep. 
“You know, when I think about it, Kanbal has changed a lot in the last twenty years,” Yuka said, her chin resting in her hand. “Each clan used to rule over its own territory, and even the king had no say in clan affairs. But since the time of King Rogsam, the king’s power has grown stronger, so now almost all the young men from the chieftain’s line go to live in the capital once they turn eighteen. They’ve formed a group known as the King’s Circle, with the king and Yuguro at its head.” 
Balsa shrugged. She knew that each clan was like a little kingdom and marriage was only permitted within a clan. Having traveled through many lands, she found this exclusiveness oppressive. “Won’t the country be stronger if the clans are united rather than separated?” 
Her aunt frowned. “Yes, but only if it’s an equal union with strong bonds among all the clans. Instead, the authority of the king and Yuguro Musa seem to be growing steadily greater than that of anyone else…. There’s something suspicious about the whole setup.” 
As she listened to the wind shake the shutters, Balsa tried to remember the man named Yuguro. It had been autumn then, as it was now. He had arrived alone one day at the small hut in the Misty Blue Mountains where she and Jiguro lived with Tanda and his teacher, the magic weaver, Torogai. Jiguro’s stunned reaction when he saw Yuguro was so unusual that Balsa feared he had resolved to let the man kill him. 
But they had not fought — not immediately. The eight men who had found them before had taken a vow of silence, believing that Yoram would grant them his strength if they renounced speech with their opponent. Even if they had not taken this vow, in Kanbal, those who sought to avenge a crime were forbidden to converse with the criminal, for if they did, they would be defiled by the other’s sin. No matter what Jiguro said, no matter how he pleaded, the eight had ignored him, attacking wordlessly. 
But the man who called himself Yuguro was very talkative. On the night he arrived, he cheerfully introduced himself to Balsa as Jiguro’s younger brother. He told them that Rogsam was fatally ill, with only a few months to live, and spoke at length about their homeland. The two brothers talked for hours, finally lowering their voices to discuss something privately. Every night after that they went off into the forest, returning around dawn and sleeping until noon. Thinking that they must share some secret as brothers, Balsa never asked Jiguro what they were doing. But she was curious, and one night she could not help following them. 
They trudged without torches to a dry, stony riverbed an hour’s distance from Jiguro’s hut. Despite the poor footing on the gravel, they took up battle stances, their spear tips gleaming white in the faint light of the crescent moon. Then they fought with wordless intensity — lunging, blocking, twisting, swinging — their movements so graceful it looked like they were dancing. The fight continued until the first rays of the sun broke over the dry river; then, without a word, they turned for home. 
After almost a month, Yuguro left them. When he had gone, Jiguro said abruptly, “My older brother apparently lost his arm to a wolf bite. The Musa clan techniques passed down through the chieftain’s line would have been lost. But this strange stroke of fortune has let me pass them on to my younger brother. At least that burden has been lifted from my shoulders.” 
Did Jiguro’s brother betray him? Balsa wondered now. She remembered that that was when the gold ring had disappeared from Jiguro’s spear. She had not asked him about it, simply assuming that he had given it to his brother as proof that he had passed on his skills, but now she realized that it might have had a much greater significance. Yuguro claimed to have defeated his older brother when he had not, and also to have retrieved the golden spear rings Jiguro had never stolen. And for his lies, he became a hero. “If Yuguro had the other eight gold rings, perhaps he stole them in the first place.” 
Aunt Yuka shook her head. “No. He couldn’t have. When Jiguro left Kanbal, Yuguro was only sixteen. He still lived in Musa territory, not in the capital. It would have been impossible.” 
“Are you sure that he was only sixteen? He must have been much younger than Jiguro.” 
“Yes, I’m certain.” Yuka sighed. “The land you grew up in is probably much more prosperous than Kanbal. Here a woman may have ten children and be lucky if four survive. It’s not strange for children to be that far apart in age. 
“Kaguro, Jiguro’s older brother, should have been the first person sent to hunt him down. But he had been badly mauled by a wolf, and his arm was amputated. Yuguro would have been the logical choice after him, but at sixteen he was no match for Jiguro. In the end, Taguru was sent from our clan.” 
“Then only one person could have given the gold rings to Yuguro.” 
Yuka nodded, her face grim. “Yes. King Rogsam.” 
Balsa stared rigidly at her clenched fist. “What a clever way to bury Jiguro forever. And to make Yuguro his ally …” 
“Well, I suppose we can guess all we want. But we don’t have enough facts to judge what really happened.” She stood up. “It’s been hours since the midnight horn blew. We should go to bed soon.” 
Balsa nodded and stood up as well, but then she suddenly looked at her aunt. “Do you have rooms for patients to sleep here?” she asked. 
Her aunt looked puzzled. “Yes, but why? We already prepared your bed in the guest room, remember?” 
Balsa picked up her spear. “If there’s a bed free in the house of healing, let me sleep there. You can tell people I’m the daughter of an old acquaintance and I need treatment for a chronic ailment. I may be overcautious, but I’d rather not get you into any trouble. You should tell the gardener I met this morning to keep quiet too.” 
“What are you saying?” 
Balsa smiled at her. “It’s nothing. I’ve just found that it’s always safer to assume the worst. I don’t want the goddess of fate sticking her tongue out at me.” 
Yuka complied without further protest. The moment Balsa had picked up her spear, she radiated the deadly aura of a warrior, and this, more forcefully than any words, had impressed upon Yuka the life her niece had been forced to lead. 
Balsa stayed with her aunt for four days. Yuka was just as Jiguro had described her: an intelligent woman with more pluck than most men. She gave Balsa a room by herself, telling the other patients that she had to be isolated in case her condition was contagious, but Balsa spent most of her waking hours at her aunt’s house. 
The gardener was very loyal to Yuka, and it was clear that he would tell no one who Balsa was. Looking at the two of them, however, he scratched his neck and said in an undertone, “I’m surprised you haven’t noticed it, Mistress Yuka, but she looks just like you. I wouldn’t go out together in public if I were you.” 
His words surprised them. Neither one was the type to spend much time in front of a mirror, so they had not realized the resemblance until he mentioned it. Balsa thanked him and promised to stay out of sight. But it warmed her heart to think that there was someone living in this world whom she resembled. 
Over those four peaceful days, Yuka spoke often of Balsa’s parents and Jiguro, while Balsa shared stories of her life in New Yogo. Every day, they talked late into the night, chasing after the past, remembering those who had left this world. For Balsa, the time was like a dream that brought great joy. 
But it did not last long. Just before noon on the fifth day, Balsa heard the sound of hooves on the wind. She paused in midstride as she was bringing goat’s cheese up from her aunt’s storage cellar. It sounded like a large company of men was approaching on horseback. 
She looked out the window and saw ten riders cantering down from the village. Seven wore the badge of the Yonsa clan — the left ear of the thunder god — on the left side of their chests. Two others wore the badge of the Musa clan — the god’s right ear — on the right side. And with them rode a man who was clearly a merchant, not a warrior. 
Of course, Balsa thought. The clothes merchant from Sula Lassal. 
“Balsa!” Her aunt came running up. “The guards are here. Hurry! The back door!” 

Balsa shook her head. “It’s impossible to escape them now. We’re at the bottom of the valley. They’d see me at once. And besides, I don’t know what story they’ve made up about me, but whatever it is, if I run away, it will seem like I’ve done something wrong.” 
Her aunt frowned. “But if you get caught … who knows what they might do to you?” 
“The fact that they’ve come means that Yuguro guessed who I am, and thinks I’m in his way. Aunt Yuka, I want to know what he’s planning. I want to know what was behind all this. I’m going to follow wherever this leads me. If I can’t manage to find a way out in the end, I’ll just have to accept it.” She put her hand on her aunt’s shoulder. “These last four days were wonderful. Thank you. From here on, we must become strangers again.” 
“What are you talking about?” her aunt retorted hotly. “If you think I’m going to stand by and see my only niece —” 
Balsa gently squeezed her shoulder. “By myself, I can handle this. Please don’t make me worry about you too.” Yuka looked at her in surprise. Balsa gazed back steadily. “It will be better for me if we are strangers. Please understand.” 
Yuka hesitated a moment, then slowly nodded. 
Outside, the guards dismounted from their horses. Spears in hand, they split into two groups to block the front and back entrances. Four men passed through the main gate: an imposing, heavily bearded guard from the Yonsa clan, the tall leathery merchant, and the two Musa warriors, one a towering giant and the other a young man wearing the green head scarf of the chieftain’s line. 
Yuka opened the door, her face hard and stern. “Captain Soosa, what on earth do you mean by making such a commotion?” 
The bearded Yonsa warrior put his fist to his chest and bowed respectfully. “Mistress Yuka, I apologize for disturbing you. This is Captain Dom, leader of the Musa clan guard, and this is Master Kahm, eldest son of Chief Kaguro. They’re pursuing a criminal who has fled into Yonsa territory and appears to have taken refuge in your house of healing.” 
Aunt Yuka looked at him sharply. “Criminal? And just what crime is this person accused of?” 
“They’re after a woman who entered the caves in Musa territory to steal lyokuhaku. She’s hiding here.” 
“That’s ridiculous! There’s no such woman here.” 
The huge warrior named Dom took a step forward and looked down at her. “She has probably deceived you. We’ll take a look around. If she’s not here, then there’s no harm done. But if she is, she could be dangerous and harm the patients if she’s not handled properly. So please, stay calm and cooperate.” 
“Mistress Yuka, please,” the captain said. “For the honor of our clan, we must cooperate with the Musa.” 
Yuka looked the three men squarely in the face. The younger man, Kahm, looked tense, but Dom and Soosa showed no sign of relenting as they returned her gaze. The merchant’s eyes kept darting from her to the other men. 
“I understand,” she said finally. “You may do as you wish. But please go quietly. Some of my patients are very ill.” 
They moved quickly and carefully in their search of the building, but to Yuka it seemed forever before they arrived at Balsa’s room. There was nothing she could do. She must leave it in her niece’s hands. 
“What about this room?” 
“The daughter of an old friend is staying here. She suffers from terrible headaches, and her mother told her to come to me.” 
Yuka wondered if Balsa would leap out, spear in hand, to attack the men. But when the thick wooden door opened, the room was quiet. Balsa sat up slowly on the bed, as if she had only just been roused. The expression on her face gave no hint whatsoever that she was waiting to be captured. Yuka was astonished by her calm. 
“What is it?” Balsa looked at them with a puzzled frown. The warriors entered the room, blocking the window and the door, and then glanced at the merchant. His eyes met Balsa’s and he froze. 
“Th — that’s her. She’s the one.” 
Before he had even finished, the men had drawn their daggers. The giant Dom thundered, “Woman! You have committed a terrible crime! We know for a fact that you unlawfully entered the caves in Musa territory to steal precious gems. Come quietly.” 
Balsa continued to stare at them in confusion. “What did you say? I’m not sure I understand…. It’s true that I know this man. He’s the clothes merchant from Sula Lassal, right? But how does that prove me a criminal?” 
Dom laughed. “Nice try, woman. But we have two children who testified that they saw you deep in the caves.” 
Balsa gave a mental sigh. Well, they certainly didn’t lose any time before talking. 
“Yes, I entered the caves,” she said out loud. “But I wasn’t looking for jewels. I had a good reason to come from New Yogo to Musa territory. All I did was pass through the tunnels.” 
As he listened to her calm responses, a puzzled frown creased Soosa’s brow and he glanced uncertainly at the two men from the Musa clan. Dom and Kahm ignored him and continued to glare at Balsa. 
She stood up slowly, keeping both hands in plain view. Then she cast a sharp look at Dom and Kahm. “I see,” she said boldly, testing them. “So that’s the kind of man who sent you. Rather than suggesting we talk it over, he plays a trick like this…. But I don’t suppose you want me to explain why I came in front of someone from the Yonsa clan. Let me speak with your chief instead.” 
Dom and Kahm flushed. “If you’re willing to come peacefully and be judged before the chief, then come,” Kahm said quietly. “If you have something you wish to say, then you can say it at your trial. But be warned: My father is a stern man. He won’t be fooled by your excuses.” 
Balsa let them bind her hands behind her back and lead her from the room. Dom grasped the rope and led her away while Kahm retrieved her spear and bag from under the bed. The captain of the Yonsa guard looked dissatisfied, but he also seemed relieved that Balsa had been taken without a fight. 
Patients lined both sides of the hallway, staring at Balsa with frightened faces as she walked past. She bowed slightly to Yuka, who was waiting at the front door. “Mistress Yuka, I’m sorry to have caused you trouble. These men are mistaken. I’ll return when I’ve cleared my name and pay for my treatment then.” 
Yuka looked into her eyes, wondering what words of encouragement she could offer, only to be startled by what she saw there. Although her hands were bound and she was held captive, Balsa’s eyes were filled with a fierce light, like a fighter ready to enter the ring.