Seirei no Moribito - Volume 2 - Chapter 3.2

CHAPTER II JIGURO’S NEPHEWS 

For two days after the king’s envoys arrived, the village was caught up in a whirlwind of activity. The women rolled up bright wool tapestries and wrapped laga in clean cloth. The men decorated the carts that would carry these gifts until they were satisfied that they would outshine those of the other clans. 
Then Yuguro, Shisheem, and thirty attendants rode off amid the cheers of their clansmen. Kahm and his father, their thoughts bitter, stood watching the glorious procession recede into the distance. 
Kahm’s injury was slight, but he had spent the last two days closeted in his room, reluctant to meet anyone. He found that being alone gave him the chance to think things through. He felt betrayed by his uncle, which hurt all the more because he had worshipped him since childhood. He had spent more of his life with Yuguro than with his own father. 
A seed of doubt sprang up in his heart: Would Uncle Yuguro make Shisheem his attendant for the Giving Ceremony? He could be overreacting. Yet no matter how he looked at it, his uncle’s version of the story seemed designed to disgrace Kahm and convince everyone that Shisheem should accompany him to the capital. 
Traditionally, only those who had participated in the Giving Ceremony as attendants were chosen as the next King’s Spears. If the attendants returned alive from the Mountain Deep, they were promoted to Spear when they reached the age of twenty. If one of the chosen died or became crippled before the next ceremony, the King’s Spears gathered together to select a new candidate from his clan. A Spear who had participated as an attendant at the age of sixteen or seventeen would be in his mid-thirties by the time of the next ceremony — intellectually and physically in his prime. So it had been for centuries. 
But then tragedy had struck, for all the young men chosen as attendants had been slain by Jiguro, and the interval between the ceremonies had lasted too long. They had been forced to change the system. Ten years earlier, the clans had held a tournament before the king to choose nine new Spears from the best warriors of the chieftains’ lines. Yuguro, naturally, had been selected from the Musa clan. 
If the ceremony had been held at the usual twenty-year interval, Kahm would have been the right age. But now he was thirty-one, which was old for an attendant, and his eldest son, Kahmuro, who lived with his mother in the capital, had only just turned nine. Shisheem, on the other hand, was sixteen, the perfect age to serve. Kahm’s jaw clenched. Does Uncle Yuguro plan to make me stay in Musa as the next chieftain while Shisheem becomes a Spear? 
Ordinarily he would have accepted this fate with good grace despite his disappointment. But it was at this ceremony that Yuguro would launch the plan they had been developing for some time — a plan so secret not even Chief Kaguro knew about it. Kahm had worked so hard on this plan; he could not bear to be excluded now. 
Another suspicion gnawed at his mind. He had not known that Dom’s spear was smeared with poison. Such foul play was inconceivable. Had Dom been acting on his own initiative, or under someone else’s orders? And why would he have thrown the spear, knowing it could hit Kahm? Had he been hoping to kill both him and the woman? 
Kahm dismissed the thought. That’s impossible. I must be reading too much into it. If he had died from togal poisoning, it would have exposed their plot to kill the woman without a fair trial. And surely his uncle would not try to murder him…. 
Still, what an amazing spear-wielder! Never had he seen anyone move like that woman. Not even the Spears, the greatest warriors in Kanbal, could compare to her speed and agility. If Jiguro taught her, he must have been a true master. 
Suddenly he recalled something his father had said long ago, when they had been watching Yuguro train the warriors in the yard in front of the hall. His father, who would never wield a spear again, had a bleak expression on his face that made Kahm sad. Yuguro moved with skill and finesse and seemed to thoroughly enjoy displaying his superior strength. 
“Too much wasted movement,” Kaguro had remarked abruptly. 
Kahm did not respond. He thought that his father must speak from envy, although he could see no trace of jealousy in his profile. Rather, he seemed to be gazing at something in the distance. 
“Jiguro was far better.” 
Kahm could hardly believe what he heard. Jiguro’s name was taboo. None of the Musa clan ever mentioned him, and his father and uncle in particular never spoke of him. And yet his father continued, “I suppose it’s hard for you to believe, but I was always a better spearman than Yuguro. But Jiguro …” Following his brother’s movements with his one good eye, he muttered, “Jiguro was a genius. A warrior like that might appear once in a hundred years. That’s why my father chose him rather than me for the Giving Ceremony, even though I was the eldest. 
“And he fulfilled my father’s expectations. He was chosen as the Dancer. No sixteen-year-old attendant had ever served as the Dancer before.” 
Kahm knew that all the King’s Spears and their attendants competed in a tournament in the Mountain Deep to determine which one was the strongest. The victor became the Dancer and dueled one of the hyohlu, the Guardians of the Darkness and servants to the Mountain King. Only when the Dancer defeated the hyohlu did the Mountain King open the Last Door and invite the king of Kanbal, his Spears, and their attendants to enter his palace. Beyond that door, it was said, lay a vast castle made of luisha, the most beautiful gem in the world. 
“But instead of bringing honor to our clan, his skill brought misfortune on the whole country.” His father heaved a deep sigh as he stared over the practice field. “But you know, to be honest, even if I had been the one to go after him, I don’t think I could have beaten him.” He lowered his voice. “Which is why I think that Jiguro must have let Yuguro kill him.” 
At the time, Kahm had been disappointed in his father, believing that he belittled Yuguro’s feat out of envy. But now, as he recalled those words, new questions began to run through his mind. What kind of man could have trained a spearwoman like that? What did she really see when Yuguro fought Jiguro? His heart began to pound. And what if she saw something other than the glorious victory Yuguro proclaimed to the world? If she did, then I could see why he might use poison. 
He closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down. That’s impossible…. Damn! How can I think such things just because he was hard on me this once? He’d never do something like that. After all, he’s the one who saved Kanbal by bringing back all nine spear rings. He shook his head sharply. Using poison was not in his uncle’s character, although he wouldn’t put it past Dom. He decided that Dom must have been acting on his own. 
Opening his eyes, he looked up at the thick, smoke-blackened beams exposed in the ceiling. Once a year, the king sent Yuguro to the kingdoms of New Yogo and Sangal to barter luisha for grain, and Kahm had often accompanied him. The residences of New Yogo ministers were built of smooth unvarnished wood, and the walls were often covered in gorgeous brocade tapestries. Even the merchants wore clothes of finely woven silk. And in Sangal, he had seen breathtaking mosaics of luminescent shells on the walls of ordinary government officials. 
Yet even the halls of our chieftains are no better than this, Kahm thought as he gazed at the rough ceiling. True, commoners in those countries lived very frugal lives. He remembered the native Yakoo in Yogo in particular as extremely poor. But if they starved because of a bad harvest one year, they could look forward to a plentiful harvest the next. 
In contrast, there was hardly any land worth farming in Kanbal. The north was covered by tall snowcapped mountain peaks, while the soil in the southern lowlands was so poor that nothing grew there besides the tall pines. Only the highland plateaus where the clan settlements were scattered could really be farmed. Yet even here, strong winds blew the soil away so that each year the land grew more barren. All the people could count on was milk and meat from the mountain goats that populated the rocky crags, and gasha, which grew despite the poor soil. And it was thanks to the plentiful springs, which gushed from beneath the mountain, that they could grow anything at all. Thus most Kanbalese men, even those who belonged to the warrior class, had to work in New Yogo or Sangal every winter. Some of them settled in Yogo and lived there the rest of their lives. Without luisha to buy grain, the poor mountain country of Kanbal could not have survived. 
Kahm sighed deeply. I guess the king and Uncle Yuguro have made the right decision with their plan. There’s really no other way. 
Not even the clan chieftains had been informed of Yuguro’s grand scheme, for it would shake the country to its very foundations. Most Spears who had participated in the ceremony thirty-five years ago were dead. But if anyone like Laloog, the Yonsa Elder, learned of this plan, they would lay down their lives to prevent it. Which was why members of the older generation, who still revered the Mountain King, must not be told. 
Just twenty days to go. If Shisheem did not take his place, Kahm would accompany his uncle as his attendant in the darkness of the Mountain Deep. Then who would fate favor — the king of Kanbal, or the king under the mountain? 
Kahm closed his eyes. 
 
Search parties continued to comb the mountains for the woman, but all trace of her seemed to have vanished at a little hollow on a steep rocky slope. Even after three days, they still had not found her. 
The atmosphere in the clan settlement was unusually lively, but Kassa’s heart was heavy. On their way back from the great hall, he had accused his father of breaking his promise to defend the woman, but his father only told him that it was for the best. 
“You’re a man now, so you should remember this lesson well. Master Yuguro made a political decision to protect our clan. We don’t need to stir up any more trouble.” 
Even Kassa understood that much. But still … 
As he could not talk to his parents, nor tell the truth to his friends, he had no choice but to confide his frustration in the one other person who knew the secret — his sister, Gina. 
Out of view among the rocks on the mountain, Kassa told her what had happened in the chieftain’s hall. She frowned. “You know,” she said, “it seems like one lie just keeps getting added to another.” 
“That’s what I think too, and it makes me feel awful. I can’t stand to think the lies started with us.” 
Gina leaned toward him. “Kassa, we should do something. That woman saved our lives, right? And now she’s being hunted because we broke our promise.” 
“But she’s trying to hurt Master Yuguro! And she snuck into the caves to —” 
“Just a minute, Kassa,” Gina interrupted. “That’s what Master Yuguro says, right? But we’re the ones who met her in the caves. Shouldn’t we consider that? I’d rather decide for myself.” 
Kassa stared at her in surprise. She was only twelve, but sometimes she impressed him with her logic. 
“Don’t you think so? We already know what he says isn’t always true. So let’s think about what we saw before we listen to him. Did she seem like a bad person to you?” 
Kassa shook his head. 
“You see? And if she really did come for the reason Master Yuguro says, then she could have just ignored our cries for help. If the hyohlu had eaten us, there would’ve been no one to tell on her. I don’t know why she came to Kanbal, but whatever the reason, it doesn’t change the fact that she risked her life to save us.” 
Kassa nodded emphatically. For the first time in days his mind felt clear. “You’re right,” he said. “Gina, you’re pretty smart sometimes.” 
Gina gave a shy, pleased smile. 
“But even though it’s true, I wonder if we can really do anything to help.” 
Just then a shrill whistle sounded, surprisingly close. They both jumped as Yoyo poked his face out from behind a nearby rock. 
“Kassa, you shouldn’t talk so loudly! Sound carries far in such a rocky place. There’s a search party over there. If they had heard you, you’d be in big trouble!” 
Kassa felt a sudden stab of panic squeeze his chest. “Yoyo! How much did you overhear?” 
Yoyo raised his hand in greeting to Gina and then whispered, “Everything. Sorry for eavesdropping, but I had a good reason.” 
Kassa glared at him. “You’re right, we should’ve been more careful. But what we said was really secret. Please promise you won’t tell anyone, not even your own people.” 
Yoyo scratched his chin, then cocked his head and looked at Kassa. “Listen, do you really feel you owe that woman your lives?” 
“Yes!” 
“Then will you promise not to betray her ever again?” 
Gina answered immediately, “Of course we promise!” 
Kassa thought for a minute and then said quietly, “As long as she doesn’t harm the Musa clan.” 
Yoyo looked at Kassa for a moment, as if considering something, and then shrugged his shoulders. “Toto the Elder is amazing. You both answered exactly as he said you would.” Then he beckoned to them. “Come with me as quietly as you can. And don’t talk.” 
Kassa and Gina looked at each other and then followed after Yoyo, who had already set off at a brisk pace. Instead of the winding lateral route that Kassa and Gina usually used, Yoyo took a narrow track that wove steeply up between the rocks. This must be one of the Herder roads, Kassa thought. The Herder People knew these high rocky slopes intimately, including many paths that would seem impassable to others. 
Finally they came to a dead end at the bottom of a huge rock face. “Here we are,” Yoyo said. Gina and Kassa wondered what he meant, as they could see only a thorny shrub in front of the cliff, but Yoyo rapped a large stone beside the shrub with his eagle chaser. Tap, tap, tap. To their surprise, the stone rolled forward, as if it were being pushed from inside. Yoyo’s father, Dodo, peered out from the hole. “Are you alone?” 
“Yes, it’s all right. I made sure no one followed.” 
Dodo nodded and looked at Kassa and Gina. “Good. Kassa, Gina, come inside and watch your step.” His face disappeared again. Kassa sat on the edge of the hole and put his feet inside. Dodo grabbed his legs and lifted him in with surprising strength for such a small man. He pulled Gina in immediately after, and Yoyo pushed the boulder back into place from the outside. 
“Isn’t Yoyo coming?” Kassa asked. From the hollow sound of his voice, he guessed that they must be in a larger space than he had thought. 

“No. Someone has to stay outside to replace the stone.” 
As his eyes adjusted to the dark, Kassa noticed that there was a dim glow in the hollow, cast by a luminous moss growing on the rock. 
“Gina, take my hand, and Kassa, you take Gina’s.” Dodo led them slowly forward, hand in hand. He and Gina did not need to duck as they walked, but Kassa’s head brushed the ceiling, so he stooped over. To his surprise, he could feel a faint breeze. 
They followed the tunnel beneath the rock and turned right. Instantly, everything grew brighter. Kassa and Gina gasped. The space in front of them could have sat about ten adults. Directly before them ran a long horizontal crack, about the width of Kassa’s head, where several large rocks came together. Through it shone a blinding ray of sunshine. The fresh breeze Kassa had sensed wafted through the crack, keeping the air in the cave fresh. A woman sat beside it, leaning against the wall. Although her back was to the light, they recognized her immediately as Balsa. 
“Hello there.” She raised her hand in greeting. 
Kassa stood frozen in shock. “Um, I,” he stammered, his voice catching in his throat. 
Before he could finish, Gina blurted out, “We’re so sorry! We told our parents about you. We didn’t mean to, but you see, there was a piece of luisha, I guess it must have fallen from the hyohlu, and —” 
Someone grabbed her hand and she jumped. “Hold your horses,” Toto the Elder whispered. He had been sitting right beside her and she had not even noticed. “Not so loud now. See that window over there? Your voices carry outside.” 
Gina and Kassa took turns explaining why they had broken their promise. Balsa smiled faintly, but when they had finished, she nodded. “I see. Well, I suppose I lied a little as well, so let’s just say we’re even.” 
Kassa and Gina sighed. Their legs were trembling. 
“Don’t just stand there. Have a seat.” Toto gave Kassa a shove and the two of them sat down on a dry rock. 
“You’re Kassa and Gina, right? Let me introduce myself properly. I’m Balsa Yonsa, daughter of Karuna from the Yonsa clan.” 
Kassa, calmer now, took a closer look at Balsa’s face. Her skin was tanned and a few fine lines crinkled at the corners of her eyelids. But it was the intensity of her eyes and the frankness of her gaze that truly caught his attention. 
“Are you injured?” Gina asked, noticing the cloth bandage binding her left shoulder. 
Before Balsa could respond, Toto said, “She was grazed by a poisoned spearhead. Togal. As I’m sure you know, we use it against the eagles, so we also know the antidote.” 
“Yes, and thanks to you the numbness has gone,” Balsa said. “It’s sheltered enough in here that I don’t need a fire to keep warm, and I’ve regained much of my strength already with the delicious laga and lakalle. I don’t know how I can repay you.” 
Kassa frowned. “Weren’t you wounded when you fell off your horse?” 
Balsa looked puzzled. “No. I didn’t fall off a horse. A giant of a warrior threw a spear at me when my back was turned, and I didn’t dodge it in time. Shall I show you?” 
Casually she removed the cloth to display the ugly wound. Her shoulder had clearly been cut open, and the poison had turned the skin around it a vicious shade of purple. 
“They used poison?” Kassa whispered. Had Dom and Kahm poisoned their spear tips? Why would they do that if they were trying to capture her and bring her in for trial? He could think of only one answer to that question. Sickened by the idea, he began to tremble. He mentally went over the words that Master Yuguro had uttered in the great hall. How many lies had he woven into that story? Even if she were a criminal, why had he tried to kill her before she had been given a fair trial by the chieftain? 
“Kassa?” Gina’s voice jolted him from his thoughts. He wiped the cold sweat from his brow and looked at Balsa. 
“Why did you come back to Kanbal?” 
Balsa remained silent for some time. Then, with a small sigh, she said, “I came back to Kanbal for a very personal reason — to lay to rest a ghost that haunts me.” She smiled briefly. “When I was six, I had to leave Kanbal because of a conspiracy. My father’s friend helped me escape. We fled through those caves where I first met you to New Yogo. Twenty-five years have passed since then. The man who raised me died of a sudden illness, but I always felt that he had sacrificed his life for mine, and that thought never left me, no matter how many years passed. So I decided that, instead of trying to ignore this old wound, I would confront it. I chose to go through the same caves that I had been dragged through as a weeping six-year-old, this time relying on my own strength. And that was when I met you.” 
Kassa frowned in confusion. “Was — was the man who raised you Jiguro?” 
Balsa’s eyes widened. “How did you know that?” 
“Master Yuguro gathered the clansmen and told us. He said that you blamed him for killing Jiguro and you had come here to get revenge.” 
As understanding dawned on her face, Balsa groaned inwardly. She had expected Yuguro to do all he could to prevent people from finding out about her and Jiguro. It had never occurred to her that Yuguro would tell everyone, even boys such as Kassa, and twist the truth for his own ends. He was much more cunning than she had thought. And he must excel at spinning believable lies. 
But she had no intention of telling Kassa and Gina the whole story. They belonged to the Musa clan, and given their innocence, they would find it hard to live among their own people if they knew too much. In fact, she had never intended to involve them at all. She had planned to write a letter to the chieftain and have one of the Herders say they found it in the mountains. In it, she would request a meeting to explain the situation in person. 
But Toto pointed out that the men of the clan were convinced that she was a treacherous woman bearing a grudge. Whoever read her letter would see it as a trap. Instead he suggested that she talk to Kassa. He reasoned that as Balsa had saved the boy and his sister, he would feel indebted to her. Both he and Gina were very intelligent, and as children of the chieftain’s sister, they would know who in the clan was most trustworthy. Toto insisted that if she wanted to entrust her message to someone, she should meet Kassa, explain at least some of her story, and ask him to take it for her. 
But if he already knows about Jiguro, what should I tell him? 
Watching her think, Kassa suddenly decided he had had enough. He sensed there was some important secret between this woman and Master Yuguro, and he was tired of being treated like a child, excluded from adult conversation, denied the truth, and brushed off with lies. 
“Mistress Balsa! I’m sick of lying and of being lied to. Please tell me the truth. Did you come here to get revenge, to shame Master Yuguro in front of the clan?” 
Balsa fixed her piercing gaze on him, then nodded. “When I first came here, I wasn’t even thinking of Yuguro. But now, yes, I’d like to pay him back twice over for what he did to me.” Her expression was stern. “But not because he killed Jiguro.” 
“Then why?” 
She sighed and shook her head. “I don’t want to tell you.” 
Kassa looked grim. “Then I’ll have to tell the chieftain you’re here.” 
Gina stared at her brother in shock. “Kassa!?” 
“I can’t stand by and let someone harm the clan. I vowed when I received my dagger that I would lay down my life for my people.” 
Balsa saw the desperation in his eyes and smiled. “I understand. You must do what you feel is right. But at least wait until I’m well enough that I won’t get the Herder People in trouble. You owe me that much, don’t you think?” 
Kassa felt as though she had effortlessly parried a thrust aimed with all his skill and determination. Then another combatant entered the fray. 
“Kassa!” Gina said determinedly. “I’m going to stand by Balsa no matter what. And if you try to tell on her, I’ll do everything to stop you!” 
“Gina, stay out of this!” 
“I won’t! I’ll risk my life to repay what we owe her!” 
“Damn it! Can’t you see? I don’t want to tell on her either. If she would just tell me the truth … If she has a good reason, I’ll risk anything to help her too.” 
“Shh! I told you to keep it down.” Toto gave each of them a light slap on the head. “Kassa boy, she’s just trying to protect you. She doesn’t want to bring misfortune on two innocent children by getting you involved. She won’t be able to move properly for another day or two, so there’s no need to be hasty. Take your time and get to know her a little better before you decide.” 
Kassa took a deep breath and nodded. 
 
It was almost dusk by the time they came down to the highlands and reached the clan settlement. Gina rushed toward their house, shrieking that she was going to be late helping with supper. Kassa, however, stopped at the sight of a man leaning against the wall of the winter goat pen and gazing absently at the sunset. It was Kahm. 
He turned when he noticed Kassa approaching. “Hello there,” he said. Kassa dipped his head in greeting and his cousin smiled. “I just dropped in on your mother, but I’m glad I bumped into you. You’re the one I really came to see.” 
Kassa looked up at him in surprise. Kahm was a quiet man with high cheekbones and thick eyebrows, the very image of a warrior. Yet Kassa knew that despite his forbidding appearance, he was very kind. He had often played with Kassa when they were younger, but since his move to the capital a few years ago, they had rarely had a chance to talk. 
“You came to see me?” 
“Yes.” Kahm smiled, embarrassed. The last rays of the setting sun lit up his profile. “Tomorrow I leave for the capital. I wanted to see you before I left … because the other day you seemed to be the one person in the great hall who was worried about me.” 
Kassa’s heart ached for him. “How’s the injury?” 
“Oh, it’s fine. It wasn’t very serious in the first place.” 
As he looked at his cousin’s profile, Kassa wondered if he had really smeared poison on his spear: Kahm, who more than anyone else hated dishonesty. But he could not ask. Instead he mumbled, “Thank you for coming specially to see me.” 
Kahm laughed suddenly. Then his face grew serious and he murmured, “Kassa, do you like Kanbal?” 
Kassa glanced at him questioningly. “Yes. Why?” 
Kahm gazed down on the forests covering the western lowlands. “I’ve been to other countries, and I know that Kanbal is poor, yet I can’t help thinking that it’s beautiful too.” 
Kassa too looked out over the plateau that rolled away to the cliffs and the conifer forests that covered the valley below. He saw what Kahm meant, but he said nothing. 
“Soon,” Kahm whispered, “the Giving Ceremony will take place. The future of Kanbal rests on the outcome.” Still staring at the forests, he continued, “If I should fail to return from the Mountain Deep, I want you to know that I’ve died because I loved this beautiful land. Be good to my son Kahmuro.” 
Kassa looked at him in surprise. “But … do people die at that ceremony?” 
Kahm smiled, but beneath it, Kassa sensed that he was afraid. “I’m only telling you in case, because no one knows what really happens under the mountain.” He placed a hand on Kassa’s shoulder and shook him gently. “I’m sorry to have bothered you with such foolishness. I’d better be going.” 
Kassa stayed rooted to the spot, watching his cousin walk away. What was that all about? he wondered. It was almost as if Kahm had been giving him his last will and testament. He shivered and kept his eyes fixed on Kahm as he vanished into the darkness.