Free L5r - scroll 03 - The Crane by Ree Soesbee Page A

escaped. Only one.
    "The rest were left to die."
    In the quiet pause between words, Doji Hoturi looked up at the graying sky. The scattered clouds turned yellow with approaching dawn. They stretched across the window of his chambers like a veil of propriety.
    "The dawn is clear, as all the other dawns have been." Hoturi's voice was calm. "As will be many more dawns to come. There will be no early snow this year. No respite from the Lion will come with the winter. Already, Jushin's retinue has sent a messenger to Matsu Tsuko, informing her of his death in our lands."
    Kuwanan nodded. It was to be expected.
    "My lord?" the guard at the door, a Doji, stepped beyond the shoji screen and knelt at the edge of the dais. "Another visitor. Shall I turn him away?"
    "Who wishes to speak with me at this hour?" Hoturi asked.
    "A Crab. Hida Tsuru, of the noble family."
    Kuwanan looked down at the floor by his knees, half-expecting Hoturi to command him to leave. The Crab were no friends to Kuwanan, and he detested their power-hungry champion. His thoughts were well known.
    "Bring him in, but only for a few minutes. Ameiko?"
    Understanding her duty, the lady nodded, stepping through the screens into their private chamber. If she was needed, she would be called.
    Kuwanan bowed and then stood from his position before the dais, joining the two Doji guards behind the champion. Ignoring the mud that stained the knees of his hakima pants, he tightened his obi in order to hide the tear in his shirt.
    Hoturi nodded respectfully at his brother. A faint wrinkle at the corner of his eye revealed good-natured amusement at Kuwanan's vanity.
    The Hida, however, was in no way amused.
    Tsuru stormed in, wearing only his hakima pants and no shirt over his bare, scar-covered chest. Dark, closely cropped hair clung to his sharp cheeks and long jaw, fighting for attention with the wild look in Tsuru's eyes. "Hoturi!-sama," he added belatedly, remembering his position and where he was. Kneeling awkwardly on a thin silk cushion, the Crab bowed to the champion of the Crane before lifting his head to bawl, "What in Jigoku's name is happening?"
    All in all, a rather polite entrance. For a Crab.
    "Good morning, Hida-san," Hoturi said, using the Crab's family name in order to remind him of the formali ty of their surroundings. "You are awake early this day."
    "And you haven't slept, Crane Lord. They say a hundred assassins have attacked the palace, butchering your entire family." Tsuru's voice was filled with the gravel of sleep, but his body was tensed for battle. "My retainers say the Lion apartments are shrouded in the white of mourning."
    Hoturi nodded, reaching to sip from his tea again. After a pause just long enough to incite the Crab, the Crane said, "Ikoma Jushin is dead."
    Tsuru's jaw tightened. "Who has done this?"
    "Three heads, belonging to the assassins, are on pikes along the western road. The Daidoji are efficient in their revenge."
    "So they are. And the Lion will be equally efficient, I am certain."
    "The Lion," Hoturi said, glad that his voice was cool, "are to be commended for their bravery." It was not the answer Tsuru had expected, and the Crab was silent before the dais of the Crane Champion. "Their emissary—a bushi of no particular skill—stepped in the way of an assassination attempt planned for myself and my Lady Ameiko." After the morning's tournament, Hoturi could not resist the faint jab toward the Lion. It was the least of the arguments he was about to create. "We thank his family for his courage and for his dedication to the empire. Arrangements will be made to see the body home for burial, with all the honor the Doji can give."
    Now the Crab was starting to show his anger. "Honor? A man was murdered in your house. Your guards did not stop it. Their heads—"
    "Their heads already rest on pikes beside the assassins."
    Tsuru paused, thinking this through. "The Lion died here. Nothing can change that."
    Hoturi nodded. "And so you fear