River of Gold Part 4

Cunning and dangerous, the Scorpion Clan uses legal and less-than-legal trade alongside bribery and blackmail to uncover and wipe out potential traitors to the Empire. Inside the clan’s borders is the infamous City of Lies, the largest trading center in all of Rokugan. Nothing travels through that city without the Scorpion knowing about it and taking their cut.

Because of this, the governor of the City of Lies has amassed a fortune so large that her household has become a threat to the other Scorpion families. Bayushi Kachiko, the Lady of Whispers and one of the most powerful members of the Scorpion Clan, arrives in the city to ascertain the governor’s loyalty. Although the recent raids of “the pirate prince” could potentially spell the downfall of the city and clan, Kachiko must find a way to play the situation to her advantage. After all, there are few situations that cannot be handled with the proper application of dissembling—and poison.

This is part four of the River of Gold short story series. To find out more about the River of Gold, and how you can influence the outcome of the series, click here, or scroll down to enjoy this episode in your choice of text and audio…

Part 4: The Secrets of the Scorpion

by Robert Denton III

The Governor of Journey’s End City could spend her entire fortune, and it wouldn’t matter. These massive gardens – although beautiful – would never match the solace and splendor of those at Shosuro Palace, where Bayushi Kachiko once played barefoot as a child. And they would never be half as deadly.

Still, it was an impressive display. There were flowers here that Kachiko had never seen before. Perhaps they came from faraway lands as mere seeds. Incredible how something could grow, even prosper, so far from its origins.

She felt the nearby guard’s eyes on her back. In a practiced motion, she drew a lock of raven hair away from her ear, and turned, “accidentally” meeting his gaze.

He looked away. Even in the lantern light, she detected a hint of blush on his cheeks.

Since her arrival, she’d been in the presence of city guards. Thunder Guard, she reminded herself, is what the Governor called them; private enforcers in polished black armor. Rumors said many of them were in the dungeons just a few seasons ago. Kachiko had heard of absolution through service, but this? And the rise of this Thunder Guard seemed to be at odds with local magistrates. But then, hadn’t order been restored in a city plagued with vice?

Journey’s End City had always been prosperous, a rich jewel of the Scorpion Clan. But after Shosuro Hyobu inherited the office of governor from her late husband, the city’s wealth seemed to multiply. The bean-counters back home estimated her wealth rivaled that of the Bayushi samurai family. She even had samurai from other clans under her payroll. And now there was this paramilitary force, this “Thunder Guard.”

A vassal should never grow more powerful than their lords. The Bayushi wanted to know the full depth of the Governor’s ambitions. Their response would depend on what Kachiko told them. They were not particularly forgiving of power grabs or treachery. Unknown to Hyobu, her fate was in Kachiko’s hands.

Beyond the lush gardens of the Governor’s Estate, beneath the smoke and oil lights, tiny boats floated on the mirrored surface of the bay. They looked like paper lanterns. Kachiko pictured the River of Gold snaking south through the lands of her clan.

The river was the secret, wasn’t it? To the Governor’s wealth. To the city’s prosperity. The river was the artery, and the city was the heart. None of this could exist without it. There would be no Scorpion Clan without the River of Gold. In its mirrored surface, Kachiko saw only worlds floating on its back. It seemed like the river was the only thing that could keep its secrets from her.

But she had to learn. Her own plans were expensive. If the Governor could dredge wealth from the river, then Kachiko could figure it out as well. She just had to do it while uncovering the Governor’s true motives.

The clattering of a sliding door drew Kachiko from her trance. A little farther up the garden, two Thunder Guard stepped out from a small tea hut.

And there she was. The Governor of Journey’s End City. The Mistress of the City of Lies.

Middle age did not seem to affect Shosuro Hyobu in the slightest. She carried herself with an energetic and graceful air. She’d chosen an elaborate cloth mask that covered most of her face but revealed her smile through a sheer silk veil.

Inside the hut, an older man with a topknot coughed into his fist over a serving of tea. He was dressed like a magistrate. He even carried the forked club – the jitte – a badge of the office. Kachiko closed her eyes. Years of listening to her parents’ conversations through her bedroom floor had long taught her how to focus her hearing.

“I fear it is worse than that,” the man was saying. “It means someone in the city government is working with the cartels. I am not sure who we can trust.”

“We can discuss this tomorrow,” Hyobu replied to him from over her shoulder. “I leave you to your tea.”

“But–”

A Thunder Guard closed the door. The old magistrate coughed again, then presumably resigned to waiting. Delight touched Hyobu’s eyes as she approached Kachiko, the guards a few steps behind.

They both bowed. The night air carried Hyobu’s oaky voice. “Good evening, Lady Kachiko.”

“Good evening, Governor Have you eaten?”

“I have.” She smiled through her veil. “I hope you have taken advantage of our hospitality. It is a great privilege to have you as my unexpected guest.”

Scorpion samurai wore masks to remind others that they could not be trusted. It was how they kept things fair, the price of being the necessary villains that kept the Empire safe. So many seemed to forget this. A mask like Hyobu’s, which revealed her smile, she’d chosen on purpose. The more they could see your face, the less the mask seemed to matter.

Perhaps that was why Kachiko favored a mask that concealed only the space around her eyes, as if she wore no mask at all…

“The privilege is mine,” Kachiko replied. “I was admiring your gardens. They help me to feel at peace.” She glanced at the warriors nearby. “As do your guards.”

“That is high praise. These humble grounds pale in comparison to the gardens of your esteemed family.” She paused, concern crossing her features.

A woman knelt a short distance away, dressed in finery but not seemingly of high birth. Her face was painted in whites and reds. An actress, perhaps?

Hyobu beckoned for the woman to approach. She did so timidly, not daring to meet anyone’s gaze.

“You are the leader of the troupe that performed tonight?” If Hyobu was annoyed at this interruption, she did not show it.

“Yes,” the actress replied. “Cuckoo Bird, they call me.” She lowered her forehead to the grass. “Lady Governor, I beg for your help. Our troupe is due south in a few days. We had planned to travel along the river, but…”

That was a dangerous plan. Word of the river pirates was on everyone’s tongues. The last barges that left the city had been completely demolished, their goods stolen. There were even hostages taken, according to Kachiko’s many contacts. The leader, someone named Bakuchiku, fancied himself some kind of pirate prince. Only the desperate took the river route without heavy protections.

“Please, my lady,” spoke the actress. “We can’t hire mercenary protectors. The Shosuro family are patrons of actors such as us. May we please travel under the protection of the Thunder Guard?”

“You poor thing,” said Hyobu. “I will consider it.”

Kachiko bit down on her laughter. What overwrought dramatics! Did Hyobu really think she would fall for this?

Of course, this exchange had been planned. A commoner would never have made it past a Thunder Guard, much less to make a request. And to do so just at this moment, before them both? No, this was prearranged.

There. The subtle flicker of the Governor’s eyes. Watching for Kachiko’s reaction.

Kachiko knew this maneuver. Hyobu had taught it to her long ago, after all.

But for what reason? Hyobu couldn’t suspect Kachiko’s true reasons for being here, but if she did, how would such a display absolve her of suspicion?

The actress withdrew. They were alone once more.

Perhaps she should play the part Hyobu had laid out for her. Let the Governor think her deception worked. Kachiko could don this mask for now.

“The pirates are a problem,” Kachiko said. “Even I avoided the river.”

“I cannot blame travelers for choosing land routes,” Hyobu replied. “But it has hindered our city’s prosperity. The river is essential to our survival. If only something could be done.”

So that was what the old woman wanted: Kachiko’s advice. She was in a unique position, after all. As a Shosuro, she was part enforcer. But as a Bayushi…

The river reflected the night sky. Orbs danced on the surface. Hyobu knew the river’s secrets, but she would only tell someone who had proven their worth, someone of high position that she could trust.

And it was worth a favor to win her trust and lower her guard. Perhaps even to discern her true motives for the Bayushi.

“What if someone could handle them for you?”

Hyobu’s gaze lingered on her mask. The reminder that she could not be trusted.

Then make her forget you wear a mask.

Kachiko approached a small bush dotted with large red blooms, their thin petals like insect legs. There were dozens like these in the Shosuro family gardens.

“Crimson Spider Lily.” She brought it to her nose. “Among the rarest flowers in the Empire. Blooms only at night. Its scent inspired a thousand volumes of poetry.” She inhaled deeply of its sweet fragrance. “Few realize how poisonous it is.”

The faintest smile touched Hyobu’s lips.

“But then,” Kachiko said, “That is how poison kills, isn’t it? It wears a disguise, pretending to be something else. Something helpless. A sip of tea. A bite of something sweet. A raindrop in the eye. The body thinks, ‘Oh, something I can use.’ And suddenly, there is lead in the bones. Or water in the lungs. Or fire in the mind.”

The flower sprung back through Kachiko’s fingers, innocently.

“Perhaps the pirates could be handled in a similar way,” she suggested.

It would take time. The Yasuki family already made an attempt to find them. And the Daidoji family daimyō – the Iron Grump himself – attempted this as well. Her little birds among them had told her as much. She could simply begin with what they accomplished so far. Then it would be a matter of adopting the right disguise, laying the right trap…

Hyobu took off her mask.

How tired she looked in the amber light. How fragile. Her midnight eyes… Kachiko recognized what flickered in them now. It was pride. Genuine, unabashed. She’d seen it once before, at the coming-of-age ceremony for Hyobu’s eldest son.

“You are my greatest student,” Hyobu said. “I knew it then, but now? Look how far you’ve come. I know I was a hard teacher, but I had to be. That is why your star has risen so high.”

A thin hand cupped Kachiko’s cheek.

“I know why you are here,” Hyobu whispered.

A breeze killed the struggling flame of the nearby lantern.

Kachiko waited for a signal. An accusation. Or, perhaps, an explanation, a reason why she should look the other way. And if the guards should come suddenly closer, Kachiko recalled where her hairpins were, the fastest way to escape…

No, she thought.

Unflinching, Kachiko laid her hand over her former teacher’s.

“Was I so obvious?” she said. “It is just that you tripled your fortune so quickly.”

“And you wanted to uncover how I did it.” Hyobu smiled with painted teeth. “The student always returns. You could have simply asked.”

How patronizing. But Hyobu’s guard was lowered. Kachiko had her exactly where she wanted her. “Let me deal with the pirates,” she offered. “As a gift.”

“A favor,” Hyobu replied. “One I will return. Anything in my power. You have my thanks.”

And now the student was the master.

Hyobu drew back. She’d left her mask in Kachiko’s hands. A gesture of trust. Beneath her fingers, the fabric was surprisingly thin.

If the Governor’s ambitions were remotely greater than her station, Kachiko would surely learn that now. But first she had to deal with these pirates. To accomplish this, she might have to adopt a new guise. It had been a long time, but she remembered how.

Scorpions wore masks as a reminder that they could not be trusted. But the Shosuro had another reason: to remind them that one’s face, one’s identity, was an illusion that could be cast aside for any reason. That the vessel was empty.

Kachiko made her way out of the gardens. She had much to plan, much to maneuver into place. As she passed the tea hut, she heard no sound from within, not even a cough or shuffle.

In fact, it was as still and peaceful as the night itself.

River of Gold continues with Part 5: The Ambition of the Mantis. Learn more and get your copy of River of Gold, the exciting new game in the world of Legend of the Five Rings, here.