Brilliance of the Moon by Lian Hearn Read Free Book Online Page B

snapped with an almost human
sound. There were gasps of astonishment and dread from the men around us.
Makoto gazed at the broken blade in dismay, then looked shamefaced at me.
    “Forgive me,” he said again. “I should have listened to you.” My
rage ignited. I drew my own sword, my vision turning red in the old, familiar
way. How could I protect my men if they did not obey me? Makoto had ignored my
advice in front of these soldiers. He deserved to die for it. I almost lost
control and cut him down where he stood, but at that moment I heard the sound
of horses’ hooves in the distance, reminding me I had other, real enemies.
    “He was a demon, less than human,” I said to Makoto. “You had no
way of knowing. You’ll have to fight using your bow.”
    I made a sign to the men around us to be silent. They stood as if
turned to stone; not even the horses moved. The rain had lessened to a fine
drizzle. In the fading misty light we looked like an army of ghosts.
    I listened to the bandits approach, splashing through the wet
landscape, and then they appeared out of the mist, over thirty horsemen and as
many on foot. They were a motley, ragged band, some obviously masterless
warriors with good horses and what had once been fine armor, others the
riffraff left behind after ten years of war: escapees from harsh masters on
estates or in silver mines; thieves; lunatics; murderers. I recognized the man
who’d fled from the hovel; he was running at the stirrup of the leading horse.
As the band came to a halt, throwing up mud and spray, he pointed to me and
screamed, again something unintelligible.
    The rider called, “Who is it who murdered our friend and
companion, Jin-emon?”
    I answered, “I am OtoriTakeo. I am leading my men to Maruyama. Jin-emon
attacked me for no reason. He paid for it. Let us through or you will pay the
same price.”
    “Go back to where you came from,” he replied with a snarl. “We
hate the Otori here.”
    The men around him jeered. He spat on the ground and swung his
sword above his head. I raised my hand in signal to the bowmen.
    Immediately the sound of arrows filled the air; it is a fearful
noise, the hiss and clack of the shafts, the dull thunk as they hit living
flesh, the screams of the wounded. But I had no time to reflect on it then, for
the leader urged his horse forward and galloped toward me, his sword arm
stretched above his head.
    His horse was bigger than Shun, and his reach longer than mine.
Shuns ears were forward, his eyes calm. Just before the bandit struck, my horse
made a leap to the side and turned almost in midair so I could slash my
adversary from behind, opening up his neck and shoulder as he hit out vainly at
where I had been.
    He was no demon or ogre but all too human. His human blood spurted
red. His horse galloped on while he swayed in the saddle, and then he fell
suddenly sideways to the ground.
    Shun, meanwhile, still completely calm, had spun back to meet the
next attacker. This man had no helmet and }ato split his head in two,
spattering blood, brains, and bone. The smell of blood was all around us, mixed
with rain and mud. As more and more of our warriors came up to join the fray,
the bandits were completely overwhelmed. Those who still lived tried to flee,
but we rode after them and cut them down. Rage had been rising steadily in me
all day and had been set alight by Makoto’s disobedience; it found its release
in this brief, bloody skirmish. I was furious at the delay that these lawless,
foolish men had caused us, and I was deeply satisfied that they had all paid
for it. It was not much of a battle, but we won it decisively, giving ourselves
a taste of blood and victory.
    We had three men dead and two others wounded. Later, four deaths
by drowning were reported to me. One of Kahei’s companions, Shibata from the
Otori clan, knew a little about herbs and healing, and he cleaned and treated
the wounds. Kahei rode ahead to the town to see what he could find in the