“This has become my home in recent years,” Kondo said dismally, as they made their way inland. “Over the last decade or so, this city has nearly doubled in size and has more people packed together than any other city on the Islands.”
“More than the Old Capital?” asked Yukiana.
“Yes, even more than that.”
“I read that the Shōgun enacted many policies to encourage growth in his New Capital,” Yuki commented, as they proceeded down the long wharf towards the shore. “They seem to be working if so many people have moved here.”
“He did, but they have been quite unpopular amongst the daimyō and lesser lords. The fact that he renamed the city from Mashige-shi to the New Capital was quite a bold move. The Old Capital had been the seat of government since the days of the First Emperor. But it also became a nest of conspiracy and a dangerous place for anyone, even a Shōgun. So, he moved his government here, a place he knew well and trusted. It was quite ingenious.”
“He also enacted the Alternation Policy for daimyō, right?”
“Yes, his least popular move, but also his most brilliant. By requiring all daimyō to alternate between living in their domains and The New Capital every three years, he assured that one, they would have a much harder time plotting rebellion or amassing armies, and two, his city would see a great influx of wealth from these resident daimyō, who are used to luxurious living. This money has helped transform this city from a dirty castle town into a glittering metropolis, rivaling any barbarian city abroad.”
“It seems like quite an expensive undertaking for them, to travel here every three years.”
“You are correct,” Kondo said with a nod of assent. “It is exceedingly expensive. Daimyō have a lot of valuable things and many servants that must come with them. Valuable things are usually quite heavy, and servants are slow and eat and drink too much. Such a thing is a very costly burden. But the daimyō pay it. Why? Two reasons, I think. One is obvious. The Shōgun has captives. When Mashige took control of the Shōgunate, he took many family members from his allies as well as his enemies. He claimed that it was for their safety and mentorship, but the real reason was that he needed leverage. Now he uses them as bartering chips, trapping the daimyō with them.
But the daimyō also come for another reason, and one I do not think the Shōgun had anticipated. The New Capital, this city, has become almost like a paradise on earth, at least for the wealthy. It has everything a person could ever want and even things they never knew they could desire. It is a city of dreams. And some have become addicted to the pleasant sleep.”
Yuki could see the sour look on Kondo’s face and realized that he was not as enamored with the city as some were.
After some time, they finally reached the end of the docks, and the fog had begun to pull away as the sun crossed the horizon. Yuki could now see the outline of high wooden rooftops in the distance, each covered with black curved tiles, and the noise of a city with a million people began to fill her ears. As soon as they reached the shore, it all hit her at once. There were rows upon rows of orderly wooden buildings as far as the eye could see. There were white-painted houses, gated estates, kimono shops displaying the newest fashions, cozy tea houses, artisan stores selling hand-carved woodwork, hand-sculpted porcelain and pottery, blown glass, painted lacquer, gold-leaf, tanned leather, and spun silk.
There were government buildings, places to make a personal seal, halls for plays and music, post offices, book and paper shops, and food stalls packed with a mouthwatering selection of fresh fish, grilled meat on small skewers, and other delectable fineries. There were crowds of people to her right and left, buying, selling, running, drinking, yelling. Armed samurai policed the streets in the gold and white colors of the Mashige Clan, with the imposing hawk emblazoned on their armor or painted upon their backs. There were all kinds of people swarming around her from energetic children to hunchbacked elders. There were fishermen, farmers, merchants, officials, as well as craftsmen. Beggars sat at the entrances to gates and in corners, while the rich were transported in splendid litters surrounded by an array of brightly dressed servants. Woodblock paintings of majestic scenery hung from public walls, and colored parasols dotted the landscape like wildflowers on a hill. And in the far distance, she could see the outline of a great keep, and behind that, rising above it all, the faint image of a magnificent mountain.
In all her life, in any story she had ever read, she had never conceived of anything like this before. It was enough to banish the thoughts of her capture completely from her mind, at least for a few moments. A woman passed before her who was wearing the most beautiful dress she had ever seen, pink, purple, and white, with a bright pattern of lilies. It had the shine of pure silk. There was a kanzashi in her hair that had golden beads like falling snowflakes. She seemed to glitter as she walked past them.
Kondo noticed her expression of awe. “Quite different, eh?”
Yuki nodded slowly as if entranced. There was no comparison. Nowhere did she see the thatch roofs, the broken-down hovels, the linen-clad farmers, the collapsing stone shrines. Here everything looked polished and new. Everyone was loud and did not mind being in such close proximity to one another. Instead, the people seemed to love it, and the energy of the place was nearly palpable.
“Come,” Kondo urged, “We are not there yet.”
They started up the road and headed towards the center of the city. Yuki looked up at the wooden buildings that towered overhead, some three, even four stories tall. The city was designed in a grid-like way with small breaks in the shopping street every few moments. The street they were on appeared to be a primary artery of the city, for it was extremely wide and there were many people upon it. Every so often they became a part of a crowd so big that she felt like a minnow in a school of fish.
“Don’t leave my side,” her captor warned, anticipating her intent as another crowd engulfed them on their way toward the castle. “This place might seem like a convenient place to hide, or to escape, but I warn you, there are eyes everywhere, and few of them are friendly.”
“He’s lying,” she thought to herself. “There cannot possibly be eyes everywhere in this city, it is too big!” Yet Kondo was not one to speak idle threats. She nodded as if to show that she understood.
As they continued, the towering Castle of the Shōgun, Taka-no-jō, or the Hawk’s Perch as it was often called, grew even larger in her view. From this point, she could see it more clearly, and identify many of the details. The castle grounds were surrounded by a great moat which was nearly as wide as a small river. It would take a man several minutes to walk across the length of the bridge, even longer if he were an attacker trying to swim across. On the far side of the moat was a formidable stone wall, rising about thirty feet high, with smooth stones placed in such a way that it seemed like a sheer precipice with little to no space for footing. Atop this wall were the stately black and white ramparts, upon which she could see the movements of many guards. Beyond the wall, she could see the rooftops of many other buildings, so many, in fact, that it appeared as if there was another entire city contained within those walls. In what appeared to be the center of the grounds, off in the distance, there was a large and stately hill, and upon this sat another wall, this even more daunting, with watchtowers peering over the land like spearheads. Finally, beyond that final wall of defense was the crown jewel of the whole city, the seven-storied keep of the Shōgun. Just looking at it made her feel both terrified and inspired at the same time. The entire castle was painted pure white and had black tiled roofs that splayed out like the wings of a bird about to take flight. It was strikingly beautiful.
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“Are you taking me there?” Yuki asked, staring up at the castle.
Her captor shook his head and chuckled. “No, you haven’t earned the right just yet.”
“Then where are you taking me? I heard you discussing it with your master on the ship. You said you were taking me to her.”
Kondo’s face warned that she was venturing into dangerous territory, and he did not reply.
“You said that the place I am going is exceedingly dangerous,” she continued. “If it’s a dangerous place even for you, what hope do I have? You said that she can’t be trusted. What did you mean by that?”
With that, Kondo stopped abruptly. He swiftly grabbed her and flung her against the nearest wall as if she were a mere bag of rice. Her back slammed hard into the wood as he leaned in on her, his face mere inches from hers, his hand covering her mouth. She let out a muffled scream.
“Be quiet!” he hissed, grabbing her arms, and forcing them down. “Listen to me!”
Yuki realized just then that they were no longer on the main street, but off in some quiet alley, where there were few people, if any, to help her. She quickly succumbed to his overwhelming force.
“Listen to me!” he commanded once again, this time in a whisper. His black eyes bored into hers. “Do you think this is a game? Never, ever repeat what you heard on that ship. Do you understand?”
She nodded, still frightened by his sudden ferocity.
“And do not ever speak ill about your new master out here in the streets, or anywhere in this city. She sees much and hears more.”
Yuki stared back at him. There was true fear on his face. This was a man who had just days ago taken down an entire ship of barbarians and stared down the blade of a Khan. What was he so afraid of? The thought made her feel ill with anxiety.
“Who is...she?” Yuki managed to say.
Kondo paused. Even he was reluctant to say the name out loud. “You will discover that soon enough. But do not forget my words. Be careful. It is for your own good that I tell you this.”
Gradually, his forceful grip relaxed, and he stood away, staring at her. There was a sadness in his eyes as if he were seeing a tragedy in the making but was powerless to stop it. His look hurt more than being flung against the wall.
“I never wanted this!” Yuki cried, feeling belittled. “It’s been a never-ending nightmare since the moment I met you! But why do you care about my safety now? Why are you looking at me with such pity? Once I’m with my new master, your mission is finished, and you can leave me behind and forget about me. I don't want your help! I don't want your pity! Just finish your job and leave me alone! After today, I never want to see you again!”
Kondo met her gaze for several moments, watching the tears flow from her fearful eyes. At last, he said, “Very well then. Let’s be done with it.”
With that, he turned sharply and proceeded down the alley, which grew ever narrower, and ever darker. At the very end of the alleyway, the two emerged onto a larger, more prominent road that ran parallel to a river that flowed out into the sea from further inland. It was not a particularly wide river, but it was wide enough for a few barges to flow upstream and down. Several wooden bridges spanned the river and were set apart by predetermined distances. The two proceeded left down this thoroughfare before taking a right and then crossed the river using one of the arching bridges. They continued several minutes down another shopping street, this one a bit less extravagant than the first one they had encountered. Kondo finally slowed his pace and turned left yet again.
Here she could see another section of the city surrounded by tall white stone walls and a clear moat that was fed by the nearby river. There was only one entrance to this place from her view, and that was straight across a vermillion bridge and through one central gate.
“What is that place?” she wondered aloud, thinking that it looked a bit like a smaller version of the castle grounds.
“Ishihara, the City of Dreams,” Kondo returned, but his voice was thick with sarcasm. “That will be your new home.” He then moved to cross the bridge with Yuki following closely behind.
When they reached the other side, Yuki was stunned at the detail and grandeur of the central gate, with its huge wooden doors brightly painted with a scene of a heavenly pastoral of the Islands of long ago, when the world was young and vibrant. The wide range of colors used on the doors grabbed her attention for she had never seen such a beautiful display before. But then her eyes were caught by the guards who emerged from a small wooden door on the side of the gate itself. They were women or seemed to be, as they wore the distinctive garb of a shrine maiden, with a white kimono on top and vermillion hakama, yet they also wore masks in the image of discerning foxes. Most impressive of all was that they wore swords at their hip as if they were samurai.
“Ishihara foxes,” Kondo whispered, waiting for them to approach. “There is a reason they wear no heavy armor like the Mashige patrols. Each fox has undergone years of intense training with the sword. They are precise and deadly warriors.”
The two foxes approached and then bowed simultaneously. “Welcome to Ishihara,” they said together. Their voices sounded feminine but were muffled by the masks. “Is this your first visit to the City Within the City, the City of Dreams?”
Kondo shook his head. “No, and I am here for business, not pleasure.” He made a gesture towards Yuki. “The Lady is expecting this one.”
The foxes remained motionless for a few moments before bowing once again. “Please follow us,” they said in unison and then turned towards the gate.
The foxes gave a signal to those on the inside, and the gate was slowly drawn open. As they passed through the massive doors, which were nearly four times as tall as them, Yuki could not help but marvel at what was inside. Ahead of her was a gorgeous willow tree, with its bright, verdant leaves seeming to flow gracefully to the ground. Beyond the tree were rows of handsome wooden buildings, all beautiful and clean. On the main thoroughfare that ran through the district, a few women shuffled from place to place, each dressed in the most stylish clothes of the day. The sweet sound of traditional instruments could be heard echoing from within the heart of the district.
Before they could proceed any further, they were stopped by the foxes, who stood in their way like stone guardians. “If this is not your first time, you will remember the forms,” they said.
“Forms?” Yuki wondered, but before she knew it one of the foxes was inspecting her, patting her body in search of hidden weapons. Even Kondo was searched and was asked to give up his sword, which he did only begrudgingly.
“I am not going to be here long,” he protested.
“This is Ishihara,” one of the foxes reminded them. “No one, regardless of position, may bring in any weapons unless the Lady gives them leave. She is the ruler of this place, and failure to comply will result in expulsion or severe punishment.” The fox discovered Kondo’s concealed dagger and throwing stars and took them forcibly as he growled with annoyance. “You may collect your belongings whenever you leave.”
Her captor scowled, but knowing Kondo, it was possible that they had not been able to find everything. Once they were both thoroughly checked, they were let free. They were then able to explore the area on their own.
“Please enjoy your time in Ishihara, the City of Dreams,” the foxes intoned in their alluring voices, bowing low. “The hall for new servants is ahead and to the right. Please seek Mr. Ueda.” Yuki could sense that underneath that polished veneer of form and politeness, there was a core of steely resolve and danger that only a fool would ignore. The painted, beady fox eyes seemed to watch her, and she could almost feel their true gaze penetrating through the masks. As she examined the district, she could see dozens of foxes patrolling the area, and she knew that there were many more that she could not see. Now she could better understand Kondo’s unease.
They proceeded down the central road, past the great weeping willow tree which she heard Kondo refer to as the ‘Dream-maker Tree,’ Yume-no-ki. She was too nervous to be overawed by the size and sprawling nature of the tree, whose branches fell and draped creating a canopy big enough to easily hide underneath and disappear. All she cared about was her next step. Yuki could see that the central road completely bisected this miniature city. Each side of the road was tightly packed with multi-storied wooden buildings, occasionally separated by intermittent alleys leading towards the walled perimeter. During the day, the foot traffic was not so heavy, but even now there were several merchants about, stocking the buildings with essential wares for the coming evening. She read some of the shop’s signs as she passed. Some places were tea houses, others were theatres, but most were named after flowers, gemstones, or other beautiful items.
“What are those buildings?” she asked, pointing to the tall structures which contained many rooms. Her captor shot her a short glance but did not reply. He pushed ahead, leaving her to almost have to run to catch up. On the way, she noticed that there were no other gates or doors leading into or out of this beguiling district, other than the large gate they had already passed through. This gave her an ominous, trapped feeling which increased by the moment.