“Yes. Absolutely.”
“Good. Now the other part. The important part.”
Alvito’s hands went dry. “Neither Lord Kiyama nor Lord Onoshi will agree to forsake General Ishido. I’m sorry. They will not agree to join your banner now in spite of our strongest suggestion.”
Toranaga’s voice became low and cruel. “I already pointed out I required more than suggestions!”
“I’m sorry to bring bad news in this part, Sire, but neither would agree to publicly come over to—”
“Ah, publicly, you say? What about privately—secretly?”
“Privately they were both as adamant as pub—”
“You talked to them separately or together?”
“Of course together, and separately, most confidentially, but nothing we suggested would—”
“You only ‘suggested’ a course of action? Why didn’t you order them?”
“It’s as the Father-Visitor said, Sire, we can’t order any
“Ah, but you can
“Yes, Sire.”
“Did you threaten to make them outcast, too?”
“No, Sire.”
“Why?”
“Because they’ve committed no mortal sin.” Alvito said it firmly, as he and dell’Aqua had agreed, but his heart was fluttering and he hated to be the bearer of terrible tidings, which were even worse now because the Lord Harima, who legally owned Nagasaki, had told them privately that all his immense wealth and influence were going to Ishido. “Please excuse me, Sire, but I don’t make divine rules, any more than you made the code of
“You make a poor fool outcast for a natural act like pillowing, but when two of your converts behave unnaturally—yes, even treacherously—when I seek your help, urgent help—and I’m your friend—you only make ‘suggestions.’ You understand the seriousness of this,
“I’m sorry, Lord. Please excuse me but—”
“Perhaps I won’t excuse you, Tsukku-san. It’s been said before: Now everyone has to choose a side,” Toranaga said.
“Of course we are on your side, Sire. But we cannot order Lord Kiyama or Lord Onoshi to do anything—”
“Fortunately I can order my Christian.”
“Sire?”
“I can order the Anjin-san freed. With his ship. With his cannon.”
“Beware of him, Sire. The Pilot’s diabolically clever, but he’s a heretic, a pirate and not to be trust—”
“Here the Anjin-san’s a samurai and hatamoto. At sea perhaps he’s a pirate. If he’s a pirate, I imagine he’ll attract many other corsairs and
Alvito kept quiet and tried to make his brain function. No one had planned on the Ingeles’ becoming so close to Toranaga.
“Those two Christian
“No, Sire. We tried ev—”
“No concession, none?”
“No, Sire—”
“No barter, no arrangement, no compromise, nothing?”
“No, Sire. We tried every inducement and persuasion. Please believe me.” Alvito knew he was in the trap and some of his desperation showed. “If it were me, yes, I would threaten them with excommunication, though it would be a false threat because I’d never carry it through, not unless they had committed a mortal sin and wouldn’t confess or be penitent and submit. But even a threat for temporal gain would be very wrong of me, Sire, a mortal sin. I’d risk eternal damnation.”
“Are you saying if they sinned against your creed, then you’d cast them out?”
“Yes. But I’m not suggesting that could be used to bring them to your side, Sire. Please excuse me but they . . . they’re totally opposed to you at the moment. I’m sorry but that’s the truth. They both made it very clear, together and in private. Before God I pray they change their minds. We gave you our words to try, before God, the Father-Visitor and I. We fulfilled our promise. Before God we failed.”
“Then I shall lose,” Toranaga said. “You know that, don’t you? If they stand allied with Ishido, all the Christian
“Yes.”
“What’s their plan? When will they attack me?”
“I don’t know, Sire.”
“Would you tell me if you did?”
“Yes—yes I would.”
I doubt it, Toranaga thought, and looked away into the night, the burden of his worry almost crushing him. Is it to be Crimson Sky after all? he asked himself helplessly. The stupid, bound-to-fail lunge at Kyoto?
