Read Online Cloud of Sparrows by Takashi Matsuoka - Free Book Online

pry information from Otani, perhaps even the identity of Heiko’s secret patron. Not in this case. Otani adamantly refused, saying his life and the survival of his family depended upon his silence. Even allowing for overacting on the man’s part, this suggested that the patron was a Great Lord of equal or greater power than Genji. Among those who had survived the Battle of Sekigahara two hundred sixty years ago, only sixty were truly great. Heiko was the friend of a powerful man. Or was the tool of one. Without knowing which, Genji was at risk with every assignation. Kudo was determined to discover the truth. If he could not, then he was prepared to kill her as a precaution. Not today, but in due course. Civil war was coming. Uncertainties had to be reduced in order to improve the clan’s chances of survival.
    Kudo watched as Heiko stopped to chat with yet another shopkeeper. How was it possible for someone to have a destination and yet progress so slowly toward it? He left the main street and cut through a narrow alleyway. He would move ahead and observe Heiko as she approached. If she suspected someone was following her, her suspicion would more easily be visible from an unexpected viewpoint. That in itself would confirm deception on her part, for a geisha without hidden motivations would never be wary of surveillance.
    Two men were carrying refuse from the back of a shop as Kudo turned the corner. They saw him and dissolved in fear. Their burdens fell to the ground, and they dropped down, faces in the dirt, groveling. On hands and knees, they scrambled backward out of his path, struggling to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible.
    Eta. Kudo’s face twisted into a grimace of disgust. His hand went to the hilt of his sword. Eta. Filthy outcasts whose fate it was to do the foulest, most disgusting tasks. To even permit themselves to be seen by one of Kudo’s rank warranted their immediate death. But if he killed them, it would cause a commotion, attracting attention, and defeating his purpose. He left his sword sheathed and hurried past. Eta. The very thought of them made him feel unclean.
    Kudo reentered the main street a hundred paces ahead of where he had last seen Heiko. Yes, there she was, still wasting time with the same shopkeeper.
    Some chattering women momentarily obscured Kudo’s view of his subject. When they passed, neither Heiko nor her maid was anywhere to be seen. He ran to the shop where she had last dallied. She wasn’t there.
    How had that happened? One moment he had been looking at her. The next moment she was gone. Geisha did not move that way. Ninja did.
    Kudo turned to retrace his steps to the palace in Tsukiji, more uneasy than ever. And nearly collided with Heiko.
    “Kudo-sama,” Heiko said. “What a coincidence. Are you shopping for silk scarves, too?”
    “No, no,” Kudo said, fumbling for an explanation. He was not at his best when taken by surprise. “I am going to the temple at Hamacho. To make offerings for ancestors fallen in battle.”
    “How laudable,” Heiko said. “My interest in scarves is shallow and useless in comparison.”
    “Not at all, Lady Heiko. For you, scarves are as important as swords for a samurai.” The idiocy of his words made Kudo cringe inside. The more he talked, the more foolish he would seem. “Well, I must be on my way.”
    “Will you not tarry a few moments to take tea with me, Kudo-sama?”
    “Nothing would give me more pleasure, Lady Heiko, but my duties require a speedy return. I must hurry to the temple, and hurry back to the palace.” With a quick bow, Kudo strode swiftly west in the direction of Hamacho. If he had been paying attention, instead of hallucinating that Heiko might be a ninja, he would have saved himself this lengthy detour. When he looked back, he saw her bow to him. Since she was watching, he had to continue on for quite a way before it was safe to change course.
    Gritting his teeth, he silently berated himself all the