Island of Exiles

your loved ones.”

Was Ribata reminding him that his duty lay elsewhere?

Of course, Masako’s marriage solved his problem. There was

now no need to take her into his household. He should have

been glad, but was perversely irritated and hurt that she had

preferred the immature, ungracious, and inept Toshito. In fair-

ness, Toshito was probably only a few years younger, and yet

I s l a n d o f E x i l e s

339

had already achieved an official position which was both more

secure and better paid than Akitada’s. But it rankled.

In his resentment he reminded himself that her back-

ground, though upper-class, was severely lacking in proper

upbringing and that her ma

that sense she certainly matched her new husband perfectly.

Akitada looked at her figure critically, trying to find fault. She

was attractive, but no more so than his wife or other women

he had had. There was a certain coarseness about her. All those

muscles, while useful, were certainly not feminine. Yet, as much

as he tried to soothe his hurt pride, the memory of how she

had clung to him in her father’s room came unbidden, the way

she had pulled him down to her and taken him passionately,

hungrily into her embrace. Had she truly felt nothing at all?

A sudden sharp spasm in his knee recalled him.

“There,” said Ribata, vigorously massaging a palmful of

ointment into his sore joint. “That should help. Go get some

rest now. We’ll wake you when the food is ready.”

Haseo had stretched out under a pine and was asleep

already. Akitada suddenly felt drained of strength, but he

walked over to Toshito, who greeted him with a scowl.

“You probably want to know what I learned about the

prince’s death,” Akitada said.

Toshito looked toward Masako, who shot an anxious glance

their way. “Not particularly,” he said.

Akitada raised his brows. The fellow’s ma

ferable. But he had no intention in wasting any more time on

the puppy, so he said, “There was no murder. Okisada either

died accidentally or committed suicide by eating fugu poison.”

Toshito turned a contemptuous face toward him. “Ridicu-

lous,” he snapped. “I was there, remember? No one ate fugu

fish, least of all Okisada. And why would he kill himself when he

intended to claim the throne?”

340

I . J . P a r k e r

Akitada felt like knocking the smug fool to the ground.

Turning away abruptly, he said, “Nevertheless, he did,” and

walked away to join Haseo.

The weather had remained dry and pleasant in the daytime

but grew much cooler at night. Here in the mountains it was

chilly in the shade and they had no clothes except their ragged

pants. Akitada shivered and worried about Haseo, who looked

flushed in spite of the cold. He found a su

for himself, where he slept fitfully until Masako’s touch on his

shoulder returned him to consciousness.

“The food is ready,” she said aloud, then whispered, “What

did you say to Toshito?”

Akitada sat up. Tempting smells came from the large pot

over the fire, and he felt ravenous. “Nothing to worry you. I told

him that the prince committed suicide. He scoffed.”

“Oh.” She was going to say something else, but Toshito

called to her.

Haseo looked better. He was less flushed and more inclined

to take notice of the others. “Those two are in love,” he told

Akitada with a nod toward the young couple.

They were standing close together, and as Akitada met

Toshito’s eyes, the young man put a possessive hand on the

girl’s hip.

“He doesn’t like you,” Haseo said. “Must be the jealous type.

Though why he should worry about a pathetic scarecrow like

you, I ca

Akitada, for his part, could not fathom Masako. After their

meal, he found an opportunity to talk alone with her. She was

washing their bowls in a stream that ran behind the hermitage.

Toshito had gone to gather more firewood.

“Why did you make love to me, Masako?” he asked.

He had startled her and she dropped one of the wooden

bowls into the water and had to scramble after it. The delay gave

I s l a n d o f E x i l e s

341

her time to gather her wits. In her typical fashion, she, too,

was blunt. “When I found out why you had come and what

power you had, I knew you could help us. That is, help both

Toshito and Father. I was desperate. But the papers were secret

and I could not ask you, so I tried to win your regard . . . by

other means.”

He flinched as though she had slapped him. “So you seduced

me, and I was fool enough to allow myself to be seduced,” he said

bitterly.

She nodded.

Akitada turned away, angry and shamed. There were many

kinds of love. Their relationship had been only lust on his part

after all, but something altogether different on hers. He had at

least felt a strong attraction to her, but she had merely manipu-

lated him to gain her ends. And she had done what she did for

another man, for Toshito. It struck him as abominable that some

women, like Masako, strong, independent, and unconventional,

would not hesitate to give their bodies to another man to save

their husbands or lovers. He thought of Tamako. He would gladly

sacrifice his life for her and his new son, and believed she would

do the same for him, but he hoped she would never sleep with

another man for any reason. The very thought made him sick.

Masako whispered, “Don’t tell Toshito, please. He’s jealous

of you.”

“Of course I won’t tell. But I hope you don’t think I helped

your father because you slept with me.”

“I shall always be grateful,” she said softly.

He glared at her. “I’m sorry we met.”

She hugged herself and began to cry.

“Twice,” he said. “You lay with me twice, and all the time you

only wanted to place me under obligation to you?”

She gulped and sniffled, but said nothing in her own defense

or to salvage some of his pride. After a long silence, Akitada said 342

I . J . P a r k e r

bitterly, “So be it. I wish you both well.” Then he turned and

limped away.

Haseo watched him coming back. “Why in such a temper?”

he asked lightly. “Did the pretty flower slap your face?”

Akitada managed a laugh as he sat down beside him. “Of

course not. She is married now and I’m a married man also.

And you? Do you have a wife and children?”

“Three wives and six children, two of them sons.” Haseo

sounded both proud and sad. “I hope they have gone to my first

wife’s parents. She comes from a wealthy family. My other wives

were quite poor. And you?”

“One wife and one son. He’s only six months.”

“You must miss them.”

“Yes. Very much.” His need for Tamako suddenly twisted his

heart. He had been a fool to desire another woman.

“Only one wife for a man of your station?” Haseo marveled.

“She must be exceptional.”

Akitada nodded. “She is.” And he wished for her with every

part of his being.

The rest of the evening both Toshito and Masako avoided

him. After their meal—a vegetable stew thickened with millet—

they disappeared into the forest together. Akitada watched them

with a certain detachment and put his mind to other matters.

Now that he was rested and fed, and his knee was no longer so

painful, he was becoming increasingly nervous about their

safety. His eyes kept sca

valley below. He could not be certain that the goblin had kept