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Chapters (39)
  1. Cover
  2. The Way of the Traitor
  3. Prologue
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 34
  39. Author

Sano stood and bowed. He had nothing to gain by agreeing, and nothing to lose by refusing. “With all due respect, Honorable Chamberlain. I’m not going to Nagasaki.”

Yanagisawa laughed. Taking a deep breath, he wrote swiftly, covering the paper with flowing characters. He contemplated his work with a sigh of satisfaction, then laid down his brush. “Oh, but I think you are, Sōsakan Sano.”

He fingered the fine scars on his lip and eyelid: souvenirs of his traumatic experience with the Bundori Killer. Leveling at Sano a gaze filled with vengeful glee, he clapped his hands. Five guards rushed up to the pavilion.

“See that Sōsakan Sano is on the ship that leaves for Nagasaki tomorrow,” Yanagisawa told them.

Furious at this blatant coercion, Sano could only stare.

“And oh, before you leave to prepare for your trip, Sōsakan Sano,” Chamberlain Yanagisawa said, eyes alight with cruel mischief, “what do you think of my poem? I composed it specifically with you in mind.”

With a graceful flourish, he turned the paper around to face Sano. Thunder rumbled; raindrops pelted the pavilion’s roof. Sano read the characters:

In this difficult and uncertain life

Success often requires many endeavors—

Ah! But the wind can fell a tree

From more than one direction.

2

二

“Where is that miserable Nagasaki harbor patrol? They should have seen us by now, and come to welcome us.” Regal in his many-plated armor and horned helmet, the captain stomped angrily around the deck of the ship. “This is a disgraceful slight against the shōgun’s envoys. Someone will pay!” To the crew, he shouted, “Prepare for landing, and discharging our passengers.”

He sneered at Sano and Hirata, who stood in the bow, hands shielding their eyes from the sun as the ship approached Nagasaki Harbor.

Hirata sighed in relief. Due to frequent seasickness, he was pale, shaky, and thinner than when they’d left Edo. “I sure will be glad to get off this ship.”

“You’re not the only one,” Sano said.

When Chamberlain Yanagisawa had banished him, he’d dreaded reaching Nagasaki. Yet after two months at sea, sailing along the coasts of Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū, he rejoiced at the thought of stepping onto land. Beyond the sparkling water, the green landscape of their destination looked like paradise, for the journey had been a terrible experience.