The boy wrenched free of Sano and leapt to his feet. Sano lost his balance, falling hard on his tailbone. But he barely noticed the pain, because Kiyoshi’s self-control had shattered. He rampaged around the cell, howling like a madman, pounding the walls. His frantic movements upset the meal tray and wastebucket, spilling food and filth all over the floor. Sano lunged after Kiyoshi, fearing he would hurt himself if not restrained immediately. But Sano was no match for the youth’s wild energy. Kiyoshi dodged him again and again. Sano’s feet slipped on the messy floor. From outside the cell, he heard cries, thuds, and the warden calling, “What’s going on in there? Quiet down, you’re disturbing the other prisoners!”

“I only did it out of duty,” Kiyoshi shouted. “And loyalty. And—and love. You must let me go. I have to stop it, I have to stop it. …”

He made a frantic leap toward the window. Sano grabbed him, but he broke free, ran to the door, and battered it with his fists and head. “Let me out! Please, let me out!”

Throwing his arms around Kiyoshi, Sano forced him away from the door just as the bolt outside slammed back. “Calm down, Kiyoshi.” With all his strength, he wrestled the young samurai facedown onto the floor. He sat on Kiyoshi’s arching back and pinned the flailing arms. “Be still.” Sano spoke between gasps of exertion as Kiyoshi’s howls and struggles subsided. “Everything’s going to be all right.”

But was it? Kiyoshi’s words could be interpreted as an admission of smuggling and murder, punishable by death even if he’d acted in a misguided attempt to please, protect, or control someone else. A madman’s ambiguous testimony wouldn’t clear Sano or Hirata. And if Kiyoshi was innocent, Sano couldn’t pin the crimes on the boy, even to save his own life and honor.

Sano released his hold on the limp, trembling body beneath him. He laid a soothing hand on Kiyoshi’s head. “Kiyoshi, you must tell the truth. It’s the only way you can help yourself, or the people you care about.”

Silence. But when Sano gently turned Kiyoshi over, he saw that the boy’s expression, though still frightened, had lost its crazed panic.

The door banged open, and the din outside increased as other prisoners clamored in their cells. The warden and two guards rushed into the room. “You’ll have to leave now,” the warden said. “He’s started a riot, and he’ll make things even worse if you don’t leave him alone.”

“Just a moment longer,” Sano pleaded. To learn the truth, he must break Kiyoshi’s loyalty to whomever he was protecting, whether it be Chief Ohira, Interpreter Iishino, Junko, or Governor Nagai. “He’s calm now; maybe he’ll talk.”

But the warden shook his head. “Come back later.”