“Praise Akira HaruTenno,Son of Heaven!”
Chapter 16
Haru
Icaught myself fidgeting with the stiff collar of my formalkimonoand forced my hands back to the armrests of the Jade Throne.
How had Father, the most powerful man alive, worn such a ridiculously uncomfortable, itchy robe? Why would he allow sandpaper to scrape his skin?
The thoughts came unbidden, only a few of the many rocks breaking free, threatening to dislodge the last of my sanity and tranquil composure in a spectacular landslide of an Imperial mental breakdown. The generals might not have noticed—too absorbed in their debate—but I did. Every tiny failure of composure felt like a crack in the impenetrable mask everyone expected me to wear.
“—insufficient intelligence from our scouts in the northern territories,” General Tanaka was saying, his weathered face grave. “The reports we received are contradictory at best. Some claim the rebel forces number no more than five thousand;others say thrice that. We need better information before we commit additional troops to—”
“And while we wait for better information, Asami’s forces grow bolder!” my uncle, RyujiDai Shogunand warlord of all my armies, interrupted, his voice filled with barely controlled frustration. “They are moving. They aremobilizing. Our scouts report increased activity near the Takayama Pass, with possible additional movements as far south as Temple Momonoi. We cannot afford to sit idle while—”
“Momonoi?” One general’s eyes widened. The temple lay some twentyrifrom the border between the Toshi and Asami, at least two days’ ride by swift mount. “So far into Imperial lands?”
“General Endo is already positioned to respond to any northern incursion aimed at the capital,” General Ishida cut in smoothly, his tone measured and diplomatic as always. “Fifteen thousand soldiers stationed along the Katsura River. Winter’s bite will stop the Asami from crossing the mountains. Snows already blanket the uppermost peaks. It will be impossible for even a small party to cross the spine soon. There is no time for Eiko to cross an army. Bara remains safe, and we have many months to reinforce our walls—”
“We cannot even secure our supply lines,” Rei, the Chief Samurai, interjected. “Thewakoblockade remains in place, and trade from the island provinces has ceased entirely. We lose thousands in tribute and supplies weekly, and our stores cannot survive a winter.”
“Thewako?” Yamada scoffed. “Those sea rats have been raiding our coasts for years. This is no different—”
“No, General Yamada, this is coordinated,” Rei insisted. “The timing istooconvenient. The moment Eiko began mobilizing her forces, thewakomoved against Bara in strength. They are cutting off our access to the seas deliberately.”
“Speculation,” Yamada muttered. “We have no proof the rebels and thewakoare working together.”
They were going in circles.
They had been racing in circles for the better part of an hour, and I still had no idea what I was supposed to do about it. Sit there and listen like Father had? Or interject, show leadership, prove I was more than just a boy playing at Emperor?
What would Father do?
The question echoed in my mind for the hundredth time since I had first sat on his throne. Father had made it look so easy, silent and immovable as stone, letting his generals talk themselves out before delivering his verdict.
But Father had spent forty years learning how to rule.
Father had commanded armies in his youth and knew war from the inside.
I had barely commanded the bottom of a bottle of sake without suffering major losses.
My goldenkimonosuddenly felt too tight, the fabric too heavy. Or maybe that was just the weight of the crown—metaphorical today, since I had opted not to wear the actual piece for a mere council session.
Had that been a mistake?
Would the generals respect me more if I had worn full Imperial regalia?
Or would they see it as a boy dressing up in his father’s clothes?
“Heika.”
So lost in my own ruminations, I almost missed the man addressing me by the honorific reserved only for the Emperor himself, yet another in the myriad of things I would need to accustom myself to in this insane new world.
General Ishida stared, waiting for a response.
Allthe generals had turned toward me, their debate suspended.
What had he asked?
