Yoshi was astonished for such was an extreme honor for anyone outside the Inner Circle.

The solstice was this month--Twelfth Month-- twenty-second day. In sixteen days. The festivities would last at least a week, perhaps longer. He could leave afterwards, plenty of time to deal with Anjo then.

Wait! You have forgotten what the Legacy says: Beware of camping in the Lair of Heaven. It is not for us. We are men, they are gods, gods are like people, jealous like people and closeness breeds their contempt. The death of our line would please these false gods very much. It can only happen in their lair.

Yoshi was filled with sudden dread. The invitation could not be refused. "Thank you," he said and bowed.

At midday the shishi lookout stationed opposite the Toranaga barracks watched idly as the forty samurai and banner men came out of the gateway and went down the street towards the palace East Gate. This was the routine midday changing of the guard. Most carried spears, all wore two swords, and rain cloaks and wide, conical rain hats, all of straw.

The shishi yawned and pulled his own cloak around his shoulders when a light shower began, shifting his stool under the awning of the street stall that served noodles and soup and tea and was owned by a sympathizer. Soon his own replacement would arrive. He had been on duty since dawn.

He was eighteen years old, his beard heavy. A Satsuma ronin.

Before sneaking out of Kyoto their leader Katsumata had ordered a constant surveillance on the Toranaga and Ogama headquarters.

"The moment there is a chance to attack either man-- it will have to be outside their walls and must have a reasonable chance of success--mount an immediate one-man assault. One man, no more. Shishi must be conserved, but we must be ready. A random attack is our only way for revenge."

At the gateway several porters carrying bales of fresh vegetables and panniers of fresh fish stopped at the barrier. Attentive guards checked them carefully, then gestured them through, everyone was inspected with equal care.

The youth yawned again. No chance of sliding through the cordon. He wondered briefly if the girl Sumomo had managed to get inside and set herself in place as Katsumata had agreed. Eeee, a miracle those three escaped through the tunnel, a miracle. But where are they now? Nothing had been heard of them since their miraculous escape. What does it matter? They must be safe, like us--we have important patrons. We will regroup later. We will be revenged.

Sonno-joi will happen.

He saw the guards turn the corner and disappear. Now he was tired, but the thought of warm futons and his waiting lover took most of it away.

The Shogunate patrol reached the East Gate. A low barracks-guard house nestled against the walls and spread on either side of the Gate and could house five hundred men and horses if need be. The Gate was six metres high and made of heavy, iron reinforced timber with a much smaller gate off to one side standing open. The perimeter walls were higher, ancient, and stone.

For a moment the new guards noisily intermingled with the old, all of them well muffled. Officers inspected men and arms, the old guard began forming up and an officer and an ashigari, a foot soldier, from the replacement group trudged across the roadway. The shower stopped. A little sun broke through. The two men turned into another street, and went into another barracks, similar to many all over Kyoto. Here two hundred of Ogama's samurai were housed--well away from the Gate, but close enough.

"Forty men, here are their names," the officer said to his counterpart and bowed. "Nothing new to report."

"Good. Both of you come with me please." The Ogama officer studied the list of names as he led the way down a corridor through a cordon of his men. Through a doorway into an empty room, across it to a closed door. The officer knocked, then opened it. This inner room was bare but for a low table and tatami mats. Ogama stood by the window, armed, wary but alone. Both officers stood aside and bowed.

The ashigaru took off his large hat and revealed himself as Yoshi. Silently he gave his long sword to his officer, keeping the short one and went into the room. The door closed behind him.

Both officers exhaled. Both were sweating.

In the room Yoshi bowed. "Thank you for agreeing to the meeting."

Ogama bowed, motioned Yoshi to sit opposite him. "What is so urgent and why such secrecy?"

"Bad news. You said partners should share particular information. So sorry, Nori Anjo has been made tairo!"

The news visibly shocked Ogama and he listened intently as Yoshi talked. When Yoshi spoke about the Imperial invitation some of his anger dissipated. "Such an honor, and recognition!

Eeee, and none too soon."

"That is what I thought. Until I was out of the palace. Then I saw the depth of the trap."

"What trap?"

"To have the Lords of Satsuma, Tosa, you and me all in one place at the same time? In ceremonial clothes? Inside the palace walls. Without arms or guards?"

"What could Wakura do? Anyone of them? They have no samurai--no armies, no money, no arms. Nothing!"

"Yes, but think: when we four are in front of the Son of Heaven together, that would be perfect timing for someone--Wakura, Prince Fujitaka, Shogun Nobusada, or the Princess--to suggest "as a gift to the Divine now is the moment for the four greatest daimyos in the Land to express their loyalty by offering up their powers to Him."

Ogama's brow darkened. "Not one of us would agree, not one! We would prevaricate, stall, even lie an--"

"Lie? To the Son of Heaven? Never. Listen further: say the Prince Advisor, before the ceremony, in private, was to say to you something like: "Lord Ogama, the Son of Heaven wishes to adopt you, to make you Prince Ogama, Captain of the Imperial Guard, Lord Chieftain of the Gates, member of the New Imperial Council of Ten who will rule instead of the usurping Toranaga Shogunate. In return..."

"Eh? What Council of Ten?"

"Wait. "... in return, you just acknowledge Him as who He is: the Son of Heaven, Emperor of Nippon, Possessor of the Sacred Regalia--the Orb, Mirror and Sceptre--descended from the gods and ascendent over all men; in return you dedicate your fief and your samurai to His service and His wishes that will be exercised through the Imperial Council of Ten!"

Ogama stared at him, beads of sweat on his upper lip. "I would... would never give up Choshu."

"Perhaps, perhaps not. Perhaps the Imperial Mouthpiece says, in addition the Emperor will confirm you in your fief as Lord of Choshu, Conqueror of the gai-jin, Keeper of the Straits, subject only to Him, and the Imperial Council of Ten."

"Who else is on the Council?" Ogama said hoarsely.

Yoshi wiped the sweat off his own brow. The whole scheme had suddenly presented itself when he had reached his own barracks. General Akeda had precipitated it with a chance remark about how devious Kyoto thinking was, that it seemed to be in the very air they breathed, that what was considered a prize in an instant became a noose.

He had become physically ill because he knew he could be charmed as easily as anyone--he was today, a few moments before, lulled into a false sense of security until he would be isolated and then invited onwards.

"There, you see, Ogama-sama, you're already tempted. Who else is on the Council? As if what they told you mattered. You would be one against their appointees, Sanjiro too. Lord Chancellor Wakura and his ilk would overwhelm and rule."

"We would not agree. I would n--"

"So sorry, you would agree--they could gear honors to tempt a kami--the great temptation being that they would pretend to replace the Toranaga Shogunate with the Council of Ten Shogunate! Of course I would not be offered a place on the Imperial Council, nor any Toranagas except Nobusada and he's already theirs because of that Princess, as I warned." Yoshi spat with rage. "Anjo is the first move."