"Now how much time would that take?" Katsumata asked even more rudely and the two men shifted uneasily. "How many days, now you do not have "normal access"?"

"I can tell you that as soon as I know why the soldiers search for me," Hiraga said narrowly.

Katsumata's swords were beside him, his own swords within easy reach. The moment he had arrived he had asked Raiko for the swords she had hidden for him--in the event they had to make a sudden escape over the walls and into the paddy behind the Yoshiwara. All of them had decided it was too dangerous to hide in the tunnel.

"Takeda?"

"I propose we wait until we know what your trouble is. Then we can agree on a final plan, Sensei--but if we could do as Hiraga says I would be for that."

"We must attack tomorrow. That is our final plan."

Thinking better now, Hiraga threw out a bait. "If we could do both, sink a ship and fire the Settlement that would be best," he said to placate Katsumata. "It would be possible if we planned it, but we need more men. A few men more, Sensei," he added, using the title of respect he had so far avoided, to further flatter him. "We could get three men from Yedo.

Takeda could go, he's not known, he could bring them back in three or four days. I am marked and cannot move until the attack. You will lead us against the ship--I can tell the others where to place the flamers, can still guide them where to go and how to do it."

"It is good plan, Sensei," Takeda said, having seized on the chance of escape by boat-- never one for a suicide attack. "I will go to Yedo, and find the men."

"You would be caught," Katsumata said, his lips a thin line. "You have never been there and do not know the alleys or where to go. You would be caught."

His rage was near exploding for he could not attack by himself and needed these two, or other men, and without consensus nothing would be achieved. If anyone should go it must be him. That thought did not displease him for he did not like this place, not enough exits, not enough places to hide--he only felt safe in Kyoto or Osaka or Yedo, or at home in Kagashima. Eeee, it would be good to see my home and family again. But they must wait, he thought and hardened his heart: "Sonno-joi must go forward, Yoshi must be humbled..."

Simultaneously the three men had their hands on their swords. Shadows came on the shoji door.

"Katsumata-sama?" It was Raiko. "I have a maid with me."

"Please come in." When they saw it was she they relaxed. She bowed, the maid did the same, and they bowed back.

"Tell them, Tsuki-chan," she said to the maid.

"I went to the house of the shoya, Sires. He said that Akimoto-sama was taken to the gai-jin leader and after a short time taken to their prison. It has not been possible yet to talk to him but with his first meal, which one of our people serve, we can find out more."

"Good. He been beaten and was dragged?"

Katsumata asked.

"No, Lord, neither, Lord."

"Not beaten, you're sure?"

"The shoya was also surprised, Sire.

Akimoto-sama was whistling and singing and heard to say, as though it was part of the country song, "Someone's betrayed someone."

Hiraga said darkly, "That's what he called out in the village. What else did the shoya say?"

"The shoya says, So sorry, he does not know yet why soldiers search for you. Guards are still there. As soon as he knows the reason he will send word."

"Thank you, Tsuki-chan," Raiko said and dismissed her.

Katsumata said, "If he hadn't been beaten, he must have given them the information they want and they jailed him to protect him from you?"

"No. He would not tell them anything,"

Hiraga said, his mind elsewhere: who's the betrayer? His eyes flicked to Raiko.

She was saying, "Perhaps I can find out. A gai-jin client who might know is arriving any moment. He might know, certainly he could find out."

Andr`e came into her room with a forced smile.

"Evening, Raiko-san," he said, disgusted with his weakness. She greeted him coolly and offered tea. When the tea had been taken he handed her the small bag of coins. "Here another payment, sorry not all but enough for moment. You want see me?"

"Waiting a little is fair, Furansu-san, amongst friends," she said, annoyed. Feeling the weight of the bag she was, secretly, content with the amount--for the moment--and that the first important matter had been settled. Then she added, to keep up the pressure, so important with clients, "A little is fair between friends, but a lot is not correct, not at all."

"I promise more in day or two."

"So sorry your payments are far behind."

Andr`e hesitated, then jerked off his gold signet ring. "Here."

"I do not want that," Raiko said. "Should I release Hinodeh and allow her to leave, then you--"

"No. Please, no... Listen, I have information..."

Andr`e was not feeling at all well, both because of her cool reception and also because of a migraine acquired during the Yoshi interview that would not go away. And because of Angelique. And because Tess Struan was not aboard Prancing Cloud for surely that would have made it easier for him to negotiate a settlement and so get the wealth he required. He had no wish to go to Hong Kong, to challenge her there, in the lair of the Noble House.

Angelique's still the only chance you've got, his brain kept hammering at him. Seratard had again consulted Ketterer, Sir William, and even Skye about the validity of the marriage. They were all convinced it should hold up in a court.

"In Hong Kong? I'm not so sure,"

Ketterer had sneered, the others saying the same with different words, in different degrees--except Sir William. "Too many scallywags there, judges aren't like they are in London--they're colonials, plenty of corruption, plenty of hanky-panky. A few taels of silver... don't forget Struan's are the Noble House ..."

Raiko leaned closer to Andr`e. "Information, Furansu-san?"

"Yes." It was now or never with Raiko--and Hinodeh. "Special. Secrets about secret Yoshi meeting with gai-jin."

"So ka!" she said, all attention. "Go on, Furansu-sama."

He told her what had happened, in detail, to her intense interest, much sucking in of breath and hissed exclamations. And when, abruptly, he slid in the part about Yoshi wanting Hiraga, she blanched. His anxiety evaporated, he hid his joy and closed the trap: "So Hiraga friend of you?"

"No, not at all, he's a client of a friend," she said hastily, fanning herself, mind humming with the wonderful pieces of intelligence to pass on to the shoya and the Gyokoyama that would put him and them totally into her debt--and to Meikin. Ah, Meikin! she thought in passing, how long you will stay alive. So sorry, you and yours will have to pay, one way or another, Yoshi invested too much in your late Koiko, but then you know that. Which brings me to my pressing problem, how in the name of all gods and the Amida Buddha, do I rid myself of Hiraga, Katsumata and the other two, they've become far too dangerous and...

Then she heard Andr`e's different voice.

"So Hiraga client of mama-san friend in Yoshiwara. Hiraga with friend now. Neh?"

Her guard dropped back into place. "I would not know where he is. I imagine he is in the Settlement as usual. Lord Yoshi wants him?

Why?"

"Because Hiraga is shishi." Andr`e used the word for the first time, aware of what it meant from Yoshi's revelations. "Also for kill daimyo.

Daimyo Utani. Other killings too."

She kept the fear off her face. "Terrible.

Shishi you say? I've heard of them. About this information, old friend, may I ask about th--"

"Hiraga dis'ppear, Raiko. No in Settlement. Many soldiers search. Gone, Raiko. Search all places. He gone."

"Eeee, vanished? Soldiers? Vanished to where?"