Tora stepped back and drew his sword.
For a moment, the action froze. Then the brute cursed long and volubly. He snarled, “This isn’t over, you bastards! I’ll be back and get you both.” Raising the knife, he made a slashing motion across his throat. Then he turned and lumbered from the room.
Tora put away his sword. His stomach was on fire, and he felt a sudden nausea rising. Moving away from the stench of the vomit, he asked, “Who was that?”
His audience exchanged glances and then stared at him. The huddle in the corner dissolved as the three men crept forward. The one who had been throttled, coughed and bent to pick up the coins and dice. “One of the sailors,” he rasped.
“He’s a pirate,” offered one of the others. “Said he’s coming back. What will you do, Kunimitsu?”
So the man he had saved was the manager of the hostel. Tora considered briefly that it might have been wiser to befriend the pirate than him. “You run this place?” he asked.
Kunimitsu massaged his throat. “What do you want?” he asked sourly.
“What? Not a word of thanks?” Tora raised his brows in mock horror. “Shall I run after the guy and tell him to go ahead with what he’d planned for you and offer to help him? I take it, you’ve been cheating him at dice?”
“That’s a lie,” blustered Kunimitsu. “And you made things worse.”
The others burst into assorted dire predictions.
Tora sighed and sat down. “I have a few coppers,” he said, “but I’m out of work and need a place to stay. I’ll play you for it.” He tried not to think of the promise he had made his wife, Hanae. But this was not for pleasure. This was part of the job.
Kunimitsu looked him over. “How many coppers do you have?”
Tora fished ten from his jacket and laid them down tenderly in two rows of five.
Kunimitsu snorted. “That’s all? What about your sword?”
“No. I might need it when that bastard comes to slit your throat.”
Silence.
The one who had spoken earlier said, “You’re a greedy cunt, Kunimitsu. He tried to help you.”
Kunimitsu frowned. “Shut up, Yoshi. You talk too much.” But he leaned forward and pushed the coppers toward Tora. “You can stay.”
Tora grinned and scooped up the coins. “For free?”
“For free.”
The chatty fellow clapped his hands. “Let’s drink on it.”
Kunimitsu got up and shuffled to an old barrel. He fumbled around in its depths and brought out an earthenware bottle. Sitting down again, he removed a rag that served as stopper, drank deeply and then passed the bottle to Tora. Tora drank, smacked his lips, and passed the wine on. The pain in his stomach subsided, replaced by a pleasant burn.
“So, who was he?” Tora asked.
Kunimitsu looked glum. “Gave the name Tojo. I wouldn’t take his word for it.”
“And he’s a pirate?”
Kunimitsu snorted. “Of course not. Yoshi likes to make up stories. He’s just a sailor.”
“He’s got the tattoo,” offered Yoshi.
Kunimitsu glared at him. “So what? Anybody can have a tattoo. You’re gonna give my place a bad name, Yoshi.”
Yoshi muttered, “Sorry.”
Tora said, “So he’s a sailor. I don’t get it.”
“It’s not important. I don’t think he’ll be back.” Kunimitsu took another gulp of wine. “What’s your name and where are you from?”
“I’m Tora.” No point in confusing himself with too many aliases.
“So you’re a tiger?” They grinned at that. Kunimitsu sneered, “If you’re so good, how come you’re looking for work?”
“Got into a fight with my overseer in the capital. He messed with my woman. Had to leave kinda quick.”
They stared at him. “You killed him?” asked Yoshi, his eyes large.
Tora did not answer. “How about that game?”
Kunimitsu fished out the dice and some of his money. The others brought out their coppers. Tora picked up the dice and inspected them. They seemed all right. They played fast and with total concentration. Though Tora watched carefully, he did not see anyone cheating. He won a little and lost a little, and after some time had passed with grunts and moans from the others, he asked, “Who owns the ships here?”
Kunimitsu counted his money. “Watamaro owns most of them in Kawajiri and Kanzaki, and on some of the islands in the Inland Sea. Why?”
“I need a job. I hear the pay is very good on some ships.”
Silence fell. Then Yoshi said, “You’re not a sailor. It’s dangerous work. People get killed on some ships.”
Tora grinned. “Maybe, but if the reward is big enough, I’ll risk it.”
They stared at him. Then Kunimitsu sighed and put the dice away. “It’s getting late.” he said. “You can stay the night because I promised, but if you want to stay alive, don’t meddle in other people’s business.”
The party broke up quickly after that. When the others had left, Kunimitsu looked at Tora. “Who told you about pirates?”
“Oh, come on. All a man has to do is to watch and listen. Someone said this was the place to get in touch with them.”
Kunimitsu shook his head. “You must be mad. Let me show you where you can sleep.”
Carrying an oil lamp, he led the way to a room on the ground level. Unlike the open areas of the hostel, this had wooden walls and a wooden door out to the back of the building. Tora was flattered. “Thanks, Kunimitsu. This is nice.”
Kunimitsu dragged in a roll of bedding. “Well, get some rest. If you haven’t changed your mind in the morning, I’ll ask around.”
Tora slapped his shoulder. “Thanks, brother.”
*
It had been a long day, and Tora was tired. He checked the two doors and found that he could bar them. Then he unrolled the bedding, kicked off his shoes and lay down. He kept his clothes on and his hand around the grip of his sword was asleep in an instant.
Sometime in the night, he became aware of a scratching noise. Rats, he thought, but there was something too persistent about it. He stayed very still and listened. The scratching was accompanied by hissing and seemed to come from the door to the outside. Getting up silently, Tora tip-toed to the door and put his ear against it. Yes, someone was outside, scratching and whispering. He considered, gripping his sword. Then he eased the bar back slowly. The scratching continued, and Tora opened the door a crack.
It was dark, but there was a full moon. Outside his door crouched a creature. Pushing the sword through the opening, Tora asked, “What do you want?”
The creature popped up, and in the moonlight, Tora saw the horrible head of a demon. He slammed the door shut, rammed the bar across, and recited the spell against evil spirits.
After a while, he heard steps receding and crept back to his bedding. It was a long time before he dozed off again, and then he dreamed. He was a pirate and they were attacking a ship. On the ship was a beautiful lady. She screamed when she saw him, but he did not care. He was about to kill her, when he saw that she was Hanae and lowered his sword.
Chapter Eighteen
Akitada’s worries increased during the day. There had been no progress. Tora was in Kawajiri looking for pirates. Neither of them had a full understanding how these men operated. They were the highway robbers of the sea and said to be far more cruel and murderous. And he had already lost Sadenari. He reminded himself that Tora was not Sadenari. Tora knew how to fight and he was shrewd about the underworld.
In the afternoon, he returned to the prefecture. Munata was there, but the governor was still absent.
Munata still looked very distraught and nervous. “I’ve done everything I could,” he assured Akitada, “but His Excellency is a proud man. Besides, I had to inform him of his son’s departure. I don’t think he will come to Naniwa until Yoshiyo is found. Surely you can understand a father’s feelings?”