sinister ramifications.
Toshiro reported on Brickman's latest work, then made a casual
reference to the fate of his Mute escort. 'I regret to tell you I have
received information from an unimpeachable source that the
Consul-General of Masaвhusa and Ro-diren has given a new meaning to the
phrase "protective custody"."
The Shogun reacted with a sharp-eyed glance. 'Are you sure of this?"
'Absolutely. By all accounts he has been gripped by a grand
passion.
The, ah... "lady" in question has been set up in some style with her
own body-slaves. Picked from the gutter, of course."
The Shogun's face showed no sign of the wave of revulsion that swept
through him. His eyes remained fixed on the garden. 'Where?"
'His estate includes a lake with a small island in the middle.
Apparently there is a house on it. The trees which surround it make it
difficult to see from the shore. I believe it has been put to similar
use before."
The Shogun nodded. His face remained impassive but Toshiro knew the
mental anguish his news had created.
Consul-General Nakane Toh-Shiba was married to one of Yoritomo's
sisters. To visit her bedchamber after coupling with a Mute slave was
an affront to her honour and one which, at the appropriate moment,
would have to be avenged.
'It's not quite as bad as it seems,' said Toshiro.
'You mean. that's the good news?"
'Yes, sire. The bad news is... she's not a Mute."
The Shogun closed his eyes and breathed deeply. 'How come you didn't
notice when she arrived?"
'I had no reason to suspect anything. We had been told the long-dog
would have a Mute warrior escort. Who could have figured she was
decked out in body-paint? I don't know what prompted her to remove her
disguise, 'but she's clear-skinned -just like Brickman. They're two of
a kind."
'Both long-dogs..."
