Soul of the Sword (Shadow of the Fox #2) - Julie Kagawa Page 0,95
think I agree with Yumeko’s plan. What do we care if we insult the Kage, if it prevents the coming of the Master of Demons and the Dragon?”
“Forgive me, Reika-san,” Daisuke said, stepping farther into the room. “But insulting Lord Iesada is not the only issue at hand. Sometimes, sitting across from your enemy is the quickest way to discern their secrets.” He lowered his voice, even though Reika’s ofuda still clung to the door, keeping our conversations secret. “Once we leave Kage lands, we must reach the Steel Feather temple as quickly as we can to warn them about Hakaimono, and to prepare for the demon’s arrival. If any in the Shadow Clan intend to stop us, we must be ready for them. The wise tactician keeps his intentions close, speaks softly and pries his enemy open without the other even realizing it. I believe we should attend Lord Iesada’s ceremony. Perhaps we will learn something that we did not know before.”
“I have to agree,” Master Jiro put in, surprising us. “Someone in the Shadow Clan wishes to stop us. We must discover all we can so that we are not taken off guard. However,” he continued, and put a fist over his mouth as his voice grew husky. “I believe I will let you young people attend the ceremony. Please tell Lord Iesada that I am unwell, and send my apologies. I will remain here with Chu and Ko, make sure they do not wander into trouble.”
Reika gave her master a suspicious, amused look. “How can you be a priest and not like tea?” she asked. Master Jiro sniffed, drawing a pipe from his robes.
“When you are old, Reika-chan, you are allowed certain eccentrics. Not liking tea, or anything to do with it, is one of them.”
Okame groaned. “Ugh, I hate tea ceremonies. They’re so unbelievably boring.” He sighed. “You chatty types can do the talking. I’ll just sit back and try to remember all the steps I have to take before I can actually drink the tea. Blink twice if I’m about to do something offensive. I wouldn’t want to hold the teacup wrong and bring so much dishonor to our flawless noble, he’ll have to fall on his own sword in shame.”
“I would certainly not fall on my sword,” Daisuke said, giving the ronin a wry look. “That implies that I tripped and tumbled down the stairs, impaling myself at the bottom like a graceless water buffalo. I would kneel on a pil low and perform the ritual with honor and precision, like all noble samurai.”
“I’ve never been to a tea ceremony,” I mused as we all stood to leave the room. “Jin and Master Isao used to have them occasionally, but Denga said I was forbidden from attending until he was certain I would not sneak all the sweets for later or make the teapot dance around the room.” I sniffed. “I only did the teapot thing twice. Denga-san never let me forget anything.”
Reika winced and gave both me and Okame a resigned look. “Why do I have the feeling this isn’t going to go well at all?”
Okame was right. The tea ceremony was incredibly dull. And long. I had thought we would attend Lord Iesada’s gathering, have a cup of tea and then politely excuse ourselves. But the actual ceremony started in the morning and continued into early afternoon. We were escorted to a designated tea room, where Lord Iesada waited for us, and knelt on pillows while we watched the tea-master first bring the utensils into the room one by one. It was then a lot of greeting and bowing, watching the utensils cleaned, and waiting for the tea-master to prepare the tea, carefully spooning in the bright green tea powder and adding spoonfuls of hot water, before whisking it into a froth. I nibbled on a plate of sweet rice cakes that had been set before us and tried hard not to fidget. When the tea was finally ready, a single bowl was used to serve the tea to guests: one person took their time admiring the bowl and the tea itself, before turning the bowl to the left and taking one contemplative sip. He then wiped the rim with a special cloth and passed it to the next guest, who did the same. It was a terribly bitter tea; I held my breath as I swallowed, choked out a comment about the delightful flavor and hurriedly passed the tea to Okame.