Treachery and Reprisal
Scorpion vs Unicorn Clan Rivals
Shosuro Omezo waited silently to be admitted to his lord's chamber. His anticipation was difficult to control. If what he suspected was true, then Tsimaru-sama would give him an assignment beyond the borders of Scorpion lands. It was the chance he had worked toward for almost two years now. Every mission he received, he had excelled at. He completed every objective. His loyalty and service were unquestionable. And now, after all this time, it was his chance for greatness.
"Enter Omezo," came a voice from the next chamber. The young Scorpion rose and moved swiftly through the door to kneel at the base of Bayushi Tsimaru's dais. The Scorpion lord placed an empty teacup on a tray beside him and waved for the servant to take it away. "You are exactly on time, Omezo." He stared at the young ninja through his ornate porcelain mask. It was as if Omezo were conversing with the face of the moon. "The last few vassals I have summoned arrived early. They were eager to serve."
"As am I, Tsimaru-sama," Omezo said, "but your orders indicated a specific time, It is not my place to question them."
The older man smiled. "Well said. What do you know of the negotiations taking place at Shiro Moto in two weeks time?"
Omezo raised his eyebrows slightly, surprised by the sudden change in topic. "They are meeting with the Crane. A trade negotiation of some sort, I believe."
"Correct. If they are successful, and the Unicorn begin sending caravans to the Crane lands regularly, what do you imagine will be the result?"
The ninja furrowed his brow. "Initially, the Crane will be much more defensive. Even if the Unicorn are ostensibly allies, they will not fully trust the Moto until they have proven themselves. I suspect their border will be fortified for at least... two months."
"Correct again." Tsimaru seemed pleased. "For reasons that are not your concern, it is imperative that the Crane border remain exactly as it is for at least a few more weeks. And for that matter, it is not in our best interest for our enemies among the Unicorn to become allies with our enemies among the Crane, wouldn't you think?"
"Yes, my lord," Omezo said. "I agree completely."
* * * * *
The dust from the road felt invigorating as it settled around Hanzhi
and her comrades. Truthfully, she knew she should be offended by
the very notion of being dirtied so, but it reminded her too much
of the games she had played racing her brother when they were children.
She could not help but enjoy it.
"The road is clear, Hanzhi. We've searched the entire length. Again. And there is no sign of anything out of the ordinary. Still."
"Stop your whining, Zhiang," she admonished her partner. "You sound like a woman." Seeing her friends confused look, Hanzhi laughed and clapped him on the shoulder so roughly he almost fell off his horse. "Besides, you know that the Crane will be coming through here in a few days. We must patrol it regularly to ensure there are no problems. The Khan would be very upset otherwise."
"I know, I know," Zhiang said, his voice resigned. "But it's still a boring task. What does the Khan expect?".
"Difficulty," Hanzhi said, the humor gone from her voice. "There are too many who wish to see the Unicorn fail. We must do everything we can to rebuff their plans." She turned and smiled. "But it looks as though there are no plans afoot here. Race you back to the stable?"
"Do I have a choice?," Zhiang asked glumly as Hanzhi's horse broke into a run.