But it did not last long. Just before noon on the fifth day, Balsa heard the sound of hooves on the wind. She paused in midstride as she was bringing goat’s cheese up from her aunt’s storage cellar. It sounded like a large company of men was approaching on horseback.
She looked out the window and saw ten riders cantering down from the village. Seven wore the badge of the Yonsa clan — the left ear of the thunder god — on the left side of their chests. Two others wore the badge of the Musa clan — the god’s right ear — on the right side. And with them rode a man who was clearly a merchant, not a warrior.
Of course, Balsa thought. The clothes merchant from Sula Lassal.
“Balsa!” Her aunt came running up. “The guards are here. Hurry! The back door!”
Balsa shook her head. “It’s impossible to escape them now. We’re at the bottom of the valley. They’d see me at once. And besides, I don’t know what story they’ve made up about me, but whatever it is, if I run away, it will seem like I’ve done something wrong.”
Her aunt frowned. “But if you get caught … who knows what they might do to you?”
“The fact that they’ve come means that Yuguro guessed who I am, and thinks I’m in his way. Aunt Yuka, I want to know what he’s planning. I want to know what was behind all this. I’m going to follow wherever this leads me. If I can’t manage to find a way out in the end, I’ll just have to accept it.” She put her hand on her aunt’s shoulder. “These last four days were wonderful. Thank you. From here on, we must become strangers again.”
“What are you talking about?” her aunt retorted hotly. “If you think I’m going to stand by and see my only niece —”
Balsa gently squeezed her shoulder. “By myself, I can handle this. Please don’t make me worry about you too.” Yuka looked at her in surprise. Balsa gazed back steadily. “It will be better for me if we are strangers. Please understand.”
Yuka hesitated a moment, then slowly nodded.
Outside, the guards dismounted from their horses. Spears in hand, they split into two groups to block the front and back entrances. Four men passed through the main gate: an imposing, heavily bearded guard from the Yonsa clan, the tall leathery merchant, and the two Musa warriors, one a towering giant and the other a young man wearing the green head scarf of the chieftain’s line.
Yuka opened the door, her face hard and stern. “Captain Soosa, what on earth do you mean by making such a commotion?”
The bearded Yonsa warrior put his fist to his chest and bowed respectfully. “Mistress Yuka, I apologize for disturbing you. This is Captain Dom, leader of the Musa clan guard, and this is Master Kahm, eldest son of Chief Kaguro. They’re pursuing a criminal who has fled into Yonsa territory and appears to have taken refuge in your house of healing.”
Aunt Yuka looked at him sharply. “Criminal? And just what crime is this person accused of?”
“They’re after a woman who entered the caves in Musa territory to steal lyokuhaku. She’s hiding here.”
“That’s ridiculous! There’s no such woman here.”
The huge warrior named Dom took a step forward and looked down at her. “She has probably deceived you. We’ll take a look around. If she’s not here, then there’s no harm done. But if she is, she could be dangerous and harm the patients if she’s not handled properly. So please, stay calm and cooperate.”
“Mistress Yuka, please,” the captain said. “For the honor of our clan, we must cooperate with the Musa.”
Yuka looked the three men squarely in the face. The younger man, Kahm, looked tense, but Dom and Soosa showed no sign of relenting as they returned her gaze. The merchant’s eyes kept darting from her to the other men.
“I understand,” she said finally. “You may do as you wish. But please go quietly. Some of my patients are very ill.”
They moved quickly and carefully in their search of the building, but to Yuka it seemed forever before they arrived at Balsa’s room. There was nothing she could do. She must leave it in her niece’s hands.
“What about this room?”
“The daughter of an old friend is staying here. She suffers from terrible headaches, and her mother told her to come to me.”
Yuka wondered if Balsa would leap out, spear in hand, to attack the men. But when the thick wooden door opened, the room was quiet. Balsa sat up slowly on the bed, as if she had only just been roused. The expression on her face gave no hint whatsoever that she was waiting to be captured. Yuka was astonished by her calm.
“What is it?” Balsa looked at them with a puzzled frown. The warriors entered the room, blocking the window and the door, and then glanced at the merchant. His eyes met Balsa’s and he froze.
“Th — that’s her. She’s the one.”
Before he had even finished, the men had drawn their daggers. The giant Dom thundered, “Woman! You have committed a terrible crime! We know for a fact that you unlawfully entered the caves in Musa territory to steal precious gems. Come quietly.”
Balsa continued to stare at them in confusion. “What did you say? I’m not sure I understand…. It’s true that I know this man. He’s the clothes merchant from Sula Lassal, right? But how does that prove me a criminal?”
Dom laughed. “Nice try, woman. But we have two children who testified that they saw you deep in the caves.”
Balsa gave a mental sigh. Well, they certainly didn’t lose any time before talking.
“Yes, I entered the caves,” she said out loud. “But I wasn’t looking for jewels. I had a good reason to come from New Yogo to Musa territory. All I did was pass through the tunnels.”
As he listened to her calm responses, a puzzled frown creased Soosa’s brow and he glanced uncertainly at the two men from the Musa clan. Dom and Kahm ignored him and continued to glare at Balsa.
She stood up slowly, keeping both hands in plain view. Then she cast a sharp look at Dom and Kahm. “I see,” she said boldly, testing them. “So that’s the kind of man who sent you. Rather than suggesting we talk it over, he plays a trick like this…. But I don’t suppose you want me to explain why I came in front of someone from the Yonsa clan. Let me speak with your chief instead.”
Dom and Kahm flushed. “If you’re willing to come peacefully and be judged before the chief, then come,” Kahm said quietly. “If you have something you wish to say, then you can say it at your trial. But be warned: My father is a stern man. He won’t be fooled by your excuses.”
Balsa let them bind her hands behind her back and lead her from the room. Dom grasped the rope and led her away while Kahm retrieved her spear and bag from under the bed. The captain of the Yonsa guard looked dissatisfied, but he also seemed relieved that Balsa had been taken without a fight.
Patients lined both sides of the hallway, staring at Balsa with frightened faces as she walked past. She bowed slightly to Yuka, who was waiting at the front door. “Mistress Yuka, I’m sorry to have caused you trouble. These men are mistaken. I’ll return when I’ve cleared my name and pay for my treatment then.”
Yuka looked into her eyes, wondering what words of encouragement she could offer, only to be startled by what she saw there. Although her hands were bound and she was held captive, Balsa’s eyes were filled with a fierce light, like a fighter ready to enter the ring.