Magic of the Plains

Magic of the Plains
By Nancy Sauer

Moto Chagatai looked up from his map table and gave the guard an enquiring look. “What?” he said.
The man was clearly nervous at interrupting his champion, but his voice was steady. “My Khan, there Is a woman, a shugenja, who wishes to speak with you.”
Chagatai shook his head, as if to banish an irritating fly. “Whatever it is, I have more important things to deal with. Tell her to go away.”
“That is what we told her yesterday, my Khan. And the day before that, and the day before that. She always bows politely, says that she does not wish to disturb the Khan, and leaves. And is back the next morning.”
“And today?”
“Today she is back, with Horiuchi Shem-Zhe and Iuchi Katamarl.”
Chagatai was silent for a moment. Shem-Zhe was the daimyo of his family, and had proven to be a reliable man. Katamari was the Doomseeker, one whose life’s work was to fight against the evil of the Bloodspeakers and their leader. “Send them all in.”
At once, my Khan.” The guard bowed and left. Chagatai took advantage of the time to limp across the room and sit down in a chair. The wound in his leg was nearly healed, but it ached if he stood too long on it, and in his experience priests could be almost as long-winded as courtiers. There was the sound of footsteps outside his room, and he called out for them to enter.
Shem-Zhe looked as he always did, thoughtful and serious. The Moto woman wore the tokens of one who served the Shi-Tien Yen-Wang, and her eyes shone with strength. Katamari’s face was hidden by the metal mask that symbolized his calling, but Chagatai thought he detected some tension in the Iuchi’s bearing.
“I know Shem-Zhe and Katamari already,” Chagatai said to the Moto. “Who are you?”
The woman stepped forward. “Great Khan, I am Moto Yong- Tai, speaker to the kami and servant of the Lords of Death.”
“I hope your business is important enough to justify your persistence.”
“Great Khan, I believe the Jade Championship is fairly important.”
The expression on Chagatai’s face didn’t change, but he felt a small ripple of sorrow at being reminded of the event. Once he would have had no shortage of shugenja to send to compete the Baraunghar army had been well supplied with them. But most of the shugenja of the Baraunghar were dead now, sacrificed to give his forces the final push they needed in the move to capture the Imperial Capital. He didn’t regret his decision luchi Lixue, the Baraunghar general, would have been appalled at the idea of regret but there were days he missed her bright, fierce optimism.
“To others it is important,” Chagatai said finally. “It will not bolster our defenses against the Lion, so it does not concern me.”
“Great Khan, the abominations of the Shadowlands are of concern to the Lords of Death, and thus to me. Bad enough that they exist at all, but for them to roam the Empire where you established the worship of the Shi-Tien Yen-Wang is unthinkable.”
Chagatai narrowed his eyes slightly at the woman’s tone, but before he could speak Shem-Zhe stepped forward and bowed slightly. “My lord, there is something else to consider.” the Horiuchi said, if I may speak of it to you.”
“Very well,” Chagatai said.
“You say that the Jade Championship will not help us against the Lion Clan’s aggression, and it is true there is no immediate benefit to our clan if a Unicorn wins. But I ask you to consider our wider responsibilities to the Empire. You faced the wrath of the Lords of Death and put an end to their hostility to your family you understand, more than any other clan champion could, how spiritual threats can create physical ones. How can we treat the Jade Championship as being of lesser importance than the Emerald Championship?” He gestured with his hands. “The Lion claim your move on the throne was motivated by selfishness, not from a honest desire to make the Empire safe and whole. How better to answer that charge than by demonstrating concern for the Empire’s safety once again?”
Chagatal stared at Shem-Zhe for a long moment. The younger man was clearly uncomfortable under the weight of his champion’s – attention, but he met the gaze unflinchingly. A moment more, and the Khan turned his eyes to Katamari. “I suppose you also have an opinion on this,” he said.
“Not as such,” Katamari said. “I am going to compete in the Jade Championship, regardless of what you say.”
Yong Tai and Shem-Zhe stared at Katamari in horror, but Chagatai merely leaned back in his chair and gave him a considering look. “Does my permission mean so little to you?”
“I think you know that answer already,” Katamari said. He reached up and took off his mask, revealing a lined face and tired eyes. “I did not ask your permission to take up this mask, or the duty that goes with it.
“Doomseeker,” Chagatal said. “No, you did not. I have no quarrel with your choice and you will go with my permission.” He looked over at the other two shugenja. “Does that satisfy you two?”
Yong-Tai took a deep breath and seemed about to announce something when Shem-Zhe twitched, just a little. She reconsidered and instead bowed her head slightly. “Great Khan,” she said quietly, “I would ask that a servant of the Shi-Tien Yen-Wang be sent as well, so all of Rokugan can see we desire peace and purity as much as anyone else. Death comes to all things, and we are not monsters because we pray to the judges of the dead.”
“I promised to make them gods,” Chagatal said. “I suppose if I send anyone, I must send one of their priests. So we shall have two representatives.”
“My lord,” Shem-Zhe offered, “I am the head of a small family, and I do not pretend to know as much as you about our clan’s present strength. But since there can be only one Jade Champion, I do not see how our clan is weakened by sending the traditional three candidates.”
“You were adopted by the wrong family, Shem-Zhe,” Chagatal said. “You should have been one of the silver-tongued Ide. Their loss is my gain: You will go to the Jade Championship, and while you are there you will speak to anyone who will listen about our clan. Do you understand?”
Shock flashed across the Horiuchi’s face, and then he regained control. “I do, my lord. And I will do all I can to succeed in both challenges you have given me.”
“See that you do. See that all of you do. Now go and report to my hatamoto; he will make the necessary arrangements.” The three shugenja bowed and departed. Chagatai waited until their footsteps had died into silence before he slowly raised himself out of his chair and limped back to his maps. He had his own challenges to face.