T H E E A S T E R N L A N D S

Chapter 1

"These dunes are a fine place for our settlement, Princess Asoka. The fish are bountiful and you keep trade flowing. It is more than we hoped for," Saachi said.

Asoka scanned the flimsy structures that would not survive much more than the gentle breeze that blew in from the sea. The wooden stakes shifted with the sands marked by thousands of feet. Makeshift paths were etched out with small rocks brought in by boat. Every day they were adjusted to account for the nightly shift of the dunes. Awnings kept sunlight off cheerful faces going about their business. Fishermen gutted their catch. Seamstresses wove their garments with the cotton that had arrived with Asoka’s party that morning. Builders dug a deep foundation for their first permanent structure. In the sea, children splashed naked while their parents washed their clothes.

"I appreciate your efforts to be gracious guests, but we both know these sands are no good. There is empty land just north of the dunes. Green land. You should relocate there," Asoka replied. Her straight chestnut hair fell to her shoulders. Two braids framed her brow and tumbled behind her ears and down her back, symbolizing her status as part of the Kachi Shogunate. Accepting the foreigners into the realm meant little if they were confined to these dunes. What sort of lives could they make for themselves here? A smith cursed as her anvil slid while sharpening a nail for their new building.

Saachi shook her head. "You have a subject to the north who claims that land. Our resettlement there would be resisted. We have no desire to fight your people."

"Onikkei Kaba is a daimyo. We are the Shogunate. He will do as we say," Asoka said, keenly aware of the daimyo standing at attention behind them. Suyumi knew her place well and did not scoff at the remark. A perfect subject. If the others shared her loyalty, there would be no need for the strong-arming the Shogunate was cursed for in dark corners.

"Will he?" Saachi shrugged. Her short peppered hair clung wildly against her scalp. While Asoka had just come of age before being sent on this assignment, Saachi's wisdom was plain on her face, flush with age. The robes that wove around her tough body were light, but kept off the heat better than anything Shindo could produce. Once her people learned how to make Shindon styles they could do well for themselves.

Asoka let the slight pass. The Vinaya had little faith that a land as large as Shindo could be ruled under a single family. Their homeland was dominated by local warlords. They rarely warred with one another, but neither did they particularly get along. If they could only rally under a single banner they wouldn't be getting routed village by village by the strangers that suddenly appeared from beyond The Golden Waste. The invaders’ numbers were few, but they fought as one people. Before long we will have to send an ambassador to learn of their intention, Asoka reflected. Hopefully she wouldn't be the one chosen. She had been to the harsh land once before and had no interest in returning.

"Another ship," Suyumi observed gravely. Her graying hair tumbled down her sagging shoulders. She'd never say it, but the heat of the eastern coast was getting to her. The winds died and the late summer sun beat down intensely. A haze distorted the distant vessel appearing on the horizon to the southeast.

"How many is that now in the last three days?" Asoka asked. So many had come of late.

"Sixteen," Suyumi replied.

"Saachi, is this the one you have been waiting on?" Asoka didn’t take her squinting eyes off the wavy ship.

"I don't think so. It should be another day out. This must be another fleeing Aino," Saachi mused. Asoka sighed. The Agiru clan controlled most of the Ainoen coast closest to Vinaya, and they were not wasting any time removing ships that dared beach on their lands. At first the Vinayans had been given warnings to resupply and depart within a day, but recently an Agirun merchant was killed for refusing to trade with the refugees. The Agiru sent a detachment of their army to drive the Vinayans away immediately. Some of the Vinayans tried to resist and they were slaughtered. They have since been declared an enemy of the Agiru.

If this group was from yet another village, it would make five separate peoples being forced to live together here in Shindo, which had begun as but a colony of Aino. So far there had been some minor altercations, but nothing serious. They were in no position to be choosy about their affiliations, and they recognized Saachi's authority over the settlement. If enough people were to arrive, perhaps an army could be raised to retake their homeland. All they would need were ships, of which Shindo had plenty.

"Have your elders assembled as requested?" Suyumi asked Saachi.

"They are ready to hear your demands. This way," Saachi replied with a stuttering bow. She seemed unsure how deeply she should go and kept going lower until Suyumi waved her up.

Asoka envied the headscarves that many of the foreigners wore as she dabbed the sweat off her brow with a cloth. She resisted the urge to wipe with long strokes and hold up her hand to keep the sun at bay. Her aura of dignity had to be maintained. The Shogun had made it clear to her that she was to keep the daimyo in their place and maintain the peace, but she could not afford to show any discomfort in front of their guests, either. Too much hospitality could be seen as a sign of weakness, and if that happened they would have no choice but to drive them out as the Agiru were doing.

The elders were waiting under the largest awning held up by two dozen bamboo poles. Asoka was pleased to see they had already been put to good use. They were long and reached deep into the sands. The awning was a patchwork of red, yellow, and orange cloths that let the slightest amount of sunlight through. The three men and five woman sat nestled in the sands with their robes tucked under them. Youths fanned them with large leaves brought from their homeland that already looked worse for wear. I'll have to send for fans from the capital, Asoka thought. They'd have to be specially made. Shindon fans were small and meant for personal use, but it shouldn't take long to produce something satisfactory for the foreigners.

Suyumi laid a blanket on the hot sand and Asoka kneeled in front of a long, low table. She kept her back straight as Suyumi placed a scroll before her in the common script, the baseline of their agreement. The Shogun insisted on a written record of all agreements. Suyumi's heavy breath loomed behind her as she read it over. Immortals take you. Drink some damned water before you collapse. It's no good to stand on ceremony if you overheat.Asoka chastised herself for thinking ill of the strange daimyo from the northern reaches of the realm. She was only doing as she should.

"Asoka-hon. I speak for the elders when I say we are thankful for the Shogunate of Shindo's generosity in our time of need. Aino failed to live up to its reputation of hospitality and you have fully eclipsed them in this way. Truly, Shindo has become the true heir of the Immortals' teachings. Your kindness will not be forgotten when when we have driven the invaders out of our homeland," Saachi said with heads nodding all around in approval.

"We have been pleased to house you for these past two months," Asoka said, studying the elders. They had all been through more than any of her people could dream. She'd bet her braids that they'd take advantage of the situation if given an opportunity. "But as you are aware our hospitality does not come without a cost, and it is time to pay. Your people's reputation for farming in harsh climates is eclipsed only by your propensity to guard the secret of how it’s done. West of here are dry fields fit only for weeds. Teach my people how to make use of them and you will have earned your place. Fail to do so, and you might find we have something in common with the Agiru."

The elders whispered frantically among themselves. Asoka looked through them calmly while a bead of sweat trickled down her face. She could not say whether it was from the heat or her nerves. Had she gone too far by invoking the Agiru?

"We understand that your highness is under great pressure to derive value from this arrangement, but you must understand that what you ask is all that keeps us relevant in the world. With our secrets revealed our ability to sell crops is greatly diminished," said an elderly man whose short black hair was sprinkled with gray. Asoka recognized him as Ajaka, the elder from the westernmost part of Vinaya.

"Of what crops do you speak?" Asoka asked. "If you speak of those in your homeland, you are welcome to go back and claim them. But so long as you are here, your crops are our crops. Your skills are our skills. If it eases your mind, I will impress upon those you teach the necessity to keep the knowledge to themselves. We will be allies in this matter, under penalty of death."

"We need assurances,” Ajaka insisted. “Our people must be able to refuse to grant the knowledge to those we deem unworthy. A penalty is only good as punishment until someone is made an example of for deterrence. By then it is too late."

Asoka considered his words. They held a wisdom that she could not deny. But this was as much about politics as anything. "This arrangement will only work if there is trust between us. We are already trusting much by allowing you in our lands fully armed to live as we do. Some say too much. We will vet the farmers ourselves. If we deem them trustworthy, so will you."

A rare breeze blew in that prompted her guests to glance at the foundation of the shaky structure. The servants dropped their fans to steady the bamboo. Unnecessary. The poles shake but the sands remain firm. Asoka kept her head high, awaiting their response while cherishing the air that dried the sweat that reached her chin.

With pursed lips Ajaka returned to the matter at hand. "We have not even seen these fields you speak of. Soils and temperatures and rainfall are different. You cannot expect us to make promises under such conditions."

"Saachi has seen them." Asoka took a grape in her dry mouth and let the juices invigorate it before her words failed her. "She has already assured us that your methods can be applied." Asoka could not blame the old man for trying to wiggle out of what was being asked. Emissaries had been trying for years to get them to reveal their secrets, and many spies had been killed in their attempts to discover it for themselves. To even go near one of the Vinayans’ fields was forbidden. But now they were backed into a corner. Never again would Shindo be at the mercy of a famine like the one twenty one years ago when over a quarter of the population had been lost.

Now, ghost villages dotted the landscape. Any ride between major cities would bring travelers past one. The villagers had no choice but to abandon their homes for larger towns when the deaths began. Even the cities that had been given priority had decrepit buildings that were being torn down, replaced by gardens until such a time that the population recovered. But that would take years. Generations. Too many parents saw their children starve to go through it again. The bountiful yields of this deal with the Vinayans would return confidence to the realm.

"Then have Saachi make that promise. The rest of us will wait until we have seen them with our own eyes," Ajaka said.

"You expect that every person gets to have a say in this? You misunderstand the situation. This isn't a negotiation. Either you can do it and you can stay, or you can't and should leave now. We have many such fields. If this one won't do then we will find another. Suyumi, the fields around your mountains have proven stubborn for certain crops, have they not?" Asoka asked without turning to her daimyo.

"It is as you say, princess," Suyumi said. Asoka did not need to look to know Suyumi bowed slightly upon speaking.

Ajaka scoffed but did not say more. Asoka continued. "Then we have but one more matter to discuss. How many more stragglers are we expecting? The lands we are offering are not limitless. We cannot settle the entirety of the Vinayan people. Every ship that arrives puts my people further on edge."

"I thought you said you would handle your subjects,” Ajaka snapped. “Is that true or isn't it?"

"Do you name my princess a liar?" Suyumi said sharply.

Asoka put up her hand. "Easy, Suyumi-hon. Ajaka, we can push our people far, but the sturdiest steel will still break. We must show respect for our subjects even as we use a firm hand. If too many of your people come to our shore, you will be seen as a threat regardless of your intentions or actions. We will have no choice but to disarm you by force."

"Disarm us? The Agiru still hounds us even as we leave their shores. And those who oppose us here could kill us all without warning. This cannot be allowed," Ajaka said.

"I agree with Ajaka. This is one point we cannot move on. We must be allowed to defend ourselves," Saachi said. It was unusual for her to voice her thoughts so plainly. Thus far she had been the pinnacle of a compliant diplomat, understanding her position as a beggar. There was nothing that could be asked of her people that could make up for their sanctuary on foreign soil.

How much harder can I push? Is this the line? Asoka wondered. After a pause, she announced "If that is the case then we must limit your numbers. A maximum of ten thousand should do. A large number, but too small to marshal an army."

"Our scouts have told us your grand army can muster over one hundred thousand in all. Even at sixty thousand total we would be of no threat should we turn. And many of those would be children and graybeards who cannot fight," Saachi protested.

If only that were true. After the famine, that number of the Shogunate’s army had gone down dramatically, and would only go lower. Many of those lost had been children—those who would have been serving now as warriors. At the moment they'd be lucky to find eighty thousand to answer the call.

"Twenty thousand. That's the highest we can go, unless you also want an expiry for this arrangement where we force you to leave," Asoka said coolly. A concession, but a small one.

"Asoka-hon, we canno—" Ajaka started, but Saachi interrupted.

"Twenty thousand maximum it is. We accept your generous terms. Let us drink to our friendship while the scroll is updated with the new terms." Saachi waved a hand and cups were brought forward and filled with wine as a scribe added the details they discussed. "May our bonds be as the sea, fruitful in the calm and strong in a storm."

Suyumi reached past Asoka as the elders raised their cups. Instead of waiting for them she took a long sip and held Asoka's cup in silence. Asoka counted to thirty before she was satisfied and beckoned for the cup to be returned. "To our bonds," she said, raising the cup with the rest. Three of the elders looked at her with open disdain. After her talk of trust, it was with good reason. But it could not be helped. There were many who would take such an opportunity to strike a blow to the Shogunate. Such an attack would be blamed on the foreigners, but a Shindon would be behind it. Slipping something into the wine was always a possibility in a moment of carelessness.

The modified scroll was placed before her along with a quill and ink. She dipped the quill into the dark liquid and placed her signature at the bottom of the page along with the crescent moon seal of the Shogunate. Saachi did the same for her people. "I can sign for all of Shindo, but from what I understand one cannot speak for you all. All of you must sign," Asoka said. With more signatures, the Shogunate had more leeway if something should go wrong. Blame one or blame all, they could play it as they wish. The scroll was passed and the signatures added one by one.

"If there is nothing else," Asoka said, rising. Her foot slipped in the soft sand, but she caught it before it could be seen under her robes. All they saw was a slight pause in her motion easily explained by making every action deliberate for show. No weakness. Not no, not ever.

A sudden screech broke over the settlement. What....? Asoka spun around to where the new ship was docked. A Vinayan held a bloody knife on the gangplank. Collective gasps disturbed the scene. A circle formed in the middle of a mass of people equally trying to back away or press forward for a better sight of what lay in the center. It was what wasn't seen that told Asoka that Shindo’s new friendship with the Vinayans would be immediately put to the test.