“That does not give you the right to insult my father!” she flashed at him.

“Oh, for the Buddha’s sake,” he muttered disgustedly and tossed the bamboo staff aside. Turning, he made for the door he had come through earlier.

“Wait!” she cried.

He kept right on going.

When he passed through the exercise hall, there were quick steps behind him and a hand pulled his sleeve. He swung around and saw the deaf girl, her face wet with tears.

“Now, then, er, Otomi,” he said awkwardly, “it’s all right. Just watch yourself next time,” and made her a short bow.

Her sister came up, too, and knelt, bowing her head. “This ignorant person apologizes for her words and deeds. They bring dishonor on our family. Please, for the sake of my sister, I beg that you will not leave without allowing our father to express his gratitude and share a cup of wine.”

Tora hesitated. He had no wish to further his acquaintance with this bizarre family, but he was curious to see the man who had floored him so efficiently. With a grudging nod, he allowed himself to be led to the living quarters of the martial arts teacher, Higekuro.

These consisted of a single room, which served as kitchen and living area, tiny but very clean, and furnished with a built-in wooden platform for sitting, cooking facilities, and a few simple utensils. In one corner, stacked wooden cupboards formed steep steps to an attic space above.

A bearded giant of a man sat on the platform in the Buddha’s pose. He was occupied with weaving the soles of straw sandals. His luxuriant black beard accounted for his name; Higekuro meant Blackbeard.

“A new student, child?” he asked the older girl in a booming voice when he saw Tora.

“No, Father,” the girl Ayako answered. “A friend. He saved Otomi from two monks today, and the Rat sent him to us.”

Higekuro dropped his work and sat up, looking at Tora with interest. “Did he, indeed? We are deeply indebted to you, sir.”

Eyeing the giant warily, Tora stepped forward, bowed, and introduced himself. Clearly this huge, muscular man was the one who had attacked him, but what game was he playing?

“Pray join me in some wine,” continued Higekuro, inviting Tora to sit next to him. “Two monks, did she say? Good heavens! I see that they must have been a handful. Your face is badly bruised and cut.” He waved Otomi over and said, gesturing to Tora’s face, “Go get some salve, little one, while your older sister pours the wine.”

The deaf girl watched his lips carefully, nodded, and scurried up to the attic.

Tora looked from the giant with the magnificent black beard to Ayako. He felt completely out of his depth. Somehow nothing was as it should be with these people. Perhaps he had wandered among the fox spirits.

Ayako saw his frown and flushed a deep red. “It was my fault, Father,” she murmured, hanging her head. “I am so ashamed. I thought he was trying to grab Otomi...and I’m afraid I. . .” She did not finish.

“You mean it was you?” Tora was aghast. “You? A mere slip of a girl threw me? Impossible! This is a joke, isn’t it? It was you all along, Master Higekuro, wasn’t it?” He looked from one to the other. The girl turned away. Higekuro shook his head sadly.

“I am sorry,” he said. “I know how you must feel, and it grieves me deeply. A girl.” He sighed. “Try to forgive her. She is very good, you know. I taught her myself before I lost the use of my legs. She has been helping me in the school ever since, because I can no longer stand. Ayako handles all of the stick-fighting lessons and demonstrates the wrestling holds. I am crippled from the waist down and can only teach archery and give instruction and advice in the other arts.”

Tora was shaken. He avoided staring at the other man’s body and instead glared at Ayako. A woman fighter! There were stories about such women, but he was deeply offended by the impropriety of it. Women were supposed to be weak, soft, pleasing, and accommodating to their men. Perhaps there was some excuse in this case. The father was crippled and had no son to take over, but in Tora’s view Ayako was no longer a desirable female.

When Otomi returned with the salve and tended to his split lip with tender care and many commiserating glances from her beautiful eyes, he felt completely justified in his opinion of her sister.

Ayako handed him a cup of wine and said quietly, “My father is the best archer in the province. No one can beat him. Perhaps he could show you some of his techniques. At no charge, of course.”

Higekuro said modestly, “My daughter exaggerates, but yes. Allow us to show our gratitude. When the muscles went in my lower limbs, I concentrated on exercising my arms and upper body. Bending a bow and shooting at targets is good practice. When I became adept, I took on students.” He pointed to a scroll of characters hanging against the wall. “We live by those words.”

Tora blinked and nodded. He could not read.

“ ‘No Work—No Food,’“ Higekuro read. “We all work in our way, even little sister. She paints and is very good at it. After the day’s labors, the girls share the household duties while I make straw sandals. But enough of us. You must think us very poor hosts. How about some food for our guest, girls?”

Tora politely refused but was pressed to stay. While the daughters busied themselves with the cooking, Higekuro asked about the incident with the monks. When Tora had satisfied his curiosity, he shook his head and said, “I don’t understand it. Otomi used to visit all the temples within a day’s journey to make sketches for her paintings, but recently she has been reluctant to go. I did not know she had good reason to be afraid of monks. The Rat looks out for her, but if you hadn’t come along, he could not have helped her. I wonder what made those monks come after her.”

Tora snorted. “She’s a beauty, that’s why.”

Higekuro raised his eyebrows. “There have been complaints about young monks from the Temple of Fourfold Wisdom outside the city. I thought it was just youthful spirits, but perhaps we had better watch Otomi in the future.”

“Is it the big temple in the hills?” asked Tora.

“Yes. My daughters say it’s very beautiful. The new abbot is a great teacher. Many people travel here to hear him preach. The governor and his family, and most of the so-called good people attend his services.”

Tora was listening with only half an ear, his eyes on Otomi’s hips as she bent over the oven. “Those bastards!” he muttered. “I should’ve killed them.”

Higekuro followed his glance. “Are you a married man, Tora?”

“No. Never could afford a wife. Of course, now...” Tora decided it could not hurt to brag a little. “I serve Lord Sugawara from the capital. We just arrived.”