THE FIRES OF THE GODS

Recent Titles by I.J. Parker

in the Sugawara Akitada Series

THE DRAGON SCROLL

RASHOMON GATE

BLACK ARROW

ISLAND OF EXILES

THE HELL SCREEN

THE CONVICT’S SWORD

THE MASUDA AFFAIR

THE FIRES OF THE GODS

THE FIRES

OF THE GODS

A Sugawara Akitada Mystery

I.J. Parker

© 2011 by I.J. Parker. All rights reserved.

Contents

Characters

The Dancing Demon

Obligations

Dismissed

The Angry Gods

The Inauspicious Visit

Under Suspicion

Jirokichi, The Thief

Akitada Plays with Fire

The Court Poet

Rat Droppings

The Dumpling Man

Forebodings

The Widow

The Fragrant Peach

The Deaf Mutes

A Noble Household

Another Summons

The Abbot

Rat Bait

The Witch

Rat Trap

The Blindc BEGGAR

The Major-Domo

The Tiger and the Rat

Family Matters

Floating Clouds

The Censors

The Rain

The Pit

Kobe

The Sandalwood Tree

The Gratitude of Rats

The Confession

Fire Watch

Another Confession

A Woman’s Honor

The Runaway

Epilogue

Historical Note

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First, I owe thanks to my friends Jacqueline Falkenhan and John Rosenman for their generous comments and suggestions on the early version of this novel. Their steadfast support and encouragement keep me going. Next, the editorial assistance at Severn House is superb, and special appreciation goes to Rachel Simpson Hutchens for her excellent insights and for catching my errors in detail and style. And finally, as always, I am indebted to my agents, Jean Naggar and Jennifer Weltz, for their continuing efforts on my behalf.

CHARACTERS

(Japanese family names precede first names)

  MAIN CHARACTERS: Sugawara Akitada

nobleman, senior secretary in the Ministry of Justice Tamako

his wife Tora

his retainer and sidekick Genba

another retainer Seimei

his secretary; a faithful family servant Hanae & Yuki

Tora’s wife and baby son Kobe

superintendent of the Capital Police   CHARACTERS INVOLVED IN THE ARSON CASE: Tojiro & Takeo

homeless boys Koichi, Shinichi & Seiji

three deaf mutes; ‘collectors’ for a protection gang Haruko

Koichi’s daughter Jirokichi

burglar, aka ‘the Rat’ Hoshina

his girlfriend; owner of a wine shop Kaneharu

a small merchant Watanabe

a rich merchant Abbot Shokan

abbot of the Seikan-ji temple   CHARACTERS INVOLVED IN THE MURDER OF A SENIOR OFFICIAL: Kiyowara Kane

the Junior Controller of the Right Lady Kiyowara

his wife Katsumi

his son and heir Lady Aoi

Lady Kiyowara’s cousin; a shrine virgin Ono Takamura

a court poet Prince Atsunori

the Minister of Central Affairs Fuhito

Lord Kiyowara’s major-domo   OTHERS: Munefusa

Akitada’s subordinate in the Ministry of Justice Nakatoshi

a former subordinate Fujiwara Kaneie

the Minister of Justice

THE DANCING DEMON

Tora stepped into the dense summer night and looked up at the roiling black sky above the jagged lines of roofs. Trees tossed their branches in the hot wind, and the dust swirled under his feet. Then thunder crackled and a flash of lightning momentarily lit up the empty street. Ducking his head, Tora clutched the batch of loose gold and silver coins inside his jacket and hurried towards home.

The streets were dimly lit here and there by garish paper lanterns marking wine shops or houses of assignation. They swung and danced in gusts of wind, throwing weird shadows across the street and on the walls of houses. A nasty night!

Tora did not care. He had been lucky. Playing at dice most of the night and buying a lot of wine, he had won magnificently. It meant that he could make the final payment on the small farm outside the capital. Sucking in a breath of warm air, he flexed his muscles, and felt blessed. Being a son of farmers, he had longed for many years to own his own bit of land.

His glee faded a little at the thought of telling his wife the good news – he was bound to get another lecture. Hanae disapproved of gambling.

He was preoccupied with this problem when, somewhere in the Sixth Ward, someone rushed from an alley and collided with him. They both went sprawling in the dirt, scattering Tora’s dubious fortune across the rutted street.

Tora scrambled to his feet and saw in a flash of lightning that the stranger was scooping up his coins with amazing speed and dexterity. ‘Hey!’ Tora shouted and lunged for the thief. They fell together, rolling around in the dirt, punching and kicking. The thief was slight and wore silk. A woman? Tora relaxed his grip. The next moment, his attacker had slipped out of his grasp.

‘Drop my money, you little tart!’ Tora lunged for her wrist. She sank her teeth into Tora’s hand and put a fist in his eye. He howled and let go.

The eye hurt badly, and Tora felt it to make sure it was still there, then he groped around for the thieving little whore.

She was gone. He got to his feet. Lightning lit up the street again and he saw her blue and white robe disappear around the far corner. Some of his gold pieces lay scattered a few steps away. He went to pick them up, but more people had erupted from the dark mouth of the alley. He was dimly aware of young faces and hissing breaths. Something struck his head, and he fell to his knees, retching. They laughed, then a clap of thunder drowned out all sounds. The darkness was filled with swirling, multicolored stars, and Tora stayed down until the stars dimmed and he was sure that the sour taste in his mouth was not followed by the wine in his stomach.

By then, his attackers were gone. People came from a wine shop to help him to his feet. They commiserated, but one of them bent and palmed a coin before they left. He stayed, cursing and unsteady on his feet. His small fortune was gone, and with it any hope of convincing Hanae that he had gambled for their welfare. Glumly, he brushed himself off and looked around for coins the thieves might have missed. There was nothing but a small blue silk bag with a broken string, the kind people used for an amulet. He picked it up and was about to leave when his nose caught a hint of smoke.

There is smoke, and then there is smoke. The nights in the capital were redolent with the scent of burning pitch pine from the torches used to light the streets and gates. This smelled serious. He turned his head to sniff the air, then hurried into the dark mouth of the alley.

It was short and led to another street of shops. There, in the distance, Tora saw a reddish light flickering. People shouted. A thin, high wail rose above the noise.

It was another fire.

This street passed between rows of adjoining small shops with homes attached in the back. In such streets a fire could jump from roof to roof and race across the quarter in an incredibly short time. Already the front of one of the shops was filled with flames, and thick smoke spread over the area. As he ran towards it, Tora saw a small figure that seemed to be dancing about in front of the conflagration. The creature was shouting and waving its arms as if it were cheering the fire on. To Tora’s horror, its body was covered with small flames. It looked like a demon had come straight from hell. Tora slid to a halt, his hair bristling.