The Cloud Pavilion читать онлайн

with Lord Matsudaira's suicide.With Lord Matsudaira dead, the game was once again between Sano and Yanagisawa. They'd done unforgivable things to each other, and Sano had expected Yanagisawa to renew his attacks with a vengeance. Sano had braced himself for the fight of his life.It hadn't come.Now Yanagisawa smiled in the same friendly fashion with which he'd treated Sano since a few days after he'd made his reappearance on the political scene. He smoothed his hair, which had grown back since he'd shaved his head to disguise himself as a priest while in hiding. It was too short to tie in the customary samurai topknot, but thick and glossy and black even though he and Sano were the same age and Sano's hair had begun turning gray."You fought a good battle," Yanagisawa said.Sano listened for nuances of hostility in Yanagisawa's tone but heard none. "So did you."Yanagisawa laughed. "We slaughtered those poor bastards."Not once had he lifted a hand to harm Sano. For over a year he and Sano had coexisted in a peace that Sano hadn't thought possible. Not that Sano minded a reprieve from feuding and assassination attempts, but their pleasant camaraderie felt all wrong, like the sun shining at midnight.He and Yanagisawa took their places at the head of their rowdy, cheering army. The judge said to them, "Your team wins the top prize for equestrian combat in water-a barrel of the best sake for each man. I commend your excellent coaching.""Isn't it a good thing we're on the same side now?" Yanagisawa said to Sano."Indeed," Sano said with feigned enthusiasm.Yanagisawa was up to something. Sano knew.So did everybody else. Sano had overheard their colleagues in the government speculating about what Yanagisawa had in store for him and