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“Lord Huan, do not command her oath! My service was the price of resurrection, not that of Tomoe Gozen.”
    He ignored the begging samurai and waited for Tomoe’s response. Although her mouth opened, she could make no sound. It was as though her tongue were cleaved to her palate.
    â€œAs I suspected,” said Lord Huan, mostly to himself. “No matter!” He affected a bored demeanor as he tossed particles of sorcerous incense into the pot before his throne. He continued, “She will obey me in any case, whether or not she is bound by her own word. But I am intrigued by this code of the samurai, this honor you value above your lives. It provides you a framework for pristine logic and action, but the ends are not always moral. That makes samurai valuable to one as myself, for I too value loyalty above morality.”
    He leaned forward in his large seat, clutching the arms of the throne as though he were so weak he might fall, and continued, “Like all samurai, you believe the Mikados have reigned since Naipon’s beginnings strictly because they are divine children of your sun-goddess. But it is this unshakable loyalty among the samurai class that holds the power above you. In the three kingdoms which make up Ho, dynasties come and go, some lasting longer than others—while in Naipon, the same family rules on and on. Whether strong leaders, or decadent figureheads; with a tyrant’s fist, or a gentle opened hand—the Mikados endure. Because of you. One day, I will rule over the nations of Ho. And to insure an everlasting dynasty, I would introduce the virtues of the samurai to the Celestial Kingdoms.”
    Ushii sat on his knees, staring at his hands in his lap. His faith did not allow room for the considerations of Lord Huan, Tomoe knew. Except for her presently discompassionate state, she might be as deaf as Ushii. For Ushii, the concept of samurai at once honorable and immoral was not to be assimilated. The notion that the power of the Mikado heralded elsewhere than from the Shinto pantheon was supreme blasphemy. Ushii knew he served a wicked master, however; and a servant need not comprehend any master’s reasoning, and especially not Lord Huan’s.
    Tomoe, however, was affected, though in no way did it show.
    Lord Huan leaned back, resting as though speech wearied him; but in a moment he gathered strength to continue: “I am fascinated that you could bear me such malice and yet serve with implicit loyalty. You call it, I believe, giri : fealty and duty to your master. It takes precedence above your own family. Without it, you have no honor. Without honor, the virtues of justice and benevolence mean nothing. I understand your kind, Ushii, or begin to. You grovel to me now, but you are no coward. I might be helpless as a babe against your sword, but it will never turn against me, because I have your word. Only through a master can the seven virtues of the samurai be meaningfully fulfilled. Only I may judge if you are polite, courageous, benevolent, veracious, just, loyal and honorable. Is this not so, samurai?”
    Ushii nodded faintly, looked up, and whispered, “You do not consider my ninjo , Lord Huan. Through it, I may judge for myself what is benevolent and just, aside from my master’s command. The ninjo is my conscience. If it tells me that through you I am without honor, then I must die.”
    The sorcerer clapped his hands joyously. “Ah, Ushii, you do not understand the wisdom of your nation’s founders! Even dishonored, you must be loyal to your master. You would slay yourself to be free of me, whereas in the Celestial Kingdoms, an emperor despised must be ever on guard against treachery. Oh, glorious were the days when ancient rulers taught the Way of the Warrior to samurai! By emulation, I will rise to glory in the Seat of Heaven, the Throne of the Celestial Kingdoms whose splendor dwarfs my own small seat! Never will my dynasty