"Sean Russell - The Initiate Brother 2 - Gatherer of Clouds" - читать интересную книгу автора (Russell Sean)

with Brother Satake.”

“That is my hope also, Prefect.”

“Hitara… ?” the Prefect said slowly. “It is not possible that he was an imposter.” It did not seem to be a
question, so Sotura did not respond. “Is there not a Hitara in the Book of Illusion, Sotura-sum? I seem to
remember…” He trailed off, a look of confusion and then dismay at his failure of memory.

“In the description of the Divine Vale.” Sotura picked up the thread. “I had forgotten. Hitara—he who died
and was reborn. The servant who served the Perfect Master faithfully when all others left for fear of the
Emperor. Hitara rose from the flames of his funeral pyre: It was as though he stepped from the mist, and
though the smoke and flames threatened to consume him, Hitara was untouched by them. He was
like one arising from a dreamless sleep. When told of the seven days he had lain dead while his
family mourned, he fell to his knees and offered up his prayers. And his funeral became the
celebration of his rebirth and the celebration of his birth became the celebration of his life to be, for
no other man had known such a miracle.‘ ”

Both monks fell silent at this. Rain fell on the tiles in the courtyard, washing away the hail that had collected
earlier. A knock rattled the inner shoji.
“Please enter,” the Prefect said, surprised that his words came out in a near whisper.

The shoji slid aside, revealing an Initiate of the faith, head bowed to the mat.

“Initiate?” the old man said, regaining his voice somewhat.

The young monk moved forward and placed a small stand bearing a neatly folded letter within reach of his
superior, then retreated and waited in silence.

“Please excuse me, Brother Sotura, I must attend to this.” He unfolded the crisp paper and read quickly.
The Prefect nodded as though acknowledging spoken words and turned back to the attending Initiate. “He
must be observed whenever possible. I will receive daily reports.”

The messenger nodded, bowed and retreated from the room, the screen closing behind him.

The Prefect turned to the chi quan Master. “General Jaku Katta has entered Rhojo-ma. He comes in an
Imperial Barge, making one wonder at Brother Hutto’s recent news.”

Sotura paused for a moment, reflecting. “The Son of Heaven has made no public gesture that would
indicate that Katta does not stand in the light of the Throne. But I have found that one ignores Brother
Hutto’s information at great risk.”

The older man nodded. “I agree, Brother. Appearances mean little in the world of the Emperor. He treats
Lord Shonto as a great favorite, but only a fool would accept this as the truth.”

“Jaku Katta in Seh… this is a cause for concern. I find this too much like the opening of a game of gü.
There are too many pieces for one to see clearly. It is complicated even more with tales of alleged
barbarian armies. It is as though another entire set of pieces waited to sweep onto the board at any
second.” Sotura met the Prefect’s eyes. “We must inform the Supreme Master of these developments
immediately.”