“I can’t find it,” Misao said, dropping her head into her hands
“I can’t find it,” Misao said, dropping her head into her
hands. “There isn’t a link between Triath and Airthór. It just isn’t
there. I can't find a way to link Sumita to the Yukishiro's!"
“There has to be,” Kenshin said with a frown.
“I agree that there has to be one,” Misao said, rubbing her eyes
almost violently, lifting her face after taking a deep breath. She tried to
smile. “I’ll keep looking.”
Kenshin nodded, his mouth turned down, tight lines around his eyes and
mouth. They looked up as Sano walked in.
“Sumita did some shopping all right,” Sano growled, flopping down into a
chair. “I found a little black market seller who not only sold him the
Elderberry, but gave him dried carnations as well.”
Misao swore. “I hope you put him in custody.”
“Don’t worry,” Sano said with a tight smile. “He is sitting in a cell and
waiting for your husband or the wolf to have nice little private chat with
him.” He glared at Kenshin. “You don’t need to go down there.”
Misao rubbed her eyes. “Sano, instead of baiting Kenshin, get over here and
help me go through the files again. I need a fresh set of eyes.”
Sano sighed and picked himself up, keeping an eye on the moody king. “Right.
Sure. When do you think your wife is going to wake up, Kenshin? It’s getting a
bit late in the day.”
“She woke up some time ago, but is sleeping again,” Kenshin returned, his
face tired. “We discussed some things, but not enough to get all the answers
that we need.”
“What did you discuss?” Misao asked, obviously struggling with her
impatience. “That might help me with the connection between Triath and Airthór
and the reasons that they sent Sumita into Airthór instead of keeping him
in-kingdom.”
Sano grunted and started paging through the files.
“We discussed her people’s religion,” Kenshin said finally. “Misao, what do
you know of the northern tribes?”
“The ones in the White Mountains?” Misao asked in
surprise. “Not a lot. They do a little bit of trading in Triath, but they avoid
contact with most of the people around them. They have some magical ability,
but not a lot is known about it or how they use it. Why?”
“Kaoru’s mother came from there,” Kenshin said with a sigh. “She said her
mother was from the north and had a connection to her father. Her mother
trained her for Court life.” His mouth set in a moody line. “She is part of the
Court that surrounds the throne, but she hasn’t said how close to the throne she
is.”
Misao gaped. “You didn’t ask?”
“The politics for Triath are complicated,” Kenshin said wearily. “And she is
still very upset by what happened last night. See if you can find records of an
outland marriage to someone in the court. That should give us a clue. I will
ask her more questions tonight if she is up to it.”
Sano gave a slow nod. “That seems fair enough… I have a friend who just got
back into town who travels a lot. He might know something which would connect
Triath and Airthór. I’ll see if I can track him down tonight.”
Kenshin gave a nod. “Aoshi and Tokio are on their way here. Once they arrive
we will compare notes and see what we can come up with. Shishio will be
expecting a full report soon.”
~*~
Kaoru woke up to the sensation of someone other than
her husband watching her. Opening her eyes she twisted in surprise, her instant
surge of confusion drowned out when she caught a pair of cool gray eyes
watching her from a face that was drawn and lined. “Majesty.”
“Kagerou,” Kaoru breathed in shock before falling back onto the bed. “You’re
not supposed to be in here, you know. If Kenshin finds you in here he will
skin you.”
“Sumita is dead by your hand,” Kagerou said softly. “Your father is avenged.
We wait for new orders.”
She blinked in surprise at the blunt words before sitting back up, shoving
strands of her hair out of her face. Surprise skated through her and she felt
Kenshin’s brush of inquiry. Karou quickly rushed to reassure him. The last
thing she needed was Kenshin coming in and killing Kagerou. “Orders?” she
asked. “What do you mean orders?”
“For the past four years we have hunted the man whom you executed last
night,” Kagerou told her. “Now we wait for the next target. What do you wish us
to do?”
Kaoru continued to stare at him.
“Tomoe and Enishi are building an army, Kaoru,” Kagerou continued in a soft
voice. “They are using your husband’s fury at them as an odd sort of shield,
knowing that he is only looking at the border. The temple is hiding the troops
from the mages’ searching eyes. They have brought in dark priests from other
lands who call demons, and Tomoe’s lover, Akira, leads them.”
“What?” Kaoru demanded, her eyes wide. “The temple never condones anything
unless it’s to their advantage.”
“Tomoe has promised them the heads of all of Kenshin’s mages. They plan to
march on the border and take control of the river, cutting Kenshin off from his
main ports and destroying his resources. By converting those they capture to
our people’s religion, it will give the Temple a foothold to fight off the
magic.”
“Black priests?” Kaoru said with a frown. “The Temple does not condone such
usage… black priests only fight with the mercenaries that they are hired with.
The mercenaries from the north demand land in exchange for their services,
along with gold…” Her voice trailed off. “How do they expect to pay for that?”
“Akira was the one who originally decided to use Sumita against your father.
I have prepared a report for you and shall have it delivered tonight, but the
short version is that Tomoe was behind everything and not your Uncle as we
originally thought. She was the one pulling the Temple’s strings and was
responsible for the death of her own parents, as well as your grandfather. She
had Enishi trained in mage work and has been sitting on her web for years,
planning her strike.” Kagerou’s features were grave. “The only person who
stands between her and her goal now is you.”
“What?”
“The temple magic is the source of her power. As the royal line, you can
stop her from utilizing it to its full extent,” Kagerou said quietly. “She will
be furious that you killed Sumita.”
Kaoru dropped her head into her hands. “We have to tell Kenshin,” she said
finally. “He is planning something and he needs to know.” She looked weary when
she lifted it again. “He’s worried. Dammit…” she swore and threw the covers off
her legs, racing into her closet and coming out in breeches and a man’s shirt.
“If we don’t go interrupt whatever he is doing, he’s going to come in here and
draw all the wrong conclusions.”
“If that is what you wish.” Kagerou said, following her.
Kaoru froze, turning with an unsure expression. “You don’t think we should
tell him?”
Kagerou looked down at her with a thoughtful expression. “I trust those you
trust only because you trust them. It is my job to be suspicious. If you
believe that we should tell him this, I shall have a copy of my report made for
his spy master.”
Kaoru swallowed, closing her eyes and biting her lip. “He is furious,” she
warned. Opening her eyes, she pinned Kagerou with a look. “Do not tell him that
Tomoe wants me dead.”
Kagerou lifted a brow. “You do not wish him to know of her plans to kill
you?”
“No,” Kaoru said finally. “He can’t know.” She dragged a hand through her
bangs. “If you are right and I am the only one who can stop the Temple magic,
there is no way Kenshin can know about that. He is… protective,” she admitted
with a blush. She squared her shoulders. “We have to hope it won’t come to
that. We tell him what he needs to know, but you will promise me that Kenshin
will not know. He cannot know that that if things are as bad as we think… well,
that the only way to stop it is if someone goes in to deal with the problem.”
“I give my word along with my honor, as I always have,” Kagerou promised.
“Akira was responsible for Sumita coming after you, and we can only assume he
was working alone at this time.”
“Good,” Kaoru said as she marched down the hall, her bare feet almost silent
on the rugs. “Now if I only I knew what I was doing…” she muttered under her
breath.
She felt drained and more than a little worn. She was doing her hardest to
hide it from Kagerou, although she was certain that he wasn’t fooled. Kenshin
definitely wasn’t, and she felt a certain amount of determination from him. He
had moved, so she had to wander the halls for a few moments before she located
the room he was in. She felt his shock and surprise half a heartbeat before she
opened the door and stepped in.
Kaoru felt her stomach roll at the expressions that were pointed in her
direction. Licking her lips, she let her eyes land on Kenshin and she forced
them to stay there, watching as the gold darkened to an odd blue color.
“Kaoru?”
Kaoru took a deep breath at the tone in his voice, watching as his gaze
swung behind her shoulder and paled again. “Kenshin, you remember Kagerou…” she
started, and then stopped, uncertainty flooding through her as his expression
remained closed.
“Out.” Kenshin spoke the word softly, his voice barely a thread of sound,
but the reaction was immediate. Everyone stood up and filed out. Kagerou gave a
slight bow and followed when Kaoru made no move to stop him.
Kaoru licked her lips as the door shut, nerves eating at her. “Kenshin?”
His expression was considering as he studied her. “You should be in bed,”
Kenshin told her quietly, scanning her face as if looking for something. “At
the very least you should be relaxing on one of the couches.”
Kaoru licked her lips. “I needed to talk to you.”
“So you didn’t use the bond to call me to you?” Kenshin asked, moving to sit
on the edge of the table, his hands folded in front of his body.
“Oh,” she muttered, trying not to blush, “that’s not important.” Kaoru tugged
on her bangs and sighed. “Kagerou isn’t a monk.” When his expression didn’t
change from that slightly guarded expression, she glared at him. “You’re not
making this any easier, you know.”
Kenshin’s expression stayed serious for a moment before his shoulders
finally relaxed a little. “Start at the beginning,” he suggested.
Kaoru let out a long breath. “I feel like we have already had this
conversation,” she muttered. “Kagerou… I have known Kagerou my entire life. Or
at least the parts of it that I can remember; he was my father’s closest
friend.” She rubbed her eyes. “My father was Koshijirou Kamiya. His twin
brother was Oibore Yukishiro.” Surprise flickered through the bond and Kaoru
shifted her gaze to the wall.
“You’re related to the Yukishiros?” Kenshin said finally.
Kaoru bit her bottom lip before nodding. “The head royal line is always
succeeded by the strongest child born to the throne. Generally, there are only
two children born and the rules are different when there are more than two. My
father and his brother were the only children born to the king and his wife.
Uncle Oibore was given control of the lands controlled by the Yukishiro title
and my father was put as the head of the Kamiya clan, which is why my surname
is different. He married my mother to secure some minor trade agreements to the
North.” Kaoru paced the length of the room, refusing to look in Kenshin’s
direction.
“So they competed for the throne. Is that why your father was killed?”
“I always thought so. See, Grandfather never let anyone know which son was
the favorite. It could have swung either way, but daddy was never ambitious. He
purchased a farm on the eastern border of the Kamiya lands and took mamma there
before I was born. I didn’t see the capitol city until we were taken there for
daddy’s trial.
She clenched her fists and took a deep breath. “Two months after daddy died,
Uncle Oibore was also killed, in a riding accident. I was locked in the temple
and dead to the Council, which made either Enishi or Tomoe the heir.
Grandfather died a year into my stay from a wasting disease. Enishi was sent
off for some sort of royal training. Neither of them was old enough by our laws
to take the position of heir. In our people’s tradition, you cannot take the
throne until you hit maturity, which is twenty-five, and even then you are
required to be wed.”
Kenshin frowned. “How does this…”
Kaoru spun and look at him. “I wasn’t keeping it from you because I didn’t
trust you.” Her expression was strained as she took him in. “If I had thought
for an instance that something like last night could have happened…” She
shrugged her shoulders helplessly.
Kenshin stood and walked over, settling his hands onto her shoulders and
meeting her weary gaze with his own. “First and foremost, I am your husband.
Outside of that, there are things that will impact our relationship, but your
happiness is one of the most important things to me. Remember that. Second, you
have no reason to blame yourself for last night.”
“I killed a diplomat from a…” Her words died as his mouth tightened.
“He attempted to kill you, breaking my people’s laws as well as his own. The
death you gave him was merciful compared to how I would have ended his life,”
Kenshin told her in a firm voice. “I am not upset with you over last
night.”
Kaoru swallowed. “But you are upset with me.”
Kenshin sighed, letting his hands trail down her lightly muscled arms and
down to her fine boned wrists. “There are secrets between us. There is a…lack
of trust.” Kenshin shook his head as she tried to argue. “There is. It is not
something we can change, not in this second. You are afraid to trust me. We can
work with that. Just remember, among my people it is a husband’s honor
and right to take his wife’s worries and cares as his own. I understand
your reasons not to tell me this right away. I accept them, but I will change
them. Now, I am going to call everyone back inside and you can tell us what was
so important that you came charging into my conference room in such a hurry you
forgot your shoes.”
Kaoru looked down at her bare feet and flushed dark red. “Don’t you dare
laugh,” she hissed, looking back at him to see he was holding her boots in one
hand, eyes dancing.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Kenshin soothed, flicking his wrist in a pattern
so that the doors unlocked. Kaoru swore and shoved her feet into the boots,
securing the last buckle as everyone started to come back into the room.
Kenshin hooked his fingers in the curve of her elbow. “You sit next to me,”
he informed her, settling her into the second chair at the head of the table
before taking his own.
“Kagerou, my wife tells me you were a friend of her father’s.”
“His spymaster,” Kagerou said, bowing his head. “I have been showcasing my
skills to my queen in the hopes that I may maintain that position in her court
as well.”
“When this meeting is over, acquaint yourself with Shinomori,” Kenshin
ordered. “Now, we have been looking for a connection between Triath and
Airthór; between Sumita and the Yukishiros. We understand that Sumita was the
one responsible for Koshijiro’s death, but we need the connection between the
two countries.”
“Have you have heard of the name Akira Kiyosato?” Kagerou questioned.
“He was banished from Makoto Shishio’s court after performing black magic
responsible for the burns along Shishio’s body,” Saito drawled. “There wasn’t
enough evidence to pin the spells directly on him so instead of execution, he
was exiled.”
“Kiyosato is Tomoe’s lover.” Kagerou informed them, watching the surprise
flicker over their faces. “My current sources in the castle are going as far to
suggest he is operating as an unofficial Consort to her highness.”
“Are you sure of this?” Aoshi’s voice cut into the room like a blade.
“Yes,” Kaoru told them, flinching slightly at the way attention shifted to her.
“We are. Kagerou has been hunting Sumita for several years now, and the fastest
way to find him was to keep an eye on what was left of the royal family.
Kiyosato was the only one who could give Sumita orders without jeopardizing his
position.”
“So he was responsible for the attempt on your life,” Misao growled, her
eyes narrowed.
“A direct connection to the throne, but done in a way that could be brushed
off as an independent move if they were caught,” Saito agreed.
“How are you getting this information?” Tokio asked. “We can’t get spies
into the palace or the temple without a great deal of risk. The temple magic is
unlike our own and we haven’t been able to break the seal on it yet.”
“All of my spies were sworn into the royal family’s service through Koshijirou,”
Kagerou said calmly. “Kaoru carries the same blood in her veins. All of us who
are still alive have been retaking our vows, giving us access to the palace and
the temple.”
Kaoru nodded to Kagerou, who handed her two thin folders. “Tomoe is building
an army, Kenshin. As Tokio said, you can’t see through the temple interference.
Not only has she been building the royal army, but she has hired mercenaries,
black priests, and made some unknown bargain with the temple who has agreed to
supply its own forces to her cause.”
“The temple army is going along with her exploits?” Megumi asked in
surprise. “I thought it operated on a separate basis than the royal army.”
“It does,” Kaoru agreed. “It is also traditionally twice as large as the
royal army.”
Kagerou spoke up. “That is not all. Supposedly Akira has struck a deal with
a devil and has been helping block your mages from seeing across the border, as
well as taking control of the black priests that are being brought in with the
hired mercenaries.”
“Shit,” Sano groaned. “What do they want, a war?”
“Yes,” Kagerou said in a flat voice, his blunt word silencing Sano. “Their
plan is to surge across the border before you realize what is happening and to
take this country inch by inch. As they move along, they will force the
villagers to convert to their religion or die. That will give the temple a
powerbase in this country. Once they take over Cervon, they can abandon Triath
to the mercenaries and expand their conquering up and down river, until
eventually their greed is sated.”
“Why attempt to kill Kaoru?” Kenshin demanded.
“Blood connections are dangerous,” Kagerou chose his words carefully. “She
has inside knowledge of the workings between the temple and the royal family
and could become a nuisance.”
The discussion paused as a servant knocked on the door, bringing in a cart
loaded down with cold cuts, fresh bread, cheese and fruit. Several mugs
appeared on the table along with a pot of tea and a jug of something else hot
to drink. Everyone took a moment to fill a plate and drink.
“All right,” Kenshin said after he swallowed a bite of his meal. “It appears
we are going to war after all. What else do we need to know?”
Aoshi and Kagerou exchanged looks. Kaoru was torn between rolling her eyes
or snickering at the way the two spymasters were eyeing each other. “Kagerou,”
Kaoru asked softly, ignoring the way attention immediately shifted to her,
again. “Are they using just the temple army or are they bringing in the marshal
guard?”
“Both,” Kagerou said flatly. “They are getting unexpected resistance from
the merchants who were disappointed at the loss of trade routes when the
marriage was… switched. The marshal guard is being used to keep them under
control. They are, of course, attempting to smear your name as well, my queen.”
“How?” Misao asked curiously.
Kaoru frowned, “Painting me as a heretic; and to my people, I am.” She gave
a careless shrug, but the lines around her mouth were suddenly tense. “If they
want to go to war they have to have permission from the temple. By naming me a
heretic, it gives them the excuse they need to justify the temple armed forces
to the people.” She gave another shrug. “The temple army is well trained, well
fed, well paid and they have the belief that they are fighting for their faith.
That’s a hard body of men to fight against.”
“Then they are unaware that Yukishiro is using a demon-bargain to fight
against us?” Aoshi mused.
“They would have to be,” Kagerou agreed. “The temple soldiers would not be
willing to fight if they knew demon magic was involved. The people of Triath
are grounded in the belief that magic is evil; it’s why the original bargain
for Tomoe’s hand in marriage caused such a shock wave. The merchant class is
not so unwilling to use it; they see the benefits, but peasants and Temple
soldiers? Unless it is introduced slowly and carefully they will fight against
it forever.”
Kenshin frowned and laced his fingers together. “How large do you think
their forces are?”
Kagerou shook his head. “The temple keeps a lock on the number they have
employed in their ranks, but many of the men are in reserve and sitting at
their homes with their families. The rule against the royal army isn’t so much
because they are worried about a takeover, but because no man is allowed to serve
in both armies. Most of the men are employed with the temple. The royal army’s
number is also debatable. We are still gathering the numbers on the mercs.”
“The temple doesn’t allow for mercenary contracts,” Kaoru said with a frown.
“It would have to be Akira bringing them in. Enishi and Tomoe couldn’t risk
having their names attached to it.”
Kagerou looked troubled. “We are afraid that isn’t all that Akira is
bringing in. The black priests are offering large pools of blood magic
resources that are mostly untapped for the time being: those resources are
going to go to opening portals.”
“Would Tomoe and Enishi risk that?” Tokio asked with a frown. “How much do
they know about magic?”
Kaoru shook her head. She didn’t know.
“Enishi was sent to Wargen’s Court four years ago to be trained in the art
of offensive magic by his sister,” Kenshin reminded them. “It would be the most
logical connection between Tomoe and Akira.”
Kaoru bit her lip; she had a growing suspicion and wasn’t sure it was
something she was willing to talk about yet. It wouldn’t do Kenshin any good to
know about it anyway. If she was right, and she wasn’t sure she was, she would
be the only one who could do anything about it. Kaoru just hoped Kenshin would
forgive her for it.
“So what is our first move?” Saitoh drawled.
“Tokio to contact Yumi. Shishio is going to want a representative here over
the next few days. We will need to know how he wishes to contribute to our
cause and the numbers he is willing to provide. Saitoh, send a missive to my
council that we are having an emergency meeting in one candle mark. Aoshi, you
and Kagerou are going to put a report together to deliver to the council.”
Kenshin gave the orders rapidly, and Kaoru blinked at how quickly he had put
the information together in his mind. “Misao, get into contact with all my
generals and have them in the war room in two candle marks. Megumi, get in
touch with the healers and let them know that they need to start preparing for
mass injuries.”
“I will have a response from Yumi in less than a candlemark,” Tokio assured
him, standing and heading off to her work room.
Sano looked moody. “This is going to get ugly.”
Kenshin gave a curt nod. “Sano, head into town and see if you can track down
your friend. While you’re out, head down the docks and see if Shura has any
information for us on the activities in the trading world. If Tomoe is hiring
mercenaries then there have to be supplies being diverted in that direction.
She will know about it.”
Sano gave a lazy salute and headed off.
“So what do we do?” Kaoru asked, playing with a grape between her fingers.
“We wait.”
~*~
Yumi lifted a brow at her second child. Fayre was a curious
mix of Makoto and herself, and sometimes that combination came out a bit more
explosively than they would have liked. Yumi hid a smile as she remembered the
shouting arguments that had come with choosing their children’s names. Shishio
had wanted to stick to tradition but she had insisted that they pick names that
were more modern, to show their people that change was working on the inside as
well as the outside. It had also been in the hope that their children wouldn't
come out nearly as stubborn as they were. Clearly one ploy hadn't worked.
Fayre had inherited her magical talents, a gift that hadn’t shown itself in
Braeden. While Yumi was a little disappointed that Braeden was more of his
father’s son than hers, not having a temperamental heir to the throne with the
ability to accidentally blow a visiting dignitary into little pieces was a
reason enough to give thanks to the gods. Erich was still too little to expect
much from. After his baby magic started showing, they would know.
Which did not mean that Fayre didn’t think it was beneath her to attempt to
blow everyone up for her brother if she thought such requirements were
necessary. At thirteen, Fayre was at an awkward age that was just made worse by
the fact that her beloved sixteen-year old brother had discovered girls.
Fayre was struggling with her own appearances. Her little girl was showing
signs of taking after Makoto’s mother, long supple limbs and a trim figure,
which meant that right now she was gawky and coltish. Her hair naturally curled
in auburn ringlets (both Braeden and Fayre had inherited their grandfather’s
curls, but only Fayre had her coloring) surrounding a pair of green eyes
touched with blue. She liked to pull her hair back into a tail instead of
taming the mass of ringlets properly, and was permanently freckled along the
bridge of her nose.
“Fayre,” Yumi stated carefully, “you cannot light Lady Savannah on fire.”
Fayre gave her mother a mulish look. “Why not?”
Yumi lifted a brow. “Because one day you might need Lady Savannah’s
political assistance and it is improper for you to use your gift in such a manner.”
“Daddy burns people.”
Yumi felt the urge to rub her temples. She had never taken into
consideration what sort of example Makoto had been for his children in the
early days, when things had been so turbulent and he had been forced to make
examples out of those who had gone against them. “Your father is King,” Yumi
reminded her. “If for some reason Braeden decides not to wear the crown and you
are Queen, then we will discuss why your father does what he does. Not only
that, but he can only use his magic on the battlefield. Your magic is more
diverse and you can use it at will. That is a dangerous gift, my darling.”
“She deserved it,” Fayre argued, crossing her arms and glowering. “She was
making fun of my hair.”
Yumi sighed heavily. She had been hoping that she could avoid sending Fayre
into Mage School, in the hopes that her daughter could learn to control her
temper a little better before she started taking classes with youngsters who
could fight back. “We have discussed this before,” Yumi told her. “You chose to
disobey the rules, Fayre. Since I cannot have you running around the halls
blowing holes in walls and lighting your future court’s hair on fire, starting
at the first of next week, you will begin taking classes with Mage Pirjo.”
Fayre sat up, her eyes flashing. “I’m supposed to go with Braeden to the
horse trails this summer.”
“You cannot be trusted around ladies with your magic; I cannot trust you on
the horse trails,” Yumi returned, lifting a brow in warning at her daughter’s
tone.
Fayre frowned. “Does Daddy know what you are doing?”
“Your father,” Yumi said in a tight voice, “is in perfect agreement with me
on this matter.” When she was finished with this discussion, she was going to
go and repeat her warning to her husband about attempting to pamper his
daughter against her wishes.
Fayre scowled. “That sucks.”
“Be as that may, this decision stands. I suggest you go and pack. It will
take a few days to make sure you have everything you will need. You will be
gone all summer and then of course, twice a month for the rest of your
education.” Yumi stood and walked over to the sulking teenager, smoothing her
hand down the crown of her hair. “Lady Savannah is a beautiful girl, but most
of her beauty comes from a jar. Application of oils and paints so that she can
feel confident among her peers,” Fayre looked up her, her eyes confused. “You
are beautiful without those things. Mage School isn’t a punishment, darling,
but a chance for you to learn. In four or five years, your brother will start
his own intense grooming for the throne; he will need you and your talents to
watch his back. I will not always be around to keep an eye on things.”
Fayre sighed, her shoulders drooping a little. “Do you think I have ugly
hair?”
“I think you have beautiful hair. Remind me to find a painting of your
grandfather at your age,” Yumi said. “His hair was even wilder than yours.”
Fayre looked up at her before jumping up and hugging her. “I’ll go pack. But
I’m not going to apologize.”
That was a battle her father could fight, Yumi decided. Reaching up to rub
her temples for a moment, Yumi closed her eyes and relaxed, reaching for the
spark of heat that always represented her husband. Ever since the accident when
Makoto had somehow managed to absorb the fire that had attacked his body so
brutally, it was like snuggling up to a warm furnace each night. The scars on
his face had faded over time with the careful application of healing spells and
time, but his arms, legs, chest and feet were carefully wrapped each morning
with soft bandages. His hair was patchy and bald in places, but with a careful
illusion Yumi was able to hide that disfigurement from the country’s eyes. The
greatest lost, in her opinion, was the change of eye color. Instead of Fayre’s
green eyes shot with occasional blue sparks, they had darkened into a reddish
brown thanks to the magic his body had absorbed.
“There you are,” Shishio’s deep voice surprised her and Yumi turned with a
raised brow. She hadn’t thought that he was that close. “We received an encrypted
message from Tokio and she wants to set up a crystal conference.”
Yumi lifted a brow in surprise. “Is something wrong?” she asked, changing
directions and heading from her private office into her workroom that held the
scrying crystal she used to communicate with Tokio.
“Something must be wrong,” Shishio agreed, his eyes narrowing. “She looked
tired.”
Yumi was muttering spells before she entered the room, the smooth crystal
bowl flickering with color as she shut the door, locking everyone else out as
the image of Tokio slowly settled into place above the crystal. “Tokio.”
“Yumi.” The voice was faint, but far clearer after years of studying spells
and working to insure safe passage of information. “It is good to see you are
well.”
“You as well,” Yumi said with a smile. “How is your newest one?”
“In fine condition,” Tokio said. “I am afraid that the reason I have
contacted you isn’t for family discussion.” Shishio stepped up next to her and
Tokio smiled. “I am glad you’re here, this will make things easier.”
The next half an hour was spent with Tokio as she explained the events that
had led up to the summons. When it was over both monarchs were frowning. “It
will be a few days before we can get any sort of response from our own people
back to you.” Shishio said finally. “However, if you do decide to go to war
with this Yukishiro clan, we will offer support.”
“We will send Soujiro to act as an official representative to your War
Council,” Yumi told Tokio with a grim face. “He will be there in a few hours by
Gate.”
Tokio gave a low bow. “We look forward to his arrival.”
The connection broke and Yumi sighed, leaning against Shishio’s chest as she
felt the energy drain from sustaining the connection for that long. “It looks
like you are going to be dealing with your daughter’s attitude sooner than you
thought.”
“I think I prefer the war,” Shishio murmured, kissing the skin above her ear
with a sigh. “I’ll let you talk to Soujiro, I’ll deal with Fayre, and then we
can call the council in.”
Yumi straightened her robes. “After I feed Erich,” she corrected, moving
away from her sighing husband. “Then we can call a War Council of our
own.”
~*~
Tomoe stared at the shards of glass on the floor, watching
the way they shone in the cold light of the fire. Brushing a shaking hand down
the side of her gown, she attempted to breathe deeply. Such a display of temper
was beneath her.
“Tomoe?”
She turned and breathed deeply at the sight of Enishi, his hair mussed from
sleep. The faint bruises on his neck suggested he had been with someone when
she had thrown the vase. She sighed. “Sumita is dead.”
Enishi scowled, his eyes narrowing to slits of green in temper. “What?”
“Sumita is dead and Kaoru has been tipped off. Kenshin will know everything
soon.” Tomoe flexed her fingers. “Akira has screwed everything up.”
Enishi looked at the mess on the floor and waved his hand. “Things may yet
to work to our ends.”
Tomoe sighed, poured herself a glass of wine and sank down on the couch. “We
are going to be forced to move up our plans. We cannot wait for the winter to
freeze the river to move our troops.” They had been depending on the surprise
of having their army march in winter to hit Cervon. It was why they had been
willing to bring in so many black priests, to help circumvent most of the risks
that came with winter army travel. Fisting her hands, she tried to control her
temper.
“Things may not even come to that.” Enishi pointed out, sitting next to her
with a thoughtful glance. “We know Himura. We know how he will react. We won’t
need to go anywhere, he will come to us.”
Tomoe frowned and then a slow smile began to cross her features. “He will
indeed be coming here, won’t he? Enishi, please call the head priest to me.
There are things to discuss.”
