The Song of the Wind

by Nicolette Andrews

  "You brought me here for a reason." She glanced around the room, expecting Hisato to make his appearance at any moment.

  He motioned behind him to the dais, where he had been sitting when she entered. A banquet had been prepared with two seats.

  "I'd like it if you'd join me for dinner."

  He held out his hand for Suzume. She reached out to take it but when she saw her tanned and scarred skin beside his, she pulled back. Before today she would never have dreamed of seeing his face, so touching him with her calloused appendage seemed a crime in itself. He noticed her hesitation and took her hand in his, pulling her to her feet.

  She whipped her head toward him, a chastisement on her lips, but then she spotted the guards lingering in the shadows of the room and remembered her place and where she was. She lowered her gaze to the floor.

  He led the way back to the dais and Suzume followed one step behind him, falling into old habits without a thought. This had been her place before. She'd left just enough room for the emperor's first family—his three sons by the empress, the heirs to the throne.

  She waited to take a seat until he had sat down first. When he sat down it was with dramatic flair, tossing back the tails of his hoari before gently resting his palms on the table in front of him.

  Across from him was a single silk pillow, and Suzume slowly lowered herself onto it. As she dropped her eyes to the table, the scent of food made her stomach gurgle. She covered her stomach to hide the offending noise.

  If he noticed, the emperor did not say anything. A servant came forward with silent footsteps and ladled food onto the emperor's plate. She felt his sharp gaze watching and assessing her.

  A second servant came and offered Suzume food as well. Despite the enticing scent of the food, she wasn't sure she could make a morsel pass her lips.

  The servant gestured to the plates, silently asking which she would like. Suzume chose a fish cooked in sauce, just to avoid offending the emperor by not eating.

  The servant filled her plate with more than just the fish, also adding on rice and other side dishes. Suzume stared at her full plate. It smelled like home, and as much as she wanted to eat, she couldn't with the emperor's eyes on her.

  The emperor skewered a bite and placed it into his mouth, chewing slowly. When he was finished, he said. "You do not need to wait for me. Enjoy." He gestured grandly at the massive spread between them. It could easily feed a dozen people or more.

  She knew no one else was coming. This was just his way of showing his wealth and power. Her mother had used the same technique countless times. What else had her mother learned from the emperor?

  Suzume pushed food around her plate to pretend to be eating as she devised a plan. There was still a chance she could free the others.

  "I must apologize for the hasty meeting. When Ryuu told me you had arrived, I could not wait to speak with you."

  He acts as if this was intentional and his guards didn't just capture me and my friends. But she was willing to play his game.

  "It is good to be back," she replied.

  They ate in silence. Or rather, the emperor ate in silence while Suzume pretended to eat. When the emperor was finished, the servants cleared away the plates and a bottle of sake was brought out. Each of them were poured a glass. Just looking at the jug made her want to retch. After drinking the yokai sake she'd had the worst headache and had not been able to keep any food down for a day.

  The emperor drank his in one gulp and Suzume felt obligated to at least put on a show of drinking. She took a tiny sip and had to fight the gag reflex. She turned away and pretended to drain the cup, before discreetly setting the almost full glass down again.

  "You look so much like your mother," the emperor said.

  Suzume froze. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

  She decided given the fact that her mother had betrayed him, it couldn't be good. "I am sorry if I bring you painful memories."

  He chuckled softly. "It was a compliment, child. You mother is renowned for her beauty."

  Suzume's brows shot up, but she turned away to hide her expression, playing into the role of demure princess. It was one she was very familiar with.

  "You're too kind, your majesty," Suzume replied, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

  The emperor leaned forward. "There's no need to pretend with me, Suzume."

  Suzume's heart raced in her chest. He was bluffing. It was shocking he even knew her name. It wasn't possible he knew anything about her. "I don't know what you mean."

  "Izume taught you well. But your tricks won't work on me."

  "Forgive me for saying so, your majesty. But you hardly know me." Her words were a little sharper than she intended.

  "I have eyes everywhere."

  There was no use pretending then. Suzume turned and faced the emperor head on. "Then let me be frank."

  "Please." He gestured toward her. His expression was impossible to read.

  "What do you want from me?"

  "You are my child. Is it not right for a father to worry about his daughter's wellbeing?"

  "You've never taken notice of me before now."

  "It was a mistake I am trying to rectify."

  Staring into the face of this powerful man was something akin to facing Kaito when he was angry. But instead of his spiritual pressure trying to suffocate her, it was the weight of his presence. When he was seated directly across from her, in the dim light of the chamber, she could feel the power and confidence radiating off of him. This was a man who ruled the country, who played and always won. Suzume inhaled deeply. She did not believe for a moment that the emperor had sought her out because of fatherly love. He knew about her power and she wanted him to admit it out loud.

  "I don't believe you."

  "Excuse me?" His tone rose. She'd overstepped her bounds.

  The reckless part of her didn't care. To him, she was nothing but a tool. The sensible part of her corrected her statement. "I am sure you care for me. But you would not have met personally with just any of your children."

  He folded his hands together. "You are more like your mother than I thought."

  She stared back at him, her expression blank, but on the inside she was screaming. That was close.

  "I know about your power. How your mother hid it from me for so long, I do not know. All that matters is I need your help."

  She knew exactly why he wanted her now. "For the war against the yokai."

  The emperor smiled, he seemed impressed. "That is well in hand. I have a more particular concern in mind. It seems there is a dangerous creature terrorizing Akatsuki in my name."

  Suzume's eyes grew wide as she stared at the emperor. "Hisato," she said in a hushed whisper.

  "You know of him." He chose his words carefully, leaving Suzume to give her own version of events.

  "I do."

  "Then I too shall be direct. We need your help. There are rumors you have a great spiritual power."

  Suzume sat very still. "How do you know?"

  "As I said, I have eyes everywhere."

  "If I agree to help you, then what's in it for me?"

  The emperor smiled faintly. "You are bold. What is it that you want?"

  "You have to let my friends go."

  "I can't do that. Yokai are a danger to humans. You're better off without them."

  "They're bound to me. They have to obey me." She raised her voice without meaning to. She was reaching a point of desperation, and she was out of bargaining chips.

  He shot her a look and Suzume shrank down in her seat. She'd forgotten who she was talking to.

  "The empire is at stake, this Hisato is killing innocents across the islands, and the people are growing restless. Will you choose your own selfish desires over the good of others?"

  His words struck her harder than she realized as she thought about what she had done in her quest for power.

  "I cannot help you," she said. Even if he hadn't captured her friends, her po
wer was out of control. She was no good to anyone.

  "Cannot or will not?"

  She met his gaze without realizing it, and his dark eyes held her in place.

  "Help me save our kingdom and I will free your friends."

  And those were the stakes. He had captured her friends, forcing her into a stalemate. She had no other choice. For now, she'd have to play the role of dutiful princess.

  "I will do as you command." She bowed her head to the emperor.

  11

  A map of Akatsuki was stretched out before Kaito. Hana, who it turned out was knowledgeable of yokai territories in this age, was helping him determine clan lines and locations. Her knowledge, though helpful, was lacking in many ways. Whole sections were blank. Though the landscape was familiar to him, the territory lines were not. And to his dismay, many of his former allies had either been killed or were now in hiding. No one knew where they had gone. It was as if he had woken in a completely different world. Back in the old days they had all taken their immortality for granted.

  He'd spent a long time compiling a list of those he wished to recall to the palace to resume their duties as his generals and advisers. There were a myriad of X's on the map and his list, which had dwindled down to only a handful of names. Many, many more had been crossed out. There wasn't enough time to hear all their stories, but Kazue's name had come up enough times for him to realize she had done the bulk of the damage. What had he unleashed on the world when he had fallen in love with Kazue? How had he not seen her intentions right away? Had he never introduced her to the world of yokai, perhaps none of this would have happened.

  "What should we do next?" Hana asked, pulling him from his memories.

  Kaito sighed. Three names remained—three of his former generals. One of which, while alive, might be impossible to retrieve. "We must summon the yokai here. They must know their master has returned."

  She shook her head. "They will not leave their domains. Many are afraid to reveal themselves."

  Kaito looked back at the map once more. "Then I will have to go to them."

  He looked around the long audience chamber. It wasn't as if the palace was ready for guests anyway. Even now the echo of hammers filled the space as his men worked to repair the rotting palace. If he were to entertain the most powerful yokai in the realm here, they would laugh to see this hovel. It pained his pride to think others might see just how far he'd fallen.

  The double doors at the end of the hall burst open, but that wasn't an uncommon occurrence unfortunately. The dragons were prone to stomping and slamming. They were not the cultured court he'd once surrounded himself with. He'd given up on trying to retrain their bad behavior.

  "What is it now?" Kaito said, not looking up from the map. He was already planning his journey across Akatsuki to find his generals.

  "A dozen priests have arrived at the port human village," the dragon announced, a little breathlessly.

  Kaito grit his teeth to keep from snapping at them. Their foolish fear of humans was starting to wear thin. The priests would not be able to find this place, and that was to assume they'd even care they were here at all. He had more important concerns than a group of humans, in a human town. "And for that, you needed to interrupt our strategy meeting?" Kaito said, unable to keep the anger from his tone.

  "Jirou and Kenta went out to fight them."

  Kaito swore. The last thing he needed was his impulsive brother picking a fight with the humans. It was only going to be a bigger headache. "That fool," Kaito snarled.

  Kaito headed toward the door. He would see to this himself. Perhaps if he intercepted them in time he could avoid an even bigger mess to clean up.

  "You and you," he pointed at two dragons that were milling around. "Come with me."

  They snapped to attention, following him out into the courtyard. After his brother had threatened him outside the human town, Kaito had had him watched. But apparently not close enough. He should have known some loyalty would remain to his brother even after he’d taken control. These young dragons did not know him. They did not know what sort of threat he posed. Well they would learn today who they really must fear. Not the humans, but the great dragon who'd once struck fear into the hearts of all yokai.

  He headed straight for the ocean town where his brother had discovered him. The day was sunny and clear, and Kaito could see the village even from a distance. In the bright daylight it shimmered, an idyllic ocean town. When he spread out his senses he found not a trace of Jirou. Some of his fear abated. That was until he got closer, and as he approached the feeling of wrongness started to grow. There was an empty void in the center of the town—the same feeling he knew was a yokai cloaking their energy.

  He scanned the horizon, searching for visual confirmation of his brother, and saw nothing. But the feeling remained.

  "Search the area," Kaito shouted to his men. They each went in opposite directions, while Kaito continued toward the village. Even from a distance, he could see the villagers going about their day, unhurried and with single-minded purpose that dominated their brief existences.

  He should have known it was a false alarm. He turned to recall his men, but then he felt it, a spark of spiritual energy. A volley of arrows were shot from the sky, and he turned abruptly to avoid their attack. His eyes scanned the horizon, searching for the attacker, but they were lost amongst the crowded streets of the town.

  Just on the edge of the town he saw the tents erected and the flag which flapped in the wind. The emperor's army. He'd come across them before, and both times had ended badly for him. But if this was the same army, that meant Hisato was nearby and this was a trap.

  Flying higher into the sky, he spread out his senses. The strange mixture of yokai and spiritual energy made finding the warrior priests difficult. But as he flew over the tops of the town, he sensed them like candles flickering in the dark. He couldn't fight them like this, not while they remained inside the town. There they held the advantage.

  He doubled back, recalling his men to follow him. This would take further strategy. The two dragons, which had been circling the perimeter of the town, joined him.

  "Our target is that camp beyond the town. Follow my lead and we attack on my signal."

  They nodded their heads in understanding and followed him, making their way slowly toward the camp. The priests had taken the bait, following him toward where the bulk of the army was camped. He'd fallen into Hisato's trap before and he wasn't going to do it again. He would not get close enough for them to harm him.

  To give them cover Kaito summoned the storms, raising up the winds and the sea. Fishing boats out in the harbor started to rock on the chaotic seas as the wind picked up. The sky overhead was a steel gray, and as they approached the camp, rain burst forth from heavy clouds. Overhead thunder crashed, and with the benefit of the storm they were able to approach the camp almost entirely unseen.

  Kaito gave the signal and as one, the dragons rained down ice upon the tents. Soldiers scrambled about, searching for weapons. While mundane archers shot their arrows toward them, the dragons soared ineffectually past them.

  Kaito and his men wreaked destruction upon the camp, and as he hoped, the priests came toward him to stop him. They lined up together, and the hum of their combined spiritual energy was like a beacon in the night. Kaito gave the signal and he and the dragons focused their attacks upon them. Their blows landed ineffectually, fizzling against a barrier they had erected around themselves.

  His men, growing bold, dived closer. And that was when a secondary, unseen group of priests hiding behind tents emerged, bows drawn. There was not enough time to warn the others of the attack before the arrows were flying. One dragon managed to veer away in time, but the other wasn't so lucky.

  The dragon who was struck flew away, but his movements were like a drunken man, weaving up and down. He was losing altitude fast. His companion went to join him, and he helped the falling dragon by letting him lean against him. But the combined
weight of the two brought them crashing to the ground, onto to the sandy shore several feet away.

  They'd gone enough distance where they were not in immediate danger from the priests, but all it would take was an intrepid few to cross the distance and finish the job. Kaito redoubled his efforts to keep the priests occupied and away from the fallen dragons, using more and more of his energy to batter them with wind and ice.

  Then he felt him, like a jab to his side, drawing his attention. Hisato stood in the center of the camp. Though Kaito was too high up in the air to see him clearly, he could just imagine the smug satisfaction on his face.

  There was a shout from down below, and the raining of arrows stopped. The priests maintained their barrier but did not attack. Kaito too halted his attacks, and the two sides were locked in a stalemate.

  He wanted nothing more than to finish it here, but he'd learned his lesson before against these warrior priests. Besides, one of his men was hurt and in need of aid. Knowing Hisato this was merely a display of his power, a reminder of who had the greater army. He wanted to toy with Kaito. It bruised his ego, but the wellbeing of his men superseded his pride.

  Kaito turned and flew away toward where his man had fallen. His serpentine body lay sprawled on the ground, covered in sand from his fall and bristling with arrows. His labored breathing indicated the arrows were already doing their work. Kaito remembered the intense pain of the spiritual arrows. They sapped all of your energy, leaving you hollow.

  The second dragon was Kenji, he remembered now, and the injured dragon was Isamu. Kenji had resumed a human visage, and his face was blanched white with fear. He stared helplessly at his friend as the spiritual energy upon the arrows crackled and popped.

  "Those are blessed arrows. They'll purify him." He looked to Kaito with desperation.

  Kaito transformed into his more human form and surveyed the numerous wounds protruding from the young dragon's hide.