The Song of the Wind

by Nicolette Andrews

Suzume chanced a glance at Ryuu but his expression was blank.

  "Don't let her get to you. She has always been jealous of Izume. And with her gone, now you have become the target of her ire."

  "I won't let it bother me." She nodded her head to acknowledge him.

  "There are things I thought you should know about your mother and I-" he started to say but held himself back. "It will be better for another time." He gestured to the seat beside him. "Please sit."

  Suzume did as he commanded, and the emperor waited until she was seated before saying. "I have another mission for you."

  Her stomach clenched, were there more yokai attacks? "What is it?" she asked, her chest tight with worry.

  "I want you to visit your grandfather."

  "What?" She asked, her eyebrows shooting up toward her hairline.

  Her father chuckled.

  "When your mother disappeared, he went back to his province. I need you to go him, find out what he knows about your mother's disappearance."

  "Why me?"

  "Because I trust you." Not because of her power or because of who she had been born but her as a person. It warmed her more than she thought it would.

  "I will do this for you, father." She bowed her head toward him.

  He brushed the hair from her face. "You look beautiful tonight. Your mother would have been proud."

  A sudden emotion welled up in her. Her throat was thick with words unspoken. "Thank you, father," she managed in a strangled voice.

  29

  Ryuu must have been a master of avoidance. Despite being on the road together for nearly a day, she had not found a chance to speak with him even once. Not that anything he could say wouldn't sound suspect at this point. She rode in a palanquin, only this time it wasn't subterfuge. She was not one of the emperor's warrior priests, but as a granddaughter visiting her grandfather. She'd sent a letter ahead of her arrival announcing her visit to her grandfather. His reply had been less than warm, but he had not turned her down either—he couldn't when it was the emperor's command.

  As was fitting her station, Suzume had a contingent of guards. Mostly warrior priests from the temple, but Noaki and Tsuki joined them as well, along with Hikaru and Rin, who continued pretending to be her maid. Suzume had begged the emperor to set Hikaru free and to her surprise he had granted her request. Normally she would be suspicious of the emperor's generosity, but he had not asked her for anything in return. It seemed he was doing it all out of a genuine sense of remorse. Being the emperor's favorite certainty had its perks.

  Suzume had never been to the ancestral home of her mother's family, though she'd heard stories about it from cousins and other relatives on her Kaedemori clan. Her grandfather, the head of the clan, was known for his strong-armed rule. But he was also well loved among his contemporaries. He was famous for his parties, and many a courtier had fought for his favor. Her grandfather's generosity with his allies was only a small part of the appeal. The Kaedemori's were the most influential family in Akatsuki, rivaled only by the royal family. It was said that her grandfather had more influence, money, and land than even the emperor.

  Suzume read over the instructions her father had given her, recounting what she already knew about her mother's family. According to this, her grandfather had retired from his council seat and returned to the country home. It seemed strange to her that he would do such a thing. Everything she remembered about her grandfather had painted him as a man hungry for power. Coupled with his disappearance around the time of her own exile, it seemed very strange indeed. Suzume folded up the document and tucked it away as the palace came into view.

  The palace was as grand as her cousins had made it out to be. It sat atop a hill overlooking rolling hills and farms. They arrived at sunset, and the golden light gave the landscape a shimmering glow. The gates were open, awaiting their arrival and guards stood at either side, their faces stoic. The inner courtyard, where guests were received, was swept clean and the household stood waiting to greet them.

  At the far end of the courtyard was a flight of stairs that led into the inner ring of the palace. Her grandfather stood at the top of the steps, as austere as she remembered him. His beard was long and white, and atop his head he wore the traditional black hat of a councilman. His eyes were as sharp as obsidian.

  Suzume closed her curtain to not be seen peeking. Just seeing him standing there reminded her of his strict punishments and his love of rules and proper etiquette. Seeing him again, she recalled a time when she had been a child and she had let her quick tongue get away with her. He had her beat for her insolence and left her kneeling in the courtyard well into the night for it. A phantom pain echoed on her backside and she sat up a little straighter in her seat. I'm not that little girl anymore. Noaki opened her door, and he nodded his head as if he could see the fear on her face. She climbed out of the carriage, keeping her face the perfect mask of indifference. The old man didn't scare her. As she approached her grandfather, she made sure to keep her head held high like the princess she was.

  "I hope you have been well, grandfather," Suzume said, bowing her head to him. "Thank you for your hospitality."

  The old man's gaze swept over her and toward the guards assembled behind her.

  "I did not have much choice, did I?" he asked before he turned his back on her and walked into the palace proper.

  "I guess that's as warm of a greeting as I can expect," Suzume said under her breath.

  Tsuki chuckled. "I can see where you get your temperament from."

  Suzume shot him a look, but he was not scared of her death glares and only grinned in reply. Servants showed them to their rooms and Suzume was given a bath to wash off the travel grit from her skin. When she got out of the bath, Hikaru and Rin were standing close together speaking in hushed whispers. She scrutinized the pair of them as if she could divine what they were hiding from her by the backs of their heads.

  When they saw Suzume, they turned toward her with guilty expressions on their faces. Suzume glanced between them but before she could ask what they'd been talking about, Hikaru spoke first.

  "This place hasn't changed in years," he said, admiring the room.

  Any other questions flew from her mind as her brain froze on his statement. "You've been here before?"

  Hikaru laughed a bit sheepishly, running his fingers through his hair. "I was born here."

  Suzume frowned. "But you're like old, really old."

  "And a Kaedemori, though I have not called myself one in many years."

  "We're related?"

  He smiled. "Very distantly. You would be my brother's granddaughter, many generations removed.”

  Suzume shook her head. She knew her family had a long history, but Hikaru was her great uncle? That seemed absurd, despite everything else she had learned recently. It was just another connection that tied them together.

  "Is the old man my relative too?"

  "No, he isn't. I asked him already."

  It was worth asking, she supposed. "As far as we can tell the only link we have to one another is the White Palace," Suzume said, considering the evidence.

  "Don't worry about that now. You have a dinner party to prepare for." Rin put her hands on Suzume's shoulders, assuming the role of maid once again. She noticed the quick change of subject, but decided not to ask more. They would only find more clever ways to keep the truth from her.

  "Don't you have anything for us to do?" Tsuki said as he plopped down on a seat beside Suzume.

  "Please find something for him to do," Akira drawled. "He hasn't been this restless since we were left at that shrine."

  Suzume considered this for a moment. The emperor wanted her to find any hint of her mother, and considering Tsuki, Akira, and Noaki could move about without being seen, perhaps they could investigate while she was at dinner.

  "Why not do a bit of snooping? See if you can find any signs of where my mother went."

  Tsuki gave her a deep bow. "Consider it done, my lady." />
  Noaki lingered a moment longer. "There is a strange energy about this place. Be careful."

  "I will. Keep an eye out for me." Noaki bowed and went out into the garden, disappearing onto the rooftops without a sound.

  Rin finished styling Suzume's hair and she and Hikaru made an excuse to leave as well. She wanted to follow them and see what they were up to, but it was almost dinner and seeing as she was guest of honor, her absence would be noted.

  The dining hall was packed full of her many distant cousins, uncles, aunts, and other members of far-flung branches of the enormous Kaedemori family at the evening meal. To her surprise, she was given a place far away from her grandfather while Ryuu, however, was placed right next to him. I'm his closest relative here. I should be sitting beside him. Suzume scowled toward her grandfather's empty seat. Not that she particularly wanted to be close to him. Ryuu did his best to avoid eye contact with her by chatting with one of her great uncles that sat to his right.

  A musician played as the dishes were served. Her grandfather remained conspicuously absent. Suzume made polite conversation with her third cousin, about nothing of real particular interest, while her eyes drifted toward Ryuu ever so often. Then halfway through the second course, her grandfather came in. He had a scowl on his face as he sat down. Ryuu leaned across and said something to him but the old man shook his head. What's Ryuu's connection to the family? She couldn't help but wonder. The empress had hinted as much. But at the time Suzume thought it was just to goad her.

  When dinner was over, the guests slowly drifted out of the room. Suzume kept her eye on Ryuu, waiting and watching for him to leave. He seemed in no hurry to leave and was drinking with the other people in the room. Her grandfather had eaten and left. She considered following him, but given his cold welcome she knew she could not speak without being summoned first.

  One of her cousins was talking to her with animation and knocked over a glass on her tray. Liquid was spilled on Suzume, and she took her eyes off Ryuu for just a moment.

  When she looked up again, he was gone. How does he move so quickly? She wondered. She swiveled her head around, searching for him. He was exiting the hall on the far end away from her. Without even apologizing to her cousin, Suzume leaped up to chase after him. She wanted to see what he was up to.

  She weaved her way through the crowd of people in the hall. Only after making her way over, she saw no sign of Ryuu. It was as if he had disappeared in a puff of smoke. Just when she was about to give up, a hand shot out and snatched her. Suzume was pulled into a nearby room.

  A hand pressed over her mouth. Flames shot along her body, but a pressure point was pressed into her middle back and the flames died away in an instant. Suzume wriggled around and turned to see Ryuu staring down at her, his blue eyes illuminated softly in the dark room. He pressed his finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet.

  She frowned at him, but he let her go and gestured for her to follow him. The room they were in was one that had a fold back door which could make the room larger.

  Ryuu crept along the wall and pressed his ear up against the folding door. Suzume frowned after him, was about to ask questions when she heard her grandfather speak on the other side.

  "Do we know why they've come?" he asked.

  "We have not discovered that yet, my lord," said the second voice.

  "The emperor must have sent Izume's daughter to test me."

  The servant made no reply, perhaps it was not meant to give anything away.

  "Just in case, send warning."

  "Yes, my lord." The servant bowed. They listened as the footsteps receded. After a few heartbeats they heard nothing more. Perhaps they had both left.

  Ryuu yanked Suzume by the arm and brought her out into the hall again. He kept on pulling her behind him, and it wasn't until they were in a palace garden far away from where they had been that he unclamped his hand off her mouth.

  "What was that?"

  "I thought you liked eavesdropping," he said.

  Suzume only scowled in response.

  "If he heard you stomping outside the room, you would have given me away. Not that he revealed much," Ryuu sighed.

  "You did that on purpose. Why?"

  "Why do you think?" he said with a crooked smile.

  She was so frustrated with him. Why did he try to kidnap her and then introduce her to someone else like her? Why did everyone around her trust him, when all he did was confuse her? Why was he so maddening?

  "What do you want from me?" she asked out of sheer frustration.

  He crossed his arms over his chest and studied her for a moment. "You're much more like Izume than I thought."

  She glared right back. "Don't try to change the subject."

  His expression turned more serious. "If I could, I would tell you everything. But even now his eyes are on us. It was a risk just bringing in Souta."

  "Who’s watching us? Can you tell me that?"

  "Who do you think?"

  They were in her grandfather's home. Was that what Ryuu had been trying to tell her all this time? But what did he have to do with anything?

  Before she could question him further however, Ryuu grabbed her and pulled her into the shadows of the nearby awning.

  "What are you doing?"

  "Shh," he clamped his hand over her mouth. Up above on top of the nearby building, something was leaping from roof to roof. Suzume felt the prickle of warning. There was a yokai in the palace and it was headed straight for her grandfather's room. Suzume and Ryuu shared a single look before they both went running after it.

  30

  Suzume ran down the hall, with Ryuu just a few feet in front of her. They sprinted through a courtyard, past a few servants who were almost bowled over by their pursuit. The shadows of three yokai leaped from roof to roof. They were headed straight for the inner rings of the palace and straight toward her grandfather. As they approached the inner rings of the palace where her grandfather’s rooms were, the yokai dropped down from the rooftops and onto the ground.

  Before she could get closer, Ryuu held out his hand to stop her and placed his finger against his lips to tell her to remain quiet. They watched from the shadows as the yokai approached her grandfather's door. One of the group looked around. He was human-like in appearance, with shaggy brown hair, pointed ears, and a wolf pelt tied around his waist. For a moment Suzume thought he had spotted them watching from the shadows, but his eyes glided over them before sneaking inside. The other two yokai followed after him. Suzume and Ryuu waited a few heartbeats before creeping closer to the door.

  Ryuu leaned in close to the door to listen in on the conversation. But there were no hushed conspiratorial whispers, only shouts rang out from within. Ryuu threw open the door, and Suzume followed him inside. Her grandfather stood in the center of the room, his long white hair down around his shoulders, and swinging a sword like a madman. The yokai circled around him, weapons drawn. But when they saw Ryuu and Suzume enter they turned their attention to them instead.

  She hadn't been expecting an attack here, and she'd left her staff in her room. The only thing she had to fight with was her flame. As the yokai came barreling toward her, she hesitated to attack, running away from him to the far end of the room. I can't just run away. She glanced over her shoulder toward the monkey-like yokai who chased her, his long canines gleaming in the dim light of the chamber. But if I use my flame now, the old man isn't here to help bring me back. Despite her hesitation, flames sparked along her hands. As usual the flame of Kazue's soul had other ideas. Suzume turned to face the yokai.

  She concentrated her fire to her hands, forming a ball of flame. She flung it at her attacker, and the smile was wiped from his face as the fire struck his torso and the flame caught onto his clothes. The yokai screamed before falling onto the floor, thrashing about and trying to put out the fire. While Suzume had taken care of that one, Ryuu had knocked out the second. A third had taken a hold of her grandfather and had a blade pressed to h
is throat.

  "Don't move or I'll kill the old man," the yokai said.

  Ryuu was not fazed by the threat and sang a song. Suzume felt the power of it reverberate on her skin. The fire on her body rose higher as if it would reach out and pluck the energy from the very air. But through sheer force of will, she was able to curb her desire to take the power for herself.

  The song had no effect on the man holding her grandfather hostage but the yokai on the ground writhed in pain, backs arched as if someone was burning them alive from the inside.

  The yokai holding her grandfather watched as his friends were tortured with wide eyes.

  "Make all the threats that you want, everything you do to Lord Kaedemori I will do tenfold to your men," Ryuu said. There was a fierceness to his voice she had never heard before.

  The yokai looked back at Ryuu, his eyes wide. "I know you, you're-" The yokai snarled but he was cut off by Ryuu.

  "If you know who I am, let's cut to the chase," Ryuu said coldly. "What do you want with Lord Kaedemori?"

  He had yet to let go of her grandfather and stared at his men on the floor. "Akio wanted to give him a message." His eyes drifted toward Suzume. "Give me what I am owed."

  There was a sinking sensation in Suzume's gut. She didn't like the way the yokai's gaze settled on her.

  "Let him go and we can make a deal," Ryuu said.

  "We're not making deals with yokai," her grandfather said through gritted teeth. The wolf yokai only smiled and held the blade closer to his throat, just tight enough where if her grandfather breathed too hard the blade would scrape his throat.

  Lord Kaedemori held his breath.

  "It's too late for that. The deal has already been struck," the yokai said.

  Ryuu sang again, and his song was drowned out by the screams of the yokai on the floor. The yokai's grip on her grandfather loosened as his gaze was focused entirely on his comrades.

  Suzume saw her chance and took it. While the wolf was distracted, she lunged for him. She shoved her shoulder into his free arm and her grandfather took that same opportunity to slide just out of his grip. The wolf turned toward Suzume with a snarl, and she held up her flaming hands. The pair of them circled one another, and she grabbed onto his forearm with a flaming hand. He pulled back just in time to sweep his leg and knock her onto the ground. Before he could pounce onto her though Ryuu sang another song, different than the first. It caught the wolf yokai in his trap and it was frozen in place. His eyes glared at all of them.