"Enough." Her father's voice snapped across the room like a whip crack. Even Suzume ceased her struggle. The emperor pointed toward the door. "Take her out of here."
The guards grabbed her by the arms and dragged her from the room while Suzume kicked and flailed against them.
"Father, you can't do this. You're in danger!" she shouted. But her cries fell on deaf ears and she was deposited in the hall. The door slammed shut, keeping her from her father.
Suzume scowled at the guards, as if the force of her displeasure would move them. But in the end, she turned and walked away. She had not gone a few feet when she ran into Ryuu.
"I don't want to hear anything from you." She held up her hand before he could say something like he told her so.
"Come with me." He grabbed her by the wrist, dragging her after him.
She tried breaking free of his grip, but he was deceptively strong. He didn't stop walking until they were alone in a deserted garden. All the leaves had fallen off the trees and the wind blew over the desolate landscape. Winter wasn't far off now. But despite the chill in the air, Suzume was burning up.
Ryuu looked around the deserted garden before his gaze came to rest on her. "I imagine you saw the true strength of your grandfather."
"He's a greedy old man. My father will see reason."
Ryuu sighed. "I've told you to be careful, and now your grandfather knows about your power and he knows you're out to get him. You won't be safe in the palace. You should leave."
"You of all people have no right to tell me what to do." She turned to walk away but he caught her wrist.
"I swore to Izume to protect you, and I'm not going to let you get in the way of that."
She yanked her hand free. "And what about my father?"
He shook his head. "The emperor has men who can protect him. Who's going to protect you?"
She forced a laugh. He almost sounded like Kaito. "Don't you know? I'm more than capable of taking care of myself."
She walked away from him, not sparing him a second glance. It wasn't until she was back in her own room that Suzume exhaled, sliding against the wall. She hoped wrapped inside her old life she'd feel safe from Hisato's influence, but even as she tried to expose Lord Kaedemori her thoughts were filled with concerns about Kaito, and how to break Hisato's hold on her. She'd rushed in to accuse her grandfather to protect herself from being ejected from the palace for being what she was. But her father had treated her so coldly. She might have made things worse. Now Ryuu even wanted to take her away, but she needed his help more than anyone else.
Suzume paced her room as she tried to think of how to ask for help without breaking Hisato's command and how to protect her father from her grandfather's plots. There were so many emergencies vying for her attention, she didn't know which one to worry about first. Tsuki and Akira, who were lounging in her room, assumed she was only worried about her grandfather's plots and called out unhelpful suggestions on how to capture him. They all wanted her to leave the palace behind, and saw her stubborn insistence on staying as her own selfishness. She wished she could explain her reasoning to them, but each time she tried the words dried up in her throat. Just when she thought she was going to wear a hole in the rug, a messenger arrived.
Her father had summoned her to speak with him. He was likely going to scold her for the scene she'd made earlier that day. She changed before she left, at the messenger’s insistence, and she hurried ahead of the messenger to her father's chambers. The servants opened the doors and let her in.
Her father was seated beside a table where tea had been set out. He sipped casually as she burst into the room, her hair fluttering behind her in her haste. Her father glanced up at her dramatic entrance.
"I'm glad you could join me."
"How can you be so calm when your life is in danger?" Suzume threw her arms out to make her point. Her fear for him hadn't been feigned.
Her father set the teacup down on the table in front of him. "Every moment I've sat on my throne my life has been in danger. If I got worked up over every threat, I'd never be able to rest."
But she couldn't return the gesture. He wasn't taking her seriously. He thought she was being hysterical.
"This isn't some vague threat. Lord Kaedemori is partnering with yokai and plans to usurp you to put my younger brother on the throne," Suzume shouted as she lost control of her temper, flames shooting off her fingertips.
Her father gestured for her to sit. "We need to talk."
"We don't need to talk. You need to have him arrested right this minute."
"I received a letter this morning from your mother. She's disclosed where your brother is hidden. My most loyal men, including Ryuu, are on their way to retrieve him. Once we have my son, the threat will disappear."
"Have you arrested Lord Kaedemori?" Suzume asked.
"No."
"Then this isn't over. I think he's working with a dangerous monster called Hisato. He wants to-" she choked on the words. She couldn't reveal Hisato's plans.
Her father gestured for her to take a seat once more. "Please."
"Tell me you're at least trying to protect yourself." Hisato was dangerous, and she could only imagine what he was plotting against her father. It made her sick to think she could do nothing to protect him.
Her father only stared at her for a moment, and then with reluctance, she sat down across from him. Her father poured her a cup of tea. She held onto the glass but couldn't bring herself to drink.
"This is a delicate matter. Your grandfather is a powerful man, with many allies."
"But you're the emperor."
"And I can maintain my position with the support of my council. Of whom your grandfather has many in his pocket."
Suzume growled in frustration. "So, what, you're just going to let them kill you?"
Her father laughed. "No, I have not resigned myself to death quite yet. But before we can make a move against Lord Kaedemori, his guilt must be irrefutable. Do you have any proof?"
"My mother. She told me she will speak with the lords."
Her father sipped his tea. "Are you certain she would implicate her own father?"
"But she told you where my brother was. Shouldn't that prove she is loyal?"
He reached across the table and took Suzume's hand. "I love your mother. But we both know she thinks for herself before all others. She revealed where your brother was because she wanted to keep him safe. To confess against your grandfather, it would put her at risk."
Suzume growled. "This is madness. So, what, I should do nothing?"
"I appreciate your concern. I am doing everything in my power to make this right, but for now we must be patient. If we can prove his betrayal, then he can be tried. Until then, I will not risk causing unrest."
It wasn't a satisfactory answer. She'd find the proof herself if she had to. And she was about to tell her father just that when the room opened and a flushed guard came running in.
"Your majesty, the palace is under attack."
Suzume leaped to her feet, reaching for her staff which was not strapped to her back.
"What do you mean, under attack?" the emperor asked, his voice calm despite the dire situation.
"It's a dragon, your majesty. He's destroying the town."
Suzume's stomach clenched. It couldn't be. Why was he here? But even as she thought this, fear prickled along the back of her neck. A sinister laugh filled her ears.
"It's time to play your part, Suzume."
40
Suzume watched as Kaito flew over the city from her place on the palace walls. Soldiers lined up all along it on either side of her. Warrior priests, all of them, as if the palace had been prepared for this all along. I have to stop this. By her command of the dragon, he could not come any closer. She caught sight of Ryuu further down the line, instructing the warrior priests. He spotted her and ran over.
"What are you doing here?"
Stop me. Don't let me do this. There hadn't been t
ime to train or to prepare. She'd never gotten the chance to ask for his help.
But her body betrayed her and she knocked Ryuu backward with more force than should have been possible.
"Don't try and stop me. This ends now," she said, her voice sounding foreign to her own ears. Flames licked up from her feet, encasing her in fire as she leaped down from the wall, flying through the air and landing hard on the ground. A fall from that height should have broken every bone in her body. But it was becoming increasingly clear she was not quite human anymore.
Just outside the palace walls was a large space. A vacant lot separated the emperor's home from the surrounding town. She could see the dragon in the distance.
Now call him here.
Suzume clenched her hands into fists. I will not do it. Her lips were pressed shut and she used her sheer force of will to prevent his command.
Call him. Now.
Suzume gasped as pain shot through her. The only way to stop it was to do as she was told.
"Come save me!" Her order was ripped from her throat and echoed over the town. Instead of circling, Kaito changed directions and he was coming up fast; if he didn't stop soon, he would crash into her. She held her breath as he came to a sudden halt in front of her in dragon form, his body coiled around nearby buildings. She had to crane her neck to meet his gaze. He did not come to her as the man she had come to know. His spiritual energy unfurled from him, sparking against Suzume's skin.
"I knew you'd need me," he said as he transformed from dragon to man. He walked toward her.
Don't come any closer. Get away! But even as she shouted warnings in her head none of them passed her lips.
"What mess have you gotten yourself into?" Kaito watched the warrior priests lining the wall. With each step he came closer and she felt her hands twitch, the flames preparing to be unleashed.
She took a half a step back, but even doing that was a monumental struggle.
"You're being oddly quiet. Too ashamed that you needed me to rescue you?" He was inches away from her now. She could feel his spiritual energy wrapping around her. He thought she needed him to rescue her. But this was all a trap.
"You can thank me later." Kaito launched into the sky, flying toward the priests along the wall.
"Don-" she cried out, but it was strangled, as the priests unleashed a volley of spiritually imbued arrows. Kaito swerved away from them, spraying the priests with his deadly ice. Frost crept up the sides of the walls. He flew high up into the sky, preparing another attack, when she fired at him. It would have caught him dead on, but Suzume had managed to redirect her attack at the last moment.
He turned his attention to her and his eyes were an icy blue. Run away. I don't want to kill you, she shouted inside her mind. But no matter how she tried to fight against Hisato's influence, she couldn't break free.
"I told you I would destroy you," she said. Her voice was confident, arrogant. It was who she had been when she first met the dragon. He believed it. That's how everyone saw her, wasn't it? They thought she was still nothing but a spoiled princess.
The dragon laughed, and it sounded like more of a roar. "Do you think I'm going to fall for that?"
He flew high into the sky, out of her reach. Internally, Suzume gave a sigh of relief. If she was lucky, he'd leave and never come near her again.
The others arrived, weapons drawn and ready to defend, but when they saw Kaito flying overhead they all paused. The dragon dipped down low again, coming closer to them and Suzume ran toward him firing at him.
Rin cut her off before she could do any damage. "What are you doing?"
"Doing what Kazue could not," Suzume replied.
Hikaru joined his wife. "You don't really mean this. This isn't like you."
"You don't know me. This is what I must do if I want to stay here."
Hisato was clever. He was using her own past mistakes against her. And it was working, she could see the doubt gathering in their expressions.
"I can't let you do this." Rin transformed into her kitsune form, while Hikaru sang a song.
Please stop me before I kill him! Suzume shouted silently, but no one heard it.
In retaliation, Suzume tossed fiery flames toward both Rin and Hikaru, and a song rose to her lips that made the fire grow higher. It wasn't long before they were surrounded by the flames. Rin lunged for her, teeth bared, but before she could land a blow, Noaki was there, blade drawn and pushing her back.
No! Suzume wanted to scream.
"What are you doing, Noaki? We have to stop her," Rin said.
"I must protect her. Your intent was to kill."
Tsuki stood behind Suzume, his blade also drawn. No, you can't stop them. She wanted to shout, but they all believed her capable of killing the dragon. Of wanting to kill the dragon to stay at the White Palace. And because Noaki and Tsuki were bound to serve her, they wouldn't stop her no matter how much she wanted. Hisato had complete control of them as well, through her bond with them.
"Don't try and stop me."
Flames encircled her friends but Suzume could cross through with ease. For a moment, she thought Hisato was calling her away from the battle, but as she ran down the road she felt the tug of her spiritual power. The unspoken command was meant to bring Kaito down to her. Ice rained down upon her in response to her summons. Suzume waved her hand and before the ice could hit her she melted it with fire.
High above, Kaito weaved in and out of the clouds, using them for cover. But even hidden behind clouds she could sense him. When he was this close she could close her eyes and feel like he was right beside her. Hisato used this to his deadly advantage, and she aimed a fiery blast toward Kaito. He dodged it, but just barely. He was coming closer, his jaws open and power coalescing there. Before he could fire another attack, holy arrows flew from behind her. One caught Kaito along the side, and he roared as he was distracted. Suzume was forced to watch as more arrows landed in his hide. She turned to see Ryuu leading the warrior priests.
You have to stop this. Please. Before more people get hurt, Suzume pleaded to Hisato, but it was no use. His laughter filled her ears. He was reveling in her pain.
It is time the dragon met his end, Hisato purred in her mind.
Kaito blasted the priests with shards of ice in retaliation, and they scattered to avoid his blows. But not all escaped, one man had taken a blow to the throat. He slumped over on the ground, blood pouring out of his wound.
She'd seen him kill before, but never before had she felt her own life was at risk. That blow could just as easily hit her.
Suzume stared at the dead man. So this was Hisato's plan—turn them against one another. And he'd done it well. She was his tool of destruction.
Kaito lurched back as the pain of the arrows brought him to the ground. He collided with the ground, taking human form. He laid on the ground on all fours, and there was death in his gaze. Ryuu rushed forward to help her, but with a flick of her wrist a wall of flame separated her from everyone but Kaito. This was what Hisato wanted, just the two of them.
"You want to fight," Kaito said as he climbed to his feet. He yanked out the arrows embedded in his skin. Just touching them burned his flesh, and the stink of it filled the air as his hands smoked from contact. He tossed the broken arrows to one side. "Let's fight."
He rushed toward her, feigning to the left, and Suzume fell into the trap. He struck her hard along the side, knocking the wind from her and she stumbled backward. Kaito used his advantage and pressed her hard backward. Suzume stumbled and almost fell onto her back.
Suzume unleashed her flames and let them run up and down the staff, not wild and out of control, but focused and precise. As soon as the flames were unleashed, she saw what she most feared, horror in his eyes. To him she was a monster. Inhuman. Other.
Hisato used Kaito's momentary weakness and pushed him back. He stumbled only for a moment before regaining his feet and coming up swinging.
"You can fight this, Suzume. I know it's not
you," he said.
In an instant, Kaito was behind her, his arm across her throat, choking her. He moved too quick for her to even see and she realized he had been toying with her the entire time. Even now, he underestimated her and she had thought him better than that. His hot breath was against her neck.
"That's where you’re wrong. This is exactly what I wanted," Suzume said with a smirk he couldn't see.
Suzume swung her staff backward and smacked Kaito in the face. The action was so quick that he didn't even have time to shield with his ice before the fire burned his face.
Kaito snarled as he clutched his burning flesh and Suzume spun away from him. They turned to one another, and she could see the skin on his face was already starting to heal. All that remained was an angry, pink mark now.
He lunged for her and knocked the staff out of her hand. The pair of them fell to the ground and Kaito ended up on top of her, his hands pinning her to the ground.
"I let you run away. I told myself you'd come back to me. But I should have never left you alone. I knew you would only get in trouble," he said.
Flames erupted where his body touched hers and Suzume stared up into his dangerous icy blue gaze. "Your mistake was coming here."
With a sudden forced push, she knocked Kaito backward and he ended up sprawled on the ground. Suzume leaped up and pinned him to the ground as well.
"It's over for you." More than anything she wanted to close her eyes. But she stared into his face as the realization dawned, and the true depth of her betrayal sunk in. Perhaps up until that moment, he had hoped this was all a trick. But she watched as his hope died. He knocked her off him before she could complete the song.
She jumped backward, landing on her face. Suzume panted for breath, the fight having taken the wind out of her. Or maybe it was Hisato's way of making it seem more real.
"What are you doing?"
"I told you to stay away from me, but you wouldn't listen."
The Song of the Wind Page 28
