by Ryan Kirk
But she needed to consider the ramifications of her decision. In the council, either choice would be unpopular. If she decided to send the troops forward, her opponents would call her impulsive and complain that she risked the lives of their troops for little gain. If she retreated, they would claim that she had no concern for the land that was lost, that she was willing to give up precious land because she lacked the courage to fight.
Few of the council members seemed to care about serving or saving the people. They cared only about preserving their own power. How could they not realize that if they continued down this path, there would be nothing left for them to govern, that the house would dissolve, and all that power they fought so hard to maintain would cease to exist in any form?
At least she could trust Takahiro’s guidance. “What are your thoughts?”
“My instinct is to retreat into the mountains. Fumio will balk, but it’s a good order. Fighting in any other conditions will only guarantee that you’ll lose more troops. I hate to lose the land, but the troops are more important.” His voice was firm, but Mari heard the pain. He didn’t want to give up that land any more than she did. His own family lands, small as they were, would probably be sacrificed.
“And what about the people left behind?”
He gave a small shake of his head. “You can send out messengers to tell the people your plans. There may be some who are not willing or able to leave their house lands, but with warning and reason, you can give them a chance to escape.”
“It’s not enough,” she said.
“Nothing is.” In a surprising move, Takahiro sat down next to Mari and met her gaze. “We need to win this fight, but I do not know how.”
Instinctively, she leaned in toward him, and he wrapped his arm around her. Sitting there with him, she didn’t have any answers, but she felt his strength, his solid nature. Takahiro was like a mountain, unmoved by the chaos around them. She took a deep breath and realized that he’d even had time to take a bath recently. He smelled clean.
A wave of exhaustion passed over her. There was a council meeting soon, but she was just so tired.
Before she knew it, she was asleep, Takahiro’s arm comforting her.
Mari awoke to a gentle shifting beside her. Her eyes snapped open, and she realized with a start that she’d fallen asleep on Takahiro. Apparently, her head had slid down until it was resting on his lap. She blinked away the sleep and sat up. She felt ashamed. To sleep against Takahiro, of all people.
“I’m sorry. How long did I sleep?”
His grin was soft. “Almost the whole morning. I decided you should probably have some time to get ready before the council meeting.”
She couldn’t believe she’d slept most of the morning. She’d been tired, of course. “Why did you let me sleep so long?”
“You needed it.”
She hated to admit it, but he was right. She felt better after the nap than she’d felt in days. “Thank you. I’m sorry for falling asleep against you.”
“I didn’t mind.”
Mari heard something else in those words, something she hadn’t expected to hear from Takahiro. But she shook her head. She needed to focus on the council meeting. “I’ll meet you in the chambers.”
Takahiro nodded and stood to leave. Before he stepped out, Mari spoke softly. “Thank you, again.”
Her adviser bowed, then stepped out the door. Mari saw the guards outside and wondered what they thought.
She couldn’t worry about such problems right now. She needed to worry about the council. They needed news of Isau’s death and her decision to retreat. She didn’t expect that it would be a pleasant meeting.
By the time she’d bathed quickly and changed, the meeting was almost about to start. She made her way through the hallways until she reached the council room, then took a moment to compose herself before stepping in.
As usual, the council room was a hive of activity. Given that the meeting was about to start, she was among the last to arrive. Normally, that would have bothered her, but today she was grateful for the rest she’d gotten. The nobles clumped in small groups, and Mari could see that the divisions among her council were as strong as ever.
She classified the nobles into three groups. One group supported her. Their head was Arata, and their support was the backbone of her rule. Yoshinori headed those who were against her. But there was a third group, more undecided than the rest. Their support could swing either way, and that made Mari nervous. For now, they backed her, as no one openly opposed her. But their continued support was far from certain.
A few other nobles arrived and the meeting began. They began with official, regular reports. Nothing was reported that wasn’t already known, but the nobles had the opportunity to ask questions and get more details. Most of the information had to do with food distribution and tax collection. Important, but far from exciting.
Next came the issue of Isau. Mari stared longingly at the place where he had knelt at the table. She missed his vocal support already. “Ceremonies for Isau will be held in two nights’ time. Notices have been posted throughout Stonekeep. We will celebrate his life.”
She took a respectful pause. “Isau had a son, but he’s young. Still, I would like to bring him onto the closed council. Isau had good advisers, and I have no doubt that his son will learn even more from sitting in on these meetings.”
She’d sent messengers the moment she’d had the time to after finding out about Isau’s death. Isau had left a wife and children at his family estates. Mari harbored a hope that Arata would take the child under his wing.
Yoshinori spoke. “Your decision is wise, Lady Mari. As soon as I heard what happened, I sent an escort from my own house guard to complement Isau’s. I expect them here within a fortnight.”
There were murmurs of approval from around the table, and Mari fought back a curse. The child would be poisoned against her by Yoshinori’s ‘escort’ before they even reached Stonekeep. The action was suspicious. Mari had sent messengers immediately, but if Yoshinori was so confident his people would arrive first, it indicated prior knowledge. Perhaps the evidence was circumstantial, but it was no less damning in Mari’s eyes. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done. It sounded as though Yoshinori had potentially gained one more seat of support at the closed council.
“Thank you,” Mari forced herself to say. “Next, I must inform you all that I’ve ordered our generals to retreat even farther, into the mountains. We will make our stand there.”
The announcement sent the room into an uproar. Mari wondered if her father had ever had to deal with such disrespect, or if the fact she was a woman worked against her here too. Regardless, it took some time for the room to quiet.
“Might I ask your reasoning, Lady Mari?” asked Yoshinori.
“Always,” she replied. “Our troops are heavily outnumbered on both fronts, and both Lord Katashi and Lord Isamu are pushing hard into our territory. As much as I hate giving up land to the invaders, these are battles we cannot win. By retreating into the mountains we save the lives of our troops until a point where we might have a chance at winning.”
Several objections were raised. As she’d expected, several claimed she lacked the courage to fight. Yoshinori didn’t make those claims, though. He was sitting thoughtfully. His gaze traveled slowly over to her, and she saw the calculations happening behind those eyes. He cleared his throat and the room quieted. Mari cursed his control over the environment. They wouldn’t have silenced themselves so easily for her.
“Lady Mari, might I ask why you haven’t sued for peace?”
Because such an idea was doomed to failure, she thought. But she didn’t say as much. “We’re in no position to bargain with the other lords.”
“Perhaps. But if we continue to sacrifice land, the same will still be true. Although it doesn’t seem like it these days, we are all still part of the Kingdom. The other lords could see reason.”
Mari didn’t believe that for a h
eartbeat. This invasion had been coordinated, planned. Katashi, in particular, wouldn’t be satisfied until he could call Mari’s house lands his own.
As she looked around the room, though, she realized that she wouldn’t find much support for her belief from these nobles. Peace made sense. At the least, striving for peace was necessary. They were fighting what appeared to be an unwinnable war. Of course they’d want to see it come to an end. They didn’t agree that such a treat would be as harmful to their house lands as Mari believed.
Yoshinori continued. “If you wish, I would be willing to head a peace envoy to one or both of the other lords. If you gave me terms, I’d be happy to deliver them.”
Mari thought quickly. Yoshinori had just confirmed he’d been in contact with the other lords, though he hadn’t said as much. She’d suspected, of course, but this was as much proof as she needed. She couldn’t allow him to become an envoy. He would make her a puppet in no time at all. But she also couldn’t leave Stonekeep. She had no doubt the gates would be barred to her if she tried. Her hold was too tenuous. Then inspiration struck.
“You are right. We do need to sue for peace. Of the two, I believe Lord Isamu would be most amenable to a treaty. Do others agree?”
There were sharp nods around the table. The enmity between Katashi and House Kita wouldn’t be erased anytime soon. “Then I propose we invite Lord Isamu here. He can see the strength of Stonekeep again, and we can offer terms.”
If Yoshinori was disappointed, he didn’t show it. “A wise decision, Lady Mari.” His voice sounded cold, though.
The decision didn’t require much debate, and Mari left the council with her mind spinning. A peace treaty could be a disaster, but it could also be an opportunity. An opportunity she wouldn’t waste. Perhaps this could work to her advantage after all.
13
Asa swallowed her beer in a few long gulps. Immediately, she felt the warmth of the drink spread within her. She’d been looking forward to this moment all day long. She raised her hand for another, and the attentive barkeep had another frothy mug in front of her in an instant. Asa considered drinking this one quickly too but decided against it. She still had too much work to do tomorrow.
Isamu’s acceptance of Mari’s offer to meet was all that anyone in Stonekeep could talk about. No doubt, Mari viewed the meeting with more trepidation than Asa did, but Asa didn’t think anyone in the city had to work as hard for the lord’s arrival as she did. The guards required more training, schedules needed to be planned, and routes and meeting spaces had to be inspected and guarded in preparation for the visiting lord. And, if either Mari or Isamu decided to change any part of the plan, Asa needed to have contingencies in place. She’d been working from sunrise to sundown the last few days without taking so much as a break.
The additional duties made Asa question her place more than she already had. She kept thinking about the expeditions and the opportunity to explore unknown lands. Asa had spent most of her younger cycles on the road, and although time masked the suffering of those days, she longed for the open road again. She wanted nothing more than the freedom to determine how to spend her days.
But she’d given Koji her word, and she couldn’t bring herself to break it. Protecting Mari was the best use of her skills, whether she liked it or not.
She looked down into her mug, realizing over half the beer was gone again. She’d been so lost in thought she’d barely noticed.
Asa had come back to the inn’s common room again. She hadn’t slept in the building for over a moon, but she found the familiar atmosphere calming. Also, for the most part, no one paid her much mind.
She looked around the room, the soft murmurs of pleasant conversation filling the air. She liked that the room rarely became rowdy. Some taverns always seemed to be the source of fights, but the patrons of this inn tended to be quieter. Asa imagined the higher costs of the drink had something to do with that.
A small group of performers sat in one corner of the room, their heads together, planning something Asa couldn’t even guess. A nondescript man who looked vaguely familiar sat in another corner. Two young men were having a friendly argument down at the other end of the bar.
Asa didn’t have her sense extended very far, but she felt the woman enter the room behind her, pause for a moment, then walk straight toward her when she was recognized.
Suzo sat down next to Asa. “Do you mind?”
Asa shook her head, surprised that she really didn’t. She imagined that being the head of the guards meant she shouldn’t be drinking with the younger woman, but she didn’t much care. So long as they could fulfill their duties tomorrow, they had little to worry about.
With a gesture, Asa ordered a beer for each of them. She hadn’t planned on having another, but Suzo’s company seemed reason enough for her. Suzo nodded her thanks and they both drank deeply from their mugs.
“How can I help you?” Asa didn’t believe that Suzo was there by coincidence.
The other woman looked uncertain for a moment, an expression Asa was not used to seeing on the face of one of her most promising guards. After a moment’s hesitation, Suzo replied, “Honestly, I only wanted to spend some more time with you. You are the only one I know who doesn’t judge me for my skill. Compared to yours, I suppose mine isn’t that great anyway.”
Asa almost thought to argue, but Suzo’s words rang true. Suzo didn’t seem to have many friends. Her skill and her dedication to improvement made her an outcast even among the women who were forging a new path.
Asa took another long sip of her beer, enjoying the companionable silence. She had always liked Suzo and her desire to accomplish more than anyone else. Perhaps she saw a little of herself in the woman.
Eventually Suzo got around to asking a question, and Asa got the distinct impression that it had been one of Suzo’s primary motivators for visiting. “If you don’t mind me asking, why do you lead the guards? It doesn’t seem to be a task you are particularly interested in.”
Asa contained her surprise, realizing there was no way Suzo could have known she was thinking about that very subject. Her first impulse was to lie and talk about duty or honor or any of the other vague and nebulous concepts so many used to justify their actions. But one glance at Suzo prevented that. The woman deserved better than empty words. “I’m not really sure,” Asa admitted. “I began because I couldn’t think of anything better to do, and I continue because of a promise I made to a friend. But it is not a task I would’ve set for myself.”
Asa worried that Suzo would panic, but she received no such reaction. Suzo just nodded, as though she’d expected as much. “Do you ever worry that your lack of dedication will be a danger to Lady Mari?”
The words weren’t uttered in judgment, but Asa felt their sting all the same. “Sometimes. But even though I struggle, I would be devastated if anything happened to her. I want to see her succeed.”
Suzo let the silence stretch for a few moments, even though Asa could see there was more she wanted to ask. “Do you mind if I ask you a more personal question?”
Asa considered saying no. She didn’t tend to be the type of person who liked deeply personal conversations. But the beer had loosened her defenses, and she nodded.
“What do you want from life?”
Asa suddenly felt as though she was in front of Kiyoshi once again, the old man’s eyes digging into her as he quizzed her about her desires and plans. Then she blinked, and she was back in the present. Looking at Suzo, she answered honestly again. “I want to leave this land and explore beyond the boundaries of the Kingdom. I want to find new lands and face new challenges.”
This time, Suzo did look taken aback. But it was a move of surprise more than of judgment. “You’d want to leave? But you’re a nightblade.”
“That’s exactly why I want to leave.”
“I don’t understand. Just by wearing your robes, everyone around knows you’re one of the best and strongest swords in the Kingdom. Everyone knows how
powerful the blades are.”
Asa understood what concerned Suzo. “Strength and power are hardly what they’re made out to be. By themselves, they are worthless.”
“I think I would give almost anything to have that respect, though.”
Asa shook her head. “It is more fear than respect.”
“Still.”
Asa wasn’t sure how to respond to someone so certain in her beliefs. She felt tossed about like a ship caught in a storm at sea, but Suzo seemed focused, cutting through choppy waves with certainty. Asa decided to turn the conversation more toward the young guard. “What about you? What do you want?”
Suzo’s answer was direct, as though she’d been waiting for just that question. “I want your position.”
As soon as she said it, she seemed to realize just how forward she’d been. “When you’re not in it, of course.”
Asa laughed and held her mug up in a silent toast toward Suzo. “When you’re ready, you are more than welcome to it.”
Suzo smiled and tipped back the rest of her beer.
The next day, Asa regretted having as many drinks as she had. Suzo had turned out to be excellent company, and the two of them had remained later than was wise. In many ways, the two women were mirrors of each other. Asa had the power and respect that Suzo craved, and Suzo had the dedication to her work Asa wished she felt.
Asa made her way through the halls of Stonekeep castle, surprised when she ran into an old and familiar face. Hajimi was just leaving the castle. He hadn’t been expected, as far as Asa knew. She bowed to the leader of the blades. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you here,” she said.
Hajimi didn’t look particularly pleased about being present either. “It would not have been my first choice, but I felt it was necessary. Can you walk with me for a while?”
