Empress of All Seasons

by Emiko Jean

  Tami’s eyes blazed. “What does it matter to me? You are my daughter. My blood runs through your veins. I love you.”

  Mari bowed her head and sniffed. It wasn’t the time for this conversation. An army marched toward them. But Mari couldn’t help the words from spilling forth.

  “When I was growing up, you were always so cold. So distant.”

  Tami pursed her lips. “I kept myself separate from you. I thought it was for the best.”

  “You never believed in me. You didn’t think I would conquer the Seasons.”

  Tami’s breath puffed out in foggy clouds. “No, the opposite. I believed in you too much. I knew you would triumph. I knew you would capture the heart of the prince. Since the day I first held you, I knew your life was bigger than Tsuma.”

  “You sent me away.” I almost died. I’ll never be the same.

  “I set you free. You are the best thing I’ve ever done. And if I was cruel, it was only to prepare you for a world that is much crueler.”

  Mari’s shoulders hunched. She knew it was true, had known since her mother’s confession. But still, there was so much to forgive.

  “You insist on staying?” Tami asked.

  “Yes,” Mari stated firmly. In her few precious moments alone, Mari had committed herself to living—or dying—by her friends’ sides. What good would it do if she ran, and all she loved perished? She had to fight back.

  Tami looked up. “It’s going to be a beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky.”

  Mari gripped her mother’s hand.

  Together, they watched the sun rise.

  Chapter 48

  Taro

  The imperial army summited the mountain in the midmorning light.

  Taro led from atop a chestnut horse, its coat gleaming in the sun. He wore a cuirass, a vest made from plates of steel tied together with purple silk. His helmet was fashioned with antlers, twisting up to the sky, and a red metal mask. Satoshi flanked him on the left; his shōgun to the right. Both were clad in similar armor.

  “The village—just five miles up the road!” a scout rasped, his horse galloping toward the group, then skidding to a stop. The scout dismounted the animal, slick with sweat, and bent over in front of Taro, trying to catch his breath.

  “What else?” the shōgun asked.

  “It seems they are expecting us. They have boarded up their homes.” The scout straightened, still gasping for air.

  “Have they fled?” Taro asked, lifting his mask.

  “I couldn’t tell, Your Majesty. I didn’t want to get too close and spook them.”

  Taro grunted and let his mask fall in place.

  “Your Majesty, we await your order,” said the shōgun.

  Taro’s horse stamped a hoof, sensing his master’s restlessness.

  Taro felt the power behind him—five of his most favored daimyō leading five hundred samurai. A dozen priests. The trees filled with ninja. He’d brought an army fit to topple a mountain.

  “We’ll rest here today. We attack at sunset.” The cloak of night was best for a hunt. “Make sure all know—the empress is to be taken alive.”

  “Your Majesty?” the shōgun challenged.

  Taro gritted his teeth. “The empress is to be taken alive. All others are fair game.”

  Taro kept his eyes straight ahead. Somewhere just beyond the trees, Mari and her Animal Wives waited. Taro’s heart sped up. By the next morning, it would be over. The mountain would fall. And Taro would dance on its ruins.

  Chapter 49

  Mari

  Dried leaves crunched under Akira’s feet. At the noise, Mari stopped sharpening her new naginata, courtesy of Chika’s weapon stash, and glanced up. She sat near the base of a flat rock, which rose from the ground like a pillar. Carved into the slate surface was the legend of the first Animal Wife. In front of her, a fire blazed. She’d built it earlier, adding red cliff daisies. Crimson smoke curled high into the sky. I will return to the mountains. But if you should ever need me, find the red cliff daisy . . . Hiro had said. Now Mari sought to collect on the debt he owed her. She prayed the rōnin would show, help her defeat an undefeatable army.

  “I used to play hide-and-seek here.” Mari sighed and let the naginata rest in her lap.

  Akira wiped the dirt from his hands. He had spent the morning visiting his parents, urging them to run, then digging holes. An Animal Wife strolled by, her gaze lingering on him.

  Mari’s smile was melancholy. “None of the other children would dare hide near the sacred shrine. And now it may be destroyed.”

  Akira circled the fire, then crouched, gripping Mari’s knees. “You mustn’t believe that. To believe something gives it weight and meaning. It taunts the gods and goddesses to turn it true.”

  “You are too optimistic.”

  He stared into her eyes. “I am not. I know lives will be lost. But we have a chance.”

  “And if we succeed, if we push back Taro’s army? He will return with reinforcements. A fly may dodge a hand, but it is only a matter of time before the hand returns.”

  “We will make our stand, and if we succeed, we will go west and build an army equal to the emperor’s.” Akira put his hand on her shoulder. “And I think you should lead them.” Akira paused, looking Mari in the eye. “You could have fled. Yet here you are.”

  Hanako and Ren appeared. They’d heard Akira’ s proposal. And they awaited Mari’s answer. Could she do this? Join them—lead them?

  She tightened her hand around her naginata. “I will fight, always, by your—on your—side.” She felt Akira smile. She looked at him. At one point, she’d thought Taro completed her. Now she realized that he didn’t. She was complete by herself.

  Marriage and love, they aren’t achievements. Mari stood ready to face Taro, ready to face a new life. The fireball of rebellion within her had broken free.

  * * *

  The whole village had gathered at Tami’s house to eat. It was there they heard the first war drum, the hollow sound bouncing off the trees. The beat started out faint, a whisper on the wind, and grew louder as the minutes ticked on.

  Mari’s stomach dropped.

  Tami stood, her hands trembling as she brushed them against her kimono. Even in the face of war, Mari’s mother looked splendid in a silk gown.

  Mari forced down the rest of her rice. Her fear gave way to scorn. How arrogant Taro was, announcing his arrival as if victory were a foregone conclusion. Blood heated in Mari’s veins.

  “The emperor comes,” Tami stated.

  “It’s too soon,” Hanako whispered. They weren’t expecting him for another day. They needed that time to put the second part of their plan in place. Needed time for the rōnin to arrive.

  Mayumi wailed in Yuka’s arms as Tami ushered the mother and daughter out the door. “You must go now. Take her from here, and don’t come back.”

  Mari followed, the rest of the Animal Wives spilling into the street behind her.

  Yuka began to run, baby tucked in her arms. She leaped, tossing Mayumi in the air. The baby giggled, somersaulting through the sky. Yuka transformed into her beast. Just as Mayumi was about to hit the ground, Yuka grabbed her daughter up in her claws, then swept high into the air. She was already far away, her body just a silhouette, a gust of wings.

  “That was amazing!” Hanako’s voice pierced the silence. “Can you all do that?”

  At once, the Animal Wives shed their human forms. To the background of encroaching drums, they transformed into mighty beasts. Mari gazed at their twisting bodies, their cracking bones, their changing skin. Once again, she was on the outside looking in. After everything she had become, this was still something she couldn’t be, not fully. But the stab she usually felt wasn’t quite as sharp. She caught Akira’s eye, and he smiled encouragingly. I see you. I see all that you are. I see all that you are not. And it is enough. You are enough.

  The beast rolled under Mari’s skin. Accept me, it seemed to whisper. Accept me. She closed her eyes. Her b
ody hunched of its own volition. The ridges of her spine moved like a serpent under her skin. No. She didn’t want this. Realization hit in a heady rush. It wasn’t the beast that always rejected her. It was she who rejected the beast. Because I never wanted to be an Animal Wife. But now she realized, It doesn’t have to define me. It is a piece of who I am.

  Her back split open with a crack, and dark leathery wings sprouted and unfurled, black and pearlescent in the dusky sunset. Flesh turned itself inside out. Her arms elongated, and fingers tapered into thick black claws. Her nose and mouth fused into a beak. She blinked, and her eyes melted to black. Tough scales broke through her skin, and a winding tail snapped out from her spine. A mighty shriek burst from her beak. I am Empress and Animal Wife and yōkai and whatever else I deem worthy and part of myself. I choose. No one else. Mari looked again at the Animal Wives. Sisters. Mothers. Monsters. Beautiful beasts. Together, they shuffled their wings, ready to fly, ready to fight.

  Shaking from their stupor, Ren, Hanako, and Akira took their places beside Mari. Hanako even risked running a hand over Mari’s leathery wing. Fully transformed, Mari couldn’t speak, but she could understand, and she could feel. This is true freedom, to love oneself enough not to care what others think.

  “Is everything set?” Hanako asked Akira as she strapped a katana sword onto her back.

  The Son of Nightmares nodded. Dozens of throwing stars lined his clothing, almost like armor. “I buried the pots along the road just as you asked. All Ren needs to do is light the thread and then . . .”

  The drumroll drew closer. Mari’s heart sped up.

  “We all know what we are supposed to do?” asked Hanako. Nods passed around the group. The Animal Wives opened their beaks and shrieked, Mari along with them. “All right, then. All right, then. If we die tonight, we die together.”

  Mari beat her wings and lifted off the ground, leading the march to the gates. The Animal Wives flew just behind her, a dark, ominous cloud. They looked similar, but Mari knew her mother among them, felt her as a tree does its roots.

  Ren ran ahead, a book of matches in one hand and a sickle and chain in the other. The first faint whiff of smoke reached Mari’s nostrils. Her shoulders tightened, and her jaw set in determination. With her small size, she had learned that the element of surprise was essential. Taro had no idea what was in store for him.

  Chapter 50

  Taro

  Taro held straight in the saddle. Dirt kicked up around his horse’s hooves. Shrieks, the sounds a cross between a horse, a bird, and a human cry, pierced the air. A murmur ran through the army, and they fought to steady their jittery horses.

  The trees on either side of the road rustled as ninja jumped from branch to branch. One final stretch of incline, and the dirt road widened. Stones and boulders dotted the landscape. Wind whistled along the mountain slope. The air smelled of snow and ice, even though winter had long since passed. A gate came into view, its hinges squeaking in the wind. Taro spied rooftops but no lights. Had the village been abandoned?

  “Something isn’t right,” Satoshi murmured. His half brother lacked the heart of a warrior. Priests relied too heavily on their curses. It was something the new emperor planned to rectify.

  Taro scanned the area. Mounds rose up in the middle of the road as if a gopher had dug a very straight line. Taro’s stomach clenched. He opened his mouth to order a retreat.

  But it was too late.

  Dirt and fire shot up, filling the air with smoke. One by one, tiny explosions erupted down the line.

  The horses reared, spittle foaming at their mouths. The army split in half. Samurai on horseback fled in every direction. Priests retreated, deserting to the left. “Keep in formation!” Taro shouted into the chaos. But his cry was lost.

  Chapter 51

  Akira

  Akira chased the priests through the forest. He threw stars, the blades swiping through the jugulars of four priests. No care for their fallen comrades, the others ran on. Branches whipped at Akira’s cheeks. He launched another star. Six priests down. That’s it, you cowards. Run right into my trap.

  Ahead, trees shook. Hanako and Ren dropped from the foliage, blocking the priests. The demon smiled, licked his fangs, and swung his sickle and chain.

  The priests halted and began to chant. Instantly, the two yōkai crumbled. Animal Wives slid from the sky, the curses pulling them down. Was Mari among them? Fear took hold of Akira and nearly choked him.

  The priests circled the Snow Girl and the demon. Their defenses are down. Their backs are turned. This is it.

  Conquer the priests. Conquer the army. Now! Akira flung stars as quick and sure as lightning. Metal grazed the priests’ necks, backs, stomachs. In minutes, they lay in a red heap. Gods and goddesses, their plan had worked. Far above the canopy, the Animal Wives shot back into the sky, shrieking in victory.

  Ren assisted Hanako up.

  “Everyone okay?” Akira asked.

  “Check for pulses,” Hanako told Ren and Akira. “I’ll keep a lookout for samurai.”

  Akira toed the pile of priests and thrust their bodies over. He pressed his fingers to their necks, skin only slightly sizzling on contact with their tattooed skin. “They’re all dead,” he called out. He counted the bodies, noted the color of the robes—all gray. “One is missing. Satoshi, the High Priest. He’s not here.”

  Hanako cursed savagely.

  Akira’s stomach churned. Smoke from the road explosions crept around their ankles. Night encroached. But no insects sang. The trees glowed, their souls trembling. He regarded Ren and Hanako. “Go help the others. I’ll find him.”

  Chapter 52

  Taro

  More shrieks, and this time they were closer. Taro resisted the urge to place his hands over his ears to blot out the noise. In the navy sky, black-beaked creatures swooped low. Ninja fired arrows through the trees. One of the creatures screeched as an arrow pierced its leathery wing, sending it spiraling to the ground.

  As if connected, the creatures screamed in unison. They dove, swooping through the air, plucking ninja from the trees with their talons. They rose straight up until it seemed they were as high as the moon, then dropped the ninja to their deaths. Thick smoke covered the ground, obscuring the bodies.

  “Your Majesty, we should retreat, regroup,” the shōgun said. The whites of his horse’s eyes glowed with terror.

  “What would my father do?” Taro shouted over the din.

  The shōgun hesitated.

  “What would he do?” Taro insisted.

  “He would stay and fight,” the shōgun answered.

  Black masses emerged through the smoke—the samurai returning. Taro urged his horse forward. A winged silhouette took shape in the fog. Then another without wings. The oni.

  The demon drew back an arm, swinging a sickle and chain. The weapon left the oni’s hand. It whipped past Taro, through the shōgun’s neck plate, and into his throat. The shōgun gripped his neck and toppled from his horse.

  The demon retrieved his weapon and retreated into the cover of smoke.

  Taro slid from his horse. He was too visible above the smoke line. He drew his swords. “You hide like cowards!” he yelled, ripping off his helmet and mask. “Face me.”

  The winged figure moved in the hazy smoke. Taro froze, breath bated. His blood flowed heavy, as if weighted down by lead. The figure stepped forward, and, as it did, its body changed. Wings receded into its back; scales shimmered, then disappeared, replaced with skin; black fathomless eyes dissolved to brown flecked with amber. The demon handed her a naginata. Weapon in hand, she smiled. And he cursed the rush of blood that ran through him. The pleasure at seeing her. His wife. His empress. Mari.

  Chapter 53

  Mari

  Mari unsheathed her naginata. She was staring directly at Taro. The Cold Prince breathed deep, swords fisted in his hands. Samurai swarmed behind him, but Taro halted them with a single jerk of his head. Mari focused on him. Her stomach twisted in a vi
cious knot. How did it come to this?

  Orange light flickered in Mari’s peripheral vision. The ninja had set their arrows aflame. Mari heard a scream above her and knew another Animal Wife had perished. The beast tensed under her skin.

  Taro must have noticed her flinch. “It doesn’t have to be this way. Call off your rebellion. This battle can end without any more bloodshed.”

  Mari swirled her naginata. “You will leave this mountain and my village in peace?” she asked, brow arched.

  Taro shook his head. “You know I can’t do that. I ask for your surrender.”

  A terrible screech echoed through the mountain as another Animal Wife fell from the sky, this time on fire, a comet racing toward the earth. Gray smoke layered into black, bringing with it the scent of sulfur and burning trees. Around them, metal clashed against metal. Akira, Ren, and Hanako were fighting the army. Mari contemplated Taro’s words. No one else would have to die.

  Again, Taro sensed her hesitation. He took a cautious step toward Mari and let his swords drop. “You could come back to the Imperial Palace. Back to me.”

  Mari scrunched her eyes. She couldn’t possibly have heard him correctly. Back to me. Be his empress again? She nearly laughed. She lowered her naginata. “What of my people? What about Akira?”

  Taro’s jaw twitched. “The Son of Nightmares killed my father. He must pay for his crime. Justice must be carried out.”

  “So stubborn in your certainty,” Mari said through her teeth. Her hand clenched around the naginata. “And what of the yōkai? Would you remove the collars and reconstruct the empire so we are all truly treated as equals?”