by Megan Derr
Right then, Taka was grateful. If he'd had to wait until Taiheiyou and his flower actually made it into Taiheiyou's room, Taka would have spared the king having to kill him. Huffing out an irritated breath, he shoved back loose strands of his dark green hair and slipped from his hiding place, making his way more quickly through the halls.
When he at last reached the hall where Nankyokukai's rooms resided, Taka let out a sigh of relief. Reaching Nankyokukai's room, he did not bother to knock, simply opened the door and slipped inside. He closed the door quietly behind him and padded across the sitting room floor to the rightmost of three doors, sliding the door open and calling out, "Highness?"
"Here," Nankyokukai replied, stepping out of the shadows that had cloaked him. He looked unusual with his long hair braided and bound instead of loose as he normally wore it. "Really, Taka—your presence is not required."
Taka rolled his eyes. "Highness, I am not stupid enough to leave you to your own devices. If you insist upon gallivanting about, I insist on going with you, and I really think we may as well leave off discussing the matter further."
Nankyokukai laughed softly, and Taka was reminded all over again why the king was stupid for favoring Taiheiyou. If Taka had dared to speak so to Taiheiyou, he would have found himself cuffed at the very least and more likely publically humiliated the following day. "What has you so cranky, Taka?" Nankyokukai asked. "Do not tell me that delegate from Pozhar was attempting to win your favors again. I thought I took care of him."
"You did, Highness, and I believe his grace further addressed the matter, though he said nothing of it to me."
"No, he wouldn't," Nankyokukai said softly. "That is not his grace's way. So what, then, has you so irritated, hmm?" He drew up the length of fabric he'd been holding and wound it around his head and shoulders to make a hood, securing the fabric in place with a plain silver clasp in the shape of a dragon's head.
Taka snorted. Even when Nankyokukai took pains to look perfectly ordinary, he failed miserably. He was too beautiful, too royal, too Nankyokukai, to ever be ordinary. "I really wish you would tell me what all of this is about."
"I really wish you would tell me what has you angry," Nankyokukai replied. "As I am the prince, and you the secretary, speak."
"Brat," Taka muttered, then gave up. "I saw your brother taking Lady Etsuko off to his room. Nearly ran into them, which would have been decidedly awkward."
Anger flickered on Nankyokukai's face, but he almost immediately smoothed it out and flapped one hand dismissively. "Tai will get his comeuppance. Even a crown prince does not get away with everything forever. His day is fading and will shortly turn to night."
"I wish that sounded less like a certainty and am glad I do not know why you are so certain," Taka said with a sigh and stepped out of his palace slippers to pull on the town boots he had tucked into the fabric roll. When his boots were in place, he mimicked Nankyokukai in wrapping the fabric about his head and shoulders, though his silver pin was of much simpler quality and a plain square in shape. "Come on, then, Highness. Let us get this over with."
"We will not get far if you continue to call me that," Nankyokukai pointed out.
Taka did not bother to reply, simply led the way to the balcony and swung neatly over the railing, then out onto the rough stone of the palace wall, making short, easy work of climbing down it to the ground below.
Nankyokukai was only moments behind, leaping neatly down beside him and brushing dirt from his loose, dark pants. "We have become rather skilled at that, haven't we, Taka?"
"I prefer not to think about it, Kyo," Taka replied. "Where are we going?"
"The warehouse district, the half-moon quadrant," Kyo replied and led the way away from the palace and down into the city.
The royal city smelled like the sea and the last fragrant traces of flowers fading away as summer turned to autumn. He shivered in the cold, but the chill would vanish after a few more minutes of brisk walking. Down in the city, it was less strange to see people walking about well after curfew. The moon was fat and pale in the sky, gleaming here and there on the streets. Taka walked alongside Kyo, something he would never do by the light of day, where propriety dictated he walk two paces behind.
He resisted an urge to touch the dagger tucked away at the small of his back, not wanting to alert anyone who might be watching as to where he kept his weapon. It was rare someone bothered them—Kyo just had that sort of presence—but it paid to be cautious all the same.
"I wish you would tell me what we are about."
"I am going on a journey, and I am looking to secure passage," Kyo replied, and the undertone in his voice made Taka wince. That particular hint of frost only ever came from one source: Kyo's father. Taka stifled a sigh and looked at Kyo out of the corner of his eye.
He was the image of his mother, and the only person as highly regarded for beauty was the Princess Umiko. Taiheiyou was a loud, obnoxious, spoiled brat who would ruin his handsome figure long before age did it for him. He lacked everything that Kyo possessed: discipline, refinement, a sense of responsibility, and the knowledge and acumen suitable to ruling a kingdom. It infuriated Taka that Kyo would never have the throne despite the fact he deserved it.
No, it was the flamboyant buffoon who would sit on the throne and wear the Eye of the Storm until he passed it on to an heir—and Kyo would rot, neglected, never given a fair chance to sail.
Storms spare him bratty, spoiled, flamboyant men who did not care who they hurt in pursuit of their own selfish wants. Kyo might have been ruthless and cunning, but he wasn't malicious. Taka blew out an irritated breath. "We are going on a journey, you mean," he said.
"No," Kyo replied, employing a sharp tone of voice that Taka rarely heard—and even more rarely heard directed at him. "I am going; you are remaining here. That is final."
Taka did not deign to reply because they both knew he was going to ignore that order. Everyone else might think Kyo was best ignored and left to his own devices, but Taka knew him far too well to do that. "So with whom are we meeting tonight?"
"A merchant," Kyo murmured as they entered the warehouse district at the southeast edge of the city where it circled the main harbor. The bulk of Kundou's money was made in trade, for nobody traveled the seas even half as well as the people of Kundou. For goods to go from country to country, they nearly always went by way of Kundou ships.
Taka fell silent as they wended their way through the mazelike warehouse district until they reached the half-moon quadrant. He frowned, wondering why Kyo needed such a high-end merchant. Rent in the half-moon quadrant was nigh on obscene, though he knew it was little more than a drop to those who could afford it: the wealthiest and most powerful merchants in the city, and all the lords and ladies who had shares in the various ships.
Kyo stopped in front of a warehouse that seemed to bear no markings past those which designated its location and that it was rented. He did not knock, simply pushed open the small door on the right side of the front of the warehouse and slipped inside.
Heaving a sigh, Taka followed him, tense as they wove through stacks of crates, barrels of wine and beer, bolts of fabric, and numerous casks of spices and other dried goods.
Orange-yellow light spilled out of a room at the back of the warehouse—an office, likely. Taka frowned as they approached it, but resisted an urge to ask Kyo if it was really such a good idea. Of course it wasn't, and near as he could tell, that was at least half its appeal. Kyo wasn't happy unless he was risking life or limb to accomplish some goal that only made sense to him and only made sense to everyone else long after the fact.
He'd never clandestinely met a merchant in the dead of night, however, and Taka did not like that he was doing so now. But he knew better than to try and stop it; the best he could do was stay with Kyo and keep him out of as much trouble as possible.
Reaching the door of the office, Kyo knocked. A deep-timbre voice called for him to enter, and Kyo pushed the door open and slipped insid
e. Taka followed him, eying the man they were to meet—and immediately hating him on sight. He was everything Taka loathed: flamboyant and loud and arrogant, even just sitting there watching them.
He was beautiful, in a dark and striking way, though Taka hated admitting it even privately. Certainly he was not conventional. He was broad, and though it was impossible to tell from the way he was sitting, Taka bet he was also tall. His hair was a deep, rich blue, half-covered by a vivid scarf of deep violet and decorated with gold stars and silver crescent moons. His robes were also violet, with an expensive-looking sash of gold and silver bands embroidered with black pearls.
Taka did not recognize him, but suspected he knew the man by reputation. Eyes the same dark blue as his hair fastened on Taka, startling him with their focus, and he drew a sharp breath only when the man looked away to regard Kyo once more. "Good evening."
"Good evening," Kyo murmured. "I assume that since you are waiting here, you are willing to consider my offer."
"Offer me terms I like, Highness, and we'll talk."
Kyo laughed softly and, to Taka's dismay, reached up to shove back his hood. "If you had not known it was me, Master Raiden, I would have cancelled the deal and gone home. Perhaps your reputation is not exaggerated."
"Depends on what aspects of my reputation we are discussing, Highness. I would have been quite surprised if it had not been you." Raiden replied, confirming Taka's suspicions. He was no less than Master Shimano Raiden—the wealthiest merchant in the city and the only one to hold every permit and license for trade it was possible to obtain. His company was one of the oldest in the country; if Taka recalled correctly, it could practically trace its roots to the Last Storm.
What was Kyo thinking? He was not certain he wanted to know. "I do not like this."
Raiden looked at him again and quirked a brow. "I am fairly certain it is not yours to like or dislike." He looked at Kyo, jerking his head at Taka. "Who is he?"
"My assistant in all things," Kyo replied and gestured with one hand for Taka to relax.
Making a face, Taka nevertheless obeyed, unwinding his own hood and wrapping the fabric around his shoulders, smoothing down his shoulder-length hair. "I repeat, I do not like this—whether it is mine to like or not." He met Raiden's dark eyes, daring the man to argue with him. He was a royal secretary, arguing was what he did best. There was no other way to get a royal to do anything.
Instead, Raiden just stared at him, and Taka once more found it hard to draw a proper breath. Why did Raiden stare so intently? Before he could find his voice and ask the question, Raiden turned away and stood up, moving to an ornate wooden cabinet. Opening it, he pulled out a crystal carafe holding a wine so dark it nearly looked black and a tray that held four delicate-looking crystal glasses. They were stem-less, as was common in the country that produced the dark wine: Piedre, kingdom of death. Raiden half-filled three glasses and presented one each to Kyo and Taka, then took the last and resumed his seat. He took a sip, then licked traces of the dark wine from his pale lips.
He glanced again at Taka, something flashing in his eyes—and that was a look Taka knew, a look he loved to remove from the face of every smug, entitled noble who thought a secretary would be panting at the chance to ride their cocks and accept whatever favors they handed out.
Just as he started to tell Raiden exactly what he could do with his cock, Raiden turned back to Kyo, and murmured, "Let us bargain, Highness."
Kyo smirked, relaxing back in his seat. "I think I may safely assume that money is of no interest to you."
"You assume correctly," Raiden said, and Taka almost rolled his eyes at both of them. He never understood why Kyo enjoyed such things so much, but he knew the only thing more obnoxious was letting two people so inclined argue with each other. "I collect treasures, Highness. Money I can amass easily on my own. Offer me something that only you can give me."
Chuckling, Kyo said, "There are several things in my possession that you want. Do you want pearls, esmeralda, saphir, rubi…?"
Taka tensed when he realized that Kyo was offering up his private jewel collection—a collection in which Taka took great pride. He was the one who had actually collected most of the pieces in it, after all. He narrowed his eyes at the back of Kyo's head and considered lobbing a shoe at it.
Raiden's gaze flicked back to him and looked over him almost appraisingly, Taka would have thought, if that had made any sense. "The Mermaid's Grasp," he said, looking back at Kyo. "That will do for a start."
Kyo laughed outright and gestured lazily. "Done. If you are going to be this easy, then it was not even worth my personal attendance at this meeting."
"We are just getting started, Highness," Raiden murmured. "You also have the Faerie Jewels."
"Those I purchased to give to my sister," Kyo replied. "But if you like that set, I might be willing to offer the Tears of the Lady Umi."
Raiden looked at him sharply. "I did not know that was in your possession."
"Most don't," Kyo replied and finishing his wine, set the empty glass on Raiden's desk. "The Mermaid's Grasp and the Tears of the Lady Umi: a fine choker and a full set of diamonds and pearls. I am already paying you handsomely for what I want—now tell me precisely what I am buying."
Snorting in amusement, Raiden pushed what proved to be a map toward him and then set a ledger on top of it. "Passage, Highness, precisely as you requested. Discreet, capable, and we will take you wherever you want to go, whenever you want to go."
"You have an impressive fleet; which ship have you selected for the duty?"
Raiden smiled, pride practically pouring off him as he said, "You are getting my best ship, manned by my best Captain. He's young for the post, but better than men twice his age and more—Captain Kindan Ningyo of the Kumiko. He is still out at sea, unfortunately, but he is due back within the week, two at the most. If he takes longer than that, we will discuss the matter then, Highness."
"Acceptable," Kyo replied, and he stood up to better peruse the map and ledger. "He makes you a handsome profit."
"He's very good at making people do what he wants," Raiden said, mouth quirking. "You will see what I mean when you meet him. But you can see that even with the jewels you are giving me, I am going to lose a great deal of money while he is working for you."
"Money you said you would not miss," Kyo replied.
Raiden smiled, slow and crafty. "I can recoup the loss, that is true, but I still think I deserve compensation."
Kyo laughed. "Name your price, then, and let us see if I am willing to pay it."
"I am not as organized as I should be," Raiden said, motioning to his desk which was a chaotic jumble of papers, ledgers, maps, receipts, and the Lost Gods alone knew what else. Taka had been pointedly avoiding looking at it since he had first noticed because the urge to make order of it all was strong. Honestly, royal prince or merchant prince, they could do nothing for themselves.
He tensed when Raiden's eyes once more fastened on him, and he wondered what it was about that dark blue gaze that made it so damned hard to breathe. "I find myself in need of a secretary—a very talented one. Give me your secretary, Highness," Raiden finally looked back at Kyo.
"What!" Taka demanded. "You are out of line, merch—"
"Taka," Kyo said, voice cold. Taka felt as though he had been slapped; Kyo never used his 'royal voice' on him. Hurt, Taka fell silent.
Kyo would never sign over his contract. They had grown up in the palace together after they had met at the age of ten. Taka had worked hard to join the secretarial pool, and only days after he had made it, Kyo had taken him as his only private secretary. The king and queen had six secretaries apiece, Prince Taiheiyou had four, and even Princess Umiko had three. But Kyo had only ever had him. He wouldn't.
"Why do you want Takara?" Kyo asked, looming over the desk while Raiden reclined in his seat.
"I told you, Highness. My only interest is in treasures, and if you are taking my finest ship and my finest captain, I
do not see why I should not have your finest secretary in return."
Taka shook with anger when Kyo laughed. "A fair point, merchant. Very well, I—"
"You can't!" Taka burst out. "Kyo, why—"
"If you cannot be silent, Taka, wait outside."
Taka lapsed into silence, biting back everything he wanted to say—but only barely. He had never thought that Kyo would betray him. One of Kyo's greatest assets was his loyalty; Taka had never had to fear, as so many contracted palace workers did, that his contract would be handed off to another noble or royal upon a whim. He had always been able to rest easy knowing Kyo would never treat him so callously.
He didn't know what to think, to be proven so horribly wrong. Why would Kyo do this to him? Taka felt numb as he listened to them work out the details. The jewels would be delivered upon the arrival of the ship, at which time the formal contract would be signed. His own contract would be officially handed over to Raiden on the day they boarded and left Kundou.
Relief flitted through him briefly that he would be going with Kyo, after all. He had worried that he would not be able to work out how to follow Kyo wherever he was going. Then again, Kyo was a backstabbing bastard—
Except he wasn't. Taka frowned at that. It wasn't like Kyo to just throw away the contract of his only friend, even if that friend was technically only a servant.
He was jerked from his thoughts by the sound of a chair scraping against the floor and looked up with a scowl as Raiden approached him. "Master Noumi," Raiden said and sketched him a bow, the silver and gold of his robes and scarf catching the light, the ends of his hair spilling over his shoulders like dark ink.
Handsome, flashy, arrogant—everything Taka hated. He bowed stiffly. "Master Raiden."
"I look forward to furthering our acquaintance," Raiden murmured and reached out, lightly touching Taka's cheek before he could jerk away. Turning to Kyo, Raiden bowed again. "Your Highness. Would you care for an escort on your walk home?"
Kyo shook his head. "No. Better my secretary give me a tongue lashing without an audience—they only encourage him. Good night, Master Raiden. A pleasure doing business."
