“No,” Lord Gyoroe said. “You have work to do, apprentice.”
“Beloved,” Hannya said softly, “the boy has done everything you asked, and he has done it far faster than we thought possible. Let him have this. Once you succeed in your plans, my lord, you will send Turesobei and his companions back to their home. Kurine will never see hers again. She has willingly sacrificed much for our cause.”
Lord Gyoroe frowned, then his eyes narrowed and shifted to yellow, as he studied them all intently.
“Please let us,” Kurine pleaded with puppy eyes. “I would be eternally grateful.”
Lord Gyoroe's eyes shifted to pale blue, and his face softened. “Fine…fine, you may go. Just know that if you fail to return, your friends will suffer dire consequences. Also, the others must wait outside the gate with Hannya, in case some danger shows up.”
“Is that okay with everyone?” Turesobei asked.
“If it's too much to ask, you can say no, and I will understand,” Kurine said.
“Of course, it's not too much,” Iniru said softly. “Of course, we can do that for you.”
Awasa nodded along, with what seemed to be tears welling in her eyes. Motekeru murmured his agreement, as did Lu Bei.
“Thank you,” Kurine said. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”
Iniru scowled and grumbled. “I only wish the two of you had discussed this with me beforehand….”
Kurine took her hands. “I’m sorry, Niru. You’re right. We should have, but we didn’t plan it until late last night.”
“And I only asked Lord Gyoroe about it this morning,” Turesobei added.
Iniru nodded and didn’t say anything, but her face still registered her hurt feelings.
“We should get going,” Hannya said impatiently.
“Hold on, I have to get something,” Turesobei said.
Hannya shot a dark look at him. He ran to his room with Kurine. They returned carrying two heavy packs with them, gifts for Kurine’s people. He activated the gate, and they traveled back to the Winter Realm.
On the other side, Motekeru immediately began construction on a giant snow house.
“Thank you for helping,” Turesobei told Hannya.
“You can thank me by returning here safely,” she said. “Take no more than a day.”
“I could come too...if you want,” Iniru said. “You know, in case something bad happens.”
Turesobei understood it wasn’t an issue of safety but one of jealousy. She didn’t want him to journey away with Kurine alone, even if it was only for a brief time.
“Thanks, but we’ll be fine.” He kissed her. “Kurine just wants to say goodbye to her family and see them one last time. Nothing's going to happen. I promise.”
Turesobei teleported back to the canyon with Kurine. She hugged him and practically bounced on her feet.
“Thank you, Sobei, for doing this. You’re the best.”
“You can thank me if this works,” he said.
“If what works?” Kurine asked.
“He means,” Lu Bei replied, “if he can convince the Storm Dragon to let you both ride on her back.”
“This is not something I want to command her to do,” Turesobei said, “so I’ll need your help convincing her, Kurine. She actually likes you.”
“The dragon spends every day with you yet likes me better. That doesn't make any sense.”
“That's exactly the problem,” Lu Bei said. “It has to spend every day with him. Do you know how old that gets?”
“I want to spend every day with him,” Kurine said.
Lu Bei made a choking gesture. “Ugh, it's not as great as you think.”
“I think the Storm Dragon likes you so much,” Turesobei said, “because I love you.”
She kissed him. “Aw, that's so sweet.”
The fetch groaned. “I’m turning back into diary form before I hurl that fine cup of tea I had this morning.”
“You will hear everything anyway,” Kurine said, poking him in the belly.
“I will record everything. If it's recorded I don't necessarily have to think about it.” He crawled into Turesobei's pack. “I don't want to spend the day in dragon form flying through the freezing sky anyway. And stop poking my belly!”
Kurine took his hands. “Sobei…when we get to Aikora…can we not mention that we called off our engagement? I’ll never get to see them again, and…” She choked up and couldn’t go on.
“Of course. I understand. We should also probably pretend that Lord Gyoroe is a decent guy, too. I don’t want to scare them and leave them worried.”
“You know, the strange thing is that sometimes he is decent and kind.”
“That's what makes him so scary.”
“How about we tell them it's hard, only slightly dangerous, and that we’re helping a strange, benevolent wizard?”
“Sounds good to me,” he said.
Turesobei evoked the Storm Dragon, and Kurine asked her to let them fly on her back. The dragon nodded, and Kurine climbed on. But when Turesobei got close, the dragon spun away. He stepped up to her again, and she knocked him back with a wing.
“Please,” he said. “I'm asking, not commanding.” After that, she finally allowed him to climb up onto her back. “Thank you.”
Turesobei cast the spell of cozy warmth on himself and Kurine. “It's a new spell I learned, just in case we got trapped here. And we’re going to need it, because it’s going to be even colder up in the clouds.”
“I'm a little scared of heights,” Kurine admitted.
“Well…er…hold onto the Storm Dragon, and I will hold onto you, and if you can't handle it, look up or out but not down.”
They shot up into the sky. Kurine screamed and tightly gripped the solidified cloud on the Storm Dragon's back. Turesobei comforted her, and as they neared the clouds, she looked down, swallowed, and let out a deep breath.
“It doesn't even look real this high up.”
The world below was an endless expanse of white and gray with hardly any features that stood out.
“You should see it from up here on my world, with lakes and trees and rivers down below you, plus houses and fields.”
“I would like that,” she sighed.
They moved up into the clouds. Kurine held her hands out and laughed as they soared along through them. Turesobei used the spell of locating that which is hidden to guide the Storm Dragon to Aikora.
When they began to descend several hours later, Kurine grew nervous. As they zoomed down with the ground fully in view, she started trembling again, then screamed.
They landed beside the hot spring. Several goronku out tending the garden fled, but then hesitated near the village’s entrance when they spotted Kurine and Turesobei.
They hopped off the Storm Dragon's back, and Turesobei recalled it. Someone must've signaled an alarm, because armed goronku charged out, led by Chief Sudorga. He skidded to a halt, stared at them a few moments, then began bellowing his high-pitched laugh.
“It's all right, men!” he called out.
Along with Kurine, Turesobei greeted the armed goronku. He knew most of them because they had accompanied him when he went to rescue his friends from the reitsu village.
Sudorga hugged them both. “Didn't think we'd ever see you again.” He looked around. “Where are the others?”
Turesobei started to answer, but Sudorga held up his hands. “Wait. It will be easier if you only have to tell the story once.”
“War Chief Sudorga,” Kurine said. “Please tell me my father's here and not out on a trading mission.”
“You’re in luck.”
Before they could reach the door to the underground village, Kurine’s parents, Trade Chief Tsuroko and Ukiri, came running up the steps.
Tsuroko, a man bigger than Motekeru and with nearly as many scars, lifted Kurine up, spun her around, and kissed her on the cheek. “My darling girl.”
He set her down, and she hugged her mother. �
��You're alive,” Ukiri said tearfully. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”
Tsuroko hugged Turesobei and thumped him on the back so hard he knocked the air out of Turesobei’s lungs. “You brought her back safe! I knew you were the right one for my precious Kurine.” He gasped. “Daughter, where did you get this warhammer strapped to your back? I have never seen a weapon as fine as this before, and with such beautiful markings. And this shield you have with it!”
“The markings are magic,” Kurine said proudly. “The weapons are gifts from…our benefactor.” She pointed to a large rock and handed him the hammer. “Give it a try.”
“There’s no way I can shatter that rock,” Tsuroko said.
“If you can’t, daddy, I’ll rub your feet tonight.”
Laughing, he swung the hammer. It struck, then pieces of rock went flying everywhere. In silent reverence, he handed the warhammer back to Kurine.
“I’ve had combat training, too,” Kurine said. “And I have fought enemies like you'd never believe.”
“Come in, both of you,” her mom said, beaming her pride. “You can tell us all about it.” She took Turesobei's hand. “Your friends, dear?”
“Alive and well.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
They went down the steps, past the warming runes Turesobei had drawn on the walls to pay for his keep when they had been here before, and entered the massive commons chamber. Most of the Council had already gathered: Earth Priestess Faika, Sun Priestess Oroki, Shaman Eira, and the others. Turesobei and Kurine bowed before the Council. Every goronku in Aikora tried to enter the chamber to hear their tale. When Kurine removed her outer coat, there were oohs and ahs at the sight of her armor.
“By the gods,” Tsuroko declared, “my daughter is dressed finer than the great Queen of the East herself.”
Ukiri felt the cloth. “This is the finest fabric I've ever seen. How did they make it?”
“I have no idea,” Kurine said.
“I would love to work with cloth such as this, though I fear my techniques are too crude for such a fine weave.”
“Will you be returning to live here?” Tsuroko asked hopefully.
Kurine looked at her parents. “I'm sorry, but this is only a brief, happy visit before…before I journey on…” she wiped away a tear “…unable to ever return again.”
They both nodded solemnly.
“We have been mostly successful,” Turesobei said. “We reached the Forbidden Library, and from there we went on to the Nexus of the Realms.” He gave a brief explanation of what the Nexus was. “But we still have much work to do before we can reach my world.”
“And you’re still not married?” Tsuroko asked.
“We haven't had the chance,” Kurine said. “We’ve been very busy. But we are still happily engaged.”
About half a dozen questions popped out at once, but Turesobei held up a hand. “First, I’m afraid I must deliver some terrible news. Narbenu and Kemsu…they died…before we reached the gate. Lady Umora and two of her men ambushed us.”
A few calls for war rang out, but Turesobei said, “I'm certain she didn’t have the blessing of her people. We killed Umora and the other two reitsu with her. Narbenu and Kemsu were avenged. And we gave them a proper burial. While they didn’t make it to the Nexus, they did get to see the wonders of the Forbidden Library. It wasn't easy to get there, and—”
From Turesobei's pack came a rustling like rapidly flipped pages. Lu Bei shot out into the air and did a pirouette. The goronku, who had seen Lu Bei's antics before, clapped and cheered, which was exactly the kind of encouragement the fetch never needed. Lu Bei zoomed once over everyone's heads, then stopped to hover in the middle of the room.
“My master, may the gods ever bless him, is not a natural storyteller. However, I—the illustrious, ever envied, never copied, Master of Teas, Prince of All Diaries, dragon in miniature, and fetch extraordinaire—am a masterful storyteller. A born natural, obviously, since I am a book, after all.
“Allow me, good people, to begin at the beginning. I shall spin you a tale—spun, yes, but true in all regards—a tale of daring adventure, deadly opponents, wonders never before seen, ancient mysteries, love gained and lost, treachery most foul, and yes, tragedy…tragedy with heroism. I shall tell you of heroes kissed who yet live and of other worlds we have seen. I shall—”
“Get on with it, then,” Turesobei said. He could tell the fetch desperately wanted to stick his tongue out at him, but for once managed to restrain himself.
“Of course, master.” He bowed. “Here is all that happened, after we left the brave, lovely village of Aikora….”
Turesobei hoped Lu Bei would stick to Kurine's plan for what to tell them about the Blood King and that he would focus on the adventure and leave out Turesobei's love life. He didn't want to suffer such embarrassment, and he wanted Kurine's parents to think that their relationship was perfect.
Lu Bei spun his tale, and it was all true, yet no less difficult to believe, even though Turesobei had lived it. The fetch left out most of the personal stuff, which was doubly good, because what he told was long and incredibly detailed.
Lu Bei was a great storyteller, and the goronku, trapped in their harsh, simple world were always craving new stories. Lu Bei brought them to the edge of their seats. They laughed, they cheered, they cried, and they sang a song of mourning for their fallen brothers.
At the end, Lu Bei bowed, and they applauded him for nearly five minutes.
“You have truly seen the land of the dead?” Sun Priestess Oroki asked Kurine.
“I have,” she said, describing it in detail. Lu Bei had done the same, though in his own words. “I saw Kemsu go on to Paradise, having heard the voices of our ancestors singing, just as Narbenu had. I saw souls wander about, and I saw strangers travel on to Paradise. However, I saw others scream their way into Torment. I fought demon after demon for love. But do not do as I did, for only with passion can you stay, but eventually that passion will turn you into a demon. Embrace Paradise or Oblivion. Do not stay in the land of shadows. Move on.”
War Chief Sudorga stood. “Our visitors have traveled far. Let us give them a few hours of rest with Kurine’s family. Then tonight, we shall feast in honor of their daring adventures!”
“Wait,” Turesobei said, “there is one more thing. You all invested much treasure in my expedition to the Forbidden Library. We had not even begun to earn what you gave us when we had to leave. On top of that, you lost two of your people. So, we have brought with us a large portion of the treasure we took from the eidakami-ga’s lair. I will be giving most of that to the Council, to do with as they see fit, for the good of all Aikora. It’s the least I can do.”
There was a thunderous cheer and a round of clapping. The two packs of treasure he had brought them was probably worth fifty times more than all their possessions combined.
“And I have brought with me foreign delicacies,” Kurine said. “Foods never before tasted in our world. Plus, a bit of fine fabric for my mother to work with.”
“Thank you, dear,” Ukiri said.
The goronku crowd reluctantly broke up. Kurine's parents told her how proud of her they were, though Turesobei could tell her experience in the Shadowland had scared them deeply.
“So, Turesobei, what’s your relationship status with your fiancé who went mad?” Ukiri probed.
“That engagement was never one of our own choosing, and now it's officially over. Awasa and I are only friends now.”
“And the other girl…Iniru?”
“Mom!” Kurine said.
Ukiri shrugged. “If you’re willing to fight through so much for him, I think it’s fair to know how devoted he is to you.”
“I do not doubt Sobei's devotion.”
“Iniru and I…we are…only friends now,” Turesobei lied. “There's nothing romantic between us. I'm only in love with Kurine.”
Ukiri smiled, satisfied, but now Tsuroko was scowling. “If
that’s so, then why haven't you married my daughter yet? You’re both adults, and you’re engaged.”
“Dad, Turesobei and I are too busy to get married.”
“Do not wait for the danger to pass, dear,” Ukiri said. “Life is short. Make the most of it.”
Tsuroko's face lit up so suddenly that Turesobei flinched. “I have it!” he bellowed. “We shall postpone the feast until noon tomorrow—when the two of you shall wed!”
Turesobei stammered unintelligibly, and Kurine said, “Dad, I–I don't think that’s a good idea.”
“On the contrary, my dear. It's the best idea I have ever had!”
“I…we…should…” was all Turesobei managed to blubber.
“Dad, Sobei's family, his sister….”
“She has a point,” Ukiri said. “Turesobei's family cannot attend. He would not have a single representative or witness related to him.”
“He has the fetch,” Tsuroko said. “You have heard his tales. What better witness is there than that? Besides, if they make it to his Okoro, we will never see them again. Turesobei's family will enjoy our daughter's presence and the grandchildren that result from this union, while we will get nothing. But if we could see their loved declared in ceremony, if we could see our daughter happily married before she returns to her new life of wondrous adventures…that would be something to warm our hearts into our golden years.”
Tears formed in big, tough Tsuroko's eyes. “Turesobei, my son, would you deny me my last chance to see my daughter made happy? Would anyone dare do that?”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Enashoma ran a hand along the lavender tops. “Hi, again.”
“You know,” Nāa said, “you do not have to visit the Canvas to meet with me. I am with you all the time.”
“I know,” she replied. “It’s just easier this way.”
“More comfortable, you mean? Because it gives an illusion of separation between us?”
“You see right through me.”
They stared at one another for a moment. Then a wide smile spread across Nāa’s soft, handsome face. Enashoma started laughing.
The First Kaiaru Page 17
