“I connected with the stones as you required, and to some extent, I now believe in your cause. But if you want to be certain of my aid, then I need a week to truly rest and replenish my spirit.”
“Beloved,” Hannya said, “you have been so powerful for so long that you have forgotten the toll something like this takes on a human wizard, even a special one like Turesobei. The boy, remarkable as he may be, cannot keep up with you. Let him regain his strength, so that you might be assured of success.”
With golden cat eyes, the Blood King glared suspiciously at them both. Finally, his eyes changed to heather green, and he relaxed. “You may take up to seven days to rest. After that be prepared to give everything, if necessary. I must gain my freedom soon.”
He bowed with intentional awkwardness. “Yes, master.”
“Understand that if you fail after seven days, I will once again torture Awasa each day until you succeed. Now leave. I have much to think on.”
Turesobei struggled to his feet and faked a stagger.
“Hannya,” Lord Gyoroe said. “Get him out of here.”
As she helped him to the courtyard, he thought toward her: “Next time. Be ready.”
Turesobei thought he saw a glimmer of acknowledgement in her eyes as she dumped him unceremoniously in the herb garden.
Chapter Seventy-Four
Pretending to be too exhausted to continue on, in case Lord Gyoroe was watching, Turesobei rested in the courtyard, lying in a patch of rosemary, lemongrass, mint, basil, and lavender. He breathed deep the earthy scents, listened to the chirping and whistling of the birds darting about in the great oak above him, and watched butterflies flit amongst the nearby shrubs. Nearby, sparkling water splashed down a pile of rocks and played into a narrow stream. Knowing he probably only had a week of life left, he tried to take it all in, just as Kurine had done when she’d first stepped into the courtyard.
Now that he was lying here, with his adrenaline fading, he realized he was nearly as tired as he had pretended to be. He was going to need all seven days of rest to get his strength back and prepare himself mentally. One thing he knew for sure, though. Whenever he wasn’t sleeping or meditating, he would enjoy spending time with Iniru, Kurine, and the others.
Lu Bei popped into fetch form, held Turesobei’s gaze for a moment, sighed, then stretched out amongst the herbs beside him. “You’ve ruined my prime source of herbs, master.”
“Nonsense. I haven’t destroyed them.”
Lu Bei propped his feet up on Turesobei’s belly. “Alas, master, they have your stink upon them.”
Turesobei half-chuckled and pondered, “How did I ever end up here?”
“This is where Hannya dumped you, master.”
Turesobei stuck his tongue out at him.
“Remember when you first found me, master? You were sick of studying magic, and you were bored because nothing interesting ever happened.”
“It seems like so long ago. I was a different person then. And I never could have imagined that I’d see the things I’ve seen and face the things I’ve faced.” A deep contemplation bubbled toward his lips…but was lost as he and the fetch dozed off.
Perhaps an hour later, he woke to find Iniru looming over them.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Exhausted. You know, like usual.”
“I take it you didn’t succeed.”
“Oh, I connected with the stones like I was supposed to.”
“Yay,” she replied in the flattest tone possible. “So why are we still here? Shouldn’t we be dead or heading home or dying on our way home?”
“I ran out of steam before Lord Gyoroe could start the ritual.”
“So are you going to try again tonight or tomorrow morning?”
“I’m too exhausted to try again so soon. I have to get some rest first. Lord Gyoroe said I could take up to a week off.”
“That’s good.”
“When I’m not sleeping and eating, I hope we can all spend some time together, have dinner, maybe play some games.”
“So we’re going to behave as if everything is happy and normal?”
“That would help me a lot,” he said. “I can’t rest if I’m worrying about the ritual.”
“If you think about it,” Lu Bei said, “for the two of you trapped in a desperate situation like this is normal.”
“Then maybe if we make it through this one,” Iniru said, “we should reevaluate our lives.”
“We’ll definitely survive,” Turesobei said, feigning enthusiasm. “After I help bring about a new Golden Age of the Kaiaru, Lord Gyoroe will see that we are safe and handsomely rewarded. He gave us his word.”
Based on the crinkle of Iniru’s nose and the turn of her ears, he knew she understood he was faking it. She was certain they’d be dead as soon as the Blood King won his freedom.
But Turesobei wasn’t certain about that. It was likely the Blood King would actually make him his top lieutenant. And he’d be able to force him into the role, if necessary, by controlling him through his kavaru. Turesobei’s companions would probably then be his crack team to handle problems he didn’t want to deal with, until they all died or had Kaiaru souls stuffed into them. Frankly, death sounded a lot better than being the Blood King’s lackey.
She held out a hand. “Let's get you inside.”
When he stood, his head swam and his legs wobbled, confirming that he had been much more tired than he’d realized. With him leaning his weight against her, they limped along toward his room.
“I’m glad you’re always along for the adventure,” Turesobei said. “I don’t know how I’d survive without you.”
“Oh, you wouldn’t,” Iniru said. “Not a chance.”
As soon as they reached his room, Kurine rushed over and helped Iniru get him onto the sleeping mat. “What happened?”
“Exhausted myself as usual. I’ll be fine after I’ve rested.”
“How far did you take it?” she asked.
“I didn’t pass out or nearly kill myself,” he replied. “I didn’t have the strength to walk home, though, so after Hannya tossed me into the herb garden, I took a nap there.”
“Why didn’t you call for a servant?”
“I guess because it was so peaceful under the oak, listening to the birds and the waterfall and watching the butterflies.”
Kurine turned to Lu Bei, “Why didn’t you come get me?”
“It was nice there, mistress.”
“Mistress?” Iniru asked, incredulously.
Lu Bei shrugged his shoulders and dipped his head. “Well…you see…I cannot best Lady Kurine…so…so I’ve simply admitted defeat.”
Iniru narrowed her eyes at the fetch, but didn’t say anything.
Kurine kissed Turesobei on the cheek. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
While she fretted over him and Lu Bei brewed tea, Iniru said, “Kurine, given this might be our last week together before…before whatever happens…do you think we could both stay here each night?”
Kurine stood and took her hands. “Oh, I’d like that very much!” She frowned. “Except…would it be okay if I could spend the last night of the week here alone with him?”
“Well…” Iniru looked into Kurine’s eyes and shivered “…that…that would be fine.”
Iniru’s reaction was odd. Turesobei hadn’t sensed anything wrong with Kurine. But Iniru had always been good at sensing fear. If Kurine was afraid, he wouldn’t blame her. She actually had more to fear than anyone else. Because on top of everything terrible the rest of them had to deal with, she would be going into a brand new world, her new permanent home—assuming they survived.
“I’m going to get some of my things,” Iniru said.
“Can you ask Awasa to swing by?” Turesobei asked. “I need to talk with her.”
While they waited, he told Kurine what had happened, at least the way Gyoroe and Hannya would have seen it. He tried to sound somewhat enthusiastic when he talked about helping Gyo
roe. Kurine beamed with pride as she praised his accomplishments and ambitions. Apparently, she was a good actor, because she seemed absolutely sincere.
Awasa entered. “You needed to see me?”
Turesobei patted the sleeping mat beside him. “Have a seat.”
She plopped down beside him, and Lu Bei brought them all steaming cups of jasmine white.
“I have some bad news for you,” Turesobei said, taking her hands. “Though I bonded with the heart stones successfully, I was unable to complete the ritual. Now, I’m too exhausted to try again until I’ve rested.”
“I don’t see what that has to do with—” Awasa cringed. “He’s going to torture me every day you rest, isn’t he?”
“No, but if I don’t succeed after the end of my seven days of rest, he will start torturing you then.”
“Oh,” she said. “That doesn’t worry me. I know you’ll get it figured out.”
Quickly, before he released her hands, he projected his thoughts to her. “I’ll make my move against him as soon as I connect to the heart stones, on that eighth day. Let Enashoma know that I’ve got a way to free her. She needs to meet me in the throne room.”
“I’ll let Enashoma know, and the others too if I can manage it. And I’ll meditate all that morning, waiting to detect a surge in energies, so I’ll know exactly when it’s time.”
Awasa finished her cup of tea and stood. Kurine gave her a deep hug and a kiss on the cheek. Awasa left the room with a surprisingly tender smile on her face.
* * *
After another cup of tea, a small meal, and an expert massage from Kurine, Turesobei went to sleep and without intending to didn’t wake until noon the next day.
Everyone ate lunch together, then sat outside chatting over tea.
While the others went for a swim and got massages that afternoon, Turesobei meditated. Since he had seven days to work with, his focus for now was increasing his internal kenja. He also spent time contemplating how he would handle his gambit against Lord Gyoroe.
For the most part, his role would be simple. The souls in the stones would do most of the work. But his immediate actions afterward would be of huge consequence, and he would need to act fast to free Enashoma before the Blood King could exact revenge on her.
Following dinner, everyone played a game of dice, but after three rounds, Turesobei wandered off into the courtyard with Kurine and Iniru. He was asleep before midnight, and again, he didn’t wake up until lunchtime.
Over tea that afternoon, Iniru taught them a storytelling game that was popular amongst her people. Kurine—much to Iniru’s irritation—won every time.
“Sorry,” Kurine apologized after her sixth consecutive win. “In the Ancient Cold and Deep, there’s not much to do outside of work, so we tell a lot of stories.”
Then the others sparred, swam, and played games while Turesobei again meditated and mentally rehearsed the spell he needed to break Enashoma free of the Blood King’s death chain. He also considered every possibility he could imagine, good and bad, about how the attempt against Gyoroe might go. He wanted to be as prepared as possible. The more he thought about it, the more impossible it seemed that he would be able to break the heart stones and escape from the Nexus. But he would certainly try his best.
To that end, speed and preparation were the best bets. But all he could do was trust in the plan he and the others had discussed out in the realms. He would give them the signal that night before the final attempt, to make sure they understood. Then Awasa would meditate all the next day, monitoring the energy flows, so that she would know the moment one of the heart stones was shattered. Then she would alert the others to grab their gear and rush toward the gate. That way, assuming he could escape the Blood King in the Inner Sanctum, they would be waiting for him.
After the third day he didn’t need more than a few hours of sleep anymore, so he was able to spend more intimate time with Kurine and Iniru, intimate time that he enjoyed a lot more now that he was rested.
Over the next four days he meditated, rehearsed the bondage-breaking spell, and pondered every possible way he could successfully make it to the gate platform. Otherwise, he devoted his time to Kurine and Iniru and playing games with his friends. But he reserved one afternoon for having tea with Enashoma and another for tea with Awasa.
Finally came dinner on the sixth day. As the others were finishing their meals, Turesobei said, “I don’t know why, but I’m starving tonight.” He caught Awasa's eye before calling over a servant. “Bring me a bowl of eggs and fried rice.”
Iniru's head snapped up, and she stared at him wide-eyed. "Eggs and fried rice? Are you sure?"
He nodded and shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah. I don't know why, but I'm suddenly in the mood for eggs and fried rice."
Enashoma and Kurine glanced at one another, puzzled. Then he could see them remembering the signal they had established out in the realms. Enashoma nudged Zaiporo, and he finally caught on as well.
"Well, while you finish eating we'll play a game,” Iniru said.
Turesobei had to hand it to her. She sounded almost totally normal. The others took the cue from her and tried to cover their reactions. After a couple of servants rushed over and cleared away the empty bowls and plates, Iniru dealt out the cards for a game of three card. She'd chosen well. The game required a lot of focus and quick movements and offered the distraction everyone needed to act at least mostly normal again. Everyone except Kurine. Her hands were still trembling.
When Turesobei's rice bowl came, the others watched him out of the corners of their eyes.
“This is a lot of food.” He took three bites and shoved it away. “Ugh. I don’t know why I ordered this.”
That was the final part of the signal. Everyone now knew that tomorrow they would make their escape—or die trying. Awasa and Iniru both did a perfect job of covering their reactions. Zaiporo recovered quickly as well. Enashoma started dealing cards rapidly to mask her nervousness. Unlike Kurine, she was doing an incredible job handling the pressure. Especially since out of all of them she was the least likely to survive if Turesobei failed, and the least likely to escape if he succeeded.
It helped that Lu Bei immediately started distracting her with his usual antics.
“No, no, Lady Shoma, you gave him more cards than me!”
“I did not! Count them.”
“Oh, well then, you gave him better ones.”
“How could you know that? You haven’t seen his cards!”
He hoped Kurine wasn’t going to act so suspiciously that the Blood King thought something more than the expected nervousness before the next day was to blame. Kurine’s face was locked into a stricken expression, as if someone she loved had just died. Turesobei bumped her leg to snap her out of it. The Shadowland had failed to rattle her, so he was surprised this did. But maybe it was because she was worried about him and Enashoma.
He bumped her leg again, and then she shook her head. A spread of ten cards lay before her. She picked them up and handed them to Enashoma. “I’m not feeling well. I must've eaten too much. I hope you don’t mind if I call it quits here.”
Turesobei turned in his cards, too. Then together they strolled through the courtyard. She was quiet, and every attempt he made to draw her out failed. She stopped to watch moonlight ripple across the streams and waterfalls…then she picked herbs, squeezing them between her fingers to bring out their scents more strongly, whispering the name of each as she did.
Turesobei could only hope nothing in her actions would warn Gyoroe something was amiss, assuming he even bothered to watch them anymore.
Lu Bei brought them tea, then turned into book form. After a silent cup shared watching a light breeze rattle maple leaves, they went to bed. He held her, and she trembled as she restrained sobs. Turesobei kissed tears from her cheeks and struggled for something to say that wasn’t a giveaway of what was about to happen.
After a while she got control of her tears. “I’m sorry, Sobei. I
…I just miss my home. It breaks my heart sometimes, knowing I’ll never get to see my parents again.”
“I’m sorry,” he replied, squeezing her tight. “I hope I’m worth it.”
Kurine kissed him on the nose. “You are more than worth it…my husband.” She ran a hand across his cheek. “Tell me a story. Tell me…tell me about your first adventure.”
“Again?” he asked. “You’ve heard the whole thing at least three times.”
“Yes, but I’ve never heard it without Lu Bei's embellishments.”
“He tells it much better.”
“I want to hear your version. Leave nothing out.”
When he finished an hour later, she said, “Now tell me again where we might settle down when we get to your Okoro, after you’ve saved your family. Tell me, Sobei, how wonderful and peaceful our lives will be then.”
Chapter Seventy-Five
Turesobei woke at dawn and had breakfast with all his companions, except Awasa who was already meditating expectantly. He was so nervous that he hardly heard anything the others said. When he was finished, he stood up. Then Kurine gave him a kiss, and so did Iniru.
Kurine squeezed his hand. “Do do your best, Sobei. I love you.”
He smiled. “I love you, too.”
Then, with his guts trembling, Turesobei marched to the Workshop. Awaiting him was a blue-eyed Blood King so eager and assured of success that he was practically bouncing on his heels like a small child. He caught sight of Turesobei and smiled. Turesobei breathed a sigh of relief. The Blood King wasn’t suspicious, and if Hannya had any idea what was about to happen, she didn’t show it. Her expression was almost one of disinterest.
Within the Inner Sanctum, Turesobei and Hannya each knelt in one of three white circles that formed a triangle around the heart stone pair for the Nexus. Since it didn’t matter who was in which circle, Turesobei chose the one closest to the exit. He placed Lu Bei in diary form right behind him. The Blood King attached the circlets and their rune-carved chains to Turesobei, Hannya, and himself. Then he knelt in the last available circle.
The First Kaiaru Page 36
