by Fuyumi Ono
With no king upon the throne, a kingdom descended into chaos. Natural disasters continued and the youma rampaged. Homes were lost to fires and floods, people had no way of surviving the winter. Shoukei remembered those cold winters in the orphanage. The weather improved during the summer, but locusts devoured the sprouting wheat, leaving the people with nothing to eat. Frost or flood, in either case, starvation was not far behind.
This is no doubt the kind of chaos Hou has plunged into, Shoukei thought, a thought that hadn't occurred to her before.
They got out of the wagon at the gates to the city.
"I really don't know a thing," Shoukei confessed as they walked to the inn.
Rakushun didn't contradict her. He said, "But from now on, if there's something you don't know, you need to learn it. I've got no problem with that."
Shoukei stopped. "Better late than never, no?"
There was a great deal she needed to learn, and quickly. About Hou, about the national polity, about other kingdoms, about kings and empresses, about princesses.
"What you didn't know about being the princess royal of Hou came back to haunt you. That lesson should be pretty well settled by now. True penance is still in the offing, but your life as a human being has only just begun. At this point, you're still a toddler. There's no need to hurry it."
"You think so?"
"There are some things in this world that you can never get back. Your life as princess royal is over. There's no reclaiming that piece of the past. Don't you think it'd be better to abandon it completely and consider instead what you did wrong and learn from it?"
"I suppose."
"The trappings of royalty are a stumbling block. In any case, lose the throne once and it's gone for good. As far as that goes, being an ordinary person is a lot easier. As long as you're still alive, there's always time for second chances."
"Yeah," said Shoukei, looking down at the hanjuu. His soft, charcoal-gray coat looked quite warm to her eyes, and his fine, glimmering, silver whiskers struck her as quite pretty. "You know, it just occurred to me, but you're probably quite comfortable."
Rakushun laughed. "For now. Come summer and it'll be truly tiresome." Shoukei laughed softly as well.
9-3
"Excuse me, Enho, but would you mind if I took off for today?"
After breakfast, Youko approached Enho as he was leaving for the elementary school.
"Not at all. Where to? Will you be late?"
"I should be home before the gates close. I'm going to Takuhou."
Enho hiked up his bushy white eyebrows. He leaned forward and said, "Why now, out of the blue like this?"
"I'd like to go see the city. Something wrong?"
Enho hesitated for a moment and then shook his head, averting his gaze. "Go ahead, go take a look. It's all fine by me."
With that cryptic remark, Enho turned and left through the courtyard. Youko scowled as she watched him go, wondering, "What was that about?"
Gousui Gorge formed the border between Ei Province and Wa Province. Crossing the rope suspension bridge over the gorge brought you to Shisui Prefecture. It was then a half-day wagon ride to the prefectural capital, Takuhou.
Youko sat in the back of the wagon and pulled on her jacket. In En, these kinds of suspension bridges were only used on very wide rivers. And the river crossings were well organized. Wagons were ferried across the river on boats. In Kei, you had to get off the wagon. There weren't that many bridges in the first place.
Bridges over gorges like Gousui were limited to places where a ferry landing couldn't be built to cross the river. As these were suspension bridges that horse-drawn wagons could not traverse, passengers had to disembark and then pick up a connecting ride on the other side. But a bridge that could be crossed was better than the alternative. At wider ravines, you couldn't even do that and had to go on very long detours.
Kei is poor, she thought, observing the passengers on the opposing shore waiting for wagons to pick them. Comparing Kei to En was a pointless exercise, though.
Arriving at Takuhou after a half-day's journey, she saw that the chaos had far more deeply scared the city than Hokui. In Hokui, damaged houses had been torn down and new structures were being built. All around Takuhou, remnants of burned-out and half-wrecked buildings stood there abandoned. Rough shacks lined the unreclaimed land outside the city. Sullen-looking groups hung out around open fires, the kind of refugees you never saw in Hokui.
Ei Province was doing very well. The province lord of Ei was the Taiho, Keiki. Additionally, as in Hokui, citizens of the Duchy of Yellow could expect relief from taxes. The stark contrast with Gahou, the ill-reputed province lord of Wa, was plain to see.
She climbed down from the wagon and paid the driver. She passed through the gates, listening to Hankyo's whisperings. Following his directions, she made her way to the southwest corner of the city.
Past a certain street, the rows of houses turned smaller and cruder. Before long, things got even worse. Hungry children on the street, faces tight with hunger. The listless eyes of adults squatting in patches of sunlight. Unconsciously, Youko found herself taking a tighter hold on the overcoat she carried in her left hand. With her right she gripped the hilt of the sword bundled inside the coat.
There, the hushed voice whispered from her heels.
Youko glanced from one end of the street to the other. Compared to the state of everything else around them, one of the houses was in rather good condition. As expected, anybody wanting to do business in this kind of neighborhood would first want to preserve the reputation of the establishment.
Youko approached the tavern, entered the open doors. Inside were several suspiciously-dressed men, even compared to the type you'd expected to be hanging out in this neighborhood. Their eyes fell on Youko.
"What you want, boy?"
Standing at the back was the man she had seen in Hokui.
"Just stopped by to ask for directions. You got a restaurant here?"
The men had already found other things to occupy their attention. A single man came up to her and pulled out a chair at a nearby table.
"Have a seat. You got lost?"
"Looks like it."
Youko sat down in the chair. She felt a sensation creeping up her spine, Jouyuu manifesting himself. Jouyuu was one of Keiki's shirei. He dwelt inside her, and now he was tensing up. Sensing danger, he was preparing himself and warning her. In fact, though the men at the tables around her had all looked away, she knew they were all focused on her presence.
"Hey, you." The man planted his hand on the table and leaned over her. The thin ring wrapped around his thick, gnarled fingers left a strange impression on her.
"You a girl?"
Youko looked up at him. "And if I am?"
The man laughed. "Ballsy, you are."
"I'll take that as a compliment. This your place?" The man nodded. Youko looked into his eyes and smiled. "Have we met before? In Hokui?"
"No," the man grunted. "Not that I recall."
From the expression on his face, Youko couldn't tell if he really didn't remember her or if he was only pretending he didn't.
"You gotta be kidding, you come to see me?"
"Just had a feeling we'd met before."
Youko didn't pursue the matter further. Everything about the place was fishy, the man, the tavern. She was going to have Keiki check out exactly who they were.
"Well, I do recall asking about getting something to eat."
The big man exclaimed in amazement under his breath. He looked down at her with something approaching admiration. "Well, ain't you the plucky one. You got money?"
"Are you telling me this is a pricey place?"
"Pretty damned pricey."
"Well, then," said Youko, standing up. "Perhaps I did come to the wrong place. So, what's the best way to get back to the main street?"
The man took a step forward. "Who are you?"
"A traveler."
"You expect me to believe t
hat? You got way more guts than fits your frame."
The men around her came to their feet. With flinty eyes they sidled toward her. Youko grasped the hilt of the sword inside the overcoat.
"What you come here asking questions for?"
"I needed directions."
"You take me for a fool?"
They had her on all sides. Six burly men. Youko took a firmer hold on the sword when an unexpected voice called out.
"Everybody, hold your horses!"
Youko stole a glance in the direction of the cry. The men as well turned toward the back of the tavern. When the big man turned, a gap opened up in the wall. She saw a boy there, maybe fourteen or fifteen. He appeared awfully small amidst all those big men.
He walked up to them, grabbed the big man by the arm. "Let her go." He said to Youko. "You may leave now."
"Hey." The big man tried to free himself. The kid wrapped his arm around his in an imploring manner. He also wore a ring on his finger. Youko committed it to memory.
"Sorry if they seem a little intimidating. They don't have much experience being around girls."
"Oh."
Continuing to tug on the big man's arm, he pressed his cheek against the man's upper arm and smiled. "Please don't take any offense."
Youko nodded. She turned on her heels. The cordon of men reluctantly broke apart. She pushed through them to the door, briefly glancing back over her shoulder at the young man. Then she straightened her head and marched out of the tavern.
"What you let her go for, Sekki?"
The big man watched the girl leave and then turned his attention to the boy hanging off his arm. The boy took a breath and let it out. He disentangled his arm and laughed. "I didn't do it for her sake. I did it for yours, big brother."
"You saying a little thing like her could have taken us?"
"That was no ordinary courage." Sekki glanced at the door the girl had just left through. "That was a very dangerous girl."
"What?"
"When she put her overcoat down on the chair, it made far too heavy a sound." Sekki narrowed his eyes. "Considering the length, I'd say it was a sword. A long sword."
Every eye in the place turned toward the door.
Youko walked down the forlorn streets feeling distinctly dissatisfied.
Something is going on.
That big guy was definitely the man she had seen in Hokui. Furthermore, the men hanging around inside that tavern were a hard bunch, and they gave off a mean vibe. Hardly the typical clientele. And then that kid. Youko drew her brows together.
She drew close to the main thoroughfare. She raised her head. From the intersection ahead of her came a scream. Not of one or two people, but the cries of many. And the sound of wheels racing along the ground, the pounding of horses' hooves.
Youko ran down the alleyway and sprinted into the main thoroughfare. She saw a carriage fleeing down the street. People standing around in shock. The body of a child crumpled on the ground.
The slanting rays of sunlight bathed the avenue in a whiter shade of pale.
9-4
At last, Suzu could get down from the wagon and stretch her aching back. They had arrived at Takuhou, the westernmost city in Wa Province. Ei Province was not far past this city. And after that, it was a journey of no more than five days.
Helping Seishuu down from the wagon, Suzu had to smile. "Tomorrow we'll be in Ei Province."
"Yeah," Seishuu smiled in turn, and then slumped to the ground. This happened a lot more, lately. Just as he was getting up, his knees would give out.
"You okay?"
"You carry me, and I'll be okay."
"When you're better, I'm going to work you like a horse."
Seishuu laughed. Of course, she couldn't carry him around while she searched for an inn, so she went to ask the driver if he'd look after him for a while. "Just until I find a room, if you don't mind"
"Okay. But be back before the gates close."
The gates of the city closed at sunset. After that, there was no coming or going. Suzu searched the sky. The sun was still not so low in the sky.
"I'll be back as soon as possible."
Seishuu sat beside the gate and watched the people walking to and fro. A few yards off, the driver twiddled his thumbs.
"Hey, Mister, you can go if you want."
When the man turned to him, Seishuu smiled and pointed beyond the gates. For some reason or another, the words rarely came out of his mouth right. People frequently misunderstood him. But he wasn't self-conscious. Suzu could understand him, but other people couldn't, no matter how often he repeated himself.
"You go. Okay." Seishuu again got to his feet. He tottered a bit, but could stand.
When the man saw this, he smiled in turn. "Thanks!" he called out, and jogged back to his wagon. He had people waiting at home for him. He waved as he drove through the gate.
Seishuu waved after him. He looked around. He didn't see Suzu. It was boring, but if he didn't stay here, they'd probably end up missing each other. In the meantime, he wandered around the gate. The outer loop road ran around the city just inside the walls. Stalls lined the avenue on both sides, narrowing the road somewhat, but it was still plenty wide.
Seishuu tottered along, apologizing to the people he bumped into. He went over to look at the gate. Peddlers' voices sang out over the crowds. From somewhere close came the sound of buskers. The spirited music flowing around him. Trying to see where it was coming from, he stepped into the street.
He didn't hear the sound of the horse-drawn carriage, drowned out by the music. As it came rushing at him from the right, he didn't see it. He was blind on that side.
The look on a man's face directly across the way at last told him of the two teams of horses bearing down on him. He hurriedly tried to jump out of the way, but for Seishuu, who lately couldn't walk a straight line without calmly putting one foot carefully in front of the other, this was a near impossibility. He staggered, and far from getting out of the way, tumbled to the ground in front of the carriage.
The carriage came to a hasty halt. The horses reared and neighed. This is awkward, Seishuu thought. The carriage was opulently detailed, the property of an aristocrat. He'd catch a thrashing for blocking the road.
"What are you doing? Get out of the way!" The censorious voice rang out from inside the carriage.
"Sorry," Seishuu muttered. He hastened to stand, but tripped over his own feet.
"What is this brat blocking my way for?"
"I'm sorry, sir. You see, I'm not doing too well."
A man dressed in ministerial robes glared at him. He couldn't understand Seishuu. Seishuu knelt and bowed his head.
"Couldn't care less. Go." The voice of the man inside the carriage was laced with laughter.
Seishuu frantically tried to get up and flopped back down again. Once more. Now, like this, crushed in such an inconceivable manner. He again tried to rise, heard the sound of carriage begin to roll, the shrill snap of the whip. The horses neighed and galloped straight toward him.
He attempted to back out of the way, but his legs wouldn't cooperate. He had to try and crawl, but all of a sudden the energy had gone out of his body. He futilely clawed at the earth and collapsed there on the ground. The horses' hooves raised a cloud of dust about his head.
His thoughts stopped. There was nothing he could think to think about.
Screams echoed down the boulevard.
The carriage rushed on without a pause. Then it slowed and resumed its leisurely pace. His retinue followed after, passing down the street as if nothing had happened. Everyone else who had watched the tragedy unfold before their eyes froze in horror. Within an empty space inside the crowd lay the trampled child.
Many there thought to rouse themselves to help him, but were equally cowed at the thought of the retinue turning back. The banner that they carried was the banner of prefectural governor. It was his carriage. His name was Shoukou. Making a scene in his presence was a very risky thi
ng to do. Everybody who lived along the street had learned that lesson well.
The child moaned. Yes, he might still be saved. But wait at least until Shoukou's carriage has turned the corner.
The child lifted his head slightly and then let fall. He heard the sound of his own skull splashing into the mire of his own blood. Again he tried to raise his head and look for help, but could not.
The people stopped on the street and looked at him with vacant eyes. No one was coming to his rescue. He wanted to get up but could not.
It hurts, Suzu.
Someone ran out of the nearby alleyway. She stopped, spun around with an extraordinary grace and rushed over to him.
"Are you okay?"
She knelt down next to him. He had no idea who she was. His eyes were already growing so dim that all he could see was that her leggings were soaked with red.
She called out, "Somebody bring a wagon!" Seishuu felt her warm hand on his shoulder. She said, "Hold on."
"Oh damn, I'm dying."
"You'll be okay."
"Suzu will get all weepy on me." And once you got her started, the tears just kept coming. It was such a downer.
He thought nothing else after that.
Suzu ran over from the hitching post next to the gate. Seishuu was suspiciously nowhere to be found. Where did he go? she asked herself, looking around. Not far off, a crowd of people was gathering. Something was going on. A strange wind blew down the avenue.
She finally approached the bystanders, asking, "Have you seen a kid about this tall?" She strayed closer to the crowd. Though there were quite a number gathered there, they were shrouded in silence. "Um, have you seen a kid with orange hair?"
A voice called out from the other side of the crowd. "Do you mean this child?"
Suzu clawed her way through the throng and froze on the spot. A person was kneeling there on the ground and next to her the crumpled form of a child.
"Seishuu!"
