Koushi felt like he’d been drowning for hours. He couldn’t take a deep breath, and his body wouldn’t move the way he wanted it to. He felt like he’d been tied up, though his limbs were free. His entire body was heavy, sinking; he thought he would sink right through the ground to the center of the earth.
Every movement sent pain shooting through his side. He heard his name—at least, he thought he did—and turned his attention in the direction of the person calling him, but he couldn’t focus. He tried to move his feet and nothing happened.
But his feet were moving. Someone was dragging him by the feet, and his tortuously pained body was dragged across the forest floor. Finally, Koushi’s eyes focused, and he saw the Spider who’d been tied to the tree.
Koushi couldn’t believe that anyone would torture another person like that. Spiders were people—they looked and talked and acted like people. Koushi babbled something—words, he was sure, but he wasn’t sure what he was saying.
Then Koushi drowned in darkness.
***
When Koushi awoke, it was to sunlight shining on his face through a curtained window. He couldn’t tell if it was morning or afternoon. Hinako’s small hand squeezed his. She’d grown a lot since coming to Okibi Estate, but she was still so small and weak. She was learning about the garden; he remembered that dimly. She could do a lot more than she used to be able to.
Koushi peered at Hinako through half-closed eyelids and saw that she was crying. His throat was so dry that he wasn’t sure he could speak. His head and back hurt from staying in bed for so long. He wanted to get up and give Hinako a hug and tell her that he was all right… but he couldn’t even lift his arms.
The heat of shame bloomed in his chest. He’d come to Okibi Estate so that Hinako would be safe and healthy, and here she was, worrying about him instead. When was the last time she’d rested?
Koushi considered his situation. He remembered being injured in the Black Forest. Was that last night? He hoped he hadn’t been unconscious for longer than that. He probably should have died then and there—the Fire Hunters had fought off a horde of Fire Fiends driven mad by the Spiders’ insect venom.
Kagura and Shimaki are… dead. Tatsuta’s eyes and nose were crushed. Iwao’s owner lost an arm… Their wives and children must grieve for them. The only ones who weren’t injured were Roroku and Mizore…
For all Koushi knew, Roroku and Mizore had gotten injured, too, after he’d passed out. But he knew Roroku could still walk, because Roroku had carried him here. He vaguely remembered the Spider gasping for breath and going still—probably dead. Gods, how many people had died last night?
Koushi had a gut wound that felt deep, but it had been treated and he was convalescing in a bed. What had happened to the other Fire Hunters? How much time had passed? He expected to be punished by Yuoshichi, but he doubted that would happen until he was mostly healed. Punishing someone who couldn’t even move didn’t sound very fun or effective.
Roroku… none of this was his fault, so I hope he didn’t get into any trouble.
He remembered the green-eyed person he’d glimpsed before passing out and wondered who they were. Not a Fire Hunter, or a Spider… then who?
When Koushi opened his eyes, it was sunset. Hinako was no longer in the room. Koushi sighed in relief. Breathing felt funny, like his body was separate from the rest of him somehow. Someone was talking; he heard voices in the hallway. He couldn’t make out words, though. The door of his room was too thick.
One voice was louder than the other: Yuoshichi’s. Koushi strained his ears and identified the other voice as Professor Kouhachi’s. He was the teacher in charge of supervising Koushi’s and Kira’s education. Koushi leaned closer to the door, trying to overhear the conversation.
The door opened a crack—someone was checking up on Koushi. Koushi could finally make out words.
“Yes, sir.”
“Um, yes.”
The first speaker was Professor Kohachi, and the second was Kira.
Koushi blinked slowly.
“Stop being selfish. This foolish insistence will slow down your studies,” Yuoshichi said.
“But, father… I think I’ll learn faster if I study with Koushi. He can help teach me the things I don’t understand.” Kira sounded a bit unsure of herself as she protested against her father’s wishes.
Koushi tried to get up and felt a burning pain in his left side. He still couldn’t move.
“You don’t seem like you’re worried about your studies,” said Yuoshichi.
Professor Kohachi chuckled. “Yes, yes. Miss Kira is very intelligent and talented. I feel very honored to have such a student in my old age. I have heard from the doctor about Koushi’s injury, and I don’t think it will take long for him to recover. I hope that I can continue to instruct him then. Until that time, there’s no reason for Miss Kira’s studies to be delayed.” His tone was polite, but distant.
Koushi could picture Yuoshichi’s pleased expression: eyebrows and mustache curling in and his hands twisting together behind his back. The professor agreed with him about Kira’s continued education.
“If that’s all, sir,” Professor Kohachi said. It seemed that he was trying to dismiss himself.
Yuoshichi said, “That’s all for now.” To Kira, he said, “You are dismissed for the evening.” There was a certain sharpness to his words, and it was easy to imagine Kira with her head low in sadness, watching her father walk away.
There was a knock on the door. Koushi’s temples twitched. The door was already open, and Kira came in. Koushi tried to pretend to be asleep, but he didn’t have time to close his eyes. Kira closed the door behind her.
“Would you like some water?” Kira asked.
Before Koushi could respond, Kira put her arm around the back of his neck and brought a glass of water to his mouth. Kira was deceptively strong, and she supported Koushi firmly while making sure his posture didn’t affect his wounds as she gave him water.
That done, Kira lowered Koushi’s head back onto his pillow.
“I’m sorry,” Koushi said. He wanted to thank her, but an apology had slipped out instead. The sun was setting and he wasn’t wearing glasses, so it was hard for him to see Kira clearly. He shifted his head to look at her more closely and noticed a faint redness around her eyes.
Kira sat down on the chair next to the bed, adjusting her skirt.
“Hinako’s got a fever again,” Kira said. “She had quite a fright when you were brought back. Doctor Takimi said that she’ll get better soon if she rests. Koushi—”
She leaned closer, and Koushi confirmed that her eyes were red and swollen. He wanted to ask her about what they had been talking about in the hallway earlier. There was no need for her to miss her studies out of concern for his injuries. But Koushi couldn’t find the words to bring up the topic.
“Why did you go into the forest? You’ve been adopted into this family, which owns factories that manufacture synthetic meat. You’re not a Fire Hunter, and you don’t have to be. The forest is so dangerous—you should never have to go. Did my father make you? What happened? Hinako is so worried about you.”
Kira’s face tightened in irritation. “I hope that father didn’t do this to you out of some desire to make me his heir or something. I don’t care about that. But tell me: who hurt you? A Fire Hunter? A Fire Fiend? Something else in the forest?”
The last light of the setting sun faded inside the room. Kira clutched at her skirt with white-knuckled hands. She spoke quietly, but with great intensity.
Koushi looked up at her, speechless. He couldn’t tell Kira much without going against the orders that Yuoshichi had given him. He’d never expected Kira to be so concerned about his welfare.
“I’m sorry,” Kira said. “I know you’re still hurt. But I want you to answer me. If you don’t, Roroku and Mizore could be exiled from the capital.”
Kira’s eyes were swollen from crying, but she still sat up tall and resolute. Koushi realized that Kira wasn’t so much pleading with him for an answer as ordering him to respond.
“Father is very angry that Roroku took you to the forest without permission. He’s more upset that you got hurt while you were there. Do you know why? It’s because he thinks of you as his property. Roroku was a wandering Fire Hunter before he came to the capital. He’s broken a lot of the rules and regulations that Fire Hunters here abide by. It would be easy to remove his registration papers and strip him of his right to live here. That wouldn’t be so bad, but… well, there’s a good chance that he’ll be captured and thrown in prison instead of exiled.” Kira’s hands shook as she spoke, as if she were clutching at her fear along with the fabric of her skirt.
“I don’t want to let father do that to him. There’s still time. It’s father who’s disobeying the Guardian Gods, not the Fire Hunter. Father wouldn’t be so careless as to blame others otherwise.”
A pause. Then Kira removed her right hand from her skirt, raised her index finger and wrote a word in the air. The invisible letters read, “Kureha.”
“She was one of the maids. Kureha. She was good at sewing, especially embroidery. Her mother’s blind and lives in the city. She learned to sew from her mother, who would feel out spaces between the stitches. She even taught me, though I’m not as good as her… but, um… On the night of the banquet, mother saw her say something to you. And now she’s gone.”
Koushi’s face twisted. He felt cold through, numb even to the pain of his wound.
“I remember all the servants’ names,” Kira said. “Since I was little, servants would sometimes disappear suddenly. I remember them all. The ones who played with me, the ones who let me taste food in the kitchen, the ones who fixed my toys, the ones who loved dogs…”
As she spoke, Kira wrote invisible names in the air with dizzying speed.
“My parents told me that she had moved to another of our family’s estates. But I’ve heard that if they something that my parents don’t like, they’re sent to the city’s slums. The other servants are saying that she was sent to a brothel. I had just come back from outside and was waiting for her when I heard that. I couldn’t believe it.”
Kira bit her lip, her expression showing signs of pain. The pain of Koushi’s wounds diminished as he focused on her.
“I love my mother and father. They may be a little unconventional, but they’re really good people. My father lost his parents in the big fire in the capital when he was little. He struggled as an orphan and worked hard to become a factory manager. My mother comes from a poorer area, and she was starving and in dire straits when my father saved her. They both worked very hard to get the life they have now. I’m sure they’re a little different from other people—but I respect them,” Kira said, her voice trembling. “The servants love to gossip, so I thought gossip was all it was, at first. But Kureha is gone. Answer me, Koushi. My parents… what are they telling you to do?”
Koushi felt like there was a spike being shoved between the bones of his skull. He was angry at himself for causing so much trouble. He gritted his teeth and tried to keep his whole body still. He put strength into his arms and sat up. The wound on his stomach had been stitched up. The damage to his internal organs was minimal. He remembered Doctor Takimi saying something like that.
“Okay. I’ll tell you,” Koushi said. “But before that…” He looked to the closed door.
Kira gave him a skeptical look. But then she got up and quietly opened the door. She peeked into the hallway, turned around and saw that there was no one there. She nodded confirmation at Koushi: they were alone. Koushi took a deep breath, and Kira closed the door and returned to her chair.
“You can’t tell anyone else,” Koushi said. “I’ll take care of things so that Roroku doesn’t get banished or put in prison. But you’ll have to pretend that you don’t know. I don’t want you to get in trouble, either.”
Kira frowned at this, but nodded. Her expression was conflicted.
Koushi told Kira everything about how he’d gotten his injury, hiding nothing about the situation. He told her about Yuoshichi’s prediction that Spiders would attack the capital and that he’d been asked to make a weapon using lightning fuel. He hadn’t been able to make a vessel that exploded easily, but he’d discovered another use for lightning fuel because of Roroku: wandering Fire Hunters used it to create distractions of bright light when fighting Fire Fiends. He told her about all the Fire Fiends that had attacked him and the Fire Hunters in the forest, and about the Spider that the other Fire Hunters had captured and tortured.
As Kira listened to his story, she couldn’t hide the surprise on her face. “Would father truly do something so horrible?” she asked. “He would never want to overthrow the Guardian Gods or challenge their power. He’s not a traitor. Is… is this the reason you were brought here, Koushi? Why would you ever agree to do something so dangerous?” Kira’s voice trembled. She stopped speaking, then put a hand over her mouth in shock.“Because Hinako is here. That’s why. It must be.”
Koushi stared at his hands and shook his head. “Yes, I care about Hinako. But I wanted to know more about Fire Fiends and Fallen Beasts, too. I wanted to understand how people used to use natural fire—why it makes us combust now when it never did that to people in the past. And I wanted to know about lighting fuel. It’s dangerous, but people and machines can handle it without damage if we’re careful.
“And about Kureha… I didn’t really know her. I’m sorry. She was sent to clean up our previous house and found a letter that my mother had left behind. She passed it to me on the night of the banquet. That’s probably why she’s gone.” Kureha had waited for a good opportunity to give it to him, not wanting to be observed or overheard. But that had happened anyway.
Koushi’s voice was barely louder than a whisper.
He hadn’t thanked Kureha. He should have. He hadn’t even known her name until Kira told him.
“I’ll tell Hinako about the letter eventually,” he said. “But for now… could you keep it a secret?”
Kira nodded deeply.
Koushi raised his head, his exhaustion curdling into anger at Yuoshichi. He’d been acting without Koushi’s knowledge and punishing people who didn’t deserve it. “Can you call your father here? I’ll make sure he doesn’t cause Roroku any more trouble. I’m the one who wanted to go into the forest. He had nothing to do with any of that.”
Kira nodded quickly, and Koushi’s heart sank.
Kira had been born into such a wealthy family. She always had nice clothes and good food and had never really been treated poorly. In most of the city, it was common for children to be beaten by their parents. If they didn’t work hard enough, kids could be punished by going without food. Education was a luxury, and since children grew fast, their clothes were usually the cheapest available.
Kira would never understand any of that. She loved her parents and didn’t want to believe the rumors that the servants were telling her. But she knew that the servants were right—that was why she was so upset. She wanted to hide inside the protective shell of her sheltered life, not face harsh truths.
On the islands, we call people like him demons in human skin. That was what Roroku had said about Yuoshichi.
Kira stood up from her chair and reached for Koushi’s hand. The sun was nearly set; Kira’s face was lost in shadow. She placed something in Koushi’s hand that she’d been concealing in a clenched fist: a Protector Stone.
“I met a lost girl in the city. She gave me this to help me, I think. She had a dog with her. I think it was the same dog that belonged to your family. The dog had the same name: Kanata.”
The small Protector Stone in Koushi’s palm was warm from Kira’s hand.
Then Kira shook her head and went to call her father.
***
A clock with needles attached to its face that went around in circle. Bright light illuminating luxury items. Everything about the meeting room was the same as when Koushi had entered it on his first night here.
After awhile, three cups of steaming tea that smelled of fermentation were carried in by a servant: one for Yuoshichi, one for Koushi, and one for Roroku, who’d been summoned. Koushi looked at the servant who brought in the tea and realized that he’d never seen her before. This wasn’t Kureha, though she wore her hair the same way and looked somewhat similar.
Koushi exchanged greetings with Yuoshichi, and Yuoshichi made polite inquiries about his health. He sipped his tea, and Koushi did the same.
“How are your injuries?” Roroku asked. “Are you recovered?”
“Not quite yet, but I’m getting better,” Koushi said.
Yuoshichi frowned, leaning back in his large chair. He’d heard what had happened from Koushi already, but he seemed upset before this meeting even really got started.
“Let’s go through what happened,” Koushi said. “I asked Roroku to take me to the forest and sneaked out of the house on my own.” Koushi roughly swallowed the painkillers he’d brought from his previous house—medicine Hinako had taken every day before coming here.
“And that’s true?” Yuoshichi asked, his tone edged with indignation.
“That’s right. As I was making the weapons, I kept running into problems. I wanted to understand more about lightning fuel itself, and about Fire Fiends. I thought that if I actually went into the forest, I might find something that wasn’t written in the books in the Central Archives.”
Yuoshichi ruffled his beard and exhaled through his nose. His cologne hung in the air, heavy and oppressive.
Koushi thought that Yuoshichi believed him. He hoped so. He was telling the truth, mostly.
“I found some of the answers I was after. Wandering Fire Hunters use lightning fuel against Fire Fiends, though their weapons don’t explode. Still, Roroku gave me some ideas.”
Yuoshichi’s severe expression didn’t shift. He was angry at Koushi for going against him and revealing secrets. Those secrets were why Roroku was here so late at night—far later than most people in the city were awake.
Koushi had seen Roroku go about his work without a trace of emotion in the Black Forest. He’d seen the Spider go crazy from being bitten by venomous insects. He’d seen Fire Fiends go mad and attack in great force—and through it all, Roroku had not panicked. He’d coordinated with the other Fire Hunters and their dogs to fight off the monsters.
After seeing all that, Koushi was fairly sure that very little could truly threaten Roroku. Koushi’s injury was a trivial thing in the grand scheme of things. What was important was the coming invasion and the need for a weapon to use against the Spiders. Koushi tried to redirect Yuoshichi’s attention away from his disobedience and Roroku’s cooperation with him and toward the threat to the city.
Koushi understood that Yuoshichi would be angry with him for awhile for leaving the estate without permission and for getting into a dangerous situation, however unforeseen. He gripped the Protector Stone in his hand for reassurance and tried to see past the bright lights and extravagance of the meeting room. He had to keep the focus on what was most important.
“With all that established,” Koushi said, “I think you’ll agree that we need Roroku’s help to implement this plan.”
“There is no plan,” Yuoshichi said flatly, not bothering to conceal any of his irritation.
If Yuoshichi was going to deny everything, then Roroku was still in trouble.
The wound in Koushi’s side stung. He dug the Protector Stone into his palm to distract himself from the pain.
Yuoshichi closed his eyes tightly for a moment as uncontrollable rage boiled up inside him. Roroku remained completely calm and leaned back in his soft chair.
Yuoshichi sighed. “Tell me more about what you saw in the forest.”
Koushi nodded, then rested his hands on the low table between them. “First, when I was doing research in the basement, I noticed that lightning fuel will snap together quickly even if it’s physically separated into different droplets. When I spilled two drops on my workbench, they combined into one. Then the wood of the workbench started to melt. I scooped it onto a glass plate before the fuel could do more damage. When I tried to slide them back into a safe container, I lifted them up, high above the plate—and they exploded. I was going to report these findings to you at our next meeting, but I wanted to do a few more experiments first.”
“It’s fine, just carry on.” The veins in Yuoshichi’s temples looked as if they were about to pop out.
Koushi nodded calmly, then spread the broken pieces of glass on the table. He’d brought them from the basement.
Yuoshichi narrowed his eyes.
“Going to the Black Forest gave me a better understanding of what I saw,” Koushi said. “It seems like Fire Hunters who are from the capital don’t do this, but wandering Fire Hunters make use of lightning fuel as flash grenades. Roroku threw one toward a Fire Fiend and blinded it, and I saw a bright flash and a small explosion. The lightning fuel produced heat, light, and the kinetic energy for the explosion.”
“It’s obvious that lightning fuel has properties that are similar to lightning, but not those properties aren’t exactly the same.” Koushi wasn’t telling the full truth. It was true that Roroku used lightning fuel to blind Fire Fiends, but his flash grenades produced no explosions. Roroku didn’t contradict what Koushi was saying, however. He sat cross-legged in his chair, one thick eyebrow raised, and watched the exchange between Koushi and Yuoshichi with amusement in his eyes.
Koushi placed the illustration of the Fallen Beast that he had copied from the Central Archives on the table.
“This is a picture of a Fallen Beast. I found it in the Central Archives. The things surrounding its body are lightning bolts. At first, I thought the lines in this picture were rain, but I was wrong. The Fallen Beast is surrounded by lightning. Lightning itself is most powerful when it’s not bottled—when it falls from the sky during storms.” Koushi nodded to himself. He had a story to tell, and he needed to keep it consistent.
“I saw all this in the forest, and confirmed what I’d learned by observing Roroku. Roroku and the other Fire Hunters learned from a Spider they captured that an attack on the capital is imminent. Roroku knew that I was trying to use lightning fuel for a weapon because of the questions I asked him before he took me to the forest.”
Yuoshichi set his tea down, then steepled his fingers together.
Koushi felt certain that he wasn’t supposed to know about the captured Spider, and neither was Roroku. Koushi trusted Yuoshichi far less now, and if the Guardian Gods found out about this, Yuoshichi’s job and even his life might be in jeopardy.
“The Spider said he and others of his kind had mastered natural fire. Not like the fire we make from fire fuel, but the fire that ancient people used. They can use that fire without combusting. It gives them a major advantage against us and the Guardian Gods, since normal people do combust in the presence of natural fire.”
Koushi’s wounds smarted again. The medicine he’d taken wasn’t helping much. He clutched the Protector Stone in his hand tighter and willed the pain away.
“I think that weapons made from lightning fuel will be effective against the Spiders,” Koushi said. “I think making them might be the only way we can win.” Koushi looked Yuoshichi in the eye, then placed a stack of papers on top of the illustration of the Fallen Beast. The papers were copies of documents he’d found in the Central Archives about weaponry in the ancient world, before people would combust in the presence of natural fire.
“These documents show other vulnerabilities that people had in war, before people would combust,” Koushi said. “A lightning strike will kill a person more often than not, even if there’s no fire nearby. In the old world, people would shoot their enemies from the sky during wars.”
Yuoshichi’s eyebrows drew together.
“We’ll use lightning fuel as our weapon. The explosion from lighting fuel can burn people, just like combustion does. It might not be as effective to start, but the power of lightning fuel is tremendous. If we attack from the sky, we can target the Spiders, or the Guardian Gods, or whoever we want. The bombs can collapse buildings and bridges and infrastructure. Even if the Guardian Gods manage to escape these attacks, the damage will be massive. We’ll be able to protect the capital from the Spiders if we choose our targets carefully and avoid collateral damage on our own people.”
“I see.” Yuoshichi put his hand under his double chin. He was still angry, but he was also curious. “But how would this weapon be used? How would you fire it from the sky, and how would you aim it?”
“I received these blueprints of the city from you earlier, sir.” Koushi spread out all of the blueprints on the table. These were confidential information, so Roroku probably shouldn’t see them. Yuoshichi frowned severely.
Koushi held Yuoshichi’s gaze. “You said that the Spiders would attack the Guardian Gods directly—that means their attack will be on the shrine, here.” He tapped the blueprints. “We’ll bury bottles of lightning fuel around the shrine, and in front of the factory area. We’ll use metal lids for the bottles instead of glass. Copper should work. We’ll be able to use more copper from above to make the fuel reactive, which will cause the explosion. I think Roroku is the best person to coordinate that effort.”
Koushi’s mind raced as he laid out this plan. He’d only seen lightning fuel combine once, by chance, and he hadn’t had time to test most of his hypotheses. But what was important now was to steer the conversation in a direction that was favorable to him. Even if he failed, he could at least stop Yuoshichi from punishing Roroku for the time being.
Roroku spoke up, still calm and leaning back in his chair. “The Fire Hunters to the north of the capital say that once you’ve collected lightning fuel, you should run. The wild animals can sense it, and they come for it. At least, that’s the story. It might be a partial fabrication, to help prevent poaching.
“But the point is: lightning fuel is flashy. It draws attention. The Garden of the Gods might not look it, but it’s locked down tight and protected by heavy security. I’m registered with the capital and can patrol there—but I’ll also be observed the whole time. Burying lightning fuel under a high-security area like that won’t be easy.” Roroku sighed. His plain earring caught the low light. Even surrounded by Yuoshichi’s wealth and extravagance, Roroku was a Fire Hunter first. To Koushi, he looked just as at home here as he had in the Black Forest.
“But,” Koushi objected. His vision faded for a moment, lost to pain, but then he focused his eyes again. He gripped the Protector Stone in his hand tight.
“You spotted one of those paper guards,” Koushi said to Roroku. “Remember? Aren’t you able to sense their movements? You should be able to sneak past the Guardian Gods’ watchers and complete this mission.”
At this, Roroku’s eyes widened and he held up both his hands, palms open. This playful, nonchalant gesture made Yuoshichi explode with irritation; he banged his fist on the edge of the table.
“I’m disappointed. I thought you were smarter than you are, young man.” He spoke to Roroku, not Koushi. “You’re from the Islands, and a wandering Fire Hunter. That means I can’t trust you.”
Maybe Koushi should have been worried, but he wasn’t. Roroku was still calm.
“I’m not asking you to trust him, just to use him,” Koushi said.
Yuoshichi’s face contorted dramatically.
“If the Spiders attack the capital, it’ll be catastrophic. More people would die than in any previous great fire. We must find a way to prevent this. We should use whatever is available to us. Roroku has skill as a Fire Hunter that we can use.” Koushi tried to mimic Roroku’s sense of calm as he worked to persuade Yuoshichi about the validity of this plan.
“Until I came here, I didn’t know that the Spiders were close to invading the capital. Even while I was experimenting with the lightning fuel, I was somewhat skeptical. The Spider in the forest confirmed what you said. What you’re trying to do must be something bigger than what the Fire Hunters and I have in mind. You must be able to see further into the future than I can. I don’t know much about the great fires that have occurred in the capital in the past. I only learned about them from studying how horrible the situation was in the city. You know firsthand, don’t you? The terrible devastation of the last great fire.”
Koushi saw the veins pounding in both of Yuoshichi’s temples. His eyes were shadowed with anger—or hatred. The whites of his eyes were completely bloodshot. Koushi was taken aback by his intense expression and changed the tone of his voice.
“Without your experience and vision, there’s no point in using lightning fuel to protect the capital from the Spiders. You have me and one other piece you can move. So please use us,” he continued.
Roroku looked down, probably to hide his laughter. The Fire Hunter quickly raised his head and turned towards Yuoshichi with a slight smile on his face. “If I get paid for it, I have no objection to being a pawn. Sounds like this job would pay pretty well. I’m not convinced that leaving the Guardian Gods outta this is the best idea, though. They’ve supposedly got some control over lightning and the weather, from what I’ve heard.” Roroku shrugged, almost as if he was talking to himself.
Yuoshichi stood up, clattering his chair. The meeting room had a window just like one ones in the main hall. The walls were decorated with numerous paintings, old maps, and nautical charts. Yuoshichi stood in front of one of the paintings with his hands clasped behind his back. When he spoke, his tone was grave.
“People ascribe things they dislike to the Guardian Gods.” He sighed. “To protect the capital from a battle between the Spiders and the Guardian Gods, perhaps lightning fuel weapons are the best choice. The Guardian Gods have controlled things they ought not to for too long. They do nothing while people starve—or burn to death. The capital is home to people that the Guardian Gods couldn’t care less about.” He paused, then looked to Koushi. “Are the weapons you describe truly usable?”
Koushi was a bit puzzled by this sudden question. “I believe so, but I would like to test them. If I recall correctly, there’s a pasture for carriage horses to the north of this area, right? I will test everything there and adjust the strength of the weapons based on what I discover. I will do the testing on a day with poor weather to decrease the chances of the Guardian Gods noticing. A small-scale experiment should be enough to test the efficacy of the weapons, and it’s almost the rainy season. We should be able to do testing soon.”
This was a gamble. Koushi didn’t know how things would go—well or poorly—but he had to try.
Yuoshichi shrugged his shoulders, spreading his huge shadow over the space behind him. “The Spiders are in the forest outside the city; we’ve learned that much even if we don’t know the day they’ll attack. This is a crisis, and time is of the essence. I don’t think we even have two weeks left.”
Koushi agreed that they were in a crisis moment. Sweat stood out on his spine. Roroku would be more involved than Kira would probably like, but Koushi hadn’t been able to think of a way to keep him out of his plans for the future. Personally, he was reassured that Roroku would be helping, if only for Hinako’s and Kira’s sake. Keeping them safe was more important than anything else. If Koushi or Roroku acted as Yuoshichi’s pawn, the other would be able to work on different priorities. The exact nature of Yuoshichi’s intentions was difficult to grasp.
“I’m a wandering Fire Hunter and have no attachment to the capital or you guys. But I’ll do my best to be worthy of what I’m paid. If you pay me, you can trust me completely.” Roroku laughed, and it was a vulgar sound.
Yuoshichi looked livid. He smiled a dark smile, then said, “Very well. I will hire you. The salary will be generous. I’ll give you a sum of money that’s worthy of your life. I’ll take care of everything from now on, including the meeting of the other factory managers in front of the Guardian Gods and the inspection of the factories. I’ll make arrangements so that you and your allies can move easily.”
Koushi felt uneasy at Yuoshichi’s acquiescence. He hadn’t drunk his tea, and it had long since gone cold.
Yuoshichi laughed, his voice so loud that the ripples of sound from his throat were nearly visible.
***
Kira stood beside Mizore, who was waiting for Roroku by the gate. It was already night. There was no banquet tonight, so old Shouji the gardener had already finished work and returned home. Under the light of the gatepost lamp, Kira watched Koushi and Roroku approach.
“The deal is done,” Roroku said in a nonchalant tone.
Koushi supported his injured side with one hand.
Roroku raised his long arms and stretched.
Kira stared at them, surprised.
Roroku grinned at Kira: an enigmatic smile. “Don’t worry, young lady. I’ve agreed to help out here—in exchange for a modest fee, of course. But first we’ll have to wait for Koushi’s injuries to heal.”
The night air helped Koushi’s nervousness. He took in gulping breaths of air and felt calmer. The stars were coming out, and he had a plan for the immediate future. He was excited about what would come next. “I’m sorry I dragged you into this,” Koushi said to Roroku. “I want someone I can trust to help.”
“Sure, sure,” Roroku said. “I know I’ll be rewarded for my services. Guess my life’s worth what it always has been: a handful of coins.” He cracked his knuckles. “To tell you the truth, I was thinking I wouldn’t mind it if the capital were destroyed. It wouldn’t change much for a wanderer for me. But then I met you and changed my mind.”
“Why?”
“You’re a mess.” Roroku tilted his head. His tightly bound black hair shifted a bit. “You’re not the only one. I can help with that mess, and I kind of think I should. I want to see if this world is still worth living in—not just for me, but for the people who come after.” He spoke as if he were talking to himself. He smiled his mysterious smile, then clicked his tongue, which made Mizore’s ears stand up. The dog approached and sat next to him.
Roroku was about to leave the estate when Kira ran over and seized his hand. “Thank you,” she said. Her voice trembled slightly. Her hands were soft and her hair gave off a faint sweet scent.
Roroku shrugged, then left.
Koushi opened the hand that clutched the Protector Stone. The pale brown stone was damp with his sweat. His palm had turned bright red from holding the stone to distract himself from his wound. Writing was carved into the stone, but the rough, crude carvings were impossible to read. What kind of girl had handed this Protector Stone over to Kira? He wondered if the lost dog with the same name as Kanata had made it back home.
Kira supported Koushi’s arm and started to walk back to the house. His legs were unsteady and he leaned half of his weight onto Kira as he walked. The sweat on his spine went cold in the night air. Only the Protector Stone in his hand was warm.
Before they reached the front door, Koushi said, “Kira. I think you should become a businesswoman. Whether that be taking over your family’s factory or running a factory of your own.”
Kira peered curiously at Koushi, then squeezed his shoulder companionably. “Why do you say that?”
“Because then you’d be able to recall all of the servants who’ve disappeared. They’ll be able to work for you.”
Clusters of cheerful golden garden flowers waved in the breeze as they walked past. Waving like rain, or like the flicker of flames. For a moment, Kira’s eyes held the same flickering light as the flowers, and then she smiled.
“I’m sure… No, I’ll definitely do that. Thank you, Koushi. It’s a good idea.”
He nodded. For the first time since he’d come to Okibi Estate, Koushi felt like he was able to give Kira an honest smile.
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