Koushi walked through the factory area with Yuoshichi Okibi and several servants disguised as factory workers. The servants wore the white work uniforms of Yuoshichi’s food workers as a disguise.
Walking alongside Koushi were two managers from other factories. These managers oversaw an agricultural factory and a steel mill. They seemed to be on good terms with Yuoshichi. Yuoshichi would need their help to mass-manufacture enough weapons to protect the capital from the Spider invasion.
The spring sunshine set the metal buildings all around them aglow with early morning light. Smoke belched out of chimneys, rising into a clear blue sky.
Five days had passed since Kanata had returned with the news of Koushi’s father’s death. If Hibari’s words were to be believed, then the Spiders’ invasion of the capital would take place at night four days from now. There was little time left to prepare.
The group headed to the steelworks building first. The building housed a manufacturing plant, fuel tanks, and hangars for manufactured goods. It was by far the largest single building in the industrial area.
Leaving the manufacturing plant, where roars and creaks echoed endlessly, they headed to a storage building and took a lift with a latticed iron door to the upper floors. The factories all had a multi-story structure. From the rooftop, it was possible to use ladders to climb up above the chimneys and fuel tanks.
Koushi’s ears adjusted to the constant noise. He was mostly used to it already; he’d grown up near the industrial area and the sounds of factories in operation were the background noise of his childhood. Koushi thought of this immense collection of machines as his hometown. The factory that had poisoned his mother and sickened Hinako was unshakably his birthplace. The iron-covered waterway gushed forth beneath his feet, wafting a strange chemical smell up and throughout the space.
The owner of the factory that had caused his mother’s illness was named Takiguchi. He was a tall man with a pale and bony face who wore thick-rimmed glasses. He was leading the group today. Koushi stared at his back as they continued moving through the industrial area.
“Here’s what we’ve prepared for you.” Takiguchi stopped in front of a shiny new machine with a long iron arm. The machine resembled a telescope for astronomical observation. Its size was the same as a small two-seater transport vehicle that ran through industrial areas all over the city. Unlike a transport vehicle, it had no wheels because of its rushed production. The recoil when the machine was fired would be absorbed by a built-in suspension system. Apart from changing the direction of the barrel, this machine had no other function for movement, and could only be moved by manipulating the chains attached to its body.
Chains stretched from the ceiling attached to the large machine in a variety of places. This machine was essentially an armored tank that couldn’t move, only swivel. It was modeled after a vehicle used in wars in the past, though these same machines in the past were able to move on runners. Chains could be wound up by pulleys and used to direct the launch of projectiles.
“Today we’re going to check how it operates. Are you certain he should be the one to do it, sir?” Takiguchi asked, gesturing toward Koushi.
Koushi bowed politely and awaited Yuoshichi’s response.
Yuoshichi’s protruding belly shook with laughter. “Don’t worry. He’s a scholarship student at the Academy and is currently conducting research at my estate. He’s the one who came up with this whole operation. I trust our technology, but I want him to take a look at it and discuss the final adjustments. We want everything to go smoothly when the time comes to use this thing.”
Takiguchi looked like he wanted to ask a question—maybe about when this machine was going to be used—but he bit it back. He pushed his thick glasses up his nose, then gestured for Koushi to approach the machine.
“The basic structure of the machine is the same as the one that they use in the Ibiji factories, but it has a much older design. The motor is far from the firing mechanism, so we made the barrel thicker and the motor more powerful.” The factory owner, who should have been of the same status as Yuoshichi, seemed unsure of how to speak to Koushi, who looked no different from the young workers employed by his factory’s subcontractors.
Koushi felt a heavy weight settle into his gut.
***
After Koushi had started to implement his plans for the lightning fuel weapons in earnest, he’d asked Yuoshichi what he was planning to do about the Fire Hunters he had hired to torture the Spiders in the forest.
“What are you going to do about the Fire Hunters who were injured? Their dogs died. I’m sure you can replace the hunting dogs, but not the Fire Hunters. Their injuries were terrible. Can they even be Fire Hunters anymore?”
They were in the horse pasture. The horses had been stabled and were restlessly clamoring, anticipating the lightning that would soon shake the ground. Drizzling rain fell. Yuoshichi wasn’t wearing any rain gear, but he didn’t seem to care that his fine robe was getting soaked. He turned to Roroku, who was readying his crossbow on the other side of the pasture.
“That’s right, and they were on friendly terms with your father. Although the work was not completed according to the terms of contract, I paid them the full amount. It would be troublesome if they complained that it was not enough. How about providing them with enough meat so that they and their families do not starve on an ongoing basis? Yes, an excellent idea. What lifts a man up, even in the depths of despair, is well-cooked meat. If he can fill his stomach, he will live.” Raindrops dripped from the corners of his smiling mouth and the tip of his beard. To Koushi, it looked like the drool of a wild animal.“After this battle, I want to provide delicious meat to all of the people of the rebuilt capital. Oh, there’s the signal.”
Roroku pointed to the sky to indicate that he was about to shoot a bottle of lightning fuel.
He activated his crossbow, which had frozen lightning fuel contained at the point of the bolt. The bolt flew, leaving a clear golden trail through the gray, rainy world.
When the bolt reached a certain height, the lightning fuel became unstable and was drawn to more lightning fuel that was buried in a bottle in the horse pasture. The metal cap of the bottle in the ground popped off, and there was an intensely bright flash. The ground around the bottle was scorched. Shards of glass and debris shot in all directions like shrapnel. The effect was like a spark starting a fire—natural fire. But lightning fuel wouldn’t cause spontaneous combustion in humans.
The horses snorted in alarm. Koushi and the others stood on insulated material to prevent electric shock. Koushi glanced at Yuoshichi from beneath his raincoat’s hood. Yuoshichi was smiling his typical self-satisfied smile.
***
Koushi was annoyed. The injured Fire Hunters had been written off as tools that were no longer useful. They lived, but from now on, they wouldn’t thrive, no matter how much artificial meat they were given to eat. Even criminals in the capital were fed. The Fire Hunters had followed orders, and because of that, they’d be treated little better than criminals for the rest of their lives.
Shaking off his annoyance, Koushi approached the machine Takiguchi had presented to him and closely observed its overall appearance and design. The blueprints had been sent to the Okibi family in advance, so he already knew a few things about this machine.
When frozen lightning fuel was placed into the barrel of the machine and launched, the air inside the tube would compress the fuel and release it. The compressed lightning fuel would shoot up into the sky, and from there it would be drawn to the lightning fuel bottles buried in the ground. The lightning fuel seemed to pick up greater charge and power the longer it was airborne. The result of lightning fuel colliding with lightning fuel was an explosion.
Koushi had asked Roroku to bury lightning fuel bottles in a line between the Guardian Gods’ main shrine and the industrial area. When all that lightning fuel was activated by the machine, it would create an exploding wall that would hopefully prevent the worst of the fighting from reaching the industrial area, where so many of the capital’s poor lived. The Guardian Gods probably wouldn’t be affected much, since they could control weather and terrain, but at least the exploding wall might slow attackers down.
Yuoshichi was less than enthused about this plan. “Certainly, a defensive wall will be necessary, but we should also be able to take action. What you wanted was a detailed map of the area around the shrine, wasn’t it? Naturally, we should plan to use weapons within the shrine. Had you considered that possibility?”
Koushi had, but burying bottles of lightning fuel right under the Guardian Gods’ noses was a hazard he wasn’t sure he was prepared for.
That morning before leaving the estate, Koushi and Yuoshichi had spread out the blueprints of the shrine and the industrial area in the basement and discussed their plan of attack. Yuoshichi looked around the messy basement with his lips twisted in a frown. Koushi felt uncomfortable, as if someone was digging through his insides and observing him, but he still told Yuoshichi what he thought about everything. He might not get another chance before the attack.
“If we bury lightning fuel in the Guardian Gods’ shrine, there’s a risk that the Guardian Gods will try to stop us,” Koushi had said.
“Of course they will. We must be prepared for when they do. Lightning fuel can be used to counter the Guardian Gods, not just the Spiders. We’re already causing a disruption to them by splitting the industrial area off from the area around the shrine. But the battle won’t end there. Do you really believe that the Spiders and the Guardian Gods will cluster up and only fight on one side of the river? We must protect ourselves by our own efforts. From both the Gods and the Spiders.” Yuoshichi had squinted down at the blueprints, then stared at Koushi as if he were trying to see through him.
Koushi remembered all this as Takiguchi operated the machine before him, explaining its structure and the materials used for each part. Koushi remained silent, inspecting the black machine with his eyes. The machine looked like alien, like a specimen of a brand-new species formed for a specific purpose. Chained and locked in a dark warehouse, the machine was like a mythological monster haunting a cave.
All around Koushi, Yuoshichi, and the factory managers, the workers in the upper echelons of the factory were talking animatedly. Koushi couldn’t hear everything they were saying. He got stuck on the idea that this machine was far uglier than the Fallen Beast he’d seen in the illustration he’d found in the Central Archives. The Fallen Beast was black like the machine, but as large as a lion, with four limbs and a longer body like a dog’s. Fallen beasts could also fly, and they were a threat to anything unfortunate enough to be on the ground below them.
Koushi touched the smooth surface of the machine carefully. The machine felt heavy to him, weighted with meaning and purpose as well as the sturdy materials it was made of. It was cold, and that chill resonated with the emptiness in Koushi’s heart. He felt heavy, himself, standing before this instrument of war.
“So, the final operational checks will be done in sync with the factory operations here. The compressor will make a roaring noise at the scheduled time. It’s a sound that we often hear complaints about from nearby factories. At the same time, we’ll fire a blank round. Will that work?”
The head of the Takiguchi family took out a small timepiece attached to a gold chain from his pocket and read the time while pushing his glasses up his nose.
“I have already been present at a small-scale experiment in the horse pasture at my estate, which was a success,” Yuoshichi said. “I’d like to load the real thing into our machine and test it out, but I suppose we can’t show our hand too early. We don’t want the Guardian Gods to stop us.”
Takiguchi gave orders. The head of the Komokuchi family moved to obey, along with many other workers and managers. Komokuchi appeared somewhat confused by these proceedings. He tilted his head, his earrings swaying slightly. As he surveyed the other factory workers, a disdainful smile graced his mouth.
Yuoshichi grinned. “It’s almost time.”
Koushi closed his eyes and tried not to think about why Yuoshichi looked so pleased to be testing weapons of terrible destruction.
Takiguchi confirmed the time, pushing his glasses up his nose again. He read out the time for everyone, then signaled more workers to move. Several workers from the steelworks quickly took their assigned positions. Koushi felt intense heat emanating from the steelworks section.
From above, Koushi heard a deafeningly loud thump.
The center of the ceiling of this building could open to the air to accommodate the transport of large products. The ceiling opened now, revealing an expanse of clear blue sky.
Koushi experienced crippling guilt at having invented a weapon that could only be used to slaughter others.
As the chains were wound up and the machine was lifted, Koushi and the others entered an elevator with Yuoshichi ahead of him. The owner of the agricultural factory had trouble walking, so he leaned on his cane and watched the group leave as they followed the machine upward.
Emotions he couldn’t name wormed their way into Koushi’s heart. But really, he was so overwhelmed that he couldn’t feel much of anything. He was numb: as dead and lifeless inside as the machine that he and the others had come to see. He was a monster on a chain, unable to move under his own power. All of his movements were mechanical and automatic.
“It’s possible to take the whole thing out onto the roof, but this time we’re only going to take the barrel out that far. We’ve also made a scaffolding for this machine to support it, so it has a safe place to sit while we test it.” Takiguchi pointed to the base of the black machine, which was beginning its rise from the first floor, hauled by chains. In the corner of the room where the four of them had been standing a moment ago, a worker was operating a machine attached to the wall.
The center of the floor moved. The bellows-like base of the machine extended and then lifted up the silent machine. Koushi told himself not to look down.
In tandem with the huge base extending, the chains attached to the machine wound up tight.
The elevator took everyone to the rooftop where Takiguchi, several workers, and Koushi climbed down a simple ladder to a platform where the machine would come to rest after it had been hauled up. Yuoshichi was too portly to descend the flimsy ladder, so he waited on the rooftop with some servants he’d brought with him.
Was it just an illusion that the sky had looked blue through the open ceiling? Now that he was outside, Koushi thought the sky looked black. Smoke from various factories rose up and painted the heavens like ink leaking from a brush pen. It was a clear day; the sunlight shone through the thick clouds and polluting smoke occasionally as if it were seeking retribution on the darkness of the sky.
Suddenly, the whole building shook violently.
It was time.
Koushi watched as one of the workers climbed onto the back of the machine’s barrel and placed his hands on the control panel. The machine trembled like a living organism as it roared to life. The barrel raised up, pointing at the sky, and fired one blank round. No additional powder or accelerant was added to make the blank round move faster; the test was a dry firing. The tremendous recoil made the platform on which Koushi and the others stood creak. The flimsy ladder shook and fell off halfway. The factory was still operating below Koushi; he could hear and feel that under his feet even as the machine was firing.
Air shot out of the barrel and tore the smoke above to shreds. Soon the distorted smoke was pushed away by the wind. The deafening reverberations of the shot gradually faded away.
Koushi waited for the ringing in his ears to stop, then looked up and said, “I don’t think there’s a problem with the machine.”
Takiguchi glanced over at Koushi with a somewhat sinister look on his face. He was very gaunt and pale. “That’s not maximum power, is it?” he asked. “They should have warmed up the engine before lifting it up to the roof.” He turned to a worker. “Please have someone sit on the control panel beforehand so that you can keep an eye on all the parameters while the machine is firing. I believe it is necessary to fire multiple times in order to confirm successful operation. The impact may damage the suspension system on the base, so I think it would be safer to move the entire machine to the roof.”
“Um… is frozen lightning fuel actually safe to use for this purpose?” the owner of the steel mill asked.
Yuoshichi had wandered closer and was able to hear the question from the roof. He laughed. “What a ridiculous thing to say. You know very well what lightning fuel is. It’s like fire fuel, only worse. It’s definitely not safe. But it’s also definitely useful.”
Yuoshichi paused to twirl his mustache with his thick finger, then said, “But you don’t need to worry about the testing today. There’s no risk of an accidental explosion in the factory. The lightning fuel is stored in the same cooling cabinet I use in our large factories. We’re planning to install cooling cabinets in each factory so that lightning fuel can be safely loaded into these machines at any time. There’s no need to worry about it starting to melt or react with anything unless a malicious person tries to steal it.”
Takiguchi fiddled with his glasses again. “Then let us expedite the construction of more of these machines and cooling cabinets immediately. We do not have much time. Whether or not your new dog can be trusted is another matter.”
The Fire Hunter Akira scowled at Takiguchi and folded her arms.
Yuoshichi chuckled. “Don’t worry about that. She’s young, but she’s much more active than any of my previous dogs. She’s not registered in the capital, so she’s easier to handle. The machine inspection went fine and the test went off without a hitch, so let’s discuss next steps. As you said, I will have more cooling cabinets prepared right away.”
Koushi was anxious about the coming invasion, but Yuoshichi was unflappable. He almost seemed happy. Even his complexion was brighter and clearer than it used to be. Yuoshichi was looking forward to the day that the Guardian Gods were laid low by the Spiders.
The elevator doors opened and the manager of the agricultural factory emerged, sporting a head of elegantly curled white hair.
Koushi leaned forward and waited for the man to speak.
“That was certainly impressive. Now, let me show you the machine my workers have made. I’m a bit embarrassed to show it off now, having seen this first. My factories specialize in food, so we don’t have many skilled workers suited to making weapons.” He smiled, making his entire face wrinkle in a genial way. He leaned on his walking stick and limped along next to Yuoshichi until they reached another elevator that would carry them to the agricultural factory.
“So, Mr. Ibushi, what have you got for us?” Yuoshichi asked the agricultural factory owner.
Koushi followed the adults into the elevator, biting his lip.
Mr. Ibushi’s hair was completely white, and though he needed a cane to walk, his strides were strong and purposeful. Jewelry adorned his ears and chest. A crimson robe draped over his shoulders. He reminded Koushi of a wizened professor.
As he traveled through the industrial area, Koushi kept searching for the Guardian Gods’ spies, or perhaps even Hibari herself. Surely the Guardian Gods knew all about these experiments. But if Hibari was watching, Koushi saw no sign of it. Shouldn’t Hibari or the spies be here? Didn’t they care that Yuoshichi and the other major factory owners were working against the Guardian Gods?
The day was sunny, which felt incongruous to Koushi. He almost felt like he was walking around in someone else’s dream. The wound on his stomach was gone: erased from existence. He carried the stuffed skylark that Hibari had left behind in his room in his work bag, along with his notebook. The bird was wrapped in linen so that it wouldn’t be damaged.
***
Koushi was sent home early from the factory tour. He’d performed a few more inspections with Yuoshichi and left after Yuoshichi had decided to go to his own factory and call a formal meeting with his workers and the other major factory owners. Koushi walked back to the Okibi Estate, taking his time and visiting the Central Archives along the way. He showed his crimson registration card at the entrance and was ushered inside by an old woman.
The Central Archives were fairly empty of people when he visited. He didn’t see a single Academy professor anywhere, but that made sense because classes were in session. He headed to the third floor and carefully removed the hand-bound books from the shelves. Then he took out a notebook from his work bag. He flipped through the books, looking for a new one. He lifted a thick pile of books he’d never read before from the floor and started paging through.
Koushi tried not to disturb anything on the third floor, including the dust, so he always worked while standing. He was careful with his steps so as not to leave any footprints, and when he went downstairs he wiped a thin layer of dust off the soles of his shoes with a rag.
The Spiders were coming. He clasped his hands together, but he knew no prayers. He continued his research and devised experiments because he didn’t know what else to do.
The machine designed to counter the Spiders was ready, in theory. Yuoshichi was right that making a defensive wall wouldn’t be enough. Koushi had been tasked to design a weapon. Weapons were for attacking offensively. Weapons were for destruction. Koushi thought he’d delivered on his promise, but now that he had, he felt uneasy about it all. He had been inspired by ancient weapons—the weapons of humanity’s last great war before the whole world changed.
I haven’t thought about what happens after the battle is over. What should I do then? The question pressed itself on Koushi’s mind with intense urgency. He realized that he was copying the same sentence over and over again and closed his notebook. He sighed and looked out the skylight. Stylized stars and planets, all with painted faces and arranged in a circle along the skylight’s edge, looked down at him. Koushi sensed those painted eyes on him and felt like each star and planet was a person casting judgment on his actions.
As the heat of embarrassment crept up his neck, Koushi returned the book he’d been copying to its shelf. He decided to go back to the estate and went downstairs, leaving the Central Archives behind.
As Koushi walked up the hill leading to the Okibi Estate with his head bowed, he looked up. A dog was barking somewhere ahead of him.
“Hey, kid. How are you?” Roroku asked.
Standing on the opposite side of a small bridge without a handrail were two Fire Hunters and their dogs: Akira and Roroku. They stood in the shadow of an alley wall near the bridge. The path sloped down after crossing the bridge.
Koushi gaped, uncomprehending. What where Akira and Roroku doing here?
Temari wagged her tail as Koushi approached. Mizore barely acknowledged Koushi’s presence and sat still, nose in the air. When Temari stretched upward and nipped Mizore’s ear playfully, Mizore’s tail wagged. Koushi had never seen Mizore’s tail wag before.
“Is something wrong?” Koushi asked. A chill rain down his spine. Yuoshichi wasn’t here. Why would Fire Hunters in Yuoshichi’s employ want to talk to Koushi alone?
Akira shrugged, but there was something wary in her gaze.
“Nothing’s really wrong, aside from the usual things,” Roroku said. “There’s no need to be suspicious.”
“Touko wanted to thank you for the bottle of lightning fuel,” Akira said. “One of my friends got seriously injured. To be honest, I was worried about whether or not I would be able to pay his medical bills in time. I was able to pay off the rest of the debt by selling the lightning fuel. So, thanks.” Her auburn eyes burnished richly in the dim light of the streetlamps. She was looking at him with the same warmth and affection that she’d show an old friend.
Koushi ducked his head. He didn’t believe himself worthy of such effusive thanks. “Your injured friend… was he the one who was on the black cart that got attacked? Is the license you showed to Yuoshichi his?”
Akira’s eyes widened, but then she smiled. “Toldya he was a smart kid,” she said to Roroku.
“He’s an arrogant brat,” Roroku muttered under his breath. His tone was friendly even if his words weren’t.
Koushi turned a puzzled frown Roroku’s way.
“Roroku and I go way back,” Akira said. “Well, not us exactly. He knew my brother, who was a Fire Hunter. Made his rounds on the Islands. They were friends for a long time before he died. "
Akira told Koushi about how she, Touko and her other companions had traveled through the Black Forest and reached the capital. When she was most of the way through her story, Koushi asked, “You’re from the capital originally?”
“Yeah, I was a factory worker. My brother was, too, but he was too restless to stay here. He became a wandering Fire Hunter.” Akira plastered on a smile, but it looked fake to Koushi. Her brother was dead. He could tell that still hurt her deeply, even if she’d never admit it to anyone.
On the day that Akira had brought Kanata to the Okibi Estate with Touko, Koushi had seen Akira’s red hair and asked her if she’d ever been to the Central Archives. Akira had flatly dismissed the question, but if her brother had been there—Koushi had heard of a red-headed person being in there once. Professor Hitou had told him about that person.
“There was a time when I permitted an unregistered young man into the Central Archives to study. Yes, it’s a violation of policy, but he was a very determined young man. So desperate was he to read the books in the archives that I was convinced that he’d stumbled on some great secret. I’m fairly sure he was a Fire Hunter—he smelled like wet dog.”
He looked around the surrounding rooftops and saw no sign of any spies. Fire Hunters could sense the Guardian Gods’ spies, and both Akira and Roroku seemed at ease. Still, Koushi lowered his voice when he said, “I found a book in the Central Archives bound with Fire Fiend hide. A teacher at the Academy I used to go to once helped someone unregistered sneak in. He said that the person was a young man with very eye-catching red hair. He said he must have been a Fire Hunter.”
Akira’s habitual smile flashed off. Roroku crossed his arms and leaned against a crude wooden fence behind him. He snorted.
“So that’s what happened to him. That idiot,” Roroku said.
“That’s my brother you’re talking about,” Akira said.
“I know.” He and Akira exchanged weak smiles.
Koushi thought the loneliness in Akira’s eyes was like Touko’s. A white, furry hunting dog licked her face.
Roroku pointed to Akira with his thumb. “Her brother went to the Guardian Gods’ shrine to tell them about the Millennium Comet. The Guardian Gods killed the poor bastard.”
Killed… by the Guardian Gods?
As Koushi’s face stiffened from shock, Roroku scratched behind his ear in annoyance. “He was older than me. He was my friend and taught me how to be a Fire Hunter. Shame for him to go like that.”
“Um… I think he managed to leave some of what he learned behind in the book I found. I copied it. Not the whole thing, but a lot of it. Here.” He rummaged through his bag and offered Akira the notebook that served as the unencrypted copy of the hand-bound book in the Central Archives.
“Are you sure? I doubt that scary rich guy would want you to do this,” Akira said. “If you give it to me, I won’t give it back.”
Koushi tensed. Akira was right to be concerned about Yuoshichi, but offering her the copy of the book was the only moral thing to do. He kept holding the notebook out to her.
“It’s okay. Please keep it. Reading it made me think hard about what Fire Fiends are and why the world is the way it is. If I’d never read it, I wouldn’t have asked Roroku to take me to the Black Forest so that I could learn more. We might never have met. I was tapped by Yuoshichi to design weapons, but what I really want is for everyone in the capital to be safe from the Spiders and the dangers of natural fire. If your brother were here, I think he would want you to have this.”
Koushi’s words were at war with his spirit. He wasn’t in a good position to make promises or pronouncements. He and Yuoshichi were fundamentally at odds in their thinking. They had to talk—to come to an understanding. He wasn’t even sure if offering Akira this book would help, but he knew he’d hate himself if he didn’t.
Akira hmmed thoughtfully and accepted the notebook. Her hands were pale and slightly trembling as she stuffed the notebook inside her leather vest.
“Be careful,” Koushi said. “Don’t do anything rash, either of you.”
“Same to you, kid,” Akira said.
Koushi didn’t know how to respond. Would he be able to get through this? Lightning fuel was powerful, but so were Spiders—and the Guardian Gods.
“There is one strange thing… the book in the Central Archives is ciphered. It’s impossible to read unless you crack the code,” Koushi said. “It’s designed so that you can’t read it unless you find the circle on the page and follow it. Do you know why the book was coded like that?”
The circle. By following the same direction as an antique clock’s hands, the hidden text in the hand-bound book resolved from gibberish into sensible text. Circles had no edges; their starting point and endpoint was unclear. Why had Akira’s brother chosen a circle as the unlocking key of his book?
As Akira leaned forward, Koushi caught the scent of the Black Forest on her, sweet and cloying and rotten. The same smell hung around Roroku like a cloud of mist. Kanata and his father had always smelled like that after they’d first come back from a hunt. It was a smell that made his mother feel at ease, and made Hinako smile. It made Koushi feel proud of his father.
“My brother enjoyed watching the stars, so that might be it,” Akira said. “The stars and the planets all orbit in circles, right? Since you’re good at academics, maybe you know more about that than me.” Her eyes fixed on Koushi as if she wanted to ask him for answers. “I think he wanted to keep wandering in circles. At least for a little longer.”
Akira smiled. “Thanks for the notebook. I’ll keep it safe, I promise. Take care of yourself, your sister, and your mutt. I just heard that the spare black carts are heading out to the villages, so at least the villagers will be okay for awhile.” Akira’s expression tightened. “But there was only one black cart to spare at each of the factories, and they can’t leave for five days.”
A chill went through Koushi. “Five days?”
“At the latest,” Akira said, turning to face him. “The black carts aren’t all in the hands of one factory. A lot of factory managers have complained. The actual departure date is set for the day after tomorrow. My friend used insects to check how things are progressing.”
The capital’s problems kept compounding. The Spiders were going to attack in four days.
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