Her kingdom was falling apart
Her
kingdom was falling apart.
The trip to Triath had
been painfully slow, even with the help of gates. Painful thanks to saddle
sores and endless muggy days. The weather had been hot enough to melt leather
and no matter how many cooling spells Kenshin was sweet enough to cast, she was
drenched in both her own and her mare’s sweat each
night. Once they had crossed the border, the state of her kingdom had become
painfully clear. Tokio had been kind enough to warn of what she had seen
through her mirror (or whatever she used to see), but nothing could have really
prepared her.
The army had been prepared
to supply their own rations through gates, not willing to depend on or stress
what villages were between them and the castle. Kenshin hadn’t exactly hidden
the reports his scouts had brought, but he hadn’t straight out told her what
they said either. It wasn’t until they arrived that she realized why. Even
rumors of mercenary soldiers hunting for supplies and recruits couldn’t have
steadied her nerves enough to understand exactly what she was going to see.
Fields stripped bare, some
showing signs of having been fallow too long. Half-ruined villages and
starving, watchful eyes that stared from behind boarded windows. They couldn’t
stop and offer aid to every village they saw or the army would never reach the
capital healthy enough to fight. Giving food would have just been short-term
relief. Even so, it hurt to leave behind all those empty eyes.
But she had. They were
just close enough to the capital that they could see the city gates. Half a
days ride at the most. Her emotions were a gnarled tangle so she shoved them
down and hid them under the strong pulse of anger. Kenshin could understand the
anger, he could probably understand them all when she didn’t… but he was
already too busy with other things. No, it was best for her to just ignore them
now and then figure them out when this was done.
“Lady Kaoru,” Soujiro’s
voice cut in her thoughts. “Lord Himura has decided to stop here for the
evening.”
“How many times have I
asked you not to call me that?” she asked, tugging on the reins before sliding
down. Her muscles had stopped hurting weeks ago, but she winced in preparation
anyway. It might be some time before that habit disappeared.
“Once a
day for the length of this campaign.”
“Soujiro!”
She shot him a look, but
he simply smiled. Kaoru had suspected for a while that Kenshin had asked him to
keep an eye on her as they moved towards the capital, but she had started to
like the cheerful general. It was much easier being around him than his Lord
and Lady. Shishio and Yumi were kind, but much too powerful for her to be
comfortable around. Her husband had more than enough magic for her to feel easy
with, much less a woman who was rumored to be more powerful than even Saitoh
Tokio.
A soldier came over and
took her reins. Soujiro, knowing exactly where this was going, slipped an arm
around her elbow and tugged firmly.
“If you
will follow me, majesty?”
“Are we eating with
Shishio and Yumi tonight?”
“No. Lady Yumi and Lady
Tokio are working on spells to deal with Akira. If he has made the deal we
believe he has, it is important to narrow down which demon was in a position at
the time to strike a bargain with a mortal. We just don’t know which demon he
made a bargain with.”
“How serious is it?”
“It can be complicated.
There is information that we will not know until we face him on the battle
field. In order to have made this particular bargain, he had to give something
of himself up.”
“Why would a demon wish to
make such a deal?” She hoped he didn’t mind her questions. Not that it
mattered; Soujiro would answer anyway.
“Boredom, amusement; does
it matter? The deal was made, and now we must deal with the consequences. If he
has the capability to fight on the battle field, we must be prepared.”
Kaoru stopped outside the
tents, starring at Soujiro. “Kenshin will fight him, won’t he?”
“It is possible. There are
others who can fight him: Lord Shishio and Lord Shinomori; but your husband’s
battle magic will be the most effective until the ladies come up with a plan.”
She swallowed. The idea of
Kenshin facing a demon on the battlefield made her stomach turn. She knew he
was good, very good, but how good did you have to be to win against something
like that?
Soujiro’s hand settled on
her shoulder. “Do not worry. I will also be at his side, and I am not without
my own capabilities.”
She gave him a faint smile
and opened the flap. Kenshin wasn’t inside; Aoshi had probably dragged him off
to another meeting. Soujiro stood outside the tent and she sighed.
“How many times have I
asked you not to wait for me to invite you in?”
“Every evening your
husband has a meeting since this campaign begun,” he replied.
She pointed. “One day, I’m
going to beat you.”
“At your pleasure,” he said,
sweeping a swift bow, eyes dancing. “Shall we eat?”
~*~
Glass shattered against
the wall. Tomoe stared at the sign of her brother’s temper, struggling to keep
her own in check. Himura’s armies were all but camped at their doorstep and
their cousin was with them. Her nails dug into her palms as she seethed. Akira
had failed. Her cousin was alive and the murder attempt had been traced back to
them.
Her armies were not large
enough to deal with the threat in front of her. Akira and Enishi had not
finished setting the spells that would guarantee the unwavering loyalty of even
the mercenaries. The priests were starting to worry, and there were rumors they
were working to undermine her authority with what was left of the royal family.
If her little cousin managed to win, they were desperate enough that they might
just hand everything back over to the traitor, even if she was married to that mage king.
“We must destroy them.”
“Yes,” Tomoe agreed
turning and walking to her window to study the dying light. She could see their
cooking fires and her fists clenched tighter. “But how?
Things are not yet finished here. Our plans are not complete.”
Enishi was silent for a
long moment. “There might be a way.”
She twisted around, eyes
wide. “Explain.”
“Akira’s power is limited
as he is.”
She cut her hand down. “I
know.”
“There might be a way to
break the barrier between his soul and the demon’s. If that happens, then Akira
would have more control, more power.”
“He would have no
control.”
“He would have enough to
direct it at our enemies,” Enishi said coolly. “If he wins, then we can be
assured that Himura and Shishio are dead. Their kingdoms would be weakened by
the loss of their royal families.”
“And if we lose?” she
whispered, “If they manage to kill him?”
Enishi’s smile was cool
and wild. “That’s the beauty. Even if they kill Akira, the chances that Himura
lives through the fight will be greatly reduced.”
Tomoe was silent for a
long time. “What is your plan?”
“It will take a great deal
of power to break the seal Akira made sure was in place before he made the
bargain.”
“How?”
“Blood.”
Tomoe lifted a brow. “Blood?”
“Akira struck the bargain
with blood sacrifices; it’s how we break it.”
“Who do you plan on
killing?”
“The
priests.”
Tomoe blinked. The priests. “If they had any idea, they would
barricade themselves within the second temple.”
“Yes,” Enishi murmured.
“The second temple…”
Tomoe stilled. Twisting
around, she stared at her brother. “The second temple.”
His smile was sharp. “I
had forgotten.”
“Would we only have to
channel the energy from the blood to Akira?”
“Yes.”
Tomoe laughed. Clasping
her hands together, she smiled brightly. “Enishi. If
we kill all the priests…”
“Then you will be the only
one left with the ability to tap into the temples’ stored power.”
“I need a map.”
In moments they were
studying the layout of the city and the surrounding grounds.
“Himura and his armies are
here,” Enishi said, tracing the lines they would form. “The hidden entrance is
only a few hundred feet away from where the battlefield will be.”
“The temple texts suggest
that the area the magic will strip is only a few hundred yards. We need them to
be closer.”
“You never said what
exactly it does, Tomoe.”
“It acts as a magical
parasite, my dear Enishi.” Her smile was sharp. “It is why our people are
forbidden from practicing. Our gods will strip the magic from the souls of our
enemies, killing them.”
“And we win.”
“Oh yes, my dear brother,”
Tomoe breathed. “We win.”
“We will need a
distraction,” Enishi said thoughtfully. “They cannot expect what we are
planning. Our cousin knows the temples as well as we do.”
“Leave that, to me,” Tomoe
whispered, running her fingers through his hair. “I have an idea.”
Enishi picked up her free
hand and kissed the back of it. “Always.”
~*~
Kaoru woke up with a
scream in her throat. She managed to choke it off before it rose past a low
wail and she gasped for breath. Pressing a trembling hand to her chest, she
looked around. She had known the moment she woke that Kenshin wasn’t in the
tent. He would never have slept through her bolting upright. Much less her
tossing around, if the way her legs were tangled in the bedroll said anything.
Swallowing, she ran her fingers through her sweat damp bangs.
What had that been about?
She couldn’t remember the actual dream, just the feeling of dread. Taking a
deep breath, she shoved the blankets back and went to stand up. The tent flap
snapped open and she slipped, falling back onto her backside and swore.
“Kaoru?”
“Kenshin! Don’t do that!”
He looked tired, circles
under his eyes, and his expression concerned. “Are you all right?”
She blinked and then
flushed. “I’m sorry. It was just a bad dream.”
One that left her in a
cold sweat and she couldn’t remember. He nodded, moving into the tent and
sitting down next to her. His hands went to his boots, and she was relieved to
see that he was actually going to settle down for the night.
“What time is it?”
“Late.”
She punched him in the
shoulder. “You said you were going to be getting more sleep.”
He caught her hand and
kissed it. “I know. But there were things we needed to discuss tonight.”
“Akira?”
He nodded. “Yes. Tokio and
Yumi believe they have what they need to contain him, but it will depend on
what bargain he created.”
“Contain?”
Kenshin’s mouth was set in
a grim line. “It was Tokio’s idea. She had spent so much time working on the
barrier and finding ways to filter certain loyalties that she and Yumi were
able to change the spell. They believe that between the two of them, if we can
wear Akira down, they can lock him into a barrier until we figure out exactly
how to kill him.”
“I suppose you’re going to
be wearing him down?” Her voice was high.
“It has to be done,” he
said softly. “I will not be alone. Shinomori will be commanding the armies with
Misao to relay his commands.”
“Misao?”
“Her gift is being able to
see and communicate with the dead. A few of Aoshi’s men who she was close to
were killed several years ago. In times like this, she can use them to send
messages unharmed and unstoppable to the commanders to direct the troops.”
“That’s magic?”
“No. It’s a more of a
talent that her family has bred for generations. They had hoped Aoshi has the
gift, but he was a mage. Magic cancels out the gift.”
She swallowed. “When do we
attack?”
“Tomorrow.”
She sat up. “Oh.”
“Her armies have been
moving to surround the city since dawn this morning. They will want to hit us
fast and hard. The biggest problem they face is a siege. The country is in such
a state that it won’t take long for the city to run the reserves dry. We are
hoping to avoid starving the citizens, but with the mercenaries, it’s unlikely
that the city’s occupants won’t suffer.”
“Will they attack
tonight?”
“It is difficult to attack
at night,” Kenshin said. “You can’t see who you are fighting. Not without mage
lights and we need our mages for Akira. No, they will wait till dawn and we
will be ready.”
“What if…”
His fingers slid over her
lips. “We have stationed sentries and watches. Tokio has placed a spell half
way across the valley between us. We will know.”
She swallowed and then
nodded.
“Tomorrow, I want you to
stay in the medical tents.”
She stiffened. “Kenshin…”
He shook his head. “I do
not want you on that battlefield, Kaoru.”
She looked away. She
wanted to be on that battlefield, but…
She had no training. She
had no idea how to work within a unit. She knew nothing about the chaos of a
battlefield, and she would just hamper either Kenshin or the soldiers around
her. Or Kenshin would decide to put Soujiro on guard duty and have no one to
watch his back. At least in the medical tent she would be able to do
something.
“Alright,” she said. “I
won’t go near the battlefield.”
Warm lips brushed her
neck. “Thank you.”
She twisted around. “But
if you’re going to be fighting tomorrow, you need sleep. Now.”
He nodded, reaching over
to pull her close and settled down. “As my lady commands.”
She pressed close, closing
her eyes.
Kenshin would do
everything he could to stay alive tomorrow. She could feel it in the way he was
soaking her in his confidence. If he didn’t…
If he didn’t, then neither
of them would have to worry about the aftermath.
~*~
It was the second day of
battle. Blood stained her cuticles. She tried not to notice, but the occasional
lulls in the violence on the field before her, those moments when she tried to
find a bite to eat, when she wasn’t watching the bond for some sign, any sign
of him… she noticed. Her insides were cold enough to kill any nausea, and her
eyes only watered from the stench of open wounds and the decaying dead on the
field.
Kenshin was so cold. It
had been a cold shock when he had cut the bond to keep her from feeling the
effects of the battle. Her hands shook if she thought about it. She rarely had
the time to ponder, refused to give herself those moments of doubt. He was
alive. She would know if he was dead. That was all that mattered.
The hours dragged by.
Harsh clashing of steel and cold, foreign words carried on what little wind
there was. The bodies in front of her were never ending, and the healers were
diligent, working only to save the worse of the injured. The rest of them
stitched, sewed, and bathed the fevered in herb treated water that numbed the
fingers, but did little for the blood. Her back ached, her feet hurt, and a
numb exhaustion tugged at her mind the longer she was on her feet.
“Milady.” A young voice broke through her
thoughts and she looked up. He was no more than a teenager, dressed in
apprentice robes, and in his hands was a tray of steaming water to clean her
hands, and a roll stuffed with cold beef and cheese.
“Thank you.”
Finding a place to sit was
difficult, and she ended up perched on the end of an unconscious man’s cot. She
felt bad, but the herbs next to his night stand suggested he wouldn’t wake
soon, and she was careful not to jar the wound on his thigh. Taking a large
bite, she chewed rapidly, knowing it wouldn’t be long before more soldiers were
wheeled in.
A commotion at the tent
flap lifted her head, and she blinked rapidly to clear her head. Kagerou. Katsu. They were here. She
set her plate down, shoving the last of the roll into her mouth and moving
quickly to where they were arguing with a healer. They were here. Why were they
here?
“We need to speak to…”
Katsu insisted, his hair pulled out of his eyes by a
bandana. There was a gash bandaged next to his eye, and marks on his clothing
that suggested an explosion. He caught her eyes and bowed.
“Your
Majesty.”
“I’ll speak to them,” she
said hastily, moving around the healer and tugging them behind her. She didn’t
look to see what the healer thought about her absence, and she didn’t care. Why
were they here?”
“Why are you here?”
“The priests are gone.”
She blinked at them,
turning. “What?”
Kagerou repeated himself.
Kaoru frowned, biting her
chapped lip. “There are tunnels, and they might have gone to the second
temple.”
Katsu shook his head. “No,
Kaoru. The priests are gone.”
She stared at him. “Dead?”
“We don’t know. Last
night, during the demon raid, the Yukishiros gathered
up the priests to take to the second temple. To ask for a
blessing from the gods.”
She paled. “No.”
“This morning, the main
entrance was blood sealed.”
She clenched the sides of
her tunic. “Blood… what could she be thinking?”
Katsu’s expression was
grim. “We don’t know. There are vague rumors of some priests turning their back
on the throne, but it’s not been confirmed. Either way, it’s unlikely they went
willingly. There is danger in the second temple, and whatever her purpose, we
know that it will be a strike against us.”
“We have to stop her.”
Kaoru said flatly.
“This is why we are here.”
Kagerou said quietly. “We can get you to the second entrance, but only those of
royal blood may cross it.”
She stared at him.
“Kenshin will kill me.”
“There are rumors,” Katsu
said softly. “Of a weapon that the priests can use against magic; a great
strike against our enemies. I only heard your father speak of it once.”
She licked her lips.
“There is something else,”
Kagerou mentioned tiredly. “Roughly two candle marks ago, Kiyosato Akira
changed.”
She stared at him.
“Changed?”
“Your husband and the
smiling one were fairing well in the battle against him. Then… it was almost as
if the bonds holding his human soul were snapped. He has… become a monster. If
you do not find a way to stop Tomoe, then your husband will not be alive to
kill you.”
She licked her cracked
lips, fingers clenching. “I cannot call my sword.”
“No,” Katsu agreed. His
eyes flashed to Kagerou. “I will get it.”
Kaoru clenched her hands
in her tunic and stared at the battlefield. She could just make out the rise of
smoke over the rise of the slope. Her teeth hurt.
“The priests will use a
spell?”
“I don’t know.” Kagerou
admitted. “Your father never spoke of that particular weapon.”
She took a deep breath.
“You must tell Tokio where I have gone and what you know.”
“Tokio?”
“Saitoh Tokio. She is
Kenshin’s Master Mage. She has been working on a… barrier. I don’t know if I
will be able to stop whatever Tomoe plans on doing, but if I fail, instead of
using the barrier to trap Akira, she might be able to use it to save the
soldiers.”
Kagerou frowned. “It’s
dangerous.”
“She must know.”
“I will pass on your
words.”
She twisted. “You must promise,
Kagerou.”
He stared at her and then
nodded, grey eyes cold. “You have my word, your highness.”
Katsu appeared, his eyes
narrowed, her sword held in his hand. “We don’t have long. I was seen.”
She nodded, running her
tongue along the line of her teeth. “Then let’s go.”
Kenshin… forgive me…
