by Ryan Kirk
Mari watched as Asa stood up and quickly ran her hands over her body. The movement was quick, and almost looked natural. But Mari was fascinated by Asa, and had studied her enough to know that the nightblade was ensuring all her weapons were present. Mari had grown up around military men, but still had never met someone who carried as much sharpened steel as Asa. Some days, Mari was surprised Asa didn’t accidentally stab herself just sitting down.
Mari wasn’t about to go into the night unarmed, either. Today a short blade rested on her hip. Partly it was a symbol, letting her followers know that she was more than just a noble, that she was willing to fight as well. She also halfway planned on using it before the night was through.
The assembled group slowly quieted as the warriors finished their preparations. Mari stood up and advanced to the door. Glancing around the room, she saw the determined set of everyone’s faces, Asa’s being the one exception. There was little to say. No one in this room needed further encouragement, and their plans had already been well laid. “Are we ready?”
Her question was greeted with the stony silence of the assembled warriors.
“Then let’s remove this traitor from my throne.”
They slipped out of the inn, stealth no longer a concern. The time was early, and the sun hadn’t yet risen. Mari and Takahiro suspected the guards would be least wary at this time. If all went well, by the time the sun struck the streets of the mountain city, Mari’s reign would be solidified.
They walked through the narrow streets toward the courtyard in the city center. Tatsuo hadn’t yet worked up the courage to move into Mari’s family’s palace, and so remained in what was considered merely a large estate by Stonekeep standards, only a few streets over from the city center.
One or two early rising citizens saw the group marching, and they immediately made way. Mari, for the first time since her arrival, walked the streets of Stonekeep without her hood up, without fear of being noticed. Even that simple difference lent a spring to her step. She walked tall, proud of her position in her own city. From the bows she received, she could tell she was recognized by the few passersby they encountered.
Soon they came to the last corner before Tatsuo’s residences. Asa, who had acted as a rear guard during the march, wormed her way through the crowd of soldiers to stand by Mari. The lady looked at her. “Are you ready?”
Their eyes met, and Mari knew that Asa understood she wasn’t referring to physical preparedness. Asa’s face was blank as she nodded.
Mari couldn’t help but feel uncertain. She trusted Asa deeply, but Asa did little to maintain the trust she had earned. And now Mari had little choice but to rely on her skills.
Together, the two of them walked past the corner and approached the main gate of Tatsuo’s residence alone. The gate was open but guarded by two very alert sentries. Mari had hoped they’d be drowsy, but Tatsuo would be the type of man who only hired the best, guards who didn’t slack in their duties.
The women approached casually. Asa wore her traveling clothes, washed after their previous journey. To a casual observer, they were just two women walking in the early morning. The sentries stopped them once they drew within five paces of the gate.
The two guards looked almost identical in their uniforms. Both stood a full head taller than the two women. One was slightly broader across the shoulders, but besides that, they could almost be twins.
The slightly thinner man, clearly the superior, addressed them.
“Lady Mari, it is a pleasure to see you.”
Mari gave a short bow. So he knew her, then. How would he react?
The man gave a quick nod to the other, who turned around. Mari assumed they were going to escort her into Tatsuo’s residence.
In her peripheral vision, Mari saw Asa blur forward, her hand swinging out faster than Mari’s untrained eye could follow. The bigger man, who had turned around, sprouted blood from the side of his neck. The thinner man’s eyes opened wide and his mouth opened just in time for Asa’s hand to punch him in the throat. When her hand came away, it left behind a short dagger.
“Asa! What have you done?” Mari had hoped to avoid violence. She’d told Asa! She’d trusted the blade.
The nightblade uttered an almost silent curse and pointed to the wall behind the first man she had killed. There was a horn there Mari hadn’t noticed. “He was about to sound the alarm. I sensed it.”
Mari had no way to evaluate the truth of that statement, and it didn’t matter now. Asa had decided their course. Behind them, Takahiro and the other soldiers jogged up. No doubt they had seen.
Mari kept her orders concise. “Don’t kill unless necessary. Go.”
The soldiers streamed out in front of her. In moments, the entire house would be in an uproar. Asa remained behind, standing next to Mari as the warriors cleared the passageways in front of them.
“You don’t believe me,” she said matter-of-factly.
Mari glanced over. She wouldn’t even try lying to the blade. “It is much to ask on faith.”
Asa accepted that. Mari was grateful for that aspect of the difficult blade. The woman respected naked truth more than half-lies. If only more were like her, perhaps the world would be an easier place to navigate. Maybe more frustrating at times, but straightforward, at least.
Not long after, the first sounds of swords clashing came to their ears. Mari made a decision. “Let’s go. Your strength may be valuable.” Asa didn’t argue.
They entered the house and Mari was glad to see that in several rooms her soldiers were keeping the occupants at bay without resorting to murder. In one room, a woman and children huddled together under a guard’s watchful eye. In another, a man with a bloody nose lay sprawled on the floor, attended to by his family. They were all servants and had no part in what was occurring.
The two of them walked deeper into the house. Suddenly, Asa stepped in front of Mari. “Hold here.”
For a moment, nothing happened. But then, from a small closet, a young man flung himself at them, a kitchen knife in his hand. Mari, even with Asa’s warning, jumped. He must have been missed by the initial sweep, but even in the short glance she had, Mari saw he hadn’t seen more than fifteen cycles. She opened her mouth, afraid Asa would kill him, but couldn’t form the words quickly enough.
Asa’s open palm crashed into the boy’s face, her other arm easily deflecting the wide swing of the knife. The boy crashed to the ground, unconscious.
The two women locked eyes and Mari gave Asa a slight bow. “Thank you.”
Asa gave the barest of nods as she led the way deeper into the house. Mari saw that the violence became more pronounced the deeper they went. Guards had started to react here, and more than a few bodies littered the hallways. Mari fought the bile rising in her throat. The cost was necessary, but these were her citizens.
Asa led her to what appeared to be a receiving room near the center of the house. Tatsuo sat there, in his evening clothes but otherwise looking completely at peace. He fixed Mari with an unwavering stare as she entered. “You are too late, Lady Mari, and this mistake will cost you everything.”
She couldn’t believe his confidence. He was surrounded by her men, yet believed he was in control of the situation. She would have to disabuse him of that. “Surrender your traitorous claim, and possibly I will let you live.”
He gave her a look as though she was a child who hadn’t gotten her way. “No, Lady Mari. Your house has become mine. Call back your soldiers and I will allow you to live in exile.”
Mari took a single, deep breath. For all the groundwork she had laid, the future was still unwritten. Tatsuo clearly believed he had the support of most of the nobles. He might be right. Mari knew their support was divided fairly evenly. A shadow of doubt fell over her.
Then she remembered the farmer, turned away from justice only a few days ago. She remembered that this was a man who easily resorted to assassination. No, Tatsuo couldn’t have her house. Only one path was clear, as much
as she detested it.
She stepped toward Tatsuo and drew her short blade. Tatsuo’s all-knowing grin never wavered. He still thought she was bluffing, that she didn’t have the will. “You should put that away before you cut yourself,” he said.
He never expected her to slash at him, the sharp steel cutting a deep, uneven line across his neck. His eyes went wide, and for the last few heartbeats of his life, he realized just how wrong he’d been.
The sun rose on Mari’s first day of rule. After the attack, they had returned to the inn, where Mari changed into her finest robes. While Mari changed, soldiers loyal to her flooded through the streets. Down at the gate, some of her soldiers were coming up the pass to reinforce her position. She hated that Stonekeep would have such a strong military presence, but it was needed to ensure the smooth continuation of her rule.
She glanced at herself in a mirror before leaving the inn. The emblem of House Kita sat prominently on the robe, a reminder to all who would challenge her. According to her information, Tatsuo had planned on holding a small council meeting today, no doubt to consolidate his own power. The open council was for the people, but the small council was where the direction of their house was decided.
Mari made her way toward the council chambers, the path familiar to her from the days of her childhood. Although she hadn’t had the same upbringing as Juro, or even Hiromi, their father still expected her to be present at small council meetings. He believed each of his children should possess at least a basic understanding of how the house lands operated.
Mari and her entourage were the first to arrive. Takahiro took a torch and lit the lamps in the small, stone room with thick doors. As a child, Mari had always considered the room warm and comfortable. Her father and his advisers had argued in this room for half the day sometimes, but it had always felt safe. Under her father, this had been a space where people could disagree with one another and not fear for their lives. Today, despite the growing heat of the summer, the room seemed chilly.
Eventually the other nobles arrived. Mari recognized them all, and they recognized her in return. Some nobles she’d already made contact with. From them, she received small nods, the only acknowledgment she’d receive that they’d cooperated. Others looked surprised, some even taken aback, at her presence in the room. She assumed by now most had learned of her presence in the city, but no small number of them might have been involved in the plots to assassinate her.
Arata was an old noble Mari remembered well. She hadn’t seen him for over a cycle, but he looked unchanged, like a weathered rock immune to the storms of time. His white beard was long and well maintained, and he moved with a grace that belied his advanced years. He had been a military commander long before even her father had taken control of the house. Unfortunately, he was one of the nobles whose loyalty to their house was uncertain. As such, she hadn’t approached him yet. His reaction seemed genuine.
He knelt down the moment he recognized her. “Lady Mari! I had heard you were dead, killed with your brother near Starfall. I am glad to see you alive.”
Mari gave the old noble a small bow. Though circumstantial, the fact he’d mentioned that particular rumor indicated he probably hadn’t been involved in the plots against her. He had always seemed too honest for such scheming, but one could never be sure. She relaxed toward him, but not completely. “It is good to see you once again. It has been far too long, Arata.”
As old as he was, and Mari guessed he had seen over eighty cycles, Arata’s eyes were clear and sharp. He saw that Mari was sitting at the head of the table, but he made no mention of the fact. He took his seat, waiting for developments to unfold.
Two other nobles who had walked in behind Arata were well known to Mari. She had visited them both in the past several days and earned their support. Their names were Naoki and Isau, both who had seen about forty cycles and had been close friends of her father. She bowed slightly towards them, and her gesture was returned by a pair of deeper bows. They were solidly on her side, then.
The other nobles trickled in one and two at a time. Some didn’t seem surprised to see her, while others were shocked. Mari made note of each reaction. More than a few faces didn’t seem pleased that she sat at the head of the table.
The final noble to arrive was the one Mari knew she would have the most problems with. Yoshinori stepped into the room, laughing at some comment his bodyguard had made when his eyes met Mari’s. His gaze immediately hardened, and he took in the room and the rest of the nobles with a quick glance. Mari didn’t need to be a mind reader to know he was doing the same math she was. Who supported whom? That question would determine the fate of the lands. In many ways, this meeting held even more importance than her actions the night before.
Mari wished she felt as confident as she looked. She had been very careful when meeting with the nobles over the past several days. One wrong move would have given away the element of surprise, and she’d been more cautious than necessary. Now she wished she’d been bolder and sought out more support before she acted.
Yoshinori sat down. He had been Tatsuo’s closest ally, according to everything she had heard. He began the meeting without formalities. “Where is Tatsuo?”
Mari decided not to lie. “Dead.”
Loud murmurs immediately erupted around the table. Even the nobles who had already pledged their support to her looked surprised. Yoshinori looked as though he was about to stand and shout, but reconsidered. “You killed him?”
Mari nodded. “I gave him an opportunity to rescind his claim peacefully. He refused.”
Silence settled over the room as the various nobles considered the implications. Yoshinori, of course, sought to take advantage of the confusion. “We must choose a new leader for the house.”
Mari stopped him before he could continue. She’d predicted the move, and couldn’t let Yoshinori frame the argument. “I agree. None of you are fools. I’m sitting here today because I intend to protect these lands and my people. I am the last surviving member of my family, and I will rule. But it will only be by the consent of the majority of the nobles here.”
Yoshinori stood up now, his face turning red. “How dare you presume to rule? You are a woman!”
Mari met the noble’s fire with an icy gaze. Yoshinori sputtered as the other nobles judged him for his outburst. Mari knew of his temper and hoped to use it to prove how unfit a leader he was. “I am well aware my position goes against tradition, which is why I’m asking for your support. Without you, the people will not follow. With you, they will.”
Yoshinori muttered loudly about the disgrace of the situation.
Arata spoke, his voice firm. “What you ask is very unusual, Lady Mari. I have long supported your family, but if what you say is true, and you do seek to protect the people, why should I support you and not another?”
Mari gave the older noble a small bow. “A good question. Since I was young, my father insisted that we be part of his rule. I did not receive the depth of training Juro did, but I am also no stranger to the ways of the lordship. Perhaps more important, I have the allegiance of General Fumio, who is now in command of the army on our western border. I also have the allegiance of the blades.”
Yoshinori spat. “The assassins who killed our lord and the king? You’ve made your bed with snakes, Lady Mari.”
Mari felt her heart race at that. She thought of Koji, reflecting on how strange a world it was where she counted the man who killed her brother as one of her most loyal supporters. The nobles here could never know how close the two of them were, another reason she had sent him away from her instead of making him the head of her guard.
“They are also the only force strong enough to protect us in our time of need,” she replied. “We are under attack from the other two houses. Without the blades, this house will fall.”
Yoshinori’s retort was immediate. “You don’t even trust our military? Your lack of faith is unbecoming of a ruler.”
Although anger rose in
her throat, she couldn’t allow herself to show it. The nobles needed to see she would handle a crisis with calm, rational decision-making. “I trust our military, but I’m also a realist. Hiromi’s actions decimated our forces, and although our men are well-trained, we are substantially outnumbered. Our only hope is the blades, as unpleasant as that truth might be.”
Arata verbally stepped between the two of them. Mari didn’t remember him ever being quite so vocal during meetings. “Your words are reasonable, Lady Mari, even if I find them difficult to accept. There is one other question, though. Do you plan to marry?”
Mari leaned back in her chair. The question wasn’t unexpected, but it was the one she was the least enthusiastic about answering. But the long arm of tradition could never be fully escaped.
“At some point, yes. I believe there are more important matters at stake now, but I desire to see my family line continue. I refuse to make it a priority at this time, however.”
Arata wasn’t pleased with the answer, and looked like he was about to push the issue.
Mari spoke before Arata could reply. “I do plan to marry, and I recognize how important giving birth to an heir will be. But we must first look to the safety of the land. Our people must come first. I am happy to entertain potential suitors, as time allows. If I receive support from you all, it would allow me more time to consider such issues.”
She knew she walked a fine line, but she saw little choice. The nobles around the table were silent as they considered her statements. Yoshinori, in particular, seemed thoughtful. Mari hinted at the possibility of greater roles within the ruling of the lands. She expected that he underestimated her, that he saw opportunities both for marriage into the family and to assume greater responsibility behind the scenes.