Flamecaller

by Caitlin Ricci

  "Do you have anyone else that could help you in your task?" Kiyoshi asked after a moment.

  "My cousin is eager to," Haruo said after a moment. "But I don't want her involved in this."

  "That's smart," Kiyoshi quietly murmured as he prepared their tea. He put a cup down in front of Haruo then took a sip of his own. "But your chances could be better with her."

  "They'd be better with all three of us," Haruo argued. Kiyoshi wanted his father dead as well. That was clear. Haruo hoped he just needed a push in the right direction to be able to bring himself to do it.

  *~*~*

  Kiyoshi lifted himself onto the counter and sipped his tea. Haruo should have been better trained. Then maybe they could have stood a chance against his father. And since he wasn't, Kiyoshi didn't hold out much hope for his cousin being either. Haruo was trainable, he was sure of it. But Kiyoshi was done with being disappointed by would-be fighters and their lackluster skills. Haruo had motive, and he was determined, and that was something at least, but Kiyoshi didn't think it would be enough. Not when they were talking about murdering his father and bringing down an empire. Haruo and his cousin would need far more than their skills and a bit of luck—they would need a miracle to make this happen.

  His father couldn't possibly suspect that Kiyoshi would try to attack him. Not again. He'd let things quietly go for years. There was no reason his father should think he would do anything against him ever again.

  Kiyoshi looked over to him. "Would your father have mentioned having children? Is there any way at all that my father could know about you and your bloodline? I didn't know there was anything left of the original families, so maybe he doesn't either."

  Haruo's hands shook. "If he was tortured, maybe—"

  "He was," Kiyoshi confirmed for him. He would never tell Haruo how, or for how long, but maybe he could figure that out on his own. "Attacking my father in his sleep was stupid. He doesn't sleep deeply. Poisoning him would have never worked either, which I assume was your father's back up plan, since they found a bottle on him."

  "The bottle wasn't for your father, it was for mine," Haruo quietly admitted.

  That was the only thing about that plan that made any sense at all to Kiyoshi. He had his own vial that he kept in his bedroom should he ever try something as foolish as attempting to kill his father again.

  "Do you want your father dead?" Haruo pressed.

  Kiyoshi took his time thinking about that question, and the inevitable answer to it. Wanting his father dead was one thing. There were probably plenty of children in the world that had hated their parents at one time or another. But not many of them would say so aloud, or risk death by doing so. He sighed and stared into his teacup. "I do. But I'm next to useless against him. He's bound my magic, except when I'm the executioner, and that's someone he controls. I've been killing people for him since I was barely a teenager and my son, if I ever have children, will do the same. The executioner lives in my line, just as much as the spirit of this island lives in yours. Mine is a curse, yours is a gift."

  Haruo put his cup aside. "What can you do to help us end it all? There has to be something. Or do you enjoy living like this and killing people? Your certainly good enough at it." His voice cracked, and Kiyoshi glared at him.

  "I don't enjoy it. Of course not." He eyed Haruo carefully. "Are you willing to be trained? Are you willing to do what I ask, without question? Can you even commit to doing something like that? Given who I am and who you are?"

  Haruo's answer was immediate and absolute. "Yes. Please train me. I know that with your help we can end this."

  Then his decision was made. "We'll start now then," Kiyoshi said, quickly stepping up to him. "You have to be willing to kill me though. If you can't do that, there's no point to any of this. Tell me that you won't hesitate. Tell me that when you have that opportunity, you will take it."

  Kiyoshi watched him hesitate, and he was sure Haruo would be a lost cause, but then Haruo nodded, looking resigned to what they were planning to do. "I'll do everything you tell me to."

  It was all Kiyoshi had ever asked anyone to do. "Good. We start now." He stepped toward Haruo, and was glad to see Haruo take up a good stance. "I won't go easy on you," he warned.

  "I don't expect you to. And I wouldn't want you to either." For some reason, Haruo was smiling at him. Kiyoshi couldn't understand why, but he wasn't willing to dwell on it either. Instead he jumped forward, lashing out at Haruo. He didn't hold back, and when Haruo began to learn and grow, meeting his kicks and punches, Kiyoshi understood why Haruo had been smiling—because with the two of them working together, Kiyoshi thought they might have a chance for the first time.

  Hours later Kiyoshi was tired, but he felt much better about their prospects as he pulled Haruo up from where he'd laid him flat in the middle of the living room. "It's time for a break," he said.

  Haruo was bruised, and he was limping, but Kiyoshi was sure it wouldn't be anything serious. Kiyoshi had only knocked him down a few times. There was no reason to expect that Haruo would be permanently damaged from their training.

  "How'd I do?" Haruo asked as he joined him in the kitchen. He was still smiling, which was a good thing.

  "Fairly well. I no longer think you're going to die instantly." Kiyoshi liked that they could laugh about this, even though it was such a dark topic.

  He sighed and rolled his shoulder. Haruo had managed to throw him, just once, but it was enough.

  "Do you think I'm ready to face your father though? And you?"

  It was a tough question, and Kiyoshi turned to look him over. "Your skills are rough, but they aren’t going to get much better unless I spend weeks training you, and that is time we don’t have. So yes, right now you’re as good as you’re going to be." But Kiyoshi didn't want him to be. He didn't want Haruo to die. With everyone else he'd ever tried to get this help from, he'd tried to numb himself to the possibility of them dying, but in the end, he'd been resigned to it. Now with Haruo, Kiyoshi wished he didn't have to involve Haruo at all. But he couldn't kill his own father. It wasn't that he didn't want to, it was that he wasn't able to. He needed someone else's help, and Haruo was the most competent person he'd met so far.

  "So we'll go attack him?" Haruo pressed.

  Kiyoshi nodded. "Yes. I'll get you and your cousin in a room with him. I would rather not have to bring her, but not having her with us would be too suspicious. "

  Haruo straightened up a little as he nodded. "And you? Where will you be?"

  Nowhere near them. "The best you can hope for is that I'll be out of the room when you try to kill him. I do his bidding as the executioner, and if he orders me to kill you two, that'll be it. You don't stand a chance against me like this, as him you'd be dead within seconds."

  Haruo looked like he didn't really believe him. Kiyoshi hoped to never have to prove him wrong.

  "I'll go get Taka. It's almost three in the morning, but she should still be awake. Unless… do you want to come with me? I could show you where I grew up. You could meet more of the villagers."

  Kiyoshi wanted to accept his offer, but he knew that if he learned more of Haruo's life, it would make him regret killing him even more. "No. Thank you."

  Haruo looked hurt. The lines of his mouth drew down and he shook his head. Kiyoshi didn't care about disappointing him. He cared about not living with even more regret for the people he'd been forced to kill than he already had to carry as it was.

  "Bye," Kiyoshi said, sending him away.

  That must have been the final, stinging remark, because Haruo left right after that, and Kiyoshi was glad for the sudden silence in his house.

  *~*~*

  Haruo found Taka quickly. She hadn’t gone far from Kiyoshi’s home, though she had managed to keep herself hidden. She was by the banks fishing, her dragon scales shimmering as she lounged on the rocks. As soon as she saw him, she shifted and popped up to her feet. "What's going on? You look upset."

  "And you should be asle
ep. It's the middle of the night. But regardless, we need to talk—and it’s time for you to meet Kiyoshi." There was no reason to play with words with Taka. She would understand that Kiyoshi's plan was a good one, even if Haruo didn't want Taka involved at all.

  She tilted her head to the side. "Something's changed."

  He wasn't surprised she saw that. "Yes."

  "What is it?"

  He didn't want to talk about it here. Not while they were out in the open and there could be other dragons listening in on their conversation. Haruo assumed Shiro had spies everywhere. They were safer like that. "I'll tell you everything when we're back inside. I think you'll like him."

  Taka smiled grimly. "Oh, I'm sure I will."

  They walked together back to Kiyoshi's house, where Haruo hesitated at the door. He wasn't sure if he should knock, or if he should simply barge in, since Taka was supposed to be living there as well. In the end he decided to forgo knocking altogether as he entered the house and found Kiyoshi still sitting on the counter where he'd left him.

  "Haruo," Kiyoshi greeted him with a look to Taka that made Haruo realize Kiyoshi didn't trust her simply on his word.

  "Taka, this is Kiyoshi." Haruo made sure the door was closed tightly behind them. Taka moved to offer Kiyoshi her hand, but Haruo pulled her back. While he understood that Kiyoshi might have had no choice in being Shiro's executioner, he was sure Taka would be much more black and white about things.

  "What's wrong?" she demanded as she looked up at him.

  Haruo wanted to ease her into everything he'd learned about Kiyoshi since meeting him, but now was not that time. "There are things that you don't understand here. I'll explain it all later. But for right now, you only need to know that Kiyoshi is on our side."

  She was pissed. Instantly. "No. You'll tell me now. I'm not trusting him if there are secrets between us. That's not how this works."

  "He's trying to spare you," Kiyoshi quietly spoke up.

  Taka turned on him, and Haruo was quick to pull her back. "That's not good enough," she burst out, struggling against his hold.

  "Fine! He's the executioner!" He hadn't meant to practically yell at her, or to state it so bluntly, but Haruo was too tired to fight with her.

  Predictably, Taka launched herself at Kiyoshi, and Haruo wasn't fast enough to stop her. Kiyoshi apparently was. He was off the counter and had her arms pinned behind her back within seconds. A heartbeat later her leg was pulled back behind his and he had her on her knees with him against her back. Haruo stared at him.

  "Let me go!" Taka screeched at him, far too loudly. Haruo quickly checked to make sure the doors and windows were all closed. They couldn't risk attracting that kind of attention.

  Kiyoshi released her immediately and took his place back on the counter. "You didn’t tell her anything?" he asked Haruo as he went to help his sister up.

  "No. I don't talk about things where Shiro's spies can hear us."

  Kiyoshi nodded. "That's probably smart. I'll let you tell her then, since I'll only be there to get you through the door. As much as I want to have a part in this, I can't."

  "I understand."

  Kiyoshi smiled at that. "Thank you. I'd rather not have to kill you."

  Haruo took Taka over to the couch. They were still close enough that he could see Kiyoshi in the kitchen, and he found himself watching Kiyoshi often even as he sat next to Taka.

  "Tell me we're not actually trusting the man who murdered your father," Taka hissed at him.

  They really didn't have a choice. He was their only chance at getting close to Shiro. "Yes, we are. And he didn't have a choice in that, so don't blame him."

  Taka looked disgusted with him. "I know he's pretty, but are you really going to fall for that? Think with your head!"

  "I am." Haruo shook his head. He wasn't sure why Taka would even question that. "Kiyoshi will get us close to Shiro, then he has to leave. Shiro controls him as the executioner. I'm not sure how it's done, but I believe him when he says he can't be there. When we kill Shiro, Kiyoshi will leave, and that will be the end of it. When it's done, I'll go to Kiyoshi and quietly kill him. He'll know I'm coming for him. He deserves that much. But I've also promised not to hold back with him. I'll kill him because I have to, not because I want to. Then the island's spirits will be at peace once again."

  Kiyoshi came forward and crouched down in front of him, then, looking small but determined. Haruo hadn't meant to reach out to him, but Kiyoshi twisted his hand, tangling their fingers together. It was Haruo's first time holding hands with a man, but he didn't try to pull away. And when Kiyoshi leaned in to give him a kiss on his cheek, Haruo found himself wanting more than just that simple touch.

  "I'll die for my sins, the same as my father will, and I appreciate you giving me the respect of coming at me, of letting me know when you're going to kill me," Kiyoshi gently said. He slipped onto his knees in front of them. He tried to pull his hand away, but Haruo didn't let him go. "I'll need my hand back someday."

  "And you'll get it. But not right now."

  Kiyoshi smirked, but said nothing more to that. Haruo turned his attention back to Taka, who was watching them with a frown. "He murdered your father," she reminded him.

  "He was forced to," Haruo didn't want to argue with her about that.

  "Says him," Taka snapped.

  Haruo didn't want to argue with her at all anymore. "Kiyoshi wants to take us in to see Shiro. He'll present you as his wife, he'll leave, and then we'll kill Shiro."

  "Then he can call in his father's guards and have us both killed, and he becomes the emperor. It's too convenient for him that he can just leave while we do all the dirty work. He's using you."

  She got up from the couch and Haruo sighed. He wished he knew of a way to show her Kiyoshi wasn't lying. He looked to Kiyoshi for help, but he only shrugged as if to say she was his cousin, so he needed to figure this out. "When you take the poison, will it hurt you?"

  "I assume dying always hurts," Kiyoshi said. He got off the floor and joined Haruo on the couch. He seemed awkward for a moment before Haruo put his arm around Kiyoshi's shoulder. "I don't expect you to be there when I do it. In fact, I'd rather you not see it at all. But if for some reason I can't take it, if I'm captured or something, then you will be the one to kill me, because no one else will."

  Haruo had seen too much death, but he knew Kiyoshi had seen much more than him, and there was no reason Kiyoshi should have to go through it alone. But if that was Kiyoshi's wish, Haruo would respect it. "Okay. When would you like to go see your father?"

  "Tonight. I've held the executioner inside of me for far too long. I want to be free of him as soon as possible, and you two are the only ones who can release this island. If it anyone else were to kill him, things would not change. Another ruler would take his place, another family would hold her power. You two will make things right the way I never could."

  Haruo acted on impulse more than anything else as he leaned forward and kissed Kiyoshi. He half expected Kiyoshi to throw him off the couch for his simple act, but instead Kiyoshi went soft under him, yielding his mouth in a way Haruo would never expect him to in a fight.

  Taka returned to the room, and Kiyoshi pulled away from him abruptly. It was far too soon for Haruo to let him go, and he wasn’t about to let a little thing like Taka being in the room stop him. "Tonight you'll get your revenge and the screams will stop," Kiyoshi promised him.

  "Tonight you'll die." It wasn't something Haruo wanted. Not now that he knew the truth.

  Kiyoshi nodded and briefly touched his lips. "At least I'll die knowing what it was like to kiss someone I cared about. Not everyone can say such a thing."

  Haruo wasn't sure what to say to that, so he fell silent.

  *~*~*

  The sun was rising as Haruo walked behind Kiyoshi and Taka. He led her, his hand on her lower back as they headed toward Shiro's house. He lived in the largest house in the village, with plenty of access to the river that was privat
e only to him. Haruo had once assumed Kiyoshi had been able to play and fish there as a child, though he'd never seen Kiyoshi out. Now he knew that was likely because Kiyoshi had been in training, or simply hidden away, and it made Haruo realize Kiyoshi's childhood must have been a lonely one.

  Haruo had grown up with Taka and their father and plenty of friends from the village. He'd known for years that his father was going to try to kill Shiro, and he'd known he was the backup plan if his father failed. The screams had become too much for them. The fish weren't coming around as often, and the fruit trees had nearly stopped producing altogether. Their island was dying, and his father's final act had been one of desperation. Haruo prayed his own attempt at killing the emperor would go better.

  Kiyoshi let them in and Haruo was surprised to see only a few guards at the entrance. They looked the three of them over but made no move to stop them.

  "Come, my future wife, I want to introduce you to my father," Kiyoshi loudly said.

  Taka made a show of smiling at him. Haruo wished the sight of Kiyoshi touching her, even in show, didn't make him jealous. He shouldn't have been thinking about such things, feeling such things, especially when he knew Kiyoshi had a vial of poison in his pocket that he would be using on himself tonight. He wanted to be there with Kiyoshi when he took that poison. There was no reason Kiyoshi should have to die alone. Haruo wasn't like Taka. He didn't blame Kiyoshi for killing their father. He believed Kiyoshi when he said he hadn't had a choice in the matter. If Kiyoshi had really wanted to kill him, if he'd really enjoyed murdering people, he wouldn't have knocked their father out first. Haruo knew that, and he wanted to make sure Kiyoshi's death was just as painless as the one he'd given Haruo's father.

  Kiyoshi showed them to a large study where his father was sitting beside the fire. A book lay open over his lap, and a cup of tea sat steaming on a table nearby. He looked up at them as they entered, and Haruo was surprised to see so much annoyance in his gaze. He didn't try to hide it either. Haruo had never seen that kind of disdain on his own father's face. He wondered how often Kiyoshi had seen it on Shiro's.