by Ko, John
“There are other special conditions we have to keep in mind as well. Our Brother Monster is injured and only has the use of one arm. The cast on his injured arm should prevent any further damage, but we do not want him jumping all around or taking too many hits. Fortunately, his healing should be unaffected. But please remember to stay on the side of his good arm to make things easier on him.
“We also have to look out for Rachel. After all her hard work, she is now able to read an attacker’s basic location and has about a 50% chance of detecting attacks. One-on-one, she is at a disadvantage against any quick moving opponent. She is best off facing opponents using straightforward attacks.
“Without the Captain, we are going to have to lean on Wake and Riser more than ever for damage. Keeping them up will be a priority.”
His teammates listen intently. None of them looking all too worried. They’re already used to this—doing the impossible, he realizes.
He goes over the new formations and what they need to practice today. When he’s done explaining it all, he falls asleep on the spot.
Chapter 59
IEIRI
[The Twin Daughter’s Inn, Saranghae]
“So what did you learn today?” Master Enada lounges lazily in her thick-padded chair, but her eyes are that of a hawk. The room the outcast Daughter chose for them is barely large enough for two, but it does have a fireplace and a window that overlooks one of the main streets. In one hand, the Master of the Dark Wind swishes a goblet half-full of wine and in the other she twirls one of her long needles.
Nothing, Ieiri wants to say, but that will just earn her another hour of sitting. “I found the bard’s hat,” she answers. At least that’s better than the day before in which she really found nothing at all.
Enada throws her head back so far that she’s practically looking at the wall behind her. With that exaggerated sigh of hers, she just as quickly leans forward until she is on the very edge of her chair. “You are as short-sighted as you are short. Do I have to wait for you to grow too before you can see what is right in front of you?”
“Sit,” the Master tells her with a wicked smile.
Now it’s Ieiri’s turn to sigh. She sits down in the chair across from her master. Enada finishes her wine and places the empty goblet onto Ieiri’s head. She walks behind Ieiri’s chair and pulls it out from under her. Ieiri remains still, her legs bent at a perfect right angle, her bottom touching nothing but air. For the hundredth time, Ieiri wonders if there has ever been another so evil as her current master.
After ‘sitting’ for so long, it’s all she can do but to sit some more. But at least this time, it’s on the floor. If her legs would only respond just a little, she would be washing up from the long and fruitless day.
“Is that your first Master I see down there?” Enada says from the window. Ieiri tries to stand but falls back onto the floor. Crawling is beyond her, as well, but by digging her fingertips into the floor she manages to drag herself to the windowsill.
“I guess not,” Enada says, watching the disappointment on her student’s face. “Goodness gracious, girl, get a hold of yourself. I’ve never met anyone with as much yet so little pride as you.”
The Master of the Dark Winds picks her up by her collar and sets her back onto the bearskin rug in front of the fireplace. “You are far too easy to read. Where is your guile?”
Ieiri could say something right now, but decides it’s better not to, or that she’s too tired to. She can’t think clearly enough to be sure. When the outcast Daughter moves close to pat her on the head, she can’t help but cringe.
Enada laughs her way all the way out of the room at that, leaving Ieiri alone with her thoughts. Three days and all I’ve found is this stupid hat, she thinks to herself.
For three days and two nights all she has done is chase rumor and shadow. She did manage to reunite a pair of lost boys and even a little girl with their parents, but that didn’t bring her any closer to her real goal—finding the bard.
She can’t remember the last time she’s sat down for a real meal. She’s slept more standing than in a real bed. Her hair is a mess, and her cleanest outfit is days beyond needing a good washing. Still, she has nothing to show for it.
She did stop her search to catch a few moments of the Team’s first match of Flag earlier that day. At least they won with little trouble. Even with Fate never leaving the Staging Area, the others had somehow managed to win. She could tell how miserable he was, though.
It was almost too painful to watch. The way the crowds jeered and taunted made her want to claw their eyes out. Fools, what do they know? It was enough for her to skip the following matches. Concentrating on the search is more important after all. Tomorrow, they’ll fight once more during the day, and then when night comes, they will face the Royal Team in the Finals. I promised to find the bard and bring him back by then, but all I’ve managed so far is to find his stupid hat.
She even tried renting a dog, but the supposedly best tracker in the capital only managed in tracking down the Seven Corners Inn. Ieiri picks the hat up and holds it high above her head, ready to toss into the fire. But the door opens behind her and instead she’s getting laughed at once more.
Enada drops a small tub onto the ground next to her. Warm water splashes against Ieiri’s face. The Master of the Dark Wind begins tugging at Ieiri’s filthy garb. Once she is in just her underclothes, Enada scoops her up and dumps her unceremoniously into the small washtub. She’s too tired to say anything as the outcast Daughter begins singing one of her less bawdy tunes, while scrubbing at her with no mercy. She begins to nod off even as Enada begins attacking her hair with a brush.
When she awakens, she is clean and mostly dressed. A bowl of something that has long ago gone cold is at her bedside. Her stomach rumbles at the smell of food and soon she is slurping what little remains of the large, wooden bowl.
The ground feels like it is shaking when she stands, but at least her legs are now working. Before she can even think of making for the door, Enada pokes her with a single finger, knocking her back into bed. The Master of the Dark Wind sits down on the edge of Ieiri’s bed and squeezes her calf hard enough to make her yelp. Then she presses even harder against her lower legs and begins knuckling her way to Ieiri’s thighs. It is the most painful massage Ieiri’s ever experienced, but once it’s all over, she can stand once again without swaying.
“Girl, do not forget that you are here to also learn and grow,” Enada says.
Ieiri can feel her Master staring at her even as she stares at the floor. Learn and grow? How can she talk of lessons when I have a promise to keep?
Enada sighs once more. “Since, you are refusing to learn the lesson at hand, perhaps there is something else I can teach you,” she says, pulling out one of the long needles holding up her hair.
“Give me the hat,” Enada tells her.
Ieiri hands it over. Enada extinguishes the fire in the hearth, leaving only a single lamp to light the room. She holds the three-cornered hat up to the lamplight and points at the shadow created on the wall.
“This wasn’t so bad a find after all,” she says. “The bard must have worn this almost every day for a good long time. I’d say for at least a year.”
Ieiri watches as the Daughter ever so gently probes the shadow of the hat with her long needle. “What I’m looking for is the place where the hat’s shadow and its owner most often became one.” She stops for an instant near the base of the shadow and pierces it ever so gently. The needle disappears into the wall and when she pulls it back there is a dark, ghostly thread attached to its end.
“A shadow has no soul, but they do have preferences. They form relationships; not just with their owner but with each other as well. This is what we call the Affinity of Shadows.” Enada hands her the needle. “When we have more time, I will teach you more on the subject, but for now you can try following this thread.”
“Will this really lead me to the bard?”
&
nbsp; “Maybe,” Enada falls back into her chair and motions for Ieiri to pour for her. Her student does just that. “This should be easy enough, even for you. As for me, the shadow of my backside will stay with its newfound friend, the chair’s—at least until tonight’s final match. I will be sorely disappointed if I do not see you there … with the bard.”
“Thank you, Master Enada,” is all Ieiri can say, wondering if ever a woman as wonderful as her current master has ever existed.
The thread leads Ieiri to a large house near the river. She learns from the old crone selling flowers on the corner that the high-walled manse belongs to the Royal family. From somewhere inside, a guitar cries the saddest song she’s ever heard.
Chapter 60
SENSE
[Seven Corners Inn, Saranghae]
That was too close. Our hearts just weren’t in it today, Sense thinks, watching his friends sit in silence. All around them are the sounds of festivity, but in their little corner off of the main battlefield there is only quiet.
Riser helps Monster rewrap his arm. Wake sits next to his sister, neither one of them saying a word. Spikey lays curled in Shine’s lap, tired and breathing hard after a hard fought match. And Fate hasn’t been the same since returning from his meeting with the Glissade four days ago. How can someone’s smile look so sad? Sense wonders. They’re worried, each and every one of them. I am, too.
During their first match, when Fate stayed behind in the Staging Area, all he could say was ‘Sorry.’ Yesterday, for their second and third, he couldn’t even manage that. And when he opened his mouth to apologize before this morning’s match, there were no words, only tears.
The crowds didn’t understand what was going on. Those nearest questioned, heckled and jeered. What would’ve happened if we hadn’t spied on his meeting with the Glissade? Sense wonders. And once again, he’s thankful for at least that.
Their semi-final match ended in victory, but the cost had been high. Sense had every intention of keeping Spikey hidden until the final round, but as soon as they took out Shine, he realized that wasn’t going to happen. Every little trick they had using the chipmunk was revealed in the last matchup. They have nothing left for the Finals tonight. They have nothing left for The Royal Team.
But that isn’t even what’s worrying them the most. Just before entering the battlefield, Wake’s friend approached them. Julia Redsilk wanted to warn them—Kearney Dim and Willie Walls were spotted in town. No one wants to say it, but they are all thinking it—Where exactly did Poe go?
They all know that their friend was last seen leaving with two fellows. A very large male and smaller one were the exact descriptions that Zzan gave them—the very description of Kearney Dim and his friend. That was four days ago, Sense thinks in regret . Zzan said Poe left voluntarily. Ieiri promised to find him before the final round, but we haven’t heard a word from her. Were we wrong to trust her? No, that’s not it, but Ieiri has no clue about our history with Kearney …
I hope we didn’t make a mistake. Sense catches Wake’s eye and knows the older boy is thinking the exact same thought.
“We should go look for Poe,” Fate stands up and says. He’s not even pretending to smile anymore. Of all things, this frightens Sense most.
“Yes,” Wake says. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I …”
“Way,” Fate tells him, shaking his head, “It is my job to remember what really matters. And for a moment there I forgot, but I will not let that happen again.”
“I’ll search between here and the North Gate,” Riser says, already on her feet. “Monster will check the South …” The Half-Orc tests his newly wrapped arm and nods.
“I’ll take East then,” Wake volunteers.
Suddenly, they’re all up and moving. Fate is already heading towards the West.
“Everybody, please leave your gauntlets on,” Sense tells them. “We’ll meet back at the inn before …”
“We will meet back at the inn when we find Poe,” Fate says. His voice is calm but clear. It’s the first true command their Captain has ever given them. They all know what the order means: stay out there until Poe is found. Do not come back to eat. Do not come back to sleep. Do not come back even for the final round. Do not come back until their friend has been found.
“If … when you find Poe, deactivate your gauntlet so that we all know,” Sense adds. Even though he knows most of them won’t be able to feel each other throughout such a large area as the capital, it’s still better than nothing.
“Shine, how hard is it to distinguish an aura in a crowd?” Sense asks.
“Not impossible,” she answers.
“You and I will scan the crowds exiting the grounds,” he tells her as the others leave. “I doubt we’ll find Poe here, but …”
“I’ll keep an eye out for Kearney’s as well,” she says.
Chapter 61
IEIRI
[Outside the High-Walled House by the River, Saranghae]
“I’d stay far away from that house if I were you,” the old crone tells Ieiri. “The men who are staying there are no good. No good, whatsoever. One is as big as a mountain and has less teeth than I do. Once, I saw him open his mouth and he had nothing but a black stub where his tongue should’ve been. But the little one is far worse—always pretending to be friendly and twiddling his tiny mustache while asking about for young girls. Sickening.” The old crone spits.
“What about boys or bards?” Ieiri asks. “Does he ever ask for them?”
“I wouldn’t put it past him.” The crone shivers. “I had half the mind to inform the Palace just what kind of men are staying on their property, but who’s going to listen to an old woman like me?”
“I will,” Ieiri says before pointing towards the blue roses in the crone’s cart. “Thank you for the warning, and I’ll take one of those.” She pays the crone and tucks the flower into her wide waistband.
Her hands feel naked without her claws, but all they would do for her now is to draw unwanted attention. She decided earlier to leave them along with her boots back at the inn. The one thing Enada made perfectly clear was that she isn’t to alert Fate of her presence in town. This isn’t like her first night in town, where she saw the Fate leave his gauntlet behind to chase after the Glissade. She couldn’t risk activating her Hands now and the use of 128’s in the capital has always been outlawed. She’ll have to do this without the use of her Tear.
She passes the manse’s front gates. Two at the gate, two at the door, and at least one patrol, is what she is able to count. At the end of the block she finds a quiet corner to sit and begins to watch.
The pattern soon becomes clear. There are two separate patrols circling the grounds. Inside, there is only one. Ieiri watches the interior guards pass by every window but one—the very top one. She pulls out the needle from her sleeve and double-checks to see that the almost invisible thread disappears towards the top floor. That has to be where the bard is being held.
She stares long and hard at the manse. Breaking in will be no easy matter, but doable, she thinks to herself. But getting out with the bard will be a whole different matter. Maybe I should go to Master Enada for help?
No, she’s already left to watch the final round. Chances are I won’t find her in time. If I want to keep my promise, I’m going to have to do this myself and do it now.
The afternoon sun blankets the city in shades of crimson and gold. Ieiri pulls out a pouch of nuts and begins to eat them one by one. Just a little more and it will be dark enough for me to begin, she thinks, eyeing the setting sun. It looks so different here than from their spot on the cliff.
The final match of the year always begins once the full moon is high above. I have to be perfect, but I will make it in time.
While waiting for an opening, she listens in on the conversations of those making their way to the Stadium. All the talk is of how Monsters are trying to win it with just four. Some say they’re crazy, some say they’re daft, but everyone is fascin
ated. The final round is just around the corner. Now, is the time, she decides, getting to her feet.
She pulls her scarf up past her nose and reaches back for her hood.
“Ieiri!”
She searches for the source of the voice to find a thin, freckled boy hurrying towards her. The strategist? How did he see me from so far? I was under the shadow of the wall and the cloud.
“Ieiri, thank goodness it’s you,” Sense says as he reaches her. He bends over and grabs his knees to hold himself up as he tries to catch his breath. She scans the area to make sure no one is watching before pulling the boy aside.
“Sense, what are you doing here?”
“It’s about Poe,” he says taking a deep breath. “We have some new information.”
“I told you I would take care of finding the bard,” she says. “You’re supposed to be getting ready for the final round.”
“I know, but we couldn’t,” he tells her. “Not after we found out Kearney was in town.”
“Kearney?”
“He’s an enemy we made in Greenwood,” Sense says. “He’s kind of a bully and has it out for Poe in particular. If Kearney got his hands on him …”
Sense shakes his head. “I’m sorry, I know we promised, but we had to do something. Everyone’s split up and we’ve been searching all afternoon.”
By the way he looks, she can tell he’s not exaggerating. She mustn’t look much better herself. They should’ve trusted her, but instead of concentrating on that …
“He’s lucky to have such good friends, but unless Kearney is a middle-aged man, he’s not the one that Poe left with.” Ieiri nods towards the manse across the street. “The bard’s in there. I was just about to go in and get him.”