"They took all of my weapons!" said Yumi, still fuming ever since she discovered her armory bare.
"Yeah, but they barely touched Taiko and Miyoshi's houses. So I don't think they knew much about the village at all. They weren't waiting for us to be away or anything, they just got lucky, and they didn't know enough to burn my library like they would have if they knew who we were and wanted to make it harder for us to come after them. There's a lot of valuable information in those books, but they didn't bother with them."
"The footprints all go to the east, where they've trampled the jelli fields on their way out. All the sandal prints are in a center column, with the boot prints on the outsides. Whoever did this was smart and organized. They did it fast enough that nobody got away or was able to hide, but they missed stuff that they never would have if they knew a lot about Umai."
"And they don't have any magic, either. I didn't see any traces of it at all, and they didn't seem to recognize magic stuff when they came across it."
"That means we have an edge," said Yumi. "They won't know what hit them when we catch up."
"I didn't smell anything weird or unusual," said Taiko, "If it's just a bunch of well-trained and well-armed men, then we should be able to win, if we're careful."
"What do you think they could want with the villagers?" asked Miyoshi. "What good would they be anyone, rounded up and taken away from their homes?"
"I don't know," said Chiyo, "Feeding and taking care of them all would be a lot of effort. I can't figure that part out. I don't think they've gone far. You couldn't move an entire village of people that fast, and we all know how slow the mayor can be. And they couldn't have left much before we got here, the fires are too fresh. If we hurry, we should be able to catch up before nightfall."
"Then let's hurry!" said Yumi.
"Wait," said Taiko, stopping her.
Taiko went back into the mayor's house, returning with a writing brush. She picked one of the booth signs from the ground and propped it up on top of the door handle.
"Someone may come back while we're gone," she said. "Someone who was away, like us, or Miruku. I don't want them to see this and think they're alone."
Taiko put the brush to the sign, writing on the blank side.
"We have gone to save everyone. Have faith is us!
-Taiko, Yumi, Miyoshi, and Chiyo."
Chiyo just wished that Ikumi's name could be added to that list. She bowed her head, and in silence prayed to the spirits of Umai. They were wounded, no doubt, but she offered her plea to them, hoping they would grow strong again.
Yushin watched through his telescope as the four women left the village, following the trail left by his Lord's army. He and his detachment had been left behind to round up anyone Lord Akio might have missed in his raid. He was wise, as always, and his thoroughness was paying off. The four women were young and very attractive. Lord Akio would be pleased to add these prizes to the day's spoils.
"They're coming our way. We'll let them catch up to the rest of the prisoners and ambush them when they get close."
"Yes, Captain Yushin," said his sergeant.
Yushin retreated from the tree he was using as cover. Lord Akio would be very pleased. Perhaps he would even allow Yushin to have one of them once he was finished.
Naoki shivered. She always did when she entered Queen Tomiko's throne room. Her uniform usually kept her warm enough with its tightly-fitted coat and fur-lined cap, but being in the queen's presence had a way of making someone feel chilled to their bones.
Her hide boots made little noise as she approached the throne. The great hallway was made of permanently frozen ice, just like the rest of the palace around it. Every surface was perfectly smooth and unblemished, showing clear through to the opaque patterns and designs etched a few inches deeper. Blue flames burned from within thick pillars, burning inside of solid ice and putting out no heat. The light reflected chaotically off of the many polished surfaces in the room and shadows slowly shifted around as the flames moved with unnatural sloth.
Naoki passed stiffened guards and hard-faced officers on her way, stopping thirty paces from the foot of the platform on top of which the queen sat. Naoki kneeled, bowing until her chest rested on her thigh.
"Your Majesty, I have an urgent situation to report."
There was no reply. Naoki kept her head bowed, fearing to look Queen Tomiko in the eye while delivering bad news. She continued without being commanded, afraid that the queen's patience would be short.
"One of your most exalted servants, the Oni Lady Kōri, has been taken prisoner by the deviant rebel Lord Akio. I have confirmed this news myself. I risked my own capture to infiltrate his territory and catch a glimpse of his party bringing her back to his stronghold, bound in chains."
Again there was only silence. Naoki's choice of words had been very deliberate, emphasizing her own diligence and bravery. She was only a scout and messenger, and had done her duty to its fullest extent. Still, she could barely breathe for how tense she was. Lord Akio had taken one of the Oni, and had taken her alive. It was viciously bad news.
Naoki knew that she was a good-looking woman. It wasn't conceit on her part; many men pursued her, many women admitted to admiring her, and the Oni Lady Yokubō's lustful eye often fell on her.
She dared to raise her head very slightly, enough to catch a glimpse of her queen as she sat unmoving on her throne of ice. Nobody knew why the queen was especially cruel to beautiful young women. She had no cause for jealousy- her own beauty was unmatched. Queen Tomiko's skin was as smooth and as flawless as polished ice. The silk dress that clung to her body showed no trace of any bulge that might spoil her figure, and her proportions were an artist's very ideal. She was blessed with faded blue hair that gleamed and appeared to subtly dance as the flickering light hit it. Her eyes and lips matched the color, save for her lips being darker.
She truly was majesty. Cold, cruel majesty.
To her side stood Lady Yokubō. She had the sort of features that men might usually find attractive, although Naoki couldn't see how they could overlook the grotesque base they were applied on top of. Even aside from the horn, she was past six feet tall and showed clearly defined muscles under her skin. Even if Naoki had any desire to be the sex toy of another woman, Lady Yokubō would not be that woman.
Naoki knew that she was a good-looking woman, and at certain times in Queen Tomiko's court it could be a very serious liability.
The queen hadn't budged since Naoki's entrance into her hall. Nobody dared offer an opinion that she hadn't requested. Nobody dared let her attention fall on themselves instead of Naoki.
"Arrest her."
There was no passion, no anger, no emotion at all in the words. Naoki knew that the sentence would be beyond harsh. She knew that there would be no appeal.
"No!" she said as she rose, fully away of how useless it would be to argue. She turned to flee, but two men were already at her sides. She knew them. Jurou and Tamotsu- good men. There was no eagerness in their eyes, but they knew that once the Queen had given such an order it wouldn't be revoked. They'd carried out these commands many times before, and they'd learned well that there was no point in hesitating or asking for confirmation.
Naoki tried to muscle past them, but they moved too quickly and blocked her path. A third man, coming behind her, jammed the butt of his spear into her back, just hard enough to knock the wind out of her. She went down onto her knees, her arms in Jurou and Tamotsu's hands now.
"Ungh! Don't! Please, Tamotsu! Don't..."
Nobody said a word. They put on hard faces as they opened her coat and pulled it back over her shoulders, using it to hold her arms in place while they unbuttoned her shirt underneath. Her cap had dropped to the ground, letting the silky black hair tucked underneath fall down her back.
It was a standing order that anyone placed under arrest was to have their uniform or symbols of office immediately taken away. For women, it was customary to strip them all the way to t
heir underwear. This was a scene Naoki had watched many times before, fearing every time that it could be her one day. She should never have come back to the palace. She should have fled to the ends of the earth. She should have surrendered to Lord Akio, if that's what it took to save herself from this fate.
A fourth guard approached her. He was carrying her chains. They were made of heavy iron, enchanted so that they would always be as cold as if they had been left out in the snow. Frost covered them, and the guard wore thick gloves to handle the chains. Jurou held her by her arms while Tamotsu helped the guard fix the collar around her neck. It needed no lock- the collar froze shut, and would never open again without the releasing spell.
Her coat fell away and her almost naked torso was thrust into the cold. Now she shivered for real, her strength sapped as shackles clamped around her wrists. They were chained to her collar, and held her hands as high up her back as her elbows. Her wrists, neck, and back where the shackles touched burned as if ice was resting on them.
They forced her to stand while they took her boots and pants. Chains hobbled her at her ankles. Frozen links were laid across her chest and stomach, forming a harness that her wrists could be further anchored to and giving more of her skin to the enchantment's cruelty.
Jurou held her head up, putting her face to face with him. She could tell that he wasn't enjoying this. Just for a moment, she wished that he would kiss her. It was strange to think of that at a time like this, but he had always been handsome, and it would be a moment of tenderness and warmth that she might never experience again. Instead, a bit appeared before her lips. She refused to open her mouth, but with four men holding her she was soon defeated, and the metal bar slipped between her teeth. They tightened a leather strap around her head, careful to keep it from catching her hair.
Jurou and Tamotsu stepped away to let one of the guards she didn't recognize take charge of her. She turned around for just a second to stare hatred back at her queen. The guard jerked her back toward the entrance, forcing her to walk barefoot on the ice towards her eventual destination in the cold hell of the queen's dungeons. Everyone had heard the rumors about Queen Tomiko's lurid pits, but the only people who could speak firsthand about them were either still sealed inside, never to leave, or one of the few monsters from their depths, like Yokubō, that were allowed to walk the halls of the palace.
Tears rolled down her cheeks and froze on her jaw as she stumbled away, leaving her clothes in a pile that marked the spot where her life had been taken way. Tomiko still hadn't budged. Lady Yokubō was licking her lips while staring at Naoki's chained up body. Naoki knew she would be seeing her again soon.
Taiko peered over the ledge at the procession below, careful to stay out of sight as much as possible. It looked like all of the villagers were there, escorted by a roughly equal number of armed men. They were all wearing simple armor over red and orange uniforms. Just as Chiyo had guessed, they looked very organized and well-disciplined.
"Does everyone look okay?" asked Miyoshi, keeping her voice low.
"They look tired and scared, but I don't see anyone who looks hurt."
"Who are they?" asked Yumi.
"I don't know. I haven't seen anyone dressed like them before."
Yumi crawled up next to Taiko, eager to look for herself. The tracks from the village had led them to the river, which they followed into a canyon that ran through a forest filled with old, knotted trees. It only took them a couple of hours to catch up, with the whole group too large to move quickly, especially with the portly, out-of-shape Mayor Ryouta and Grandma Hisayo slowing them down.
The armed men had herded the villagers into the canyon, while Taiko and her friends took the high ground along the ledge where they had a good view of the group, about forty feet down. Taiko noted how organized they were, and thought she could pick out the man who was in charge.
He was tall and fit, not especially broad but cut square and strong. He had long black hair that was collected in a band below his shoulders, keeping it nice and orderly. Metal scale covered his chest and armored gauntlets protected his arms and shins. He stood proudly and whenever someone spoke to him they bowed, and then moved quickly when he gestured them toward one place or another.
"We can take 'em all, I bet," said Yumi. "Especially if we attack from above- they were idiots not to go along the cliff."
"It would have taken them longer," said Chiyo. "And I think they wanted to use the canyon to keep everyone contained better. They probably don't think there's anyone around to attack them."
"We should wait until they stop to rest," said Taiko. "They'll settle down more to start cooking and stuff, and they'll be less alert."
Even doing that might not be wise. The feeling that this was dangerous beyond precedent hadn't gone away. They couldn't just let these men take their friends away, but she had an uneasy feeling about fighting them before they knew more.
Taiko looked over the group again. Most of the villagers just had spears pointed at their backs, but the women of the village, at least the ones around their age or not much older, had been separated and were at the front of the column. For some reason, all of them were tied up. Their forearms where folded behind their backs and their chests were wrapped in several places with rope. It looked excessive to Taiko, and she didn't understand why the women had been chosen for this.
Taiko's thoughts were interrupted when an arrow sank into the ground between her and Yumi. She turned quickly to find its source, and a dozen yards away was a group of men, dressed and armed as the ones below. There were ten of them, and three were armed with bows. Their arrows were nocked, but not drawn yet.
One man stood in front of the others with a proud and cocksure expression on his face.
"You there! Put down your weapons and stand up. You are now prisoners of Lord Akio. Hurry- don't test my patience."
"Okay," said Yumi, "Then we'll make this quick."
Yumi jumped to her feet, spear in hand. Chiyo stayed crouched, adjusting only to point her staff in their direction. With a shout she sent a wave of energy at the men, knocking them all off their feet before the archers could ready their shots.
The man in charge shook off his disorientation and rose to his feet more quickly than Taiko would have expected, and his men were scrambling to join him. Their advantage had been lost, however, and now Yumi was in their midst, her spear thrusting and her feet kicking, knocking them down again and sending them stumbling away.
Taiko smiled. Yumi was amazing, as always. The trees provided some cover for them, keeping Yumi from whirling her spear around freely, but they also blocked the way for many of them to attack her at once. The men had to try to surround her to have any hope. Chiyo made sure that didn't happen, blasting them one by one with her magic as they tried to get Yumi's back. Three of the men rushed past her altogether to come at Taiko, Chiyo, and Miyoshi.
The one after Chiyo didn't even get half way before she hit him so hard that he went flying over Yumi's head to crash into his comrades who were still dodging her spear. Another grabbed Miyoshi, who cried out and elbowed him in the face. Taiko saw the third rushing at her.
Taiko didn't like fighting, especially not hand-to-hand where she had little skill, but he was closing in too fast for her to cast a spell. She dropped to the ground instead and kicked at his feet, tripping him and nearly toppling him over the ledge.
Now free to think, she spotted the vines and tangled brush on the forest floor and remembered the tsurujin from the day before. She stood and moved her arms, summoning her magic and channeling it with her pose.
"Grow, little weeds!" she shouted as she finished the spell.
The few men who were still up found their legs caught in the undergrowth, easy targets for Yumi and Chiyo. Miyoshi shoved the man who'd tried to grab her toward Taiko, just as her own attacker was lunging at her again. Taiko lead him into the path of Miyoshi's stumbling opponent, then dodged at the last moment to let them crash into each other.
&
nbsp; Taiko looked about. All of the men were on the ground, groaning, disarmed, and beaten.
"Looks like we've got someone to answer our questions!" said Yumi, pointing her spear at the leader's neck. "Who are you, and why did you attack Umai?"
"If you think you scare me enough to make me betray my lord, then you're pitifully naive. Go ahead and shed my blood, if you've got the stomach for it. I see nothing but minor wounds on my men. You might be tougher than I expected, but I recognize someone who's too soft to kill when I see them."
"That's terrible," said Miyoshi. "Aren't you ashamed of yourself for all of this? What kind of person are you?"
He laughed at her.
"What kind of ridiculous question is that? The only thing I'm ashamed of is not having beaten such a stupid bunch of girls like you."
"You arrogant bastard!" growled Yumi, looking like she might do it after all.
"Yumi, stop!"
Taiko rushed forward, putting her hand between Yumi and her target. It wouldn't stop her if she actually tried, but it eased her tension a made her step back.
"Tell us your name, at least. Mine is Taiko."
"My name? What use would that even be to you?"
"I'd have something to call you, wouldn't I?" Taiko smiled, hoping a little warmth would open him up where Yumi's threats had failed.
"We don't have any idea who you are, or why you attacked our village. We don't know why you think we're your enemies, or what you want. Surely just telling us that isn't betraying your lord, is it? How can we even talk at all if you can't let us know that much?"
The man seemed incredulous and confused. Taiko could tell that he wasn't expecting someone to try being nice to him. She was sure he would tell her more, if in no other way than by asking questions to satisfy his own curiosity. You could learn a lot by the questions people asked you, if you really listened to them. Right before he was about to speak, he stopped, and smiled instead. It was a haughty smile, and Taiko was too late in realizing that it meant danger.
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