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by Frost Queen Tomiko [MF] (epub)

  "Your idiot men were having trouble finding me, so I thought I'd come here and see if their idiot commander could do any better. I just hope you're better at catching little girls than you are at not smelling awful."

  She spit at him, or at least in his directly, and disappeared into the keep.

  "Captain Teruo," said Akio. "You're in command of the courtyard. Don't follow any more orders from me until we've settled this; I'll trust that I can leave it in your hands. Don't disappoint me."

  Lord Akio took off toward the keep. He thundered down a hallway, spotting a glimpse of the woman as she fled into the mess hall. It was a fatal error; there was no way out from there. He followed her in, but to his dismay there was nobody there except the cook.

  "Where did she go?" he demanded.

  "W... who? Where did who go?"

  "A woman! Didn't one just run in here?"

  "Good job, loser! What are you, seeing things now?"

  The voice was coming from the direction of the barracks. Akio sprinted, taking the keep's passageways as fast as he dared. He had to skid to a stop when he saw a group of soldiers putting up a barricade in the hallway. They were immediately confused at the sight of him, and he didn't waste time confirming his suspicions.

  "Get outside! Now! Report to Captain Teruo and follow only his orders!"

  The soldiers were too well-trained to make him repeat himself, despite their obvious puzzlement. He brushed the unfinished barrier aside and entered the barracks, now empty.

  "Watcha doin'? Thinking about taking a nap?"

  This time he saw her again, leaning against the doorway he'd just passed through. As soon as he moved she took off, her pink hair and skirt trailing behind her. He was close enough this time to keep sight of her until she dodged into the armory. A moment later a soldier ran out, a bundle of arrows under his arm.

  Akio put his sharp eye to the man. It was Ryoichi. The same Ryoichi who'd been with Captain Teruo at the gate. Akio feigned to let him pass, but just as he was beside him he struck, chopping the man in the back of his head. When he fell to the ground his form changed, revealing a woman with fox ears and a orange, bushy tail.

  It was that damned kitsune- the one that Teruo was supposed to have dealt with. He'd sort that out later; if this ended with her as his captive as well then perhaps this whole incident would work out to be in his favor.

  "You," he said, finding the first soldier he could. "Tie that woman up. Very, very tightly. And gag her. And take her to the cellar and throw her in one of the cages."

  Before the man could even acknowledge the order a clap of thunder came from the courtyard. Akio rushed back to the barracks where the nearest window would be. The villagers had been hemmed in on the wall, and under Captain Teruo's command they'd almost retaken the whole lot, but now his men were being taken apart by arcane energies that were arching and streaking from above.

  The balcony. That's where they were coming from. Akio started for them at once. He wondered who could be responsible- was it a new enemy? The blue-haired one had magic, he knew, but she should be in no condition to fight after an entire day hanging from a cross. Perhaps the pink-haired one was here after all.

  He'd know soon enough. He passed through the armory, arming himself with a bow. He bounded up stairs and dashed through passageways, coming to the main hall. He could see to the balcony on the other end.

  There were three of them. The blue-haired one was there after all, as well as her pink-haired friend. The brunette was next to them, and when Akio appeared in her view she shouted a warning. The one with the staff turned it toward him, but he was faster with his bow. An arrow ricocheted against the railing next to her, and she panicked, falling out of his line of sight to find cover.

  He'd never miss such an easy shot, of course, but he had no doubt that he could subdue all three once he got into melee with them. Besides, death would be too easy a punishment for the girl. Once the battle was over all four of them would lend their cunts to the celebration afterward.

  The woman tried a few more times to blast him, but he was able to interrupt her each time. She was slow; her experiences during the last two days showing an effect after all.

  "Now!" shouted one of the women.

  Akio's instincts warned him of danger just a moment too late. The ground moved suddenly, and took his feet with him. His back hit the ground, and when his gaze reached up to the high archways of the ceiling he saw what was about to land on him.

  "Chiyo, now!" shouted Taiko, burning with trepid excitement.

  Miyoshi's trap worked as well as she'd hoped. The rug in the hallway had been tied to one of the stone statues on the balcony, which was now on its way to the ground. Right before it hit, the rope it was pulling triggered the second part, dropping one end of a banner that had been tied between two rafters and filled with whatever junk they'd found lying around in the hall.

  The collection of pots, incense bowls, and other assorted odds and ends was dumped onto Akio as he lay on the ground. It wouldn't keep him down for long, but all Chiyo needed was one good shot.

  She pointed her staff at him, drew in a breath, and with a gesture that must have taken up all of her remaining energy, sent her magic surging down her staff.

  Before it could fire off a figure appeared with a blur, coming from inside the doorway. He grabbed the end of the staff and forced it upward, sending Chiyo's bolt of power into the wall of the keep, just above the doorway. It felt like the whole structure shook, and a cloud of stone dust exploded around them.

  Taiko saw Chiyo freeze, a look of absolute terror on her face. It was the man in the mask, the one Taiko had fought in the room where she'd found Chiyo and Miyoshi. He had a whip in his free hand, and he wasn't wasting any time in swinging it at Chiyo. Taiko grabbed her and pulled her to the ground, out of the man's lash.

  He twisted his whip around and came in for a second strike, this time sure to hit her while she was vulnerable on the ground. Before he could finish his swing one of the vases still on the balcony smashed into him.

  "I don't think I've ever said that I hated anyone before," said Miyoshi. "But... but... just die!"

  The masked man snapped his whip at her, and Miyoshi had to fall to the ground with Taiko and Chiyo to get out of its way. It cracked against the balcony railing just above her head, making her shriek.

  Taiko wasn't staying still while it happened.

  "Ushimuttsu's brawn!"

  Taiko leapt to her feat. The man was taken off guard by her sudden aggressiveness, and she was able to get one, good punch right in his masked face.

  The mask shattered, as if made of baked clay. The man screamed and fell back. Takio watched in shock as a shadow appeared across the man's body, then lifted itself off and flew up into the darkness, disappearing into the blackness of night. She looked back to the man, now old and frail, lying unconscious on the floor.

  Taiko didn't have any time to wonder about it. Akio was in the doorway. Chiyo reached for her weapon, but she couldn't match Akio for speed. He put his foot on the staff to keep her from lifting it, then grabbed her, picked her up, and dropped her over the edge of the balcony. Taiko lunged for her, but she was already out of reach. Akio took advantage of her opening to hook his arm around her neck, putting her in a choke hold.

  He was strong, but Taiko's magic gave her the muscle power to throw him off. He was clearly surprised, but too quick-witted to leave himself open as the masked man had. He kicked the whip into the air and snatched the handle. Taiko ducked to avoid the tip as it sliced through the air.

  Miyoshi was about to rush him from behind, but he hadn't forgotten about her. He turned and looped the whip around her stomach, catching her arms along with it. She screamed as he yanked her to keep her body between himself and Taiko long enough to jerk on both ends of the whip, tightening the loop enough to keep her arms from getting out. He tied a simple, hurried knot and threw her to the floor.

  It wasn't good enough to keep her bound for long, but Ta
iko saw that Akio meant to finish things quickly. She never liked fighting all that much, and she didn't like using her magic this way, but the situation was dire. She threw a punch at him, but now that he knew how strong she was he simply dodged it. Even with her advantage in raw strength he was still better than her, redirecting her blows and using his reach to keep her from getting close enough.

  Taiko launched her fist at him again, only to have him grab her arm and send her world spinning as he flipped her over his hip and onto her back. She found her arm locked where even her strength couldn't get it free.

  "Taiko, was it? I supposed you'll be a good enough fuck with a broken arm."

  "W.. wait!"

  Taiko felt the pressure against her elbow joint, and was about to scream when something drew Akio's attention.

  "Hey, asshole!"

  It was Yumi. She was leaning against a pillar, wearing nothing but a sheet wrapped around her chest. Aka was at her side, part of a soldier's uniform held in his mouth.

  Yumi threw something at him. For a brief moment Taiko thought that she'd been saved, but then she saw how weak the throw was. Yumi fell to the floor with the effort, and the thing she threw hit the ground well before it reached him, clattering and rolling toward Taiko. It was a jar- one filled ink.

  She snatched it up with her free hand, popped the lid off with her thumb, and swung it at Akio's face just as he turned back toward her. The black ink hit him square in the eyes, but not before he'd closed them. Still, he was blinded for a moment, and his grip loosened enough for her to pull her arm free.

  Akio shook his head, and she saw that he'd been unable to whip the ink out of his face. In fact, he was clawing at it as if it was-

  Taiko stood and took a closer look at the remnants of the ink left in the jar. She smelled it. There was no mistake. It was the same stuff that Ikumi had been attacked with.

  Taiko punched Akio right in his gut. This time, he went down, and didn't get back up.

  Chapter 5

  The World Half Conquered

  Miyoshi limped into the open courtyard of the evil fortress. It was their fortress now. All of the soldiers had either been knocked out, run off, or rounded up and throw into the cages that, just minutes ago, had held the villagers of Umai.

  She was exhausted to her very bones, but a sense of giddiness that she thought she'd never feel again kept her upright. Yumi was leaning on her, needing the help to stay on her feet.

  "We did it!" shouted Mayor Ryouta, his arm held in a hurriedly tied sling. "We've won! Hurrah for Umai! Banzai! Banzai!"

  He stopped when he saw Miyoshi. His face flushed red, and he tried not to look at her when he spoke.

  "Of course, we have you to thank, as always."

  Miyoshi suddenly felt embarrassed herself. They'd just spent all day seeing her naked, hanging from a cross in the middle of the courtyard. That was going to be hard to forget.

  "Miyoshi!"

  It was Haru. He had a few cuts and a nasty bruise above his eye, but they didn't seem to bother him. Chiyo was cradled in his arms, unmoving. At first Miyoshi feared the worst, but then a slight shift in her weight showed her that she was just sleeping.

  "She passed out as soon as I caught her. What happened? Did you..."

  Taiko made her entrance, dragging an unconscious Akio into view to the cheers of all of the villagers.

  "Yep!" said Miyoshi. "We got him good."

  "All according to my plan," said-

  Miyoshi looked down. She thought she'd seen the fox before, but in her daze that followed the fight she hadn't paid much attention to him.

  "Good job, everyone," said the fox. "I don't know if I couldn't have done it without you, but it was definitely easier this way. I really showed that jerk Akio who not to mess with tonight!"

  "Um... hello," said Miyoshi.

  "That's Aka," said Taiko. "Be careful. He's trouble."

  "Don't listen to her," said Aka as she left earshot. "I totally saved her life earlier. And your friend's upstairs. In fact, none of this would have worked if not for me."

  Miyoshi resolved to get the real story later.

  Taiko dragged Akio over to one of the cages and threw him in. Everyone cheered again. It was feeling like old times again, inasmuch as two days ago could be called that.

  Miyoshi brought Yumi over to where Taiko was lining people up for healing and set her down. She plopped down herself, and had to fight not to close her eyes. She noticed Aka following them, looking around for something.

  "Well done!"

  It was another voice that Miyoshi didn't recognize. A glowing blue spirit appeared next to Taiko. She seemed to recognize him, sighing in relief.

  "Yeah, I guess so. I have a feeling this was just the easy part, though."

  "Probably," he said. "But it was still a hell of an accomplishment. Nobody else has been able to touch Lord Akio. Of course, from you, it would be expected."

  "Hey, Minoru," asked Aka. "Where's Kuzuno? She should be here by now."

  "Oh, she was. She stirred things up a bit before Akio captured her. She's in a cage down in the cellar."

  "She's what?" he barked, taking off immediately and disappearing back into the keep.

  "Miyoshi, this is Minoru," said Takio. "He's a new friend."

  "It's nice to meet you," said Miyoshi. "Thank you for your help. I don't know how much longer we'd have lasted."

  "A long time, I'm afraid," said Minoru.

  The way he said it chilled her, even thought there was only sympathy in his voice.

  Their conversation was interrupted by a murmuring from the villagers. Miyoshi looked over and immediately found the source. Akio was awake, reaching around to try to figure out where he was. It was a pitiful sight, even though pity was the last thing Miyoshi wanted to feel for him.

  Taiko was the first to talk.

  "You can't see it right now, but you're in one of your own cages. Your days of terrorizing everyone around you are over."

  "Bold talk," he seethed. "But Ishi-jo fortress isn't my only stronghold. Tonight you've guaranteed that the next time you face my men they won't be looking to take prisoners. You're only where you are now because I went easy on you when you were in my power."

  "Easy on us?" shouted Miyoshi. She surprised herself with her own outburst.

  "You did every terrible thing to us you could think of! You're a horrible bully, hurting people and enjoying it when they're helpless to protect themselves! If you were so strong you wouldn't need to do those things just to make yourself feel all big and important. You're lucky we're not monsters like you are, or we wouldn't have been looking to take prisoners either!"

  Miyoshi felt Taiko holding her arm. She was trembling and feeling light-headed. They'd won. They'd beaten him. But it didn't make things better. He'd taken something from her that she couldn’t take back, no matter what she did now. She wished he could just disappear forever.

  "Hey," said Yumi. "Tell me how to get this stuff you put on my neck off."

  Akio laughed.

  "The only thing that can dissolve the kurosumi's tar is the blood of a deepshrieker. You won't find it anywhere now but in the depths of Frostspire, the heart of Queen Tomiko's power. I'm afraid you're as stuck as I am."

  "Queen Tomiko, huh?" said Taiko. "Maybe we should offer you a trade. I hear that you're old enemies. It'll save us from having to figure out what to do with you and get us what we need at the same time."

  "Queen Tomiko does not trade. If you think my rule was harsh then you'll never be prepared for her cruelty. Go to her asking for a deal and she'll have all of us taken prisoner, and she won't treat you as warmly as I have."

  "He's not lying," said Minoru. "Tomiko is beyond mere exploitation of those in her power. She has a bit of madness to her. True madness. Sometimes I think that Akio was the only thing distracting her long enough to keep her from destroying her own kingdom. Don't plan on going there asking for anything."

  "Who's this 'Tomiko'?" asked Miyoshi

&n
bsp; Minoru didn't answer, and to Miyoshi's distaste Akio spoke in his stead.

  "Queen Tomiko is my only real rival for power in this world. She is an unmatched beauty, and ever since she refused my offer to join our realms in marriage, we've been at war. She and her underlings are vicious and ruthless, and she herself is the ultimate prize for any man. One day I will have her as my slave- the crown jewel of my collection."

  Miyoshi's stomach churned when she heard the desire in his voice. Maybe it was no wonder if Queen Tomiko went mad with this man trying to get his hands on her.

  "Well," said Taiko, "If we can't get her to give it to us, then we'll have to sneak in and take it."

  "Sneak in? To Frostspire? That's rich. There is no place in the world more carefully guarded, and you have no idea what you're looking for or what you'll find inside."

  "He's right again," said Minoru. "Frostspire is a much tougher nut to crack than Ishi-jo, and you don't have a village full of allies waiting inside of Frostspire to help you."

  "It can't be impossible," said Taiko. "Besides, there's that other thing-"

  "What other thing?" asked Miyoshi.

  "It's... Minoru, can you explain?"

  "The five of you are from a different world than Akio and Tomiko. Those two worlds are fusing together now, for reasons still unknown. I don't suppose you can shed any light on that one, Akio?"

  "Worlds fusing? What kind of nonsense is that?"

  "I guess no, then. I looked around the keep for anything that might point me toward what's causing it, but there's nothing here from what I see."

  Miyoshi was lost, but she didn't want to interrupt.

  "Then it's probably at Frostspire, right?" asked Taiko.

  "It might be. I don't know."

  "You won't get in anyway," said Akio. "Not without me."

  "Who's talking about bringing you along? Like you'd be any help!" said Yumi.

  "I've studied Frostspire's defenses more than anyone else. I've studied Queen Tomiko more than anyone else. You'll be running in blind- unless you take me with you."

  "And why would you come with us?" asked Taiko.