"A beast of ice and wind that cannot be stopped. Luckily, it can't travel far from Frostspire, but it would be more than able to devour these wretched creatures if they tried to rebel."
"What if they got into Frostspire and made her stop it?" asked Miyoshi.
"Frostspire is nearly impenetrable. The walls are made of solid blocks of stone, and even if you climbed them there are no openings to get inside. The windows are all covered with an unbreakable sheet of ice, courtesy of Tomiko's magic. The roof is cursed to send anyone trying to climb onto it falling to their deaths, often with sharp winds to help. The only way in is the main gate, which Tomiko's minions can easily defend."
"That's going to be a problem," said Taiko.
"Why's that?" asked Pokr suspiciously as she laid out bowls of a porridge-like meal in front of them.
"Oh, nothing," said Miyoshi, smiling.
"Don't 'oh, nothing' me," said Pokr. "I've raised children, I know when somebody is about to get themselves in trouble."
"There's just something we need from the palace," said Taiko. "Nothing major, but our friend needs it or she'll die, and we've been told that Queen Tomiko doesn't like making trades."
"You're planning a burglary against Queen Tomiko?" asked Oin, his eyes wide. "That's crazy. You'll be caught, no question, and you'll spend the rest of your lives in her dungeon."
The words made Miyoshi shiver. She knew that they had to try, but she'd learned the hard way how easily things could go wrong for them. So far they'd been lucky that someone always managed to get away and stage a rescue, but what if Taiko had fallen too in that first fight against Akio? Would they ever have escaped, or would all four of them have been broken and spent the rest of their lives as sex slaves? Miyoshi imagined still being tied up with another soldier on top of her, and had to shake the image out of her head.
"We'll be careful," said Taiko.
"Careful, my foot!" said Pokr. "If you were being careful you'd stay away."
"You don't know any ways in, do you?" asked Miyoshi.
"Of course they don't," said Akio. "What would be the point of a secret passage into the palace that every slave farmer in the kingdom knew about?"
"The only way in is through the front gate," said Oin. "And only people who work for Her Majesty or have tithes to deliver get through."
"What if we had some tithes, then?" asked Taiko.
"What kind of tithes? And you think they wouldn't spot something suspicious about you?" asked Pokr. "You should go back home. I'm sorry about your friend, but there's no sense in throwing yourself away after her."
Miyoshi wished she could take Pokr's advice, but she knew that Taiko would never let her.
"I have an idea," she said. "But we'll need to borrow Coffafu's hide. You won't mind, will you?"
Pokr and Oin looked at each other nervously.
"This isn't going to get us in trouble, is it?" asked Oin.
The gates to Frostspire were just ahead. Taiko had been staring at them all morning as she waited her turn, standing among a mass of people all there to deliver tribute to Queen Tomiko. She was starting to get worried; if their turn didn't come soon, her spell might wear off.
Taiko absently put her hand against the side of her new friend, 'Warmbelly'. Miyoshi had outdone herself this time. Next to her stood a life-like construction of a frostfur, courtesy of the late Coffafu's hide. Last night Oin had skinned the beast and helped Miyoshi put the furs over a complex wooden frame, complete with moving joints. She'd worked all day and part of two nights to assemble the puppet, passionately and tirelessly.
Even Taiko had doubted that she could pull it off, back when Miyoshi was energetically rattling off her plans, but once she saw the finished product she was amazed. While it stood still it looked perfectly like any other frostfur, and when they pushed it forward it even walked with the right gait. Of course, it would take Taiko's spell, letting it be the frostfur that the construction had made it want to be, to make it convincing enough to pass the guards up ahead.
"Are we almost there?" whispered Warmbelly's stomach. "Ow! What you elbowing me- mmph!"
"There, there," said Miyoshi, stroking the beast as Yumi's voice was suddenly muffled. "Don't be nervous, just be a good boy. A good, quiet boy, so that none of the guards hear you."
The construct was only big enough inside to hold two people with all of the equipment they needed to sneak in. Akio had gone inside, of course, given that he was a highly recognizable enemy in this land. Yumi volunteered to go with him, not trusting him with anyone else and being the least useful of them until she could fight again. That left Taiko, Chiyo, and Miyoshi to guide the beast into the palace.
Frostspire was huge. It was larger than the entire plateau that Ishi-jo had rested on. Huge stone blocks made up its walls, grey in color, but often covered with a thin layer of ice or snow. Blue banners and trimmings showed its outlines, marking the towers that rose high above that would otherwise be lost in the grey, cloudy sky. One spire, in the center, rose higher than all the others, and even the blue of its roof was hard to make out.
They stood in a wide plaza, crowded at the moment because of all of the Butakin who there to deliver their tithes, but having no signs that it was normally occupied. There were no stalls or storefronts nearby, and the only notable feature of the place was the altar off toward one end. At least that's what Taiko took it to be- it was wide and long enough for a person to lie on and have plenty of space to stretch out. There was a strange trough surrounding it, and a giant basin standing above it.
The line shuffled forward, and now the entrance to Frostspire itself loomed before them. It was wide enough for at least three frostfurs to pass through abreast, with a heavy iron portcullis hanging over it. A wooden door was also visible above, threatening to drop on them at any moment if there was trouble. Taiko noticed that there was another doorway to the side, currently barred. The door was a normal size, but it was banded with iron and Taiko had no doubt that there were more defenses behind it.
"Names?" asked the soldier as they stepped forward, Warmbelly lumbering alongside them.
"Snouw," said Taiko, repeating the name that Pokr had given her. She prayed that her disguise would hold up. Miyoshi had even found time to make masks for them that would make them look like Butakin. Taiko's magic couldn't be spared for these, but they were very good on their own, made from wax and forstfur sheddings.
"Bhoar," said Miyoshi, her hood tucked over her head as much as possible without being suspicious.
"Tus," said Chiyo, looking down.
The soldier flipped through several pages, frowning.
"I don't see those names."
"It must be a mistake," said Taiko, imitating the fearful tone that most of the Butakin took with the soldiers.
"What are you bringing?" he asked.
"We're bringing our frostfur. We were told Her Majesty needed some."
"Did you hear anything like that?" asked the soldier, turning to one of his companions.
"Of course not, they don't tell us fuck. Just write down their names on the back and take the stupid beast. Nobody's going to complain if we have extra at the end of the day."
The soldier shrugged.
"Take it in, tell private Hideyo to find a place for it."
He waved them through, and Taiko gave a quick prayer of thanks as she passed into Frostspire. The great entrance hall they found inside was full of goods and workers, with soldiers giving them directions on where to take what. Taiko reached into her cloak and found Minoru's crystal, waking him without pulling it out for anyone to see.
They found an out-of-the-way place to stop and wait, and nobody seemed to notice or care. Everyone was too busy, and there were plenty of messy pileups and bits of confusion to blend in with.
"You need to get through that hallway to the right," came a whisper.
Taiko nodded, and saw that a group of workers were hauling some crates in that direction. She found some unoccupied baskets of that fro
zen fruit and loaded them onto Warmbelly, then attached herself to the end of the train of workers. The guards let them pass without much notice, and once in the hallway they veered left to follow Minoru's voice.
They passed several patrols on their way, but with plenty of other workers around they were ignored and allowed to go as they pleased.
"Here," said Minoru, appearing in sight, next to a large pair of doors.
Taiko looked around, found the way clear, and opened them long enough to shuffle Warmbelly in.
"This is as far as you'll get with that thing," he said. "The rest of the palace is out of the way of the main storerooms, so the guards there won't be expecting anyone bringing tithes through."
Miyoshi reached into Warmbelly's fur and pulled a lever, opening his side and letting Akio and Yumi fall out.
"About time," said Yumi as Taiko helped her to her feet. "I hope we don't have to get out the same way."
"We probably will," said Miyoshi.
"It's cold in here," said Yumi.
Taiko knew what she meant. Even with their coats on the chill was getting to her, and their breath was frosting in the air. She could feel an undercurrent of magic in the atmosphere, as if the entire palace wanted those inside to freeze. Taiko wondered quietly to herself how close they were to Tomiko.
"Enough whining. We need to go to the lower levels," said Aiko. "The storeroom with the deepshrieker blood we need will be down there."
"How do you know that?" asked Chiyo, suspiciously.
"I've been gathering information about this palace for years," he said. "I know quite a bit about its layout. The information didn't come cheaply, I assure you. There are mines underneath the palace. The place we're looking for is near the entrance."
"I can get some of the guards out of your way," said Minoru. "But be careful- if you get caught, there won't be any fighting your way out. Even if those two get their tar off."
"We'll make it through," said Taiko while she exchanged her ragged Butakin cloak for one she could more easily move in. She took off her mask, storing it with Miyoshi and Chiyo's inside of Warmbelly.
"How much longer will that spell last?" asked Miyoshi.
"Not long. It'll wear off sometime while we're on our way to the room. I can recast it when we get back. At least I'll be able to use that part of my magic if we need it to get to the storeroom."
Minoru turned invisible again. While Taiko waited for him to give her the signal she heard Akio mumble something. She looked over and saw him facing toward the wall.
"What was that?" she asked.
"Nothing," he said.
Before she could press the issue Minoru whistled from the hallway. Taiko slipped through the door, trusting that it was safe to go. They moved quietly, trying not to disturb the eerie silence of the palace. It was slow going, and they had to hide a number of times, waiting for a passageway to be clear. The stairways down had guards stationed there, obliging them to climb down a garbage chute. The doors to the chute were all latched from the outside, but fortunately whoever had designed them was more concerned with someone climbing up toward the important areas than down toward the mines, and the room the chute fed into at the bottom was unlocked.
"That guard isn't moving," said Minoru, whispering, when they were finally one dash away from the storeroom. "And there's no other way in."
"I assume you can take down one guard?" asked Akio.
"Without blasting him with magic, preferably," said Minoru. "There are a lot of guards milling around the entrance to the mines; you need to do it quietly."
"Tell me when he's looking the other way," said Taiko.
"Now," said Minoru.
Taiko peeked around the corner and down the hallway. The storeroom was halfway down, with the guard standing in front of the door. He was looking down, picking at his fingernails, but he could look up at any moment, and there was no cover in the hallway.
"An arrow would do it," said Akio.
"We'd have to kill him," said Taiko. "I've got a better idea. Come over here, Miyoshi. Akio, get ready to punch about stomach height right around the corner. Minoru, tell him when. Everyone else be quiet. Miyoshi- you try to be as quiet as you can too."
"What are you going to-"
Taiko didn't let Miyoshi finish. She placed her against the wall, opened her coat, and stuck her fingers inside. Miyoshi yelped, catching herself and trying to stay silent, but with Taiko tickling her in the ribs it was a losing battle.
"Stop!" she said, trying to choke back her laughter, and failing just enough that the guard wouldn't be able to help but hear it.
Miyoshi's torture continued while Taiko waited for the guard to get curious enough to come see what was happening. It sounded innocent enough, she hoped, that he wouldn't think to call the other guards to help, but he could hardly ignore it either. Miyoshi's voice was so alluring as she laughed, and Taiko had to admit that she was enjoying having her hands on her more than she should.
"Now!" said Minoru.
The guard appeared around the corner just as Akio threw his fist in his direction. The man doubled over, the wind knocked out of him. It didn't take long for Akio to grab him and choke him unconscious after that.
"Alright!" said Taiko, "Let's hurry."
"I... I need a minute," said Miyoshi, but Taiko wasn't going to press their luck. She grabbed Miyoshi by the arm and ran her over to the storeroom.
They threw the door open and rushed inside, holding it long enough for Akio to drag the guard in with them. It wasn't what she'd been expecting. The room was mostly full of mining equipment, some foodstuffs, and lots of other random, low-value junk.
"What's something so important doing in here?" asked Taiko.
"The deepshrieker's blood isn't particularly important," said Akio. "The creatures appear sometimes in the mines, and since the blood has a few uses as a corrosive they keep it around after the soldiers kill one. But our situation is very rare. The kurosumi isn't from around here, and there are few other things that the blood is absolutely needed for."
"So where is it?" asked Yumi.
"Look for a red jar. There's a certain kind of pot needed to hold it to keep it fresh."
"There!" said Yumi, rushing over, as best she could, to a jar on crowded shelf. "Crap... Taiko, can you get this open?"
Taiko went over to her and took the jar. The cork was tightly stuck, but she managed to work it out regardless. There was a loud popping noise as it came free, and a pungent odor rose from the jar. It didn't smell like blood.
"Are you sure this is it?" she asked.
Chiyo took the jar and gave it a sniff.
"Gross," she said, "This is frog dung."
Taiko heard Minoru's voice outside. She couldn't make it out at first, but it quickly grew loud.
"Hey! I said- don't go in there!"
The door opened and a well-dressed man strode through. He was wearing a robe made from fur and silk with gold lacing. He didn't look surprised to see them at all, and none of them moved while he simply opened a chest and retrieved a jar from it. The clear glass showed a deep red liquid inside, and the man wasted no time in handing it to Akio.
Chiyo leveled her staff at the two, apparently having realized the same thing as Taiko.
"Put that away!" hissed the man. "Do you want to call every guard in the palace down here?"
Aiko opened the jar and dipped his hand in, smearing the blood across his eyes. The tar started to bubble and drip, and Akio quickly peeled it off of his skin. He opened his eyes, squinting as the light he'd been cut off from for so long stung them. The man handed him a cloth, and he took it to wipe his eyes.
"Who is that?" snarled Yumi, trembling at the sight of her salvation in Akio's hand. "How did you set this up?"
"I told you," he said. "I've been gathering information about this palace for a long time. Obviously, I have a spy in my employ. My ring- the one that buffoon we were traveling with let me get from my room before we left- was my means for communicating
with him. He's been hearing everything I have since we've been within a mile of the palace."
"You bastard!" spat Yumi.
"Please, you were hardly planning on letting me go after this. Were you even going to give me the blood to clear my eyes after you used it? I've only been a move ahead of you in a game we were both playing."
"So now what?" said Taiko. "We can't let you leave with that jar. We'll fight you, even if we have to risk the guards hearing."
"I'm not ready to leave. Not yet. I'm closer to Tomiko than I've ever been before, and two of her precious Oni aren't here to protect her. I can end this war today. And you're going to help me."
Akio poured some of the blood onto the rag, then resealed the jar and handed it back to his spy.
"I'll give you enough for Yumi, but Jinpachi here will ensure that nobody leaves this palace until Tomiko is my hostage. We can hold her until one of my armies arrives to take possession of Frostspire. I'll even let you keep Ishi-jo in the deal, if you wish."
"We're not making any deals with you," said Miyoshi. "You're a filthy liar."
"Maybe we should," said Taiko.
"What?" said Miyoshi, looking at her like she was crazy.
"Queen Tomiko is just as bad as Akio. Her people deserve to be free from her too."
"They won't be free," said Chiyo. "They'll have Akio ruling over them if he gets what he wants."
"We'll make sure that doesn't happen. But this might be our only chance to save them. And- it's more than that. Whatever is causing the worlds to fuse might be here. We need to find it. We can't leave without doing that."
"She's got a point," said Yumi. "If we can take her out, maybe we can get the whole kingdom to rise up. Akio can plan whatever he wants, but I bet you his army won't even show up."
"No!" said Miyoshi, "Please! We've already done so much- I just want to go home."
Taiko saw tears begin to well in her eyes, her hands clasped together as if she was praying.
"We've already been captured twice. You don't understand, Yumi. You weren't- I can't do that again."
"I can't either," said Chiyo. "I just want what we need for Ikumi, then we can go back to Umai. We promised we'd come back safe, remember? Every time we try to fight these people, something happens. Yumi, remember the crosses? At Ishi-jo? Please, don't make us go through that again."
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