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by Frost Queen Tomiko [MF] (epub)

  "Kneel," said Lady Yokubō.

  Yumi obeyed without thinking. Before bowing her head she saw the throne that had been set up at the other end of the courtyard. The buzz of noise around her went silent, and a horn blast announced the presence of Queen Tomiko. Yumi waited while she made her way to the throne, ascended, and placed herself down. After her usual pause she spoke, her voice loud and commanding.

  "Bring the prisoner to the slab."

  Lady Yokubō pulled Yumi to her feet one last time and faced her toward the side of the courtyard to the right of the Queen. There was her slab, waiting for her. Yumi's legs locked up, unwilling to take her there. The Oni paid no mind, dragging her along irresistibly.

  The slab was flat, with a trough surrounding it that opened up at the foot. A basin was sitting above it at the head. The slab was made of ice- of course it was- although it appeared that stone and dust were mixed in. The surface was smooth, but underneath it grew dark and murky.

  "Light the slab," ordered Tomiko.

  The soldiers turned a valve, and Yumi saw the oil flow out into the trough. A torch was touched to the oil, and a ring of fire leapt up around the slab.

  "Place the prisoner."

  The Oni tore off her cloak, leaving her completely naked. The heat of the flames toasted the front side of her body while her backside bled warmth, and an uncountable number of eyes saw her standing nude, humiliated in her final moments. Lady Yokubō pushed her through the gap in the trough and up to the slab.

  She threw Yumi on top, the sheet of ice that covered it melting enough to make it wet and slick. She felt it start to re-freeze as her bare skin was laid to it, sticking to her and burning. She was on her back, with her hands still behind her, held by The Oni's grip. A soldier approached her and placed an iron band over her neck. She shut her eyes and winced as they lined up the bolts that would hold it down. The blow of a hammer, hard and loud, landed right next to her neck, first on one side and then on the other. Yumi wasn't surprised when she tried to lift her head and felt the band refuse to budge.

  The Oni unlocked the shackles around her wrists, dragging them to the corners of the slab. The soldiers were ready with more metal bands, and as the inhuman grip of the Oni held her down the reverberations of the hammer let her know that her arms would never move from that spot again.

  Lady Yokubō spread her legs, in her final humiliation, and tugged on them, making sure she was stretched as much as possible as the soldiers nailed her ankles to the slab. The soldiers, done with their work, left her. She didn't need to struggle to know how firmly she was held- the bands were already pressing deeply into her skin, and her limbs were already pulling against them from her body's natural tension. It was only the sensation of that monster's hand taking one last tour of her body, groping a woman who she was about to murder, that made Yumi try to squirm free.

  "Goodbye, you little whore. I'll let your friends know how good you got at sucking my clit when I get my hands on them."

  The Oni took her hand away and walked out of the gap, leaving Yumi alone in the circle of fire.

  "Close the value, and may the cold take her body."

  The Queen's voice was loud and clear, even over the flames. A mechanical grinding let Yumi know that she'd been obeyed. Now all there was to do was to wait. She was still cold, even as the fire slowly baked her skin. She shivered, from the cold and from fear. She clenched her jaw to keep from chattering while the Queen and her audience waited too, in abject silence.

  The flames died slowly, giving Yumi plenty of time to suffer as the cold crept in. The warm feeling against her skin where the fire licked at it faded. Feeling bled, so slowly, from her hands and feet. Her breasts were next, devoured by the encroaching frost. Yumi wanted to scream out in defiance, but her lungs were no longer under her control. The fire burned, just enough to keep her from totally succumbing, while her lips and nose froze. Even her pussy felt like needles were being driven into it.

  The flame disappeared into the depths of the trough, but strangely, Yumi felt warm. She was ready to fall asleep. She hadn't slept in so long... Yelling and screaming only registered on the edges of her consciousness. A shadow appeared overhead, her vision too blurry to make it out. She fought to focus, to see what it was before she fell asleep.

  It was a bird. A giant bird, perched on the edge of the basin. There was a woman on its back, somehow familiar. Yumi's brain was too sluggish, to frozen to make sense out of it. She commanded any muscle that would still listen to her to move. Everywhere they did she was flooded with agony, but her mind stirred, just a little bit.

  Ikumi. It was Ikumi.

  Chapter 9

  The World Unshattered

  Ikumi couldn't believe what she was seeing. She'd been warned by Chiyo's letter that things were bad. She'd struggled with the memories of the creature that attacked her in the cave- forgotten in her torpor but slowly coming back- on her frantic ride to Frostspire. She knew that strange and evil things were happening, but to see Yumi naked and being allowed to freeze to death in front of an audience of at least a thousand men was not something she was prepared for.

  The soldiers were readying bows. She didn't have time to ask questions.

  "Tori, the basin!" she shouted.

  Her new friend cawed and tipped it over with his foot, pouring oil into the trough and sending the flames roaring back to life. Ikumi worried about the oil that was spilling everywhere else- she didn't want to burn Yumi alive- but she couldn't afford to be careful. She tugged on Tori's reigns and sailed into the air, climbing and diving as a hail of arrows was loosed at her.

  Tori was a powerful ally. Ikumi had asked the spirits for a lot by calling on him, and she likely wouldn't be able to summon anything else for weeks, but she had no choice- Frostspire was far away, and by the time the message had reached her days had already passed since it was sent. Tori dodged and rolled through the air, landing in front of the strange queen who sat on her throne, watching this madness.

  "You must be Queen Tomiko," said Ikumi.

  She knew she wasn't safe where she was, but she had to keep the soldiers distracted. Yumi was still helpless, and she had no idea when her backup would be arriving.

  The woman on the throne didn't answer. She didn't even move. The expression on her face didn't even move as the guards that had been flanking her pressed forward with their spears. Ikumi lifted off again, Tori's wings beating as they flew out of range. They pivoted and dove into a nearby group of bowmen, turning the entire formation into a sprawling mess.

  Ikumi ducked just in time for a spear to fly over her head. A creature was rushing at her. It looked like a woman, but she was taller than any man in Umai, powerfully build, and had a horn sticking out of her head. Tori took off before she could reach them, but Ikumi made a note not to land too near to her again.

  She flew over the heads of the soldiers, too close to be targeted by archers but out of range of their swords and spears. She heard the shouts of anger and frustration as they swung at an enemy they couldn't catch. They probably didn't know how scared and nervous she was. What she was doing was crazy, and she still hadn't wrapped her head around it.

  When she looked back to Queen Tomiko she saw that she was standing and raising her arms, holding them out to her sides. Ikumi was still wondering what she was doing when she heard the rumbling.

  A roar, deep and menacing, vibrated outward from under the castle. A large tunnel that ran into the ground under the palace, the entrance iced over, shook as something inside stirred. There was an awful crash, and flying out from an explosion of ice and sound was a gigantic creature, glistening blue in the sunlight.

  It was long and covered with scales like a serpent, but with many pairs of short legs. It needed no wings to fly, but slithered through the air as a snowy gale erupted from its mouth. The thing's jaws were wide enough to swallow Ikumi and Tori whole, and it lunged toward them fast enough to make good on the threat.

  Tori turned sharply, avoiding the sna
pping fangs, but the dragon's head swung around with incredible speed to make another attempt. Ikumi's heart was beating furiously as she urged Tori toward the spires of the castle, hoping to tangle the dragon amongst them. They spun around towers and hurled through the tightest gaps they could find, but the dragon stayed at her heels, nipping at them so close that she worried that Tori was losing feathers.

  She dove under his body and turned straight up, climbing to gain some height while he rearranged himself to come after her. At the peak of her ascent she dared to look over toward the plains nearest to the palace entrance. The army- the one she'd seen approaching on her way over with its red and orange banners- was about to descend upon the courtyard.

  Chiyo fought to calm herself. The execution was well underway by now, but there was nothing more she could do about that. There was no way she or Miyoshi were getting out of Frostspire without being caught. She had to trust in Ikumi. She had to do her part in the palace, and she had to be calm and focused for that.

  She was wearing the guard uniform that Miyoshi made for her. It worked well enough- she'd been able to spend the last three days sneaking around, taking measurements of the rooms and hallways of Frostspire without being caught. Now she was standing at the junction of two major hallways, not far from the palace entrance. She looked around the room again, finding each mark. They were all still there- nobody had noticed or removed them. She checked under her feet to make sure. She was in the right spot.

  Chiyo took her staff and began to fill it with magic. From inside her pocket came a buzzing sound. Miyoshi's timer was giving her the signal to start.

  Chiyo shouted and let a blast of magic fly. It coalesced into an orb and when it hit the wall, right where the first mark was, it bounced, ricocheting down the hallway. There were people in the room, but no soldiers- and they were too confused to act. Chiyo minded her rhythm as she shot out more bolts of magic, each hitting a different mark and bouncing down a different path as they scattered throughout the palace.

  Jurou approached the small, buzzing thing carefully. It looked like a bug, but made out of tiny springs and gears. The rest of the soldiers on his patrol circled around it, closing in. What was it? Some kind of prank? What lunatic would do that in Frostspire, of all places? Was it a distraction? He looked around, but saw nowhere than an ambush could be coming from. The thing itself seemed harmless, aside from the shrill noise it was making.

  A strange slapping sound caught his attention, and he turned in time to see a glowing red orb fly into the room, bouncing between the ceiling and floor of the hallway. It was fast, and before any of them could move, it landed right on top of the buzzing contraption.

  Jurou was clear on the other side of the room, his vision spinning, before he worked out that he had been hit by the explosion. That was as much as he could do before he passed out.

  Miyoshi watched from behind a pillar as the guards gathered around her singing bug. She counted down the seconds until a green blob landed on top of it, the magic blasting outward and engulfing the soldiers. All of them went down.

  A dozen explosions echoed throughout the castle, all landing in the space of a couple of seconds. Chiyo's timing and calculations had been spot-on. It was all over before any of the soldiers could register the danger. Now most of the guards remaining in the palace were down. So far, all was good.

  Chiyo sank to her knees. Putting out that much magic in such a rapid succession was incredibly draining. People all around were staring at her, but none of the them had moved yet.

  "Hey," said one man, "It's her! It's one of the women Her Majesty is after! Get her!".

  Chiyo pointed her staff at him and let one last spell go. Lightening ripped across the room and struck him, knocking him out. Everyone else ran and left her alone to catch her breath.

  Akio munched on the flavorless jerky that he'd scrounged from the last soldier he'd managed to get the drop on. It would keep him going for a while longer. He hoped it would be long enough to figure a way out of these damned mines.

  The tunnels sank further and deeper into the earth than he'd ever imagined. There were far more of them than could possibly be worked, forming a massive labyrinth under the palace. For the last three days Akio had been waging a guerrilla war against Tomiko's soldiers, drawing them as deeply into the mines as he could, then picking them off as they grew too spread out and disorganized.

  It wasn't mere carelessness on their part; the tunnels twisted back on themselves and connected in strange ways. There was no way to communicate as they ventured further in after him, and there were just too many tunnels to keep them all sufficiently guarded when Akio could take on any small group of them and win.

  Jinpachi had, somehow, convinced the palace guard that he'd been the one to call them when he found Akio and the four women in the storeroom, and that he had chased Akio into the mines when he ran, hoping to catch him. There was nobody else to take credit- Minoru had disappeared- and there was certainly enough confusion during the battle to leave everyone impressionable.

  Akio's spy had been helping him in small ways ever since. He couldn't dare to venture deep into the mines himself, but when Akio had the soldiers at their most strung out he was able to slip past them and get close to the entrance, where Jinpachi had set up a hidden cache where they could exchange information and orders. It had been a while- Akio had no way of telling exactly how long- since he'd been able to get to it. The soldiers weren't pursuing at the moment, drawing back to the entrance. It was a bad time to move forward, but he might have to risk it if they committed themselves to just starving him out.

  "Akio."

  Akio drew his sword and spun to meet the voice.

  "Minoru- you traitorous pig," he snarled.

  "Traitorous? That implies that I was ever on your side. Maybe if you hadn't decided to backstab Taiko and change the mission at the last minute you would be back home by now, doing terrible things to innocent women."

  "I'm going to find that crystal that sustains you and-"

  "Shut up. I've been working with Chiyo and Miyoshi. They've got a plan to save Taiko and Yumi. And to help Tomiko."

  "Help her to do what?"

  "Be a better person. The important part, as far as you're concerned, is that this is your best opportunity to get out of these mines alive. Queen Tomiko has ordered Yumi's execution to draw you, Chiyo, and Miyoshi out. She got a little more than she was expecting. The palace is almost undefended, and Jinpachi has managed to send a call for help to one of your armies. He has my crystal right now, which is why I've managed to reach out far enough to find you."

  "I don't expect cooperation from you, but they're going to need your help taking the palace entrance upstairs. Just go fight your way out, and we'll take whatever collateral assistance you manage to provide in the process."

  Minoru vanished without letting Akio respond. Was it a trap? Was he helping Tomiko's men, trying to lure him out of the mines? It was possible, but Minoru was also capable of tracking him without being seen. He could have led the soldiers to him without ever giving him an inkling of the danger.

  Akio tossed the rest of the jerky aside, dimmed his lamp as much as he could, and started for the palace. At least this way, he would know where the trap was waiting for him.

  The mines were empty. Even the outer ring of checkpoints that he usually had to fight through were unguarded. It made him nervous, but he pressed on. The gate that separated Frostspire from the mines had a few soldiers, but Akio dispatched them quickly, leaping from the dark and cutting them down before they could get their bearings. He left his lantern with them and rushed into the palace.

  The first group of guards he encountered were all unconscious, lying scattered about a scorch mark on the ground. He ignored them and found the stairs to the ground level. Two soldiers were left blocking his way. They didn't last long.

  Akio hadn't realized until now how ready he was for a knock-down, drag out fight to secure his final victory. He'd been sneaking aroun
d for too long, and with his army nearby- at least in theory- he was ready to crush Tomiko's forces once and for all, and claim her for his slave. He'd have the other four as well; hopefully he would be in time to stop Yumi's execution.

  When he reached the palace entrance he saw a half-dozen soldiers- all scrambling to get the gate open. He could hear the sounds of a battle raging outside, and could only guess that Tomiko's army was trying to retreat inside of Frostspire.

  With a shout he charged, slamming his shoulder into one soldier and smashing him into the gate. Even as the man was still falling Akio swung at his nearest compatriot, hitting him in the head with the hilt of his sword. The other four men working to open the gate ceased as they drew their swords to face him.

  Akio struck a weapon out of its wielder's hand while it was still fresh from the scabbard, then swung his blade in a wide arc that sent the man scrambling back into the soldier behind him. The other two assaulted him, but he easily parried their swords, then swept low to slice open a leg. He blocked the next attack and grabbed the man's arm, twisting it until it broke.

  The two remaining men shouted for help, but whatever soldiers were supposed to be nearby weren't responding. Akio finished his opponents off with a series of fierce, aggressive attacks that overwhelmed their defenses, leaving each open for a finishing blow.

  He didn't have much time to rest. The gate was closed, but the doorway next to it was still open, and men were starting to come through. Akio rushed to engage them, throwing his back against the door to crush the man coming in while stabbing at the other to keep him at a distance. He had to dodge to the side to avoid the counterattack, but it left the man open for a kick to the gut and a knee to the face. Akio let the man caught between the door and the frame spill out clumsily before slamming it again in the next man's face. He kicked the soldier on the ground in his side, then put all of his weight against the door, trying to hold it as long as possible.