"The palace prison is this way." Suzume waved for them to follow, for once taking the lead.
It was not as simple as strolling through the palace to the prison. They had to be stealthy. Akira, Tsuki, and Noaki had the advantage of being invisible. Suzume had to keep everyone at a distance and pretend to be a priestess going about the business of a priestess.
They walked the long way down a series of garden paths, which were barren of any occupants. This late in the season, the trees were stripped of leaves. The air was too cold for garden readings of poetry or musical performances. It made the perfect way to sneak about the palace.
Everywhere she looked Suzume was filled with fond memories. She passed the maple tree where she'd received her first confession of love, the pond by which she'd sat and listened to music. It all felt like a dream to be here again.
As Suzume was distracted wandering the grounds, she did not hear footsteps approaching from the other direction.
"Someone is coming," Tsuki said.
She saw the figure approaching, and the only way to avoid being seen was to hide behind a nearby boulder. Suzume jumped behind it and crouched down low. The man approached and stopped just on the other side of the boulder.
"Is someone there?" he called out.
Suzume's skin turned ice cold. Beside her Noaki was already drawing his blade. She did not want to kill innocent people, but she also didn't want to get captured either.
"What is it, Akihiko?" The second voice sounded very familiar. Please do not let an old suitor find me hiding in the garden.
"I thought I saw someone walking in the garden. But when I got closer they disappeared."
"It must be your imagination." There was a slight pause, perhaps where the courtier was peering around trying to catch sight of her. Then the second voice said, "Counselor Takahari is looking for you."
"Oh, is he? I better go then."
Suzume listened as the first man's hurried footsteps faded away. But the second man had not moved.
"Is he gone?" Suzume mouthed to Noaki.
She couldn't stay crouched down in the bushes forever. This man couldn't linger in the garden forever either. She slowly peeked around the corner to see who he was. The man was tall, but she could not say who he was. He turned to leave and Suzume caught his profile. As she did, she tumbled backward. It was Tsuki's quick thinking that stifled her cry.
Ryuu, the man who'd saved her at the inn peered in their direction. But after a quick glance, he shrugged and walked away.
They waited a few moments in silence to be certain he was gone before getting back up again.
"What is he doing here?" Suzume pointed in the man's direction.
"You know him?" Tsuki asked.
"He's the one who saved me from the neko back at the inn."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive."
"We don't have time to waste," Noaki reminded them.
He was right, of course, and they resumed their trek. Prisoners were held in a special compound at the far reaches of the inner palace. Though she'd heard whispers about the place her whole life, Suzume had never been there herself. It was enclosed by a courtyard with a single gate and two guards were always on duty—or at least they should have been. When they arrived the guards were incapacitated.
Rin beat us here.
Noaki took the lead and led their group into the courtyard beyond. Several more guards were lying on the ground. A battle had taken place here surely. The doors leading into the building were open and scorched. Noaki peered inside before gesturing for Suzume and Tsuki to follow him.
Many of the cells were empty except for the very last cell on the end. Just outside it, Rin was kneeling and reaching through the bars.
When she saw Suzume running toward her, she stood up.
"I told you to stay behind."
"It doesn't matter now. I'm here so let's get him out."
Hikaru was lying on the ground inside the cell unconscious and covered in bruises. A single line of blood had dried on his forehead.
Rin fumbled with a key she had presumably stolen from one of the guards and threw open the door. Suzume glanced around. It had all been too easy and in her experience, that was never a good sign. Rin picked up Hikaru, carrying him in her arms like a baby.
Tsuki and Noaki waited at the door, eyes scanning the courtyard. Once they were outside, Suzume drew her staff. They weren't going to get out of here without raising some suspicion, not with a bloody, unconscious man.
"How'd you get in here?" Rin asked.
"Through the front gate."
Rin chuckled. "I should have known. How do we get out?"
It was the first time she'd asked her for advice. But there wasn't time for any feel-good moments. They had to get out of here.
"There's a lesser gate where deliveries are made. If we can get there we can overpower any guards."
"Sounds good to me." Rin nodded.
Suzume led the way, with Noaki not far behind her. In truth she knew of the gate's existence but it had been years since she'd been anywhere near it. She'd only ever visited it once as a girl on a dare from her older half-brothers.
Once they exited the prison, Suzume made a guess as to where it might be. But as they rounded the corner, they were confronted by a retinue of many armed guards.
"Run!" Suzume shouted. They turned to go the other way but as they did, they found themselves blocked off by another group of soldiers.
Everyone closed in around Rin who was carrying Hikaru, weapons drawn.
"We're outnumbered," Rin said, panic in her voice.
"I like those odds," Tsuki said, rushing forward, sword swinging, just as Noaki did.
Neither of them heard the faint croak of "Don't" from Hikaru.
Suzume felt the priests’ spiritual power rising like a wave, crashing over her just moments before their song rang out. It called to her, begging her to join in their song or better yet to take their power for her own. Suzume clamped her mouth shut, fighting the urge to indulge in the destructive power that was threatening to overwhelm her. She placed her hands over her ears.
Rin set Hikaru on the ground, joining Tsuki and Noaki, who were struggling against the warrior priests’ spiritually endowed weapons that wounded yokai and prevented them from healing.
Hikaru reached for Suzume's hand and squeezed it. His right eye was so swollen he could barely open it. "Don't give into it," he said. What part she could see of his iris was glowing green.
The temptation was drawing both of them in. I can control this. I am in control. She chanted inside her head to drown out the draw of their song.
As the others fought, they did not see the intricate circles on the ground, which were glowing faintly with power. The soldiers pushed them backward, forcing them into the circles. Then the song changed to the song of binding. Suzume clutched at her staff, if she unleashed her power she could stop them. But even while she was trying to suppress her destructive urges, she was drawing from Hikaru, and unless she could learn to control it, she would draw from everyone here, maybe even kill them.
She fell to her knees, doubled over, as she fought within herself on what to do.
Then as suddenly as it started, their song ended. All that remained of her friends were three stones in the center of the circle.
Ryuu stepped forward from the crowd. Suzume stared up at his face, not sure she was seeing things correctly.
"Take him back to his cell."
Two soldiers jumped to do his bidding. They grabbed Hikaru by the shoulders and dragged him away.
"Let him go!" Suzume finally found her voice and jumped up ready to attack. But before she could land a single blow, Ryuu caught her by the wrist, stopping her. She fought against him, but his grip was incredibly strong.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded.
He ignored her question and directed his men to depart, pulling her away behind him.
"Are you Hisato?" she demanded. Why hadn't she
thought of it before? It would be just like him to use a handsome face to deceive her.
He yanked her harder down a pathway, not toward a prison but toward one of the palace buildings. She knew this place, but he could not be bringing her there.
"Answer me."
"It's better if you don't ask questions," he said.
Inside servants were waiting. They bowed to them as they opened a series of doors leading down a short hallway. At the end of the hallway was a room lit by golden candlelight. It was mostly bare except for the tatami floors and a reed screen that divided a dais from the rest of the room. A shadowy figure sat on the dais, his face invisible behind the screen. She did not need to see the face of the man to know who was waiting for her.
The door behind her was slammed shut. She was alone with the emperor.
10
In her lifetime, Suzume could count on one hand the number of times she had been summoned to stand before the emperor. She had never seen his face and he had only ever spoken to her through a screen, that same screen that separated them now. Suzume fell into the deepest bow possible, pressing her head against the tatami mat, her hands flat against the floor. As much as she'd like to give him a piece of her mind, she was at a disadvantage here. He'd captured her friends and she was powerless by herself.
Being back in this room again made her feel like a little girl. On the rare occasions she'd been summoned to the emperor's presence, it had always been with other family members—most often her mother and younger brother, or her half-siblings. Kneeling in front of the emperor without anyone else to take the focus off of her was uncomfortable. She felt the weight of his stare, even if she could see nothing but a silhouette of his form through the screen.
"It has been a long time, Suzume."
Her tongue was glued to the top of her mouth. One did not speak to the emperor, not without permission. Unless you had a death wish. And she figured that after breaking into the palace prison she probably wasn't in his good graces right now.
"Please rise," he said.
Suzume moved into a seated position but kept her gaze glued onto the floor. She had to wrestle with her desire to sneak a peek at his face. As a child it had been a game between her and her siblings to try and see the emperor's face. Seeing it without his permission was considered treason. As a child of his second wife, Suzume was not of the same ranking as his children with the empress. All of his children with his other wives were considered inferior. Trying to see his face as a child would have resulted in a scolding, but now it was much more dangerous. She was no longer considered his child. But the temptation remained. Why did he bring me here?
"You must be wondering why I brought you here." Suzume's head shot up without thinking. Could he read her mind? She could not see anything with the screen between them but just to be safe, she looked back down again.
Am I supposed to answer that or is it a rhetorical question?
The emperor stood up, she knew by the soft footfalls on the tatami. This had to be his tactic—intimidate. It was a favorite of her mother’s. Wield your power like a weapon to harbor fear and uncertainty. Silence was the most dangerous tool in her arsenal—the person who spoke first lost. Even knowing all the tricks, Suzume could not stop herself from falling right into them. Her mind whirred with questions.
The screen clunked and rattled as it was drawn up. His footsteps got closer. Don't be afraid. He wouldn't have brought you here without reason. He could have just as easily thrown you in prison. Despite her attempt to calm her nerves, her entire body trembled. She'd faced the most heinous of yokai—monsters ten times her size, creatures that could tear her apart limb by limb, or creatures that could trap her in nightmares as they slowly drained the life out of her. She'd face a hundred more of all of them a hundred times over to escape this room.
"You do not need to fear me, daughter."
A cold chill ran down her spine. This is a trick. Never once in her life had her father directly addressed her, nor could she think of a time he had shown her fatherly affection. This had to be Hisato in disguise. But she couldn't just make that accusation, what if it was the emperor? She balled her hands into fists, clinging the fabric on her legs. Faint sparks scorched the fabric as fear overrode her control of her power.
"Look at me," he said, gently.
Even spoken kindly it was a command, and she lifted her head. It was disappointing how average he was. If she had passed him in the hall, she would have overlooked him entirely. The only thing that would set him apart was his clothes. Gold embroidery covered every inch of his hoari, which was draped over a red hakama. Even the hat atop his head had embellishments in gold and a chain of office around his neck indicated his station—emperor of Akatsuki.
"Are you really the emperor?" she asked, emboldened by just how human he appeared. Wouldn't it be just like Hisato to use an average face to lure her into a sense of security?
He chuckled. When he smiled the corners of his eyes crinkled, just like her little brothers. "Yes, it's really me."
It didn't bring her any comfort. But she doubted Hisato would have the forethought to include that sort of detail into a disguise. She'd always imagined her father as someone much more imposing. This benign man was nothing like the visions of her childhood. It was disappointing to say the least.
"You brought me here for a reason." She glanced around the room, expecting Hisato to make his appearance at any moment.
He motioned behind him to the dais, where he had been sitting when she entered. A banquet had been prepared with two seats.
"I'd like it if you'd join me for dinner."
He held out his hand for Suzume. She reached out to take it but when she saw her tanned and scarred skin beside his, she pulled back. Before today she would never have dreamed of seeing his face, so touching him with her calloused appendage seemed a crime in itself. He noticed her hesitation and took her hand in his, pulling her to her feet.
She whipped her head toward him, a chastisement on her lips, but then she spotted the guards lingering in the shadows of the room and remembered her place and where she was. She lowered her gaze to the floor.
He led the way back to the dais and Suzume followed one step behind him, falling into old habits without a thought. This had been her place before. She'd left just enough room for the emperor's first family—his three sons by the empress, the heirs to the throne.
She waited to take a seat until he had sat down first. When he sat down it was with dramatic flair, tossing back the tails of his hoari before gently resting his palms on the table in front of him.
Across from him was a single silk pillow, and Suzume slowly lowered herself onto it. As she dropped her eyes to the table, the scent of food made her stomach gurgle. She covered her stomach to hide the offending noise.
If he noticed, the emperor did not say anything. A servant came forward with silent footsteps and ladled food onto the emperor's plate. She felt his sharp gaze watching and assessing her.
A second servant came and offered Suzume food as well. Despite the enticing scent of the food, she wasn't sure she could make a morsel pass her lips.
The servant gestured to the plates, silently asking which she would like. Suzume chose a fish cooked in sauce, just to avoid offending the emperor by not eating.
The servant filled her plate with more than just the fish, also adding on rice and other side dishes. Suzume stared at her full plate. It smelled like home, and as much as she wanted to eat, she couldn't with the emperor's eyes on her.
The emperor skewered a bite and placed it into his mouth, chewing slowly. When he was finished, he said. "You do not need to wait for me. Enjoy." He gestured grandly at the massive spread between them. It could easily feed a dozen people or more.
She knew no one else was coming. This was just his way of showing his wealth and power. Her mother had used the same technique countless times. What else had her mother learned from the emperor?
Suzume pushed food around her plate to
pretend to be eating as she devised a plan. There was still a chance she could free the others.
"I must apologize for the hasty meeting. When Ryuu told me you had arrived, I could not wait to speak with you."
He acts as if this was intentional and his guards didn't just capture me and my friends. But she was willing to play his game.
"It is good to be back," she replied.
They ate in silence. Or rather, the emperor ate in silence while Suzume pretended to eat. When the emperor was finished, the servants cleared away the plates and a bottle of sake was brought out. Each of them were poured a glass. Just looking at the jug made her want to retch. After drinking the yokai sake she'd had the worst headache and had not been able to keep any food down for a day.
The emperor drank his in one gulp and Suzume felt obligated to at least put on a show of drinking. She took a tiny sip and had to fight the gag reflex. She turned away and pretended to drain the cup, before discreetly setting the almost full glass down again.
"You look so much like your mother," the emperor said.
Suzume froze. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
She decided given the fact that her mother had betrayed him, it couldn't be good. "I am sorry if I bring you painful memories."
He chuckled softly. "It was a compliment, child. You mother is renowned for her beauty."
Suzume's brows shot up, but she turned away to hide her expression, playing into the role of demure princess. It was one she was very familiar with.
"You're too kind, your majesty," Suzume replied, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.
The emperor leaned forward. "There's no need to pretend with me, Suzume."
Suzume's heart raced in her chest. He was bluffing. It was shocking he even knew her name. It wasn't possible he knew anything about her. "I don't know what you mean."
The Dragon Saga Box Set Page 80