Traitor's Hope

by Virginia McClain

  ~~~

  The moon had barely crossed a tree’s span of sky when she stopped, turned around, and looked Inari-san in the eyes.

  “How kind of you to check on me,” she said, her voice an emotionless monotone.

  “That was clever,” said Inari, with a wide smile on his face. “I was sure you were still in your bed roll.”

  She nodded.

  “I used the thrashing to push my bed roll into a more or less Kusuko shaped blob.”

  She wouldn’t have bothered to explain, but she was fairly certain that Inari knew exactly what she had done, even if he hadn’t known she was doing it at the time. And perhaps he even knew that. Inari was tricky, like the fox he was named for.

  “Ah yes, I remember that trick,” the older hishi said. “Always a favorite with the youngest trainees.”

  Kusuko nodded again, though she wasn’t sure if his assertion was true. She had never trained with the other hishi, outside of combat training. Her father had taught her everything else himself.

  “Why did my father send you after me?” Sometimes the best way to get information was to be blunt, and Inari could lead a person through a verbal maze if that person wasn’t careful. Kusuko didn’t have time for word games, or romps down memory lane.

  Inari smiled.

  “What makes you think he did? Perhaps I’m simply curious to see how you perform on this mission.”

  Kusuko rolled her eyes, because she knew it would amuse Inari.

  “Yes, of course. I’m sure that following me through the northlands is precisely what you would choose to do with your free time.”

  Inari laughed.

  “Very well, I was sent…but what makes you assume your father cares to know anything other than that you are well? He worries about you, you know.”

  This time Kusuko only rolled her eyes mentally, allowing nothing to show on her face. She knew full well that Mamushi-san considered her nothing more than another operative. He had taken an interest in her training only to ensure that she was the best hishi she could be. He certainly didn’t “worry” about her the way any normal parent would.

  “Ah yes, I’m certain he’s greatly concerned for my wellbeing. Of course, he would send one of his best and most trusted hishi to ensure that I am well. That is a perfectly reasonable use of resources.”

  Her tone was completely flat, and she imagined that even Inari might have trouble deciding if she were being serious or sarcastic.

  “Mm….Well, I’m here, anyway. Do you have anything to report?”

  She supposed it was silly to think that Inari would tell her the real reason that he was following her. She suspected that Mamushi-san didn’t trust her to complete her mission for some reason, perhaps because her latest hifu had allied itself with the New Council? Perhaps he hadn’t believed her when she’d insisted that it was only her hifu that had changed allegiance, and not her true self.

  She certainly wasn’t about to ask Inari if he knew anything about that.

  “The Rōjū zantō are causing trouble to the north of Rōjū City, as are the sanzoku farther north, who are most likely also Rōjū zantō. They are keeping people from believing that the New Council is stable enough to rule, and they are causing people to be afraid of harboring females with enough kisō to be Kisōshi. I’ve been assigned to follow Taka-san, to heal on the front lines and help her as best I can while collecting information.”

  She deliberately didn’t share more than she thought Inari likely already knew. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Inari—though of course she didn’t, since all hishi were trained to spy on each other—it was simply that information was valuable, and one never knew when one would need an additional edge.

  “And Taka-san’s companions? The ones you worked with before the Rōjū were overthrown?”

  “They’ve been sent on a different mission.”

  If Inari expected her to elaborate, he was disappointed. She wasn’t sure when or if she planned to tell him about Mishi’s mission, but for now she decided it was best to stick to the assignment she’d been given herself.

  Inari smiled then, much to Kusuko’s surprise.

  “Nothing else?” he asked, far too brightly.

  She shook her head.

  “Ah, to be young again,” Inari said, apropos of nothing. “I wish you the best of luck on the front lines. I’ve heard it’s getting nasty over there. The Rōjū zantō are fighting with the kind of dedication one expects of zealots or crusaders. It’s strange to witness in person, and I imagine it would be frightening to have to fight against it. Keep an eye on that healer of yours.”

  Kusuko nodded once, and turned to leave.

  “Oh, and don’t be surprised if you get some new orders from me in the near future,” Inari said, no longer smiling. “You know how Mamushi-san can be.”

  What was Inari hinting at? He’d called Taka “hers,” which made her wonder if he knew something that she didn’t, and then he’d warned her of her father changing her orders. Would it be the puppy all over again?

  She shuddered once, despite having felt appropriately dressed for the weather only moments before. Then she took a deep breath and returned to her bed roll.

  It might be for the best if she put some distance between herself and Taka. Just in case…

  30th Day, 2nd Moon, Cycle 1 of the New Council

  TAKA TOOK A deep breath and instantly regretted it. The stench of rotting flesh mingled with the smell of hundreds of unwashed bodies, horses, and cooking fires.

  While her stomach and nose battled the pervasive odor of the camp, her eyes took in the tents that filled the open pasture in front of her and extended well past her field of vision. The largest tent was right in front of her, a tent the size of the town hall she’d grown up with. She assumed it was the healing tent, judging by both the smell and the sounds emanating from it. Groans, sighs, and the occasional scream drifted on the same wind that brought her the smell of rotting flesh.

  She did not take another deep breath, but she did take a moment to prepare herself for what was to come. Tsuku-san may have called her the greatest healer in Gensokai, but Taka had never been in charge of other healers before; indeed, she’d never even had to heal more than one person at a time. At least, not more than one human at a time. She had, once, when there had been a very bad storm in Yanagi-sensei’s forest, had to heal multiple animals in the same day, and she had been forced to organize them by the severity of their injuries as well as how time sensitive the healing would be. Thankfully, she’d had both Yanagi-sensei and Riyōshi to help her organize, assess, and communicate with the animals that needed help.

  She didn’t know who would help her here. Indeed, even Kusuko, who had left Rōjū City at the same time as Taka, had gone her own way after traveling with her for only a few days, stating that she had a matter she needed to attend to and that they would reunite at the camp to the north.

  There had been enough people traveling the road from Rōjū City that Taka hadn’t worried about traveling alone, especially since that was the way she had traveled for cycles until she’d been forced to travel with Mitsu last fall. She had actually enjoyed the chance to appreciate the change of scenery, hunt and cook for just herself each night, and sleep under the stars without anyone else to worry about. She felt slightly guilty about it, but it was a relief not to have to worry about Mishi and her state of mind at every moment. She still fretted about her, but she trusted Mitsu, and she knew that Mishi would do everything she could to protect them both.

  She had enjoyed having the time to think about whatever came to mind, and embrace her own solitude once more. However, she had thought too often about this very moment, and she still hadn’t sorted out how it should go. She was supposed to walk in here and offer not only her services as a healer, but advice and instruction to other healers.

  The only other fully trained healers she knew were male, and none of them had been willing to accept a female yukisō. Of course, that was before the Rōjū
Council had been disbanded and female Kisōshi had been accepted as fact rather than fiction. They had also been at the Josankō, and she had a feeling that any of the healers who had been willing to become instructors there had not been the type of men she would ever wish to work with. Perhaps the men she was about to meet would be different.

  Well, standing out here fretting about it wouldn’t tell her one way or another. She centered her kisō, reminded herself that she had been trained by Yanagi-sensei and that she had orders from the leader of the New Council, and then pulled aside the flap of the healing tent.

  ~~~

  “I’m looking for Iruka-san,” she said to the first person she came across, a young man wearing a dark brown kimono covered in various stains of questionable substances.

  The young man’s eyebrows rose, and Taka wondered if she should have changed into one of the kimono that Tsuku-san had insisted she bring with her before making her appearance. But where would she have changed? She didn’t know where her quarters were yet, and besides, she felt most comfortable in her leather leggings and tunic, even if people looked at her strangely because of them.

  “In the back,” the young man said, even as he returned to whatever it was he’d been doing.

  Taka took in the expanse of the healing tent. There were hastily assembled palettes all over the floor, with a hundred men or more spread out on them. There seemed to be walkways established between certain rows of men, but beyond that she couldn’t instantly detect any sort of order to how the men were arranged. Perhaps it would be explained to her after she’d introduced herself.

  She saw a few men, dressed in the same dark brown kimono that the man who’d given her directions had been wearing, walking amongst the injured and ill men, and they seemed to minister to them. She reached out with her kisō to the nearest one, to see if he was a yukisō or simply a volunteer who aided with the sick.

  She sensed enough kisō that he could have been a healer, but it wasn’t very strong. She wasn’t overly surprised. The men who had worked at the Josankō hadn’t been overly powerful either. Perhaps Iruka-san would prove more capable. Powerful, she chided herself. She knew quite well that one didn’t have to be excessively powerful to be a capable healer. The female instructors at the Josankō had been excellent examples of that. They had been weak enough in their kisō to avoid being drowned at birth, and yet most of them were quite adept at treating women throughout pregnancy, and caring for young babies through all kinds of illness. She would keep an open mind. Just because she had more kisō than any of the men here didn’t mean she was necessarily a better healer.

  “Can I help you?” asked a deep voice, pulling her from her musings. The man was a full head taller than she was, although barely any wider. His tone made the words sound like a threat, rather than an offer of assistance. As did the way he loomed over her, as though trying to get her to take a step backward.

  “I’m looking for Iruka-san,” she said, holding her ground.

  “You’ve found him,” he said.

  When he offered nothing further, Taka held out the scroll that Tsuku-san had sent along with her.

  “I’ve been sent by Tsuku-sama and the New Council,” she said.

  Iruka-san looked at her and quirked an eyebrow.

  “Never seen a female messenger before,” he said, as he took the scroll. “A bit young, aren’t you? To be out traveling alone?”

  Taka swallowed the first reply that came to mind and simply jutted her chin toward the scroll.

  “I suggest you read that,” she said.

  The man scowled as though she’d insulted him, but must have decided that her manners were something he could correct later.

  Taka’s anxiety increased slightly. She had a feeling that this man wasn’t going to like what he read in the scroll she’d just handed him. She watched his eyes widen as he progressed through the scroll, saw the way that his gaze flicked to her and his scowl deepened. She saw his neck redden, and she prepared for the shouting that she was sure would come.

  Then it didn’t.

  “Follow me,” the man hissed.

  Taka was so surprised not to be the recipient of the ire that had so clearly built up in the man’s gaze that she failed to move for a moment. Then she hurried to catch up with his long stride as he walked straight out of the tent.

  He walked quickly through the first few rows of tents and then stopped in front of one. It was identical to all the others they’d passed, but Iruka-san gestured to the entrance flap.

  “These will be your quarters. We were told to expect additional healers.”

  The man grimaced, but didn’t say anything else for a moment.

  “I’ll send someone along to fetch you after you’ve had some time to unpack your things and make yourself comfortable.”

  Taka nodded, grateful for the chance to clean up some after a full tenday on horseback through steep, narrow, winding mountain paths. She smiled politely, said thank you, and entered the tent.

  ~~~

  After the first candle burn, in which she managed to get acquainted with her tent, unpack her meager belongings, find a basin for washing, put it to use, and dress herself in the plainest of the kimonos that Tsuku-san had sent with her, Taka began to wonder where the person that was meant to fetch her was.

  After the second candle burn, she wondered if they expected her to have found a hot spring somewhere and taken a full bath, or if they simply assumed that she took an inordinately long time to primp. Perhaps they thought she needed a nap.

  About halfway through the third candle burn, Taka realized that Iruka-san had never intended to send anyone for her at all. This mystified her briefly. Did he think her incapable of finding the healing tent without help? Or was he simply testing her to see if she had the confidence to return to the tent without a guide?

  She sighed, rose from the small sleeping palette where she had sat down to begin writing a letter to Mishi, brushed herself off, and got ready for a confrontation.

  ~~~

  Taka opened the flap of the healing tent, only to find the same young man who had given her directions earlier blocking the entrance.

  “Healers only,” he said.

  “I am a healer. Please move,” Taka replied.

  The man didn’t budge.

  Taka wished that she were wearing her leathers instead of this damnable kimono. In her leathers, she carried a hunting knife on her belt and could easily look threatening by reaching for it. In a kimono, she had to hide her hunting knife away in her obi, and it was difficult to draw attention to it without actually pulling it out and brandishing it. That was far less impressive an action for her to take, as she didn’t truly know how to fight with it. She only used it for preparing animals for meals after she’d snared them. So she settled for glaring at the young man instead, and wishing that she were as tall and imposing a figure as Mishi.

  “If you don’t move, I’ll render you unconscious and you’ll be of no use to anyone,” she said, when the man still didn’t move.

  He stared at her as though she hadn’t spoken.

  “I did warn you,” she said, as her hand darted quickly to the young man’s neck and she sent her kisō running into his, pulling his consciousness away. He crumpled to the floor, and as soon as he was down she made her way directly toward Iruka-san, who was standing over an injured man to the right-hand side of the tent.

  “Your assistants leave much to be desired,” she said, when she reached him. “That one guarding the door has fallen asleep on the job. Have you been having trouble with insurgents? I assume you must, if you have to place a door guard.”

  She said it all in the most cheerful and matter-of-fact tone she could muster. She was willing to confront the man, but she was curious what he would choose to do if she simply defied him with a smile on her face instead.

  “How did you get in here?” he asked, ignoring her earlier comments.

  “Well, your door guard is asleep, as I mentioned, but why on eart
h would I have trouble getting in here? Surely he is only trying to keep out the riffraff?”

  Iruka-san glared at her without pretense.

  “You are the riffraff,” he hissed.

  Now Taka decided a change of tone was warranted.

  “I am a fully qualified healer that your leader has put in charge of this healing tent. I don’t know what you have against me aside from my gender, but as it appears that that’s enough to get your balls in a twist, I’m glad that you won’t be in charge anymore. No one so easily unhinged should be responsible for the well-being of so many.”

  She may have made a point of saying the last part a fair bit louder than was strictly necessary, but she was trying to make a point.

  “Get out,” he said, not quite yelling. “Get out of my hospital.”

  Taka took a deep breath, despite the putrid smell, and said, “I’m afraid that if you wish to attempt to make me leave, you will wind up unconscious like your door guard.”

  Iruka-san’s hand rose to point at the exit, and his other hand reached for the collar of Taka’s kimono.

  “GET—” he began to shout.

  Then he fell over limp.

  “I did warn you,” Taka muttered, letting go of the hand that had grabbed her collar.

  Kami curse it, she thought. I really was hoping someone would explain where I could find everything.

  1st Day, 3rd Moon, Cycle 1 of the New Council

  TAKA STIFLED A yawn as she pulled her hands back from yet another soldier, watching the tight lines of pain recede from his face as sleep took him. She had been working constantly for a few candleburns in quick succession now, and the healers she had worked with had either been untroubled by her age and gender, or they had simply been too busy to pay attention to who was giving orders and triaging patients.