The Beast Player

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by Nahoko Uehashi


  *

  Before the eyes of the speechless watchers, Leelan and Eku mated.

  The confirmation of Leelan’s pregnancy threw the school into an uproar.

  “We can hardly keep this a secret from the palace,” Yassa remarked, and Esalu could only nod in agreement. The number of Beasts under the Sanctuary’s care was reported to the palace and meticulously recorded, and that number determined the amount of funds the Sanctuary received. If Leelan gave birth successfully, they would have to report her cub to the palace. As Yassa had said, they could not possibly hide what had happened. Not only that, but Eku had not returned to the wild. He had remained instead by Leelan’s side, as if to protect her, and they would have to explain why they needed to apply for funds to feed him, too.

  The night that the teachers decided to report Leelan’s pregnancy, Elin was summoned to Esalu’s office. The headmistress sat at her desk as usual, but she could not hide the fatigue in her eyes. Elin knelt before her and bowed her head to the floor.

  “I’m very sorry.”

  That was all she could say. It should have been her who faced the great wave that would soon engulf Esalu, but even if she told the inspector that everything had been her decision alone, as the head of the school, Esalu would still be held responsible.

  “Look at me, Elin,” Esalu said gently. “There’s nothing to be sorry for. You only did what I have always longed to do myself.”

  Elin looked up at her in surprise and saw that she was smiling.

  “I went searching for Royal Beasts in the wild because I wanted to see what they were really like. But I gave up because I was afraid, and so I wasted my youth. When you came, Elin, it seemed like fate was giving me another chance. And you succeeded beautifully.” Elin stared at Esalu, whose eyes now brimmed with tears.

  “To see Royal Beasts mate and bear young… I never dreamt that such a day would come. I can never, ever thank you enough.” Her voice shook, and she wiped her eyes with a wrinkled hand. “You’ve done what no one else before you could. This is an outstanding achievement, worthy of the highest praise… It makes me boil with anger to think that we can’t simply celebrate your success.”

  Elin looked down to hide her tears. The dream that she had cherished for so long—for Leelan to fly, mate and bear young, just like Beasts in the wild—had finally come true, yet she could not rejoice, and that was so frustrating. It was a huge comfort to her just to know that Esalu shared this feeling.

  The headmistress sighed. “When I saw Leelan mate, a riddle that had puzzled me for many years was finally solved… Royal Beasts mate in flight.”

  Elin nodded and wiped her tears with her hands. Looking at Esalu, she said, “I was surprised, too. I think from what I observed standing beside Leelan that the scent of the male may have brought her into heat.”

  “That’s right. Both she and Eku sniffed the air, didn’t they?”

  “Yes. Then Leelan’s fur suddenly turned bright red, and she gave off a very sweet scent. I think those must have been signs that she was ready to mate. Now that I think of it, whenever I visited Leelan after being with Eku, she sniffed me. It was around that time that the fur on her chest began to change color, too.”

  “I see. So the scent of a mature male brings a female into heat.” Esalu’s gaze shifted to her desk. “…But the other Beasts showed no interest whatsoever.”

  There were three other females in the Sanctuary in addition to Leelan, and they had all been sunning in the meadow. Elin shivered at the thought that, even though they could smell Eku, they had not responded at all.

  Esalu murmured as if to herself, “What could be the reason? What prevents the other Beasts in the Sanctuary from going into heat? The Silent Whistle? The tokujisui?”

  “…I think it’s the tokujisui.”

  Esalu looked at her in surprise. “Are you sure?”

  “There could be other factors involved, so I can’t be certain, but I think that tokujisui is definitely one factor… The night before they took my mother away, she told me that tokujisui made the Kiba’s fangs harder and their bones larger than Toda in the wild, but at the expense of other things.”

  Even when she tried, Elin could no longer remember her mother’s face. The one thing she did remember clearly were the words she had said. “She told me to think about it. She said that there was something Toda in the wild do naturally that those raised in the Ponds can’t. She said that I’d find the answer for myself one day. But then she warned me not to tell anyone the answer, not until I could understand why I shouldn’t tell them what I knew…”

  Her throat closed, and her words faltered. She clenched her teeth to hold back her tears. Then, taking a deep breath, she said, “…When I saw Leelan mate, I knew exactly what she had meant. I knew what Beasts in the wild do as a matter of course that Beasts raised in captivity can’t.”

  She lifted her eyes to look at Esalu. “Horses and cows raised by men still bear young. It is only Royal Beasts and Toda that become barren… And only Royal Beasts and Toda are given tokujisui.”

  A heavy silence fell on the room. The only sound to be heard was the night wind rattling the window.

  Someone, long ago, had devised an ingenious way of preventing both Royal Beasts and Toda from reproducing, one which concealed this motive so that not even those caring for them realized what was happening. But why? Was it to prevent the catastrophe that the Ahlyo had described? But it had been the first Yojeh, not the Ahlyo, who had written the Royal Beast Canon.

  A thought rose into Elin’s mind, and she paused in shock. If what the Ahlyo had told her was true, they had come from beyond the Afon Noah—just like the first Yojeh… A chill spread through her chest. What if the first Yojeh had experienced the same catastrophe and had felt the same way as the Ahlyo?…

  Looking up, she saw that Esalu was watching her. “I have a request,” Elin said, with a very pale face. “Don’t keep my existence a secret.”

  Esalu’s eyes widened slightly. “What did you say?”

  “I don’t want someone else to take the blame for what I’ve done while I hide. If the Canon was intended to prevent a catastrophe like the one the Ahlyo fear, then the Yojeh will be very angry that we allowed the Beasts to breed.” She leant forward, but Esalu interrupted her before she could continue.

  “Elin, just a minute.” A smile touched her face. “I’m glad you’re taking this seriously, but in this, you are still inexperienced. Is that what you were worried about? I’m not concerned about that in the least.” Elin blinked, looking puzzled. “What happened here was a coincidence,” Esalu said. “We tried very hard to save the life of the Beast cub, and, lo and behold, she happened to bear young… Why would the Yojeh reprimand us instead of celebrating?”

  Esalu’s smile broadened when she saw the blank look on Elin’s face. “Don’t you see? We may be scolded for not following the Canon, but for those who work in a Beast sanctuary, the top priority is to save the life of the Beasts. So the fact that our efforts were aimed at healing Leelan is a given. But more than that, the true purpose of the Canon is a secret. No one has told us the reason for it, so we can’t possibly be blamed.” She laughed, but then her expression sobered.

  “You must not show yourself in public… What we need to worry about is what happens after people know about Leelan. You understand, don’t you?”

  Elin nodded.

  Just as Esalu had said, when the news reached the palace, Leelan’s pregnancy was hailed as a promising omen, and the Yojeh’s praise and congratulations were conveyed to the Sanctuary. Kazalumu rose instantly to fame, and the Yojeh substantially increased the amount of funds awarded to it, much to the delight of staff and students. As the students were fond of noting, thanks to Leelan, they now got an extra side dish every evening.

  The fact that a Royal Beast gifted to the Yojeh was now pregnant cheered the hearts of her people. Recently, the only news seemed to be bad news, such as attempts on the Yojeh’s life and ominous increases in the Aluh
an’s forces, which they claimed were needed to defend the borders against marauders. Wherever people gathered, they spoke of Leelan’s pregnancy as a sign of good fortune.

  And the person most excited by the news was the Yojeh herself.

  Pregnancy for a Royal Beast lasted longer than that for humans. By the time the swelling in Leelan’s belly began to show, it was time for Elin, along with Yuyan, Kashugan and her other classmates, to sit for the Graduation Trials. Having been so busy with Leelan, she had barely had time to study and went into the exam feeling quite anxious. When the results were announced and she found that she had passed at the top of her class, she stood for a moment staring at Esalu’s face in stunned silence.

  Then Yuyan raised her hands and began clapping enthusiastically, and the whole room erupted with applause. Elin walked toward the front as if in a dream, hardly feeling her legs move. It was only when she felt the touch of the diploma in her hands that joy finally welled up inside her.

  Esalu smiled. “Congratulations, Elin! You worked so hard for this, didn’t you?” Elin pressed her trembling lips together and bowed deeply. It was a hot summer’s afternoon, and the incessant sound of the cicadas in the trees outside poured like rain through the open windows of the dining hall.

  That summer was a season of joy mingled with sorrow. The graduating students, who had spent the last six years in the dorm, must now leave the nest, each to begin their own path in life. Yuyan had decided to return home and become the village beast doctor. Letters from her family and relatives spoke longingly of her return. Not only her village, but three others in the same remote valley had no beast doctor to care for their livestock.

  “Everyone’s counting on me,” Yuyan said with a grin. But when the day of her departure finally arrived, she clung to Elin and wept bitterly, as if they would never see each other again. Elin, who found it hard to express her feelings so freely, could find nothing to say. She just stood there, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her pain at this parting was even deeper than her friend’s. The thought that she and Yuyan would never share the same room again seemed to open a gaping hole in her heart through which a cold wind blew.

  Yuyan’s family came to get her, but Elin had no mother or father to greet her or to rejoice in the fact that she had come first in her class. Once Yuyan left, she would have no one to whom she felt this close. If Joeun had still been alive, he would have grinned and hugged her tightly. …If only he were here. She could not help missing him.

  When Yuyan and the others had left, Kazalumu was so quiet it seemed deserted. At first, Elin was plagued by a hollow sense of loneliness, but the summer was so busy and her work so demanding that this feeling gradually faded. For one thing, she could not rely on Esalu or the other teachers for advice, as none of them knew how to care for a pregnant Beast either, and she was frequently overcome with anxiety. For another, she not only had to prepare for the Entrance Trials at the end of summer, but in addition, from the fall, she would begin teaching for the first time.

  From the day she was officially appointed a teacher, Elin wore the Silent Whistle around her neck every day. It was her duty as a teacher responsible for the lives of her students, but she kept it concealed inside her robe because it bothered Leelan. Although Elin was sure that she must have noticed, Esalu said nothing.

  When the highland breezes had once again turned cooler, a horde of children, their faces taut with excitement, invaded the school. Although Elin was used to new students entering at this time of year, it was one thing to welcome them as an older student and quite another to greet them as a teacher. The thought that, in the eyes of these young twelve-year-olds, she appeared to be a teacher filled her with a strange mix of pride and embarrassment.

  She was charged with teaching first-level students about the lives and habits of beasts, birds and insects. It was a beautiful autumn day when she first stood at the podium. Sunlight spilling through the window cast the shadow of the window frame on the floor. Ten students sat up straight and tall, their eyes riveted to her. They must be curious because I’m a new teacher, she thought, and this made her so nervous that her voice shook. Later, she realized that it had been their first class, too, and they had probably been just as nervous as she. Nor would they have known that she was a new teacher. To them, she was just one of many. Although this did not dispel her shyness at being seen as a teacher, to her surprise, she really enjoyed teaching them.

  She did not have Yuyan’s gift for speaking and creating a cheerful atmosphere, but the children listened eagerly when she shared her personal experiences about what she had learnt or what caught her interest. Once she overheard a student in the hall say, “I love it when Professor Elin talks about when she was a child. That’s the best part, don’t you think?” This made her so happy, she felt like jumping up and down.

  As she taught, a longing began to grow in her heart. She wanted to share with them the mystery of the creatures that lived in this world. She wanted them to feel the shiver of excitement that she felt when learning. At the same time, however, the act of “teaching” frightened her. As a student, all she had needed to do was to think and question. If her idea was right, she would be able to prove it in time, and if it was wrong, she could correct it. But as a teacher, she needed to believe that what she said was correct, so that they could memorize it with confidence. Yet, even while she taught, she could not help questioning whether or not the things she told them were true.

  When she shared this with Esalu, the headmistress said, “The knowledge we teach is simply the truth as we know it at a particular time. What we believe to be true now may be exposed as error through the discoveries of succeeding generations. That’s how human knowledge has been renewed throughout the ages. Remind your students of this every chance you get.

  “A good teacher is not one who never doubts, but rather one who strives to keep on learning despite the doubts in her mind. At least, that’s what I think.”

  Elin’s days as a new teacher flew by. As spring approached, it became increasingly difficult to balance teaching with her care of Leelan. Noticing Elin’s pallor, which was obviously due to lack of sleep, Esalu arranged to have another teacher take over her classes temporarily. As Leelan’s time drew closer, Elin almost never left the Beast stable. However, one day, on her way back to the dormitory for a change of clothes, she ran into her students as they were leaving the dining hall after breakfast.

  “Professor Elin!” One of them called out in a high-pitched voice. She stopped and turned, and was surrounded by first-level students.

  “Is the Beast cub going to be born soon?”

  Elin smiled. “Not yet. It will need to get a lot warmer first. But her belly’s already very big.”

  The children’s eyes shone. “I wish we could see. Professor Elin, can’t we go and look?”

  Elin shook her head. “I’m sorry, but no. This is Leelan’s first pregnancy, and she’s quite nervous. Please let her be.”

  The shortest boy grabbed her hand. “Professor Elin, is it true that you can talk to the Beasts?”

  Elin felt as if something cold had brushed her heart. She did not answer immediately, and, seeing her expression, one of the boys put his hand across the other’s mouth. “We’re not supposed to talk about that, remember? The older boys said.”

  The other boy glared at him and shook his hand away. “But—”

  He would have continued protesting loudly, but Elin placed her hand on his shoulder. Pressing a finger against her lips, she said, “Quiet please.”

  She looked at the faces of her students, staring up at her in silence, as if in awe, and the thought spread through her that she could not keep her ability a secret forever. It was close to a miracle that the school had managed to conceal it at all when so many people lived here. Such a miracle could not last. Like water percolating through an earthen wall, the day would certainly come when her secret seeped into the outside world.

  “It’s true that Leelan and I can communicate certai
n words to each other,” she said. “I learnt to understand her a little because I spent all my time with her, day and night, when she was a cub. But this isn’t something you should talk about lightly. It’s quite complicated. The older students were right when they told you not to mention it. Don’t ever tell anyone outside the school that I can speak with a Royal Beast… Will you promise me?”

  The students frowned, as though puzzled, but they nodded. Looking at their faces, Elin felt that it could not be much longer before her secret was known. And she was right.

  CHAPTER 7

  Ambush

  1 THE YOJEH’S VISIT

  The Yojeh’s visit to Kazalumu Sanctuary was planned for the tenth day of Tosalu Balu, the month of early summer, around the time that Leelan’s cub would be weaned.

  From the day she was born, the Yojeh had never set foot outside the palace grounds, and her announcement that she was going to Kazalumu caused an uproar. The ministers, her granddaughter Seimiya and her nephew Damiya joined forces to convince her to abandon the notion. If she were to leave the palace, they insisted, it would be far more difficult to protect her. But the Yojeh would not listen.

  Damiya suggested that if she wished to see Leelan’s cub that badly, they could have it brought to the palace, but she retorted that she did not want to see a Royal Beast dragged into her garden. Such stubborn insistence was very unlike the usually rational and considerate Yojeh, but her longing was acute and stemmed from the fact that, unlike her forebears, the risk of assassination had prevented her from setting eyes on the country she ruled. In the end, all who opposed the idea gave in.

 

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