Sword and Mirror

by Kate Grove

  “How would you—”

  “Another thing you need to learn is to trust your lords,” was all Takeru said as he rounded a corner and vanished.

  The soldier looked down at the sleeping little girl in his arms. He had no idea where her room was.

  5

  Katsuo was still in a bad mood when he arrived at the castle gates. Taiki silently slid next to him.

  “My lord.”

  “Report.” Katsuo’s terse reply didn’t faze the ninja.

  “Orihime-dono swears she sent a message ahead, but we have not received such a thing. She insists on staying here until…”

  Taiki trailed off, which was rare for him. Katsuo gave him a sideways glance.

  “Until?”

  “Until the wedding.”

  Katsuo froze, opened his mouth, then realized he was already in the courtyard near the gate, and if he lost his composure, everyone would hear. As a dependable leader, his men needed to know they could count on him through better or worse. If he lost his temper, then who would they rely on to bring them home safely from the battlefield?

  “Your eyes, my lord.”

  “Stop calling me that!” Katsuo snapped, turning and continuing his march to the uninvited guests. He could only hope he had calmed enough for his eyes to be back to normal. If not, he’d just have to blame the torches’ light.

  “Orihime-dono,” he greeted.

  “My lord, Katsuo-sama!” The woman twirled around, a big smile plastered on her face. She was pretty. Her long, raven black hair was tied up in an elaborate design, and she wore a crimson kimono. The colors contrasted with her smooth, alabaster skin, which seemed to luminesce in the weak light of the torches around them.

  She hurried up to him, full of energy. Her big, brown eyes were wide as she gazed up at him and batted her eyelashes. Katsuo was mesmerized before he reminded himself what happened the last time he submitted to such a look.

  “To what do I owe the surprise of your presence here?”

  “Oh.” Orihime put a hand over her mouth as she gasped. “Haven’t you received my message, my lord?”

  “Apparently not.” Katsuo quirked an eyebrow. He wouldn’t let her play this game.

  “My honorable father has decided it was time to start on the wedding preparations.” Orihime stepped closer and reached out to touch Katsuo’s arm. He stepped away before she made contact.

  “I do not recall sending a response to the proposal.”

  “Well, yes, but…” Orihime was uneasy, fidgeting with a lock of her hair that escaped her bun. She glanced down shyly. “It’s a good proposal. Why would you refuse? So, I thought—”

  “You thought wrong.” Katsuo was fed up with the charade. He didn’t have time for a wedding and certainly not with such a sly woman. He took another step back. “As it is very late, please stay here for tonight. I shall write to your father come morning. And excuse us for the ill-prepared rooms. We weren’t expecting you.”

  Katsuo made a quick escape with as much politeness as he could muster.

  “Wait!” Orihime reached out after him. “Won’t you reconsider? Our families—”

  “Good night, my lady.” Katsuo cut off her further protests as he walked out of sight. Takeru bumped into him just as he was rounding a corner. He tensed as he looked at Katsuo’s face.

  “Brother… your eyes…”

  “I’m going to my room. Tell everyone not to bother me.”

  “Sure. Did she say why she travelled here?”

  “She is under the illusion that she is to be wed to me.”

  “Didn’t you reject the proposal?”

  Katsuo sighed. Finally, the gold hue receded from his eyes as he forced himself to calm down.

  “It seems I had forgotten to send a reply between the recent border skirmishes.”

  “Ah, that’s bad.”

  “I’m leaving. Just one more thing, Takeru,” Katsuo said as he stopped at the veranda.

  “Yes?”

  “Find some rooms for them.”

  Takeru grinned, an idea already forming in his head.

  “Leave it to me, brother!”

  He sounded way too happy about it, but Katsuo didn’t have the energy to contemplate that. He suddenly felt drained. When was the last time he had a good night’s sleep? He couldn’t even remember.

  He was awakened near dawn by a nagging feeling that told him he was in danger. Katsuo’s hand slid under his pillow, and his fingers wrapped around the handle of the dagger he kept there. Whoever was trying to take advantage of his sleeping hours, they were in for a nasty surprise.

  He doubted anything could get close to him under Taiki’s supervision of security, but ever since the incident with his ex-wife, he had been prepared to expect the worst.

  Katsuo suddenly tensed and threw the dagger in a wide arc. It sank in the wall next to the door. He was alone in the room, but something still didn’t sit well with him. He calmed his erratic breathing and stood to retrieve his weapon.

  He was halfway to the door when it unexpectedly slid open. Taiki stood on the threshold. If the ninja was surprised to see his lord awake, he didn’t show it. Taiki eyed the dagger with suspicion.

  “Is everything all right, my lord?”

  “Yes,” was the terse reply as he pulled the dagger out from the wall. He brushed his long hair to the side. “Why are you here?”

  Taiki never sugarcoated anything. He went straight for the kill.

  “Ayaka-dono was kidnapped during the night.”

  Katsuo thought he heard wrong. He inclined his head.

  “Care to repeat that?”

  “Ayaka-dono was kidnapped.”

  “Talk to me.” Katsuo hastily wrapped a haori1 around his torso, grabbed his wakizashi2, and headed to Ayaka’s room in a hurry.

  “It happened sometime after dinner and before the early morning shift. I’ve just discovered the body.”

  “What body?”

  “There was a guard outside her door. His throat was slit, and Ayaka is gone.”

  “I don’t remember placing a guard outside her room.”

  “Neither do I. It’s…” Taiki racked his brain for the appropriate word. “Intriguing.”

  Katsuo knocked on Takeru’s door before continuing to Ayaka’s. Takeru slept as light as he did, so Katsuo knew he would be soon on his way. By the time he arrived at his daughter’s room, Takeru had caught up to him. He was only wearing a hakama3. His unbound hair was messy, but his eyes were sharp.

  The three looked at the lifeless body of a young soldier. Takeru squatted down, examining his face.

  “This was the guy who told us of Orihime’s arrival. I tasked him to bring Ayaka to her room,” Takeru informed them. His voice quieted. “This was only his second week here.”

  And I told him to trust us. Takeru closed his eyes and bowed his head, mourning for the loss of a good man.

  “Other than his injuries, there are no signs of scuffle,” Taiki added.

  “She was probably asleep,” Katsuo murmured as he entered his daughter’s room. Nothing was out of place, except the missing little girl.

  “Who could’ve done such a thing?” Takeru followed his brother inside the room. “Slit someone’s throat then kidnap a child? That’s just cruel.”

  “War is cruel. You should know by now.”

  “Ayaka has nothing to do with war,” Takeru protested. Silently, Katsuo agreed.

  “My lord,” Taiki said as he crouched down. He held up something in his hand.

  “What is it?” Katsuo asked as he walked over. Takeru followed him immediately.

  “A piece of paper,” Taiki replied and held it out to them. Two characters were written on it. The ninja was taken aback as both men’s eyes flashed gold. He was used to such display from his lord but not from Takeru.

  “That bastard Kawayuki! I’m going to kill him!”

  “Takeru.” Katsuo’s icy voice stopped him. He turned back.

  “You’re not going to tel
l me to sit here while he has his disgusting paws on my niece!”

  “Of course not. But we need to come up with a strategy. We can’t just rush into this,” Katsuo said. His body was so tense, and he resembled a snake coiled to attack any moment. Seeing his brother in such a state made Takeru calmer. At least one of them needed a cool head to come up with something.

  “I understand. Shall I gather our strategists?”

  “No.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Nobody has seen anything,” Katsuo replied. “Nobody has heard anything. Doesn’t that make you suspicious?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Do you think they had help from inside, my lord?” Taiki asked, his eyes narrowing.

  “Anything is possible. Right now, you two are the only ones I trust in this household. I’m counting on you. Get ready and meet me in the council room.”

  Takeru nodded and hurried back to his room.

  “Get someone to confirm her kidnapper,” Katsuo ordered the ninja. Taiki bowed and melted into the shadows of early morning.

  1 overcoat

  2 samurai’s short sword

  3 loose trousers, with folds

  6

  Ciara was forced into simple clothing that was of a similar style to the one the young servant boy wore. Her belongings had either been left in the room with the mirror or were taken away when she had to change. Even her sunglasses were missing, and as the sun slowly made its way higher, she had no doubt her unusual eye color would be noticed. She couldn’t even cover it with her hair, as it was twisted up and secured with a headcloth on the top of her head.

  She looked like a washwoman from a periodic drama.

  The boy from earlier came to get her to lead her to a small room, and guards flanked her from both sides as they made their way through the castle corridors. The wooden planks under her bare feet were cold, and Ciara pondered for a moment the possibility that she was sleeping back in her home and her feet had peeked out from under the blankets.

  As she stumbled, a guard caught her arm and steadied her. His grip tightened a fraction before he released her. Pain shot up on Ciara’s arm momentarily, and she was reminded of the two hard slaps she had received not long after arriving here. She was most definitely awake in this twisted world.

  She fidgeted as she was ordered to sit down in a small room. The guards had exited and stood outside the sliding door. Everything to the last bit of detail reminded her of how she would imagine old world Japan. The young boy stared at her, and she decided to try to get some information from him. Maybe he’d be more compliant than Kawayuki.

  Ciara smiled at him gently.

  “Do you live here?”

  He didn’t reply.

  “My name is Ciara. Yours?”

  She thought he wouldn’t reply this time either, but he did.

  “Kazu.”

  “Kazu,” Ciara repeated, happy to know. “Can you tell me what place this is?”

  The boy cocked his head to the side.

  “Kawayuki-sama’s castle.”

  “Is it in Japan?”

  “Nippon? Yes.” Kazu looked as if he wanted to ask something but stayed silent.

  “What is it? Tell me,” Ciara urged him with a small smile.

  “You are strange.”

  She was taken aback for a moment, not sure what to make of this remark. Eventually, she nodded.

  “I suppose I am, for your eyes.” A moment passed. “Do you know why I’m here? I only remember falling into a mirror.”

  What if she had a concussion and is out cold in a stranger’s house, with no help on the way? Her eyes widened. No, no. She had definitely felt those injuries. She shook away the disturbing thoughts and focused on Kazu’s answer.

  “Kawayuki-sama brought you here. He wants something from you. He always wants something from people.” Kazu let out a small sigh as he told her.

  “Who is he? This Kawayuki?”

  “He is he lord of this castle. One of the daimyōs.”

  Daimyō1. It triggered a distant memory, Karen preparing for her Japanese history class, murmuring about daimyōs and tiny countries. Ciara felt fear settle heavily in her stomach. She licked her lips, preparing for the inevitable question.

  “What year is this?”

  “It’s interregnum year-”

  “Boy!”

  Ciara jumped at Kawayuki’s booming voice. Kazu walked to the door opposite from where they had come in, knelt, and slid it open. A huge meeting room revealed itself. There was a dais on the closer end of the room, where Kawayuki sprawled, overlooking the entire place.

  He reminded Ciara of a rooster standing on top of the—

  “Now!” He looked Ciara straight in the eye.

  Without meaning to, she stood up and walked toward him as if in a trance. Slowly, she made her way to his side even though that was the last thing she wanted. It was as if an invisible force made her walk over to him and sit down next to his legs.

  As soon as she sat down, the strange feeling passed away, and she shook her head to clear her mind. What was that? Was this how people felt whenever she accidentally used the Voice? Disturbed, she looked around.

  At least a dozen people lined both sides of the room. All of them were dressed in rich, silk clothing and had the ridiculous hairdo Kawayuki sported. Maybe they wanted to imitate him? Each of them had some symbol on their overcoats, and their swords rested next to them, just in reach. Goosebumps ran over Ciara’s arms at the sight.

  “You know the first part of our plan. We have his daughter. And this here is the second part.” Kawayuki gestured to Ciara.

  She couldn’t help raising her eyebrows in question. This? Really? If there was an Olympic category for being offensive, Kawayuki would have an easy win. There was still time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics—

  Ciara’s hands trembled and she gathered them in her lap. The small talk with Kazu indicated she wasn’t in a secret, crazy escape room, but in a different world. Maybe even a different—

  “Time,” Kawayuki was saying, “is on our side. Kitayama won’t have enough time to prepare a counterattack so quickly. We must make use of this wench’s skills in the meantime.”

  “What skills, my lord?” asked one of his vassals.

  What is he talking about? Ciara mused, glancing up at Kawayuki. He smiled with his black teeth at her, and she shuddered at the horrible memory it brought up.

  “She will infuse our weapons with magic. They’ll be ten times stronger than average weapons. They will cause more damage than imaginable and prevent healing injuries.”

  Ciara’s eyes widened in shock. He was crazy! How did he come up with such a mad plan? The things he had talked about were impossible! Maybe not for Karen, but—

  Oh, shit.

  Karen. It was Karen’s inherited power, not hers. But if they knew they had grabbed the wrong person, then she’d probably be killed and Karen would be kidnapped. The only way out seemed to lead them on until she could escape. But how would she trick them into believing she had these skills? As soon as Kawayuki ordered a demonstration of power, she was dead. And Karen would be in danger. She didn’t like either option.

  “No need to be shy.” Kawayuki grinned at her, seeing her face pale. “I know all about your special powers, purple-eyed witch.”

  Ciara bit her lip and made a fist of her trembling hands. She needed to come up with an escape plan, ASAP. If she couldn’t get back to the mirror, then she had to get as far away from Kawayuki as possible.

  The new room she had been led to was full of weapons of all sorts, long and short swords, bows and arrows, daggers, spears of every imaginable shape, and Ciara even spotted some throwing stars!

  “Get to work,” Kawayuki said as he pushed her inside. Ciara stumbled and twirled around.

  “All this?”

  “But of course. Did you think you were here on a leisure trip? Don’t let my kiss fool you, wench.”

  Ciara involuntarily shuddered, trying to fo
rget all that had to do with that incident. It didn’t help that she was reminded of it every time he grinned.

  Kawayuki slid the door shut, and darkness surrounded her in the windowless room.

  “Damnit. Where’s the light?” Ciara was touching the wall near the doorframe, then remembered her suspicion about the timeline. “Right, no switch.” She set about to find a candle or something that would help her see but shortly realized that even if she did find a torch, she had no way of igniting a flame.

  Her foot slipped on something smooth and round, making her stumble into a pile of… spears? Ciara prayed she didn’t injure something vital. Thankfully, she only collected some new bruises. She managed to crawl to her knees and hands when the door slid open. Ciara hissed at the sudden brightness and put a hand over her eyes.

  “What in hells are you doing?” She heard Kawayuki’s voice. Great, he was back. “Never mind that. You’re coming with me. Up!”

  He didn’t have the patience to wait for her to get up properly but grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the room and through the corridor. Kazu joined them soon with a little girl and a guard. Ciara didn’t have time to assess the situation as she was dragged to a window which overlooked the courtyard.

  Kawayuki grabbed the back of her head and pushed her face to the window opening. Thankfully, there was no glass. For some curious reason, Ciara didn’t expect there to be any.

  Soldiers in black ran in the direction of the gates, trying to push back the enemy, who had crimson uniforms.

  “See that? You’re already too late, you lazy wench.” Ciara tried not to gag as Kawayuki’s putrid breath hit her face. “Now get to work!”

  He hit her head on the window frame, which cracked under the pressure. Ciara hoped her head fared better. She touched her forehead and felt a bump already forming. Thankfully, there was no blood on her hand when she checked it. She grimaced, thinking her face was probably already deformed by the slaps and hits she had to endure since she had gotten here.

  “Here, enhance this,” Kawayuki pointed to his sword.