Sword and Mirror

by Kate Grove

  “I can’t do it like this,” Ciara said, and he lunged for her. She took a step back and raised her hands. “I need to hold the item to do that!”

  Kawayuki raised his eyebrows.

  “Nice try,” he admitted. “But I don’t believe you.”

  Damn, there goes that plan. Ciara forced a blank expression on her face.

  “I can read you like an open book,” Kawayuki said, but Ciara ignored him, hoping against hope he was bluffing just as much as she was.

  “Boy!”

  Ciara snapped her gaze to Kazu who had grabbed the little girl and drew her to him. A dagger flashed in his hand as he pointed the blade to the girl’s neck. Ciara’s eyes widened in shock. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

  “Kazu!” Shock made her voice tremble.

  “If you don’t enhance my katana, without any ulterior motives, he will kill her,” Kawayuki warned her. Ciara’s hands shook as she thought over her choices.

  She didn’t know the little girl, but she didn’t want anybody to die because of her ever again. Maybe she could atone for her sin if she were to save this girl. The blade pressed into the girl’s tender neck.

  “STOP!” Without meaning to, Ciara used the Voice on all of them. As soon as she realized everybody but her had frozen, she freed the little girl and ran away with her.

  “After them! Do not let them escape!” Kawayuki roared in anger a heartbeat later when the effect was gone. Ciara picked up the pace, and surprisingly, the girl matched it. They arrived at a turn, and Ciara went for the right corridor.

  “Not that way!” The girl yanked her arm toward the left. “This leads outside.”

  Ciara didn’t stop to argue. They were being chased by armed men, and clearly, the girl felt more at home in a castle than she’d ever be. She followed her, and they soon ended up at the long staircase in the middle of the castle.

  “Come!” The girl let go of her hand and ran downstairs. Ciara followed with urgency.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Ayaka. Were you kidnapped, too?”

  “Yes,” Ciara huffed as they reached the ground floor. She took a deep breath.

  Ayaka was already at the end of the corridor.

  “Hurry!” she screamed at Ciara, who immediately continued running. Thankfully, her lungs were doing all right, but her legs felt weak. Ayaka was so fast compared to how small she was. Ciara briefly wondered how she did it as she sprinted after her. She could already hear pounding footsteps approaching from behind.

  1 feudal lord

  7

  Finally, they reached outside. Ayaka didn’t stop as she ran to the edge of the veranda and continued barefooted across the courtyard. Ciara sighed, following her and wishing she had shoes.

  The sounds of metal clinks coming from behind spurred her into action, and she sprinted across the courtyard with all her might. She could smell burning wood in her nose. Ciara glanced to the side and realized a building was on fire.

  “The mirror! Get it!” Kawayuki hollered at his soldiers, pointing to the burning building.

  Shit, the mirror was there, Ciara realized, and her steps faltered for a second when her foot slipped. She stumbled to the ground just as a blade swept through the air where her torso had been a second ago. Shocked, she turned around on the ground and looked up at her assailant. The second shock hit her when she realized the figure who stood above her was only a teenager about the same age as Karen or possibly younger.

  “What—?” Ciara registered the crimson uniform, immediately realizing he was one of Kawayuki’s enemies. The enemy of my enemy is my ally.

  “W-wait!” She held up her hands as he lifted on of his short swords. “I’m not working with Kawayuki!”

  He snorted in amusement.

  “Of course not, you’re his servant.”

  “What? No, I’m not!”

  He pointed his blade at her head and cut her headscarf. Ciara’s long brown hair unfurled and fell on her shoulders.

  “Your clothes say otherwise,” he pointed out but stopped at the sight of her chestnut-colored hair. He took a second look at her, intrigued. He kept hold both of his short swords in one hand and squatted down before her, curiosity written over his face. “You’re a foreigner.”

  “I suppose?”

  He reached for her hair with his free hand. Ciara waited with belated breath to see what he was planning to do. He seemed more interested in her hair than in killing her at the moment, which was a better situation than the one she had been in a second ago.

  “Takeru, we’re on a battlefield. Don’t flirt.”

  “Brother…” The teen mumbled and got up to tell him something when Ciara noticed a white streak from the corner of her eye. She shrieked and jumped back. A hand caught the thing, and Ciara came eye to eye with a white snake. Her breath caught as the snake’s tongue flicked out. It was so close she could swear its tongue touched the tip of her nose.

  “Aaaaah!” She crawled back on her hands and quickly stood up. The snake rose and drew back. Ciara blinked and realized a hand had closed around it. She dragged her gaze up on the toned muscles of the man’s arm, to the crimson uniform with a silver sash and a white dragon symbol on it, then finally settled on the handsome face of her savior.

  They stared at each other for a long moment. The stranger had dark brown eyes, which glinted with alertness and studied Ciara. His black hair was gathered in manbun on top of his head. A slight breeze swept at Ciara’s long hair, briefly blinding her and breaking the moment. She didn’t dare move a muscle as she stared at the stranger.

  “Thanks,” she finally said, still not quite over the shock. He nodded and stroked the back of the snake before throwing it away.

  “You’re not killing it?”

  “Why would I? It didn’t do anything wrong.”

  Ciara gaped.

  “Isn’t it poisonous?”

  “Takeru, why did you let her live?” The man asked the teen. Ciara’s legs felt weak. She balled her trembling hands into fists as she tried to fight the panic attack that was looming in the back of her mind. How did she ever think him attractive? She should run while she still had her head!

  “She says she’s not of Kawayuki’s household. And I’ve never seen such pretty hair,” replied the guy who had almost cut her down. He twirled the swords in his hands.

  Are they for real? If possible, these men seemed more insane than Kawayuki. She slowly backed away.

  “Do you think Kawayuki would spare you if you kept your hair nice?”

  “No.” Much to his surprise, it was the woman who replied. Katsuo took a second glance at her. Takeru was correct in his assessment of her long brown hair. It was indeed beautiful in its unusual color. Her face had gentle features, and elegant eyebrows framed dark purple eyes.

  Katsuo could see the bruises already forming on her cheeks and a small bump on her forehead and noticed her split lips. Kawayuki wasn’t gentle while handling her, and Katsuo idly wondered what she could have done to deserve such treatment. Maybe nothing. Kawayuki thrived on hurting people weaker than him.

  “Go,” Katsuo waved at her.

  She blinked, and a puzzled expression came over her face.

  “What?”

  “I don’t want to repeat myself,” Katsuo said, bending down to retrieve the katana he had dropped when lunging for the snake. The woman took a step back and stumbled. She ended up falling on her bottom and looked at him as if he had threatened her life.

  Katsuo ignored the sudden pang in his heart and turned to his brother. “Let’s go find Ayaka,” he said, walking away. Takeru quickly followed him.

  “Wait!” the woman shouted after them, hastily standing. He ignored her. “Did you say Ayaka? The little girl with who was wearing a pink robe with bunnies on it?”

  Katsuo tensed hearing that. She had met Ayaka, he thought and glanced back over his shoulder, a question in his eyes. The woman nervously wet her lips.

  “She was just ahead of me.�
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  “She has escaped?”

  “Yes, we escaped together, then she ran ahead,” she explained, looking around. “She must be somewhere nearby.”

  “Did you see which direction she went?”

  Her expression fell as she turned her gaze on him. She was so sad yet beautiful in her own way.

  “No, I’m sorry.”

  He let out a frustrated sigh before turning away and continuing on his way.

  “Wait!”

  Takeru let out a small chuckle, which earned him a glare from Katsuo.

  “Can I help you?”

  “Help us?” Katsuo asked, flabbergasted as he fully turned back to face her. “You can’t even protect yourself from a snake.”

  If she felt offended, she covered the feeling with her pride as she puffed out her chest – he only just noticed how abundant she was in that area – and straightened her spine. Katsuo flicked his gaze back to her eyes.

  “I might not be of much help in a fight, but I can help find a lost little girl!”

  “Well, she might prove useful…” Takeru whispered to him.

  “I don’t have time for this,” Katsuo sighed. He nodded at the woman. “Come if you must.”

  A bright smile appeared on her face at his words, and Katsuo felt his heart skip a beat. He cursed.

  “What is it?” Takeru asked, suspicious of his behavior.

  “Nothing,” he replied. When the woman caught up with them, he decided to split the party up. Takeru would go alone and he with the woman. His brother happily accepted and winked at him before jogging away. Oh no, he totally got the wrong idea. Katsuo dreaded the hour when they would arrive back at Shirotatsu castle.

  He turned in the opposite direction Takeru had gone, and the woman fell in place beside him. Katsuo furrowed his eyebrows. It was not customary for a woman to walk next to a man. Before he opened his mouth to correct her, he was reminded of her foreign status as she looked up at him expectantly with her purple-hued eyes. He didn’t remember seeing anyone with such eye color.

  “What is it?” she asked, curious.

  Katsuo turned back to the path.

  “How did you meet Ayaka?”

  A troubled sigh escaped her.

  “This bastard, Kawayuki, threatened to hurt her if I didn’t do something for him.”

  The path narrowed to only one person wide. Katsuo took the lead, walking further into the woods.

  “What did you tell him?”

  “Well, I didn’t want her to get hurt, but Kawayuki was asking for the impossible.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t see into his depraved mind,” she quipped, and his lips twitched in amusement. He cleared his throat.

  “I mean, why would you want to help Ayaka? You don’t know her.”

  The movement behind him stopped, and he turned around to see the woman looking at him like he was a big idiot. He raised an eyebrow, but that didn’t faze her.

  “She’s just a little girl,” was all she said. Katsuo sensed there was more to the story but didn’t pressure her. He turned around to continue his search. This part of the forest was dense.

  “Ouch!” Katsuo heard her painful hiss. Sighing, he turned back around. What now?

  “I-it’s okay, I can keep on going,” she said. “Maybe a bit slower. Sorry,” she said, looking down at her feet. Had she been walking barefoot all this time? The forest floor was full of small rocks with jagged edges, twigs and, whatnot.

  Katsuo was about to reply when a nearby bush rustled and someone jumped out at them. His blade moved before he could register what color the uniform was. When he realized it was black, he cut down the enemy in one move.

  The woman stood there in shock, trembling from head to toe. She gulped as their eyes met. She broke the stare first as she looked away. Her small hands made a fist, slightly trembling.

  Then she ran to the nearest bush to empty the contents of her stomach.

  8

  Ciara wiped her mouth and straightened from her hunched position behind a nearby bush. Well, that must’ve been very attractive. She looked for a big leaf to wipe her hands.

  Disgusting, she grimaced as she cleaned her hands and mouth with the leaf. I need fresh water. She glanced down at her clothes and was relieved to see they didn’t get dirty. Her hair was safely tucked in at the back of her neck, and her stomach was still queasy after all the work.

  She risked a glance at the man who had cut down another. He was just wiping the blood down from his sword in the fallen man’s uniform. Ciara felt her stomach churn, but she pushed the feeling down and stepped around the tree, away from the bloody scene.

  How could he just…doesn’t he feel any remorse? He’s just killed a man, and he’s calmly cleaning his sword as if nothing was more natural in the world! Ciara took a deep breath and hobbled away. Her feet hurt, and she felt sick as she made her way through the forest.

  A moment later, she heard pounding footsteps as the man caught up to her. She felt his touch on her arm and jumped at the unexpected gesture.

  “Are you all right?”

  Ciara looked into his deep brown eyes. The edges of the irises were golden, like honey. No, I’m not. How could I be all right after all this? She felt tears threaten but gulped them down like a bitter pill. She nodded hastily, looking away.

  “I’ll be fine.”

  He retreated his hand, his expression puzzled. He glanced down and caught her trembling hands in his. Ciara held her breath as she slowly dragged her gaze up. From this close, she could smell his distinctive scent under all the sweat, dirt, and blood, a fresh masculine scent, like forest and soap. She discreetly took a whiff, and calmness immediately enveloped her. Ciara leaned closer to him. She was surprised at her own reaction.

  He was about to tell her something when, again, they were interrupted by movement nearby. This time, it was crunching noise coming from Ciara’s left. The man released her hand and gripped his katana with both hands as he stepped in front of her. His muscles were so tense, he reminded her of the attacking snake. She shuddered at the memory.

  Finally, a figure emerged from behind a cluster of bushes. The man relaxed and sighed in relief.

  “Ayaka.”

  Ciara peeked out from behind him, seeing the little girl stop and stare at them. Then she lunged for the scary man.

  “Daddy!”

  What?

  Ayaka lunged at the man who crouched and gathered her in his arms. She hugged his neck tightly, and he patted her back. After Ciara got over the shock, she sniffled at the reunion. She was happy Ayaka had found her father and now they could go home. If only she could go home, too…

  Ciara looked to the distance, not even sure which direction the mirror was in. She was sure if she could get back to it, she’d be able to go home. But a battlefield and countless maimed bodies stood between her and her way home, not to mention Kawayuki’s crazy minions. She sighed deeply, suddenly realizing she wouldn’t get home without help.

  “Are you inju—” the man started to ask when he drew back from his daughter and noticed the angry red line on her tender neck. His eyes flashed golden for a moment, but when Ciara blinked, it was gone. Was it her imagination?

  “I’m fine, Daddy,” Ayaka said and turned to Ciara. She reached out her hand toward the woman. Ciara grabbed her fingers with a small smile. “The pretty lady helped me.”

  “My thanks.” The man nodded at Ciara. For the first time, Ciara felt he had appreciated her presence.

  “No problem.”

  He let Ayaka down and grabbed a horn from his belt. It was a conch shell with a metal mouthpiece. He took a deep breath and played a short tune. He repeated it twice, and Ciara was caught in the moment, enjoying the music.

  “Let’s go,” he said to Ayaka and reached out for her, but the little girl skipped over to Ciara, who bent down.

  “What is it?”

  “What’s your name?”

  “Ciara.”

  “Shi
ara?”

  “Ciara.”

  Ayaka nodded with a serious expression on her face.

  “You said you were kidnapped. Do you need help getting home?”

  Ciara opened her mouth then closed it. Her lips repeated the movement, not sure how to answer.

  “W-well, I suppose so.” Hesitating, she glanced up at the man standing behind Ayaka. His penetrating gaze made her shudder. Just what was he thinking? Ciara quickly looked back at the little girl. “But don’t worry about me. I’ll find my way home.”

  She hated the fact that her voice trembled.

  Ayaka turned to her father with a question in her eyes. Katsuo could never say no when she looked at him like that, and he suspected she knew that, too. He suppressed a sigh and tried to look intimidating, crossing his arms and frowning, but his daughter wasn’t buying it. As long as the woman thought him frightening and not take up on the offer, though…

  It wasn’t like him. He was a daimyō, bound to help the people under his protection, and as soon as the woman offered her assistance in finding Ayaka, she became one of those people. Especially after learning she had helped his daughter escape from his enemy’s stronghold. He wondered if she had an ulterior motive and expected something in return.

  “Daddy!” Ayaka’s voice actually sounded admonishing.

  “I’m going.” Ciara stood up, her legs shaky. “Take care, Ayaka.” Then she glanced at him, bowed a little, and turned to go away.

  “Wait.” The word left his lips before he could register it. For some unexplainable reason, it hurt to see her turn her back and walk away from him. His instincts screamed at him not to let her walk out of his life.

  Katsuo blinked in surprise. He’d never experienced such an emotion before, not even when he met his previous wife. It was as if something was drawing him to her.

  Ciara was waiting for him to continue with a sad smile on her face , which deepened the longer he stayed silent. She moved to turn away again.

  “You have helped Ayaka,” Katsuo said, “and I am grateful for that. Let me help you in return.”