"That is the message from the King," Shiro finished quietly, watching the older man's face.
Valoren Yazawa nodded slowly, then cleared his throat. "I see. And you are to return with the answer?"
"I am." Shiro's mouth curved into a tentative smile.
The valoren stood up and began to pace as Shiro waited.
Finally Yazawa stood still, looking out the window of the fortress turret.
"Well. I have not yet seen or heard anything of the heir, not even in the week I've been here in Norema. But I shall continue to investigate, according to His Majesty's request."
Shiro rubbed his bandaged hand thoughtfully. "Is that the message I am to carry?"
"Why is His Majesty so concerned?" Yazawa spun around abruptly, his cloak catching the wind for a moment. "Were you made aware?"
The veteran rashei shrugged. "I think it's only because, if the Karunic heir is still living, he will be coming of age right around now." He sighed–a long sigh. "That's all I've heard, anyway."
"And then there's that rakhai in the woods," Yazawa muttered. "You said you ran into her?"
Shiro bit his lip. "More like she ambushed us."
Yazawa frowned. "This has really gone too far."
Shiro found himself waiting again. Then, a few moments later, Yazawa sat down.
"I'm the valoren of Miznema Province," he stated flatly. "I don't have time to deal with rumors."
The rashei smiled weakly. "Neither does His Majesty, sir."
Silence.
"Anyway, all His Majesty wants is for you to close the loop," Shiro went on. "The execution of an heir and a myth isn't an everyday adventure, after all." His smile widened. "From what I hear…that will be left to Valoren Tadashi."
Yazawa's face paled.
"That…that…"
Shiro rose to his feet.
"Yes. That." He shook his head. "I'm glad I won't be here to watch it."
Yazawa stared at the table between them. "When does the King want the information?"
"Two weeks at the latest," Shiro replied. "Metai Arai is to be sent with it."
"And you're going back tomorrow?"
"I am," Shiro conceded. "Is there anything you'd like to add to your communication for His Majesty?"
Yazawa took a moment to think.
"No," he decided. "Thank you, Rashei Shiro."
The other man bowed. "My pleasure."
He turned towards the door of the council room, but another question from Yazawa stopped him.
"You'll be riding through Hiyashi, won't you?"
"I shall," Shiro admitted.
Yazawa turned his head slightly to look at him.
"Be sure the rakhai doesn't interfere," he warned quietly.
Shiro's eyes glinted as he raised his hand slightly.
"I'm not afraid," he smiled. "She may have wounded my hand. She doesn't know who she's actually dealing with."
Then he laughed.
"Not yet, anyway."
Yazawa watched the rashei go. Then he sighed, drumming his fingers on the oaken table.
No one knew Valoren Yazawa was here in Norema. No one knew why, either.
And Yazawa wasn't quite sure he was going to like it.
Then again, it was only for a month or so. Just long enough to close this loop of…rumors.
He shook his head. Why would the prince-heir be here in Norema? It was a border village, yes, and close to the former capital of Karun, but…still.
Besides, if the boy had lived, the Hosharans should know about it by now. It had been over a decade since the conquest of what had once been its own country.
Yazawa groaned unhappily.
Well, they'd find the heir, even if they had to invent one.
He'd met Valoren Tadashi only once…
and had no inclination to meet him again.
~~~
Kishi was pretty sure she was never going to visit Norema again.
True, it would be a month, anyway. But she hadn't remembered the village being this…this menacing.
First, there had been the conflict with the gate guardsmen. Then the affair with the rash baker-woman. Then the child who had run into the street.
And now the blond boy, the blacksmith's son.
Kishi scowled as she marched on in the vague direction of the gate.
She didn't know the boy's first name, but she knew he was a Zayasu. Though he looked nothing like his mother or father or even his siblings. She was pretty sure he had multiple, anyway–Norema was one of the few villages Kishi visited closer to every month than every year.
What was it about the boy that bothered her?
Kishi bit her lip. She wasn't sure.
His family didn't seem to be a loyalist one, that was for sure. They sold bread and provided smithing services for Hosharans as well as Kunarics, unlike others–such as the woman who had tried to overcharge the Hosharan soldier for a bun.
No, the Zayasus didn't seem particularly politically charged, but…
Then why had the boy picked up a secret message–and saved it for her?
Kishi glanced up as the gateway came into view. Then she paused as a cart rattled past her.
The guards probably wouldn't be very happy to see her again, would they.
That was a problem.
Kishi glanced around for a moment. The smell of the oxen hit her like an axe, and she scrunched up her nose.
Huh.
Well, smells were better than chaos, weren't they?
~~~
The first guard's mouth had long stopped bleeding by now, but his jaw still hurt. He continued rubbing it occasionally with the hilt of his knife–the metal was cool.
Until the sunlight hit it, anyway. He glared up at the sky.
That blasted cart. Why was it taking so long to get through the gate?
"Papers!" he shouted, slamming his dagger into its sheath and gesturing to his companion to get up off the guardhouse steps.
The peasant–some middle-aged man with an ancient-looking pair of glasses–felt around for his papers. His voice was thin as he protested mildly.
"What's with the…"
"What's in the cart?" The guard was in no mood for bickering.
The driver pushed his glasses closer to the edge of his nose.
"Corn…sir?"
"Huh." The guard gestured to his companion, who climbed up the back and pushed aside the covering.
"It's corn," he called back.
The driver's glasses nearly fell off his face.
"Don't touch mah corn!"
"Khur your corn," the guard muttered as he stepped away.
The man leaned towards him helpfully, swaying a bit on the cart's seat.
"Yah, what?"
"Get moving," the other guard shouted. "Go on! You're not the only one on the road, you–"
Whatever title he had bestowed upon the driver was lost in a bellow from one of the oxen as their owner cracked his whip and the cart creaked into motion.
The man shook his head.
"So slow," he muttered. "Ya'd think I gained a couple hundred pounds or so. Rubbish."
He sniffled and cracked the whip again. Eventually the city walls grew small behind him.
Creak, creak. The same old sounds as always filled his ears.
He didn't hear the thump as Kishi dropped into the dust of the road from beneath the cart.
She lay there for a few minutes, breathing deeply. The road was practically empty…
and her arms were killing her.
The sun beat down on her masked face, reminding her that it was long past noon.
And she had a long walk to go yet.
Finally she forced herself to her feet and gathered up the bundle of supplies that she'd wrapped in her cloak. Her steps stumbled at first but quickly gained momentum as she started off at a brisk pace towards the distant line of trees.
Kishi found herself scowling again.
Why had the guards demanded to see her papers that morning? Papers were never requested during daylight hours.
And why had they searched the cart? They could simply have been looking for her…or someone else…but…
It didn't make sense. Were the rules changing?
Kishi shook her head as she plodded on.
This had better be only happening in Norema. If it was a countrywide protocol, then Kishi was in trouble. She couldn't live off apples and rabbits indefinitely.
Maybe it would just be temporary.
Kishi hefted her bundle thoughtfully–or maybe annoyedly. The memory of the baker-woman's interaction came back to her mind.
Kishi was relatively sure the soldier would have escalated, had not Kishi interfered.
And yet…
Every Hosharan soldier knew who the Karunic loyalists were–and every soldier chose not to interact. It had been ten years, after all. There was no need to encourage the loyalists by fostering grievances, was there?
The girl bit her lip.
The conflict between Hoshara and Karun wasn't recent, even if the war and occupation had formalized it. Kishi knew that much.
There were the messages she had been receiving, though. The ones she had never answered.
Something was going on in the Sarai range. Either that or someone was trying to confront Kishi herself. Someone that might not actually be an ally.
Ally or enemy–there was no difference to her. A stranger was a stranger.
But…if something really was going on…and the resistance was going to be taking action…
Shouldn't Kishi be stepping up?