Chapter 14 - Price of Freedom

“This way!” Akaja said as the trio rounded a corner. “How are we looking, Yuki?”

“Got the samurai on the wrong track!” Yukiko said, her eyes glowing a solid silver, Andros’ hand gripped tightly around hers. Her idea of using Spring as a distraction to buy them time was working wonders. Aside from the occasional servant, their escape route seemed clear.

While Yukiko took control of her familiar, she could see through its eyes, which left Andros to guide her through the halls of the castle. Still, even if they were to escape, he wondered how safe they, especially Akaja, would be. Her face wasn’t exactly hidden. Still, that was a problem for another time.

Eventually, they arrived at their supposed exit route. A quick dash through the kitchens led them to the castle’s larder, which was filled with enough food to feed an entire village for months. Akaja pushed aside a small pile of rice sacks and fidgeted with one of the stones on the wall. A small tunnel opened.

Akaja grinned. “Let’s get go-“

A fog of impenetrable darkness suddenly filled the room, snuffing out all the lights.

“Andros?” Came Yukiko’s voice.

“That wasn’t me!”

The echo of what sounded like the snapping of fingers and the shattering of ice shot throughout the room. “Shit, shit!” Akaja exclaimed. “Our exit just got blocked! It… it feels like ice?”

Andros reached into his coat pocket, his fingers flipping through his deck of cards. Twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven… there! Pulling the card free, he then crushed it in his palm. The card shattered like glass, bits and piece of it fluttering away as it began to dispel the surrounding darkness.

There was nobody in the larder besides the three of them. A wall of solid ice barred their exit, but it wasn’t clear exactly who or what triggered the spell. Akaja readied her chakrams. Yukiko, with a snap of her fingers, quickly summoned Spring to her side.

Then a blurry figure materialized at the entrance to the larder. The telltale signs of an invisibility spell fading. Yukiko and Akaja readied themselves to strike, but Andros raised a hand to halt them.

“Xue?” He said. “What are you doing here?”

“I can ask you the same question…” The woman stood defiant in her crimson kimono, a deck of cards held firmly in her hand. “Andros, please tell me you’re not involved in this.”

“It’s not what you think… let’s just all put away our weapons. I can explain…” Andros shared a glance between his two companions. Akaja lowered her weapons, and Yukiko, very reluctantly, called Spring down.

“Let me tell you what I see first,” Xue commented. “I see an assassin. The very same who tried to take my lover’s life, fleeing from an attempted murder. And then I see you, Andros, helping this same assassin escape. You didn’t think I’d recognize your old tricks out there in the gardens? Is that why you came to visit me? So you can get an ‘in’?”

“Xue…” Andros slowly stepped forward, arms raised, palms facing her. However, hearing her describe Kazuki as her new ‘lover’ pushed a sharp pain through his chest. “I admit I didn’t tell you the whole story. The theft of my artifact… it’s related to our true purpose here. We’re investigating the murder of the previous admiral! We believe the culprit also has an interest in my research!”

“And that very culprit is your darling Kazzy!” Akaja exclaimed. “He murdered his brother in cold blood to take control of the Syndicate! He hired me to steal Andros’ artifact, and then betrayed me!”

“That’s… ridiculous!” Xue scoffed. “Where is the proof for these accusations?”

“He tried to corner me in a room alone with him!” Akaja explained. “He tried to get all handsy, so I rejected his advances! Then he talked about how much he hated his brother, and how glad he was dead. Does that sound like someone you want to protect?”

Xue frowned, her body shifting as she pulled one of her sleeves up to cover her hand. “That… that is his right as a man of his station.”

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“What?”

“A man of his station is allowed- nay… expected to have multiple lovers. I will not deny him that right.” Xue spoke coldly, her gaze turning away from the trio. “And you do not know him like I do. He has good reason to dislike his brother, but that doesn’t mean he killed him!” She clenched her fist and glared at Akaja. “And even if he did kill him… Yu Akiyama was certainly no angel. I’m quite sure there were those who celebrated his death.”

“Bitch…” She readied her chakrams and stepped forward, but Andros gently held her back.

“Xue…” Andros said softly. “This doesn’t sound like you.”

“And how would you know that?” Xue retorted. “Before today we hadn’t spoken to one-another in almost a year.”

“I know that you wouldn’t blatantly ignore evil,” Andros said softly. “Those bruises on your arm. Those were from him… weren’t they?”

Xue turned his gaze away from him.

“You said they were just from some overzealous fans,” Andros continued. “He hurts you, doesn’t he?”

Silence…

“Xue!”

“So, what?” Xue murmured. “I play the role I am meant to.”

“But why?”

“In the Empire,” Xue explained. “When my family were still Imperial nobility… they caught my father siphoning money from the Imperial tithe…”

“I remember,” Andros said. “They stripped your family of their titles, lands, and rank. And you fled to Issei.”

“What I didn’t tell you was… well…” She sighed. “Crimes are not judged by one’s individual actions in the empire. Your actions are your family’s actions. One murderer or thief can stain the honor and reputation of an entire clan, no matter how big or small. Normally, the family would simply disown any delinquent children, but since my father was the family patriarch, and a governor at that…”

“He was sentenced to death by a thousand cuts, and our family was forced into two generations of slavery… The Emperor’s Redemption, they call it… some were lucky, and became indentured house servants to other nobles. Others were sent to the mines, or to oar ships. Only I managed to escape. Kazuki plans to cut a deal with the Empire. He has enough leeway to help negotiate for my family’s release. Therefore, as long as I play my intended role as his loyal concubine, I have a chance at saving my family.”

“I didn’t know any of this…” Andros said.

“I didn’t want you to know,” Xue sighed. “There was no hope in saving them, and I didn’t want to re-tread old territory. Plus, you probably would've tried coming up with plans to save them. But now… there’s a chance. A chance I have to take!”

“We can still save them, Xue. We can figure something out. My research ca-“

“What do you intend to do, Andros?” Xue snapped. “Sail to the Empire? Break each one of my brother, sisters, and cousins out by force? Not even I know where they are. The Empire is massive. It’s a foolish hope. With Kazuki, there’s at least a plan… a hope. I don’t want to stand against you, Andros. I still cherish our time together. Perhaps if things were different, we could’ve made it, but that’s life!”

“What’s he planning, then?” Andros asked.

“Something big,” Xue said. “Not even I know all the details.”

“Did you hire Akaja to steal my artifact?”

“Yes…” Xue said.

“WHAT?” Akaja flung herself forward with a strong gust of wind, sending herself flying towards Xue. She crashed into the woman, pinning her down as she pressed the blade of her chakram against her neck. “I was TORTURED because of YOU? Do you even know what Talai did to me? I ought to-“

“That wasn’t me!” Xue argued. “Kazuki mentioned your name as a reliable thief. All I did was send the contract! I had every intention of following through with your payment! Talai only takes orders from Kazuki!”

“If I chop you and Talai into a meat-grinder, and that only thing that’s left of the both of you is your eyeball, then that should send quite the message to-“

“Akaja!” Andros shouted.

“What?” Akaja growled. “She’s the one that’s been stealing your research for who-knows-what, and her stupid boyfriend is the one that killed Yu, and ordered me to be tortured! Oh! I get it… we should kidnap her, and use her to lure-“

“What? No!” Andros sighed. “Let her go!”

“Why?” Akaja argued. “If this was somebody you hadn’t slept with before, I doubt you’d be complaining."

Yukiko stepped forward. “I know I’ve just been sort of standing in the back and watching, but… whatever Kazuki has planned with your research… it can’t be good, right? He killed his brother, and he wants to make a deal with the Empire? Andros, I’m a Tiefling! Do you know what the Empire does to Tieflings? And this is what we started the SEEKERS OF TRUTH for! What kind of investigators would we be if we let a valuable resource like Xue slip by us?”

Andros crossed his arms and sighed. “I’m not going to be able to persuade you otherwise, am I?”

“Nope!” exclaimed both Yukiko and Akaja.

“I suppose this should have been expected…” Xue murmured. “What do you intend to do with me, then?”

“You’ll see…” Akaja said, standing up, motioning for Yukiko to come over.

Yukiko summoned Spring, who then exhaled a small cloud of violet gas directly into Xue’s face. After the short coughing fit, the woman fell unconscious.

“Andros?” Yukiko said, staring at him with large puppy-dog eyes. “Can you carry her back to the Temple?”