Sukaru hadn’t expected Gin and Sólstaður to move through the river forts so quickly; the next was given aid by the survivors of the last, and they still should have outnumbered them. She didn’t want to be the one to give Shunji the reports, but she wasn’t really given a choice.
Shunji, as per usual, looked bored—he always complained about having nothing to do, when in truth he was just giving all of his work to other people like every king before him. He only slightly gave her any attention when she came in, glancing at her from the throne.
“Yanami Sukaru,” he said. “Any news?”
“Gin took the third fort a few days ago,” Sukaru replied. “They’ve taken more ground in one week than I originally thought.”
“How?” Shunji asked, looking up to glare at her. “Has age dulled the tactics that you’re supposed to be famous for? Is the army really so incapable that they would lose to Gin? They haven’t been in Kuro for centuries before this little show!”
“Remember that, however short-lived, their late king did enter the kingdom,” Sukaru pointed out impatiently. “They killed Nari’s first husband.”
“My stepfather doesn’t count,” Shunji replied firmly. “He was weak if he died in battle to begin with—the Masaaki family was riding on their reputation of being Gin’s traitors, and never had real strength. Him, Toru, her—none of them were powerful enough to stand alongside the rest of us.” He stood up, frowning, his voice growing colder. “And I swear, you will be left to the forest with your fox-kin if you don’t find a way to stop Gin’s advance.”
Sukaru was so used to threats—both from Shunji and other rulers before him—that she remained undeterred and unshaken. “Gin doesn’t have the numbers to do this on their own, and even with the northern nation they should be facing heavy losses,” she said simply. “We haven’t been able to take any prisoners—most aren’t even sure if Gin’s queen is with them anymore. She’s staying hidden, if she is.”
“Speak plain, kitsune,” Shunji said, sitting back down again. “How are they winning if they don’t have the necessary power?”
She still replied vaguely, knowing that the matter would annoy him. “Kuro soldiers are trained to obey the orders of their generals, and don’t function well without orders. Whether or not our attackers know that, those generals are dying, leading to the survivors of the first fort to move on to the second, the second fort’s survivors going to the third, and so on. They don’t know what to do after their leaders are killed.”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
For once, he seemed to have a thought other than fighting. “Aeko was in Yuneda’s fort with Ryobe and Shigeri.” His look now was almost worry; Sukaru hadn’t quite realized he was capable of mustering any emotion but anger and frustration. “I know they fought, but did they live?”
“Lady Aeko fought and died,” Sukaru reported simply. With the sensitive part out of the way, she tried to give the paper report to Shunji. “Prince Ryobe was killed as well, and Princess Shigeri was injured before the battle; she’s coming back here as we speak, although I’m not sure of her exact condition.”
The only reply she got was a bitter curse, then silence. Yuneda Aeko was his favorite wife—she was physically powerful, and prone to spontaneous decisions that often made Sukaru’s job harder. Her and Shunji were practically made for each other in that regard; Sukaru knew he favored his and Aeko’s children a bit more than the others.
Finally, Shunji stood again. “Who killed them?” He asked Sukaru coldly, rejecting the report that would have answered his question. He continued on before she could answer. “It was the damn north, wasn’t it? They didn’t have enough enjoyment making me the king that lost their nation—they decided to take them away from me, too! I wouldn’t be surprised if it was because of her; that damn woman caused me too much trouble.”
“This has nothing to do with Masaaki Miya,” Sukaru tried to reason. “Calm down before you make the same mistake Nari did. You can strike back, just let me explain and plan before you do. Unlike your mother, you don’t have a chosen heir.”
Shunji actually listened, and sighed. “Fine,” he muttered. “You have an idea on who hurt them?”
“People have seen your ‘monster’ fighting other Kuro soldiers,” Sukaru explained. She didn’t quite understand why she continued to speak in the boy’s defense. “You thought his little manic spells would help us, but he’s the reason we’ve been losing. I never thought using a teenaged boy as a weapon would work; it’s people like him that destroy nations, including ours.”
“What do you want to do with him?” Shunji asked.
“We could kill him,” Sukaru suggested, although she didn’t like the thought, “Or we can make it look like we held on to him as a prisoner—he would still be a weapon, but not one that directly fights alongside us.”
“Send the monster on to Gin and their allies, huh?” Shunji mused. After a moment, he nodded. “Let’s go with that—and replace the valuable generals while you’re at it. Maybe the monster will destroy our enemies before they get to the fourth fort.”
Sukaru nodded, finally giving Shunji the report and leaving to carry out the orders. Just like that, their little captive was free; she almost envied Kioshi, for being able to leave this place. Maybe if he managed to defeat the attacking army, he could truly be free from Kuro’s designs.