Anri stared at him in disbelief. “Subaru?” She whispered. “What are you doing here?”

“I asked you first,” He grated. “Not to mention sneaking into someone else’s house doesn’t entitle you to hold an interrogation. So what the fuck are you doing here?!”

Anri stared at him, speechless for a long moment as she adjusted the arm in her sling. Then she took a deep breath. “Hiding.”

“What?”

Anri sighed. “After we left you guys in Stoneybrooke, Victoire, Vera, and I tried to make our way back to Siros.”

“Who?” Subaru asked.

Anri flushed. “Oh right. You wouldn’t know them. You slept through that.”

Subaru growled impatiently.

Anri hurried along. “So, we tried to make our way back home. We got close to Siros but Sanshi has patrols all over the area and we got separated. Vera tried to draw them away from us and when some of those patrols followed me and Victoire, she tried to do the same thing. She told me to meet her near the ford but…”

Subaru waited. “But?” He grated, folding his arms across his chest.

Anri sighed. “I had… I guess you’d call it… a premonition,” She said awkwardly. “That going to the ford would be dangerous. That it would probably end with me getting killed. So I went the other way. I couldn’t find Victoire or Vera after that and I just kept running for days. Finally… I wound up here.”

Subaru thought that over for a long minute. “Bullshit!” He said flatly.

Anri blinked. “Excuse me?”

“That story is one hundred percent bullshit!” Subaru said firmly.

Anri’s face grew affronted. “Excuse me! I-”

“Do you really expect me to believe for a single second that by sheer random chance, of all the millions of houses in Gusteko you could have chosen, you ended up hiding in the same house that Emilia and I are staying in?!” He said witheringly.

Anri blinked and then her face grew flushed as she realized his point. “Subaru. I… I swear to you that I didn’t know you were here…”

Subaru snorted. “And what exactly are you doing here?”

“I’m looking for a place to hide!”

“Hide elsewhere!” Subaru said flatly. “Maybe consider under some damp rock!”

Anri bit her lip and drew herself up. “You were dying from the Black Water, Subaru,” She said firmly. “I saved your life.”

Subaru snorted. “If you were hoping to see me express gratitude for that, you wasted your time! You should have saved a life that actually matters to me!”

Anri looked at Subaru in horrified disbelief.

Subaru flushed, not realizing what he had been about to say until after he’d already said it.

Anri took a deep breath. “You still owe me,” She said firmly.

“Owe you?!” Subaru hissed, marching up into Anri’s face. She swallowed hard but stood her ground. “I owe you?! I would just as soon peel you like an apple as look at you!” Subaru grabbed her by the throat. Anri struggled helplessly in his grip but with only one arm it was hopeless. “You abandoned Emilia when she got sick!”

Anri’s eyes widened and she stopped struggling. “What are you talking about?” She choked.

“Emilia got cursed,” Subaru grated in Anri’s face. “She was cursed by the Black Water!”

Anri blinked. “What?! When? How?!”

Subaru let go of Anri with a sneer of disdain. “I have no idea but she’s cursed! Her body is covered with seeping wounds and she’s paralyzed from the waist down! Her magic has been sealed and she’s encountered two separate lynch mobs this week!” Subaru said, walking away from her, his face like a storm cloud and swearing sulfurously.

Anri rubbed her neck. “I’m sorry, Subaru. I didn’t know.”

He snorted.

“I swear!” Anri protested. “Ask Emilia if you don’t believe me! When we left her at the inn, she was fine!”

Subaru hesitated for a long time. Finally, he looked at Anri with dark eyes. “How did you find us?”

“I didn’t. I had no idea you were here.”

Subaru looked profoundly skeptical but he sighed. “Alright, fine. What made you pick this house to hide in?”

Anri hesitated for a second. “I heard… that the people in this house were friendly with my Shadows,” She said slowly.

“Your what?”

“My Shadows. Um… they do dirty work for us. Spies, bodyguards, and occasionally assassins.”

“Who’s us?”

Anri looked pained. “Um. I guess Emilia never mentioned what I told her to you-”

“You haven’t exactly been a major topic of conversation since you took off,” Subaru said sarcastically.

Anri flushed. “My real name is Kairei vas Sirosse an Ithil. I’m the Princess of Siros.”

Subaru looked at Anri for a long time and then started to laugh. “Of course! Of course, this is just our luck. We run away to a new country and the first fucking person we meet is some kind of noble. What should I have expected?” He shook his head. “Alright, fine. You’re a princess. Great. So you’re saying that the people who used to live here had a relationship with your… Shadows?”

Anri nodded.

Subaru scratched his chin. “So… was Jessica… was she a Shadow or did she just support them?”

“She was just providing support,” Anri answered quickly. “A safe place to stay, a meeting site, things like that.”

Subaru’s eyes widened. “Right. That makes sense. Working with a jewelry merchant would let the Shadows slip in lots of places by claiming they were delivering cargo. Jewelry is small and easily portable.”

“Exactly,” Anri nodded. “She was extremely useful in getting our Shadows in and out of towns.”

“Well, that explains a lot,” Subaru murmured in a mocking calm tone. “Just one question. Who’s Jessica?”

Anri blinked.

Subaru glowered at Anri. He stepped forward and Anri stepped back. “I bought this house from a guy named Nicholas. He’s a chemist. So that’s two lies you’ve already tried to sell me tonight,” He growled.

Anri bit her lip and her expression grew trapped. She took a deep breath. “Subaru, I need a place to hide,” She said simply.

“And I should care?” He snorted.

“If Emilia is sick, I might be able to cure her. I cured you.”

Subaru scowled. “You just lied to me twice. Why in the world should I trust you?”

“Because healers are hard to come by and if Emilia is really sick, you have no choice?” Anri said bluntly.

Subaru snarled at her but Anri stood her ground.

Subaru looked away mulling it over.

I don’t like this. Everything that Anri has told me since the day we met has been a big pile of BS. But if she healed me then maybe she can heal Emilia…

Or at least she might be able to identify the curse. Once I know what curse I’m dealing with, I can at least hope to find a cure…

Also, whether I like it or not, Anri has a point. I need someone to take care of Emilia. I can’t leave her here alone for a whole day while I run out and do other things. And I can’t risk taking her with me either.

Anri is really my only options right now. But she’s been lying to me and she refuses to tell me the truth. How can I trust her?

Anri seemed to sense that Subaru needed to be reassured. “Subaru, I would never knowingly harm Emilia. I swear it on my brother’s life.”

Subaru glanced at her. “I didn’t even know you had a brother.”

Anri pursed her lips. “Well, I do. His name’s Gael and I love him very much. I’ve been taking care of him almost since our parents died. He’s very sick and I’m the only one who can convince him to take his medicine. I haven’t seen him in months and I don’t know if he’s OK or where he is or what he’s doing!” Her voice broke into a shrill cry.

Anri stopped and panting for breath.

Subaru took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Alright, fine. I believe you have a brother,” He admitted.

Anri raised an eyebrow. “If you’re really curious, Subaru, just ask anybody. Most people in the kingdom have heard about,” Anri paused and her face twisted in disgust. “‘The Mad Prince of Gusteko,’” She finished in a grumble.

Subaru thought hard for a long moment. This sucks. But I have no choice. It’s the only option I have. I just need to make sure Anri understands what she’s agreed to.

Subaru glowered at Anri and walked right up to her. Anri raised her chin but she didn’t retreat.

“I want you to know something,” Subaru said intently. “You just made your brother the collateral to Emilia’s safety. If I ever find out that you did anything to put Emilia in danger, I will go after your brother.”

To Subaru’s shock, Anri snorted with laughter.

Subaru frowned. “What is it?”

Anri struggled to hide a grin. “Nothing, Subaru. Those are completely acceptable terms. I was… just picturing you trying to fight Gael…”

Subaru led Anri up from the basement.

“Where’s Emilia?” She asked.

“Sleeping,” He said shorty. “So try to be quiet on your way up.”

Anri nodded as they climbed up to the second floor.

Subaru led her to the other bedroom. A slightly smaller but well-furnished room with a pair of beds that had probably belonged to Nicholas’s children at some point.

“You can sleep here,” He said laconically.

Anri nodded and entered the room and sat down on the bed. She felt her broken arm and winced.

“Subaru,” Anri murmured. “Do you think you could help me re-bandage this? I think you might have twisted it when you grabbed me.”

Subaru glowered at her for a long moment then finally sighed. He walked over to her and pulled a tiny bottle full of glowing blue liquid out of his pocket. “Hold still,” He said as he popped the cork and poured it on Anri’s arm.

Anri grabbed her injured arm which tingled and glowed for a moment.

Anri looked up at Subaru in shock as she slowly unbandaged her arm. “It’s completely healed!” She whispered.

“You’re welcome,” Subaru said laconically. “Now be quiet and go to sleep.”

“Subaru! How did you-”

“None of your business.” Subaru left the room and closed the door behind him.

Anri sat there for a moment and then pulled a small black book out of her satchel and began to flip through it.

The next morning, Subaru woke up but Emilia was still asleep.

Subaru crept out of bed without walking her and left the room.

He glanced at Anri’s room but the door was closed. He considered checking on her to make sure that she was still where she should be but decided it would make him look like too much of a creep.

Subaru walked quietly downstairs and began to rummage through the kitchen looking for ideas for breakfast.

Subaru sat at the table, eating an apple, and wondering what to do next.

Anri found us. That means that other people who are looking for us won’t be far behind.

I can’t be sure how long it will be before someone goes snooping around Nicholas’s home looking for him. I don’t know if Nicholas told anyone that he was leaving but either way, sooner of later there will be trouble.

If Nicholas did tell people in Stoneybrooke that a stranger appeared and bought his house, the locals will definitely be curious and it’s likely someone will think of the ‘witch’ in the inn and wonder if there’s a connection.

If Nicholas didn’t bother to tell anyone, then I still have to worry about one of his friends popping by and maybe breaking into the house after they don’t see him for a few weeks and worry that something is wrong.

I need to act like Nicholas’s house is a limited time resource and that means I need to make as much Vitae as I can. At least it doesn’t spoil.

Beyond that, I need to figure out the cure for Emilia’s curse, not to mention brewing Azoth for Anima. Those are both going to cost money, a lot of money. Not to mention I need to locate the Stone before I can even get started.

And I still need to find the spirits!

Subaru rubbed his forehead, feeling overwhelmed. He walked into the lab, trying to think.

He took a deep breath. OK, let’s take this one step at a time. You need to make money and locate the spirits. How are you going to do either of those things?

…What about the smugglers from last night? They said that their boss ran a criminal syndicate, right? Lady Koi, they said? Maybe you could make a deal with her. All kinds of Daphne’s potions would be worth a fortune in drug trafficking. Soma is a fine example and it’s really cheap and easy to make. If you can make a connection with someone who has an established drug network, making money shouldn’t be too hard. And a criminal syndicate certainly has access to information. They could find you some leads to track down Beatrice and Puck.

Except that it won’t be that simple.

There’s no honor among thieves. If I make contact with these guys, I’m exposed. I might be useful to them at first but they might also view me as a liability once they think they’ve reaped all the advantage they can from me. Sooner of later, somebody is going to try to sell me out to the kingdom and then Reinhard will come looking. Even if I’m across the border and Reinhard isn’t a threat someone will come find me.

Yeah. Subaru Natsuki can’t approach the cartel. This is a job for Taiyang.

On the bright side, wiping out all her smugglers in the forest should make this ‘Lady Koi’ think twice about sending anyone else in there. And rumors of a witch should keep everyone else out.

And that means that Emilia will be safe in there when we’re finally ready to vanish into the forest.

Subaru scratched his chin and looked at a nearby bottle of glowing blue liquid the size of a Thermos. Maybe I should bring a peace offering just in case… Taiyang is a frightening figure but I need to balance that. If I try to make people do what I say by bullying them, I can’t turn my back on them for very long and they’ll spend all their time trying to figure out a way to get rid of me.

Offering a bribe or two could help balance that. Taiyang is a terrifying witch of the Old World whom you should never make angry but if you make him happy, the rewards go beyond just money.

Subaru picked up the large vial that held a Decade of life. It felt warm in his hands. There’s nothing that the powerful want more than more life… And there’s no one who could pay better for the privilege. Each of these years is precious because it buys Emilia more time but if I need to secure funds for our disappearance… what would people pay for another year of health and life?

“Good morning, Subaru,” Anri said, coming downstairs and stepping into the lab.

Subaru shook free of his reverie. He looked at her darkly. “Good morning,” he replied.

“Is Mili still asleep?” She asked, sitting down in a comfortable chair at Nicholas’s desk.

“Yeah. She gets pretty tired lately.”

“Thanks for… fixing my arm,” Anri said awkwardly. “I… forgot to say that last night.”

Subaru frowned, noticing that Anri was looking curiously at the blue bottle. He quietly pushed it aside. “You’re welcome.”

Anri’s eyes grew focused. “What are the symptoms of Emilia’s curse?”

Subaru thought for a moment. “Weird bleeding letters all over her lower body. She can’t walk and her mana is sealed.”

Anri’s eyes widened. “That sounds like a potent curse.”

Subaru made a face. “Do you think that the medicine you made for me would help?”

Anri shook her head. “I don’t think so, Subaru,” She admitted. “That medicine works against a very specific curse. I… have reason to suspect it wouldn’t be effective here. And I don’t have the ingredients to make more of it anyway.”

Subaru sighed.

“Subaru,” Anri murmured. “While we have a moment, I need to talk to you about something.”

“What?”

“I need your help.”

Subaru glared at her. “In case you’ve missed this, Anri, I have my own problems,” He said coldly.

“Well… maybe I could help you with those,” Anri suggested. “Siros will certainly have healers who can treat powerful curses. I can order them to help you if you could help me get back home.”

Subaru hesitated. That’s… actually not a bad offer. I can certainly get Anri home.

Actually, wait a minute. Why can’t she get home on her own? What isn’t she telling me?

Subaru looked at Anri suspiciously. “OK, Anri. Spill it. What’s going on with you?”

Anri was silent for a long time. Finally, she sighed. “Subaru, as you’ve probably figured out, I’m in an awful lot of trouble.”

“Because of Elsa coming after you?”

“That’s part of it but it’s not the biggest issue.”

Subaru snorted. “And here I thought that I was the only bonehead in the world who thought of people trying to hunt me down and kill me as one of the ‘minor’ problems.”

“Welcome to the club,” Anri said dryly. She sighed. “Subaru, my homeland is under attack. There’s an army besieging our lands. And I’ve also heard that a second army is going to be sent against Siros in a matter of weeks. There’s just no way that we can hold back that many people. And from what I’ve heard, we’re running desperately low on supplies as well…”

Subaru thought for a moment. Oh. That must be what those soldiers at Kocytos were talking about. I’d almost forgotten about that.

Ultimately, he sighed. “I’m very sorry,” Subaru said sincerely.

“If you’ll help me, I can help you,” Anri said seriously. “I know a brilliant healer in Siros who’s written lots of books about removing curses. If you can break the siege and help me get home, I’ll personally order her to make treating Emilia her top priority.”

“Right,” Subaru said skeptically.

Anri glared at him. She took a deep breath. “I can also help you find the red stone,” She said meaningfully.

Subaru’s jaw dropped. Images of the Philosopher’s Stone in Daphne’s lab flashed before his eyes.

Subaru triggered Reason and Judgment.

What is happening here? How could Anri possibly know about the Philosopher’s Stone, much less that you were seeking it? Even Emilia doesn’t know about it!

Still, assuming that Anri is being truthful, this is an opportunity that can not be overstated. With the Philosopher’s Stone, curing Emilia’s curse and restoring all of her stolen memories would be trivial. Once the world knows who you really are, you can simply walk back into Lagunica, take the spirits back and vanish.

Not to mention that the stone facilitates the production of large amounts of Vitae. With the Stone you won’t be limited to refining a year or two at a time. Whole decades can be extracted from suddenly ended lives. What better way to finance you and Emilia’s lives together? Men would pay mountains of gold to prolong their lives. Each life you steal might buy you years of luxury…

Subaru started, unsettled by the cold thoughts but Reason and Judgment’s powerful calm soon absorbed him again.

All the same, the question of how Anri knows about the Stone can not be ignored. She’s constantly been lying and keeping secrets from you. Powerful secrets as well. These must be investigated.

Perhaps questioning her on the subject will provide further insight. At least you can confirm if she really knows about the stone of if she just randomly guessed. No matter how unlikely that might be.

Subaru left Reason and Judgment.

“What red stone?” Subaru said, his eyes narrowing.

Anri smirked. “Oh, I think you know very well.”

“Well, why don’t you tell me?” Subaru whispered. “Then you can be sure I know.”

Anri bit her lip and hesitated for a long time. “The red stone is gone,” She said finally. “But I can tell you where to find the black stone.”

Subaru frowned in real confusion this time. “What ‘black stone?’” He asked.

Anri hesitated. “The black stone. The… King’s Gift,” She said uncertainly.

Subaru triggered Reason and Judgment.

Curiouser and Curiouser. Anri knows about “the King’s Gift.” That at least establishes that she is referring to the Philosopher’s Stone. There’s no way that she guessed that name at random.

She claims the Philosopher’s Stone is gone? Perhaps after being unutilized for four hundred years, it decayed back into the King’s Gift again. That’s admittedly a loss but not a serious one. It took Daphne decades to craft the King’s Gift. But if the King’s Gift survives intact then refining it into a true Philosopher’s Stone would take a matter of days. According to Daphne’s memories, all you need to do is to infuse it with six strands of refined and purified mana and then subsume it in an alloy of the four noble metals. Trivial.

All the same, don’t lose track of the larger question. How does Anri know these things about you? Knowledge is power and Anri clearly has great knowledge of you.

Anri wielding power over you is an… uncomfortable thought. She is a royal by birth and she’s been born and bred to calculate the value of others’ lives by a single metric: personal power. Remember she’s already forsaken Emilia once for her own benefit…

Still keeping her close until you unravel this riddle may be prudent. She will cause less trouble if she knows that you’re watching her. And while her interests are not Emilia’s interests, there appears to be no sign that she means Emilia any explicit harm so you don’t need to fear leaving her here to watch Emilia. And her offer of providing a healer in exchange for your assistance is mutually beneficial at least.

Subaru restarted time.

“Anri,” Subaru said seriously. “What do you want? What are you asking for in exchange?” He said in a guarded voice.

“Help me to save my people,” Anri said earnestly. “Help us win this war.”

Subaru stared at her. “What?!”

“Subaru, you fought off a Snow Blight,” Anri said excitedly. “And you defeated the Black Water! I’d need an army to even hope to do either of those things! If you’d help me, we might have a chance!”

Subaru shook his head in disbelief. “Anri, I…” Words failed him.

This girl is crazy! I can’t win a war for her!

Of course you can, A cold voice whispered from the depths of his mind. You can easily win a war and you should never think anything different. It is true that you alone cannot win a battle. But it is only fools who believe that wars are decided on the battlefield. Battles are fought on the field of battle. But wars are waged in all the those dark, empty spaces between battles. It is not soldiers who win wars but societies. Wars are moved and turned by a thousand tiny hands and it is those tiny hands that are the prize.

Wars are not fought to win more swords. One does not conquer to gain soldiers. It is the ordinary people, the industry and the resources that they represent, these are the rewards that make conquest sweet.

Only a fool or a madman burns a kingdom down and then proudly declares their reign over the ash. To plunder, to slaughter, to steal, these are the things that such fools name ‘conquest’ and where a barren desolation is created, they name it ‘victory.’

Victory, conquest, empire; such things never depend on dead enemies. They might require that some enemies die but to simply slaughter all your foes will not secure these things.

This is the difference between strategy and tactics and the masterful commander reigns unchallenged over both these worlds. Attack your foe’s assets and forces in the dark, lonely places that they have not even thought to protect and their great armies will crumble into powder, all unused.

Subaru shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. I wonder where all those thoughts came from… Maybe I’m using Reason and Judgment too much today.

Although they do make a few good points…

Subaru sighed as he sank down into a across from Anri. “Anri, tell me everything you know about your enemy.”

“We might be here for a while,” Anri warned him.

Subaru shrugged gestured at the enormous chemical apparatus on the lab table. “I’m not going anywhere at the moment.”

Anri took a deep breath. “My enemy is House Griest. They rule over the province of Sanshi. That’s the biggest province in Gusteko by a goodly amount. It even has two real cities in it: Sanshi and Kocytos. It has the most people and the largest armies by far.”

“OK, so why do these guys hate you so much?”

“Hating Siros is almost traditional in Gusteko at this point,” Anri sighed. “For centuries, we were considered a House accursed until my parents’ time. The bigger problem is that Griest thinks that we’re costing them money.”

“How?”

“During my mother’s reign, we finished cutting a pass through the mountains into Kararagi. We’d been cutting it for generations but now merchants from Kararagi and western Lagunica can come north through Siros lands instead of always paying Sanshi tariffs. That’s costing Griest a lot of money.”

“All the traders had to come through Sanshi before?” Subaru asked.

Anri nodded. “Pretty much. There were a few other routes through the mountains but they were all difficult and dangerous and damn near impossible to traverse except in the middle of summer. So in practice, all trade went through Sanshi. Now Griest is trying to rally the other houses to crush us by claiming that we’re compromising Gusteko purity.”

“I don’t think I followed that,” Subaru admitted.

Anri rolled her eyes. “You didn’t follow it because it doesn’t make much sense. You see, most of Gusteko’s populace are xenophobic reactionaries. They don’t like foreigners and they really don’t like demi-humans. Kararagi merchants tend to be demi-human so they stick out like a sore thumb in the north. Griest is claiming that by allowing easy access to Gusteko from Kararagi, we’re compromising Gusteko’s racial purity.”

Subaru made a disgusted face, remembering the villagers who had threatened Emilia’s life.

Anri nodded. “Yeah, I feel the same way,” She agreed. “Sanshi is the most bigoted province in the north. They don’t even treat human foreigners very well and demi-humans who try to travel in Sanshi lands have been known to be attacked by mobs and even lynched. Most merchants won’t be willing to go through Sanshi lands once they have a choice so Griest is really worried about the new competition.”

Subaru mulled that over. “Anri,” He said slowly. “If Gusteko is really that xenophobic, will you get in trouble if I help you win your war?” Always assuming that I can, Subaru added wearily.

Anri sighed. “It’s a real possibility,” She admitted. “If Griest is defeated because of your help, the other Houses could denounce me as a traitor. But for that to be a problem, my people have to survive long enough to even worry about it!

Subaru nodded. Fair point but maybe I should keep that in the back of my mind…

“So Griest is the most powerful House?” Subaru asked.

“By a large margin. They actually used to be the royalty of Gusteko. This was centuries ago before their bad decisions got them deposed. They still claim to the guardians and protectors of Gusteko but it’s debatable how seriously people take that.”

“What are they supposed to be protecting it from?”

Anri screwed up her face and thought hard for a moment. “Foreigners, I guess?” Anri replied, scratching her head. “They are the most accessible and southernmost province so they do form a barrier against southern incursions. And they claim to have come to power after protecting Gusteko from an evil witch.”

“A witch?” Subaru said sharply, remembering the festival in Kocytos the other night.

Anri shrugged. “It’s an old legend. I have no idea if it’s true. House Griest claim that their ancestor took the crown after they destroyed an evil which who ruled over the region in the days leading up to the Great Cataclysm.”

Subaru frowned and thought hard for a minute. “What do you know about that witch?”

“Not much honestly,” Anri said. “I’m not even sure if the story is true. If it happened, it would have been right around the time of the Great Cataclysm and we weren’t taking very careful notes around then.”

Subaru sighed.

“The story goes,” Anri continued. “That in the waning days of the Old Kingdom, the north was ruled by a Witch named Carmila. She was said to be indescribably beautiful and unimaginably cruel. She was said to wander the lands demanding that everyone worship her. She delighted in trapping men and women with her beauty. They say that once you saw Carmila, you were never able to think about anything else but her. House Griest claims that they captured Carmila and burned her at the stake for her crimes.”

Subaru shuddered, imagining that fate befalling Emilia.

“Like I said,” Anri added. “It’s just an old legend. But they do believe it in Sanshi. They have a festival in Kocytos every year to commemorate burning the witch.”

“Yeah. I saw it,” Subaru growled. He frowned and glowered off into the distance.

Subaru shook off his bad memories of the festival. “Alright, Anri,” Subaru said. “Tell me everything you know about the Sanshi forces.”

Anri thought for a moment and then pulled a rolled-up piece of paper out of her satchel. She spread it out on the desk beside her. Subaru inspected it. It was a detailed map of Gusteko. “So the Sanshi army is located right about here,” Anri pointed at a spot just outside of the city of Siros. “They haven’t been able to completely surround the city but they’re still holding us under siege and preventing any traders from being willing to come resupply us. They came marching up the mountains with a mob of terrified peasants flying in front of them.”

“What do you mean?”

Anri’s face was grim. “The army was killing everyone they came across.”

“What?!” Subaru shouted. “That’s just dumb! The peasants have nothing to do with a war between cities! You don’t kill the peasantry in an invasion, they’re an asset! If you kill the peasants, who will grow your food? Even if you conquer the city, without people to work the fields and the mines, all you’ve won is empty land!”

Wait. Where did I hear that?

Anri shrugged. “I don’t know why they’re doing it, Subaru. I’m not aware of any Gusteko army that ever deliberately tried to wipe out the peasantry in a war but in this case it doesn’t seem to matter to Malcolm an Griest. His armies drove a horde of peasants into Siros who were desperately looking for safety.”

Subaru frowned. “Maybe that’s what he wants,” Subaru mused. “With the city jammed full of refugees, the food won’t last very long and neither will the siege.”

Anri looked sick. “That’s a brutal way to make war, Subaru.”

“I can personally assure you, Anri,” Subaru said, rubbing his forehead. “There aren’t many pleasant ways.”

What’s wrong with me? My head feels… funny…

I don’t know why but talking about war and conquest is making me feel… excited…

That’s never happened before.

“How big is the army at Siros?” Subaru asked.

“About twenty thousand men.”

Subaru looked at Anri incredulously.

Anri shrugged helplessly.

Subaru sighed. “Alright. Twenty fucking thousand. Why not? How big is the Siros army inside the city?”

“About ten thousand,” Anri muttered.

Subaru pinched the bridge of his nose. “So you’re outnumbered about two to one and you’re already under siege…”

This city is dead…

Anri sighed. “It’s… actually worse than you think, Subaru.”

“It can get worse?!”

Anri pointed toward a second city in the Sanshi province. The city was labeled ‘Kocytos.’ “House Griest is gathering a second column at Kocytos and it’s scheduled to march within a few days. That’s expected to be another ten thousand men.”

“How the hell does Griest have such so many more soldiers than you?” Subaru demanded.

Anri shrugged. “Sanshi province is a lot bigger than Siros and they’re the only province that has two cities besides. They just… have a lot of people. But not all of the army is Griest’s in this case.”

“What do you mean?”

Anri pointed back at the first army. “Only about half of the soldiers here are technically from Sanshi. The rest are assorted mercenaries.”

Subaru’s mind latched onto that. “So a full half of the army is mercenaries?”

Anri sniffed. “Mostly recruited from Lagunica and Vollachia. Griest has been hiring every foreign mercenary he could get his hands on. It’s actually pretty open-minded for a guy whose major objection to Siros is based on xenophobia,” She added sarcastically.

Subaru triggered Reason and Judgment.

Training, equipment, and tenacity constitute the first triad of victory, a cold voice mused. Well-trained and well-equipped soldiers, when properly motivated and inspired by the cause, are capable of defeating much larger opposing forces than simple mathematics would suggest.

Mercenaries as a group excel at the first two points but fail on the third. Mercenaries make exceptional warriors but often poor soldiers. They’re built for battle, not for a campaign. Their training and equipment is often top-notch but their loyalty to the cause goes no deeper than their purse.

And their natural independence means that it requires an experienced commander to break them to harness. If the commander falls to establish his authority over the Johnnies then those irregulars can be as much of a danger to the mission as they are a boon. A ship with two captains is likely to wind up on the rocks. House Griest believes that they have strengthened their forces considerably at the cost of emptying their treasury by hiring all of these mercenaries but they have also introduced a fault line into their own forces.

Fault lines can be exploited to break the enemy apart.

Subaru stepped out of Reason and Judgment.

Subaru blinked. Wait. Where did I hear any of that? What do I know about mercenaries, armies, or military tactics? If I never heard it then Reason and Judgment can’t repeat it? Right?

Subaru considered slipping back into Reason and Judgment to further analyze it but for the moment he decided that the source of the information was irrelevant as long as it was accurate.

“What kind of equipment does the army have?” Subaru asked.

“Equipment?”

“Like… how do they fight? What kinds of weapons? Are they mounted or foot soldiers? Do they have siege equipment?” Subaru clarified.

“They have catapults but they hadn’t been using them very much,” Anri replied. “Once they ran out of things to throw at us in the immediate area they seemed to decide that dragging more rocks up the mountains to throw at us was a waste of effort. They’ve just dug in and are waiting to starve Siros out. They have a wide variety of weapons since a lot of the soldiers are from different places. They have swords, spears, and arrows for example. They have a few riding dragons but nothing that could be described as a cavalry unit.”

Subaru absorbed that for a moment. “Alright. So, I doubt that they can live off the land this far up into the mountains, especially this early in the year.”

Anri nodded. “They’re heavily dependent on supply wagons. They get about twenty a day.”

Subaru’s jaw dropped. “Twenty a day?!”

Anri nodded. “We’ve counted.”

Subaru frowned. There’s something important here.

He triggered Reason and Judgment.

Three pounds of food per head per day is standard fare for a soldier, A voice said with authority. Twenty thousand men means sixty thousand pounds of food every single day. Assuming that each wagon has a standard three thousand pound carrying capacity, twenty wagons is about the minimum required to supply their daily needs and that’s not even considering other necessities. Equipment and gear wears out. They also need medicine, clothing, blankets, new weapons and armor, and a thousand other things. All of this suggests that their supplies are thin. They’re not getting more supplies than they need, they’re probably getting just barely what they need to sustain them and some days, probably less than that.

Their stores must be depleting…

But there’s a deeper meaning here.

Logistics is the heart of any army. Victory and defeat in battle are dependent on tactics, discipline, and personal courage. But victory and defeat in war is a contest of logistical support and resources. Fully half of the army at Siros are mercenaries. These men, by definition, can not have anything resembling a formal supply chain. They’re going to be heavily dependent on the Sanshi regulars to provide logistical support. And you shouldn’t doubt that both factions of this army resent the other fervently.

If any disruption in this arrangement came up, it’s not unthinkable that this resentment might boil up into open conflict…

You’d still need to deal with the second army but you did hear some valuable intel from those soldiers at Kocytos. You just need to find a means to take advantage of it.

Subaru left Reason and Judgment. He pinched the bridge of his nose. OK. It sounds like Reason and Judgment is onto something. I really hope that it knows what it’s talking about and all this information isn’t just plumbed from assorted video games that I was dumb enough to take seriously.

“How long is the trip from Sanshi to Siros?” Subaru asked, tracing the road.

“For a wagon? Probably about a week each way,” Anri answered.

Subaru squinted at the map. “It doesn’t really look all that far,” Subaru objected.

Anri smirked. “That’s because your map is flat, Subaru. Gusteko is very mountainous. For a riding dragon, the trip isn’t too bad. You could probably make it in a day if you push it. But a wagon needs to be hauled up and down those narrow, twisting mountain roads. And don’t forget, the dragons pulling the wagons need to be rested every two hours. I’ve lived in this area my whole life. It would take a week. Trust me.”

Subaru nodded, a plan coming together in his mind. “Then all we have to do is stop the supply lines and that army should break down,” Subaru murmured.

Anri rocked her hand back and forth. “It’s not a bad idea but it’s not as easy as you make it sound. Sanshi isn’t stupid enough to send the wagons unescorted. They won’t have a huge number of soldiers with them but they’ll have enough to scare off common bandits. I don’t pretend to understand your power, Subaru but you should know that you’d be seriously outnumbered.”

Subaru pursed his lips. Maybe. But I could always head back to the forest and gather up a small army. A few dozen mabeasts would probably even the odds considerably.

I hope. Actually, I’m not sure if I can count on them evening the odds. Mabeasts like Guiltylowe are powerful fighters. But they’re going to be better at ripping up peasants and ordinary soldiers than anything else. If any of these guards are elites on the same level as Garfiel or Elsa then the mabeasts will be out of their league.

I’ll need to think about this. But it might be the best way to slow down the Sanshi conquest of Siros.

Not to mention the years you would obtain, A cold voice observed. It’s a blood business but just remember, every life you steal gives Emilia another day…

Emilia’s life should be your only concern…

Subaru felt for a moment and then pressed forward. “You said that you needed supplies, right? What kind of supplies does Siros need?”

Anri pulled a letter out of her pocket and handed it to Subaru. “Vera gave me this,” She said.

Subaru scanned it. It appeared to be a shipping order that Anri had signed, specifying how many goods were to be delivered and at what price, which was highly inflated from what Subaru would have expected. “Food, medicine, weapons… Damn, you guys are running short of just about everything, aren’t you?”

Anri bowed her head. “Like I said… we’re desperate. You can keep that order, if you want.”

Subaru nodded and tucked it into a pocket.

If this is accurate then Anri’s friends in Siros are likely just this side of starving…

Subaru scratched his chin. “If we only had a way to locate merchants who’d be willing to ship goods through a warzone,” He mused. “Hey, Anri? Siros can pay for goods, right? I mean, we don’t need to worry about finding merchants willing to ship goods on credit, do we?”

Anri looked offended. “House Ithil is very wealthy, Subaru! We’re not looking for charity!”

Subaru raised his hands defensively. “OK, OK!” Subaru shouted back. “Sorry I asked!”

Anri snorted.

Subaru made a face. Of course, even if the money is good, I still need to find people willing to run shipments through an enemy army…

“Anri,” Subaru muttered. “I need to buy more ingredients to make medicine for Emilia. Do you know anyplace I might be able to find them?”

Anri looked awkward. “Well, getting to Siros isn’t a realistic option yet. So I’d say you should either go to Kocytos or Ganaks.” She pointed at the map. “I think I’d start with Kocytos. It’s closer.”

He sighed. “Thanks but I already went there. It didn’t go well and they didn’t have what I needed anyway.”

Anri made a face. “Then I guess you’re next best bet is Ganaks but that’s a long way off.”

Subaru made a face. Maybe if I contact the smugglers they could sell me some? Or I could steal it. Either way works.

“I’ll start making breakfast,” Anri offered.

Anri whipped up some porridge that she found in the cabinet.

Subaru hadn’t even recognized the bag as human food. He’d thought it might have been bird seed.

“OK, Subaru,” Anri announced. “The food’s ready.”

Subaru nodded. “Great. Put some in a bowl and I’ll bring it up to Emilia.”

“Wait. Why don’t we bring Emilia down here? Let’s put her in the sitting room.”

Subaru frowned. “Why?”

“Because sitting in bed all day isn’t good for her. We’ll need to worry about muscle atrophy and bed sores. Also it’s got to be boring up there. Let’s give Emilia a change of scenery.”

For a moment, Subaru was tempted to refuse out of sheer contrariness but then he sighed. “Alright.”

Subaru walked up stairs and found Emilia awake. She lay in bed, staring at the wall with a morose expression.

Subaru put a cheerful smile on his face. “Morning, Mili!”

Emilia regarded him gravely. “Morning, Subaru,” She murmured.

Subaru choose a different tactic. “So, Mili. Do you feel up to some company today?” Subaru asked, helping her to sit up.

“Company?” She frowned.

“Yeah. Seems Anri decided to come back,” Subaru said, unable to completely suppress the growl from his voice.

Emilia’s face lit up. “Anri’s back?!”

Subaru swallowed a surge of jealousy. “Yeah. She came here last night. She’s downstairs and we’re holding breakfast for you.”

“That’s wonderful!” Emilia said, looking happy for the first time in days.

Emilia wrapped her arms around Subaru’s neck and let him pick her up. Subaru wrapped her in a blanket to keep her warm and Emilia laid her head on his shoulder.

Subaru carried her carefully down the stairs.

Anri had placed three bowls of porridge on a coffee-table in the sitting room.

Emilia lifted her head off Subaru’s shoulder and her face brightened. “Anri!”

Anri broke into a broad smile. “Emilia!” She cried.

Subaru felt another surge of jealousy that he suppressed. “Yeah, the gang’s all here,” He muttered. “Let’s eat.”

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

He carried Emilia into the sitting room. The sitting room was a comfortable if somewhat shabby area with several soft couches and a few cushioned chairs.

Subaru gently laid her on the couch in front of the coffee-table. Subaru sat down beside her while Anri sat on the floor.

They all started eating.

“So, Anri,” Emilia said cheerfully. “How have you been?”

Anri’s face fell. “Not so good, actually,” She admitted. “Vera, Victoire, and I tried to get back to Siros but we were attacked by a Sanshi patrol. They drew them away and I… ran,” She finished in a small voice.

“I’m so sorry,” Emilia whispered.

Anri sighed. “Why can’t I ever do anything useful?” She wondered in a querulous voice as she sipped her porridge.

“I so understand how you feel…,” Emilia patted Anri’s hand sympathetically and gave Subaru a meaningful look.

Subaru’s jaw dropped. Emilia’s asking me to leave?!

Subaru slowly closed his mouth and picked up his empty bowl of porridge. “I need to go check on the medicine brewing,” He growled, not caring about sounding convincing. “I’ll be back… later.”

Subaru walked out of the room. He went to the lab, grumbling and swearing to himself.

“It sounds like you’ve had a really tough time,” Emilia said sympathetically.

Anri nodded. “Yeah but I think you’ve had it worse.”

Emilia sighed. “It’s been… difficult.”

“Mili,” Anri said faltering. “I’m so very sorry. I… I thought that you’d be safer if Vera, Victoire, and I left you alone. I never dreamed that you would get sick after I left…”

“It’s not your fault, Anri,” Emilia smiled. “You don’t have anything to apologize for. Nobody blames you.”

Anri sighed. “Subaru does.”

Emilia hesitated. “Well… that’s not fair,” Emilia said firmly. “That’s just… Subaru being Subaru,” She explained. “I’ll talk to him about it.”

Anri shook her head. “Emilia, what happened to you?”

She sighed. “I honestly don’t know. I felt fine when you left. And then a few hours later, I had black marks all over my legs and was running a high fever.”

“Can I see?” Anri asked.

Emilia nodded and Anri unwrapped the blankets from around Emilia.

Anri blinked in surprise to discover that Emilia was naked except for a thin shift. “Subaru didn’t help you get dressed before he brought you down?” She asked incredulously.

Emilia shrugged. “My clothes got… messy the other day,” She said evasively, “It’s not like I’m going anywhere. I suppose it doesn’t matter what I wear right now.”

Anri shook her head. “Men,” She grumbled. “This is why guys make shitty caretakers. They never seem to think of the most obvious things. I’ll find you some clothes, Mili. I think I saw some dresses upstairs. You’re temporarily handicapped, not a baby that needs to be swaddled.”

Emilia sighed. “Subaru has my dress. He washed it yesterday and I think he hung it up to dry,” Emilia told her.

Anri inspected Emilia’s legs and her eyes widened. “Mili, what are these?!” She stared at the strange wounds that ran up Emilia’s lower body like strange black and red tattoos.

“I don’t know,” Emilia replied. “Subaru thinks that they’re cursed wounds. Do you know how to treat them?”

Anri shook her head. “I have never seen anything like these. I’d need to check the books in the Grand Archives for suggestions. I’m sorry, Mili. I have no idea how to cure this.”

Emilia shook her head. “It’s alright, Anri. Subaru’s working hard to make me medicine while we figure it out.”

Anri frowned and bundled Emilia up again. “Well, for right now, let’s keep you warm. I’m going to go find you some clothes, Mili. I’ll be back in a minute.”

A few hours later, Subaru emerged from the lab. He’d spent the morning and part of the afternoon in thought, deciding what to do next.

“Hey, Mili,” Subaru said, sitting down beside her on the sofa. Anri was sitting on the other side.

Anri had found Emilia a frilly purple dress to change into and Emilia had laid her blankets aside. The dress didn’t fit her very well and it kept slipping down one shoulder but Emilia seemed in much better spirits now.

“Hi, Subaru,” Emilia said with a smile. “Maybe later you could carry me to the kitchen and I can help you and Anri make dinner?”

“That sounds like fun,” Anri commented.

Subaru sighed. “Actually, Mili. I wanted to know if you would be OK alone for a while. I have an idea about how I could find more medicine for you but I might be gone until late tonight.”

“I won’t be here alone, Subaru,” Emilia said. “I have Anri to keep me company.”

“I can get Emilia whatever she needs and I can help her get to the restroom,” Anri agreed.

Subaru did not look terribly reassured. “Take good care of her,” Subaru warned Anri.

Emilia frowned. “Subaru!” She protested.

“I will,” Anri promised.

Subaru sighed and turned back to his wife. “Mili, is… is there anything I could get you while I’m out?” He asked plaintively. “Like some new books or a puzzle? Something that would keep your mind occupied while you’re recovering?”

Emilia gave him a somber smile. “Subaru, I think we have bigger things to worry about.”

“I never have anything bigger to worry about than your happiness,” Subaru disagreed.

Emilia smiled and hugged him.

That afternoon, Subaru rode into the Elior Forest.

OK. I need to get money, find the spirits, and possibly try to help Anri… if I feel like it.

All of those goals might have a common solution: Lady Koi.

A crime boss can probably help me do all these things so I’ll start by finding her and see what problems she can solve for me in exchange for me not crushing her head.

I also brought a Decade with me just in case I need to bribe people.

I have no idea where to find her but maybe if I poke around in that smuggler camp, I’ll find a clue.

Subaru rode through the smuggler camp again. The bodies were covered under a thin layer of snow. The clearing was dyed a faint pink from the blood mixing with the white ice.

Nothing in the camp had been touched and the mabeasts were long gone.

Subaru dismounted. He walked over to the carts and began to rummage through them. Subaru found a cart that was full of food, something that confused him.

We definitely need food so finding this is a godsend. And it will keep for a while in the cold of the forest. But there’s no way that these guys went through all this effort to smuggle fruits and vegetables into Gusteko.

Subaru whistled for Patrasche.

The dragon came to her master’s side.

Subaru quickly stuffed the dragon’s saddlebags with whatever food would fit. Then he kept poking around in the cart until he found a false bottom.

Bingo.

He opened it and discovered a pile of refined metals.

Not precious metals, Subaru mused. These are standard goods being shipped through the forest just to avoid paying tariffs. I know that Gusteko tariffs are supposed to be insane but I’m surprised that smuggling things like steel and tin is even cost effective.

Subaru searched through the other carts. One contained a small cache of uncut gems but they didn’t appear to be of any great value.

Why are they smuggling this garbage? Subaru wondered to himself. He thought for a moment. I think one of the smugglers said this was a ‘trial run’ to see if the forest was safe to smuggle goods through. Good thing I answered that question with a negative.

They’re probably smuggling junk just so that if this attempt went south they wouldn’t loose anything.

Another cart had a few bags of white powder hidden inside.

Stregno root, Subaru recognized it. Daphne’s cultists used that drug periodically although they considered it to be a poor-caliber stimulant. I’m surprised they can even sell it. Then again, maybe it’s just the best drug that’s out there these days.

Ironically, Subaru found the fake goods much more valuable than the smuggled goods that they had been packed on top of. He now had enough food for several days and Subaru found a large number of thick warm blankets in another cart. He quickly grabbed as many blankets as he could.

Unfortunately, there’s nothing here that tells me where their base is. Not that it’s a surprise. Any competent smuggler won’t leave clues to his base of operations. I could go through the smugglers’ pockets but that would be messy and I’m pretty sure I’d still come up empty-handed.

Subaru frowned. OK. Here’s an idea. What if I tried to follow their tracks? These carts would leave some pretty clear tracks through the forest, especially if I use Reason and Judgment to follow them. Maybe I can find out where these smugglers came from. if I trace them back to their point of origin, maybe I’ll find somebody I can question.

Subaru scratched his chin. It’s still only mid afternoon. And Anri is watching Emilia. I can spend a few hours trying to make this work.

It was harder than he’d thought it would be to follow the trail, even using Reason and Judgment. The tracks were easily visible in the deep snow but once he’d emerged from the forest, the springy grass on the fields contained barely a trace. He’d taken wrong turns several times but as the sun began to set, Subaru found himself at an enormous tavern set along a major highway in northern Lagunica.

He’d followed the tracks from the forest to a large building on a major highway.

Subaru rode Patrasche in a big circle around the building.

The tracks start from the stable, Subaru mused. But there’s no sign of the carts coming into the stable. Granted, there’s a lot of traffic on this muddy road so the tracks might be masked but the six carts have a pretty distinct pattern. I should be able to see some sign of them arriving. That tells me that either they spent at least a day or two here or that this is their point of origin.

Seems odd to put hand-drawn carts in a stable. But I guess that’s one way to keep them out of the rain if the cargo is valuable.

Subaru rode Patrasche into the enormous stable and dismounted.

He looked around. The place was like a cross between a stable and a garage. There were not only dozens of earth dragons in attendance but several full sized wagons were being repaired and maintained inside as well. A lanky teenage boy was shoveling dragon shit out of a stall.

“Help you, sir?” The teen asked politely.

“Maybe. Did six hand-drawn carts leave here yesterday?”

“No,” The teen said immediately.

Subaru scratched his chin. He glanced at a group of hand-drawn carts that sat against the wall and were of the exact same design as the ones in the forest. Six slots next to them were conspicuously empty.

The teen followed Subaru’s gaze and flushed slightly.

“So,” Subaru said calmly. “You were working here yesterday?”

“Yes,” The teen admitted. “Look, all of those carts have been gone for weeks. Whatever carts you found, they didn’t come from here.”

“Oh,” Subaru murmured. “That’s disappointing.”

“Yeah. Well, if you’ll excuse me, I have some things to take care of,” The teen dropped his shovel and left the stable to head into the tavern, giving Subaru several long nervous looks over his shoulder.

“Hm,” Subaru said to Patrasche. “Well, I guess we’ve found the place. Hang loose for a few. OK, girl?”

If Bali had ever had a last name, he’d long since forgotten it. Most people didn’t even know his first name. As far as everyone was concerned, he was just Whistler. He’s gotten that nickname because of the pronounced lisp that he spoke with, courtesy of his enormous buckteeth.

Ratkin demi-humans are considered some of the lowest of the low on the continent. They rarely topped four feet and their lanky bodies are considered too weak to do any serious manual labor. Worse, ratkin have huge litters of children and they always seem to be perpetually pregnant, producing litter after litter of children that they can’t feed. This was enough to convince most of the other races that ratkins were just a step above the vermin that they resembled.

When Whistler had been a boy in Girali on the western edge of Kararagi, there had been a proposal to start raising and slaughtering young ratkin for meat. The proposal was quickly voted down by the assembly of Kararagi City-States. Nobody had been quite sure if the proposal had been serious or simply intended as satire. Either way, the fact that the proposal was even debated at all had been fairly horrifying to the demi-human community at large.

Whistler had grown up with dozens of brothers and sisters that he knew about and he was fairly certain that his mother had kept right on producing more of them after he’d left. The family’s food situation was precarious at best. Only the youngest children would have food with any kind of regularity so when Bali’s stomach rumbled hard enough, he had walked away from home at the age of two. At that age, a ratkin was still not quite full grown but Whistler had gone out seeking fame, fortune, and food.

Initially, things had not gone well for him. Whistler continued to eat out of garbage cans in Kararagi but at least now he wasn’t trying to help feed an entire brood of children. Life on the streets of Girali was hard but the slave traders usually didn’t bother trying to capture ratkin so he was better off than some. Ratkin could fit into tight places but they were still too weak to work in the mines.

Whistler’s life had been changed forever the day that he had met Lady Koi. Koi was a beautiful kitsune demi-human, then newly involved in the Black Silver Coins. The Coins were a welcoming organization to demi-humans but they were distinctly prejudiced against women. Women rarely achieved any authority in the Coins except possibly as the proprietors of brothels since the Coins were pragmatic enough to admit that bosses should have some experience in the businesses they managed.

Koi had already endured several attempts to push her out of the coins and Bali could tell that she was going places. He offered himself at her service, to do whatever she required. Her companions had laughed but Koi appeared intrigued by his potential as a spy and informer. Whistler’s life had been wretched from the get-go and he only expected things to get worse. So risking his life on Koi’s say-so wasn’t so bad as long as he got a good meal out of it.

Whistler had become one of Koi’s agents, working as a spy and an infiltrator for her. Whistler had no illusions about his position in the grand scheme of things. He was too small and weak to be useful in a fight and too dumb to be useful anywhere else but he had big ears and he was a good listener. Koi believed that information was power and Whistler was very good at acquiring information.

Now, Koi had real power. Koi had taken over the smuggler’s wing of the Black Silver Coins in a coup almost ten years ago and she had divided her attention between smuggling goods and acquiring information. Many questioned the point of this but Koi knew that good intelligence was the different between getting a shipment over a border easily and running headfirst into a patrol. As a result of Koi’s visionary leadership, the formerly tiny smuggler branch had became wealthy and prosperous, even growing large enough to contend with the security branch, the drug branch, and the prostitution branch of the Black Silver Coins directly. Whistler heard rumors that a few of the other branches were gathering their forces, intending to put Koi in her place.

Whistler was beyond caring. Whistler, at the ripe old age of twenty three, was a widower and a grandfather many times over. He knew that he was approaching the end of his life. Few ratkin ever saw thirty and then only as weak and dependent creatures. He was seeking a more interesting way to end his life.

Whistler would have eagerly done more of Koi’s bidding for a reward since he felt that he had so little left to lose at his age but he was well aware that Koi had become too big of a fish to concern herself with the likes of him anymore.

However, Koi didn’t forget him altogether and she had given him a job tending bar at a front for the Black Silver Coins. It was a place that was useful for her agents because the members of the Coins and their associates tended to gather there to exchange information and collaborate on their jobs. Whistler still had good ears and he put them to good use, reporting to Koi and her lieutenants about things that they would be interested in.

Whistler spent most of his time standing on the bar while he poured drinks for his patrons. He was simply too short to reach it otherwise. Whistler made a comfortable living here by ratkin standards and he kept an eye on the place for Lady Koi.

Life wasn’t half bad.

It had been a quiet, uneventful evening when Toby the stable-boy came in.

Toby’s boots were covered in dragon dung and Whistler started to reprimand him for tracking the disgusting muck across his nice clean floor until he saw the look on the kid’s face.

Toby quickly whispered to Whistler about a stranger who had appeared, asking questions about the caravan that left yesterday.

A moment later, Toby froze and he attempted to discretely point at the door.

Whistler rolled his eyes. Toby’s attempts at nonchalance had never fooled anyone.

Whistler glanced at the door and saw a stranger standing there in a hooded gray robe.

Everyone in the bar noticed him immediately. The bar’s regular patrons were all well known to each other. Everyone here worked in various branches of the Coins and outsiders weren’t welcome in the bar. If any traveler was stupid enough to stop for a meal, they’d be served bad beer and rancid food until they departed. And if that was ineffective, then a ‘spontaneous’ bar brawl would quickly break out and the strangers would be injured in the scuffle to give them more encouragement to leave and never come back.

Whistler gestured with his head and Toby slipped back out into the stables.

The tavern patrons kept talking and playing cards at their tables but it was hard to ignore how many people were looking at the stranger darkly.

The hooded stranger didn’t even seem to notice. He walked up to the bar and sat down. The only other person sitting at the bar was Alric, a mountain of a man who worked for Zeno’s security forces and did some side-work as Whistler’s bouncer.

Alric gave Whistler a questioning look but Whistler shook his head. He wanted to feel this out first.

“Hey there. What can I get for you, stranger?” Whistler asked in a friendly voice.

“What do you have?” He said quietly.

Whistler listed off a few choice drinks while he studied the stranger closely. This joker’s barely more than a kid! He’s way too young to be a sheriff or some kind of official investigator. Why is he asking about that caravan? If this kid keeps poking his nose where it don’t belong it’ll get cut off.

“So what can I get you?” Whistler said.

“I was hoping you could help me find someone,” The stranger said.

Whistler’s eyes narrowed slightly. “And… who might that be?” He asked slowly. Aight. He’s looking for somebody. That could mean a few things. He could be a Coin from another region who’s here to network with the locals. Or maybe he’s a potential customer who somebody gave an ‘in’ to so that he could make contact here.

Or he’s some clueless kid who’s penetrated way too deep into our organization to be allowed to leave the bar alive.

“If you’re looking for information, I’ll need to see some silver first,” Whistler hinted broadly, relying on a double meaning.

Members of the Black Silver Coins had a simple symbol: coins tarnished in blood. Members would often show off these coins to negotiate better deals and conditions for themselves as well as to make contact with potential allies. Exposing a tarnished silver coin ‘accidentally’ was an easy slip to make without attracting attention but those who knew would know. Members of the coins and their associates were expected to show vast deference toward any member of higher rank. Each step up in the ranks resulted in another coin being offered. Whistler had two coins. He was only an associate but it wasn’t a bad situation for a raktin. Real membership in the Coins started at four coins where they were considered to be untouchable in criminal circles. The boss of bosses, the legendary King of Shadows, was reputed to have seven coins.

The stranger didn’t reply to Whistler’s broad hint. “I’m looking for Koi,” The stranger said.

Whistler’s jaw dropped. What the fuck?! This kid is bonkers. He’s got no business being here. Nobody comes looking for Koi. She’ll send for you if she wants you and you will probably not enjoy having her attention. This bozo is either an idiot or some kid who thinks that he’s way tougher than he really is. Probably both. Either way, this kid knows way more than he should and he ain’t walking out of here alive.

Still, killing folks in the bar is bad for business and it attracts too much attention. You never know when a stranger will waltz through that door at just the wrong time.

Whistler shot a knowing glance at Alric who nodded. When the stranger left the tavern, Alric would follow him and take care of business.

In the meantime, Whistler shrugged nonchalantly. “Sorry, pal. I’ve never heard of her,” He said.

The stranger looked thoughtful. “Interesting,” The stranger mused. “I didn’t mention that she was a woman.”

Whistler flinched and got a sour expression on his face. This kid is way too smart for his own good. Too bad. In another situation, I might have offered him ‘an in’ with the Coins. Koi’s always on the lookout for talent. But I’m done being nice. “Let me give you a friendly piece of advice, kid. Get your pasty ass out of here,” Whistler said with a smile too broad to be anything but threatening. “Bad things happen around here to folks after dark.”

“And sometimes even before it gets dark,” The stranger hissed, just as threateningly.

Whistler blinked. It took Whistler several seconds to even process the fact that the stranger had called his threat and then doubled down on it.

He can’t be so stupid that he doesn’t realize he’s both outnumbered and outmatched here…

Alric snorted like a bull and grabbed the stranger’s collar in a fist the size of a bowling ball. “Listen, asshole. You-”

Whistler blinked. Alric wasn’t there anymore. The stranger’s fist hung where Alric had been siting. It took Whistler a moment to realize that with one punch, the stranger had knocked Alric away with such force that the giant’s body had broken open against the wall. His corpse slumped against the ground, every limb twisted and frozen at an unnatural angle.

The stranger calmly turned around on his barstool and looked at the other patrons who were staring at the stranger in terrified awe. “I need to find Lady Koi,” He said. “One of you is going to tell me where she is. Otherwise, in five minutes, I will be the only person in this room left breathing.”

The tavern was dead silent for a moment. Then the patrons leaped to their feet and bolted out the door.

Whistler jumped off the bar and pealed up the mat behind it, revealing his hidden escape tunnel: a passage too small for anyone but a ratkin to fit through.

Whistler grabbed the trap door and struggled to pull it open.

I ain’t playing with this freak! Discretion is the better half of valor! I need to get out of here and warn Koi that some monster is-

“Excuse me,” A calm voice murmured.

A chill flew up Whistler’s spine and he looked over his shoulder to see the stranger standing there and staring down at him.

“I still have a few questions I need answered,” The stranger said calmly.

Whistler put his hands up. “Listen, buddy,” He said with a friendly smile. “I don’t know where Koi is. I know nothing! I’m just a flunky! I serve the drinks here!”

“And yet that stable boy ran right to you when he had something to report,” The stranger mused.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Toby’s a total fucking idiot! “Well, I’m managing the bar. Tonight, I mean. My boss, he… got sick,” Whistler said lamely.

The stranger looked down at him with dead eyes. “Hm. Well, if you really don’t know anything,” The stranger reflected. “Then I guess you’re of no use to me…”

Whistler turned pale. Oh shit! I know that tone of voice. The time for games is over. “I’ll tell you everything I know if you promise to let me go!” Whistler squeaked quickly. “I have valuable intel that will help you get in to see Koi!”

Ratkin are born survivors, no mean feat in a world that views them as nuisances at best and parasites at worst. There were few people in this world that Whistler wouldn’t sell out under the right circumstances.

If Koi finds out that I ratted on her, she’ll kill me and she’ll probably take her own sweet time doing it. But that’s a problem for tomorrow’s Whistler. First, I got to find a way to keep breathing tonight…

The stranger regarded him gravely for a moment and then slowly nodded. “If the intel is valuable,” The stranger emphasized.

Ironically, this made Whistler feel better. If this freak had just accepted my offer, I would have know that he bullshitting me. He put some thought into it. I could tell he was weighing the benefits and costs of the bargain.

That suggests that there really is a chance of me walking out of the bar tonight with my skin. I always knew that Koi considered me expendable and that once the right situation came up, I would be ‘expended.’ I’ve spent years gathering secrets. You never know when they’ll be the only thing keep a knife out of your guts.

Whistler took a deep breath. “Listen. Lady Koi’s estate isn’t too far from here. It’s just off the northeastern edge of the Elior Forest, not too far from the border into Lagunica,” Whistler said. He gave the stranger directions.

“And was this the ‘valuable intel’ you mentioned?” The stranger asked skeptically.

Whistler shook his head. “No,” He lowered his voice. “Lady Koi has a secret escape tunnel that nobody is supposed to know about. Especially me. It’s hidden under a shed a few hundred yards from the mansion entrance. It might give you a way into the estate without being seen but the Lady is still very well-guarded. Even if you sneaked in, you’ll still be dealing with dozens of armed guards once you do.”

The stranger nodded slowly but didn’t respond.

Whistler waited. “So… does this mean that you won’t kill me?”

The stranger dropped a gold coin onto the bar and got up.

He headed for the door and left the bar without a single glance back.

This left Whistler all alone in a bar that had a body splattered all over the wall.

Whistler stared down in fascination at the small gold coin that the stranger had left on his bar. How about that? My life for a gold coin. After years of scoffing at the idiots who crossed their patrons in the Coins, I finally ratted on Lady Koi. I’ve doomed myself to a slow death if she ever gets her hands on me and to spending the rest of my life on the run and in hiding. And I did it all for a single gold coin and a promise not to be killed tonight.

But then, that’s life, ain’t it?

Whistler made a quick decision and reached under the bar to grab his savings, a small bag of gold coins.

Then he leaped off the bar and bolted out through the tavern door.

It was the middle of the night but the benefit of having a bar on a major trade route meant that even at night, the road was not completely quiet.

A dragon-drawn cart was coming down the road. The driver was a wagoneer dressed in shabby clothing and a leather apron. He was approaching the bar at a brisk clip. Whistler ran out into the road. “Hey! Stop!” He waved furiously.

The man reined in hard with considerable annoyance. Whistler was used to the look of disgust that the merchant directed toward him. That was just how life was for ratkin. “What do you want?” The man demanded.

“Hey, I’m looking to buy passage to your next stop,” Whistler replied.

The merchant frowned. “That will be a silver coin,” The merchant said.

That’s highway robbery! Whistler wanted to snap but the ratkin threw him the coin and then climbed up into the back of the wagon.

The merchant pocketed the money and then started his dragon moving again.

“So what’s your name?” The merchant shouted, seemingly more out of boredom than any real curiosity.

“Bali!” The ratkin answered. Whistler was dead.

“You know, you didn’t even ask where I was going!” The merchant pointed out.

“I don’t care!” Bali replied.

Dreyfus stood guard outside the manor. He’d been off shift for a while now. He would go to bed soon but as the captain of his lady’s guard he tried to always do a little bit extra. It set a good example for the men. Dreyfus commanded a large security force at his lady’s manor. The manor was isolated deep in the country and that made it more vulnerable to attack. Not to mention the manor was a target for the potential heat and fallout from his lady’s business ventures should one ever go wrong. Lady Koi had governed the smuggler’s wing of the Black Silver Coins for close to a decade and her leadership had the organization focused on keeping quiet and avoiding attention. However, his lady was no fool and she made it a point to prepare for trouble at all times.

Dreyfus was an enormous, barrel-chested man with dark skin and iron-gray hair. The two young men who guarded the main gate behind him were just as big but neither one of them could take Dreyfus in a wrestling match or a sword fight. This was something that Dreyfus was inordinately proud of. It showed that he wasn’t over the hill yet and it gave his subordinates something to aspire to. That kept them training to be stronger and that made his lady’s guard stronger.

Dreyfus was about to call it a night when he saw a man on a black riding dragon appear out of the darkness.

The torches along the manor wall all dimmed. They didn’t extinguish but their flames grew smoky and their light grew fainter.

The man approached the gate and reined in. He was wearing a black hooded robe that looked almost liquid. It seemed to flow out of shadows around him.

“Who are you?” Dreyfus asked.

“I am here to see Lady Koi,” The man replied. His voice made Dreyfus’s eyes widened. He spoke with a strange reverberating echo that made his voice sound inhuman.

Dreyfus shook off his surprise, dismissing the voice and the shadowy robe as a hedge-mage’s parlor trick. Dreyfus snorted. “Like hell you are! It’s the middle of the night and the Lady is probably getting ready for bed. If you have a message, you can give it to me!”

Dreyfus didn’t know much about magic but after decades working for the Black Silver Coins, he knew a great deal about power. He was confident in one thing: nobody truly powerful ever feels a need to flaunt it. If you need tricks and devices to convince others of your power, you aren’t convinced yourself.

“Very well,” The man said calmly. “I am the great Lord Taiyang, the Witch of the Frozen Wastes. Your Lady has offered me insult by her actions. However, in my infinite benevolence, I have come here to permit her to apologize and beg my forgiveness.”

Dreyfus stared up at him in disbelief. “Get the hell out of here, you loon! If I ever see you again, I’ll drag you inside and then you will meet the Lady! You’re lucky the Lady is probably in bed or I’d drag you straight to her now and let you beg for your miserable life!”

“Oh, dear. It would grieve me so to inconvenience her,” The man mused as five Guiltylowes crept into the light. The enormous beasts growled at Dreyfus who rapidly stepped back to stand side by side with his men, their swords drawn. “Tell me, how much screaming do you think the three of you would need to make before the Lady of the House roused herself to attend me?”

The three men pressed back against the gate as dozens of wolgarm appeared. Their glowing red eyes stood out sharply against the pitch black night. “What are you?” Dreyfus demanded.

The mounted figure cocked his head and nudged the dragon forward a few steps. The figure approached the torch light surrounding the manor’s gate but he did not step into the light. For he brought darkness with him and the burning lanterns around the manor dimmed and flickered in his presence. “I do so hate to have to repeat myself. I am the great Lord Taiyang, the Witch of the Frozen Wastes. I am here to speak to your mistress. Would you prefer to invite me inside or shall my pets and I rip this estate apart?”

Dreyfus swallowed hard. He pulled out a whistle from his pocket and blew hard into it, although it made no noise.

Taiyang cocked his head.

Dreyfus started to smile in relief as he heard a loud thumping and smashing sound coming closer.

Dreyfus saw the massive troll, Gor, emerge from the darkness and approach the estate’s front gate. It was more than twenty feet tall and had one massive eye in the middle of its forehead. Its brown skin was like rock. In its hands it carried a hammer the size of a wagon. “Sic em, Gor!” Dreyfus shouted. “Let’s see your mabeasts handle a giant troll!”

To Dreyfus’s shock, Taiyang just laughed. “My mabeasts? Why would I trouble them with this trifling matter?”

Taiyang slid down from his dragon and walked calmly toward Gor. “You have my gratitude as I was in the mood for some sport tonight. This troll actually makes me feel somewhat nostalgic.”

Dreyfus blinked and looked at Taiyang as if he was crazy.

The troll stomped toward Taiyang with a happy smile on his enormous, ugly face as he drew back his hammer. Gor was pleased that the man showed no sign of running. Having to chase down prey was always annoying and it often meant that Gor’s hammer missed its target.

The monster prepared his mighty blow, ignoring the momentary flicker of sympathy that he felt for the brave, misguided creature that he was about to kill.

Lady Koi was completing a variety of her usual bedtime rituals. She’d finished a leisurely bath and was now combing her fox tail. Koi’s hair and tail were raven black with natural streaks of dark red, an unusual coloring that had gotten her a great deal of attention from admirers over the years. Koi was aware of the rumor that she died her hair in blood and found it amusing.

Kitsune demi-humans were rare and highly prized as pleasure slaves, as they looked strongly human except for their tails and ears. This was how Koi had entered this life. Quickly becoming accustomed to her beauty and her ability to manipulate men, she can fallen in with a criminal cartel. She had spent her childhood being passed from owner to owner, building a small, secret fortune from selling information from those who trusted her and planning heists on the property where she was domiciled. She was now a powerful underboss of the Black Silver Coins and had a respectable estate to bequeath onto her daughter someday.

Koi was about to retire for the evening when she heard someone pounding on her bedroom door.

“Enter,” She said in a languorous voice.

Dreyfus rushed into the room, his face white as chalk. Koi raised an eyebrow. Dreyfus would usually spend at least a moment captivated by her creamy skin barely covered by a loose yukata but tonight he didn’t even seem to notice. Whatever was going on must be serious.

“Why, Dreyfus, whatever is wrong?” She continued in the same calm tone.

“There’s a demon here, Lady Koi!” He shouted.

“…A demon,” Koi repeated in a skeptical voice.

“Yes! A witch or… I don’t know, Lady Koi! He says his name is Taiyang! He’s brought an army of mabeasts with him and he’s demanding to speak to you about something! He says that you insulted him!”

“Hm,” Koi mused. She opened her balcony doors and stepped outside.

Looking down, she saw a lone man in a black robe mounted on a black riding dragon. Surrounding him were five Guiltylowe and dozens of wolgarm. Even from a distance, the man appeared unnatural. Sitting just outside the brightly lit courtyard he should have been clearly illuminated. Instead, the light of the torches seemed to actively avoid him while the shadows in the courtyard bent toward him, wrapping around his body like a shroud.

“Dreyfus, where did all that blood by the front gate come from?”

Dreyfus winced.

Koi forced herself to remain patient and not slap him out of his paralysis. Dreyfus was an extremely loyal and professional guard but he was choosing the absolute worst time to go to pieces.

“Milady, do you remember Gor?” He asked.

“You mean the giant troll that we recently tamed at considerable expense?” Koi asked in a clipped voice, “Yes, I vaguely recall. What about him?”

“Taiyang killed him,” Dreyfus admitted.

“He turned his mabeasts on the troll?” Koi asked, staring down at the mabeast army. I would have assumed that Gor would have had some luck, even against this huge horde of mabeasts but I don’t see any mabeast corpses. Perhaps the other mabeasts ate them?

“No, my lady. Taiyang said that… he was in the mood for sport so he decided to fight Gor personally,” Dreyfus whimpered.

Koi whirled around and stared at Dreyfus, her fox ears twitching.

“He killed Gor with one blow,” Dreyfus finished in a small voice.

Koi’s lips tightened and she looked down at the cloaked rider weighing her options.

Hm. This is rather problematic. My personal guard is extremely well-trained and well-equipped but they wouldn’t stand a chance against all these creatures, let alone their master. I’ve heard rumors of beings who could command mabeasts but never in such large numbers. I’ve never hear of any ‘Taiyang’ and it’s unlikely that a man of such power would be easy to miss.

Where did he come from? He claims that I’ve insulted him? That’s a grim place to start negotiations. On the other hand, he has an overwhelming advantage. If he wanted me dead, he would have simply stormed the estate. He’s here to parlay, not to execute, and that gives me some manner of leverage.

All the same, I am clearly out of my league with an opponent like this. Perhaps the wisest course of action would be to simply grab Senko and escape before he realizes it.

Koi glanced at the estate’s side-door and found a single wolgarm waiting there. She then looked out toward the estate’s secret tunnel, known only to herself and Dreyfus. It appeared to be no more than a simple storage shed that was located some distance away from the manor house. Unless you knew exactly where to look, you would never find the tunnel underneath. Koi, to her chagrin, found an entire pack of wolgarm waiting just outside of it.

He set a guard in case I would attempt an escape. He’s no fool.

More concerning is the fact that he managed to locate my hidden escape route. How could he have found it so easily?

Should I go out and speak to him? That would keep my daughter safer if negotiations break down…

No. I should invite him inside and treat him as a honored guest. If he wants an apology then that is the most likely thing to placate him but I am at a loss to what I could have possibly done to anger a being like this. He might be more vulnerable when separated from his horde of mabeasts. Although, perhaps that shouldn’t be counted on considering how easily he killed Gor. Bother the luck, that troll cost me a fortune.

I’ll have Dreyfus take my daughter to the safe room in the meantime. Still, this Taiyang clearly wants something from me and I doubt an apology is all he’s after. I should do my best to ascertain his long term goals and convince him that I can help facilitate them. Pleasing such a powerful being could be fruitful, always assuming that I survive the initial negotiations.

“Bring him inside,” Koi ordered. “I will see him in my private meeting chamber. Then wake Senko and bring her to the safe room.”

Subaru stood outside the gate, staring at the guards who waited trembling beside the door. They both desperately wanted to run away but they knew that if they did, Dreyfus hunting them down and killing them would be an act of mercy. Dreyfus at least would kill them quickly. Lady Koi had a reputation for playing with her food.

Subaru nervously bit his lip. Patrasche and the mabeasts stood silently around him.

OK, Subaru. So far so good. You’re establishing Taiyang as someone that nobody wants to mess with but this ‘Lady Koi’ is a powerful figure in the criminal underworld. If she so much as senses weakness, you’ll be tomorrow night’s meatloaf. You need to sell this performance. Remember when you gave into Reason and Judgment and made Crusch so angry with you back in the capitol? Well, tonight you have carte blanch. Scare the fuck out of this lady!

Also you need some kind of back-story. You need something that embeds who you are in everyone’s mind and clarifies that you couldn’t possibly be Subaru Natsuki in disguise.

What do you know about Taiyang? So far you’ve established that he lives in the Elior forest, that he’s possessive of it, and that he has a bad temper. That should certainly encourage people to stay away from the forest but you need more information about him. Koi isn’t going to believe that you’ve been sitting in the Elior forest for centuries and just now decided to poke your head out.

Maybe I could pretend to have been sleeping for a few hundred years? I got the impression that’s what Daphne has been doing.

So, Taiyang has been in hibernation for centuries and he just woke up?

Is there a reason that he just woke up?

Oh! Taiyang wakes up because Subaru Natsuki is his great enemy! He hates him because of… I don’t know, some prophecy bullshit! He’s hunting Subaru Natsuki down! That connects the two together and makes it so that no one is going to wonder if they’re really the same person.

Among other things, you’re about to ask Koi to help you find the spirits. How are you going to justify that? As soon as you tell her what she’s looking for, she’ll know that you have some kind of connection with Subaru Natsuki but if Taiyang is his greatest foe, then the question is immediately answered. You’re trying to trap and kill Subaru! You want to capture the spirits as bait!

Hide your lies in half truths and Koi will believe them…

Subaru was polishing his scheme a little when Dreyfus came back outside the estate and bowed to Subaru. “The Lady Koi will see you now.”

Subaru didn’t move. “…Perhaps you left something out of that statement?”

Dreyfus flushed. “My lord,” He added.

“Splendid. I may yet let you live.”

Dreyfus’s face turned ashen.

“Enough of this. Bring me to her.”

Dreyfus nodded and walked into the fortress-like estate and Subaru followed him.

The guards both flinched and recoiled as Subaru passed within touching distance of them. Shadows crisped the blazing torches as he passed by.

OK, Subaru. Show time! Use Reason and Judgment as much as you need to! This woman is not going to respond to polite requests and negotiation. The more you terrify her the better off you are!

“Welcome to my humble abode,” Koi said with a graceful bow. Her black yukata slipped off one shoulder, revealing snow-white skin. Koi hadn’t taken the time to change before meeting with Taiyang, hoping to make herself appear eager to please. She meant this statement in a variety of ways.

“Lady Koi, I presume,” Taiyang murmured in an inhuman voice.

Koi had thought herself fearless but upon meeting Taiyang her heart started to beat fast. In Taiyang’s presence, the room’s candle-flames crisped with shadows and the darkness in the room grew deeper. An unnatural chill filled the room.

Koi paused to moisten her lips. Koi was a hard woman. The pain and suffering she had endured would be legendary if it were ever to become public knowledge. She had often scoffed at men who boasted of their hardihood because of deeds in battle or fights in back alleys. Koi knew that none of these compared to the unspeakable horrors endured by a slave woman in a brothel.

Koi forced herself to remain calm by sheer willpower.

The meeting chamber was a commodious space, very much like a sitting room. The room was dimly lit by a variety of candles scattered around the room. There was a glass table in the middle of the room holding a pot of freshly prepared tea. Several soft chairs and couches surrounded the table and the shelves were full of objects that were pleasing to look at. There was even a zen garden in the corner. Koi had designed this room herself with great care. It reminded her of the rooms she used to live in when she worked as a courtesan and it often reminded her guests of the same thing. This was a helpful state of mind to guide her guests into when she needed to placate or manipulate someone.

Koi’s mind was working overtime trying to analyze everything about her guest. The smallest clue could give her an advantage.

Taiyang wore a hooded black robe that looked like it was made of shadows as much as cloth. For some reason, no details about him jumped out at her at all.

Nothing. I can’t pick out anything useful. In fact, standing this close to him I should be able to see his face clearly. He must be using magic to hide it. Is that a sign that he fears that I might figure out who he is? Or is it a warning that this man has enough magic to squander it on meaningless parlor tricks even while seated inside my fortress? After seeing his mabeast army and the way he slew Gor, I think I suspect the latter. I must tread carefully.

His voice sounds like it’s echoing out of a deep cave. For the moment, I’ll assume that he is just using magic to disguise it. I don’t like to contemplate the possibility that it could be his natural voice…

“Please make yourself comfortable,” Koi whispered, sitting down on a sofa just large enough for two, coiling her legs and tail underneath her.

Taiyang sat in a nearby chair, ignoring her unspoken invitation to join her on the sofa.

“I was shocked and dismayed to discover that I may, in some way, have displeased your lordship,” Koi continued with a slight smile as she gracefully poured tea into two porcelain cups.

She handed a cup to Taiyang first and then took one herself.

They each took a sip.

“Please forgive my ignorance, Great One but I simply can not fathom what I might have done to so offend you. Please, enlighten me so that I may beg your pardon properly,” Koi continued, sipping her tea.

“Are you aware of your men’s recent sojourn into the Elior Forest?” Taiyang asked.

Oh. So that’s it. There really is a witch in the forest and it is the monster Taiyang. It seems that I should have taken old Joe’s stories more seriously. All the same, I doubt that Taiyang is really as angry as he appears. This is a minor mishap. It’s also put me in contact with what is clearly a powerful being. This may yet be turned to my advantage if Zeno keeps causing trouble.

Should I feign ignorance of my men’s trespass? No, that would be unwise. My men have certainly given me up and likely died in the process of doing so. That at least spares me the trouble of hunting them down and killing them myself. Perhaps I can shift the focal point of his ire.

“A thousand apologizes, Great One,” Koi murmured, giving a low bow from her seated position. “It never even crossed my mind that you would consider this matter intrusive. I can assure you that no such mistakes will ever happen again. You have my word. I will also endeavor to inform the slavers who have been running merchandise through your sacred forest to desist.”

“Slavers?” Taiyang asked.

That caught his interest, Koi thought, hiding a smile. With any luck, he will redirect his rage against Aperitif.

“Are you speaking of Osril?” He asked.

Koi blinked. “Then… you are familiar with Duke Osril?”

“I was familiar with the late Duke Osril,” Taiyang replied. “He and his men paid the penalty for their unauthorized use of my domain as well as for their own failures.”

Koi wasn’t entirely sure what Taiyang meant but it didn’t matter right now. She quickly updated her calculations.

Did he really kill a Duke? That is going to attract a great deal of unfavorable attention from the kingdom which is not at all conducive to a monster trying to stay hidden. Either he is a complete fool… or he’s fearless.

“Were they working for you, Great One?” Koi asked. “You spoke of their failures.”

“They were not working for me,” Taiyang growled. “I have a profound hatred of slavers.”

“In that matter, we are most certainly agreed, Lord Taiyang,” Koi assured him.

“Yes. I can see that you were once considered a valuable slave yourself,” Taiyang replied, sipping his tea.

Koi blinked. “Forgive me, my lord but how did you know about that?”

How does he know that? Is he just assuming that to be true because so many of my people are captured due to their beauty? Or has he done some kind of research on me?

“I did not know. I saw,” Taiyang replied. “When you bowed your head to me, I saw the marks on the back of your neck. You once wore a collar and due to the marks, it is clear that you wore it habitually, not simply as a game of some kind. On most slaves, these marks appear all around the neck because slaves are chained together in a line when they travel to market. Each slave must move in sync or they yank on one another’s collar and bruise one another. You only have marks on one side of your neck. Therefore you were a slave who was never chained to others. The only time your collar was yanked was when your master personally wished to lead you on a leash. This means that your master valued you highly.”

Koi struggled to maintain her composure. She sipped her tea calmly but her fox ears twitched. Either Taiyang is lying to me and he squeezed all that information out of my men… Would any of them even know that I was ever a slave? …Joe might. He’s been around for decades after all and he has a reputation for knowing secrets that he shouldn’t. Although I doubt that even he would have known about this.

If even old Joe couldn’t tell him about this then Taiyang must have been telling the truth about deducing it. If Taiyang could learn all that about me simply by glancing at my neck then he is a shrewd and dangerous man. He must be trying to warn me that his physical power is matched by an equally impressive mind.

As frightening as all this is, it is also encouraging. You don’t waste this much time terrorizing a person that you expect to discard quickly. He intends to have a long term relationship with me. Being Taiyang’s minion would clearly have serious drawbacks but it’s far preferable to being executed tonight. Perhaps there could be advantages as well. Zeno’s demands and threats against my division of the Black Silver Coins get louder each day. I should shift the conversation to somewhere more profitable.

“Excuse me, Lord Taiyang, you said that the slavers failed you. Could you explain how?”

Taiyang took another sip of tea. “When I awoke from my long slumber, one of the first things I encountered were those slavers practicing their wickedness in my sacred domain. My fury was terrible to behold. I would have slain Osril and all his men on the spot but he begged the chance to do me a service to purchase his life. He promised that he would acquire my hated enemy for me. He then sent a message informing me that my enemy had been captured and I departed immediately to take charge of him. However, when I arrived I discovered that my foe had escaped Osril and rescued all of the slaves as well! Osril and his fools never saw anything! I have no patience for such incompetence. They paid the price for their failures. This is also what brings me to you.”

Taiyang has an enemy… Interesting. I should inquire more about this. Knowing who a man hates offers the chance to play both ends against the middle if I don’t think I can keep Taiyang happy in the long run. This enemy of Taiyang freed the slaves while also rescuing himself? He sounds like the kind of man I could learn to like. However, the notion that this business with the slavers has brought Taiyang here concerns me. What could he be referring to? I had no relationship with Osril. The man turned my stomach and the one thing that I never trade in is flesh.

“I’m afraid that I do not follow, Great One. What could I have to do with this?” Koi asked with a shrug.

In answer, Taiyang took a heavy pouch out from his robe and placed it on the table. Koi glanced at it. It was full of gold coins.

“Gold?” She asked, hoping for more information.

“Gold that I took off your men,” Taiyang clarified.

Koi frowned in real puzzlement. This doesn’t make any sense. There have to be almost two hundred gold coins in that pouch. Where could those idiots have gotten this kind of money? Even if they had been coming back from selling their goods, this is far too much. This much gold could have bought the entire shipment four times over.

Taiyang sipped his tea. “Gold that your men accepted from my foe to smuggle him across the border and away from my traps,” Taiyang continued calmly.

Koi’s beautiful eyes blazed in sudden fury as she fought to keep her face smooth and even. Those idiots! They’ve dragged me into a feud between a demon and whatever other monster he’s fighting!

No wonder Taiyang is so angry! I don’t want to be caught in the middle of this! Now I’ll probably have to make reparations to him for what those fools did! I hope that Taiyang killed them slowly!

“Are you certain?” Koi asked, putting a note of astonishment into her voice, “That is astounding! I have given standing orders that my men are not to involve themselves in any manner of private enterprise without my explicit permission.”

“And yet, my foe slipped away from me due to the Black Silver Coins. Once again, I have been denied the pleasure of killing him,” Taiyang mused, putting the bag back in his robe.

Koi moistened her suddenly dry lips. “I knew nothing about this matter but of course, as their superior, I must take full responsibility for my men’s mistakes. If there is anyway I can make this up to you, you need simply ask and it will be yours.”

Taiyang steepled his fingers. “Since your men robbed me of my prey, despite my spending considerable money, resources, and time to capture him, I believe that it’s only right that you should help me find him again.”

Koi breathed a little easier. “Of course, exalted one. The Black Silver Coins have eyes all over the continent. I will be only too happy to help you track down this enemy. What is his name?”

Taiyang gave a faint hiss. “Subaru Natsuki,” Taiyang answered.

Koi closed her eyes and swallowed hard. This is a nightmare. I’m caught in the crossfire between a royal candidate and national hero on one side and a demon of terrifying power on the other!

“I will, of course, assist you in any way I can, Great One,” Koi whispered, struggling to hold her hands still as she poured more tea. “However, when last I heard, Subaru Natsuki had vanished and no one seems to know quite where he is.”

“Yes. His luck has been annoyingly consistent,” Taiyang agreed. “I have chased him from the western expanses of the continent to the furthest east.”

Koi’s eyes narrowed. “He must have done something truly terrible to earn such contempt from your lordship,” She said in a coaxing voice.

“He has done nothing!” Taiyang said flatly. “He is a foolish boy and barely that! He is a whelp pretending at being a man! He’s an ignorant bungler with a deluded estimate of how clever he is: Treacherous to foes, faithless to friends, and a craven coward at heart!”

Oh my. Taiyang really hates Subaru Natsuki. It’s actually kind of impressive how much he despises him.

“Might I be so bold as to ask why you want him dead so badly, my lord?” Koi asked.

Taiyang drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair. “I have seen futures in him. Futures that I will not allow! When I awoke from my slumber, I knew what must be done. I will kill this Subaru Natsuki myself, slowly. With his death, I break the chain for all time. I will suffer no one else to claim his life.”

Well, that doesn’t tell me much. I’d very much like to be out of this situation entirely but that seems unlikely at this juncture. If I have to deal with Taiyang anyway, I should try to find some advantage.

“Lord Taiyang, tell me, how much do you know about the Black Silver Coins?” Koi asked.

“Very little,” Taiyang admitted. “It never caught my interest.”

“And rightly so,” Koi agreed. “It’s far beneath the notice of a great lord such as yourself. However, factions of the Black Silver Coins have a long history of worshiping the Witches of Sin. I wonder if it might not please you to become involved in our organization. I’m certain you would have many eager servants.”

If he bites for this then the other underbosses will share in my plight and I’ll get a little less direct attention from Taiyang. It will also force Zeno to deal with Taiyang and give Cynthia and I space to breathe. There might even be advantages in being the underboss most directly connected with Taiyang.

“Perhaps,” Taiyang murmured after a moment’s thought.

He sounds intrigued. That’s promising.

“In the meantime, I have a task for you,” Taiyang continued.

“Find Subaru Natsuki,” Koi finished.

This is going to be hard. Everyone in the kingdom is looking for him and Subaru Natsuki has still managed to keep out of sight. That said, if a monster like Taiyang is chasing him then I don’t fault the man one bit.

This is bad for me though. Taiyang seems to have small tolerance for failure.

“No,” Taiyang grumbled. “You’ll never find him. He’s led me on a chase across the continent. I need you to find something else.”

Koi cocked her head, unable to even guess what it was.

“Subaru Natsuki had two Great Spirits in his care. He treated them like family. They are currently in the keeping of the kingdom. You will find these spirits for me so that I may capture them. Then Subaru Natsuki will come to me. I also wish to know everything you can learn about the whereabouts and activities of his knight and companions,” Taiyang explained.

That is actually a pretty good plan to draw Subaru Natsuki out of hiding. Even better, it’s the kind of request that I think I can deliver on. This information might be restricted or even classified but if it earns Taiyang’s gratitude, I’m sure that we can extort it or buy it from someone.

“Of course, my lord. I will see to it straight away. In fact I’d recommend you come to a full council of the Black Silver Coins so that the entire organization can hear your instructions. I’m sure the other underbosses will be eager to help.”

“Very well,” Taiyang agreed.

Wonderful. I have no expectations of being able to set an effective trap for Taiyang at the meeting and it would be dangerous to try but at least the other underbosses can take a good look at him. This should spread his attention around as well so that he won’t be so focused on me. Beyond that, maybe it will persuade Zeno and Scrofa to back off! I have a powerful Witch who seeks to work with me. He should be more reluctant to cause my division trouble now.

On the other hand, Koga may try to move into my house once he finds out that Taiyang might come here.

“There is one more thing,” Taiyang mused and Koi snapped her attention back onto her guest. “Locating the spirits will atone for the inconvenience that your men caused me but you must still atone for the insult.”

Koi’s felt sweat dripping down the back of her neck.

“When I awoke from my long slumber, I discovered that the world has changed in my absence. The vast network of allies and vassals that I had cultivated have vanished into the dustbin of history. Now only Taiyang remains as witness of the ancient world,” Taiyang paused and seemed to think for a moment. Then he shook his head. “But that is as it should be. Only the eternal Taiyang endures. One of the Great Houses of Gusteko has offered itself up as my ward. Confidentially, for now. In return,” Taiyang continued. “I have pledged to House Ithil my protection. I shall bury House Griest until none remember it, save for the wind. But that is in time. To endure the siege, House Ithil require supplies and you shall provide them. Siros will be well stocked and well provisioned and they will pay you very well for your labors. Both of my subjects shall become stronger just as those who set themselves against me shall wither.”

Koi’s eyes widened. Taiyang has become the shadow lord of one of the great Houses of Gusteko?! Could he be lying?

He could be but why bother? What would be the point?

What is he doing? He’s offering me the chance to make an absolute fortune through war profiteering.

This isn’t a demand. I mean, it IS a demand. I’m sure that Taiyang would simply kill me if I was stupid enough to refuse him but Taiyang has taken away the stick and offered me a carrot.

I have no more choice not to bite at this carrot than I do to avoid the blow of the stick but he offers them both in measure…

He’s proving that if I’m loyal to him, he will bring me great wealth. He’s proving that those he claims under his protection WILL be protected. This is all better than I dared to hope. Taiyang might be just the leverage I need against Zeno and Scrofa.

Running supplies through a warzone is risky but not much worse than running them across the border to a Gusteko in turmoil anyway. House Ithil’s situation is dire from what I’ve heard. We can charge exorbitantly for the goods and they will be glad to pay.

House Ithil was never willing to deal with smugglers in the past. They consider us a threat to their merchant empire. I never even bothered to extend them an offer when I discovered they were under siege.

Taiyang is a shrewd and dangerous man. I’ll need to play this carefully. I’ve never been in greater danger but the rewards of Taiyang’s favor could be immeasurable and that’s not even counting the wealth he has already offered me.

If I can claim the protection of a true Witch of Sin then what power in the world would dare to attack me?

Koi asked, “What types of goods does-”

Taiyang reached into his shadowy robe which parted around his fingers as if he had plunged his hand into an inky black river. Taiyang pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Koi.

Koi steeled herself before touching the paper but it felt completely normal in her hand.

“Ah,” Koi replied. She studied it briefly. Nothing too unusual. We can get these goods moving tonight! If I sent instructions to my factors in Gusteko by messenger owl, the goods are likely to arrive sometime tomorrow afternoon! And the prices being offered per item are extraordinary!

“I will see to it immediately, Lord Taiyang,” Koi assured him with a low bow. “To earn your exalted forgiveness by such a small task? Your lordship’s benevolence truly knows no bounds.”

“Yes,” He agreed.

Should I talk to him about Zeno now?

No. It’s too soon. It will make me look weak and desperate. He might choose to make an alliance with Zeno instead.

I need to deliver a few shipments first and ideally locate the spirits he seeks. Then, once I am factually ‘doing his bidding,’ I will be able to ask Taiyang for his protection.

Koi made a quick mental calculation. “I would urge your lordship to return here tomorrow night to receive an update on the success of these ventures. We should have confirmation of our first shipment in Siros by then.”

“Very well. I will do so,” He said, standing up.

“You have my deepest gratitude, Lord Taiyang. I hope for a very long and mutually beneficial relationship serving your lordship,” Koi said, also rising to her feet.

“You shall have it, so long as you are diligent and obedient,” Taiyang replied. “I demand only the best and I reward accordingly.”

“You will have no complaints where I am concerned, my lord, I assure you,” Koi said, bowing low.

Taiyang gave a cold chuckle. “Amusing. A gift then,” Taiyang reached into his robe and handed Koi a tiny bottle, the sort of bottle that could hold a single shot of alcohol. Koi examined the unlabeled bottle closely. It contained a radiant blue liquid that felt warm in her hands.

I doubt it’s poison. Taiyang certainly doesn’t need poison to kill me. He slew my troll and commands an army of mabeasts.

“Forgive me, Lord Taiyang but what is this?”

“A Year of Life.”

Koi blinked. “A what?”

“Whosoever drinks that potion will have their life and youth extended by a full year. Or be granted a full year’s worth of healing to their wounds and illnesses,” Taiyang said. “To his faithful servants, Taiyang grants life unending…

Koi’s jaw dropped and her hand trembled. “Truly?” She gasped.

It seems incredible that this could be true but Taiyang has no reason to lie to me. I was speculating earlier about what the rewards of Taiyang’s favor could be. And now he’s demonstrated his favor to ensure that I remain loyal.

If Taiyang really can offer immortality and eternal youth… what greater prize could Senko and I aspire to? Not to mention that the wealthy on this continent would pay mountains of gold to extend their lives just a few more months…

“Are you suggesting that the great Taiyang would stoop to deceive you?” He asked calmly.

Koi jumped. “No! Of course not! I was just… overwhelmed by your power, Master. I will see your will carried out without fail,” She whispered in awe, staring at the bottle.

“Wonderful. And please offer my fond regards to your daughter.”

Koi’s face flickered in shock. She smoothed it out by raw willpower. “Excuse me?”

“Your daughter,” Taiyang said, idly flicking a hair off of his finger. “I’m certain that she’s every bit as lovely as her mother.”

How does he know?! How could even Taiyang know that I have a daughter in this estate?! None of the smugglers could have told him! Only the people who work inside my estate even know that Senko exists! And only Dreyfus knows that Senko is my own kit! Everyone else believes that I’ve purchased and am raising a young kitsune to sell for a tidy profit. How could Taiyang know? Is it some kind of witchcraft?

Koi licked her lips and tried a desperate strategy. “Are you referring to the young kitsune that I purchased and am training for courtesan work?”

“You are extremely gracious to this slave. Her perfume is both expensive and exquisite. And to so often entertain this kit in your private chambers? Her hairs are everywhere, distinguishable by being so much shorter than your own. Oddly enough, each hair is dyed. They are blond at the ends but at the root they are all black or dark red just like yours. You are truly a diligent woman. As a sign of good faith, I promise that I will keep a close eye out for your offspring. I would spend many a sleepless night if anything… unfortunate were to befall her,” Taiyang said calmly.

Koi bowed low and stayed there. “I thank you for your kind words,” She said in an unsteady whisper.

Taiyang turned and left the room. In his absence, the candle flames strengthened and the room brightened.

Koi swallowed hard. Taiyang was gone but she couldn’t find the strength to straighten up from her bow just yet.

Taiyang is telling me that if I fail him or try to betray him, he knows right where to stick the knife. Should I send Senko away to hide her somewhere else?

No! Stupid! Sending her away is sending her directly into Taiyang’s clutches! If he could deduce her existence after looking at my sofa, how easily will he find Senko no matter where I try to hide her?!

No. We are both Taiyang’s hostages now. Besides I need to use Taiyang to deal with Zeno and Scrofa. After that, I can at least hope to find a way to get loose of his strangling chain.

Until and unless I find a way to break free, I must be his dutiful and obedient little kit. I have played this role before. In the meantime, I must discover all the ways that I can… please my new master and seek to ferret out his weak spots.

Perhaps if I were to find this Subaru Natsuki, he could aid me in dealing with Taiyang. If anyone can handle that monster, it must be the person that he most fears. Taiyang doesn’t fool me for a moment. Hatred this pure is always born of fear. Taiyang fears Subaru Natsuki. And yet he wants to face him personally…

Taiyang said that he saw ‘futures’ in him. That suggests that Subaru Natsuki isn’t a threat to him now but he will be a threat later. Perhaps Subaru Natsuki is destined to destroy Taiyang and the demon seeks to kill him before he comes into his own? Taiyang is clearly in a rush to do it though. I’m guessing that the time when Subaru Natsuki will be a threat to Taiyang isn’t all that far off.

If Subaru Natsuki is this kind of threat to Taiyang, that means that if I can find him, he might just be able to get me out of this mess…