Subaru and Anri arrived in Siros early that morning. As Subaru had instructed, Meili and Elsa had made themselves scare before they entered the city to ensure Anri didn’t get any bright ideas about taking revenge on the assassin.

Anri’s return to Siros and the official end of the siege were received with an enormous celebration. The streets leading to palace were swarmed with crowds for miles, all cheering and offering up praise for their princess.

She leaned out the carriage window waving with a beatific smile on her face.

Subaru sat there, feeling bored as they approached the palace.

As soon as Anri had finished hugging her Uncle and Grandfather, they had all gone into the conference room to make plans.

Subaru had gently laid Emilia down on a nearby sofa before joining them at the conference table.

Radu was a tall, thin man with ashen-blond hair and mournful lines carved into his face. Gustov was just as tall but heavier. He had a bushy gray beard and a face that fell easily into laugh lines.

Subaru was only half-listening as Anri explained everything that Subaru had done over the past few days.

Or at least everything that she knows I did…

Then Radu and Gustov proceeded to fill Anri into everything that had happened in her absence.

Subaru kept slipping into Reason and Judgment to analyze the full ramifications of these details.

Before they were even half-way through their report, Subaru had put his head down on the conference table and covered his head with his hands.

“Subaru,” Anri asked with mock concern. “Is something vexing you?”

Subaru slowly lifted his head and looked at the two men who were regarding him with bafflement.

Subaru took a deep breath. “I need to ask because I am genuinely curious,” Subaru began, struggling to control his temper. “What made anyone think that it was a good idea to permit an enemy army to retreat down a long, winding trail through the mountains and not raise a single finger to hinder them?!” He finished in a hiss.

Radu rolled his eyes. “Young man,” He said patronizingly. “Military tactics are-”

“Clearly not your forte!” Subaru cut him off. “What’s worse is, not only did you blow your greatest chance to end the war once and for all but it’s clear from the way you’re talking that you still don’t comprehend just how much trouble you’re in!”

Radu’s jaw dropped. He felt nothing but shock at being rebuked this way by someone less than half his age. He would be furious at being addressed in this insolent way by an untitled foreigner, just as soon as his mind cleared enough for him to remember how to be furious.

Anri frowned. “Subaru, what do you mean?” Anri asked.

Subaru sighed. “Stop and think about it for a minute. In spite of all the running around I spent the past week doing and all the damage I caused, what has Griest really lost?”

“I don’t understand,” She said.

“His entire army is still intact and altogether it’s three times your size. The second column I blocked lost its officers, nothing else. Once that column is properly integrated into the first army they’ll just all march up here together. Griest will make sure that they have enough provisions to last them for weeks this time! There’ll be nothing to stop them from burning your city to the ground at that point!”

Anri’s jaw dropped.

Subaru turned back to the two older men who both looked shocked. “My question,” Subaru said, barely containing his fury. “Is what were you thinking when they started to withdrawal and you did nothing to take advantage of the situation?”

Radu and Gustov shared a guilty expression. “We… thought it might have been a trap,” Radu mumbled.

Subaru’s jaw dropped. This statement made so little sense that he was literally struck speechless.

A trap?! Are you kidding me?! How in the hell could this have been a trap? The only way the Sanshi army could have been any more vulnerable is if they had handed you their weapons before they left!

“Well,” Anri said in a conciliatory tone. “Even if it wasn’t a great military decision, it might still be useful politically. If we’d had a messy battle and blooded their noses, it would have been harder for Griest to come to the negotiating table. Now he doesn’t have to choke on his ego.”

Subaru stared at Anri incredulously. I’m surrounded by morons!

“Anri,” Subaru said slowly. “Griest won’t negotiate with you. He can’t.”

“What are you talking about?”

Subaru took a deep breath and broke it down for them. “Anri, remember when you told me about all the mercenaries he hired?

“Yes.”

“That was really expensive, Anri,” He said as if speaking to a small child. “I’d bet you every gold coin I’ve ever seen that the Sanshi treasuries are almost empty. He also raised a huge army from his own lands. That means he conscripted a massive number of peasant workers and took them away from their villages in early spring when they needed to be working in the fields. So Sanshi is way behind schedule in planting new crops!

“Griest has mortgaged his people’s future on this war. He gambled and he nearly lost. For Malcolm Griest, a negotiated ceasefire is just as bad as if you defeated him outright. It means his whole investment is down the tubes. If he doesn’t claim Siros and gain all its wealth and resources then he’ll have a rebellion on his hands this winter. He won’t negotiate with you. He can’t.”

Anri stared at him and she moistened her suddenly bloodless lips. “What are you saying?” She whispered.

Subaru sighed. “If you’d bothered to capture his army, he’d be out of options right now and he’d be forced to surrender. But you treated this war like something that could be reset like a chessboard at the end of a game. Now there’s nothing stopping him from marching all of his forces back up to try again and he has literally no choice except to do that if he has any desire to keep his crown!”

Anri, Radu, and Gustov all looked horrified.

“What do we do?” Anri whispered.

Why am I even bothering helping these idiots?

Well, I’m committed now. I just need to find out where the Stone is and then get out of here.

“March. Now,” He said shortly.

“March?!” Anri asked.

“Your army is rested and prepared to take the field,” Subaru grumbled. “March your army down to Kocytos and take the city before the Sanshi armies regroup. Keep Malcolm Griest on the back foot so he can’t bring his full force to bear against you again.”

Everyone at the table stared at Subaru in shock. “Do you even know what you’re saying?” Gustov whispered. “Attacking another province?”

“This sort of thing hasn’t been done in centuries,” Radu said slowly. “The political fallout would be explosive!”

Subaru looked at them in disbelief. “Sanshi literally just attacked you. They started this war. How is this any different?”

“Because Siros is still considered the outsider,” Anri explained sadly. “The law… doesn’t protect us as much.”

Radu nodded. “The Church isn’t exactly our friend, Master Subaru. They worked hard to keep the other Houses at our throats for centuries. And once Holy King Gillecomgain became sick, they immediately decided to ignore a civil war on our doorstep. At least so long as they thought we were going to lose. The Hierocracy immediately sent us a letter when the Sanshi army retreated.”

“What letter?” Anri asked.

Gustov sighed. “After the Sanshi army fell back, the Hierocracy pulled itself together long enough to send us a sternly worded letter against trying to attack Sanshi. The provinces are forbidden to war against each other and the Church threatened that they would excommunicate us again if we broke the law by entering Sanshi territory.”

“What?!” Anri exclaimed.

Subaru gave a bark of a laugh. “Wow! The Church really is your enemy! They are solid partisans of Sanshi! Either the law applies to everyone or there’s no point to it,” Subaru said. “And why are you worried about how a group of people who consider you subhuman feel about your actions anyway?!”

“We’re not worried about their feelings!” Anri argued. “Conquering Sanshi or even a part of it would disrupt the balance of power in the kingdom! Even ignoring the Hierocracy, the other houses won’t stand for me possessing that much power, Subaru! They already hate us! They might even attack us if they see us getting that powerful!”

“They might,” Subaru admitted. “But Sanshi absolutely will attack you again if you don’t take immediate action. And I doubt I’ll be able to outsmart them again. The church and the other provinces might turn on you but you still need to survive long enough to worry about it.”

The room was silent.

Anri took a deep breath. “Uncle, is the army ready to march?”

Radu nodded. “We’re well supplied for a campaign thanks to Master Subaru’s smugglers,” He admitted. “If we’re truly considering this…”

“Then I suppose march we must,” Anri said. “Unless anyone has any other suggestions?”

Radu and Gustov shared a worried look but they didn’t say anything.

“While we’re on the topic,” Subaru added. “I think I’ll take my payment now. Where is the Ebony Stone?”

“The what?” Gustov asked.

Anri pursed her lips. “Griest has it.”

Subaru scowled at her. He didn’t answer right away. “Really. How convenient.”

“I’m telling you the truth,” Anri said loftily. “The stone is one of their treasures from the Old Kingdom.”

“Wait,” Gustov broke in. “You mean the Witch Stone? What business could you possibly have with that?!”

“That’s my business,” Subaru grumbled. He glowered at Anri. “Well. It seems I still have a vested interest in your little war then,” He said sarcastically.

“We are certain that you’ll be of inestimable value to our plans,” She said, just as coldly.

“I help you bring Griest to heel and you give me the stone?” Subaru grumbled.

“We find this proposal to be agreeable,” Anri replied in a distant, royal tone.

Subaru snorted and got to his feet.

“Will you be seeking lodgings in our city?” Anri asked distantly.

“No. I’m heading back east. I want to keep Emilia close to where I can make her medicine,” Subaru grumbled, picking her up.

Anri watched as Subaru carried Emilia out of the room.

Subaru rode in the carriage back to Koi’s manor, Emilia still unconscious in his lap.

He sensed Meili’s pets not far off but they never got close.

It was lunch time when Subaru returned to Koi’s manor. He climbed out of the carriage with Emilia in his arms and he found Senko waiting for him outside.

Elsa and Meili emerged from the nearby forest as casually as if they’d just been on a stroll.

“Greetings, Master,” Senko said with a respectful bow. During the meeting last night, Subaru had agreed to allow Koi to tell Senko his identity. “The guest house has been prepared for your residence. If you’ll follow me.”

Senko led them across the grounds to the guest house which was a large two story cottage on the outskirts of Koi’s land. Subaru carried Emilia into the house where the maids were just putting the finishing touches on a few things, preparing the guest house for occupants.

A tiny stable stood nearby and Subaru saw Patrasche’s head sticking out a window. It appeared that Patrasche had already been tended to by a worker.

“The house has five bedrooms,” Senko explained. “So you should have plenty of space. Err, if you wish to sleep separately,” She added awkwardly as Elsa and Meili followed her inside.

Subaru sighed.

“That’s OK,” Meili said to Senko, completely missing Senko’s implication. “Big Sis and I usually prefer to sleep together.”

Senko blinked, clearly having no idea how to respond to this.

“The lab equipment?” Subaru asked, stepping aside as the maids left with a few curious glances at their new guests.

“Already arrived and in the cellar, Master,” Senko said. “Mother took great pains to ensure that it was well stocked with the provisions you requested.”

“Wonderful,” Subaru said. “Give your Mother my gratitude and tell her I’ll express it fully once I’ve had time to settle in.”

Senko bowed her head. “I’ll send a maid out soon to inquire about the noontime meal,” She said and quietly slipped out of the house, closing the door behind her.

“Now what do we do?” Meili asked.

Subaru sighed. “Let’s put Emilia in bed first. My arms are getting tired.”

Subaru carried Emilia up the large stairway. The second floor had a large sitting room, a large bathroom, and at least four good sized bedrooms. Subaru located the master bedroom and laid Emilia in a large canopy bed.

Subaru tucked her in and then stood up, rubbing his sore arms.

“Alright. Let’s check out the lab and then I’ll give you some details about what I learned in Siros. Let’s see if we can find the way down into the basement. Also, you girls should feel free to start picking out your rooms.”

Meili’s eyes widened. “You mean, we get to stay with you?!” She said in a song of delight.

Subaru flushed. “Well… yeah? Why wouldn’t you? I mean, unless you’d rather have your own place, which is completely fine by the way. I will find you a house of your own if you want one.”

“So you’re not going to kill me immediately?” Elsa asked calmly as they descended the stairs. They fanned out all over the first floor and searched for the entrance to the basement.

Subaru snorted. “Why would I kill you? …Aside from all the obvious reasons?” He added in a grumble as he opened doors in the hall looking for the stairs.

“I found the basement. Over here, Master,” Elsa called.

Meili and Subaru joined her in the kitchen where Elsa had found a door that led down.

They descended the stairs. “I just assumed,” Elsa continued in a completely calm voice. “That once you got the Princess back to Siros you wouldn’t have any more use for me.”

Subaru let out a hiss of air. “Look. I don’t like you, Elsa. You tried to kill me. You tried to kill my friends. I would be completely within my rights to despise you.”

“I’d agree,” Elsa said calmly.

“But,” Subaru grated. “You’ve worked for me. You’ve done good work for me. It would be… ungracious to kill you after that. So I’ll let it go. Just remember that if you try to hurt or kill anyone I care about, we’ll pick up right where we left off and I’ll make you wish that it was Capella who got you.”

Elsa didn’t answer right away. “That sounds… fair,” She said, sounding genuinely surprised.

Subaru scratched his chin, “Honestly,” He said in a more composed tone. “I always assumed you guys would want to go your own way after all this was over.”

“No! We want to stay with you!” Meili said, her eyes shining.

Elsa chuckled. “I have to agree with Meili, Subaru. You’re far and away the best employer we’ve ever had. Much better than Mother ever was or any of our temporary clients. You even seem to care if we survive the mission.”

“Who doesn’t care if their… assets survive a mission?! That’s just stupid!” Subaru replied.

“I think that Mother kind of enjoyed watching us die to be honest,” Meili said reflectively. “If we suffered and died trying to do things for her, she thought that proved we loved her more than we feared death and pain.”

Subaru shuddered. “You know, the more I hear about this bitch, the more I like her!”

Meili shrugged.

Subaru thought for a moment. “Putting Capella aside for a moment, I still don’t get it. I thought you guys would want to get away from me as soon as you could. Maybe disappear somewhere and have a normal life?”

“Normal is boring,” Meili said matter-of-fact. “Normal is like being in Arlem.”

“You didn’t like Arlem?” Subaru asked.

Meili shrugged. “It was OK. It got annoying to have to pretend to be like everyone else and that nobody has a pet Guiltylowe.”

“That is a pretty rare thing,” Subaru admitted.

“The truth, Subaru, is that getting very far away from you… would be very unwise,” Elsa murmured. “Mother will not forgive our betrayal.”

Subaru frowned. “So if you guys left me…”

“Mother would certainly come for revenge,” Elsa said matter-of-fact. “She’s likely holding back now because she doesn’t feel she can face you but once she thinks you won’t care about her killing us…” Elsa trailed off.

Subaru pinched the bridge of his nose. It happened. I’m worried about Elsa. I’m worried that Elsa might be killed in horrible ways despite her spending an entire lifetime killing people in horrible ways.

It sounds better to say that I’m just worried about Meili but let’s face it, she’s basically just travel-sized Elsa at this point.

That said… they did do good work for me. That means… I’m responsible for them. I can’t just throw them away to die.

What the hell is wrong with me?

“Alright,” Subaru said slowly. “I can probably find a way to make this work. So I guess you guys should pick out your rooms. At least for the moment. We can talk about getting you your own place later if you want.”

Meili’s face lit up as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

“Big Sis,” Meili said. “What room do you think we should take?”

“I actually think Subaru meant we could each have one of our own,” Elsa murmured with a faint smile.

“Wow,” Meili whispered. She hesitated. “Wait a second. Does that mean that we won’t be able to sleep together anymore?”

Elsa shrugged. “Up to you, I suppose.”

“Hm,” Meili said, her face screwed up in concentration. “This is hard…”

Subaru rolled his eyes.

There were several long tables in the cellar laid out with elaborate chemistry equipment which was much higher quality than what Nicholas was working with. He also saw shelves overflowing with supplies.

“Looks like Koi did her job,” Elsa said.

“Yeah, it does,” Subaru said, quickly setting up the lab.

I won’t be able to get the stone for a while and I need more Years to keep Emilia stable so I need to start cooking them. I only have two Years of Vitae left.

“Need a hand?” Meili asked as Elsa sat down on a dusty table and began to knit.

Subaru shook his head. “No, I got it,” Subaru sighed, linking flasks together with tubing. “Alright. So, Meili, remember how I said that the war in Siros would be over effortlessly if they weren’t completely incompetent?”

“Yeah.”

“Bad news. They’re completely incompetent.”

“Huh?!”

“They just let the Sanshi army walk away. Didn’t try to do anything,” Subaru sighed.

Meili stared at him in disbelief.

“Yeah, tell me about about,” Subaru shook his head.

“Do we care?” Elsa asked calmly.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Subaru grumbled. “I only got involved with Anri in the first place because she promised to tell me where I could find a treasure to cure Emilia.”

“And?” Elsa asked.

“Griest has it,” Subaru grumbled. “She kind of neglected to mention that part upfront…”

Meili looked furious. “Should we go and teach her a lesson?” Meili offered.

“Maybe later. Right now, we still need her,” He sighed. “Anyway, so we need to knock Sanshi around and then Anri will give us the gem once Griest is defeated.”

“How are we going to do that?” Meili asked. “Use the Goki to eat all their crops?”

“Might work,” Subaru admitted. “I’d prefer not to kill hundreds of thousands of people by starvation though. Also, since we’re staying here, it would probably behoove me to find a way to make Koi a few coins while I’m at it. I like to do good things for my allies.”

“And for yourself too,” Elsa commented.

Subaru frowned. “Excuse me?”

Elsa didn’t look up from her knitting. “I didn’t mean anything by that. You are now effectively the Boss of the Gusteko Black Silver Coins. The money that they make directly benefits you. Koi and the others know that when they turn a profit, they owe you your dues. If Koi makes money, so do you.”

Subaru frowned, mulling that over. I mean…it’s not a bad point. I definitely do need to make some money to finance our lives once we’re ready to disappear. Mucking out the stables in Iruk for a silver a day doesn’t have much appeal to me. I can make Soma and other potions for Koi and Cynthia to sell. And once Emilia is cured, I’ll have Years to sell for serious amounts of gold.

Then again, once the war ends, I’ll quickly run out of years.

Subaru finished setting up the lab to brew Umbra and started the burners.

“Elsa, you make a very good point,” Subaru admitted.

“Hello?” A voice called from upstairs.

“We’re down here!” Subaru called.

A minute later a woman with white hair and a composed expression came down the cellar stairs. She seemed only slightly older than Elsa and she wore a maid costume. She looked at Subaru’s laboratory but asked no questions. “My name is Niobe. I’m one of Lady Koi’s maids. I wanted to ask if you would care for lunch. The chef is making finger sandwiches if that would satisfy you.”

“Finger sandwiches?!” Meili said in horror.

Subaru snorted. “That’ll be fine,” He replied. “Also, we have a very sick person in the house so please ask the chef to provide some thin broth as well.”

Niobe bowed and walked back up the stairs without looking back.

Subaru glanced at Elsa who sat there knitting contentedly. “Would you like to explain to Meili what finger sandwiches are or should I?”

“Welcome, Master,” Koi purred.

After feeding Emilia and giving her some medicine, Subaru had come to see Koi that night. Once he had entered her sitting room, he dispelled his shadow. Senko knelt on the floor, pouring tea.

Koi took a sip of tea. “I have yet to discover any trace of Lord Roswaal or your spirits but my people remain in the hunt.”

A wave of misery swept over Subaru but he managed to suppress it. He took a teacup from Senko.

“Any word on the Soma?” Subaru asked.

Koi smirked. “I’m glad that you asked. Cynthia shared some with her most discerning clientele. They loved it. She says she wants as much as you can produce.”

“What’s her offer?” Subaru asked.

“She wanted me to mention a gold piece for a hundred grams,” Koi replied smoothly.

“Acceptable,” Subaru said to Koi’s clear surprise. I know I could negotiate a better offer but I don’t really need to care about the money right now.

Once the market is well-established I can consider jacking up the price if money is still something I’m concerned about.

“I’ll inform her of your agreement, Master,” Koi said with a seated bow. “She’d like more as soon as it can be produced. In the short term, she believes she could sell twenty kilos a day.”

Subaru raised an eyebrow. “That’s manageable but it will take time. The equipment she gave me is good but it won’t scale that high easily.”

He picked up a satchel about the size of a gym bad. “In the meantime, take this. It’s four kilos of Soma.”

Koi looked excited as she took the bag. “I’ll have your gold delivered sometime tomorrow,” She purred.

Subaru thought for a moment. About forty gold pieces. Good enough. And if I start meeting Cynthia’s requested amount that would 200 gold pieces a day. More than we’d ever need. “In any event, I came here for another reason. Senko,” He called her.

Senko looked up at Subaru, startled at being addressed.

“Have you ever given any thought to your future?” He asked.

Koi’s eyes widened in horror and then closed in resignation.

I’m so sorry, my precious one, Koi thought to herself in misery. I deluded myself into thinking that I was powerful enough to protect you from suffering as I did but there’s always a bigger fish in the sea. A powerful man will take what he wants. And what a powerful man always wants is a beautiful, submissive girl. This is simply the way that life is for our people.

Defiance would be unthinkable. Taiyang has the power to take whatever he desires and my resistance will do nothing but get more people killed and subject you to crueler treatment as a means to discipline me…

Still, Taiyang has proved himself not to be sadistic or purposefully cruel and I can be confident that he’ll treat you well. You’ll be a chattel as were your mother and her mother before you but you won’t be tormented or abused. This is better treatment than I often received…

Having concluded that there was nothing to be done. Koi really had only one question in mind: was her beloved daughter about to be made a concubine, a mistress, or a literal sex slave. To kitsune, whose culture had become deeply intertwined with sexual slavery, these positions were considered highly distinctive.

Senko’s face was serene but her tail twitched nervously. In spite of her fear, Senko’s poise was unshaken.

Koi was so terribly proud of her.

Senko took a deep breath. “Yes, I… suppose that I have,” She whispered.

“I’d like you to become a merchant,” Subaru said.

Both women stared at him. Neither one had expected this.

“I don’t understand,” Senko said honestly.

“I need assets who can work in the daylight,” Subaru explained. “Your mother is a highly capable smuggler and administrator of the Black Silver Coins-”

Koi bowed her head slightly.

“But there would be… complications if I tried to give her assignments in reputable businesses. Not least of which because of the already considerable demands on her time. I’d like you to be the representative of all my legitimate operations as well as certain business fronts.”

Senko’s jaw dropped. This had been the last thing she expected.

Koi looked thoughtful, honestly uncertain about how to feel about this offer and what sort of opportunity it would prove to be. Of course, it was far preferable to Senko being forced into being Taiyang’s mistress.

“I want you both to understand my plans,” Subaru said intently. “House Griest has crossed me once too often. Now I am going to reduce them to rubble.”

Koi frowned. I don’t doubt that Taiyang can accomplish this but there’s no profit in revenge. And it will attract a lot of attention. Not something I’m eager to court.

Subaru took a deep breath. “All the same,” He continued more calmly. “There’s no reason why we can’t make a profit on this mission.”

Koi started to smile. I really must learn to stop underestimating him. “How so, Master?” Koi asked.

“I’m preparing a plan to shut down all trade between Sanshi and Lagunica,” Subaru continued. “I plan to starve Sanshi of resources and tax revenue. My mabeasts will destroy any trade caravan that crosses the border. Any caravan except for the ones run by Senko,” Subaru amended. “Koi, you will continue to smuggle goods over the border. The price for your goods will surge once the border is closed. I also require you to have agents at hand near the Elior forest to work with my servants. When they destroy a caravan, I want your operatives to be there to seize the goods. Take everything profitable and destroy the rest. I’m sure you can sell it somewhere for a nice profit.”

“Indeed I can,” Koi purred.

Subaru turned his attention back to Senko. “My agents and mabeasts will attack every trade caravan except for yours. The mabeasts shall be kept on the north side of the border so that the Dragon Kingdom will not get involved. And if Sanshi wishes to try removing the mabeast infestation, they’ll need to weaken their forces elsewhere. Then my other agents will take advantage of their mistake.”

Senko frowned for a long moment. “Master, forgive me, but I’m… uncertain that this will work. Demi-humans are viewed as subhuman in Sanshi. It’s very unlikely that any Sanshi merchants will be wiling to hire me to transport their goods.”

Subaru chuckled. “Your company is going to primarily consist of demi-humans. You will claim that being a demi-human is how you’re able to get through the gauntlet I create. If anyone becomes curious as to how you’re able to make the crossing without falling prey to the mabeasts, you’ll claim that your people can cross the border safely at night because of superior demi-human night-vision as well as hearing and smell that allows them to avoid the dangers.”

Koi laughed. “That will drive the people in Sanshi crazy!”

Subaru nodded. “Once the merchants in Sanshi and Lagunica realize that Senko’s service is the only one that can safely and reliably cross the border, she may charge whatever she wishes to make her deliveries. You shall both make a great deal of money. More importantly, Senko, you making substantial profits here will serve to explain your financing for bigger legitimate projects later. That way, we won’t need to launder your assets,” Subaru explained.

“I’m still not sure that the merchants will hire me,” Senko admitted.

“Give them time,” Subaru said. “Start by offering your services in Ganaks. They should be more approachable and you can demonstrate your abilities. When the Sanshi merchants discover that none of their goods can get through the border, you’ll tempt them by making them an offer with a guarantee: Their cargo makes it through or you give them double their money back.”

Senko’s eyes widened. “That could be a lot of money, Master.”

“That’s why they’ll take the bait. They’ll think that you are offering them free money because there’s no way you should be able to get through. But the mabeasts won’t attack your shipments and we’ll have Elsa watch your caravans just in case the merchant tries to sabotage the delivery themselves. That is our plan. The border shall be sealed for any wagons. Prices in Sanshi will skyrocket and you shall both make a fortune shipping necessary goods. Then you will give me my due.”

“When will the border close?” Koi asked, already pondering how best to take advantage of all this.

“In about three days,” Subaru shrugged. “Also, Koi, do you have assets in the Sanshi capitol?”

“My people own the ‘Inn-Between,’” Koi answered. “We use it as a center for distributing goods in Sanshi.”

Subaru gave her a sickly look. “The ‘Inn-Between?’”

Koi shrugged. “The name long preceded my purchase. I considered changing it but decided it was a poor idea. Name recognition and all that.”

Subaru shook his head. “Tomorrow morning, I’ll need some of your people to ship a pile of kegs there for my use.”

Koi nodded. “Consider it done.”

Subaru hesitated. “Also, you recall my gift of Years to you before?”

Koi’s face brightened. “I do, Master,” Koi purred.

Subaru reached into his robe and pulled out three small bottles of glowing blue liquid. I made almost two months after killing the folks at Nicholas’s house and then killing Griest’s guards. I can afford to splurge a little to keep my minions happy.

He handed one to Senko and two to Koi. “One is for Cynthia,” Subaru clarified.

Koi looked only slightly disappointed by this. “Thank you, master,” She almost cooed. Koi opened the bottle and quickly drank the potion.

Senko watched in shock as the years seemed to melt off Koi’s face. Her mother had never lost her beauty but the potion’s marks on her face were unmistakable. Her skin was now visibly smoother and her hair more lustrous. The way that Senko remembered Koi looking in her youth.

Koi could almost have been Senko’s older sister.

Senko stared down at the vial in disbelief, wondering what she held in her hands.

“I will have more of these in the near future to reward my faithful. You might also start to investigate potential buyers who would be interested in competing for my favor…”

Subaru returned to the cottage and came upstairs where he found Elsa and Meili chatting in the sitting room.

“Subaru, this is a great house!” Meili said excitedly.

“Glad you like it,” He replied, sitting down in a chair.

“Subaru,” Meili said. “Is there any way that we could make the bunk-beds downstairs bigger?”

“Bunk beds?”

“Yeah. I kind of wanted to still share a room with Big Sis. We were debating sharing the room with the wide bed or the bunk-beds. I was thinking that the bunk-beds might be fun but they’re too small for Big Sis.”

Subaru scratched his chin. “Maybe just… use the wide bed for now, Meili. We’ll look into remodeling later.”

Meili nodded sagely.

Subaru took a deep breath and thought for a minute. “OK. Let’s go over the plan now. First of all, I wanted to give you guys these,” Subaru handed them each a small bottle of Vitae.

Elsa took it eagerly while Meili looked more confused.

“Subaru, what is this?” Meili asked.

“Life,” Subaru said laconically. “Years stolen from the dead.”

Meili frowned. She glanced at Elsa who had already drained her bottle and was sucking out the last few drops.

Meili watched as a small scar on Elsa’a arm where a curse-doll mark had been carved, faded away like a shadow.

Elsa closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair with a moan of pleasure.

Meili looked conflicted. “So… I drink this?”

“Master,” Elsa murmured. “Isn’t Meili too young for this?”

Subaru sighed. “Elsa, don’t you start with that.”

“No,” Elsa said. “I mean… she’s already very young. Do we really want her to get younger?”

“A Year doesn’t make you younger, Elsa,” Subaru clarified. “It just adds life-force. “Life force can restore youth, heal wounds, or delay aging. Under normal circumstances it can’t make someone who’s already young and healthy even younger. Or delay their maturation. But it can form a kind of armor.”

“Armor?” Meili asked.

Subaru nodded. “Remember when I spilled that vial on Elsa to heal her wound? Well, if she’d drank the vial before she was injured, the wounds would have mended automatically because her life-force was potent enough to heal them all at once. Absorbing extra Years can armor you against injuries and death because it makes you much harder to heal.”

That was all Meili needed to hear. She took out the cork and downed the potion.

Meili’s eyes widened and she felt back in her chair. “That feels so good…” She murmured with a sleepy grin. “Can I have some more?”

Subaru chuckled. “Sorry. The stuff is precious until I get that treasure from Griest. Then maybe I can make more.”

Meili gave a faint moan of protest but it didn’t last long. Meili seemed to be feeling too good to protest anything at the moment.

Subaru shook his head ruefully. “Alright. Well, if you two can focus for a minute now, we should discuss the plan.”

Elsa stretched and obligingly sat up, giving Subaru her full attention.

Meili had a silly grin on her face and looked like she was poised to take a nap.

Subaru chuckled. “Elsa?”

Elsa leaned over Meili and started to tickle her belly.

Meili shrieked with laughter, folding in her on herself and gasping for breath.

“Alright! Alright!” Meili laughed. “I’m awake! I’m paying attention!”

Elsa sat there, looking rather pleased with herself. Meili slowly pulled herself upright with a sleepy grin.

Subaru shook his head. “You know, if someone pitched me a sitcom about a psychotic serial killer, a little girl who can control monsters, and a witch who’s moonlighting as a drug lord, I’d tune in!”

Elsa frowned. “What’s a sitcom?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Subaru sighed. “Alright, so here’s the plan. Meili, how do you feel about working on your own for a few days?”

Meili shrugged and stretched. “I’ve done that before, lots of times.”

“What is she going to be doing?” Elsa asked with more concern.

Subaru sighed. “Alright. So Anri is going to be marching her army down the mountains from Siros to Kocytos. I don’t want anyone to know that they’re coming so I’m sending you to go ahead of her. I want you to use some of your pets to comb the woods and kill any Griest scouts and spies you come across. It should be very safe. Spies and scouts usually don’t gather in big groups.”

Meili shrugged. “Sounds easy. My Knickerbockers will find them and my Guiltylowe will eat them.”

Subaru looked closely at Elsa. She mulled this over and finally nodded.

Did I really just double-check to see if a psychotic killer thinks I’m exposing Meili to too much risk?

“What am I doing?” Elsa asked.

“You and I are going to head to Sanshi and convince the townspeople that they’ve been cursed.”

“Huh?” Elsa asked.

Subaru shrugged. “I’ll give you the details later. After that, you and I will take the rest of the mabeasts south and close the border between Lagunica and Sanshi.”

Elsa frowned. “Can we do that? That’s a lot of territory to control.”

Subaru shook his head. “Actually, it’s not that much territory. The route into Sanshi has the Elior Forest to the west and the Gina Mountains to the east. It’s a small area called ‘the Gap.’ It’s also called a variety of more vulgar names,” Subaru admitted. “Closing the border will put tons of pressure on Sanshi. Between the closed trade routes and Anri marching south, Sanshi will be put in a vice and it’ll crumble.”

Meili put her hand up.

Subaru raised an eyebrow. “Yes, Meili?”

“Will I be back before the real battles in this war start?” She asked.

Subaru frowned. “I… think so, why?”

“I want to learn more about how to fight battles!” Meili said excitedly.

Elsa looked aghast. “Subaru! You are being a terrible influence on my sister!” She scolded.

Subaru face-palmed. “I’m a terrible influence?! What about you, you… Alright, stop. We are not going any further into this… whatever it is. Meili, tomorrow you’ll take half the mabeasts and head north. Make sure you make contact with Anri when you get there so she knows what you’re doing. I don’t want her army distracted by rumors of mabeasts in the woods.”

“Is that going to be dangerous?” Elsa murmured.

Subaru shook his head. “Anri isn’t dumb enough to cross me by hurting Meili,” He said with confidence. “What I’ve done to Sanshi could be done to Siros just as easily. Anyway, I asked Koi to send you north with a tent and food but Anri can help keep you supplied while you’re heading back. You’ll be pacing the army on the way down the mountain so it will probably take you a couple of days.”

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

Meili nodded. “If we’re splitting up the mabeasts then what mabeasts go where?”

Subaru frowned at her. “Good question.” He waited.

Meili took a deep breath. It had been a sincere question, she hadn’t been volunteering for a pop quiz. “Well… I’m going to be hunting for things… So the Knickerbockers and the wolgarms should come with me…You’re planning to set ambushes and fight guarded caravans so you should take the Guiltylowe… but I should take a Guiltylowe or two as well just in case I run into trouble?” She asked in an uncertain voice.

Subaru nodded. “Very good.”

Meili relaxed. “What about the Goki?”

“I’ll take them. They’ll help me plant my curse.”

“So we’re all leaving tomorrow morning?” Elsa asked.

“Meili is. We’ll probably head out tomorrow afternoon. We need to wait for something to reach Sanshi before we take action.”

Subaru had finished feeding Emilia her broth. Elsa and Meili had gone to bed.

All that was left to do today was to give Emilia her medicine.

Subaru carefully pulled Emilia upright and gave her tiny sips of the Vitae.

Emilia let out a ponderous sigh. “Su… Subaru?” She croaked.

“Mili!” Subaru gasped. “Are you OK?!”

“Where… I can’t see you…” Emilia sounded barely awake.

“Your eyes are… hurting, Mili,” Subaru said evasively. “But we’re both here together. We’re someplace safe and comfortable and I can make you strong medicine every day.”

“Safe?” Emilia coughed. She shook her head. “Subaru. We’ll never be safe.”

Subaru frowned in concern.

“Mili,” Subaru began slowly. “I…”

But Emilia had already fallen asleep.

The next morning, Meili headed north with two Guiltylowe and all of the wolgarm and Knickerbockers.

Subaru had seen her off after breakfast. He’d ensured that she’d been given a tent and ample supplies but Subaru admitted he was concerned when Meili admitted she’d never set up a tent in her life. Still, there was nothing to do about that right now.

Koi’s smuggler showed up around lunchtime to pick up the kegs and Subaru met him at the door. He met him in his natural form to avoid certain problems.

Subaru watched Koi’s factor, a hulking man with a shaved head, climb out of his wagon and his similarly large assistants followed him.

“Who are you?” The man asked bluntly.

Subaru shrugged. “I’m Lucas. I’m here to give you your stuff for Koi.”

“I’m Toby,” The factor said. He looked distinctly disappointed. “Where is she?”

“She?” Subaru asked in confusion.

“You know! The psycho with the enormous tits!” Toby said, miming a pair of watermelons attached to his chest.

Subaru glowered at the man. “Elsa? It’s for you.” He called over his shoulder.

Elsa emerged into the hall from a nearby room. Her expression was languorous. “Who is it?” She murmured.

Subaru heard Toby inhale sharply.

I’ll never understand how a smile from a beautiful woman can look so terrifying when it’s Elsa doing it…

“This guy wanted to talk to you,” Subaru said calmly. “He says-”

“Oh!” Toby clapped his rough and dirty hand over Subaru’s mouth. “We don’t need to get into any of that! We’re just here to ship goods! That’s all!”

Subaru gave Elsa an exaggerated shrug.

Elsa smirked and then walked back into the other room.

Toby heaved a sigh of relief. He slowly removed his hand from Subaru’s mouth.

Toby shot Subaru an angry look and Subaru looked just as annoyed.

“You want to get the goods now?” Subaru mocked. “Or should I let you talk to Elsa some more?”

Shortly after that, Toby had loaded ten small kegs from the cellar into his wagon.

I feel horrible leaving like this… Emilia woke up last night. She might wake up again. But Anri is already marching her army. I can’t delay getting this ball rolling.

This sucks…

“Alright, is that everything? Are we all ready to go?” Toby asked impatiently.

“Almost,” Subaru answered. “Are you ready?” Subaru asked Elsa as she emerged from the cottage.

“I’m all set,” Elsa said pleasantly.

“You’re also taking her,” Subaru said to the now terrified Toby. “I’d be on my best behavior if I were you.”

Toby’s face turned ashen.

Subaru looked back at Elsa. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning. I still need to instruct the maids in how to care for Emilia while I’m gone. Try to get everything wrapped up tonight if you can but don’t take any big risks. We don’t have an exacting timetable.”

Elsa simpered at Subaru and then approached the wagon with a warm smile. As she passed Subaru, she hesitated a moment and whispered something into his ear.

Subaru thought about it for a moment then shrugged. “As long as the goods get where they need to go, I don’t really care.”

Elsa’s gave Toby a warm smile that made the smuggler swallow hard. “I can already tell that we’re going to have a lot of fun on this trip,” She cooed.

That night in Sanshi, Elsa hid in the shadows of a narrow alley with a small keg in her arms. She stood near what was normally a busy intersection but the area was completely deserted this late at night except for a lazy guard helping himself to a drink from one of the town wells.

This keg was her last one and Elsa really wanted to be finished. She watched with irritation as she waited for the guard to vacate the premises. She’d been waiting on the lazy guard to move for quite some time. Her hands were itching to rip open his belly but Subaru’s instructions had been very clear. Don’t kill anyone unnecessarily. Don’t let anyone know you were in town.

Thus, Elsa was reduced to hiding in the shadows with her tiny keg and fantasizing about how the guard’s entrails would feel sliding between her fingers.

Finally, after an interminable amount of time, the soldier got to his feet and shambled off through the dark, empty streets.

Elsa rolled her eyes and waited. She stood concealed for several minutes just to be safe.

When she was certain that he wasn’t coming back, Elsa took one of her knives and stabbed the keg as if she was trying to crack a walnut.

The wood broke and inside was a thick, tarry black goo that smelled terrible.

Elsa walked calmly through the deserted intersection and as she passed the well, Elsa tossed the keg inside. It hit the water with a soft splash and sank to the bottom.

Elsa kept walking, humming a soft tune to herself.

That was the last well. Now I just need to wait for Master Subaru.

The next morning, when the sun came up, the gates to Sanshi opened and Subaru walked into town.

He headed to the center of Sanshi where he’d been told the Inn-Between was located.

The Inn-Between was a dive. Even if Subaru hadn’t been flat-out told that the place was a front for Koi’s operations, he could have still guessed. The place looked like an inn and tavern had been built around a warehouse. This was likely exactly what had happened. Koi wasn’t working too hard to conceal her influence here.

Subaru found Elsa seated on a loading dock and knitting a moppet, her legs dangling in the air. Nearby, a group of tough-looking guys were rapidly filling a wagon that had backed up against the loading dock, emptying the warehouse and tossing goods into the wagon.

Subaru climbed up onto the loading dock and sat down beside Elsa.

“Any trouble?” He asked.

Elsa shook her head. “All of the wells have been spiked. We actually have some extra kegs left over. There were only seven wells in the city except for the ones inside the castle grounds and I didn’t try to get those.”

“Good thinking,” Subaru agreed. “How was the trip down here?”

“Oh. It was fun.”

“Any survivors?” Subaru sighed.

“Everyone survived. Even Toby, although he did get some new scars.”

Subaru raised an eyebrow.

Elsa shrugged, focusing on her knitting. “Toby mistook my friendly nature for an offer of a more… intimate friendship. I had to correct him.”

Subaru chuckled. “Good girl,” He said seriously. “Did you want me to have a word with him?”

Elsa looked surprised. “Thank you but I think he got the message. Why are you asking about them anyway? I thought you said you didn’t care if they died.”

“I don’t care,” Subaru admitted. He sighed. “I’m just wondering when I stopped caring…”

Elsa frowned in sympathy at Subaru and put her knitting down. “If it makes you feel any better, Master, I don’t feel as strong an urge to kill as I used to. I still like to get my hands on entrails but the need isn’t as powerful. Ever since you started giving me that Vitae I feel more… normal.”

Subaru sighed. “Well, that’s encouraging, I guess. Do you usually have to fend off people who um, get the wrong idea about you?”

“It’s fairly common,” Elsa admitted. “Dressing this way is an excellent distraction but it does have drawbacks. I’m just lucky that I never needed to use my body for a job.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mother would often order her children to ‘entertain’ targets, either to get them to lower their guard before killing them or just to get leverage over them for later extortion. For a time, Mother planned to have me trained that way as well but she discovered that I was an unnaturally effective corpse-doll and so she used me for that instead,” Elsa said matter-of-fact. “So, I was lucky in a way.”

Subaru looked ill then he shook the thoughts off. “Anyway, did you find a good place to do this?”

Elsa pointed up at a towering spire in the center of town that was connected to the battlements by a stout stone wall. “That’s the lookout watchtower,” Elsa said. “If you go up there, everyone in the town center will be able to see and hear you.”

Subaru studied it for a moment. “Looks good,” He said. “Exit strategy?”

Elsa pointed off to the south. “There’s a crane doing some construction work on the outer wall. You can finish up your performance, rush to the southern battlements, and then use the crane’s rope to jump off the wall before anyone reaches you.”

Subaru nodded. “Nice work, Elsa. I’m impressed.”

Elsa grinned at him. “Well, we all have our talents.”

“What are they doing?” Subaru asked, pointing at the men loading the wagon.

“Apparently, Koi told them to evacuate for the time being,” Elsa said. “She doesn’t want her people at ground zero when this happens.”

“Smart woman,” Subaru murmured.

“When do you want to start?” Elsa asked.

“Midmorning,” Subaru said after a moment’s thought. “I want the market to be full when we spring this for maximum effect.”

“Is there anything you need me to do?”

Subaru rubbed his chin. “I left Patrasche in the forest just north of here along with the mabeasts. If you want, you can bring her to the southern wall so we can mount up and get out of here quickly after I make my escape.”

“I can do that,” Elsa said. “How’s she handling being alone with the mabeasts?”

“Surprisingly well,” Subaru replied. “I guess people can get used to anything, given enough time.”

That market day began like any other, the city was crowded with wagons and pedestrians pushing and shoving their way through town. The enormous market district of Sanshi, one of the largest in the north, was a bustling melting pot of merchants from all across the world. All human, of course. The district had an unholy cacophony hanging over it with people haggling, arguing, and screaming at one another.

This continued until suddenly, without warning, the day became dark and cold.

The market was dead silent for a moment and then everyone broke into a frightened chatter.

“Look!” One man screamed, pointing up.

A few people and then more and more looked up and raised their voices in dismay. High above, perched on the watchtower like some grotesque gargoyle was a shadow dredged up from a nightmare. “Behold, Taiyang the Witch of the Frozen Wastes,” The figure proclaimed in a voice that could have belonged to no living thing. “Your leaders dared to lay hands on my bride and they stole from me my great treasure. Thus, upon this miserable city, I place a curse.”

The crowd gasped in panic. The guards were already moving out from the palace but they had a long way to go before they even reached Taiyang must less could confront him.

“On your heads,” The witch declared in an inhuman voice. “My thought will lay like a lead chain around your necks, dragging you to the ground. Your city will waste away, covered in swill and flies. Not even the rats will eat your dead. You will kneel before your greatest enemy, cursing both life and death.”

The crowd stared up in horror and they became aware of a loud buzzing. The people recoiled as the sky above them grew dark with swarms of buzzing insects.

Enough Goki to block out the sun descended on the town.

The crowd screamed in panic and they began to stampede away in all directions. Everyone raced away, desperately seeking shelter from the swarm.

The swarm lighted on the market, gnawing at any food present and taking nips out of any persons who hadn’t found shelter.

Pandemonium reigned in the city for long minutes and then, the Goki simply flew up and over the wall and disappeared.

When the town residents looked back up at the tower, Taiyang had vanished into thin air.

That afternoon, Patrasche rode into the Gap, not far from the northeastern tip of the Elior Forest and not far from Koi’s estate.

Subaru and Elsa rode on Patrasche and they were followed by a large pack of mabeasts.

“You know you almost made it, Master,” Elsa said consolingly, she held onto Subaru as they rode on the riding dragon.

“Be quiet, Elsa,” Subaru grumbled.

“You were literally this close to landing in the saddle. It would have been awesome. You just overcompensated a little and wound up falling into the moat.”

Subaru sighed. “Are you enjoying this?” He muttered.

“Surprisingly, yes!” Elsa laughed. “I can’t remember the last time I laughed! Like… really laughed! Not just laughed because it was the correct thing to do in that moment. I actually feel emotions again! I’m not just pretending to have them!”

Subaru shook his head. “Capella really did a number on you guys, didn’t she?” He sighed.

“Yes. But let’s talk about something happier. So, what do we do now?”

“We look for Koi’s men. They’re supposed to be here. We’ll sync up with them and they can help us keep watch for trade caravans.”

“And they’re taking the goods off to sell somewhere?”

“Yeah,” Subaru said. He thought for a moment. “Also, just for the record, you and Meili are going to receive a piece of this.”

“A piece of what?”

“Whatever money I make from Koi, you and Meili will get a share,” Subaru said. “You’re working for me. You’re going to be paid in gold. And paid in Years when I have them to spare.”

Elsa’s arms around Subaru suddenly felt a lot warmer, more like a hug. “Master Subaru, I’m so happy that Meili and I found you. Living with Mother wasn’t really living. Now that we’re with you, we’re really happy for the first time ever,” She whispered in a thick voice. “I’m so sorry that we ever tried to hurt you…”

“Uh,” Subaru muttered uncomfortably. He could feel Elsa’s breath on the back of his neck and her breasts pushing into his back. “That’s… alright, Elsa. We’re cool now, right?”

Elsa didn’t answer except to squeeze him tighter.

Subaru swallowed hard. “Oh, look! I think those are Koi’s guys. You want to take point, Elsa? You can give them directions and I’ll hang back. That way I don’t need to shroud myself to talk to them.”

Subaru and Elsa spent the rest of the afternoon standing guard over the Gap. Every time a trade caravan tried to come through, Subaru in full Taiyang-guise would attack, supported by Elsa and the mabeasts.

Subaru ordered the mabeasts to attack the earth dragons first to prevent the wagons from escaping. After that, each wagon driver had a straight choice: run or die.

Most choose to run but Subaru and Elsa still killed plenty of armed guards and mercenaries who’d been hired to protect the caravans.

Koi’s people were on hand to gather up the goods and take them away.

Subaru and Koi had made a campfire and were about to have some trail rations when a few of Koi’s servants appeared. Senko had apparently thought to send them a packed dinner and a note describing Emilia’s condition.

Smart girl, Subaru thought, reading the note. I knew it was a good idea to give her some more responsibility. Emilia’s condition had remained unchanged. Despite Niobe watching her all day, she had yet to open her eyes.

I don’t know if I should feel disappointed or relieved…

I could only imagine how she’d freak out if she woke up, blind, crippled, and helpless. She’d be terrified and I wouldn’t be there to help her…

Subaru and Elsa struggled a bit but they managed to pitch the tent. Elsa told Koi’s men to keep watch while they got some sleep and then Subaru and Elsa climbed into the tent and laid down.

Subaru woke up in the middle of the night to discover that Elsa had shifted position. She was now wrapping herself around Subaru and her breasts were pressed into his back.

Subaru swallowed hard. “Um. Elsa?”

“Master Subaru,” She whispered. “You’re… going to keep Meili and me, aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” Subaru said, wondering what the hell was going on. “We already talked about that, right? You guys can stay with me for as long as you want.”

Not sure how we’re going to make this work but I can’t just… cut them loose. For one thing, Capella would kill them and it would be my fault. Even ignoring that, if I sent them away not only would they be a huge liability but they might just decide to get revenge by tipping off Capella to my location.

“I feel like you’re still undecided about it,” Elsa murmured, her voice muffled against his shoulder.

Subaru got the uncomfortable impression that the breasts pressing against his back no longer had anything covering them. “No, I’m decided. It’s decided. We’re good,” Subaru said awkwardly, trying to move slightly away.

Elsa wouldn’t let him. “I want you to know… I’ve never done anything like this before…”

Subaru swallowed hard. “Anything like what?” Subaru said, his voice slightly shrill. “We… we aren’t doing anything!”

“Not yet but…”

“Elsa, I’m married,” Subaru said flatly.

“Oh, that’s OK! I don’t want to come between the two of you, Master Subaru. You can have Emilia as much as you want,” She assured him.

Subaru bit his lip. “Thanks for… understanding,” He said in a weak voice.

“I know this isn’t the right time,” She whispered directly into his ear. “But I want you to know, I’ll be more than happy to make you feel good anytime you want.”

Subaru swallowed hard. “Yeah. Thanks, Elsa. I, um… I really appreciate that. I mean, you’re a beautiful woman-”

“You really think so?” Elsa cooed.

Subaru hesitated, wondering if he’d made a mistake. “Well, yeah. Obviously. But like you said, it’s… really not the right time for this so we should probably just try to get some sleep.”

“Good idea,” Elsa said, snuggling tightly against his back and went to sleep.

Subaru sighed, sensing that he wouldn’t be getting much sleep tonight.

For the next three days, Subaru and Elsa guarded the Gap. Word of the Witch and his mabeasts spread quickly on both sides of the border and traffic between the regions almost ceased.

Small military units from Sanshi attempted to sweep the area and drive back the mabeasts but Subaru and Elsa had no trouble ambushing them and slaughtering them.

Senko’s people passed through several times and they were always ignored by the mabeasts. The first few times, Subaru asked Elsa to aid him in keeping watch over Senko’s caravans. He was glad he did so. They were frequently attacked by agents of merchants eager to take advantage of Senko’s ‘double your money back’ offer. Elsa was more than a match for these common roughnecks. She would slaughter the thugs and Subaru would gobble up what was left of their lives.

Then Elsa would bring their leader to Senko as a prisoner. This allowed Senko to deliver the cargo to her customer and delicately inform him that she had a large amount of leverage over him in the form of causing him to be arrested for fraud if he failed to show her some consideration…

Subaru and Elsa were now all but living on Soma. A potent stimulant, Soma allowed the imbiber to go for days without sleep. Subaru and Elsa were very busy and more waking hours were definitely useful but more than anything else, Subaru was trying to avoid sleep.

Each night, Elsa’s invitations and blandishments became more blatant. Subaru was exhausted and under a fantastic amount of stress. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been able to just close his eyes and relax without worrying about Emilia, the spirits, or the fate of whole kingdoms. The offer to just close his eyes and forget about the world in a pair of soft arms was beyond enticing and only his love and loyalty to Emilia allowed him to silence that nagging little voice in his mind that assured him, ‘she would never know.’

Subaru waited with baited breath for Meili to return and distract Elsa.

Will that distract Elsa? Or will I just have a twelve year old wanting to join in on the fun?

That afternoon, Malcolm an Griest stood on the palace parapet. He still hadn’t recovered from whatever the witch Taiyang had done to him. Malcolm found himself forced to walk with a cane. The healers explained to Malcolm that the strength and mana had simply been sucked out of him. They had never seen this kind of effect before and weren’t entirely sure how to treat it. Their best suggestions were for physical therapy and moderate exercise to rebuild strength.

“Father,” Deann called. Malcolm turned around and saw Deann walking across the parapet. Deann was slightly better off than Malcolm. Either because she was younger or because Taiyang had drained her less, Deann was still able to walk around unassisted, albeit slowly.

“Yes, daughter?” Malcolm grumbled, wishing he could keep the hand gripping his cane from trembling with fatigue.

Deann had been a skilled and powerful warrior. Now she had to make every step slowly and deliberately, leaning on the battlements as she went and it was clear that this annoyed the hell out of her. She slowly approached Malcolm. “Father. What are we going to do about Taiyang?”

“Do about him?”

“He’s clearly aiding Siros,” Deann pointed out. “He rescued Princess Kairei and he killed Uncle Robert.”

“Not to mention most of our officers stationed in Kocytos,” Malcolm grumbled.

“Are we sure he did that?”

“It seems unlikely that it was anyone else with all the havoc he’s been causing. Did you learn anything about him while you were a prisoner?”

“Not very much,” Deann admitted. “He appears to be obsessed with his wife, the elf. She was all that he talked about. That and what he was going to do to us if she was hurt. Truthfully, when I heard that she had gone blind, I thought we were dead. Will you bring this before the Hierocracy? A witch roaming the countryside and aiding Siros should be enough to get their attention. Especially now that he’s killed Gilbert.”

Malcolm snorted. “Those fools wouldn’t react if you set their frocks on fire!”

“Then what are we going to do?” Deann asked.

Malcolm stroked his chin. “We finish the war. Quickly. Brutally. Once Siros is destroyed, Taiyang can run around causing trouble but he’ll be like a blizzard on top of the Sacred mountain: a lot of activity but no effect.”

Deann hesitated. “There is one more thing, Father. The curse.”

Malcolm gave Deann a shocked look. “Oh, Deann, not you too-”

“The people are talking about it, Father,” She clarified. “They’re scared.”

“Taiyang made a few windy pronouncements and then he ran away in fear!” Malcolm said dismissively. “And this frightens them?!”

“But people are getting sick in town,” Deann pointed out. “There’s some kind of epidemic spreading in the city and people are claiming it’s the result of the curse!”

Malcolm opened his mouth to protest.

“I know that we get diseases all the time, Father,” Deann cut him off. “It’s part of being a trade hub. But the optics right now are very bad. Every time someone new gets sick, the superstitious folks in town whisper about the curse a little bit louder.”

Malcolm frowned. “Symptoms? Do we recognize the disease?”

“The healers claim that it resembles cholera. Not a disease that our healers usually have any trouble healing but this strand appears to be stubbornly resistant to magical cures. Every time the healers cure someone, he’s sick again a few days later. And by then, more are sick besides. The people are afraid.”

Malcolm made a sour expression. “And the palace guards?”

“So far most have resisted infection,” Deann replied. “The city guards are also resistant but not as completely. It’s probably because they’re mixing with more infected people. The healers are suggesting a quarantine.”

Malcolm sighed. “I suppose we have little to lose with the mabeasts running wild in the south. Trade has just about choked off anyway so a quarantine will have little impact. Any word from the soldiers we sent to investigate?”

Deann shook her head. “They’re four days overdue and the scouts we sent to look for them are now two days overdue.”

Malcolm scowled. “Well, we won’t send any more then until we can send out patrols in force. I’m not going to feed my men to mabeasts.”

“The rumor is that Taiyang is behind it,” Deann mentioned.

“According to rumor he’s also the puppet master of the four northern provinces and he forces their wives and daughters to serve him in bed every night,” Malcolm said sarcastically. “He’s apparently the reason for the last four crop failures and why the farm animals have been acting ‘funny’ recently. I even heard a rumor that he’s created a shadow clergy in a secret room beneath the Basilica who are devoted to freeing the Witch of Envy. A witch who is apparently Taiyang’s bride.”

Deann made a face. “It seems rumors are spreading like wildfire.”

Malcolm took a deep breath. “We need to find a way to regain control. If this continues, things will only go from bad to worse.”

The next morning, Meili and her pack rode into the camp where Subaru and Elsa waited. To Subaru’s surprise, Meili was riding a mottled gray earth-dragon.

“Hey, Subaru,” Meili said dismounting. “Anri made it out of the mountains and onto the plains. I’d bet good money that nobody saw her coming before now. I depopulated those woods of spies and scouts. But I can’t protect her from spies now that she’s marching through the open plains.”

“Nice work,” Subaru said. “You got some big presents coming up when all this is over.”

Meili eyes brightened. “What about a Snow Blight?” She asked eagerly.

Subaru gaped at her. “A what?!”

“They’re cute!” Meili proclaimed.

Subaru made a face. He glanced at Elsa who was laughing quietly into her hand.

Subaru swallowed hard. “We’ll talk,” He grumbled. Subaru looked over at the new riding dragon who was inspecting Patrasche with curiosity. Patrasche’s expression was dismissive. “Did you get this from Anri?”

Meili looked annoyed. “Yeah. She said she’d prefer it if I stopped riding a Guiltylowe into camp. She said it scared her soldiers,” Meili grumbled.

“Could come in handy though,” Subaru replied. “Makes it much easier for you to blend in. What do you call her?”

“Oh. We named her ‘Tasty,’” Meili said.

Subaru blinked. “Tasty?!” He asked incredulously.

She shrugged. “That was what all the Guiltylowe thought when they first saw her and I guess the name just sort of stuck.”

Subaru gave her a sickly grin. “OK. ‘Tasty’ it is.”

“So what now?” Meili asked.

Subaru’s face became serious. “Did Anri say how long until she reached Kocytos?”

“A day. Maybe two.”

Subaru nodded. “Alright. Then let’s head up there to support her. The Gap has been dead for the past two days anyway so we won’t lose much by going north even if a few merchants do try to get through. It’ll just be a trickle compared to the usual flood.”

Subaru whistled for Patrasche who came over quickly. She sniffed the newcomer dragon with clear disdain before letting her master mount.

As Subaru set himself in the saddle he felt his weight shift. Before he realized what was happening, Elsa had climbed into the saddle behind him.

“Big Sis?” Meili asked plaintively. “You’re not riding with me?”

“That dragon is yours, Meili,” Elsa said very reasonably. “I thought we should let her get used to your scent before we introduce her to mine. Otherwise, she might become confused about who her master was.”

“Oh,” Meili nodded in comprehension. “I get it.”

Subaru made a face but decided that nothing would be gained by pointing out the flaws in this ‘theory.’

“Alright, let’s all head north. Meili, after we pass the capitol, I’d like you to send your Knickerbockers ahead to look for scouts and messengers. I don’t want Kocytos to be able to warn the capitol about Anri’s army.”

Subaru, Elsa, and Meili made camp in the woods near Kocytos that night. Predictably, Kocytos had sent out several messengers which the trio had found along the way. Since they were messengers and not fighters, Elsa had caught them and killed them effortlessly. Subaru only considered this noteworthy due to the fact that he was gathering more lives.

I must be up to almost eighty lives by now… How many Years will that make even without the Stone? Somewhere between eighty and a hundred and sixty?

Late that evening, Subaru returned from speaking with Anri. He entered the camp where Elsa and Meili were resting beside the fire.

Subaru dismounted Patrasche. “I brought food,” Subaru announced.

“Combat rations?” Meili asked with distaste. “I think I’d rather send my pets to hunt down a couple of rabbits.”

Subaru shook his head and pulled a gourd out of the saddlebag. “I stopped at an inn. It’s some kind of mutton stew,” He said bringing three gourds over to the fire.

“Oh!” Meili said in appreciation.

“Any more messengers?” Subaru asked as he sat down and handed them their dinner.

“None,” Meili said, digging in. “It’s weird. I figured they’d be sending out a ton. They know Anri will be here tomorrow.”

“You need to remember,” Subaru replied, sipping his stew. “That we know that the messengers didn’t make it but the people in Kocytos don’t know that. They sent out almost ten messengers. They’re going to assume that at least one of them got through.”

Meili laughed. “Bad assumption! Sucks to be them!”

“Right,” Subaru chuckled.

“How was Anri?” Meili asked.

Subaru snorted. “Oh, she’s always such a delight to deal with. Most of her generals were opposed to my plan for no particular reason. They didn’t have an actual objection other than the fact that they’re generals and they feel that they shouldn’t have to follow anyone else’s instructions. Anri put her foot down and we’re all set for tomorrow.”

Subaru suddenly noticed something. “You only set up the one tent?” He asked in a worried voice.

Meili nodded. “Big Sis figured that it was only the three of us and it gets chilly at night,” She said, slurping her soup. “We might as well all sleep together to stay warm.”

Elsa nodded with a peaceful smile.

Subaru gave her a sickly grin.

Maybe I can convince Elsa that giving Meili an advanced education tonight would be bad…

Early the next morning, Subaru and the others kept watch over Kocytos. Subaru and mounted on Patrasche and Elsa and Meili sat on Tasty. Subaru had persuaded Meili to ride on Tasty rather than a Guiltylowe so she’d have one more mabeast to fight for her. He’d persuaded Elsa to ride with Meili to better keep the little girl safe during the battle when things could get crazy without warning.

Subaru had been surprised by how easily they both had agreed.

Through the dense bushes, Subaru could see the Sanshi soldiers frantically digging trenches in front of the city. No more messengers had been sent out for some time.

“Why are they doing that?” Meili asked. Since the Goki night raid at Siros, Meili had developed a keen interest in military tactics.

“Doing what?” Subaru whispered.

“Um. Digging trenches outside the city. Why not just go in the city and defend it there?” Meili said.

“There’s no city wall. Because of that, Kocytos is harder to defend. Besides, fighting in the streets is extremely complicated compared to fighting in the field. This army has been swollen by the remnants of the army we destroyed up in the mountains with the Goki so it is much bigger than the Siros army but it still hasn’t been able to replace most of their junior officers and they won’t be able to until the other remnants make their way back here. That means that they need a simple situation where they can rely on their numbers to bring Siros down without complicated tactics and coordination.”

Meili scratched her head, pondering that. Her expression was thoughtful.

Subaru watched approvingly. This is actually a good sign. Meili’s ability to command mabeasts means that the most important skills she could possibly cultivate are the understanding of tactics and learning how to effectively direct assets in a battle. If she keeps learning like this, she’ll be the scourge of the continent in ten years, Subaru thought with a weird kind of rueful pride.

“Here comes the Siros army,” Elsa murmured.

The Siros army crept up the road in the distance and onto the broad plain in front of the city. They remained well out of bow range as they formed up in lines.

“It seems silly that the Sanshi forces are just standing there waiting,” Meili complained.

Subaru laughed. “It’s not silly at all. It’s just all that they can do. And it’s a sign that our strategy is working.”

Meili squinted at him in confusion.

Subaru smirked down at her. “I’ve learned not to expect much from the generals of Gusteko. But even if they had Sun Tzu commanding the battle, they’re going to be hamstrung by their lack of sub-commanders. A general can issue broad orders but he depends on the leaders in the thick of it to interpret those orders and take necessary actions. The general can use trumpets and stuff to order advance and retreat but most of these soldiers are conscripts and peasants. They can’t follow complicated instructions without guidance. Right now, all the Sanshi army can do is stand there and wait for Siros to commit.”

Meili frowned, mulling that over.

It took a few minutes for the Siros army to finish forming up. Then in lockstep, the soldiers advanced.

“Their army is bigger than ‘ours,’” Elsa worried. “A lot bigger.”

“Yeah but it won’t matter,” Subaru assured her.

“Are you going to tell us what we’re doing or not?” Meili grumbled.

Subaru smirked. “Just be ready to charge on my signal.”

Meili looked extremely discomforted by the thought of actually charging a whole army with her pack of mabeasts.

“What about messengers?” Elsa asked calmly. “If we leave our post here won’t more messengers be sent out?”

“Possibly,” Subaru replied. “Most likely the city will take time to figure out what’s really going on before they can send a report. Hopefully we’ll be back in position by then. If not, it really won’t matter. Once we defeat this army we’ll have taken most of the manpower in the province out of action. Sanshi will barely have enough men to man its capitol walls. Especially with the ‘epidemic’ going on.”

“There’s an epidemic in Sanshi?” Meili asked in surprise.

Subaru glanced at her. “Elsa left a present in the city wells,” Subaru replied.

“Poison?” Meili guessed.

“Yeah. In these quantities it’s unlikely to kill anyone unless they’re already extremely weak but it is definitely making the entire city seriously sick.”

“What kind of poison is it?” Meili asked.

“Hellebore extract. It’s a kind of diuretic,” Subaru replied. “Diuretics force water and certain minerals out of the body. People will be going to the bathroom constantly and that will make anyone who drinks the water feel very weak and tired. Hopefully, that means that the people in Sanshi will suspect a plague, not dirty water. I already made the antidote. Elsa will drop it into the wells after they surrender and the plague will clear up in a few days.”

“Wow. Where did you come up with that idea?” Meili asked, sounding impressed.

Subaru grinned at her. “There was a famous battle where I come from. They were besieging a city called…” Subaru trailed off as the name eluded him. He made a face and triggered Reason and Judgment.

In the frozen moment, Subaru scanned his entire memory for the name of this siege. Only to discover that… it wasn’t there.

None of it was here. Reason and Judgment allowed him to remember any insignificant detail from his life and his Authority was making it perfectly clear to him that Subaru had never heard of Hellebore before. He had no idea about this mysterious siege or where it was or who had fought it. In fact, it was like trying to remember a dream. The details fled faster the more he tried to recall them.

Subaru restarted time with his expression frozen in shock.

Subaru tried to figure out what was going on but before he could put anything into context, there was a roar from the battlefield as the armies collided. Subaru wrenched his mind back to the present.

“Are we going to charge?” Elsa asked.

Subaru shook his head. “Not yet. Hopefully Anri’s commanders know what they’re doing and they follow the plan.”

“What plan?” Meili asked.

Subaru smirked. “This is an old tactic of master generals: feign retreat.”

Meili looked confused.

The armies were engaged and even from far away, Subaru could heard the ringing sounds of clashing metal and the screams of soldiers.

No more than a minute or two after the armies had locked together, Siros blew a trumpet. A long single note that echoed out across the battlefield.

The forces of Siros began to fall back and the Sanshi army aggressively pursued.

A trumpet blew again and the Siros soldiers began to run but it wasn’t a rout. They stayed close together as they ran back toward supply wagons and commanders.

Subaru watched with a smile as the Sanshi army streamed across the field in chase, leaving its own commanders unprotected.

“Now, we charge. Come on!” Subaru shouted, kicking Patrasche.

Subaru broke through the trees on the black riding dragon and charged across the field, dozens of ravenous mabeasts in his train.

Subaru, Elsa, and Meili had covered less than half the distance to the generals before they were spotted. But it didn’t matter.

The Sanshi trumpeter blew a desperate series of notes.

What does that signal mean? Fall back? Reform? Retreat?

It makes no difference. That army has no sergeants or captains to interpret the signal into anything relevant to what’s going on. There’s no way those soldiers are going to figure out what’s happening, much less react in any time to affect anything.

The generals kicked their riding dragons and bolted for the city but Subaru had foreseen this and Elsa, Subaru, and Meili swiftly cut them off.

The officers turned and made for the back ranks of their soldiers but they were cut off by a horde of Guiltylowe there too. The generals were completely surrounded.

“What is this?!” An old man with a mustache demanded in rage.

“You were just about to surrender,” Meili explained to him, giggling.

“You’re using mabeasts in war?!” The general roared. “I knew that Siros was a disgusting gaggle of sub-humans worthy to be nothing but thralls! But to use witchcraft in battle?! This is a war crime! There are laws! There are treaties! There are-”

“Words on a page,” Subaru said in a bored tone. “‘Civilized warfare’ is an oxymoron. I have the power to kill all of you right now and if you don’t order your men to surrender, I will do exactly that. Then I will butcher your soldiers.”

“I will do no such thing!” The general protested.

Subaru shrugged. “Elsa. Kill him,” He sighed.

The general’s eyes widened as Elsa moved almost too fast to see. She grabbed him off his riding dragon and dumped him onto the ground. The general frantically tried to regain his feet as Elsa opened his midsection with an expression of delight.

The general screamed in pain and the remaining officers looked on in terror.

Subaru cleared his throat.

The officers returned their attention to Subaru.

“Tell me, was killing that man against the laws of war? Rhetorical question. I don’t care. Now, I’m going to let Elsa keep butchering officers until someone tells that trumpeter to order the surrender.”

The officers looked at Elsa in horror as she stuck her hands deep in the still-living general’s guts, sighing with pleasure as if warming her hands over a campfire on a chilly morning.

“Make no mistake, I don’t care either way. Your men have walked headlong into a trap. The only thing surrendering will accomplish is that fewer of them will die. But if you want all your men to die, that works for me too. A depopulated province is a lot easier to control and if you have any clue at all, you know that you’re just led your troops into a meat grinder.” Subaru pointed at the Sanshi army.

The officers looked at the still-clashing forces in the distance and their eyes widened in shock. At Subaru’s suggestion, Siros had led the army through a variety of narrow paths between forests and glens in the surrounding landscape. The soldiers were becoming increasingly split up and communications between the groups had been all but severed though few soldiers had figured that out yet. They were easy prey for the well-organized forces of Siros.

The officers looked at one another helplessly and their faces fell.

“You lost this battle as soon as you took the field against me,” Subaru said dismissively. “Give up now and you’ll have fewer good mens’ lives on your conscience.”

One of the officers sighed and nodded to the trumpeter. He blew a series of notes. The confused and widely separated Sanshi forces heard and they began to fall back.

“What will be our fate after the surrender?” An officer asked gravely.

“You’ll be alive. Which is honestly better than you deserve as far as I’m concerned,” Subaru said flatly. “These men trusted you with their lives. And you led them into disaster. In a perfect world, when a leader makes a poor decision, he’d be the first to die for it.”

The battle ended quickly. The soldiers returned to the city gates to discover their leaders had been captured and a horde of slavering mabeasts were just waiting to attack. The soldiers, lacking direction and leadership, gave up when prompted and laid down their arms.

The Siros forces worked fast to corral and provide for the disarmed troops as Anri, Radu, and Gustov rode into Kocytos under heavy guard to enter negotiations with the lord of the city.

Subaru, Elsa and Meili took up position in the forest again.

Subaru wasn’t too surprised that they had to kill three more messengers from Kocytos that night who attempted to slip past the army and warn Sanshi.

Elsa however was thrilled by the messengers’ capture and Subaru and Meili reluctantly agreed to watch Elsa work as she demonstrated the techniques of proper vivisection.

The next morning, Subaru visited Anri in her command tent.

Anri sat in her command tent with her mother’s rapier belted to her side. She wore a small breastplate and a kilt. Radu and Gustov sat with her.

“I assume that negotiations went well,” Subaru began as he sat down.

Anri nodded. “The lord of the town, Robert an Griest, was killed some weeks ago and he hasn’t been replaced yet. The locals claim he was murdered by a witch!”

“War makes men jump at shadows,” Subaru shrugged.

Anri nodded. “The mayor was the one in charge during negotiations last night and he was woefully out of his depth. Not that it mattered. He knew that either he surrendered or Kocytos burned. The local nobility pouted and fumed but they swore their allegiance to me before the end.”

Subaru nodded. “At this point you’ve basically won the war,” Subaru said. “Sanshi’s manpower is scattered and exhausted. Just head on down to the capitol and invite Griest to surrender.”

“Sanshi is a heavily fortified town, Master Subaru,” Gustov murmured. “Attacking it is a daunting prospect.”

Anri nodded in agreement.

“You won’t have to attack it,” Subaru sighed. “Sanshi has barely enough manpower to man the walls. Also, I have it on good authority that an epidemic is ravaging the town. Sanshi is in bad shape. Finish your march south and invite Griest to surrender. He won’t be able to argue.”

Anri frowned. “Is there any risk of our own soldiers getting sick?” Anri asked.

Subaru shook his head. “I recognize this sickness. It’s not a plague. It’s cholera,” He lied. “It’s caused by bad water and it causes people to spend all their time in the bathroom. The wells in Sanshi must have gotten contaminated somehow and that’s why the people are sick. Just make sure your soldiers don’t eat or drink while inside the city and they’ll be fine.”

Anri frowned at Subaru for a long moment. “I’d never heard that cholera was caused by bad water before… I always assumed it was caused by a mana imbalance.”

Subaru shrugged. “You learn something new every day.”

“Moreover,” Anri continued, looking at Subaru suspiciously. “If it’s just cholera, why haven’t the healers cured it yet? Cholera is entirely treatable with basic water magic.”

“They seem to be having trouble,” Subaru said calmly. “That’s what happens when you treat the symptoms not the cause.”

Anri frowned for a long moment. “If that’s so then we should try to cleanse these wells. Or at least warn the people that that’s the problem.”

Subaru looked pained. “I’d… hold off on that, Anri. Don’t give Malcolm Griest any wiggle-room to claim that your Shadows were dropping dead horses in the well.”

“Dead horses?” Anri echoed.

“An old military tactic,” Radu murmured. “And a war crime. Poisoning wells is a crime that punishes soldiers and civilians alike. Men of honor are forbidden from doing such things.”

Subaru’s expression didn’t flicker.

Anri gave Subaru a hard look and was silent for several moments. Finally, she sighed. “Subaru,” Anri protested. “We can’t just let them-”

“There’s a cure,” Subaru assured her. “I’ve already sent out agents to find solutions to fix the water supply. We should have it in a few days. Have the army healers take care of the populace to mitigate the symptoms until then. Then my agents will cleanse the wells. The plague will end and you’ll be everybody’s hero.”

Anri thought it over and finally nodded.

Gustov stroked his beard. “So now it seems all that remains is for us to negotiate with Malcolm an Griest,” Gustov murmured.

Subaru nodded. “Send your emissaries and demand their unconditional surrender. At this point, you must have thousands of prisoners of war to use as leverage. Also you can march your army into the city whenever you want. You have significant funds, resources, and a solid chain of command. Sanshi has none of those things. Just remember that Sanshi has absolutely no leverage and use that fact to break them to harness.”

Anri thought it over and her eyes slowly hardened. “It’s about time they got a taste of their own medicine. Those lowlanders have afflicted my people for generations!”

Subaru nodded. “Don’t give him any room to bargain. Sanshi is going to surrender. Unconditionally. They take orders from Siros from now on. Also, don’t forget about the Ebony Stone,” He reminded her.

Anri nodded.

Anri’s army reached Sanshi the next morning. There was no battle.

Subaru’s predictions of the weakened forces appeared to significantly underestimate the reality and the city surrendered quickly.

Subaru and Anri sat alone in her command tent.

“I wasn’t expecting Sanshi to just surrender,” Anri murmured.

Subaru nodded. “I doubt most people in the city are useful for very much right now. They’re spending all their time shitting water.”

“How many do you think died from this… disease?” Anri asked with thinly veiled suspicion.

“Almost none,” Subaru said confidently. “The disease would only kill people who were already extremely weak and sickly.”

Anri sighed, not finding this terribly comforting. “And how soon the symptoms stop once the water is cleansed?”

“We should be ready to cleanse the water by tomorrow night,” Subaru murmured. “The symptoms should dissipate rapidly once they’re drinking clean water. And your healers will help mitigate the pain and suffering until then.”

Anri rubbed her forehead. “I know that war isn’t glamorous but this seems… worse than I’d been taught to expect. Winning a victory because of innocent people suffering from a ‘disease.’”

Subaru ignored the slightly suspicion tone that Anri applied to the word ‘disease.’ “Anri, you need to get a grip,” Subaru said bluntly. “Remember how when we were making plans to attack Sanshi and take the city, General Stukov estimated that the casualties for Siros and Sanshi would run into twenty thousand killed or injured? We’ve taken the city and ended a war that’s lasted a few centuries with a sacrifice of at most a couple of hundred. That’s a good war.”

Anri sighed. “I understand what you mean. And yet the term ‘good war’ seems oxymoronic to me right now.”

“Point taken,” Subaru admitted. “You’ll be feeling guilty for this for a long time, Anri. But you’d probably be feeling guilty no matter what decision you made. That’s part of being a leader. You saved as many lives as you could. That’s all you can do.”

Anri nodded.

Subaru started to say something and then looked up as a soldier entered the tent and saluted. “Your Highness,” He said respectfully. “Malcolm an Griest has requested a meeting with you.”

Anri nodded. “We’ll be there right away.”

The soldier saluted again, turned on his heel, and left.

Anri bowed her head and took a deep breath. A moment later, Anri put her doubts aside and cast her face into an expression of confidence as she left the tent.

Subaru followed silently after.

“Princess Kairei,” Malcolm an Griest said through clenched teeth. The enormous bear of a man gave a stiff formal bow and stood up as quickly as he could. He leaned on an elaborate ivory cane. At his side was an enormous man with sandy blond hair and a beautiful dark haired woman in a flowing robe. The woman seemed to be leaning on the young man’s arm.

Subaru lurked in the city street nearby, wearing his hood. He was surrounded by Sanshi townspeople. The local populace looked up at the nobles in fear, wondering how much worse their lives were about to get.

The group met on the steps of the Sanshi palace which sat in the heart of the city. Both leaders were surrounded by guards although Griest clearly had fewer.

Anri sank into a polite curtsy and held it for a moment or two longer than decorum strictly required. “We regret this outcome, Prince Malcolm. We are eager to begin negotiations for the restoration of our friendly and peaceful relations. We’ve been informed of the tragic plague ravishing your fair city. We are most anxious to bring our own healers here to assist as a sign of our goodwill.”

The townspeople murmured and Griest scowled.

Subaru just hung back and watched. When did you two ever have friendly relations? Subaru mused. Still, Anri is doing a good job. She’s acting magnanimous in victory and putting her priority on helping the suffering people. The locals will see that and remember it. Griest’s teeth-on-edge courtesy isn’t doing him any favors.

Once Anri’s healers start tending to the people and the plague clears up tomorrow night, the locals will feel indebted to Anri. Griest’s attempts to whip up trouble for Anri by appealing to nationalistic sentiment will be an uphill battle.

All of this is to Anri’s good.

“Welcome to our city, Princess Kairei,” The dark haired woman standing beside Malcolm said with a bow. She apparently realized that Malcolm was fuming too much to continue. “I am Deann an Griest. Let us repair to the conference room and bandage the terrible wounds that have afflicted southern Gusteko for all these years.”

Malcolm turned around, grumbling under his breath and the party walked up the stairs into the the palace. The crowd outside slowly dispersed.

Subaru made to leave as well when something caught his eye. A woman was carrying a small bundle in her arms. She was surrounded by a small group of people as she approached a large wheelbarrow-like cart with a tarp on it that was being pushed by a lanky young man. The woman tenderly laid the bundle down in the cart and then fell back, crying piteously as her companions wrapped their arms around her and hurried her away.

Subaru swallowed hard as the lanky man picked up his cart and began to trundle it slowly past the palace.

Subaru stepped out into the street, blocking the cart’s path. “Hey,” He said sharply. “What’s in that cart?”

The lanky man snorted at him. “Candy,” He said sarcastically.

Subaru didn’t bother to use Indomitable. The man was a head taller than Subaru but he was skin and bones. Subaru backhanded him across the face and then slammed him against a nearby post with one hand. “Do I look like the kind of man you want to get smart with?” He whispered.

The lanky man looked down at Subaru in fear.

“What’s in the cart?” Subaru grated.

“Bodies!” The man yelped. “The people who died from the plague!”

“How many died?!” Subaru demanded.

“I don’t know! How would I know?!” The man protested. “Enough to keep me doing this all week!”

The man broke free of Subaru and sprinted away a few steps. When Subaru made no show of going after him, the man calmed down. He got his composure back and spat on the sidewalk. The man pulled a small piece of paper out of his pocket and read it. Then he scanned the area, looking for something. Finally, he approached a house not far away and knocked on the door.

The door opened and Subaru saw that the people inside had been crying. The man looked bored as he spoke to the residents.

Subaru put the man out of his mind and slowly approached the foul-smelling cart and lifted the flyblown tarp off of it.

Bodies. Close to a dozen bodies. A few were grandparents but most were small children.

The hellebore extract is no real threat to anyone healthy and strong, Subaru reminded himself, fighting for calm. But it can be fatal if your body was already weak from, let’s say, old age. Or if you were very young and hadn’t built up any defenses against poison.

Some of the bodies were wrapped up in swaddling clothes. Did the babies drink the water or did they just suck in the poison with their mother’s milk?

The buzzing of flies was almost deafening. Subaru took a deep breath to steady himself but the repulsive odor threatened to send him into hysterics.

He quickly looked around to make sure that no one was nearby. “Listen,” He whispered to the corpses. “I don’t know if this will make you feel any better but your deaths have saved thousands of lives. Maybe even millions of lives over the next few centuries. Two hundred years of strife and intermittent war between Sanshi and Siros is finally over. No one else will suffer the way you have because of meaningless wars between two insignificant provinces in the north. You all… died heroes. You died for a reason,” He finished lamely.

Subaru looked up and saw that the lanky man was returning to his cart accompanied by a young couple with a tiny bundle in their arms. The lanky man looked at Subaru in disgust when he saw him peering under the tarp but the lanky man was clearly too afraid of Subaru to say anything to him.

Subaru lowered the tarp with a sigh. “Are you done in this area?” He asked the lanky man pointedly.

The lanky man fumed but he nodded, not daring to talk back to Subaru. “Yeah, this is my last pick up of the day,” He grumbled as the weeping couple placed their dead child in the cart.

Subaru took a deep breath as the couple fled the scene, wailing in despair. “Then move right along. If the princess sees this cart when she comes out, you’re going to answer to me,” He said ominously.

The lanky man swallowed hard and nodded. He grabbed his cart and quickly pushed it away.

Subaru took a deep, slow breath. Alright. I admit that the death toll is… higher than I expected. But the decision we made was still sound! A few hundred lives sacrificed to save tens of thousands! I fucking dare anyone to tell me that this isn’t a good trade! We made the right decision. The moral, ethical, responsible decision and the world will be a better place because of it.

Everyone else sits around wringing their hands about the war but I actually did something about it. Somebody has to be willing to get his hands dirty for the greater good.

I wonder who I’m trying to convince…

Subaru slowly walked toward the Inn-Between hoping there was a place there where he could wash his hands.