A Thousand Leagues of Wind, the Sky at Dawn

7-1

Enho spread out the map of Kei on the table. "You can safely assume that the capital province will be located in the middle of the kingdom." As maps went, it didn't have nearly the detail that a map back in Japan would have. From it you could understand the gross features of the land, but little more than that.

"In the case of Kei, Ei Province is in the middle. Surrounding it are eight provinces. This is also in accordance with the Divine Decrees. The province lord of Ei Province is the Taiho. Essentially, the land of Ei Province is divided up and enfeoffed to the imperial ministers. Technically speaking, the ministers are not given a salary. They are confined to specific territories within Ei Province, called duchies. From the taxes raised within each duchy, a portion is assessed by the kingdom. What remains constitutes the minister's income.

"The smallest taxable jurisdiction in a duchy is a town, for which the imperial assessment is five percent. To this, poll taxes and other levies are attached. Consequently, a public servant with an enfeoffment of a single town will often tax up to fifty percent of the revenue from the operating homesteads for his own income. The largest taxable jurisdiction is a county. There, a county tax assessor can be appointed by the duke. The process is the same in the districts of the provincial capitals as well."

"So the district the provincial capital is located in is divided up and enfoeffed to the provincial ministers."

"That's right. So, what do you see as the strong point of this system?"

Youko tilted her head to the side. "Because you don't have paper money, when you pay your public servants, wouldn't they have a hard time taking it home with them?"

Enho smiled. "We do have such things as bank notes, so that shouldn't be a concern. The ministers are given land. When there is a famine, the income of the public servants must necessarily decline."

"Oh, I see. Income levels are free to fluctuate on their own, without lowering and raising salaries."

"That's right. And the disadvantages?"

"The possibility of despotic rule?"

"Yes, indeed. A chief constable is guaranteed to be stationed at least in the capital province. He sends inspectors into every county and prefecture to audit the business of government, but his eyes cannot reach into every nook and cranny. Inspectors are accorded the same authority as county superintendents. But inspectors and superintendents can conspire together and pretty much do as they please. The gross tax rate is set by the kingdom, but there is much room for personal discretion in the assessment of fines and levies. That is why, whenever a duchy in the capital province changes hands, the people have cause for either celebration or despair."

"I see."

"In the case of Hokui Prefecture, where Kokei is located, it is in the Duchy of Yellow. It does not have a duke. It is governed instead by the Taiho. Long ago, it was the domain of the Province Lord of Wa."

"The Marquis Gahou." Youko knit her brows. Amongst the province lords, Gahou was held in considerable disrepute. He was said to be a crafty and conspiring man, cruel in his governance of the province. Many voices clamored for his dismissal, but he never gave them the chance.

"At the time of the ascension of Yo-ou, Gahou was appointed Daishiba, head of the Ministry of Summer and was enfeoffed Kokui County in Hokui Prefecture. He later left that post to become Marquis of Wa Province. When the people of Kokui heard that, not a few of them wept tears of joy to be free of his clutches. Gahou is a jackal who cut off his tail and stood on his hind legs. A dangerous man, one who never leaves a chink in his armor exposed."

"The Rikkan doesn't know how to deal with him, either. They've done investigations, but they never turn up sufficient grounds for dismissal."

"Indeed. At any rate, this kind of thing--"

A knock came at the door, causing both Enho and Youko to look up.

"Hey, Gramps, a messenger came!" said Keikei, bounding into the study. "Oops, sorry."

Enho took the letter from Keikei. He opened it and cast a concerned look in Youko's direction.

"What is it? Bad news?"

"Oh, it's nothing," said Enho dismissively, folding up the letter. He said to Youko, "It looks like I'll be having a visitor tonight."

Meaning there would be no lessons after dinner. Youko nodded.

Keikei looked up at Enho. "A guest? So he'll need a meal and a room?"

"Oh, no need to worry about that. He'll be here after dinnertime and will be returning tonight as well. I'll make all the arrangements, so you can go to bed without any concerns."

That night, in her bedroom, Youko secretly met with a visitor of her own. It was Hyouki, one of Keiki's shirei.

"And how is everybody doing?" she asked, apparently to no one. There was no one besides her in the room.

"As always, all are doing well." The answer seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere in the room. A person overhearing the conversation would imagine a voice coming from beneath the floor. That wouldn't necessarily be wrong. Hyouki had hidden himself within the ground.

Shirei could travel through the invisible conduits and currents in the heavens and in the earth. Following these pathways, they moved unbeknownst to humans. It was called tonkou, or "the art of hidden escape." Keiki could travel on the currents of the wind, but he couldn't move that far. He certainly couldn't travel all the way from the palace at Gyouten to Hokui.

Because he couldn't make the trip by himself, he sent his shirei in his stead. Hyouki reported in detail about the conditions of the palace. Upon his return, he would in turn relay to Keiki how Youko was doing.

"Koukan's whereabouts are still unknown."

Youko nodded. Koukan had plotted her assassination and then slipped his shackles and was currently on the run.

"There is a rumor among the province lords that Your Highness has fled to En in fear for her life."

Youko had to smile. "I thought they'd come up with something like that. Well, then, let them go on believing it."

"Nevertheless, you must be on your guard. If Koukan were to discover your current location, he would certainly conspire to kill you again."

"No need to worry. Hankyo and Jouyuu are with me."

"I shall communicate the same."

She saw Hyouki off. In fact, there was no need to "see him off." He simply left from where he was. And Youko exited the room.

The basic layout of the apartments in the building consisted of one open room or living area attached to two private rooms. This was the case with Youko's room as well. In terms of Japanese architecture, it consisted of two 3 jou bedrooms adjoining a 4.5 jou living room. In a big house, the bedroom on one side would have a bed for sleeping and the other room would be furnished with a divan that could be used as a bed or couch, along with a writing desk and shelves so that it could be turned into a study. Between the two rooms was a living area. During seasons when the climate was agreeable, the door could be opened and screens set up to preserve some privacy.

It was also common to completely remove the thin, sliding doors, creating a large open space. More than a room, it turned into a broad extension of the veranda. Youko figured she could put a table and chairs there.

There wasn't any class in the sliding doors at the rike. Paper was glued to the fine latticework within the doorframe, like a Japanese shouji door. Those doors were closed. When you went to bed, unless you wanted to discourage others from coming in, no matter how cold it was, it was considered polite to leave the doors open a crack. So Youko opened the doors just a bit.

From Youko's living space, she could directly see the portico facing the small study that was sandwiched between the courtyard gardens. She saw a silhouette advancing down the corridor. She fixed her attention on that spot.

She could only make out that it was a man. Not young enough to be a boy, and not an old man. He was wearing a cotton-padded jacket over a plain outfit. And a hat. A black veil fell down from the brim of the insignificant-looking cap. Furthermore, a shawl was wrapped around his neck up to and covering his face. As a result, she could not make out any features of his face.

"Who is that?"

Now matter how hard she looked, his face remained hidden from her. The silhouette appeared to bow and disappeared into the study. Youko observed this, drawing her eyebrows together. Then she left the living room and headed down the corridor to the orphanage.

"Rangyoku."

Hearing Youko's voice from the hallway, Rangyoku lifted her head. Keikei jumped to his feet and took Youko by the hand.

"What's going on?" Rangyoku asked.

"Let's go play!" Keikei said.

"Could I speak with you a minute?"

"Go ahead," said Rangyoku with a smile. She took the pot from off the brazier. She had brewed some tea in the kitchen and was warming it on the brazier. "Oh, that's right. Enho has a visitor, so you don't have classes tonight."

"That's right," Youko smiled, taking the teacup Rangyoku offered her.

"Do you know who it is?"

"His visitor? I don't know. I haven't heard anything."

Keikei tugged on her sleeve. "Hey, sis, it's that guy, the one with the calico hair. I delivered the letter for him."

Ah, Rangyoku nodded. She thought maybe he'd said his name was Rou. He had black hair mottled with brown. He visited Enho occasionally. He seemed to be some kind of servant. She didn't know anything more about him than that.

"Rou-san. So then who that creepy visitor?"

"Creepy?"

"The way he always hides his face. The way he calls on Enho now and then. First he sends Rou-san. He always comes at night, and always late into the night. I know when he's coming because Enho says it's okay not to lock all the doors at night."

"Do you know where he's from?"

"No. I asked Enho, but he wouldn't say a word. I don't like him."

Keikei nodded as well.

"Don't like that man?"

"He's got to be a bad man, for sure," said Keikei, looking at Rangyoku.

Rangyoku gently rebuked him. "You shouldn't say that. But whenever he does come by, the next day Enho looks all depressed."

"Why?"

"I don't know. He won't say. Just one more thing to worry about, you know?"

"Yes, I know very well."

She talked a while longer with Rangyoku and Keikei and then returned to her room.

"Hankyo."

"I am here."

"When that man leaves, tail him. I want to know where he is lodging."

He had to be staying somewhere. The city gates would be closed at this time of night.

"By your command."

7-2

The boat passed Mt. Koushuu at the borders of Kou and Kei. The Koushuu were the ranges of mountains that demarcated the borders between each of the eight kingdoms. There was at least one crossing, and no more than three, where the mountains could be traversed from one kingdom to the other.

Because every kingdom had the same geography at its borders, the borders were also known as the Koushuu. Suzu gathered that from the Koushuu mountains separating Kou and Kei to the port of Goto in the northern quarter of the Kei, centrally located on the eastern coast, it was a trip of four days and four nights.

"Hey, Suzu, I've got a present for you!"

Suzu was standing on the deck looking out at the ocean. Seishuu ran up to her.

"Here," he said, proudly producing a piece of dried fruit, a candied apricot.

"What's this?"

"It's for you," he said with a pleased look.

What a strange child. He'd given her such a hard time, you'd think he'd keep his distance afterwards. But that was not the case. Rather, they seemed to bury the hatchet rather quickly. He was cheeky enough to come into the women's stateroom and sleep next to her. Suzu as well was somehow able to keep her temper in check. Anyway, anybody picking on Seishuu because he was a child would catch it in spades. The kid really had a mouth on him.

Also because they were now sleeping in the same room, Suzu couldn't help but observe how often he was in pain. Almost every morning found him holding his head and moaning. He wasn't lying when he said that he'd get better after some rest, but even when he was on the mend, he often got sick to his stomach. When he was well, he'd go back to behaving as if nothing were wrong. Otherwise, he could hardly keep his feet under him, and would have to half-crawl, half-walk to get around.

Suzu suspected that Seishuu did not have an ordinary illness. He said he'd been attacked by a youma. Suzu had seen the wound once. There was a small cut in the back of his head right beneath his pony tail. She was relieved that it did not look like a particularly severe injury, but he said that his head began to ache only after being wounded there.

"Hey, Seishuu, you really okay?"

He popped an apricot into his mouth and looked at her in surprise. "What?"

"Your injury. You say it still hurts, so that must mean it's not healing. How are you doing?"

"You're right. I'm not really okay."

"Have you been seen by a doctor?"

Seishuu shook his head, no. "Never had the time. But it's okay. I just got to rest for it to get better."

"Is it as bad as it used to be? Or is it somehow getting worse?"

She had noticed that the periods of time he was in pain were getting longer and longer. And after he woke up, it was taking him longer before he could walk normally.

Seishuu said in a disconcerted voice, "Hard to say, I guess."

"The last couple of days, you've been rubbing at your eyes. Are your eyes feeling bad, too?"

"It's getting hard to see."

Suzu gasped. "Obviously, something's wrong. Don't keep saying it's getting better. When we get to Kei, we're taking you straightaway to see a doctor."

"Okay."

"Did you have a place you needed to go?"

"Seishuu shook his head. "My mom's dead--"

"I don't believe it. So you just randomly headed for Kei? Shouldn't you have just stayed in Sou?"

Seishuu turned away with a huff. "Mom said to go back to Kei, so I'm going back to Kei."

Suzu took a deep breath. "At any rate, when we arrive in Kei, I'm taking you to the doctor for an examination. For all we know, you could be at death's door."

Seishuu suddenly trembled. "You know that because you're a wizard, Suzu? Am I really dying?" He looked up at her with the frightened face of a child.

"It's just words, Seishuu. I don't have any reason to thinking your dying."

"You've got a mean streak in you, Suzu."

"Yes, I do. Sorry. And you're a plenty bad stinker of a kid as well. Besides, you know that only the good die young."

Seishuu laughed in agreement and Suzu gazed briefly at his bright, smiling face.

The sailor laughed. "Feeling seasick, little guy?"

"No way," Seishuu shot back.

Suzu poked her head out from the shelter and wrinkled her brows in concern. It was awful the way he dragged his body along. The sun was low in the sky and yet his condition hadn't improved.

"But I am feeling a little dizzy."

"Don't get yourself all worked up so. Take it easy. You must be getting all worked up about returning to Kei, huh?"

"I'm not!"

The sailor said that because Seishuu's hands were trembling. More than a tremor, he was almost convulsing.

"The best thing to do when you're sick is to sleep it off. Tottering around like this you're going to fall overboard."

"Okay," Seishuu laughed and disappeared into the stateroom.

Suzu watched this with some relief. Seeing Seishuu like that frightened her terribly. A headache or a few tremors, perhaps she wouldn't be very concerned. But day after day it all piled up, that's what worried her so. She followed Seishuu into the stateroom. Seishuu was sitting there with a vacant look on his face.

"You okay?"

Seishuu looked over his shoulder at her, glancing around the stateroom with a puzzled look on his face. He blinked several times, then rubbed his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm not okay at all. My eyes are really blurry."

"But are your eyes okay?"

Suzu rushed up to him. She knelt down on his right and examined his face. "Does it hurt? Do you have a headache?"

Several times, Seishuu glanced back and forth between Suzu and the wall in front of him. "Suzu, I can't see you."

"You can't?"

"When I'm looking ahead like this, I can't see you at all."

Suzu hurriedly directed her gaze forward. People normally had a wide field of vision. She could clearly see Seishuu out of the corners of her eyes.

"What's wrong with me?"

His childlike face colored with fear.

"Seishuu--"

His stricken countenance crumpled. She thought he was going to cry, but instead he laughed. The tint of fear still hung in his eyes. "I guess I'm a good boy after all."

"Seishuu."

"Yeah, looks like I'm going to die."

"No, you're not! Don't say stupid things like that!"

His face fell again.

"Let's go together." Suzu reached out and grasped his trembling hands. "Let's go to Gyouten together."

"Gyouten?"

"I'm going to Gyouten to see the Royal Kei. Surely the Empress will be able to heal you. The best doctors are in the royal palace. So shall we?"

Seishuu shook his head. "I don't think people like that are going to want to see me."

"But it hurts, doesn't it? And your headaches are real bad. What happens if things just keep getting worse and worse?"

"Do you think she can heal me?"

"If the Royal Kei can't, we'll go onto Sai. I'm sure the Royal Sai will."

"Okay," Seishuu nodded. A small tear spilled down his cheek. "I'm scared to die."

"Seishuu."

"No matter who you are, everybody dies. But you can't laugh about your own death."

"Idiot. You're going to be fine."

Seishuu laughed and cried at the same time. "It looks like I'm going to have to practice my poker face a lot more."

"Don't be a smart-ass." Seishuu nodded and rested his head in Suzu's lap. "Everything's going to be okay," she said, stroking his back. "I promise."

Three days later, they finally made it to Goto. Though called a "port," Goto had no real docks or piers. Instead, a series of large boulders had been sunken off the coast in a gentle arc. The boat anchored to the stones within the arc, and then barges came out from the cliffs to meet them. The barges were from the floating wharf at the foot of the cliffs. From there, a stone stairway carved into the cliff face in switchbacks up to the top of the cliffs.

Suzu helped Seishuu down from the stones, assisting him on his right side. His eyes still hadn't improved. Since that day when he said he couldn't see her, the vision on his right side hadn't returned.

Many times his feet got tangled up and they almost fell. A longshoreman, seeing that Suzu was not able to support Seishuu without losing her own footing, offered to carry him the rest of the way. They arrived at the top of the cliffs out of breath. From there they could survey the whole of the countryside. A long and narrow village spread out along the edge of the cliffs.

The Kingdom of Kei, Wa Province, the port of Goto. They were in the eastern reaches of Wa Province in the northeast quarter of Kei.

Seishuu slid down from the man's back and took in the landscape. Suzu grasped his hand. They were going to Gyouten and the Royal Kei was going to help them.

7-3

The kitsuryou galloped effortlessly through the sky. Shoukei looked down at the landscape and felt a heavy weight lift from her chest.

This is the only way to go.

She would hardly be meekly returning to the orphanage or becoming a servant again. From the start, she had determined to free herself and run away. She was never going to kowtow to anybody ever again.

Shoukei headed straight for the Black Sea, arriving at a town along the coast before the gates closed. There she sold an earring, fixed up her clothes and got a room. The sensation of silk against her skin after so long, a luxurious meal, a bed made up with embroidered quilts. She went to sleep, checking her urge to shriek aloud with delight.

The next day she sold another earing and flew off toward the Black Sea

A kitsuryou could cross a kingdom in two days. She passed over the featureless borders and entered Ryuu. There she got a room. The following day she headed north along the coast. Before evening, she had arrived at Haikyou, a port town in the central part of the kingdom. She was now closer to En than to Kyou.

The kitsuryou's reins in hand, she passed through the big gate. The gate was covered in a carved floral pattern. The walls were punctuated with a series of latticed skylights. Lanterns hung from the eaves, lighting the cozy forecourt that spread out from the middle of the gate. It was a large inn.

A man came running out to meet her. To Shoukei question he smiled and bowed low. "There is a fine room available, m'lady."

"Good," said Shoukei, smiling sweetly in return. "I shall stay here, then. Please look after my kitsuryou."

A groom hurried over and took the kitsuryou's reins. A bellhop undid the luggage from the saddle and the groom led the kitsuryou to the stables next to the gate. Shoukei went from the forecourt into the building through the gated entranceway.

Immediately inside the doors was a large parlor. Tables were generously spaced along the walls at which the guests sat and conversed together. To the concierge who walked up and bowed, Shoukei took a silver hairpin from her fashionably done-up hair and held it out to him.

"Should this cover everything?"

Because travelers did not like carrying large amounts of cash with them, payment was often in kind. Large inns always had a small shop where personal items could be exchanged and where accounts were settled. If the payment proved excessive, upon checking out the balance was paid in coin. The concierge took the hairpin and confirmed its workmanship with an enthusiastic nod of assent.

"It is quite sufficient. I shall deposit it against your account."

"If it is not enough, please let me know."

"Thank you very much. Shall you be eating dinner tonight?"

In the smaller inns, there was always a tavern open to the street, and the rooms on the second floor. The larger hotels served meals in the restaurant facing the courtyard or in the guest rooms. The guest rooms in a small inn were for sleeping only: beds set up on a wooden floor, and a sink to wash your face, if you were lucky. Many inns did not even enjoy those accommodations. Cheaper establishments simply had a bunch of cots lined up on a dirt floor, with not even screens separating them. You slept together with complete strangers.

Beds in an average hotel had canopies and curtains, along with a sink and a small table. In a fancy hotel like the one Shoukei was staying at, you had two bedrooms in which to make yourself at home, and a living room where dinner could also be served.

"I'd like a room."

"In fact," said the concierge, a concerned look on his face, "a ship just came into port. We have many guests and no single-occupancy rooms. Would you mind sharing a room?"

A hotel of this class would definitely have two bedrooms per room, and so was set up to handle double-occupancy reservations. If there weren't enough vacancies available, double-occupancy rooms were converted into shared rooms.

"Are there no other options? I wouldn't want to end up with some yahoo."

"I am indeed sorry. We would be happy to arrange for you to stay at another hotel, but I'm afraid they are all booked as well."

"I guess it can't be helped."

"Unfortunately, not in this case. If you would please follow me, I shall show you to your room."

Shoukei was shown to a room on the third floor. They walked down a corridor that overlooked a small courtyard and arrived at a room toward the back. It was hardly the best room in the place. In these types of buildings, the higher you went, the lower the ceilings became. Besides, the best rooms faced the gardens.

"Here is the room."

The room he stopped at was in a wing in the back of the hotel. The beautiful fretwork on the door was glazed with glass, revealing the interior of the room. Behind the door was a living room arranged with furniture of above-average quality.

Opening onto the living space were two wide doors. These led to the bedrooms. The key fitted the bedroom door. There was no key for the door into the living room, as it was not considered a private room. This was how double-occupancy was accommodated.

"Thank you."

She handed some change to the bellman who delivered her luggage to the room, and sat down in a chair in the living room.

"What a stupidly prosaic room." A smirk came to her lips.

She didn't feel even a twinge of guilt. The Royal Kyou had it in for her and had driven her to this, and so what was so bad about giving her a taste of her own medicine? The Royal Kyou could lose any number of her personal accouterments and hardly notice a thing missing. At any rate, she'd probably inherited most of it, and so Shoukei had "inherited" it in turn from her.

"If I take it easy on this trip, I should get to Kei in six days."

The capital of Kei, Gyouten. The capital of the eastern kingdom that the Royal Kei now occupied. Once she got there, then what? She had to start somewhere. In order to get close to the Royal Kei, she had to get into the imperial palace. And that wouldn't be easy.

Shoukei didn't have a passport that could vouch for her identity. She'd left behind the papers given her in Hou. She'd heard that there were officials who would forge passports for a price, but she had no idea where to find the kind of corrupt bureaucrat who could do such a thing.

Getting into the imperial palace in Kei with only a passport was far from impossible. The empress had only recently acceded to the throne and so there was likely a considerable turnover in the staff. Shoukei was cultured and educated. If she expressed a desire to serve the empress, the odds of her getting hired were good. At the same time, after so short a time on the throne, the empress would no doubt be lonely. No matter how many officials and bureaucrats she was surrounded by, somebody genuinely nice would no doubt catch her eye. She was perfectly capable of sucking up to the Royal Kei. She'd wait for the chance, and strike.

And besides, she knew the workings of an imperial palace inside and out.

"But maybe I should go take a look at Tai."

In a kingdom that had lost its king and was in chaos, you probably didn't need a passport.

The Royal Tai had acceded to the throne two years before Hou changed governments. Not more than half a year later, an imperial rescript was issued to all the Twelve Kingdoms announcing the king's death. The rescript was delivered by the new king. But an imperial rescript was hardly required when the king of another kingdom died. A phoenix bird in every imperial palace would sing forth, making the announcement. The phoenix birds had remained quiet in regards to the Royal Tai. There was no doubt about it: when Shoukei was living at Youshun Palace, the phoenix bird hadn't uttered a peep about the demise of the Royal Tai.

If the king lived, there was no reason for a new king to arise. Clearly, this was a pretender. In fact, nobody really knew what was going on in Tai. Kingdoms tended to keep their internal affairs to themselves.

If they had lost their king, then Tai was in the same predicament as Hou, and there was no way she was going back to Hou. For the time being, she muttered to herself, Tai it is.

"So, where are you headed?" asked the waiter who brought dinner.

Shoukei looked down at the dishes being placed there and furrowed her brow.

Oh, great.

The table was being set for two. She'd be eating with some complete stranger. She made a face. Answering the waiter's call, she saw someone came out of the other bedroom--apparently they'd been in there all along--and lowered her brows. Bad enough that she had to eat with a stranger, but he was a--

Hanjuu.

A person born half a beast. There weren't a lot of them, but neither were they scarce. In Hou, a hanjuu would never be caught dead in an establishment like this. And in beast-form, certainly would never be allowed into the courtyard.

As if he did not see Shoukei sitting there, brows fully furrowed, he bustled into the room and said to the waiter, "Thank you!"

He had the voice of a child. In the form of a rat, he was no taller than a human child, as well, but was wearing a man's tunic. He tipped the bowing waiter and sat down.

As if finally seeing her there, he said, "Hi."

"Hello," Shoukei replied under her breath.

"Surprising at how many guests there are. I wonder if these arrangements are common in Ryuu?"

Shoukei didn't answer. It was bad enough, simply having to sit at the same table with a hanjuu. She averted her gaze.

"Today is unique," said the waiter. "A ship arrived from En. Were you aboard that ship?"

The hanjuu said, "Oh, gotcha."

"About half of our guests disembarked. And about half will be reboarding. And where are you headed?"

"I thought I'd see the capital."

"Ah," the young man smiled. "Wonderful place. The lilies are beautiful. Though you've chosen to travel during the cold part of the year."

"It's not so different from En."

"Is that so?"

"En is pretty cold, too. It's further south than Ryuu, but catches the seasonal winds."

The young man turned to Shoukei. "And where will you be going next?"

"Tai," she said shortly.

The waiter's eyes opened wide. "But Tai--"

"Is in turmoil, I know. That's why I'm going. People I know live there. I've been worried how they're doing."

"Where in Tai?"

Shoukei's heart skipped a beat. "And why should you want to know?"

"Oh, no reason," the young man answered, with a nervous laugh. "I was originally a sailor on a ship that sailed between Ryuu and Tai."

"Really?"

"We shipped grain to Tai, carried gemstones on the return voyage. Tai is pretty short of grain. But we didn't make it last time around. There were so many youma, we never got near the place."

"Huh."

"It's pretty scary when a kingdom surrounded by the Kyokai falls into chaos. The youma who live at the bottom of the ocean rise to the surface, and before you know it you're completely isolated. In fact, this winter, I have no idea how the people of Tai are going to eat."

He didn't pose the question as if expecting an answer, so Shoukei instead thought about Hou. Hou was in the same predicament. Even after cultivating the land, the harvest yielded only enough for people to scrape by on. If a harvest failed for any reason, there wouldn't be enough to go around.

"Was your friend able to get out of Tai?"

"I hope so."

"So many people are trying to flee Tai. Most of them come to Ryuu. Our last cargo was mostly people. There were so many people flooding into the port, wanting to leave Tai so badly they were clinging to the gunwales. We had to take them on board. If we didn't, they would have capsized the boat."

"Wow."

"Long story short, it's a dangerous place. Sea traffic is closed. I got my parents to help me come here. There are colleagues of mine there still waiting for a ship."

"I see."

"Good thing you've got a kitsuryou. It looks like no ships are sailing for Tai. The news from En as well is that sea traffic to Tai has been suspended."

Shoukei's eyes opened wide. "You heard I came on a kitsuryou? Already?"

The young man laughed. "A rare thing it is for one of our guests to arrive on such a splendid pegasus. Well, not really, I guess." He turned to the rat, who was politely finishing his dinner. "Your suugu tiger is even more impressive. It's the first time any of us have seen a suugu, so we've all been stopping by the stables to take a look."

The rat stroked his whiskers. "Well, not so impressive. It's a loaner."

Shoukei looked at him. With a mount so impressive, in spite of his being a hanjuu, of being a child--for that's what she thought he was--that's why he was being treated like a man.

The waiter said, "But the sky is plenty dangerous as well."

Realizing the statement had been directed at her, Shoukei quickly nodded. "Yes, I… . "

"Perhaps you had best go on to Kei."

"To Kei?"

"Warships still manage the journey from Kei to Tai to rescue refugees."

"Really?"

"People from Kei bring in refugees to cultivate new land. In exchange, they're registered on the census and are given a plot of land. When I was traveling to Tai, ships from Kei periodically left Tai with refugees. There aren't so many opportunities as before but I still think they're doing it, so getting a ride with them is probably the best way."

"You think so?" Shoukei just managed to check her delight. Go to Tai. Wait for a ship and return to Kei. Get registered on the census and head for Gyouten. It'd be easy. "That's good advice. Thank you."

She meant it from the bottom of her heart.

From Tai to Kei. Satisfied that there was light now at the end of the tunnel, Shoukei returned to her bedroom and went to sleep. With a brazier to warm the room, she slept warmly and comfortably beneath the embroidered futons.

She was awakened in the middle of the night by a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" she said, frowning. That rat no doubt had something he wanted her to do.

"Excuse me." It was the young man who had served them dinner.

Shoukei sluggishly got out of bed, put on a robe and went to the door. "What's this about?"

"Something I remembered about Tai."

Shoukei unlocked the door. She was debating whether or not to open the door when it was abruptly jerked open. Shoukei recoiled, cowering. Standing in the living room was the young man and a number of soldiers wearing blue armor.

"What?" Her heart pounded in her chest. She somehow managed to ignore her racing pulse.

"Let's see your passport."

The blood drained from her face. "What are you talking about? At this time of night! We can take care of it tomorrow."

Her throat was dry, making it difficult to raise her voice in protest. The soldiers pressed into the room and surrounded her.

"Where's your passport?"

Her knees began to shake. "Truth is… I lost it."

"Your name?"

"Gyokuyou. Son Gyokuyou."

With an expressionless face, the soldier looked at her and then at his colleague. "You've got a kitsuryou, huh. Where'd you get it?"

"I… I don't recall."

They regarded with great suspicion. She bit her lip. She had said the first thing that came to mind and it was a lousy lie, if she said so herself.

"Search her things."

"Stop it! You can't just do whatever you please!"

As she raised her voice, Shoukei felt that this was the end. She had finally made it to Ryuu, and the Royal Kyou had reached out her hand after her and taken her into her clutches. Her gaze flitted about the room. She had to get away, but soldiers held her by both shoulders. Even if there were means of escape, there was no way to run.

The soldiers went to the bedstand and pulled out a small satchel secured with a leather belt. They opened it, and from amidst the clothes pulled out the delicate fineries.

One of the soldiers was holding a piece of paper, and checked each item off against a list. "A decorated belt, a gold buckle with the emblem of a phoenix dragon. Phoenix bird earrings. A string of jade pearls. They're here." He turned to Shoukei. "You're missing two sets of earrings and a hairpin. Where are they?"

Shoukei couldn't answer. She was trembling too violently to speak. She'd be arrested, she would answer for her crimes and be judged. Finally, it dawned on her. Why hadn't any of this occurred to her until soldiers were walking all over her?

The penalty for theft… Shoukei searched her memory and goosebumps came out on her skin. Crucifixion. You were tied down to the road and nails driven into your body until you died.

"Hey, what's going on?"

The door to the room opposite opened and the rat stuck his head out. He rubbed his sleepy eyes. Shoukei jabbed her finger at him. "I don't know anything about it! He gave it to me!"

"What?" The rat cast a stunned look at the soldiers.

"Passport?"

"It's in my room."

"Name?"

"Chou Sei."

The soldier checked his travel documents and folded them back up with a disinterested expression. He jerked his chin toward the door.

"Let's go. The both of you."