All expression drained from Meena’s face. She looked like a newly minted doll. It was all so sudden. She wasn’t sure how to respond.
Her face still a blank, Meena sighed. “Then I’ll go too.” With those words, the life returned to her face and her eyes blazed red hot. “I’m going north with you, Wataru. I’ll help.”
She smiled, and her grip on Wataru’s hand tightened. “I said I’d follow you anywhere and I meant it—even to the Northern Empire. Why, I’m sure this was all in Granny’s vision. You’ll go after Mitsuru, collect the remaining gemstones before he does, and make it to the tower. It has to be…”
As words came streaming out of Meena’s mouth, Wataru was shaking his head. But Meena didn’t seem to notice. When she finally ran out of things to say, she looked up to see Wataru still shaking his head. “Huh?”
“No, you’re not,” he said firmly, surprising even himself. There wasn’t a trace of hesitation in his voice. He sounded almost like an adult. “You can’t come with me. You have to stay here, in the south.”
After one single heartbeat, Meena threw herself at Wataru. “Why? What do you mean? Why can’t I go with you? Why are you being so stubborn?”
“I’m not being stubborn.”
“You are!” Meena gave Wataru a shove. He would have fallen off his stool entirely if she hadn’t caught him.
“I get it! Kutz ordered this, didn’t she? She told you to leave me here. Fine, I’ll just go to the source. I’ll make her let me go!”
“No, Meena. It was my decision.”
Meena’s hand on Wataru’s collar was trembling. “I…”
“I’m sorry. I can’t put you and Kee Keema in any more danger than I already have. That’s why I can’t take you with me.”
“Danger…but I…I’m not afraid!”
“It’s me who’s afraid,” Wataru said. That was the honest truth. “If I brought you and Kee Keema with me, you might die. That’s what I’m afraid of. It scares me more than anything else. If it was me, I could come to terms with it. But you’re my friends. I don’t want you to die on my account.”
“Who says we’re going to die anyway?” Meena muttered.
“You’re right, but I have to be prepared for the worst.”
Wataru did his best to steady his breathing. He was more afraid than he had ever been in his life, but he needed to stay calm.
“If everything goes well and the emperor dies, then maybe I will be able to beat Mitsuru to the tower.”
“Yes, you will.”
“But if I did that, and you or Kee Keema died along the way, I would regret it for the rest of my life. Even if I meet the Goddess and she changes my fate, I don’t think I would be happy. Not ever.”
Even though he knew it was a mean trick to play, he had no other means to convince her. “Please stay here. You’re my friend, and I care so much about you. Be safe, for me. Please.”
Meena buried her face in her hands and began to cry. “I don’t know when I’ll be leaving,” said Wataru. “We’ll take off as soon as High Chief Gil arrives in Gasara. That’s why I wanted to say my farewells now. Thank you. Thank you for everything. I’m so grateful, I can’t put it into words. Really.”
“And Kee Keema?” Meena whispered between gentle sobs.
“I’m going to tell him now.” Wataru quietly stood up from his stool. “Thank you, Meena. I want you to be safe here, and happy. You should rejoin the Spectacle Machine and bring smiles to the faces throughout the south—no, throughout all of Vision. Okay? Promise?”
Meena made no reply.
Chapter 44
Escape from Gasara
Wataru couldn’t summon up the strength to meet with Kee Keema right after talking to Meena. I’ll do it later, he thought. Thankfully, there were other things to keep him busy.
In the area around Gasara, there were several smaller towns that helped facilitate local trade. Refugees from these places were arriving daily at the town’s gates. Wataru, along with his fellow Highlanders, had his hands full with all the incoming traffic.
“If all this confusion continues much longer, then I’d gladly give myself up as the Halnera sacrifice just to get back a little peace and quiet,” one of the refugees said with a sideways glance at his exhausted wife. He led a small child by the hand. The simple lodgings that had been set up for refugees had only the barest necessities, yet still, many were glad to be able to bathe and eat a proper meal after four days on the road.
“You don’t have much longer to wait. Halnera will soon be over,” Wataru told them.
The man nodded slowly. “I hope so…” he said with a sigh. “You get to wondering if they really need a sacrifice. I’d think the Goddess in all her power would be able to make a Great Barrier of Light by herself. I started thinking that maybe the Goddess’s intent with this whole Halnera thing lies elsewhere.”
“Elsewhere?”
“Yep. Look how we struggle and tremble just hearing that one of us is to be chosen as a sacrifice. We’re so weak. And in the end, all we care about is our own hides. That’s why there’s all this chaos. And of course, some people have tried to make a profit off it. Some have even used the confusion as a cover to do away with people they don’t like. It’s all greed, and it runs deep. Ugly stuff. That’s why the Goddess has to shake us up a little bit every now and then. She wants to remind us of our weakness, and our ugliness. She wants to make sure that we don’t fall any more in love with ourselves than we already are. That’s why she started this whole Halnera thing—at least that’s what I think.”
The thought hadn’t occurred to Wataru.
“Wouldn’t that make the Goddess a little harsh toward her own people?”
“Harsh? You bet. But, I figure she has to be strict. If she was nice all the time, nothing would ever get fixed. Words are empty. You can pass the greatest teachings of the sages down, but if all they see is prosperity day in and day out, they’ll forget what the words mean. People are forgetful creatures, you see. That’s why at least once every thousand years the Goddess has to come down and give us a jolt—something to remind us of what the teachings really mean.”
They spent so much time talking that it was late into the afternoon by the time Wataru could take a break from the refugee camps. The man’s heavy questions weighted down his already laden heart, and his feet trudged across the ground as he walked back toward the branch office.
Then he noticed something odd. People were gathered out in front of their houses and talking in hushed voices. What’s going on?
Just then Wataru turned a corner and ran into the doctor from the hospital. His medicine bag was tucked under one arm, and he was speaking with some of the townspeople. Wataru called out to him, but the man was so engrossed in his conversation he didn’t even notice.
“Hello there! Has something happened?”
“Oh, it’s you!” the doctor said, blinking eyes half-buried under thick brows. “You mean you don’t know?”
“I see people standing around…”
Everyone, including the doctor, looked at him in surprise. “You’re a Highlander, aren’t you? How can you say you don’t know! Gasara has been surrounded by a company of the Knights of Stengel for the past hour!”
Wataru gaped. “Surrounded—what’s this all about? Didn’t the guards do anything?”
“What was there to do? They saw a company of the Knights of Stengel approaching from across the grasslands, and they thought maybe they were coming for supplies or just to visit. The next thing you know, they had us all surrounded.”
“The town gate is closed,” the doctor said. “No one is getting out or coming in.”
“I’ve been with the refugees this whole time.”
“Aye,” said one of the townspeople, “and the Knights of Stengel move fast—faster than the wind. That group is quiet as a snake ready to strike.”
“I need to get back to the branch!” Wataru made to run off, when the doctor grabbed his collar from behind. “Wait. Y
ou might want to see how things develop first.”
“What do you mean?”
“Captain Ronmel came in with some of his men. They went into the branch office. Whatever business they have is in there.”
Wataru’s eyes opened wide. “You mean they’re chasing a criminal or something?”
The doctor shook his head. “Remember when the four high branch chiefs sent out orders to the Highlanders without the approval of the Senate? Word is that Captain Ronmel’s business here has something to do with that.”
With a start, Wataru remembered the dangerous tension that had passed between Captain Ronmel’s troops and the Highlanders in front of the Lourdes observatory. And Captain Ronmel’s words: if the branch chiefs and the Highlanders get on the bad side of the Senate, then one day the Knights of Stengel and the Highlanders might stand on opposite ends of the sword.
So what Captain Ronmel feared had come to pass.
“Apparently, the captain has come for none other than Kutz herself,” the doctor said. “Someone in the Senate wants her detained and sent to the capital. Not sure what the matter could be…”
Wataru knew. The assassination plot. Word must have leaked from somewhere, and someone in the Senate caught wind of it. There would be those in the Senate who didn’t favor the idea of the emperor in the north suffering a sudden demise.
Kutz said it had been her plan. That made her the ringleader. If she’s arrested, she’ll be tried for sure. Where was High Chief Gil in all this? And the three who were supposed to go north with her?
“I don’t care what they say she’s done. They can’t come in here and take the chief away,” one of the townspeople said, snorting loudly. “Those Knights of Stengel are just the Senate’s lapdogs. Who can trust them? And they’re all ankha too. You can bet they don’t think too highly of us beastkin.”
Several others standing around agreed. One waved his fist. “If anyone is going to put those Knights in their place, it’s got to be us!”
The doctor’s ears flattened against his head. “I’m sure the government and the Knights know how you all feel. That’s why they have us surrounded. It we strike back unthinkingly, I fear something terrible may happen.”
“Then you’d just have us stand here and watch them take Kutz off without a fight?”
“That’s not what I’m saying.”
“Well then?!”
Wataru slipped away before the argument grew even more heated.
He ran until he reached the front gate. It was closed and barred, as the doctor had said. Knights were stationed outside, and a notice of some kind had been posted in plain sight. Probably a warrant for Kutz’s arrest. A local beastkin was loudly arguing with one of the Knights. Across the street, a small child was crying as he clung to his mother’s skirt hem.
A darbaba cart was parked off the road by the gate—perhaps stalled by the arrival of the Knights. The waterkin driver was upset with the situation and was locked in a debate with another of the guards. Wataru hid behind the large wheels of the cart and listened to their exchange.
“Like I said, I have nothing against the Knights at all. But you have to understand I’ve got a shipment of the best shulshu here. You ever eaten one? Freshly killed, they make one of most delectable meals to be had, but freshness is everything. Every minute I stand here waiting the value of my cargo drops.”
“We’ll open the gates as soon as we’re done, you have my word. We don’t mean to hinder business in Gasara any longer than we have to. Please, be patient.”
“That’s all fine and well, but my shulshu are rotting here.”
“If you have a problem with it, talk to your branch. We’re following government orders here, that’s all. If your branch chief goes along with us, we’ll be out of here in no time.”
So they were after Kutz. Where is she? I’ll have to sneak into the branch and take a look for myself. Wataru’s hand went to the hilt of his sword.
A double circle of onlookers stood in front of the branch. The outer ring seemed to be mostly residents. The inner ring consisted of five Knights of Stengel, standing in a formation in front of the door.
Trone must be inside. Wataru thought a moment, then went around to the back of the building. All the windows were firmly shut. The window to Wataru’s room on the second floor, which he had left open that morning, was closed too. Even the shutters had been locked.
Wataru returned to the front of the branch. He mingled with the crowd, waiting for an opportunity to enter the building. Everyone was talking and shouting and demanding answers. It was noisy.
All at once, the Knights moved to the side and the door to the branch opened. A voice was heard from inside. One of the guards nodded in acknowledgment.
Wataru made sure no one was looking and drew his sword. Quickly he made the sign to create the invisible barrier. Once obscured, he slipped through the crowd and past the Knights.
“Hrm?” A Knight grunted. “What was that?” He looked down at his feet, but Wataru had already made his way inside.
Trone was sitting calmly at Kutz’s desk in the center of the room. There were two Knights by his side. Directly in front of the desk stood Captain Ronmel.
It appeared the other Highlanders had managed to duck out of sight in the nick of time. Wataru could see no one else. Either that, or they’ve already been taken away.
“I’ll ask you one more time,” Captain Ronmel was saying to Trone. Wataru had heard the Captain’s voice many times before, but never had it sounded so ominous, so full of threat.
Trone, on the other hand, seemed unconcerned. He leaned back in his chair, fixing his glasses on his nose, looking perfectly relaxed.
“Where is Branch Chief Kutz? We know she hasn’t left the town.”
“I’m sure she’s around somewhere. Wish I knew. I’m not her bodyguard, you know.”
“Even if you don’t tell us, you won’t be doing her any good. We’ll find her sooner or later and take her in.”
“Then I suggest you get busy! Sorry I can’t tell you what I don’t know.”
“If we start searching the town, it will upset the residents more than they already are. I would think you’d want to avoid that from happening. Cooperate.” Captain Ronmel’s eyes burned with a cold blue intensity. Like Trone, he seemed at ease—like he was ready to wait for days to get the answer he wanted. Still, Wataru thought he detected a hint of weariness in his demeanor. There were shadows under his eyes.
“We know you are the sub-chief at the branch here, responsible for keeping order when Kutz is away. I wouldn’t think Kutz would wish to create any needless commotion here in Gasara.”
“Oh, I think I know exactly what the chief would wish—and I certainly don’t need you to tell me.” Trone’s words were sharp and to the point. Though he was still leaning back in his chair, his eyes flashed. “I’m still not sure I understand why exactly the chief has to be brought in to the Senate. It sounds like a case of unwarranted arrest to me.”
The young Knight standing to Trone’s right suddenly beat his fist on the desk. Documents scattered and a pen clattered noisily to the floor. “We have a warrant right here!” The Knight’s eyes burned through the gap between his helmet and breastplate. Captain Ronmel lifted his hand to stay the Knight, his eyes never leaving Trone’s face.
“I’ve lived a few years myself, and I’ve never seen an arrest warrant from the USN before…” Trone began picking his nose. A long nail extended from one round furry finger and began deftly probing one of his nostrils. “Nor had I ever heard of anything like this treason law it talks about. How can I be sure this warrant is the real deal? Could have been faked.”
Captain Ronmel’s eyes took on a dangerous gleam. “Very interesting. So you claim our warrant is a forgery?”
“I’m just saying it wouldn’t surprise me, coming from the likes of you,” Trone said, revealing the fangs on one side of his mouth as he chuckled. “I’m sure your keepers in the Senate feed you well. A well-trained dog
will do anything his master says. Why, you’d walk through a sea of nightsoil to get a bone if your master said fetch.”
Trone would’ve continued if the young Knight standing by the desk didn’t suddenly lash out at him with his fist. At least he didn’t draw his sword, Wataru thought. The other Knight standing guard quickly moved to stop him, and another ran in from outside. Immediately a great brawl started, rowdy enough to shake the building. Wataru slid across the floor past Trone’s feet and hid under the desk.
Wataru was breathing hard with the effort required to keep the barrier up. He let it fade. Clasping his mouth with both hands, trying not to make a sound, he breathed with both shoulders heaving.
When the shouting and yelling and punching had died down, Wataru saw Trone’s feet lifting off the floor. There was a heavy slam above his head. They must have pushed him onto the desk.
“You’re welcome to your ridiculous delusions…” he heard Captain Ronmel talking, his voice calm, as if nothing had happened. “But we have sworn our allegiance to the Senate, and we act with their full authority.”
“Oh? I wonder about that,” came Trone’s reply, undaunted, even if his face was pressed to the desk.
“Not only did the four high branch chiefs not heed the Senate’s admonition and send their Highlanders out without authority, but we know they planned terrorist activities against the Northern Empire. High Chief Gil is already in our custody. We are currently interrogating the Highlanders who were with him about this plot to assassinate Gama Agrilius VII. You’ve been caught red-handed, Trone.”
Captain Ronmel’s voice cracked with emotion for the first time. Wataru hunched down beneath the desk. So High Chief Gil had been arrested.
It was over. At least Kutz was still free. Hopefully we can keep her that way.
“You’ve known Kutz a long time,” Captain Ronmel said. “So you must know her past. You know that I was also once a Highlander, one of her trusted partners. An incident drew us apart, but I always had the highest respect for her work, and I do not wish to see her unfairly treated. More than anything, if she plans these acts against our country’s best interest, I will have her stopped.”