especially painful sensation. Showing all of herself, like when she condensed the fabric of her being in order to be able to affect the physical world, felt like an express sunburn. Except it was bits of herself, bits of her power, that flaked off instead of skin. She didn’t have the strength to spare, not in such an energy desert as this place was.
Ahhh, she missed the deep of winter and its numerous overcast days, when the sun couldn’t bother her.
Perhaps tired of following her—she could hope!—Momo climbed up Akakiba’s clothes, burrowed in his kosode , and stayed there.
“The squirrel is taking a nap in my clothes,” Akakiba said in an aggrieved tone.
“Let him rest,” Yuki said. “Flying squirrels are nocturnal.”
Hours passed. The farther they went, the less spare energy there was. Trees grew sick and birds vanished. Momo, awake once more, seemed leery of venturing outside the protection of Akakiba’s clothes.
The second day, they stopped early because the ground shook and shook and they couldn’t take three straight steps. Sanae tentatively explored ahead and didn’t like what she found.
I can’t go much farther, she griped to her brother. Not unless she used Aito’s ink trick to hide under somebody’s skin, but she wouldn’t be able to get out again until they were back in a safe area.
Akakiba looked up at the sun, judging the time. “You can go home and tell them so. We won’t be going anywhere until morning.”
Desire to see her parents warred with the fear something would go wrong while she were away. You get in trouble when I’m not here.
“Don’t be too long and we’ll probably still be alive when you return.”
How reassuring. A short visit, then.
She went as swiftly as she could. She had no objective way of measuring how long it took to travel through the spirit realm, but when she finally emerged in the clan house, the sun was still above the horizon. As long as she left before sundown, she’d be back in time to assume the night watch.
She greeted Takashi first, keeping it short. All’s well, but we expect to hit the dead zone tomorrow. I’m here to see my mother. Later!
Akahana was in the central room of their assigned family quarters, her limp evident as she paced and ranted, “I cannot abide greedy people! If they’d listened to me—Oh, Sanae! Is everything well in the north?”
Well enough. And before you ask, I’ve just come from telling the clan leader. Now, tell me who you’re meddling with.
“Do you remember the nice boy you liked? Seiji?”
Sanae didn’t remember having liked him, so she made a neutral noise. I remember Seiji. Is he married yet? I understood he liked the medicine merchant’s daughter, the one who is Akakiba’s friend.
“Sakura is a hard-working girl, but Seiji’s father wishes for a bride with a bigger dowry. He claims the money is needed to provide dowry for his younger daughters, so I arranged a tentative match with the sons of a merchant we have good dealings with. I thought he would accept Sakura’s low dowry if I ensured his daughters could marry without one.”
I take it he wants more money?
Akahana’s lips thinned. “It seems he has gambling debts he wishes to settle.” Dowry was meant to go to the husband, not to the husband’s father. Pressuring Seiji to give up the money to help his sisters marry well was one thing; pressuring him for money to settle self-inflicted debts was quite different.
I suppose they would rather marry Seiji to a ghost woman like me? Sanae said sarcastically. Akahana gave her an I’ve-got-an-idea look. She returned one of her own. Mother, how much would you enjoy meddling further?
Akahana smiled.
It wasn’t a complicated plan, but it did require a quick stop at the medicine shop where Sakura and her father worked and lived, and then a visit to the bigger house where Seiji’s family resided, where they were made welcome in haste and borderline panic.
Akahana bowed low before her
Ahhh, she missed the deep of winter and its numerous overcast days, when the sun couldn’t bother her.
Perhaps tired of following her—she could hope!—Momo climbed up Akakiba’s clothes, burrowed in his kosode , and stayed there.
“The squirrel is taking a nap in my clothes,” Akakiba said in an aggrieved tone.
“Let him rest,” Yuki said. “Flying squirrels are nocturnal.”
Hours passed. The farther they went, the less spare energy there was. Trees grew sick and birds vanished. Momo, awake once more, seemed leery of venturing outside the protection of Akakiba’s clothes.
The second day, they stopped early because the ground shook and shook and they couldn’t take three straight steps. Sanae tentatively explored ahead and didn’t like what she found.
I can’t go much farther, she griped to her brother. Not unless she used Aito’s ink trick to hide under somebody’s skin, but she wouldn’t be able to get out again until they were back in a safe area.
Akakiba looked up at the sun, judging the time. “You can go home and tell them so. We won’t be going anywhere until morning.”
Desire to see her parents warred with the fear something would go wrong while she were away. You get in trouble when I’m not here.
“Don’t be too long and we’ll probably still be alive when you return.”
How reassuring. A short visit, then.
She went as swiftly as she could. She had no objective way of measuring how long it took to travel through the spirit realm, but when she finally emerged in the clan house, the sun was still above the horizon. As long as she left before sundown, she’d be back in time to assume the night watch.
She greeted Takashi first, keeping it short. All’s well, but we expect to hit the dead zone tomorrow. I’m here to see my mother. Later!
Akahana was in the central room of their assigned family quarters, her limp evident as she paced and ranted, “I cannot abide greedy people! If they’d listened to me—Oh, Sanae! Is everything well in the north?”
Well enough. And before you ask, I’ve just come from telling the clan leader. Now, tell me who you’re meddling with.
“Do you remember the nice boy you liked? Seiji?”
Sanae didn’t remember having liked him, so she made a neutral noise. I remember Seiji. Is he married yet? I understood he liked the medicine merchant’s daughter, the one who is Akakiba’s friend.
“Sakura is a hard-working girl, but Seiji’s father wishes for a bride with a bigger dowry. He claims the money is needed to provide dowry for his younger daughters, so I arranged a tentative match with the sons of a merchant we have good dealings with. I thought he would accept Sakura’s low dowry if I ensured his daughters could marry without one.”
I take it he wants more money?
Akahana’s lips thinned. “It seems he has gambling debts he wishes to settle.” Dowry was meant to go to the husband, not to the husband’s father. Pressuring Seiji to give up the money to help his sisters marry well was one thing; pressuring him for money to settle self-inflicted debts was quite different.
I suppose they would rather marry Seiji to a ghost woman like me? Sanae said sarcastically. Akahana gave her an I’ve-got-an-idea look. She returned one of her own. Mother, how much would you enjoy meddling further?
Akahana smiled.
It wasn’t a complicated plan, but it did require a quick stop at the medicine shop where Sakura and her father worked and lived, and then a visit to the bigger house where Seiji’s family resided, where they were made welcome in haste and borderline panic.
Akahana bowed low before her
Similar Books
