Disclaimer: I do not own Jackie Chan Adventures.
Queen Of Shadows
A Jackie Chan Adventures fanfiction
Written by Eduard Kassel
Created by Nocturne no Kitsune
Beta'ed by Zim'sMostLoyalServant
Adopted from Nocturne to finish what he began.
Summary: Many great events are afoot in the world of Jade Chan! The war has resumed under the leadership of Ikazuki, and just because it is out of Jade's sight does not make it out of mind. And to everyone's surprise, Jade has brought into the world Hishu, a new General from whom a new tribe will arise.
And no sooner did Jade have to absorb the implications of this event, than her long sought chance of escape was presented. In the form of Hishu's deep trust and need to please her, and the aid of Bachi, a tanuki taken prisoner by the Shadowkhan. But Bachi is far more sinister than he seems…
Meanwhile, in Tobe, three members of the Shogunate in the Shadows palaver upon their pasts and motivations. And subsequently agree to an impromptu expedition to Shikoku.
As war rages, events are in motion for a critical encounter far from the lines of battle this chapter.
Rated: T
Chapter Nine: Trust
They stopped in a wooded vale that Bachi claimed was safe. Jade was glad she had brought her geta, replacing them on her feet. Awkward compared to real shoes, but she would not want just socks against the pebble, stick, and root-laden ground with the tender feet she currently had to work with.
It was all so… unmanaged. She had thought the glade in the Gardens was a bit of wild, but seeing the real thing now, it was clear it was gardening meant to be more natural in appearance.
And something stank. Jade blanched and raised a sleeve to her nose.
"What is that stench?!" she demanded of Bachi.
"Deer dung, Your Majesty," the tanuki replied. He was stretching his back, having carried her. Jade blinked at that; she had been no more fond of the odor than anyone she knew, but that smelled just foul.
"Perhaps Your Majesty should drop the glamour? Conserve your strength?" the tanuki asked.
"The woods might have eyes. And my skin may draw them. You said there was a way out of Shadowkhan territory?" Jade asked.
"Oh yes, most wonderful miss! But not through I, through a friend. A most magnificent weaver of wonders is he. He made this place so safe, and here I can call him. He will help you, very wise and kind is he to youkai who wish no harm to mortals," Bachi said. Opening his mouth wide, he reached down his throat, much to Jade's surprise.
It seemed no great discomfort for him, as he rummaged visibly, pushing his arm down to the elbow, before making a muffled sound of victory. He withdrew his arm, and an acorn.
Sitting the acorn down on the ground, Bachi picked up a stone, spat on it, and used it to crack the acorn. It went off like a flash-bang, making Jade cry out.
"Oh, so sorry! Forgot that part, let me ease your eyes," he said, as Jade tried to blink the spots from her sight.
Light exploded again, and she fell forward, to be caught by a hairy arm.
'Did he hit me over the head with that rock?' Jade wondered.
XXX
"This is amazing!" Yasashi said over the wind. The three of them sat atop the giant brown-and-black feather, the ocean having given away to the lost land of Shikoku. While Nonki and the lady warrior took in the view, Himitsu sat in the back, one hand on the spur of the feather as if it was the tiller of a boat.
"Hmph, any wizard worth his salt could do the same with the proper knowledge and a fresh roc feather," Himitsu remarked.
"Seeing as I have never heard of a roc, I will take that as a sort of humility on your part, Himistu-san. Though I appreciate the view, it occurs to me that such traveling could take too much of the journey out of a journey," Nonki remarked with a grin.
"If you want to walk back, by all means," Himitsu said.
"Lovely idea! But Rokutaro-san will no doubt be peeved at my long absence, then. He says I'm vitally important for something. Not often I get called that. Hmm, in fact, that may be the first time," Nonki noted.
"Well, it is time to land, regardless. My spy has sent a beacon. A different location, closer than flying is safely stealthy, even with my spells."
"Is that normal?" Yasashi asked, as the great feather lowered to the ground. It touched down in the meadow, and the Demon Queller jumped off onto the tall grass.
"No, and this particular tanuki, while skilled, is one I fully expect to try and betray me at some point. But I have cursed him to make no pact with the Shadowkhan or their allies. And he would not dare to summon me with that spell without a very good reason. I told him that if it wasn't important, I would kill him for wasting my time."
"But you were coming anyway," Nonki pointed out, as the wizard got off the feather.
"That is irrelevant. I expect my bound servants to- What!?" he cut off as wind surged and the feather rose up.
"I'm supposed to stay out of sight, so maybe my going isn't such a good idea after all. So I will just fly around a bit until the world tells me you are ready to go," Nonki said with a smile. To Yasashi's surprise, Himitsu actually leapt for the swiftly rising feather, impressively almost grabbing it.
Then, as if caught in the wind, it rose, and soared off away from them.
"That's mine!" Himitsu growled, picking himself up.
"And now we are reminded why he holds the highest bounty in all of Nihon," Yasashi sighed. He wouldn't strand them here. Hopefully.
XXX
"My goodness, you are hard to knock out, little fool," Bachi snarled. He was stalking around the clearing, all impressions of infirmity gone.
Jade tried to yell something through the gag. Even more than the thin rope he had tied her up with, the gag was the worst. It tasted like sweat, but worse, and she got a fresh taste every time she moved her jaws. Ugh!
Also, her hair kept getting in her face! The bastard had stolen and pocketed the pins right off her head, the fancy comb too.
Delivery fee; did they even have that back now? If anyone was going to make out of context cracks, it should be her.
"Stop glaring and drop the glamour," he growled. He kicked her in the chest, and she fell back from her kneeling position to the ground. A knobby root digging into her back made her cry out. Which only meant she then had to suppress the need to vomit.
He loomed over her as she blinked back tears.
The glamour had almost slipped, but she held it. She was no helpless princess, needing to wait for rescue. As tight as these bonds were, she would slip free and magic this upstart raccoon into next Tuesday, and then kill him next Tuesday!
"Heh, pathetic. I barely tapped you. I've eaten human women that impressed me more."
'What?! Since when do tanuki do that?' Jade thought.
"The glamour is trouble, but he should see through it.
"But still, you smell delicious. So much exotic magic! Surely he doesn't need all?" he started to salivate. It dropped from his muzzle, mouth opening wide and revealing lots of sharp yellow teeth.
"I have performed a great service. What are a few fingers, a hand, an arm?
"Oh, I know! A leg – it's a service, since he won't have to worry about you running away!" Bachi cackled. Ignoring her bonds, he seized her kimono over the legs and ripped it. The wind hit her legs, and she flinched, only for a hairy claw to grab her left shin.
"Blue? Oh goodness, it's just like make up, isn't it? No worry then. Hmm, tender," he cheered, lifting her off the ground by her legs. She managed to headbutt him in the waist, but he didn't seem to notice.
"Bachi, do you want to die?" an old man asked. Jade was dropped on her head. Again, not knocked out, but her head felt like it was going to split.
'Can I pass out now?' she wondered, watching people emerge from the trees.
XXX
Hiruzen paused, the brush in his hand posed over the dispatch scroll. Something was wrong, very wrong.
A drop of ink splattered onto the white paper and was followed by the brush, bouncing against the paper and rolling onto the tabletop. Hiruzen did not stop it; he was already gone.
The Yojimbo knew exactly where he needed to go.
XXX
He rose from the shadows into the Queen's tower, panting from the exertion. The wards that sealed it from other types of intrusion made shadow teleportation inside all but impossible save for the stronger Generals.
All seemed calm, as he left the library and found nothing out of the ordinary. Worse and worse, it seemed. There was no peril greater than the unseen and unexpected.
He paused, and with a gesture called the sentry from hiding.
"The meditation chamber," the shinobi reported. After all, what else would have him in such haste?
General Hishu was standing guard outside the door. That made him pause again. His sudden appearance startled the young General, who drew himself up.
"The Queen orders that she not be disturbed," Hishu told him.
"No General has the authority to come between the Yojimbo and his duties. Step aside," Hiruzen commanded. The General's body language was little but doubt, yet still he steeled himself.
"My duty is here too," Hishu stated. Hiruzen closed his eyes, and backhanded the fledgling General aside. The same motion took him forward, his other hand grabbing the door.
"I see I must still teach you the difference between duty and loyalty," Hiruzen remarked.
The room was empty.
"What have you done, Hishu?!" the Yojimbo demanded.
"Raise the alarm!" he called out.
XXX
Yasashi had already drawn Houka as they approached the warded vale. Her training let her sense the magic; Himitsu's works were hardly benevolent, but they did not make her react with the chills heralding evil.
The sight of the corrupted tanuki threatening a noble child almost saw her sprinting forth. All that she was made the action as clear as stepping out of the rain. But a firm hand seized her arm.
"Bachi, do you want to die?" Himitsu spoke. The tanuki dropped the girl, and Yasashi noted the torn clothing on the ground.
"Master," the tanuki said, kowtowing.
"That is no human child, do not be rash," Himitsu said. Releasing her arm, he stepped out into the clearing, and Yasashi followed.
She sensed far more than the tanuki now. The air was thick with… something. Like a magical, heavy humidity; it was insubstantial, but its presence nearly clear. The sensation was odd, dancing at the edge of her senses. An uninitiated human would not be aware of this. And it was beyond her experience.
"I have strict orders on your bad habits, Bachi. And yet I find you at it, after you dare to summon me. Our contract does not allow me to kill you without cause, but even if this is not cause enough, my associate would kill your for less than a third of your crimes," Himitsu remarked. He walked up to the tanuki with his arms clasped behind his back.
"But I have brought you something precious, beyond value. More than a mountain of gold! Surely you can sense it?! The Queen of Shadows herself!" Bachi shouted.
Himitsu froze, and Yasashi felt a chill.
No, not possible, she thought. Himitsu, for his part, drew his bamboo wand from his sleeve and shifted to look at the girl. Narrowing his eyes, he gestured with the wand, and the girl's skin darkened, and then what looked like thin tar melted off, revealing blue skin and red eyes.
"All the kami of Heaven," Yasashi gasped.
"What fool. Do you. Take me for!?" Himitsu demanded. Quicker than she expected, the wizard had kicked the tanuki from his protraction clear onto his back, and was shoving the wand into his belly.
"Master?!" Bachi pleaded.
"I have learned oh so many things. And among them stands paramount this – no fortune so good as this is real. What trap is this? For me? Do they know about the others?
"Answer me or die in agony beyond your crude mind's grasp," Himitsu demanded.
Yasashi ignored the youkai's blubbering, as she walked over to the girl. Her eyes were wide, but they reflected nothing in their own faint glow.
Normally the sight of any woman, much less a child, so bound would kindle such anger that a younger her would have let it overtake discipline. But these features… she had no sympathy for the enemy she found.
How long she had waited to face the Shadowkhan, yet now she was faced with a foe bound and delivered.
"Shendu deceived me. He let me think his arrogance had allowed me to steal the Archive. But it was only a sick game, to let me think I had won, for the pleasure of him witnessing my despair when he effortlessly took it back and left me to die.
"In a way, he was one of my greatest teachers…" Himitsu said, as he zapped the pleading tanuki.
"Himitsu," she spoke.
"What?" he snapped.
"This may be a fake, but I'll kill her just to be sure." Because if this was true, than the gods' generosity did not extend to fools. Opportunity could be snatched away, to never return. She wanted answers, but not so badly she would risk this.
"No, that could trigger the trap. …And if it isn't… Can it really be?"
"Yes! Yes! Please, I have served you well. You owe me my freedom for such fine service."
"Quiet, you belong to me. I have no obligation to free you either by contract or some morality. You deserved to die."
Yasashi brought Houka to bear, and watched the youkai's eyes grow wider.
"Wait, if this is real, we need her alive," Himitsu said.
"She is the Shadowkhan's life, you said. So her death is their death. This war could end now."
"Or it could not end, and it will end in Nihon's ruin. I must investigate-" he said. Then the naginata swung down, cutting through the air towards the possible Queen's neck.
*Ching*
White sparks flew up as steel struck steel. Yasashi registered the amber-eyed shinobi crouching before her, kunai held up, before the blade slammed into her belly with force enough she was sent stumbling back.
Then the Bat Khan were upon her, and Houka sang through the air. Filling it with black blood and smoke.
Ambush?!
'Hiruzen.' They both recognized the sinister figure in black before them, holding the dagger that had deflected Houka.
Wind was kicked up as Himitsu backpedaled, three blades whistling through the air. Swinging his wand, he sent a bolt of magic that struck Kamisori's steel and splashed out across it as the General glared at him.
A third Khan with a basket mask rushed up and scooped the Queen up in his arms and turned his back.
"No!" Yasashi shouted. She brought Houka down to block Hiruzen's strike, sparks springing from the clash. The Queen's rescuer ran.
"Go Kamisori!" Hiruzen commanded. The Reza General paused for a moment, glancing between the humans and Hiruzen, then nodded, dashing out of the vale after the Queen.
Yasashi and Hiruzen disengaged. Himitsu noted Bachi was dead, his head sliced into three pieces.
"You will pay for this," Hiruzen stated, taking two steps back.
"You sent away all your allies," Yasashi noted.
"They are where they are needed," the Yojimbo said.
Yasashi fought for her life. She could barely block; only skillful retreat was keeping her alive. As it was, her armor had to stop numerous blows from the Yojimbo's dagger.
Queller armor, wrought from Shadowkhan bones, turned away shadow swords wielded by the Samurai Khan. And yet, he was going to cut though it with ease.
A bolt of magic forced him back, and she pressed an attack. The blade hit empty air, and he actually struck the chain with a backhand that nearly jolted it from her hand.
Unbelievable – now he was even counterattacking when Himitsu gave her an opening.
This was Hiruzen. More than the Generals, every Queller apprentice was ordered to flee on contact with him. Yojimbo meant bodyguard among humans. But Quellers had thought it meant something different to Shadowkhan. It meant the strongest, the best. The apex of a warrior race.
The tales were true. Her fury rose at the revelation she would die here, having missed her chance for vengeance by mere moments.
Leaping back, she gave a war cry, calling on greater power from Houka. If this was her end she would-
Was that music? And wasn't she just angry?
What?
XXX
This was annoying, Hiruzen thought. He had planned to take down both without killing them, in order to question them. But their skill was dragging this out. There could be further danger to the Queen, so he needed to end this.
So which one to kill? The wizard seemed a better prisoner, more likely to know more, Hiruzen thought as he ducked the magical blast and parried Houka with his dagger. However, wizards often had some escape spell, and if he killed the Queller and the wizard escaped, he would only have gained Houka for the time wasted.
So kill the wizard, take the Queller's hands, confirm the Queen's safety, and then torture chamber. Time to act, then.
As if his resolution was a signal, six samurai charged out of the brush, swords raised, yelling battle cries. They rushed past the wizard as the Queller leapt back with that inhuman agility her order developed.
As Hiruzen severed the first samurai's head cleanly, he noted the samurai were exceptionally well armored, but bore no mon. Interesting.
When he had killed eight, he realized that no one was taking advantage of the ruckus. He could see the Queller and wizard watching as more samurai streamed from the underbrush. The samurai had war masks on. The same set of six.
And why did he smell human blood, but no human piss or excrement? Hiruzen halted, and let three blades swing through him. Pain seared through him, but he could tell there was no damage. The Yojimbo slashed his dagger across the opposing forearm. The illusion wavered, and with a focus of his will shattered. He stood alone in the grove.
"…There was another," he stated. Turning his heel, he ran with all haste towards the Queen's location.
XXX
"Well, seems you two had quite the time," Nonki said with a smile. Himitsu had the till of the feather, and Nonki was reclining at the other end, his face mostly covered by his hat. Yasashi glared at him.
"I suppose thanks are in order, but had you been there to start with-" Yasashi said.
"Yare, yare, there's little sense talking of maybes," Nonki yawned. Himitsu cleared his throat.
"Indeed, this mission was scouting. I was hardly prepared to face Hiruzen himself," Himitsu commented.
"Oh, so with preparation you could defeat the Yojimbo?" Yasashi asked, raising an eyebrow.
"…No. Still, we saw the Queen of Shadows. We know more now than any human since Zhongli Quan. Why the disguise? At least I retrieved Bachi's head; some answers will be forthcoming," Himitsu mused, glancing to the damp bundle by Nonki.
"But they recognized Houka. If any word has reached them of Houka or a Demon Queller in the Shirogeta lands, their eyes will turn to Tobe.
"The enemy now knows more than they did as well," Yasashi reminded them.
Himitsu offered no comment, focused on steering the feather on the winds. Nonki, on the other hand, smiled and sat up, filling a saucer from a small sake gourd he pulled from somewhere.
"Do not worry. Rokutaro-san is the adaptable type. Quite a feat for a daimyo, much less one of his age," the Peaceful Musician said, offering her the drink.
XXX
Jade sat on her bed, still sore. She wanted to strip off her filthy kimono and just slide under the blankets to sleep. She was dirty, ached, and frankly was exhausted in all senses of the word.
And puzzled to not be locked up, or chained up, or something.
So she waited, not even bothering to eavesdrop on the Generals talking outside.
At last, the door opened, and Hiruzen entered alone, carrying a bottle with a faint glowing blue liquid. Glass, swanky, she noted, as he sat it by the mirror. That done, he proceeded to loom over her.
Oh crap! He was good at looming!
Jade, despite her state, rallied enough to glare back at him, spine stiffened and everything. His eyes narrowed, and she broke the stare, looking off to the side and raising her shoulders, slouching forward.
'He's good,' Jade reiterated in her head.
"I have done many things, and seen more, in my long life. I would say there is very little in the way of Shadowkhan that I have not dealt with at last once.
"Yet, knowing that, something must be said – I cannot decide how to begin here. Your actions… the only thing that matches my furious indignity, is sheer puzzlement. Both of which are surpassed by terror that you should do such a thing!" he said. The calm was terrifying, and Jade found herself wondering if the bed could be hidden under.
'Catching Queenie's cowardice?' Jade managed to string together as a thought.
"I'm sorry," is what slipped out.
"Sorry. I suppose that's good, but just now I think that's hardly relevant.
"Very well, tell me this to start with. Why?" Hiruzen demanded.
Jade looked back at him. Why wasn't she in chains for the interrogation? Wasn't it crystal clear by now he wasn't dealing with his precious evil princess?
It took her nearly a minute of being under the glare to remember her excuse. Well, better to play a bad card than an empty hand.
"I, I wanted to go outside. And I knew you would never allow it. So I…" Jade couldn't continue, waiting for him to call her out.
"Just like your mother.
"You have grown lately. But I admit I never considered you would follow her folly.
"Do you remember? I worried for your grief. Your anger that your mother had died. You asked me, what was more important than her being here? With you?
"I said I would tell you when you were older. Well, now you are older.
"It was a sword. The Shadow-Casting Sword, Amaterasu's gift, forged from the resolve of the Nidaime. The sword that can cast shadows even in the gloom of Yomi, and slay Onis of Hell so that they rise again no more. Lost when Daigoro the Bold was betrayed by his comrade, Zhang Guolao.
"She believed a Queen could retrieve the Sword; she had reason and she wanted to step out from her mother's shadow.
"I did not tell you then, because I feared what you would think of your mother placing a sword before you, her daughter.
"She was dear to me, as all Queens are, but I admit her motives were selfish. She focused on what she wanted. Not how much the Race needed her, or how no one else could assume the role of mother to you. That even with you, her heir, here to carry on, how her loss would be a blow to us all.
"She was driven to selfishness by her desire for glory, and now you in pursuit of freedom.
"Our race is a duality. The male, and the female. The many, the few. The followers and the leaders. One does not just sit atop the hierarchy, like a throne atop a pedestal. It is a place of power, in many ways an inversion, where you must carry the weight.
"Do you even grasp the consequences of your actions?
"You nearly died! The Kamikiri offer thanks to every kami whose name is known as we speak, such is the fortune I arrived to stop that blade from falling upon you! Even the Reza, who are irreverent by nature, offer up prayers of thanks.
"You have no heir. If you were to perish, the Shadowkhan race dies. That is all – a Queen cannot survive without the Race, nor the Race without a Queen.
"It was not your life to risk. It was every Shadowkhan's life. It was the legacy of every Shadowkhan that ever lived. And all the shadows that would never live as a result.
"To think I believed you growing into a fine Queen…" Hiruzen ranted. At some point, Jade had closed her eyes. Her head was pounding, and he was hardly shouting at all. She needed a snappy comeback, but her mind was drawing blanks. She just wanted to melt into a puddle of shadows right now.
"But I think you knew this conversation was coming. You may be more foolish than I had thought, but you are not such an idiot as that, I hope.
"The other matter, I truly hope you had 'not' considered. Did you ever give thought to the consequences to your co-conspirator?" he demanded coldly.
"The tanuki?" Jade asked, puzzled.
"…No. And I suppose I am glad you are so dense, as the alternative would mean you proceeded anyway.
"I speak of your General-Son, Hishu, who you have abused horribly."
"What? I did not-"
"Silence. You will listen to this.
"A male never forgets his Queen-Mother. Though typically he only looks upon her on the day he was born, one can feel her – a warmth at the edge of the mind, and a shadow of her emotions. They always know when their Mother is in danger.
"It's one of the worst thing for a male, when his Queen-Mother passes. There is a new Queen of course, and shadow chi will still flow. But it is never the same; what comes after that is a feeling like a lantern next to your hand has just gone out.
"By all accounts and my observations, the bond between General-Son and Queen-Mother is far more intense. He was born from your desire, shaped by your vision. Just as the Sumo tribe, for example, were born from their Queen-Mother feeling that the Shadowkhan needed strong, patient builders more than anything in her time, according to the histories.
"It is a rare and sacred bond, that I honestly envied him for. To be so new, to have such significance as to see a new tribe formed, so many songs waiting to be written. To establish tradition on such scale, rather than adhere to it.
"And you took advantage of his trust. He knew what he was doing was wrong, but he so wanted to please you. Every lesson I gave him, I have had no student so motivated, because he wanted to impress you. To be worthy of standing before you as a worthy son.
"I allowed him to see you, though I did not know what you plotted, because I felt he deserved that privilege.
"He is devoted, and you repaid that sincere devotion with ruin.
"When they speak of Hishu of the Swarm, they will speak of how he foolishly allowed a Queen to almost go to her death, nearly dooming the Race. Even if the rest of his long life is one of grand service, even to Yojimbo, that stain upon his name will NEVER be expunged.
"And before legacy, his place in the Circle. What will he be trusted with? Will he have to achieve thrice as much to gain half the recognition from his peers?
"And his tribe – their founder will reflect upon them. Will he be seen as a paragon to emulate, or a stigma they aspire to greatness hoping to eclipse?
"To blame Queens is not in our nature. History will find a way to lessen the blame on you, and by necessity even more scorn than his actions could ever deserve will fall to Hishu and his.
"He has not even lived a year, and his tribe has not yet been properly named, yet their own Mother has brought shame that would drive many to seppuku.
"I assured the healers I would see to your aches with this balm. But I will not. When last you erred, I soothed as I scolded. Not this time. If reason cannot drive a needed lesson home, may restless pain prevail.
"Until further notice, you are confined to the tower proper. And the Kamikiri will observe you even in the normally private chambers, as we cannot trust you with your own safety. And in place of the bathhouse, a tub will be brought here for your use.
"…I take no pleasure in this. And I hope to see this relaxed in short order. Please do not give me reason to maintain such a state of affairs."
XXX
He left the Queen to her rest, closing the door behind himself and stepping away.
Walking down the stairs, he retained his composure. He had no doubt that his words now had ended whatever remained of the special relationship that had formed between him and the 98th.
The thought disturbed him more than he cared to admit. She had been drifting, becoming both more involved and aloof for some time now. He had accepted the growing distance as a more than fair price of her growing into a mature ruler, who he was honestly expecting to be closer to her grandmother than the admittedly mediocre 97th.
But he had hoped something would remain, of his role in the aftermath of the 97th's death. Now that hope was truly done.
Perhaps it was a necessary step all along? The last time such a thing occurred was the brief but eventful rule of Daigoro. His undue influence over his one and only Queen had led to the Heresy.
Daigoro had not meant any harm, Hiruzen felt, having studied the true history. But his well-intended acts as Yojimbo had come perilously close to disaster for the Race, twice.
And while Daigoro had inherited a crisis, Hiruzen had no such excuse. His position, from his assumption to the present, had been one of strength. The Race had never been more secure, according to the 96th's vision.
Her obsession with petty rebellion, centered around male pursuits... was it that his influence had made her overly value male virtues? Did she require more motive to appreciate the feminine, and require further instruction in those ways?
The Shadowkhan were sorely lacking in that resource. Tengu women, while trustworthy allies, he would not trust with that task. They had a wildness that was a poor match to the demure nature of the Queens.
But he had reached the library; time to attend to nearer tasks.
A shinobi opened the door for him. Inside, the Kamikiri and Reza Generals waited, seated at a table, Sanshobo working beads and chanting softly while Kamisori read some book, which he set aside as Hiruzen moved to take a seat of his own.
"Well, now what?" Kamisori asked.
"I have told her she is confined. Hopefully she will give us reason to relax that in short order," Hiruzen told them.
"I dislike this," Sanshobo told them.
"If you have an alternative, then by all means."
"Perhaps I should talk with her? In the past, she has been fairly amicable with me," Kamisori suggested.
"In time, yes. But for the moment, I think she should contemplate. We will review the situation when the full Circle is assembled again.
"To that end, and in light of the security breach, I have sent a summons recalling Tsume to the fortress," Hiruzen said.
"And Kyushu?" Kamisori asked.
"Those arrows have already flown. By all accounts, Ikazuki's forces are doing better than expected. There is only one noteworthy piece of resistance, and Ikazuki himself is en route to take care of it. Though it is a pity the so-called Sage has not been flushed out from hiding," Hiruzen reminded them.
"He is Warlord. Should he not delegate that warrior to another and concentrate on the whole campaign? At the very least he should be free to respond if the Sage, if he truly is one, makes a move," Sanshobo asked. In the absence of the Queen he was, as usual, easier to work with.
"It is not unheard of. We all know he sees this campaign as a chance to show his worthiness to succeed me. He has once again proved himself as a commander, now he seeks a worthy foe in single combat to reassert his samurai honor of the battlefield.
"It is best the campaign continue. To stop now would be a sign of weakness, and at the current rate of advancement, it will not be so long before victory returns the Generals anyway," Hiruzen decided.
"What about Hishu in the meantime?" Kamisori asked. Sanshobo spoke up.
"Normally, death is the obvious sentence. But we would at least have to wait until the next Ritual in order to sustain the tribe," the High Priest stated.
"No," Hiruzen said.
"General Hishu will be taken immediately to the nearest shrine. Your monks will oversee him undergo penance rites of a moderate degree. And nothing more. His guilt torments him; I do not wish to add to his suffering and further damage him," Hiruzen commanded.
Unspoken was the hope the penance rites may provide the young General with some relief from his self-rapprochement.
"Silence, General Sanshobo. The matter of Hishu will be reexamined when the Circle is once more assembled. Until then, I close the issue.
"While action and planning will have to await the campaign's end, we need to consider Tobe," Hiruzen said.
"Yes, it would seem Ikazuki's obsession might have been warranted. We have long heard rumors of a lady Queller sulking about Shirogeta territory. But whenever a clan falls, mortals spin tales of lone survivors awaiting vengeance. We did not think one could conceal themselves so long. Or so effectively.
"Which begs the question, what else have the Shirogeta concealed from our eyes and ears?" Kamisori admitted.
"A surviving Demon Queller, and apparently the Knowledge Thief of Nihon. Formidable foes to escape your wrath, Yojimbo," Sanshobo commented. He was displeased. Whether it was at the perceived weakness on Hiruzen's part, or the matter of Hishu, was unclear.
"Those two are without a doubt the strongest the Shirogeta Clan can muster. That illusion was unexpected, but none of us will be caught so unawares a second time. The wizard is a thief, and no doubt mercenary. And the woman's style is unrefined compared to her forbearers. Given her age, she could not have been trained as a true Blademaster of that clan.
"But yes, Tobe will have to be dealt with, sooner rather than later. Not occupied, I think, but razing it as an example. Ikazuki will get his wish. First, we will break their spirit by spilling Shirogeta blood in their own halls," Hiruzen allowed a small smile.
The others nodded their approval, silently agreeing to leave the details of the assassination to his arrangement.
There was little else to discuss, and the impromptu meeting ended. He had two more sweeps of the security to perform, and then he felt rest was needed. The day had been trying beyond any expectation.
XXX
Jade sat at the foot of her bed, feeling sore and chilly in her night kimono. The bath she had ordered was a wretched thing. The wooden tub, while painted black with beautiful patterns carved in, was too shallow and small to dunk herself properly.
She had to use a brush! A brush, to try and get clean on her back, and failed. The potion was not steaming hot either, and had started to crust before she rinsed it off in another tub.
Ugh, it had made her more tense, instead of less!
And the bugs were watching her. As she bathed, and even now, one stood next to her jewelry cabinet in silence.
He was going to watch her sleep, too.
This sucked so much!
And why wasn't she in a dungeon? She should have been found out, she should be in chains, awaiting rescue.
Not nearly… nearly, nearly…
Getting, killed.
She had almost gotten killed, hadn't she?
Well, after all, that wasn't a big deal. Tohru, back in the day, had nearly cut her in half, too. Near brushes with death were a dusty old hat for her, right?
It really must be cold, she thought, shivering.
"Light a fire or something, it's cold," she snapped at the Kamikiri monk. He started muttering some chant. It had better be a fire chant or something.
That woman who had… made a mistake. Cool to see kick butt women back in time. It could still suck in the present being a badass girl, but this was a time when most women probably would wag their finger and frown at such behavior.
And that wizard looked older than Uncle!
And Bachi… well, he had turned out to be a jerk. Who had almost eaten her leg.
Queen's leg.
Would hurt me, so pretty much my leg. And me getting cut in ha-
"You were right to call me. But it is merely the incident catching up with her," Sanshobo said. She was looking up at him, wrapped in blankets on her bed.
She hadn't gotten into bed. What was going on? She tried to throw the blankets off, but she just shook her arms, barely moving.
Her yell for an explanation turned into a high-pitched, pathetic screech. Hiruzen was here, too.
"Did I err?" he asked.
"…I cannot say. A warrior often experiences such after their first true battle. Queens were not made for battle. It may be necessary to impart the lesson.
"But that does not excuse your conduct. You should have applied the balm to Her Glorious – if misguided, yet magnificent and beautiful – Majesty."
'If I had a chance to talk, it would have worked out. It's only because Bachi was a villain I couldn't get in with two of the heroes,' Jade told herself.
Yet she was only alive because Hiruzen had saved her. And Sanshobo and Kamisori had taken her to safety. Back to prison, but better than dead.
'They aren't going to see through it. They aren't even looking. They treat me like the Queen they are dedicated to, and will probably do so unless I flat out tell them otherwise.'
Jade watched them place a heated cloth folded on itself on her brow, and her eyes drooped shut.
The world slipped away, and she dreamed of shadows dancing beneath trees under moonlight.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
A short chapter this time. Originally, this was supposed to include action on Kyushu and the Tobe Trio's return, but those events seemed better left to stand elsewhere. And so we get a short chapter that lets Hiruzen become more than an informed badass, and Jade's escape attempt hammers a bit of reality home.
As summer closes, I never found the spot on Dragon and Horse, and now school will soon resume. Not sure how that will affect my writing. Less free time certainly, but I have found that less time for writing at times seems to make me more efficient in using what I have and thus more material on average is produced.
But no telling what will happen. So I hope you enjoyed this, and that you will be seeing more from me fairly soon – if not on this, then another fic.
Long days and pleasant nights to you all!