Disclaimer: Don't own Seirei or the characters, but I am having fun with this storyline
"You mean they'll be okay?" Chagum's voice was colored with hope. Torogai lifted her gaze to his hopeful eyes and nodded.
"If they haven't died yet, they won't any time soon. The poison of Aogiri kills within seconds. They won't wake up until tomorrow at the earliest, but they won't die." Relief colored the faces of all present, despite the news of the attack on the palace. However, that didn't last long.
"Who attacked us?" Shuga looked like he was about to answer Mon's twice posed question, but Shaman Torogai cut him off.
"We'll ride this beast along side you to Tanda's. If we keep up the pace, we'll be to Tanda's before nightfall." The discussion was officially over. The warriors' faces darkened and Chagum, who worried for his family's safety, bit his lip. Shuga simply looked like he was exasperated with the old Shaman, but knew better than to argue. They did need to get Chagum somewhere safe. He nodded his agreement and followed her to the horse the moment later.
The trip to Tanda's was silent, despite the hours it took to reach the small hut. Tohya heard them coming and ran out to meet them. It took Tohya's sharp eyes only a few seconds to understand what had happened and his jaw fell open. Shaman Torogai chased him back inside with an order to prepare two futon for Tanda and Balsa. Tanda's small hut wasn't big enough for everyone. Zen alone would have taken up most of the space once the two futon were laid out. Sun and Hyok, the two smallest warriors, carried in Balsa and Tanda. At Torogai's instruction, they laid them side by side on the two futon as Chagum walked through the door. With a quick examination, Torogai was relieved to see that their lips, though they hadn't moved, were beginning to turn pink. Torogai turned to Shuga, who had come through the door after Chagum.
"Boy, you go explain to those impatient brats. Saya, come help me here. Tohya, go with him and fill in anything he doesn't know." Tohya nodded and took Shuga's arm, pulling him out. The youth had grown in the past year and now stood almost as tall as Shuga, who had no choice but to follow him outside while Torogai and Saya started treating Balsa and Tanda. Chagum knelt at the foot of the two futon, his gaze fixed on their unmoving faces.
"You should go listen as well, Chagum. You family are the ones caught in the middle of this." Chagum looked as though the thought hadn't even occurred to him, then he nodded and walked outside. He looked over his shoulder one more time before disappearing from view.
"They were wearing uniforms from Kanbal. There was no warning. Shaman Torogai and I were in the library when we heard the call go out. We barely made it out before the grounds were overtaken." Shuga had settled on the ground with the warriors and Tohya sitting in a circle. Tohya looked up at Chagum and made room.
"Sit down, Chagum." Chagum complied silently and watched Shuga expectantly. Shuga cleared his throat and continued.
"We ran to Tohya's shop. Shortly after we got there, we saw flames coming from around the palace." Shuga's eyes were wet as he recalled the greedy orange flames licking up toward the star filled sky. Tohya didn't look up from the rock he was prodding with a stick, a habit of his. His sigh, however, brought the group's attention to his part of the story.
"When they got to the shop, Shaman Torogai asked me to do a little investigating. I didn't get much before the Kanbal soldiers started clearing everyone out to make a perimeter. It seems that the royal family is still alive, but . . .," Tohya stuttered to a stop. He prodded the rock hard enough that it was sent skittering away. Chagum didn't know Tohya very well, but he knew him well enough to know that he was almost beyond upset.
"But what," Chagum queried. Tohya wouldn't lift his eyes still. He had found another rock to prod around. Chagum could see Tohya was grinding his teeth. Tohya seemed reluctant to say what he knew, but their expectant gazes were boring into him like arrows.
"One of the Spears read a proclamation from Kanbal's king. He wants Balsa-nee in return for releasing the royal family unharmed and leaving Yogo in peace. They knew about Chagum and Balsa-nee's relationship. I think using Chagum was their original plan, but since he was gone they switched to the entire royal family." Chagum was sitting in stunned silence at the revelation, then anger lit into his face and he leaned sideways until his head was only a few inches from Tohya's.
"What do they want with Balsa so badly that they would risk war with Yogo?!" Chagum's yell made Tohya flinch, he was grinding his teeth again.
"They didn't say and Balsa-nee can't tell us. The Spear said Yogo had one month to bring her to the palace. After a month, they'll start killing the royal family one by one . . . publicly." Chagum gasped and his eyes widened.
"They place the importance of retrieving the spear-wielder at the same level as the royal family. What did she do to get that kind of attention?" Jin's surprised question echoed everyone's thoughts.
"We will give her until the week before the deadline to turn herself in. Then we will force her." Chagum and Tohya both gasped, but everyone else sighed in resignation. Mon, practical as always, had come to the only reasonably possible conclusion. With a swift command, Yun walked into Tanda's hut and retrieved Balsa's spear. When he re-emerged, Chagum and Tohya were angrily trying to make Mon come up with a new plan. Shaman Torogai walked out a moment later and called for silence over the yelling of both boys. She looked troubled.
"What's going on?" Her voice brought both boys to silence and Mon explained the situation again, including his decision to force Balsa to turn herself in if she didn't do it willingly. Torogai's eyes flicked to Yun, who was still holding the spear, and sighed.
"Balsa's expertise is in the spear, but all of you know that she is not limited to the spear. Jiguro trained her mainly in the spear, but she is a natural fighter. Anything can become an able weapon in her hand. Still, I do not believe you will have to force her. Tanda is waking up though, so keep your voices down and do not breathe a word of this until Balsa wakes up." Torogai walked over to Yun, who backed up a step. A nod from Mon had Balsa's spear in Torogai's hand.
Torogai turned and walked back in, leaving those outside in silence. A few minutes passed and they heard movement that must have been Tanda waking up. Chagum was looking at his hands with a grim look on his face.
"It's not fair," Chagum muttered. Tohya looked down at him with a similar look on his face, but he didn't say anything and Chagum continued.
"Balsa . . . finally accepted Tanda's feelings," he said, tears of anger beginning to cloud his vision.
Sorry it took so long. Things happen and I was having a fight with writer's block. Enjoy! Please R&R
