L5R Chronicle: Partings of Many Sorts
I hoisted the last pack on my shoulder and headed down the stairs for thelast time. Blinking in the early morning light, it took me some moments to process that this time down, there were people waiting for me. I nodded to Isawa Izumi and his fiancee, and strove to keep a smile off my face at the sight of Kozaki, his small face rumpled and sleepy, rubbing at his eyes blurrily.
I bowed to Izumi and the slight woman next to him. "Isawa-san, Shiba-san," I said quietly, respectfully aware of how well sound traveled from this courtyard. "You honor me, to rise so early in the morning just to see us off." I raised my face, hoping, as usual, that the fact that I was looking fixedly at a point just above Izumi's left shoulder wouldn't offend him. It had become my coping mechanism in the last week to deal with the Phoenix's disturbingly handsome features. I either concentrated on Kozaki or somewhere not exactly right on Izumi's face. Izumi opened his mouth to speak, but a burbling voice behind me cut him off.
I winced slightly.
"Isawa-sannnn!" Shishi bounced up next to me, and smiled sweetly and wide-eyed at Izumi. "It's so nice of you to come say good-bye and I hope that we can come back soon and visit you again!!!" Izumi and his gentle Shiba betrothed both bowed gracefully. Even after a full week with the pair, I still wasn't sure if they just ignored Izumi's effect on most women, or were just very good at pretending that's what they were doing.
"Otaku-san," Izumi addressed me, "I pray that you and Ide-san," he nodded to Shishi (who was still gazing at him adoringly), "have a safe and uneventful journey catching up with the rest of your group." His eyes twinkled slightly. "Perhaps I should even wish you a boring one, for I'm sure that it won't remain that way long after you reach them."
I smiled and bowed to him again. "Thank you, Isawa-san. A boring journey would be most refreshing." Straightening, I motioned slightly towards Kozaki. "I know that he will be in good hands here, Isawa-san, and I hope that you and Shiba-san can set him along a path where he will be both happy and useful in the world." Kozaki had spent most of the last week recovering from his fright, and not much progress had been made towards what he would do from now on. I trusted Izumi to guide him appropriately, however, and so it was with a light heart that I set myself down on one knee and bowed formally to the small boy.
"Kozaki," I smiled gently at him, "I'm going to be leaving now." Woe stole over his sleepy face.
"Otaku-san, don't leave! Who's going to take care of me?"
I reached out and ruffled his hair affectionately. "Isawa-san will care for you, remember? I will write you, and visit whenever I can."
Kozaki's face hardened and he glared at me dangerously. "PROMISE," he growled. "I know you already promised you'd be back but promise again anyway."
I bowed formally again, and spoke quietly. "I promise to return. That is the promise that we Unicorn hold dearest to our hearts. Shinjo-sama will guide me back here one day."
He relaxed, and I held back my smile as he kneeled and bowed so low that his nose touched the stones beneath us. "I will wait for you then, Otaku-san," he said, sounding much older than he was, "and when you return, you shall be proud of me."
My heart tugged in my chest, but I restrained the urge to treat him as a child at this moment, and nodded in return. Tugging at Shishi slightly, we bowed once more to our hosts, and rode quickly through the gates. By the time that I allowed myself to look back at the castle, it had disappeared in the cloud of dust that we were raising.
Shishi smiled at me impishly and gave her horse her head. As they drew ahead of me, Fumiko snorted indignantly, and I smiled. Setting my gaze between Fumiko's ears, I loosened the reins and lost myself in the glory of the wind.
**
A day or two later, a small village came into view as night drew over us. We rode up to what looked like an inn, and dismounted, staring at what appeared to be a huge excavation site across the road. Suddenly, I gasped.
"HIDA-SAN?" I called out incredulously at a figure moving towards us in the dim light. I heard an affirmative grunt and shook my head confusedly. Why was Kumo here? Surely the rest of the group had made it farther than this in the week that they'd been traveling without us?
Kumo came closer and stopped in front of me. "Otaku-san," he nodded. "Was wondering when you'd show up." More information not forthcoming, I cocked my head to one side.
"Where are the others, Hida-san?" I looked around briefly, but saw no trace of Atsuko nor anyone else.
"They're at the castle. Well. Some of them are. Some of us are here. Many people now." I motioned for him to continue, and Kumo rolled his eyes. "Isawa-san and Mirumoto-san and Akodo-san and his cousin and Totoro-san and Fukushuu-san and the ronin and the Scorpion," his voice crawled with disgust, "are waiting for you at Mirumoto Castle. You're going to Togashi Castle. The rest of us are going home. Well. We were."
I blinked. "The ronin? Akodo-san's cousin? And why do you speak of Damatsu with such hatred in your voice?"
"Damatsu. Inegu," Kumo's eyes glinted like steel. "Liar, whatever the name. He is dead. The ronin challenged him to a duel and he drank poison. I do not wish to speak of him. The ronin is just a ronin. I don't like him. Fukushuu-san made him an Emerald Guard. Akodo-san's cousin has come to guard him. He is also an Emerald Guard now. There is a Scorpion woman. I don't like Scorpion." He looked at me. "Do you want to know of the others?"
I rubbed my fingers against my palm. Shishi and I had missed a lot, it seemed. "Others, Hida-san?"
"Those are the ones that are at the castle. More are with me. There is a Crane Emerald Magistrate. A ronin shugenja with a mask. A Lion soldier. I do not know much of them. I do not know what we are to do. We were going home, but right now we guard the cave from the oni." He was interrupted by a small, dull looking woman, who appeared out of nowhere, it seemed.
"Hida-san," she mumbled, "can we stop guarding the snake-people now? It's late." Kumo waved at her affirmatively and chuffed a hank of hair out of his eyes as she disappeared again.
"I must go, Otaku-san. I need to guard." Before I could say anything, he turned and stalked back the way that he'd come. Stopping suddenly, he turned and bowed roughly, then continued down into the excavated pit. I looked at Shishi. She shrugged.
"I'm hungry. It can wait until tomorrow," she said. Dazedly, I followed her into the inn. A new Emerald Magistrate? But why was he not with the others? As Shishi dealt with the innkeeper for food, I sat in a corner quietly, trying to puzzle out what had happened from Kumo's spare words. A bowl of rice plunked down in front of my face and Shishi smiled at me. "I got us a room for the night. I wouldn't worry too much about Hida-san. He says that he is with an Emerald Magistrate, and that the others wait for you at Mirumoto Castle. Your duty is to catch up with them. I'm sure that the Crane has his orders."
I nodded at her and straightened my furrowed brows to at least give the external impression that all I was thinking about was the food. Behind, however, I thought about Damatsu. May he finally rest.
**
I woke Shishi early the next morning, and while she gathered our belongings, I went down to speak to the innkeeper. He was a Mantis, which surprised me, and I took a deep breath before I spoke to him.
"Pardon me. Where might I be able to find Hida Kumo-san?"
"Hida-san... A Crab? Hmmmm.... well... Let's see..." the innkeeper crossed and uncrossed his arms ruminatively. "I might have seen him... no, that wasn't him... A Crab you say?" he tapped at his lips. I rolled my eyes and turned my back.
"I'll find him myself," I threw rudely over my shoulder. I didn't feel like playing his little game and paying him for the information. Emerging to a grey, cloudy day, I headed over to the excavation, since Kumo had gone that way the night before.
A long, black tunnel gaped open before me. I stepped cautiously inside, and walked far enough in so that I could stop and let my eyes adjust to the darkness. The floor was smooth and slick, and when I reached down to touch it, it almost felt like glass, an exotic feel reminding me of home. As I straightened, I saw a light far down the passage. Keeping one hand on the wall next to me, and treading carefully, I headed that way, wishing that I'd thought to push down my pride and ask the innkeeper for a torch.
When my right foot encountered nothing beneath it, I had no more time than to curse the innkeeper before I was falling. Far. I let out a yelp when I landed hard, and rolled.
"Who's there?" Kumo's voice rang out, and a single point of light moved towards me quickly.
"It's just me, Hida-san," I called shakily, and accepted his hand gratefully when he drew near and extended it to help me up.
"You all right?" he asked shortly.
"I think I'll survive," I muttered, brushing myself off. My ankle twinged painfully when I put weight on it experimentally, but held, and the bruises that I could feel forming on my shoulders and elbows weren't life-threatening. "What are you doing down here? You mentioned guarding something, and that woman said snake people?"
Kumo grunted and herded me towards what turned out to be a large bonfire in the middle of a great cavern. The Witch-hunter and his assistant were sitting there, along with several other figures wrapped up in blankets and evidently asleep. Onido and Ginaka murmured greetings, but I was too busy staring at the walls of the cavern to do more than nod quickly in reply. Bones of what appeared to be huge snakes were embedded in the glassy walls. A huge section a little farther down was in ruins. Kumo pointed there.
"The oni and the goblins were there. It was the Togashi oni. We scared them off. Now we guard. It is good you come before you leave. I have a letter for Fukushuu-san," he said abruptly, and I took the scroll that he handed me. "They wait for you. You should go."
"I agree, Hida-san," I said, tearing my eyes from the walls. "But how am I to get back up that cliff?" I pointed at the wall behind that I'd fallen down.
"There's a rope," he said, and led me over. I stared discouragedly up at the rope disappearing into the darkness above, and shook my arms. They ached sharply in protest, and I sighed.
"Hida-san, I'll attempt the climb, but I fear that the fall I took may have taken more out of me than I would like. Should I not be able to make it, is there an alternative? I'd hate to have to wait down here until my arms healed up." Kumo nodded.
"Ginaka-san can carry you. Try first, then I'll get him." I shrugged and caught the rope in my hands. To my credit, I made it a fair ways up before I had to slide down in defeat. I waited in the blackness while Kumo fetched the immense Ginaka. I suffered myself to be borne upwards by the taciturn giant, and was brushing myself off at the top when Kumo's voice floated up indistinctly.
"What was that, Hida-san?" I called down, "I couldn't quite make that out."
"I SAID, I'VE BEEN MADE AN EMERALD MAGISTRATE," he boomed. "DON'T TELL ANYONE. I'M PRACTICING BMSMTLBSL!"
"Hida-san," I yelled down, "I didn't catch that last bit?"
"I'M PRACTICING BEING SUBTLE!!"
"I see!" I smiled in the darkness. I wasn't surprised that Kumo had been made a Magistrate. There was no other of our party that I thought more deserving of the honor. "I'll arrange for some couriers to bring you word of us, Hida-san," I cried out. "May you fulfill your duties well!"
I didn't catch what he said next, as I was already limping gratefully towards the spot of grey light that marked the exit, glad that even had anyone been around to witness the weakness, it was too dark for them to see. Shishi was waiting for me there, patiently telling the innkeeper that no, we didn't need to buy anything for our travels. He waved rather sullenly at us as we took to the road, and I swore at him irritatedly as he receded in the distance.
My ankle hurt.
**
It took some three days to reach Mirumoto Castle, longer than it would have taken had Shishi's mount not banged her foreleg while jumping over a log. Two quiet Dragon guards met us at the gate, and when I presented our papers and told them that we were to meet up with the Emerald Magistrates already in residence, they nodded respectfully and conducted us to a closed door down a still and peaceful hall.
They melted out of sight before I could ask where I was, so I shrugged inwardly and knocked. To my relief, it was Yuuki's voice that permitted entrance, and Shishi and I entered to see the Lion Magistrate kneeling and sipping at some tea. Another Lion, an Akodo by his dress, knelt respectfully behind Yuuki, and I assumed him to be the cousin that Kumo had spoken of.
Yuuki bowed. "Otaku-san, Ide-san, it is good to see you well." We bowed and knelt before him.
"I'm relieved to have finally caught up with you, Akodo-san," I said. "I met with Kumo-san some days past, and I gather from him that much has changed while I was helping Kozaki acclimatize to his new home. I told him briefly what I'd learned from Kumo, and he frowned when I mentioned that he was now an Emerald Magistrate.
"Excuse me, Otaku-san? I wasn't aware of that." I bit my lip, berating myself inwardly. I'd just assumed that Yuuki, as another Emerald Magistrate, would know of Kumo's promotion. Evidently it'd happened after the group had split up. I smiled at him.
"It's nothing, Akodo-san," I made a deprecating motion with one hand and changed the subject quickly. "Not important. They're no longer traveling with us, anyway. I'm more interested in what Kumo said of a ronin, a Scorpion woman, and," I nodded politely at the silent figure behind him, "your cousin, I believe?" Yuuki motioned at the man.
"This is my cousin, Akodo Hasaki. He's acting both as a personal guard, assigned by my family, and as an Emerald Guard. Hasaki-san, this is Otaku Liu-san, one of the other Magistrates, and Ide Shijiko-san, who has been traveling with us."
Hasaki bowed tightly in military fashion, and quickly resumed his former position. We nodded in return, and I arched an eyebrow at Yuuki inquisitively. He shrugged slightly, and I decided to not inquire as to why his family had sent a guard for him.
"I don't know anything about the ronin or the Scorpion woman," Yuuki said. "Fukushuu-san hired the ronin as a guard, and the Scorpion seems to be traveling with us for no particular reason. Isawa-san was going to try to speak with her, so if she has succeeded, perhaps she would know more than me." He bowed apologetically.
"I see, Akodo-san." Bowing, I rose carefully. My ankle was still aching a bit, even three days later. "I should go and speak to Isawa-san, anyhow. Thank you for your time... I understand that you have been simply waiting for our arrival to leave for Togashi Castle, so we should plan on leaving in the morning, yes?"
He nodded his agreement. "You should be able to find Isawa-san three doors down," he called out as I departed, and turned to speak quietly to his cousin.
Shishi excused herself to find some food, so it was alone that I knocked at Atsuko's door. She opened it herself, and a smile bloomed across her tiny face when she saw me. "Otaku-san, you've arrived!"
"Isawa-san," I smiled, and bowed, "your brother and his fiancee send their greetings, as well as Kozaki wanting me to wish you hello on his behalf." I pulled a scroll out of my kimono and handed it to her. "A short letter from your brother." I then pulled the one that Kumo had given me to me out. "Before I settle down to speak to you, Isawa-san, I wonder if you could tell me the whereabouts of Fukushuu-san? I ran into Kumo-san some days ago and he gave me a letter to give to the Captain. I should give it to him while it is on my mind to do so."
"Last that I saw him," she mused, "he was in the south courtyard, practicing." Her eyes had a hard edge to them that worried me. "He's not had the time to instruct me lately," she murmured under her breath, then smiled at me distractedly. "He should still be there, Otaku-san. Please, give him his letter and return soon. I've missed speaking with you."
I nodded. "I have missed your company as well, Isawa-san. I'll return quickly." I left in a hurry and found a guard to direct me to the south courtyard. To my surprise, not only was Fukushuu Kaze there, but Kimiko as well, and a rag-tag, slack-faced ronin. I cleared my throat to alert them to my presence, but did not interrupt. A few minutes later, Fukushuu Kaze finished the kata that he was running, and wandered over to me.
"Fukushuu-san," I nodded, "Kumo-san asked me to convey this to you." I gave him the scroll and eyed Kimiko. "Are you training her, now, as well?" He shrugged at me, the slightly dazed look in his eyes not having receded much in the weeks since he'd discovered some of his past.
"She comes down here... I tell her when she's doing something wrong." He waved the scroll idly in the air. "Kumo-san wanted you to give it to me, did he. Thanks for bringing it."
I squinted at him. "How are you feeling, Fukushuu-san?" I inquired softly. He snorted and shrugged. I rolled my eyes and left.
"Isawa-san?" I knocked at her door. "It's me." She opened the door, smiling. "I wondered if you had eaten already, Isawa-san? It grows late, I know, but since I was traveling all day, I hadn't had the chance for a meal." She nodded, and guided me down to the kitchens.
**
"... and then there's the Scorpion," Atsuko said, distress in her eyes, chopsticks halfway to her mouth. "I don't know what to make of her. She can't walk by herself, so a huge man carries her everywhere. I keep trying to speak to her, but she always manages to "conveniently" not be available. I don't know why she's with us or who she is, or even what her name or family is! She's not bothered to introduce herself. It's all quite strange and rude."
"Well," I swallowed some rice, "perhaps we could go try to find her after we finish eating? You say that it seems to be her intent to travel with us beyond the castle; it seems then well within politeness to ask her her name, at least." Atsuko's eyes tracked beyond me, and I turned to see what she was looking at. Totoro was just leaving the dining area, carrying two large bowls of rice. I smiled. "Totoro-san would seem to be hungry," I joked lightly.
"It would appear so," Atsuko laughed. "Well, we can try to find the Scorpion after we eat," she returned to what we'd been speaking about. "Perhaps this time we'll be able to actually speak to her."
She sighed and frowned. "The ronin worries me, of all that have joined us. I've already spoken to Fukushuu-san about this habit of his of drafting everyone he sees, but it's too late for this man. Fukuzu is his name, and the similarity of names is not all that he shares with Fukushuu-san." Atsuko lowered her voice slightly, and I leaned towards her. "He's also ex-Crane," she said softly, "but he has an unnerving air about him that screams to me that there's something bad about him."
I frowned in return. "It sounds to me as if we should ask Fukushuu-san if he doesn't think that we could do without that particular guard. If he's the same one that I saw down in the courtyard, I didn't think too much of him, either. Which reminds me, Isawa-san. We need to speak to Fukushuu-san about lowering the amount that we're paying the guards." I laughed slightly. "Not that we've been paying them, but that's because we haven't been paid ourselves. Anyway, the rate that is currently set for them is the one that Benkai-san and myself set back in Ryoko Owari before we knew that the amount that we thought we were being paid was inflated."
Atsuko nodded, yawning slightly. "We should find the Scorpion," she said, cleaning up the last of her food, "then go to bed. We can speak to Fukushuu-san about the ronin and the pay tomorrow." She stood and I joined her to look for the Scorpion.
We found the small woman sitting in one of the gardens, and approached. I noticed that Atsuko stayed slightly behind me, and recalled that she'd told me earlier that she'd defended Kumo to this woman, and thought that the Scorpion didn't like her much now. I bowed low.
"Pardon me, Bayushi-san," I said, spying the Bayushi mon on her sleeve, "I am Otaku Liu, one of the Emerald Magistrates that I have learned you are traveling with. As I've just today caught up with my companions, and learned that you were accompanying us, I thought it polite to come introduce myself."
The woman nodded gracefully. "I am Bayushi Chisai-Hana, assigned to travel with you as Emerald Magistrate. I regret that I haven't been introduced to your companions, as well as yourself, before."
"I see," I said quickly and softly under my breath. Motioning to Atsuko, I said, "This is Isawa Atsuko-san, the Phoenix Emerald Magistrate." The two women nodded to each other, and I continued. "It grows late tonight, and we wished only to meet you, Bayushi-san. Perhaps in the morning we can arrange to introduce you to Akodo-san and Mirumoto-san before we leave?"
"That would be nice," she said remotely, and returned to studying the pool that had held her interest before. Feeling distinctly dismissed, Atsuko and I returned to her room.
"We at least know who she is, now," I sighed. "She seemed rather preoccupied."
"I still don't know what to think," Atsuko began, but was interrupted by Fukushuu Kaze's head appearing at her window. We were on the second floor.
"Ermmm... Isawa-san... or Otaku-san?" he mumbled. We blinked.
"Yes?" we questioned in unison.
"I've been thinking," he said, resting his elbows on Atsuko's windowsill. "I don't like that ronin. He's starting to give me a weird feeling. Was wondering if the pair of you minded if I fired him?"
"Not at all," Atsuko sighed relievedly, "not at all." Fukushuu Kaze nodded and dropped out of sight. I stared out the window.
"I think," I said softly, "that I'll never quite get used to how he does that." Atsuko nodded in silent agreement.
**
The next morning, all of us had assembled in the courtyard, save Hana and Totoro. While Atsuko went to discover the whereabouts of the Scorpion, I explained to Yuuki and Shun about her being an Emerald Magistrate. Atsuko returned soon, frowning.
"She's in her room, and wouldn't open the door, but says that she'll be down soon." I nodded, and wondered what Hana was doing. Shun was looking around.
"Where is Totoro-san?" he mused aloud. It wasn't until then that I really noticed the Guard's absence. I turned to Fukushuu Kaze.
"Fukushuu-san, perhaps you could send Hasaki-san to find him?" Fukushuu motioned Hasaki off, and we were all distracted for the next several minutes by Hana's appearance and introducing her to her fellow Magistrates and other companions. Hasaki's abrupt reappearance, however, stilled the conversation.
"He, and the ronin, not in their rooms, and it doesn't appear that anyone has slept in their beds. I asked at the gate if they'd seen a pair riding out, but they'd just changed the rotation of the guard and had seen nothing."
Shun frowned. Calling a trio of Dragon guards over, he instructed them to search the premises for the Lion, and asked them if there might be a village nearby. Atsuko was covering her eyes with one hand, thinking.
"The last time that I saw someone carrying food the way that Totoro-san was last night," she said softly, "it was to bring it to someone outside an Evil Ward who could not come in." Shun turned to look at her as the three guards left the courtyard.
"They are going to begin a search of the castle, but said that there is a tiny settlement not five minutes ride off. If Totoro-san was taking food to someone, it's most likely that that is where they would be. Fukushuu-san, would you mind riding there and seeing if your waywards Guardsmen are there?"
Fukushuu Kaze nodded, and motioning for Hasaki to follow him, started riding down the road. After an instant, Yuuki followed them.
"The rest of you stay here," he requested. "We'll return soon."
So we waited.
It wasn't more than fifteen minutes later that Fukushuu-san came riding hard into view. He was calling for Atsuko, and as he came closer, we could see that he was motioning for us to follow him. Shun hurried over to the gatehouse and told them to call off the search for Totoro. All of us knew by then that they wouldn't find him in the castle.
"There's something that you should see," Fukushuu Kaze told Atsuko as we raced down the road, "and perhaps you will know what it means." The trees thinned, and a rickety settlement that could have housed no more than twenty people greeted our eyes. Totoro's horse, and another that I recognized as being the one that had drawn Damatsu's cart, were standing outside one of the houses, next to Yuuki's and Hasaki's.
Shun and I followed Atsuko and Fukushuu Kaze up to the second floor of the shaky building. Yuuki and Hasaki were looking at a intricately drawn circle, painted on the floor in what appeared to be blood. A decapitated and decayed head whose features we didn't recognize lolled in one corner, and I shivered. Blood maho.
"Bloodspeakers," Atsuko said, shock and disgust riding lightly in her eyes. "They use forbidden magic. This is horrible," she frowned at the head grinning at us. "They can use their magic to transfer bodies," she said slowly, obviously calling items from her memory. "I doubt that Totoro-san was involved with them before, or even willingly, as I would have felt something, but it's immaterial now." She sighed. "He's probably dead, or at least as close to as one can be." Shuddering, she started towards the stairs. "There's nothing we can do here other than burn the house."
The others followed her, but as they left, I scanned the room one last time. Wind coming in through the open window stirred something in the corner, and I walked over. A charred and bloody bit of parchment mocked me from the floor, and I picked it up gingerly to take down to Atsuko.
"...found the.......heart was........togashi...at the snake cave" Atsuko read, holding the parchment carefully by the edges. "That's all that's readable," she said apologetically, holding it up and sighting at me through one of the holes charred into it.
"That makes no sense," Shun was muttering. "I wish we had the rest of that parchment." I frowned along with him, but for a different reason.
Snake cave.
"Isawa-san, remember that I told you that I'd met Kumo-san at that village? And that he was guarding a cave? The cave had the bones of huge snakes embedded in the walls, and Kumo-san and the others were guarding it against Oni no Benkai. Perhaps that is the "snake cave" this speaks of?"
"If that's so," she replied, her eyes troubled, "shouldn't we get word to him? Perhaps they would know better what could be done with this." She held the parchment distastefully.
"By the time that a courier could be found and take it to the village," Shun said, "we'd be back there ourselves. And I'd prefer not to trust that parchment to a random courier." Find ourselves all nodding slightly in agreement, we pulled back from the house and watched as Yuuki and Hasaki directed a few villagers in bringing oil and torches. I led the horses slightly down the road so that they wouldn't be startled by the fire, and Atsuko and I redistributed our packs to take advantage of the extra mounts that we now had.
**
It took us only a day's quiet traveling to arrive at Agasha Castle. Pennants whipped on the towers, and my brow furrowed in puzzlement. There was no wind. The gates opened as we rode up, and before we could present our papers or say a word, a pair of silent guards were nodding and taking our horses. When Shun started to question them, they merely gazed at him, and pointed to a small door in the courtyard. Unnerved, we went where directed.
The door opened onto a simple hall, with six doors opening off of it. As we stood there, puzzled, a man appeared from the far end of the hall. Just as silent as the guards outside, he made clear motions with his hands. Shrugging, Shun and I traded glances, then went where directed. Atsuko, then the others, did the same. There were separate rooms, it turned out, for Shun, Atsuko, Yuuki, Fukushuu Kaze, Hana, and myself. I looked across the hall at Shun.
"Mirumoto-san," I said to him quietly, "I can share a room with Ide-san, but-" As I spoke, Yuuki's voice behind me cut me off, not impolitely.
"My cousin will share my room," he rumbled, "and Isawa-san has offered to share hers with Kimiko. You need not worry our hosts, Mirumoto-san." Shun smiled slightly and nodded, and I went to lay my belongings down in my room.
I stopped short, Shishi looking over my shoulder, when we saw what was within. A steaming platter of some sort of meat, a bed that looked incredibly soft, and directions to the castle baths lay in our view. Shishi squealed happily and was gone before I could blink, so I just smiled and settled down to eat.
It was still early when I finished, so I left my room with the vague idea of finding a quiet courtyard in which to practice. Pleasantly, there turned out to be a small garden just a few paces down the hall. Sliding the door closed behind me, I breathed in softly. There was a perfectly sized open space in the middle, surrounded by plants whose distinctive leaves marked them as imported from Unicorn lands. Sighing happily, I stepped forward and drew my katana to run some iaijutsu kata.
**
I stretched lazily and sheathed my katana. I wasn't sure how much time I'd spent in the garden, but it'd been time nicely spent. I slid the door to the hall open and gasped. Instead of opening onto the hall that had been there before, an audience hall spread out before me, with Atsuko and Shun kneeling and attempting to calm an irritated Yuuki.
"It's not natural!" he was grumbling, glaring straight ahead. "Shugenja tricks." I walked towards them uncertainly, blinking to make sure that it wasn't some elaborate optical illusion.
"It's just the Agasha way," Shun murmured placatingly, as I knelt on a cushion nearby. Yuuki just snorted and crossed his arms, continuing to glare menacingly forward. I looked over at Atsuko, but she just shrugged and smiled slightly. Hearing the door that I'd come through open, I turned to look, and decided to politely ignore the fact that Hasaki entered the hall not out of a garden, but out of a small, dimly lit, meditation room. The quiet guard looked momentarily as unnerved as I felt, but quickly adjusted his features and took his now-customary position behind Yuuki.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!"
We all whirled our heads to look behind us.
thump.
Fukushuu Kaze rolled out of his fall, and stood brushing himself off. He cracked his knuckles and frowned puzzledly, looking up.
"That's the LAST time I try to jump somewhere around here," he said absently, and straightened his gi fastidiously.
Atsuko looked as if she were going to say something to him, but the rapid arrival of the others forestalled her. No sooner had Hana arrived, carried by her huge attendant, than the curtains at the back of the hall parted, permitting entrance to a small man in shugenja robes.
We all bowed respectfully as the Agasha daimyo knelt on the dais before us. Stealing a glance out the corner of my eye, I saw that Shun was preparing to speak, and thankfully kept quiet. I was very glad that my days of being the spokesperson seemed to be over.
"Agasha-sama," Shun said quietly, keeping his head bowed, "we thank you most gratefully for your hospitality in putting us up for the night. I hope that we have not inconvenienced your staff too greatly."
The daimyo brushed at the air with one hand. "It has been no trouble at all. We rarely have guests, but we are always happy for the opportunity to share our home with others."
They continued on in that fashion for some time, and I must admit that my mind drifted. As much as situation lately had placed me into the position of being forced to make pretty conversation, I've never been comfortable with it, and I rather wished that Kumo were here to talk quietly and rudely with. It would almost have been excusable, considering that we were Crab and Unicorn. Shaking my head imperceptibly, I struggled to contain a yawn and watched dust motes dance in the torchlight behind the daimyo.
As if divining my wandering attention (something I wouldn't have been surprised if he'd done), the daimyo smiled to us and changed the subject. "I've been sent word that you are traveling to Togashi Castle," he said, "and I shouldn't keep you awake late, since you should resume your travels early in the morning. I have no doubt that your journey will be quick, with so able a guide as Kakita-san leading you."
"Kakita-san?" Atsuko questioned, then turned to follow the daimyo's gaze. "You mean Fukushuu-san?" she said incredulously. Fukushuu Kaze blinked confusedly, and the daimyo's brow beetled.
"I mean Kakita Inukami-san, who stands behind you wearing the mon of the Emerald Guard. You sound surprised?"
We turned to Fukushuu Kaze, whose emotions were chasing each other over his face. "You... recognize me?" he asked softly, wonderingly.
The daimyo frowned again. "Of course I recognize you, Kakita-san. You've been here many times before, though not in the last several years."
"Kakita... Inukami," Fukushuu Kaze mouthed, trying out the name, "I was Kakita Inukami." He looked at the daimyo. "I'm sorry, Agasha-sama. I was in a battle three years ago and lost my memory. I've since been told that I was Kakita, but there were so many lost in the battle that no progress had yet been made of finding out who I was."
"Oh," the shugenja sat back. "I'm terribly sorry, then. I hadn't understood the situation. I'm pleased that I can give you a piece of your past, in return for all the times that you have given me news of the world. Would you like me to send word to your mother?" he suddenly asked.
"I have a mother??!?!?" Fukushuu Kaze's head snapped up. The daimyo let a hint of a smile come over his face.
"You have a mother, yes, Kakita-san. She resides in the capital. I haven't spoken to her in several years, but I suspect that news of you, considering what you have said, would be most welcome to your family."
Fukushuu Kaze was blinking hard, amazement plain on his face. "Yes, yes, please do, Agasha-sama. I actually have a family. I actually have a family," he repeated to himself quietly. "Agasha-sama, if you don't mind my asking, in what capacity did I come here before?"
"You and your sensei traveled to Togashi Castle quite often, Kakita-san. The pair of you would stop here and visit with us on both legs of the trip." The daimyo cocked his head to one side slightly. "I don't know why it was that you traveled there, however, so I fear that I will be not much more help to you. I apologize, Kakita-san, that I know no more."
"I thank you many times over for what you did know, Agasha-sama," Fukushuu Kaze said gratefully. "It is wonder enough to me to know my name, and that I have family somewhere that might care about what happened to me."
The daimyo smiled at him slightly again. "I hope that this little key of knowledge may help you retrieve your past from wherever it has been locked away, Kakita-san. Now, it grows quite late, and as I said earlier, an early start would be beneficial. While perhaps Kakita-san may not remember the way, it is still direct, and in the end, all of you would have had to find your own paths, regardless."
"Agasha-sama," we said quietly in unison, and bowed our heads as we were dismissed. The door that we'd entered through opened this time onto the same hall that our rooms were located in, and none of us decided to comment on the phenomenon. Another few doors had appeared down the hall, turning out to be separate rooms for Shishi and the others. We remained silent. As Shun had told Yuuki, it was simply the Agasha's way.
**
"I'll find accommodations elsewhere," Yuuki stated stubbornly. Crossing his arms as he rode, the Lion rumbled his displeasure. He was, he had informed us, through with staying at Dragon castles. We'd been woken that morning by the sensation of a painful pinprick in our backs. Yuuki and I, it turned out, had reacted very similarly, leaping out of bed with blade drawn, thinking we were being attacked.
"But Akodo-san," Shun reached out a placating hand. "I beg you to at least enter with us. I think that you'll find the Kitsuki far different from the Agasha, and much more to your liking."
Yuuki glared at his horse's ears. "We shall see," he said, in a tone that clearly said that the discussion was over. I smiled softly at the end of the talk that had lasted for the last hour or so, and pulled my horse over towards Fukushuu Kaze.
"Fukushuu-san? Or," I grinned at him, "Kakita Inukami-san, as it were."
Fukushuu Kaze smiled wanly at me. "Both, neither, whatever. Who's to say who I really am?"
I frowned at him, easing the look with a mocking arched eyebrow. "Why, you are, of course." Fukushuu Kaze hung his head and I slapped his horse with my reins. The mare jumped slightly and he had to hang on for a moment. "She's not the best trained, I see," I said lightly, pulling Fumiko slightly ahead and smoothing his mare's mane. Abruptly, I turned my head back to look him in the eyes. "What are you going to do? There's no one who can tell you what path to ultimately walk but yourself, you know."
He sighed. "We do all have to find our own paths," he agreed morosely.
"I'm glad you noticed that, Fukushuu-san," I snapped at him. At his distressed look, however, I relented. "I counsel you to look for your path, Fukushuu-san," I told him quietly, following his gaze to Atsuko ahead, humming as she drank in the scenery we rode through.
Looking back, I wish I'd clarified that to "look within yourself."
**
It took the better part of two days to reach the Kitsuki Castle, a businesslike looking place. As had become custom in Dragon lands, Shun rode ahead of us to the gates to speak with the guards there.
A moment later, however, he rode back, a puzzled expression on his face. "They want a reason to let us stay here," he told us. Yuuki snorted and rode forward.
"They want a reason?" I heard him rumble as he moved past me. He reined up directly before the gates and glared at the guards above. "We are Emerald Magistrates on a mission for the Emperor," he roared authoritatively. "We require lodgings for the night because," did I detect a hint of a smile in his voice? "IT IS COLD!"
The gates swung open immediately, and Yuuki waited for us to ride up. He shrugged slightly at the look on Shun's face.
A team of efficient stablemen took our horses, and Yuuki looked around approvingly. The courtyard had the air of a military camp, albeit a very orderly one. The daimyo, they informed us, was away, but had left instruction for us to be housed and fed. The food was simple and plentiful, and we retired soon after eating. I suspected that Yuuki had mentally amended his declaration from "Dragon castles" to "shugenja castles."
Awaking early the next morning, I found Hasaki and Kimiko already up, training out in the courtyard. I joined them for a small while, but soon decided to wake the others. Hana turned out to be the only one not already in some state of awakeness. I decided that the look that her attendant gave me meant that she would be roused soon, but since he never really changed expression anyway, there was no way to tell.
When I looked for Fukushuu Kaze, he was not in his room. Assuming that he was simply out practicing somewhere, I returned to the others and gathered my bags. By the time the rest of us were ready to leave, however, he'd still not shown up. Concerned and a little irritated, we asked a pair of Kitsuki if anyone had seen him. They conferred for a moment before the taller one nodded smartly.
"Wait right here please," he said, and whirled neatly off. He returned almost immediately, a third Kitsuki following closely behind. The tall one deferred to the new one with a nod, and the newcomer bowed to us.
"I've been left with a message," he said precisely, and preceded to recite from memory, "Magistrates, I deeply apologize for the inconvenience I am causing you. I have gone ahead to Togashi Castle, in hopes that navigating the path alone may help me to recover what has been lost." The man blinked. "The message was left by a man identifying himself as both Fukushuu Kaze and Kakita Inukami."
I groaned as he finished. "That's not what I meant!"
"Otaku-san?" Atsuko asked, the only hint of her anger at Fukushuu Kaze a slight tightening around her lips.
"I told Fukushuu-san yesterday to look for his own path," I grumbled. "I meant it in the sense of meditation or the like. And he went and deliberately misunderstood what I said."
Yuuki's face was stony. "I'm removing him from his office. This is unforgivably irresponsible. Hasaki-san!" His quiet cousin moved forward and knelt tightly in front of us. "Cousin, you are now Captain of the Emerald Guard." Hasaki nodded silently and I sighed. None of us disputed Yuuki's decision. It was, after all, the correct thing to do, even if I regretted it. I sighed again as Yuuki jerked his head towards the gates and we bid our hosts farewell, recognizing the anger tensing Atsuko's shoulders.
**
We rode in silence all that day and the next few, as well. The terrain was getting more and more rocky under the trees, and I finally felt that we were truly in the mountains. It was getting decidedly colder, too.
It was early afternoon when a small outpost came into view, guarding the road from a stony hill. Shun pointed. "That's my home."
Sounds of shouting reached our ears, and the gates opened far before we neared. Lines of men could be seen within, calling Shun's name welcomingly. Shun's ears reddened slightly. "I've been gone a long time," he explained.
The rest of us just smiled, amused, as we rode through the gates and the multitude of soldiers straightened properly. Three gunso knelt before us, and Shun dismounted to speak with them quietly. One of the three bowed deeply as if in thanks, and Shun turned to us.
"I'm bringing some soldiers with us," he said. "They'll be led by Mirumoto Tsuyoi," he pointed to the gunso that had been bowing, "who will be under the temporary command of the Emerald Guard. They'll remain soldiers assigned to this fort; they'll just be on loan to the Guard indefinitely. I think twelve should be sufficient?" Shun's eyes twinkled slightly. It wasn't until then that it really hit me that for one reason or another, our Guard had been reduced to merely Hasaki, a situation which at that moment struck me as incredibly funny.
I restrained a giggle. "That will be more than sufficient, Mirumoto-san. It will be nice to have the extra men, I suspect." Atsuko nodded in agreement, then ducked her head in thought for a moment.
"Mirumoto-san, I have a favor to ask. I had been learning tanto from Fukushuu-san, but you have agreed to teach me katana," he had? "in which case it would be useful for me to have one. Also, perhaps some light armor might be appropriate eventually. If you think you have anything that might fit me?" She swept her hand down her body questioningly.
Shun frowned. "We might have something, although we'd have to ask. The armorer might be able to modify something to fit you." He looked at the rest of us. "You can be shown to your rooms, or eat, or whatever you'd like; I think I'm going to make a visit to the armory with Isawa-san."
I tagged along to tease Atsuko lightly about her new weaponry, which (once we found suitable items) was quite fine despite the small size. It will never cease to amuse me that my no-dachi is taller than she is.
**
Being at a true military outpost had its advantages; we actually left on time the next morning. Before we'd ridden for more than a few hours, however, the road dwindled to a twisting rut, then to a barely visible game trail. By noon, it ended in a clearing. Well, not really. Where the road we'd come on stopped, a huge number of paths split off. It seemed as if there were far more than could be used by the space that surrounded us. I tried counting them, but decided to quit when I hit eighty. Some were clear and others covered with brambles; some seemed to head up the mountain, while a large amount stretched along flat ground, and yet more actually seemed to descend into various valleys and ravines.
"Which way do we go?" Yuuki gazed up towards the peak of the mountain. "There's several that lead up to the top." We all turned towards Shun, but to my surprise, it wasn't he who spoke, but Shishi behind me.
"All the paths lead to Togashi," she said quietly, her normal bounce for once absent. "If you will it to be so." I looked at my friend, recalling for the first time in a while that she'd spent time in Dragon lands, much of it with the Ise zumi. Shishi's face was serene, and she raised her chin, her long black hair falling in loose waves to her back. "Each of us must choose our own path, finding the way within."
"But some of them head down, Ide-san," Yuuki protested. She looked at him calmly.
"I know."
Yuuki sighed. "Well, if we must make our own path, I'm going up," he muttered under his breath. "Cousin?"
"Yes?" Hasaki materialized at his cousin's elbow as Yuuki dismounted.
"You and the guards shall remain here, cousin." He looked over at Kimiko. "She will stay here, too."
Hasaki's brow furrowed. "Cousin," he began, then stopped for a moment. "Cousin, I would go with you. If I am to protect you, and the other Magistrates, I cannot do that watching horses. Allow me to accompany you at least; the others shall stay behind." Yuuki considered for a moment, and traded glances with the rest of us. When there was no disagreement, he nodded his approval.
"Just remember, Akodo-san," Shishi said softly, "that all of us make our own paths. You cannot go with Akodo-san, but we shall arrive there together."
He didn't look pleased, but Hasaki nodded and handed his horse to one of the Dragon soldiers. Walking over to one side of the clearing, he rested in meditation. Atsuko watched him go, a considering look on her face. She knelt and began a prayer.
When I saw Shun kneeling as well, and then Shishi, I sighed inwardly. I had never been especially religious, and I'm not comfortable with its ceremony, nor focused enough of mind to even simply meditate well. I dawdled for a while with my horse, uncomfortable with leaving when the others were all engaged in prayer. I toyed with my stirrups, trying to decide why it was that I was thinking about trying to decide what to think rather than composing my thoughts. Peeking out of the corner of my eye, yes, they were all still at it.
There's something wrong with me.
I sighed again, audibly this time, and straightened my shoulders. Closing my eyes, I spun on my heel, and when I'd turned a few times, stopped and walked down the path that opened before me without looking back.
**
It turned out that I'd "chosen" one of the flat trails. It wound through the trees, somehow managing to lose all the other paths within a few feet of beginning. There were no sounds; the dim green light coming through the trees was hushed and occasionally dappled by a breeze. After walking for some time, the trees began thinning, and I exited the forest, shielding my eyes from the bright sunlight. Once they'd adjusted, I drew in my breath appreciatively.
I stood at the edge of a small stream, which twinkled over smooth stones towards a cliff ahead of me, where it widened before splashing over. Judging by the sound, the water fell quite some distance. Across the stream and beyond a large meadow, a castle reared up, seeming to blend with the mountain behind it, yet somehow remaining at the same time fascinatingly distinct.
I probably could have looked quietly at the castle for hours, but a movement near the cliff edge caught my eye. Shun was there, picking his way through the water towards the castle. Smiling, I looked down. Where I was, the stream was of a perfect width to simply be jumped over. Still smiling, I hopped across, then made my way towards him.
Just as I was about to call his name, I saw Atsuko's head rising from beyond the cliff edge. From the way it moved, it seemed that she walked up steps, perhaps carved into the cliff face.
Something about the sight made me loathe to disturb the quiet, and I continued walking towards them without speaking. By the time the three of us had reunited, we spotted Hasaki, between us and the castle, and then a dual-voice laughing turned all of our heads. Both Shishi and Kimiko were sliding down a hill, in the path of the stream. Soaking wet and giggling, they rolled out of the water and began brushing themselves off. I briefly wondered why Kimiko was there, considering that Yuuki had made it plain that she was going to remain behind. But, I decided, that was something that I'd let Yuuki handle.
"Where is Yuuki-san?" Hasaki questioned. Startled, I looked around. The Lion was nowhere to be seen.
"He'll be along shortly, I'm sure," Shun said reassuringly.
"Are you sure, Magistrate-san, that I shouldn't go look for him?"
Shishi answered. "He has to make his own way, Akodo-san. There's no way that you can lead him." Hasaki nodded uneasily. We stood conversing quietly for some time; while we waited, Atsuko told me about the characters that had been carved into the steps she'd climbed up from the plain below.
After half an hour had passed, though, Hasaki knelt before us and bowed tightly. "Magistrates, I request your permission to go back, if for no other reason than to ensure that my cousin has returned to the Guard. I swear to return as soon as I've accomplished that." Shun frowned, but Atsuko and I nodded approval. Hasaki disappeared into the woods, and we settled down to wait some more.
Before a great length of time, he reappeared, one hand extended in air as if he were holding on to an arm. He whipped his head around, looking for something. Just then, we heard a great roaring gasp drift from... below the cliff?
Rushing over to the edge, we saw the Akodo Magistrate in the middle of the lake that the waterfall spilled into. He was swimming towards the shore. Hasaki blinked in disbelief, his hand that had been out clenching and unclenching; Atsuko and I just smiled and called down to point the steps out to Yuuki.
**
The unseasonably warm sun had mostly dried Yuuki by the time that he made it up to where we waited. He was quiet and proud, and none of us said anything, instead opting to head directly for the castle, where Hana and her attendant were waiting for us. A pair of quiet monks opened the gates. I'd long since given up the expectation that guards of the Dragon would be at all verbal.
A tall Ise zumi approached and bowed to us as we came inside. "Togashi-sama will see you after prayer, Magistrates," he told us with no introduction. "You are free to join us if you wish." He inclined his head gracefully and left as unannounced as he'd come.
It seemed that every time I blinked I saw a new tattooed man within my vision. They were scattered everywhere through the extensive gardens that laid before the castle proper. I coughed slightly and twirled my foot surreptitiously on the stones of the courtyard.
"I've never been comfortable with prayer," I said apologetically and half to myself. "I think I'll run some kata..." Bowing to my partners, I excused myself with an embarrassed look, and headed towards a clear spot by a stream. A solemn bell tolled, and I resolutely ignored the monks praying about me.
This is my prayer, I repeated to myself as I concentrated on the sound of my blade slicing through the air. How I do it is my business.
swissssssh.
Why then, do I care what others think?
swissssssh.
There's definitely something wrong with me.
swissssssh.
"Excuse me?" I lowered my blade to see a strongly muscled and heavily tattooed man. "Togashi-sama will see you now." I nodded and looked around. Yuuki had joined me in kata, and the rest of us that I could see were praying.
"I'll alert them," I pointed to those of my companions relatively near to me. "Would you please alert the others?" He bowed and left, while I walked over to Yuuki and coughed politely. He immediately stopped and looked at me questioningly. "We're to see the daimyo now, Akodo-san."
"Ah." Yuuki stretched slightly and sheathed his katana. His tetsubo, I suddenly noticed, was missing. He'd had to drop it in the lake to be able to swim out. A shame.
A slight monk at the inner gates held up a hand as we approached. "I'm afraid that you must leave your weapons here. ALL your weapons."
Though he spoke gently, something about his tone gave me pause as I set down my katana and no-dachi. Slowly, but feeling as if it was what I should do, I pulled my tanto out of its hidden sheath in my boot. Slower still, I slid my wakizashi out of my obi and set it down carefully. Somehow, I felt, it was permitted to leave it behind this time.
I walked through the door into a great hall, only barely hearing the others come in behind me. It was vast, and decorated with murals and tapestries, ranging from the extremely simple to the outrageously ornate. Surely, I felt, every story in the world was represented here.
"I will not leave my honor at the door," Yuuki's voice floated to me, calm and quiet. I turned around. Yuuki was kneeling outside the door as it slowly swung closed. My last glimpse of him was of his face, patient and resigned. Atsuko and I looked at Hasaki, who, even though he didn't show it, I felt was on the verge of returning to his cousin. I sighed, sure that the conflict between his assignment as guard to Yuuki and as Guard to us all was not an easy thing for the strict Lion to deal with.
Evidently his obligation as Guard won, for he bowed to us to precede him to the several cushions laid on the floor in the middle of the hall. All of us knelt, including Hasaki. Once again, I had the strange feeling that it was what we were supposed to do.
No sooner had Hana's attendant lowered her and himself to cushions than the floor dropped out from under us.
**
A collective gasp rose from all of our throats. I clenched one fist, but the rest of me was far more relaxed than I would have otherwise expected. We floated in a sky of perfect blue, surrounded by the occasional exquisitely white cloud. It was very quiet.
None of had any desire to speak, and we silently watched as two distant specks moved towards us. The first was much closer; as it approached, I could slowly make out the figure of a man, dressed in a varicolored kimono of brown, black and white. He was vaguely familiar.
He came to a rest not far from us and the nagging feeling that I knew him from somewhere persisted. My attention was diverted, however, by the increasingly large specter behind him. I fought to keep my jaw from dropping. A magnificently beautiful dragon writhed through the clouds towards us.
The dragon rippled to a stop directly behind the man.
"Welcome." The voice calmed me even as I realized with a tremor that it was coming from the dragon.
Shun cleared his throat softly. "Togashi-sama." he said reverently and wonderingly. "The Emperor has sent us to consult with you as to the missing Black Scrolls."
The dragon rumbled. "They are inconsequential. There is another threat, much greater than the Black Scrolls or my brother who can not be named. I have a different task for you." We sat in stunned silence. "You are to travel to the Burning Sands to investigate this new danger. The power of the kami are lessened there, so we must send you in our place." The voice paused.
"What is this other threat, Togashi-sama?" Atsuko questioned quietly. The slight breeze ruffled her long, dark hair, and her figure was wreathed in wisps of clouds.
"I cannot tell you much, Isawa," the dragon dipped its head. "His name is Al-Fazar. His power is such as Rokugan has never seen, and he is coming."
The words rang in my head.
And he is coming.
"Only recently have we become aware of him," the dragon was continuing. "You are simply to act as scouts, gathering whatever information you can and returning safely with it. The Ide is to act as your guide to the Burning Sands, and to aid you in your travels. I regret," the dragon inclined its head again, "that I have no more I can tell you. You are to leave as soon as possible."
As we digested this new mission, the unknown man whispered something to the dragon. The dragon rippled.
"My other words to you are unrelated. It is my wish to clear up a great deal of confusion about Inukami." When the dragon spoke, I suddenly recognized the man. It was Fukushuu Kaze. "He is not Bayushi, nor Kakita, nor ronin. He is the daimyo of the Dog Clan, by order of myself and your Emperor. The unfortunate incident of his memory loss was unexpected." The dragon spoke to all of us, including Fukushuu Kaze, now. "I regret the complications that the situation thrust upon you all."
The dragon and Fukushuu Kaze were fading, the clouds thickening around us. As we bowed reverently, the audience hall reappeared about us.
We began moving out of the hall, quiet and shocked by the experience. I lingered, aware of the others ahead filling Yuuki in on what had passed.
"Togashi-kami," I whispered to the tapestries, "just because I don't observe the formalities of religion doesn't mean I don't believe." I'm not sure why I said it. The dragon was occupied with far greater concerns than my religious practices.
I felt better, though.
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