Part II, Chapter Four: Maru Hears the Warning

Part II: Tasius

"Oftentimes, he who says the least knows the most." --Shiromori philosopher, c. 470 AE

May 5, 1115 AE
Shiromori Castle, Ayumora, Shiromori

"So, you brought me and my family all the way from Zhian because of a dream?" Maru raised an eyebrow, but as she watched her brother bounce her little son up and down, she supposed she didn't mind much. It was nice to be home, even if her father was here and her brother wasn't being quite as careful with the baby as she might have preferred.

"Well... it wasn't really a dream, exactly." Kawa granted Dracian a smile, though Maru could tell from his eyes that it was a mere indulgence. "At least, it didn't feel like a dream--almost like a message, maybe."

"A message." She lunged playfully toward the baby and tickled his stomach; reassured by his giggles, she lifted him from her brother's arms and held him to her shoulder. "And what did this message say?"

Kawa threw her a strange sort of stare; Maru frowned, but he seemed to come to his senses. "Well, it was from this blue lady--blue skin, blue hair, everything. She was in this weird room and she said she knew I could see her and that she wanted me to see her anyway."

"A blue lady!" Planting a quick kiss to Dracian's shell-like ear, Maru laughed. "Aurius, have you ever heard of such a thing?"

"Yes."

She'd meant it as a joke, but now Maru could only gape. She might have expected such a response in a sarcastic tone, but Aurius sounded nothing if not honest. Kawa too appeared shocked; it was a good thing she'd taken Dracian, really, or he might have dropped him. "Sorry?"

But Aurius only shook his head. "Later. Continue."

"Err... all right." Kawa continued to squint at Aurius for a moment, then turned back to Maru--a pity that they'd never grown quite comfortable with each other, really. "Anyway, she said something about needing my help. Something about 'he's not what he seems' and to beware of a few people, that sort of thing."

The baby hiccuped; Maru shifted him in her arms and drummed her fingers against his back. "I see. Did she name these people?"

"Not really--just the man with the silver tongue, the son of the Queen, and the Lady in White. She didn't even give a description for that first man."

Behind her, Aurius sniffed. "That's not terribly specific, is it?"

"Not in the least," Maru agreed. "Anything else?"

From her shoulder, Dracian cooed; he must not have had his fill of his Uncle Kawa. Sighing, she held him out toward her brother once more, who put on a goofy grin and began to play with the baby's toes. "Well... she said not to tell Father about any of it."

Maru smirked. "Well, that's a given."

From her father's arms, little Mari emitted a nonsensical babbling noise; Maru exchanged a quick glance with Aurius, who gave a dismissive shrug before looking back toward Kawa. "Was that all?"

Hushed, Kawa glanced toward the ceiling and bit his lip. Maru's grip on Dracian tightened. "Kawa?"

"She... she said my sister stands to lose everything." He folded his hands together and stared at the rug beneath his feet--scared, defeated, just as she remembered him as a child. "She said to tell you to beware the Crossing of the Three Orbs... whatever that means."

The Crossing of the Three Orbs. The very words made her spine twitch--but Maru could only shake her head. "I don't think I've ever heard of such a thing before."

Kawa grunted, then nodded toward his brother-in-law. "Aurius?"

Maru followed his gaze and watched as her husband's calculating silence continued. The seconds passed like minutes: one... two... three...

Aurius glanced down at the little girl in his arms, then met Maru's eye and mouthed, "Later."

NEXT CHAPTER:

Part II, Chapter Three: Aurius and Kohashi Come to an Accord

Part II: Tasius

"The more desperate for trust one seems, the less likely they are to deserve it." --Zhi general, c. 890 AE

May 5, 1115 AE
Shiromori Castle, Ayumora, Shiromori

"So," Kohashi began with a superficial curve of a smile, "it's been a while."

Careful to keep his wits about him, Aurius nodded. Why had agreed to a private audience with Maru's father, again? Oh yes--the half-dozen armed guards. At the very least, he figured, it was good to know that Maru had stationed herself right outside the door and would probably refuse to leave without him. "I suppose you might say that."

"You suppose correctly." His father-in-law drummed the soul of his boot against the tile floor. "Anyway, forgive me if I'm prying, but might I ask why you and my daughter never write?"

Aurius raised an eyebrow. The only possibility that had seemed less likely than his ever writing to Kohashi was that of Kohashi actually wanting to hear from him--was this some sort of trick? "My apologies; I wasn't aware that an execution attempt might be interpreted as an invitation for correspondence."

"Ah, yes--that." Kohashi waved his hand dismissively, as casual and unconcerned as if Aurius had just reminded him to pick something up at the market. "Let's just... put all that unpleasantness behind us, shall we?"

What? After all the friction between them, that was all Kohashi could manage? Ridiculous; Aurius could only gape. "You've got to be kidding me."

His features unchanging, Kohashi gave no indication of anything less than pure seriousness--indeed, he even looked a little insulted. "Hmm. I must say, I always thought my daughter had the sense to avoid the unforgiving type."

"Well, I'm sorry if you don't understand my unease." Aurius glanced out the window toward the castle grounds; sure enough, there were Athayos and Mari, touring the castle grounds under the guidance of Lord Kitasaka. "Can I leave now?"

Kohashi's eyes folded into thin blue slits, an accompanying sneer creating an almost dagger-like effect. "Maru did always struggle with authority; I'll admit that the two of you are alike in that regard. Then again, I suppose in some ways, a majestic lioness is not unlike a mangy tomcat in some godforsaken alley, flitting between the tasks of digging through refuse and licking his own balls."

He almost seemed to be stalling now--figured. His arms crossed, Aurius felt his fingers twitch against his sleeve. "Do you have a point?"

Maru's father sniffed; Aurius would not have been surprised to see smoke spouting from his nostrils, but oddly enough, it never came. "Frankly, I don't like you--and from what I can gather, you don't think too highly of me either. However, for my daughter's sake, I believe we shall have to be civil for now. Do we have an accord?"

For now. Perhaps those two words had meant to slip by unnoticed, as such subtle-yet-crucial additives often did, but Kohashi must have gravely misjudged Aurius's mental filters. 'For now' implied a distant 'later', a point in the future when the validity of the agreement would cease. 'For now' would not allow a momentary lapse in vigilance--in some ways, 'for now' was almost meaningless.

But perhaps--for now--it would be best to play along and let Kohashi think that he had the upper hand. "Fair enough; we have an accord."

NEXT CHAPTER:

Part II, Chapter Two: Kawa Has Some Catching Up to Do

Part II: Tasius

"There is no more urgent matter in the world than a couple of laughs with a friendly face." --Zhi philosopher, c. 670 AE

May 5, 1115 AE
Shiromori Castle, Ayumora, Shiromori

"Maru!" Kawa bolted down the stairs and sprung into his sister's arms. He'd thought the steward might have been playing a joke at first, but sure enough, here she was--a few days earlier than he'd been expecting. He just couldn't believe she was finally back! "Maru, you're home!"

"What? You didn't think I'd leave you alone at Father's mercy forever, did you?" Her hug tightened into a squeeze before she released his frame, only to ruffle the roots of his hair; as always, he pretended to hate it. "Where is the miserable old crow, anyway?"

Kawa snorted. "Asking for Father? You almost sound like you care."

"I resent that!" She pinched her index finger to her thumb and flicked it against his cheek, then grinned that same wicked grin he'd grown up trying to mimic. "I take it Grandmother and Grandfather are well?"

He nodded. "They'll be even better now that you're here."

"Well, that's a given." Maru smirked, then reached to her brow and pushed aside a stray lock, her fingers lingering only a second when they reached the brand on her brow. How could she stand to walk around with that mark exposed? Kawa had spent the later part of his childhood growing out his hair just for the sake of covering his own. "Anyway, I heard a funny rumor when I was in town--something about you having a little girlfriend?"

"Oh." He felt a hint of a blush creeping into his cheeks. Did everyone know about that by now? Sure, Kyato wasn't the most discrete of girls, but were people really saying...?

His sister interrupted his thoughts with a laugh. "Bashful, are we? Oh well, I guess that's telling enough as it is. Now, you said in your letter that you had to talk to me about something?"

Now that she mentioned it, he had--the mere sight of her had caused him to forget. It hadn't occurred to him just how long it had been since he'd seen her until just now. Perhaps the dream could wait? "Oh, right."

She tapped her foot against the tile, the echo in the room such that could only ring from the slipper of Maru. "Well? What is it?"

He shrugged. After all, it wasn't as if she would have come from another country for only a brief call; he'd have plenty of time to tell her about the dreams. For now, he just wanted to catch up--to see how his sister was doing. "It can wait. I think we have a lot to talk about, hopefully most of which is more pleasant."

"Fair enough." She looped her arm in his and pulled him toward the door. "Now, first things first--I know a couple of babies who are just dying to meet their Uncle Kawa!"

NEXT CHAPTER:

Part II, Chapter One: Kinea Spends Time with Her Sons

Part II: Tasius

"What trial is more tragic and needless than that of a surviving sibling?" --Zhi activist, c. 780 AE

April 27, 1115 AE
Tasia Castle, Miesios, Tasius

Prince Drenetes grabbed his little wooden subject by the legs and shook him, dangling him upside down--after all, no intruder ever crossed the prince's moat and lived to tell the tale. He did not suffer insolence. He set clear boundaries and was unafraid to punish those who dared push them.

Unlike his pansy-ass father.

Ah, but perhaps Nukus deserved some credit. After all... if he'd been a more competent ruler, then where would she be? At least this way she could operate under the guise of picking up the idiot's slack; at least this way, she herself could achieve her own ends. This was how it had to be. She knew that. She could accept that.

And hell, if it hadn't been so urgent, she might have even liked it.

"Mama?"

Her hazy cave of contemplation vanishing before her eyes, Kinea glanced down at her son. How long had he been calling her? "Yes, Athayos?"

The boy turned his head and stared, his inkblot eyes startled and frightened. "Who 'Thayos?"

Athayos? Where had that come from? It had been so long since Kinea had heard that name; even Ustelian referred to him simply as 'the boy'. "Oh... never mind. Sorry, Ath--Drenetes."

The child's anxious expression morphed into an annoyed frown. He continued to sulk for a minute or so, then reached into the castle and produced a second figurine. "Mama play."

Defeated, Kinea slipped off the couch and joined him on the rug. She was not the sort who cared to play, but who was she to refuse her baby? "Happy?"

Drenetes laughed as he bashed the doll's head against the castle wall. Was this supposed to be fun? Kinea didn't get the point; maybe he needed a playmate closer to his own age. "Drenetes, would you like a brother?"

He wasn't listening. He just wanted to torture his toy. Kinea knew little enough about children, but she figured her other son would have been old enough to be interested in more important pursuits. Surely, if nothing else, he would have been past this phase by now.

"Mama."

Ah, but what an affectionate boy he was! So bright and charming and loving. A splendid boy. A splendid son. "My baby."

The child put down the doll and squirmed. "Up!"

Smiling, Kinea did as she was told; it was not as if every woman, after all, was lucky enough to have such a son. "Are you getting tired, darling?"

As if in reply, the boy yawned. Kinea kissed him on the forehead, then carried him to his crib and lowered him to the mattress--little mite needed his sleep. "Good night, Athayos."

Her son blinked. "Who 'Thayos?"

Silly boy. She beamed down at him in silence for a moment, then proceeded to the candles.

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