The Forbidden Library (20 page)

“I do,” Iniru replied.

“I knew you would,” Kemsu replied with a wink.

“Well of course she can,” Zaiporo replied. “Iniru is awesome like that.”

Enashoma scowled at Zaiporo. Turesobei sighed.

“Zaiporo has hunted a little and is excellent at butchering kills,” Turesobei said. “I’ve only hunted a few times. Once with magic.”

“Cheater,” Iniru said, almost playfully. She started to smile at him, but then she stopped and scowled.

“I can also detect the presence of any creatures nearby using a spell,” Turesobei said. “Though I can’t keep it up all the time.”

Iniru snorted and Narbenu stifled a cough. Turesobei glanced at them and shrugged. He almost asked what was so funny but decided not to.

“I can use the spell periodically to make sure nothing’s creeping up on us. Lu Bei can scout from above. We have the hounds, too, though I’m not sure of their footing on the ice. I won’t be able to sense exactly what’s out there if I’ve never encountered it before and my range is limited to about two hundred paces normally, though it uses air kenja which is strong here so I can probably do three times that. We’ll have to test it.”

“I’ve gotten decent at cooking,” Enashoma said.

“Unfortunately,” Narbenu said. “We can’t cook out here on the ice. No fuel for the fires. We can warm water to melt it with the star-stones, but that’s about it.”

“You mean we have to eat the meat raw?” Enashoma asked. “That’s gross.”

“Only way to do it,” Narbenu replied. “Cooking is a luxury. And you’ll get used to the flavor. Richer but good. I prefer raw, personally.”

“I’ve eaten raw as part of my qengai practice,” Iniru said. “I didn’t like it much, except for fish. Speaking of my training, the goronku may not have to worry about it with their fur and fat layer, but for all of us, you three more than me, we have to make sure we don’t sweat. The moisture will freeze to our skins. Take off layers if you get hot. We have to avoid frostbite at all cost. Keep your circulation going. Watch your feet. Make sure they stay dry. Check them every night and rub them. You may not be able to feel frostbite setting it. If they do get frostbitten, don’t warm them too fast and don’t rub them.”

“Where’d you learn all that?” Zaiporo asked.

“We covered cold weather survival in my qengai training, in case I ever have a mission to the mountains in winter. A qengai must prepare for all possibilities.”

“We’ll take an extra break each day to walk around,” Narbenu said. “I forget you’re not adapted to the cold like we are. Rotate your feet as you ride. It helps.”

“If we have to take time every day to walk and hunt,” said Enashoma, “won’t the yomon catch up to us?”

“I think they’ll have to hunt as well,” said Kemsu.

“Maybe,” said Turesobei, “but I’m certain they have much more endurance than us and can probably run through much of the night. I’ll summon the moon mirrors so we can ride an extra hour or two. That’s all we can do. Truthfully, I’m not even certain the yomon do eat. They’re sort of like Kaiaru and sort of like demons.”

“They eat,” said Narbenu. “Though whether for pleasure or out of necessity, I don’t know. I’m sure the witch must eat, though, right?”

Turesobei hoped so, but he wasn’t sure what Awasa was capable of now. “At least we have mounts. We should be faster than them.”

*****

The third morning passed without any sign of game. They crested a long, low hill and before them stretched another expanse of endless ice in all directions, though to the northeast was a blotch that Narbenu claimed was the outer buildings of another goronku village.

As they traveled, Turesobei rode beside Iniru as much as he could. It wasn’t that he was tired of Kurine. He was just tired of the endless questions about his life in Okoro. And he missed Iniru. Despite rescuing her, he still hadn’t had a chance to spend much time with her. His excuse to Kurine was that he had to let Zaiporo talk to Enashoma, and that his sister would miss him. He doubted she bought it.

Whenever Iniru became relaxed or grew tired, she’d start to forget that she was mad at him and relax. She would tease him or exchange barbs with Lu Bei. They would laugh about parts of their adventure together in Wakaro, fighting the Storm Cult and trekking through the rainforest, and they would have long discussions about magic and fighting. But whenever Iniru remembered Kurine, she’d stop talking and cast dirty looks at him. 

Kemsu, when he wasn’t riding point, would ride nearby and try to butt into their conversations. Kurine never did that. He wasn’t even sure if she was listening. Sometimes, though, she would speak to Motekeru or the hounds who rode with her in their makeshift saddle. Turesobei felt guilty for cutting her out.

“Sobei,” Enashoma asked late that afternoon, “do you think Aikonshi and Hakamoro are okay?”

“Tough as they are, I’m sure they got down from the mountain with no problem. They’re survivors. And if I missed any yomon, I’m sure they’ll track them down and find a way to get rid of them.”

“I wish they were with us now,” Enashoma said. “We sure could use their help.”

“I’m glad they’re not here,” Turesobei replied. “They’re where they belong. I just wish I could say that for all of you. I wish I hadn’t drug you in with the storm winds.”

“You did what you had to,” Zaiporo said. “Not like you had a lot of control over the dragon.”

“I barely had any control.”

“Are you still having nightmares about the dragon?” Iniru asked.

“No,” he responded.

She gave him a dubious look. “Liar.”

“Well, they’re not as bad now. They’re back to the level they were at before we set off to rescue you from the lair.” 

Visions of the huge shadowed monster with the flaming eyes had mostly replaced his nightmares of the Storm Dragon, but there was no way he’d tell them about that. He didn’t want to worry them.

*****

Turesobei scanned their surroundings with the
spell of sensing presences
as soon as he woke up each morning and again at lunch, dusk, and just before going to bed. On the fourth morning he got a hit — a feeling, a knowing that something was out there, and in this case exactly what it was and how far away.

“I’m picking up a reitsu following us. He’s at the edge of my range. Hard to detect. His energy signature closely matches the ice. If I hadn’t come into contact with one, I’d have never noticed him. But it seems to be just the one and he’s keeping his distance.”

“I don’t get it,” Zaiporo said. “What’re they planning? What’s he going to accomplish by tracking us? His comrades won’t be able to catch up or find him.”

“Could be an assassin,” Iniru suggested.

“The reitsu have a weak psychic link with others of their kind, even over great distances,” Narbenu said. “So they’ll be able to follow him if they come in roughly the same direction and aren’t so far behind they lose contact. I know they want revenge, but as to what they’re planning, I have no idea. They know they can’t take out Motekeru easily.”

They stopped a few leagues from a goronku village. Narbenu rode in to let the people know about the yomon heading this way. Kemsu invited Iniru to scout around with him to search for game.

“I don’t know,” Iniru said, “maybe we should all stick together.”

Kurine grabbed Turesobei’s arm. “Why don’t we take a short walk? Just you and me.”

“You know what?” Iniru said. “I think I will scout around with you, Kemsu.” 

As the two of them rode off, Turesobei said, “Can you believe that? What does she see in him?”

“Who cares?” Kurine said, perplexed.

“I don’t know what she sees,” Zaiporo said, “but I don’t blame him.“

Lu Bei, who had been flying around, zipped in front of Zaiporo. “Lady Shoma, do you want me to claw his eyes out?”

“What!?” Zaiporo said. He turned to Enashoma. “Did — Did I do something wrong?”

“Did you do something wrong?” she asked. “Idiot. You’ve been hanging around Sobei too much.”

“Hey!” Turesobei said.

“Don’t claw his eyes out, Lu Bei,” Enashoma said. “Not yet.” She stalked over and played with the hounds who had taken well to the terrain. They seemed to enjoy running and sliding on the ice and snow.  

Motekeru shook his head and said nothing. Lu Bei turned back into a book. Kurine tugged at Turesobei, so he walked with her, leaving Zaiporo on his own to figure out what he’d done wrong.

“Look,” Kurine said, “I know you don’t love me. No, shush. Let me finish. I know you don’t love me. And you probably think I’m rash for choosing you without us really knowing each other.”

“Yeah, honestly, I kind of do think that.”

“Well, it was rash. I admit it. But you’re cute and smart and … different. You’re the most exciting thing to happen here in ages. Goronku life … it’s pretty much the same, year in and year out, generation after generation. And then I saw you. And you flirted with me —”

“I did?”

“And I knew you were interested in me.”

“I was?”

“And so I went for it. I knew suddenly that my life could be special. That it didn’t have to be predictable and I could be someone special, too.”

“You already are someone special, Kurine. You’re incredibly talented.”

“Just like my mother and my grandmother and my great-grandmother? I knew you could change everything for me, maybe even all the goronku people. And since I did find you attractive, it was worth the gamble. The only other boy I’d ever been interested in … It just wasn’t meant to be. It never could be. And I’m sorry about the kiss. I tried to be fair by asking you.”

“I thought I’d embarrass you if I said no.”

“You would’ve, but I’d have been okay. I’m tough. And it’s not the end of the world if a kiss gets refused. It happens. I never stopped to think that in your culture a public kiss might not mean the same thing. And now …”

“We’re stuck together because of society and the rules. Hey, it’s not my first time. My first betrothed, the witch chasing us … my marriage to her was arranged by our parents when I was only three years old. I had no choice.”

“That’s terrible.”

“Your way is better than that, for certain.”

“Iniru,” Kurine said. “I know you like her. Maybe you love her. I watch you with her, riding beside her as much as you can, talking and laughing, enjoying each other’s company. But tell me, what does she offer that I don’t? I’m pretty, too.”

“You are.” And it was true. 

“I’m witty. Maybe I don’t have all her exciting skills, but she’s a killer, a trained assassin. That doesn’t bother you?”

“Well … I never really thought about it that way.” He had grown accustomed to not questioning how the Sacred Codex of the qengai worked, and it was easy to forget that Iniru was an assassin when she had never killed anyone except in self-defense, at least as far as he knew, and she hadn’t been able to kill the Winter Child. “What she does, it’s to bring about a greater good.” 

Kurine cocked an eyebrow. “If you say so.”

“Honest.”

“Sobei, give me a chance. That’s all I ask. Let me earn your love. We are betrothed. I can make you happy.” She stroked a finger along his lips. “Please.” She stepped in until their bodies were touching. “Pretty please …” She kissed him.

Maybe Lu Bei should gouge my eyes out, he thought as he said, “I promise I’ll give you a chance, Kurine. But Iniru is my friend. I risked everything to save her. You have to be nice to her. You must be her friend as well.”

Kurine frowned, pouted, then sighed. “If that’s what it takes. Come on, we’d better head back.”

Minutes after they returned, Kemsu and Iniru rode in carrying four rabbit-like creatures they’d killed.

“Not much around here,” Kemsu said. “This area is over-hunted being so close to a village. But we got dinner. The real way. Didn’t even need magic.”

Iniru snorted and dismounted.

Zaiporo skinned and butchered the creatures. Narbenu returned, carrying a block of cheese the village had given him in appreciation for the warning. They ate some of the cheese along with the raw meat. Turesobei hated it. The taste wasn’t the worst, but it wasn’t good either and the meat was tough and difficult to chew, though the goronku and Iniru, with their sharper teeth, made quick work of it.

“You know,” Iniru said to Enashoma, “your hair has really grown out. I like it.”

Enashoma turned away from her. “I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

“What — What did I do?” Iniru asked. 

“It’s … nothing,” Enashoma said. “I’m just not in the mood for chatter.”

Iniru turned to Turesobei. “Sobei?”

“What?” he snapped miserably.

“Oh fine,” Iniru said. “Never mind.”

“The cold,” said Motekeru, and it was the first thing he’d said all day, “is getting to all of you. Maybe you should try silence for a while. You might learn to like it.”

*****

Three more days of riding, eating rations and some raw game, and three more nights spent in freezing snowhouses had everyone’s tempers flared. Except Narbenu who was so used to these conditions as a scout that it didn’t faze him. In fact, he enjoyed it. They were now out in the true wilderness, far away from most settlements. It was an unusual route to take, and more dangerous, but it was the most direct route and they didn’t want to endanger any communities.