Treasure (10 page)

The look on Kindan's face said he did not believe that for a moment, and Taka wanted to laugh at him. Kyo was not nearly the fool for which he let people mistake him. If Kindan was going to make assumptions, Taka was more than happy to let him learn of his error the hard way. He loathed when people were quick to judge Kyo, who endured far more than any one person should. 

"Unless there is something else to discuss, gentlemen, I think we are done here. We shall see you tomorrow at dawn; let us hope we travel well together, hmm?"

Raiden smiled in a way that made Taka shiver, though he couldn't say why. "I think we will get along together just fine, Highness. I am looking forward to the adventure after doing nothing for years but sitting behind a desk."

Kyo laughed and rose with them as they stood, nodding politely when Raiden and Kyo bowed. Taka led them out of the temple, leaving Kyo with his tea and the map Kindan had left behind. Kindan bid him farewell, then after exchanging a look with Raiden, departed. Taka scowled when Raiden remained. "Is there something you required, Master Raiden?"

"Walk with me a moment?" Raiden asked. Taka wanted to tell him no, but he had not become a royal secretary because he always gave in to his child impulses. Whether he liked it or not, he was effectively Raiden's property until the contract was renegotiated. "I know you resent that I asked for you—"

"I am not a piece of jewelry to be bargained away," Taka snapped.

Raiden's brows lifted, and he stopped walking. "You are, though. More valuable, certainly, but as I understand the workings, you can be bargained away on a whim."

Taka looked away, somehow disappointed. What had he expected? Kyo was literally the only person who did not see him as property, as a
thing
. "Be that as it may—"

"I asked, and his Highness agreed," Raiden cut in. "He had the right to say no and keep you to himself. The bargain was fair."

Irritation only growing because, of
course
, that was how a merchant would see the situation, Taka turned sharply and strode to the ledge that lined the path upon which they walked, staring down at the beach below. "I am aware I am only an object, Master Raiden, but that does not mean I enjoy or approve of the situation. I have never enjoyed being a mere object."

"Then why did you become a royal secretary?"

"To be close to a friend," Taka said softly to the distant sea. "My friendship matters more than being a pawn, and being my friend, he kept me from every really being one—until now."

"Friend?" Raiden echoed, sounding surprised.

Anger overtook Taka, and he whipped around. "Yes, friend. I know everyone finds it hard to believe that a prince and a pawn could be friends, but we are! The only reason I am going along with this mad scheme is that he
is
my friend, and I am willing to trust he has reasons for his actions."

He made to storm off, but was halted by a firm, calloused, and surprisingly warm hand wrapping around his wrist. Stopping, he glared over his shoulder at Raiden. "Unhand me."

"Do not stomp off, then," Raiden said. "I apologize, I didn't mean—never mind. I do firmly believe that you are friends; it is in the way you treat each other. I know you are angry at me for acquiring you as I did, but I promise that I had the best of intentions, even if they are somewhat selfish."

Taka did not reply, merely waited in cold silence for his explanation. "I need someone I can trust," Raiden said. "I have gone through ten secretaries this year alone, and that was before the year was half gone. I am busy and cannot watch every little piece of my business no matter how hard I try. I own nearly thirty ships, and each of those with crews that range from fifty men to three hundred. I trade across four nations, and have no fewer than one hundred and thirty different licenses and permits to track, never mind the special ones that must be renewed per ship. I make a fortune, but lose more of it than I care to think about to those who take advantage of the size and chaos of my business to rob me, both of money and goods. Any secretary working for me is in a position of power, one that has been abused every single time. The integrity of a royal secretary is without question. I thought you would be able to help where no one else can. But no one is going to give a royal secretary to a mere merchant, even one as powerful and wealthy as I."

To his great annoyance, Taka sympathized. The explanation made perfect sense, and someone like Raiden would resent that so much was taken from him—as gaudy and arrogant and infuriating as he was, no one got to Raiden's position by being stupid and lazy. He would have worked hard, and of course there were people eager to help themselves to the catch that Raiden had hauled in.

"Fine," he said. "I do admit I understand what you are saying, and even Kyo's staunchest detractors have never been able to question my integrity. But contract or not, I'm not one of your baubles." Raiden smiled at him, slow and hot, and Taka shivered before he could catch himself. He jerked his wrist free. "Whatever the rumors say about the relationship between Kyo and I, Master Raiden, I do not sleep with my masters. Integrity, common sense, and good taste forbid it."

Laughing, Raiden stepped in close, grasped Taka's chin and tilted his face up. "I don't make people sleep with me, jewel. The contract means you are my secretary. Anything else you become, it will be because we both want it, and the contract has nothing to do with it."

Before Taka could pull away, Raiden bent and brushed a whisper soft kiss across his mouth. Taka sputtered and shoved him hard. "Keep yourself to yourself, Master Raiden." He spun around sharply on one heel and stalked off, leaving the temple to head back to the palace.

He had only a hundred things to do that day to ensure that nothing went unaccounted for while he was away. He was certain it would be neglected and turned into a mess, anyway, but he would try to prevent that.

When he reached Kyo's rooms, he saw that Kyo had already returned. Kyo stood at the balcony, hands resting lightly on the railing, hair long and loose and still unadorned. Taka joined him, unsurprised to see that Kyo was watching the ships in the harbor. "I suppose if nothing else come of this, at least we will get to travel. That must excite you, no matter how cool you are playing it. Is he really a mermaid?"

"Half, technically," Kyo said. "I always figured mermaids could bear children, but I've never read of any instance of it happening—though I suppose people are not likely to record that."

Taka made a face. "Are you certain we should be travelling without real protection, Kyo? I know you want to escape your father's hold, whatever we are doing, but Captain Midori—"

"We will be fine," Kyo said. "If all goes according to plan, we'll be in little to no danger."

He did not see how that was possible, but Taka knew better than to ask and was not in the mood for an evasion. If anyone could defy the old 'curse' that those of royal blood could not travel the seas because those seas would seek to kill them, it was Kyo. "Everything is packed—finally. I have only hundreds of other things to do, but—"

"Leave them," Kyo said. "Leave the whole mess exactly as it is; from here on out, it is someone else's problem."

Taka shook his head. "No. I have no desire to come back to more of a mess than strictly—"

"I said leave it."

"Fine, but you get to sort it out when we return."

Kyo smiled faintly. "Yes, Taka. How did your little
tête
-
à
-
tête
with Master Raiden go?"

Taka made a face, completely unsurprised that Kyo knew he and Raiden had spoken privately, though he could not fathom how Kyo knew. "It was fine. I made it clear I wouldn't fuck him; he made it clear he would convince me otherwise. The trip is looking to be a delight already."

"I see," Kyo said with a real laugh.  He lifted a hand to point to a ship with black sails. "Piedre ships; it's rare to see those sails anymore. I wonder what it's like there, if the tales of the violence are true."

"I cannot imagine they are false, given its history. No country where a god of death committed suicide can be a good one. Look at how they treat Culebra."

Kyo nodded and said nothing more about it. They stood there in silence together, as they had so many times before, but something felt different. Taka felt the way he did when there was someone behind, just out of his periphery, waiting to spring upon him with something he wasn't going to like. "I wish you would tell me what troubles you."

"I wish I did not know it myself," Kyo said with uncharacteristic bitterness. "But we do not choose our fates, even those of us who follow the gods of chaos. I can only hope that I succeed; I can ask for nothing else." He rose up and left the balcony. Taka reached out and grabbed him, pulling him back and holding him tight. After a moment, Kyo returned the embrace, clinging tightly.

They were the exact same height, he and Kyo. Their birthdays were only days apart. Despite everything, they had grown up in the palace together, each other's only refuge from lives that were less than ideal. "I don't like to see you so unhappy, Kyo."

"If you want to help me," Kyo whispered, "then try to be happy yourself. That's all I want, Taka. If it cannot be me, then it must be you."

Taka wasn't entirely certain he understood what Kyo was saying, but he nodded awkwardly, head still buried in the hollow of Kyo's shoulder. "You're a stubborn fool."

"It's my finest quality," Kyo said and finally pushed him gently away. "I am going to meet with my father, and then there is something else that I must do. Get some rest while you can because once the rest of the palace beds down, we are packing all of our last minute belongings. Leave nothing behind that matters to you, Taka. Also find a good pair of shears."

"What?" Taka asked, baffled by the odd request after the rest of the litany. "Why?"

Kyo laughed. "Taka, we are going to be on that ship for months. I do not know about you, but I do not want to be stuck dealing with my hair for all that time. Just before we leave to meet them on the ship, you are cutting my hair."

Taka's brows shot up. "Your
hair
. Kyo—you
can't.
You're a royal prince—"

"Not once we leave this palace. Never again. I don't have to be, not anymore." That sadness flitted across Kyo's face again, but it was gone before Taka could comment, almost immediately replaced by the  stubbornness Taka knew far too well. "My hair will be impractical, and I want it gone. I've never had my hair short before."

He sounded so wistful about something so trivial that Taka's heart broke all over again. Making Kyo happy was so stupidly simple, it made him angry no one ever bothered to do it. "Umiko's maid will have a good pair. I'll nick them while everyone is at dinner, and I guess it really doesn't matter if they find them on your dressing table later."

"No, it really won't. Thank you, Taka."

"Go placate your father so that we are left in peace the rest of the day," Taka said, giving him a gentle shove toward the bedroom, following him to dress properly for an audience with the king.

When Kyo was gone, Taka set about tidying the office and Kyo's rooms in general, taking care of a few things even if Kyo had ordered him not to bother with any of it. Though Kyo had not said as much, Taka had the definite impression that they would not be returning to Kundou. The thought was troubling, saddening, but he would not worry about it until he had good reason to worry about it—no sense in worrying about the journey before the ship arrived to begin it.

Except the ship had arrived, and it was waiting, and Taka had absolutely no idea where they were going, or to what purpose. All he knew was that he probably wasn't going to like it.

By the time Kyo finally returned, Taka had run out of things to do and given up at any attempts to eat; his appetite was having none of that while his anxiety was high. Kyo looked exhausted, but pleased—far too pleased.

Taka sighed, loud and long. "What did you do?"

Kyo smirked and locked the door then motioned for Taka to follow him into his bedroom where he also locked the door. He motioned for Taka to light more of the lamps, then closed the balcony doors and locked them as well.

"Kyo, what in the storms'—" He broke off as Kyo pulled an unmistakable object from his sash, holding the surprisingly unremarkable diamond-like stone aloft between his thumb and finger. It was beautiful, shaped somewhat like an eye and so small Taka always marveled no one had ever lost it.

Normally, it would have been secured to a chain around the throat of either the king or the crown prince. Fear made Taka's blood run cold. "Kyo, why do you have the Eye of the Storm?"

"Because this entire journey will be pointless if I do not take it," Kyo said. "Dawn is only a few hours away, and Taiheiyou is passed out in his room from drinking too much."

Taka sighed. "Drinking too much, or drinking whatever you slipped into his wine?"

"Both," Kyo said dismissively. "No one will notice it is missing until the Eye is well away from Kundou. By that point, it will be too late for them to get it back."

"You're going to leave Kundou without protection? Kyo … " Taka ran out of words. He had no idea what he should say. The Eye of the Storm was all that kept the terrible storms out at sea, kept the mermaids from making a full on assault on land.

Kyo tucked the Eye away again. "Do not worry so much, Taka. The mermaids will be too busy coming after me and the stone to worry about attacking Kundou. And we are the children of the storms; it will do the people good to remember that and learn how to face them instead of always hiding from them. I promise you, this is necessary."

"First you give me away, now you are stealing the Eye and running away—Kyo, if you do not stop all this nonsense, you will get yourself killed!"

"No one is going to kill me," Kyo said firmly. "I won't permit it. I am the only one allowed to take my life."

Taka glared at him. "Shut up. What about everyone else you are endangering—"

"I am doing what I must! Trust me or don't, Taka, but either way I have set my course, and I am staying it."