Page 18 of Yumi and the Nightmare Painter

“I see,” the hero said. He thought a moment, then he…posed? With arms folded? Did he think that looked dramatic when he was wearing a nightgown? “I don’t think you are taking me seriously enough. I—”

“Please,” Yumi said, interrupting. “Please, hero. My previous plan was flawed. Just…just go along with what she is saying.”

He frowned, glancing at Yumi.

“Liyun,” Yumi said, “will never believe that I, of all yoki-hijo, was blessed in this way by the spirits. Just…for now, could you do as I say?”

“Who is she?” he asked.

“My head servant.”

He seemed skeptical about that. Liyun, who had only heard his part of that conversation, opened her mouth to offer another passive-aggressive piece of “advice.” Yumi spoke first.

“Tell her this: ‘I am sorry, Warden-nimi. I felt remnants of a dream, and was speaking according to them. By overtaxing myself yesterday, I’ve left myself weakened, as your wise counsel indicated. Forgive my indiscretions.’?”

He reluctantly repeated the words, cutting Liyun off.

The warden fell silent, studying him.

“Kneel,” Yumi whispered. “Please? And bow your head? I know it’s not very heroic, but…”

He obeyed, doing as she asked.

“Then shall I order the rituals to continue?” Liyun said. “Without interruption? It is, of course, your prerogative, Chosen.”

The hero glanced at Yumi, as if to ask whether she actually had a choice. Which she didn’t.

“I will continue the rituals,” she said, and the hero repeated it. “Please send the attendants back. And apologize to Hwanji that I addressed her directly.”

Liyun accepted this, and turned and slipped out, her clogged feet clomping on the stone as she went to search for Hwanji and Chaeyung. Yumi pulled her hands to her breast and bowed her head, trying to still her racing heart. She always felt sotensewhen Liyun was serving her. More so now. The woman was already convinced that Yumi was trying to dodge her responsibilities…and with good reason. Yumi was, she knew, a poor representative of the Chosen.

But the spirits had come to her for help. They had sent a hero. That meant something, didn’t it?

“I don’t get it,” the hero said. “She’s your servant?”

“Everyone serves me,” Yumi said softly, “so that I may serve the world. It is my honor and duty to call the spirits, and bind them to the service of the people of Torio. As such, the people are…deeply invested in freeing me from worldly concerns, so I may focus solely on my important obligations.”

“It’s not just the sky that’s weird here, then?” he said. “It’s the (lowly) people too?”

“I must say,” Yumi told him, bowing further, “that you are taking this well, hero. Many would insist this is nothing but a dream. Your adventures in your land must have been great and interesting for this experience to be mundane to you.”

“I wouldn’t call it mundane,” he replied. “I just…have experience with dreams. My name is Painter, by the way.”

“Painter,” she said, mouthing the word. “It means ‘one who paints’ in our language. That is interesting.”

“I…I think I said it that way, in your language. Which I appear to be able to speak and read. Anyway, it’s more a title than a name.” He thought a moment. “So…I’m going to have to pretend to be you? At least until we get this all sorted out?”

“Yes,” she said. “If we can make it through the early part of the day, we should be able to approach the spirits and find out from them what we are to do. Perhaps…perhaps then we will know how to explain this to Liyun?”

That didn’t seem likely to Yumi, but the hero—Painter—didn’t know enough to object. Instead he scratched his head. She found it odd, naturally, that the spirits had sent a youth of her own age as the hero. Perhaps their ages had to match for the transfer to occur. And likely a hero this young wasmoreincredible, to have accomplished so much in only two decades of life.

“Those other women were offended,” he said, “when I took the food. Was it for them to eat, then?”

“They must feed you,” Yumi said.

“What? Like a baby?”

“You must be free,” she explained, “of all worldly concerns. Others will do everything for you that you need.”

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