Page 114 of The War of Four Winters

"I do," he said simply.

The Mistress set down her teacup, movements unnaturally fluid. She rose and approached me directly, the featureless mask tilted as if studying something only she could see.

"And what would you have the Shikami do, rebel king? Fight your battles? Kill your enemies? Solve the problems your rebellion has created?"

"I ask only for access. A door opened, a path revealed through the tunnels beneath D'thallanar that only the Shikami maintain. A way to reach my father and end this civil war quickly." I met her gaze steadily. "Just as Isheda once opened the way for Tarathiel."

The mask tilted slightly at the mention of Isheda's name—the Runecleaver nobleman who had betrayed his clan out of love for my father, only to be executed as a traitor once Tarathiel's throne was secure.

"And why would we grant you what Isheda granted him? What assurances do we have that history will not repeat itself?"

"Because I understand the value of loyalty and sacrifice in ways my father never did." I gestured toward the chamber around us. "Look at my actions, not merely my words. I have named Taelyn Wolfheart my queen, granting her full autonomy and equal voice in matters of state. The Empress of Bones sits at my war council. Women serve as captains in my armies, as diplomats in my embassies."

I leaned forward. "Under my rule, the position of women and girls throughout the realm will only strengthen. The Shikami will find not just an ally in me, but a champion for the cause you have silently advanced for centuries."

"Bold promises from one who has yet to secure his throne," she observed.

"Promises I intend to honor, unlike those who came before me."

"And what prevents me from simply killing you now? Ending your rebellion and allowing the traditional order to resolve this human threat?"

"Because you understand balance." I met where I thought her eyes would be behind that featureless mask. "The Shikami have survived countless kings and a primarch because you recognize that true power lies in equilibrium, not dominance. My father's rule has become unbalanced. Michail's crusade threatens to destroy rather than merely conquer."

The mask tilted slightly. "You speak with surprising wisdom for one so young."

"I've had excellent teachers in the ways of power. Including your former blade."

Silence fell upon the chamber, broken only by the gentle gurgle of the stream that circled us. Cherry blossoms drifted down, landing on the still surface of Omashii-Kuno's untouched tea.

She studied me for what felt like an eternity in silence. Then, with a gesture so subtle I nearly missed it, she beckoned one of her blades forward. The woman approached silently, bowed, and placed a small wooden box on the table between us.

"You speak of honor and of the value of women, where your father saw only tools to be used and discarded," Omashii-Kuno said. "The Shikami have watched both your rise and your father's. We have seen the differences in your paths."

She opened the box. Inside lay a small key carved from what appeared to be black jade.

"This will grant you access to the old ways beneath the river. Three passages connect to the Assembly island—the north path emerges in the garden behind the Hall of Records, the center path within the Temple of Eternal Wisdom, and the south path beneath the Primarch's private quarters." She pushed the box toward me. "Choose wisely, for each carries its own dangers."

I stared at the key, hardly believing what I was seeing. "You're granting my request? Without price or condition?"

The mask tilted slightly toward Aryn before returning to me. "Let us just say I have... personal reasons to wish for Tarathiel's removal. Reasons that transcend politics or power."

Something unspoken passed between her and Aryn—a current of understanding that made him straighten slightly, his eyes widening in a rare display of genuine surprise. The intensity of her gaze lingered on him longer than necessary, carrying what might have been regret, or perhaps even affection, before she turned back to me.

"When you sit upon the throne, you will ensure that women throughout the realm have paths to power beyond marriage beds and birth chambers,” she said firmly. “And you will decree that no man, regardless of rank or title, may claim a woman's body without her consent, and that anyone found guilty of such a crime will be given to us for punishment.”

"You have my word," I replied without hesitation. "Both as king and as Ruith Starfall."

"Your word alone is insufficient." She gestured to one of her blades, who approached with an ornate knife on a silk cushion. "Blood oath binds even kings."

I understood immediately. Taking the knife, I drew its edge across my palm, letting blood well up before pressing my hand to the surface of the table between us. "By my blood and breath, I swear to ensure women throughout the realm have paths to power in their own right, and to punish those—regardless of rank and title—who commit crimes of sexual violence. All who are found guilty will be remanded to the care of the Shikami for punishment as they see fit."

The Mistress of Blades made an identical cut across her own palm, pressing it to the table beside my blood print. Where our blood touched, the wood seemed to absorb it completely, leaving no trace.

"The shadows accept your oath. The key is yours." She closed the box and pushed it toward me. "You have until dawn to use it. After that, the passages will be sealed again until the next full moon."

I took the box, feeling its weight—far heavier than its size suggested. "Thank you, Mistress."

"Do not thank me yet, rebel king. The path you seek is treacherous, and what awaits at its end may not be what you hope to find." She rose. "You are both free to go. My blades will escort you to the district's edge."

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