Page 67 of Circle of Shadows
They studied him, then discussed among themselves for what seemed like an eon. Finally, the first man stood up.
“We do not have much to offer, but whether you areNauti or Wolf, it is our honor to help you. We’ll row you ourselves, wherever you wish to go.”
Daemon nodded.I suppose ifbelieving I’m a god means they’ll get me to Tiger’s Belly, I’ll let them go on believing.He’d donate next month’s apprentice allowance to Nauti’s temple as an apology for not setting the record straighter here today.
“Thank you,” he said. “You are truly honorable citizens of Kichona. Now please, let’s go.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Soon thereafter, the ship swept briskly into Tiger’s Belly. The ryuu disembarked, led by Hana, who refused to meet Sora’s eye.
The harbormaster ran down the pier, waving papers angrily. “This ship is not registered! You cannot take up a berth!” he shouted.
Prince Gin took his time walking up to him.
“My ship serves Sola, Luna, and Zomuri,” he said. “You insult our gods by refusing me in your port.”
“I don’t know who Zomuri is—”
Prince Gin flicked his wrist.
The harbormaster’s head snapped cleanly off his neck.
Sora gasped. The man’s body remained standing for a few seconds, as if, in its shock, it still expected its head to return. But a moment later, it collapsed onto the pier, splattering blood everywhere.
The new recruits joined Sora in her surprise, but PrinceGin turned to them and said, “We aim for peace while in our own kingdom, but sometimes, expediency requires sacrifice. Blood is a price we must be willing to pay for glory. I also wanted you to see the power we have within us. This is what we will be able to do when we invade other kingdoms. We’ll make Kichona one of the most feared and revered kingdoms in the world. We will be unstoppable.”
Yes!Sora thought, as the fire of ambition in her belly flared, hot and ready to fight. Her mother had entreated her to do more, to be more. And now she was fulfilling her promise, serving the greatest leader Kichona had ever seen and using Luna’s gifts to their greatest potential. And with her sister, no less.
Mama will be proud, Sora thought.
By now most of the ryuu had disembarked, leaving a small crew behind to guard the ship. Prince Gin divided his warriors into small groups, each in charge of attacking a sector of the city, securing it, and rounding up any taigas they found. Everyone had been assigned a unit—even the new recruits—except Sora.
“Where do I go?” she asked, but everyone was already gone, assembled with their groups farther down the dock.
“You haven’t been trained yet,” Hana said, as she appeared seemingly from nowhere. “You’re stuck with me until you’re ready. Unfortunately.”
Shrug it off, Sora thought. She reminded herself of how Hana had looked at her earlier, when Sora had managed to find her when she was invisible. She also held on to the fact that Hana could have let Prince Gin execute her, but had saved her instead. That didn’t mean nothing.
“I won’t let you down,” Sora pledged, touching her necklace.Not this time.
Sora stood inside the shrine to Emmer, god of the harvest. While Tiger’s Belly had a port, it was only a small one; this part of Kichona was mostly rice paddies and silos, growing and supplying the kingdom with grain. Fittingly, this was a modest shrine, with plain wooden beams supporting a clean but basic pagoda roof.
It did, however, have an excellent vantage point from which to observe the network of farms inland. Hana would be able to watch the ryuu’s progress while she trained Sora in their magic.
“Lie down,” Hana ordered.
“Here?”
“Where else?” She tapped her foot impatiently. It was a role reversal. It used to be Sora who complained that Hana was too slow, that she was always holding up Sora’s plans.
Sora lay down on the thin reed mat covering the shrine’s floor. Marigold wreaths on rickety bamboo stands, offerings to Emmer from the locals, surrounded the perimeter.
“You could see me when I was invisible,” Hana said. “Which means that, in theory, you might be able to disappear too.”
Sora sat up. “You’re going to show me how?” Eagerness for more ryuu magic bubbled inside her.
Hana put her foot on Sora’s chest and shoved her back on the floor. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. We’ll start with the basics.”
