Page 45 of Circle of Shadows
“I don’t like this,” she said to Glass Lady.
There hadn’t been any new typhoon attacks, which ought to have been good news. But there also hadn’t been any hint of the ominous magic or the ship that Glass Lady had seen. Aki got the feeling that an enormous trap was being set up around them, and they were too oblivious to realize it was happening.
“Are we receiving daily updates from the Society outposts around the kingdom?” Aki asked.
“Yes,” Glass Lady said. “The only post we did not hear from this morning was the Paro Village taigas, but that isn’t unusual. Things are slow out there, so they don’t always report daily.”
“What if that’s where the enemy is?”
“Unlikely. There’s nothing out there. There’s no reason why an enemy would want Paro Village over the larger, more valuable targets in Kichona.”
Aki stopped pacing and whirled to face the commander. “So we’re just sitting around, waiting for them to strike again?” As soon as she asked the question, though, she realized how much she sounded like a shrill teenager, accusing a grown-up of not knowing better despite all her years of experience. “I’m sorry,” Aki said. “That didn’t come out the way I meant it. I do not doubt the Society’s methods, but it’s frustrating that we don’t know anything more.”
Glass Lady nodded. “Believe me, I wish we knew more as well. But until we catch sight of our enemy again, all we can do is practice extreme vigilance. Taigas around the kingdom are on high alert and have been ordered to double their patrols. The navy is on constant watch for anomalies, everything from unregistered ships coming to port to unexplainable weather patterns. And the scholars at the Citadel are diligently combing through our libraries for references to the kind of magic I saw, whether it’s in historical scrolls or texts collected from other kingdoms or our own folklore. We have the very best on the job, Your Majesty, and when our enemy decides to rear its head again, we will be ready.”
“Very well, Commander.” Aki restrained herself from demanding that she see progress soon. The Society would get her information as soon as they had it.
But it wasn’t enough for Aki to do nothing while waiting. After Glass Lady left, the empress turned to Graystone, one of her Imperial Guards. “I need to go to the temple,” she said.
Graystone bowed. “I will fetch your kit, Your Majesty.”
“Thank you. I’ll meet you there.”
Luna was the taigas’ patron deity, but her sister, Sola, ruler of the sun, was the goddess of the imperial family. All emperors and empresses were blessed by Sola to rule Kichona.
Aki climbed the spiraling gold steps that led up to Rose Palace’s highest turret. Unlike the other towers, Sola’s temple was constructed of red and orange crystal to honor the fiery light of the sun. It stood alone in the center of the palace, and at the top of the staircase, a fountain of cool, clear water bubbled eternally, needing no rain or underground spring to replenish it.
At the threshold to the temple, Aki stepped out of her shoes, leaving the delicately embroidered slippers on the last stair. She washed her hands in the fountain, rinsing herself of the impurities of earthly life before she addressed the goddess. When she was clean enough, she walked into the small chamber of the temple itself. The Imperial Guards remained outside; gods and goddesses appeared only for the royal family.
The interior of the temple varied in color, depending on the time of day and the mood of the sun. Sometimes light streamed through the crystal and cast a pale orange everywhere. Other times, the room was a swirl of red and gold, like an autumn leaf made of sunbeams.
Today, however, the temple was dark crimson.This is not a good sign,Aki thought.
She knelt before the shrine and lit a stick of incense. Its smoky pomegranate scent wafted up toward the heavens but did nothing to soothe the empress’s nerves.
Aki set down the blue velvet roll Graystone had fetched for her. She untied the gold ribbon and unfurled the velvet on the low table, her fingers shaking. The contents of theroll constituted “the kit” given to each emperor and empress on coronation day: a long needle forged of pure gold; a small, rose-crystal disk; and a white handkerchief, embroidered with the imperial family crest. The Ora tiger wearing a crown graced the corner of the silk.
She centered the crystal disk on the velvet roll. Then she raised the needle to her finger. “I am Aki Ora, empress of Kichona, servant to Sola. I give my blood as proof that I am who I claim, and that it is my honor to offer my life for Kichona.” She pricked her skin, inhaled sharply, and held her finger above the crystal disk. A single droplet of blood fell, as dark as the crimson of the room.
Aki pressed the square of white silk to her finger. The handkerchief was never to be washed or replaced. The blood accumulated over the years was a record of many things, not only the length of an emperor’s rule, but also the number of times Sola’s advice had to be sought. Peaceful reigns required fewer visits to the temple. Turbulent ones left the silk entirely stained with red.
This was only the second drop of blood on Aki’s handkerchief. It could be seen as a victory, evidence of her tranquil reign as the Benevolent One. But Aki frowned at it. Two bloodstains were two too many.
Her blood glistened on the crystal, shiny and round like the most valuable of rubies. Aki waited. Every beat of her heart felt like a century.
Half an hour later, the temperature in the temple warmed, as the sun beamed brighter through its walls. The blood on the disk sizzled. And then it evaporated.
Sola appeared. Even though Aki had seen her once before, she still gaped slack-jawed in awe at the goddess’s radiance.The light surrounding Sola was so bright, it nearly blinded Aki. Even so, she could make out the figure of the goddess within—tall and imposing, with orange flames curling around her head instead of hair. A long red gown, her belly round beneath it, pregnant with the possibilities of the next day. And a face that was smooth as a baby’s one moment, then wrinkled and spotted as a great-grandmother’s the next. The sun goddess had existed for so long, she knew no age.
Simultaneously, Aki felt as if a sliver of herself had been carved away. She gasped, even though she had expected it. Seeking answers or favor from Sola was not free. Age was real for humans, and each visit from Sola cost a year of life. The goddess had just shortened Aki’s by another 365 days.
But it’s for Kichona,Aki reminded herself.It’s worth it.
“You have asked for me,” Sola said, her statement blowing through the temple like a desert wind.
“Yes, my lady,” Aki said, bowing deeply and grateful to be on her knees, since her legs were shaking.
She would have to be quick in explaining what she needed. The daily lives of humans could not hold the gods’ interest for long, and Sola would vanish back to Celestae, island of the gods, if she grew bored.
