Page 18 of Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox
“It is yours,” Sansa pointed out.
Tsumiko shook her head. “It was his first. I don’t mind sharing.”
“We are not the same. If I meet an obstacle, I break it.” Sansa took a stance and thrust outward with both fists. “Yes?”
“You and Michael are both reavers.” At Sansa’s nod, Tsumiko added, “I get the impression you’re not a ward.”
Sansa laughed. “My soul is middling compared to Michael’s and nothing alongside yours. So I have trained—strength, skill, and senses. My designation is battler.”
“I don’t have any training. Will I eventually be assigned to one of these reaver categories?”
“There is no need, miss. You are a beacon.” Sansa turned toward her. “Did the boys not say? Few reavers have your ranking.”
“Beacon,” Tsumiko echoed. “What does that mean?”
“Trouble.” With another low laugh, Sansa said, “My patrols have doubled since your arrival.”
“I’m sorry to add to your work. Especially since … well.” Tsumiko shyly gestured at Sansa, who had traded her starched cook’s uniform for a worn green tunic, snug leggings, and the crisscrossing belts and straps that held her small arsenal. The softly clinging clothes made Sansa’s condition obvious. “When are you due?”
“Before the turning of the new year.”
“Is this your first?”
“This is our fifth child.”
“But …” Tsumiko hoped she wasn’t treading close to a sad story. “I haven’t seen any children around.”
“Reaver children begin training at a young age,” said Sansa. “Especially when they have much power, and our children are strong. We were encouraged to add to our line after Annika left home last spring.”
“How old was she?”
“Almost four.”
A three-year-old taken from her mother? Tsumiko must have looked as horrified as she felt.
Sansa rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Our little one has been partnered with her elder sister. Darya will guide her early training.”
“Do you see them often?”
“Two or three times a year, during reaver festivals.” Sansa led the way onto a forested path. “And they all come home for a month in summer.”
“So I just missed them?” asked Tsumiko.
“Yes.” With a small smile, she said, “They were able to see off Mrs. Eimi.”
“That must have made her very happy.”
Sansa nodded. “She and Lord Percival had no children of their own. We became the family they longed for.”
They strolled along at an easy pace. Every so often Sansa left the path to inspect the wards that apparently kept the borders secure.
“What are you checking for?” asked Tsumiko.
“Signs of tampering, curiosity, intrusion.”
“People come all the way out here?”
Sansa shook her head. “The Amaranthine world has many layers. The Kindred clans are uppermost. These take our form, learn our languages, and make peace. But others cannot aspire to such complexities. Kith are sentient, but have no speaking form. And then there are the Ephemera—tiny creatures that are difficult to classify because of their diversity. They can be pretty or pests.”
