guards were still saddling horses, the others’ breakfast barely touched. He looked at Soko, who was still half-asleep, grumbling to Kohaku about his morning meal. Karasu was tying off her bedroll. But Tancho needed to get home, he needed to see with his own eyes and he needed to be a king for his people. And that was something Crow understood all too well.
Crow tipped the water out on the fire embers, extinguishing it for good. Everyone looked at him and he picked up his bag. “You heard Tancho. We leave now.”
Tancho gave him a grateful nod, and after collecting his bag, they headed for the stables. And soon enough, their procession was heading out on the final leg of their journey. It would only be a few hours at most, and although Tancho had explained the layout of his castle—where they would approach from, where any vantage points might be, any weaknesses—Crow still had no idea what to expect.
He could see the change in the landscape as they rode, all the houses much closer together now, in one continuous city. They had curved roofs and white walls, and Crow just couldn’t imagine a huge stone castle like his here. And when they came upon a slight crest and an arch bridge, Crow couldn’t see a ‘castle’ at all. No, what he saw fronting the water’s edge, still some distance away, was the largest building by far with high walls around it. It had to be it, but it was what Crow would call a temple.
Several stories high with many separate levels, white walls and curved ornate roofs. It had to be it. It was remarkable in its architecture and beauty, how it was huge but somehow complimented the land it stood on.
But Tancho wasn’t looking at that. He was scowling at something else. The flag atop the tallest part of the castle, Crow noticed . . . the koi was upside down. And an upside-down flag meant only one thing.
A cold shiver ran down Crow’s spine despite the humidity.
Tancho pulled on the reins of his horse. “Ride!” he urged, and Karasu and Soko at the lead didn’t need telling twice. They rode through narrowed cobblestone streets, along built-up water canals that were like never-ending bridges. People stopped and waved, cheered, and went back to their business.
There was no alarm, no terror or fear, no signs of distress anywhere. As if the ships out to sea weren’t even there, or at the very least, were no threat at all.
Either something was very odd or they’d rushed back here for no reason . . .
But as they weaved their way through the streets, Tancho didn’t slow down, and the hard set of his eyes only seemed more determined.
As they approached the high wall, the huge gates slid open and their procession filed through without incident. Only once they were all inside, they were quickly surrounded by a circle of guards in white, katanas drawn.
Everyone dismounted slowly, and an official of some sort rushed out to meet them, making a beeline for Tancho’s white kings’ cloak. Only, he took one look at the man wearing it, took a horrified step backward, and threw up his arm. “It is not the king!”
Every guard there closed in, brandishing their katanas and daggers and bows, and it was a tense few seconds before Tancho spoke.
“I am here,” he said, from where he and Crow stood at the back of the procession in guard’s uniforms. They had swapped cloaks with Hikari and Unagi and had ridden with the horse pulling Maghdlm’s carriage. “Sorry for the subterfuge. We didn’t know what or who would come out to meet us.”
The official waved the guards away and went to Tancho, hands out to greet him. He bowed his head. “My king. Forgive the less-than-stately welcome. Your arrival today was not expected.”
Tancho turned to the nearby guards. “There is an injured woman in this carriage. See her to private quarters and have the healers come at once.” Then he turned back to the flustered official. “Marin, where is Asagi? We got word of warning and returned immediately. The flag flies in distress.”
Marin nodded and bowed his head again. “Yes, yes. Asagi is inside. There is much to tell you. Come, come.” He began to usher Tancho toward the doors but cast an eye at Crow and stopped. “Uh, your guests?”
“My guests,” Tancho said flatly, “come with me.”
Crow gave Marin a curt smile. Yes, Crow wore a guard’s white cloak, but