a killer, but the sad truth is the world is better off with her dead. I don't want to think about it anymore."
"As you wish, tesoro mio. Shall we go inside?" He offered a hand, and Naoki took it as they returned to the house.
Chapter Seventeen
"I must be gone and live, or stay and die."
― William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
"So what's the plan?" Forthwind asked as he dished out bowls of pasta for everyone and passed them around. Filling the center of the table was a feast: steamed vegetables so spicy his eyes watered just from the scent; pickled vegetables; slices of fluffy fried, beaten eggs stuffed with cheese and crab; flaky fish seasoned with more tongue-melting spices, pan-fried seafood dumplings, fried pork meatballs and tiny tomatoes redolent with herbs; and fried squid drizzled with a sauce Forthwind couldn't name but desperately loved. "The plan had better include me finishing every last bite of this food."
Dante rolled his eyes. "I know better than to get between you and food. Anyone who's known you for two minutes knows better."
Naoki laughed quietly. "It's true. I've barely known you, and I would never even think of taking the food away."
Forthwind smiled sheepishly but didn't slow in his eating. It was all delicious and perfect, and he wanted a hundred more servings.
They all paused at the sound of footsteps and looked up just as Haru came around the corner, disheveled and tear-stained still but better than when she'd arrived. "I smelled food."
"Come and eat," Naoki said, patting the empty cushion beside him. "We just sat down, there's plenty."
"Yes, yes, come eat," Brom said, even as Forthwind dished her up a bowl of pasta.
"How are you feeling?" Dante asked.
"Tired still," Haru said. "No, that's not quite the word. Worn, I guess. Wrung out. What has happened while I slept?"
Naoki's mouth tightened. "We'll talk later. For now, we need to discuss how we're getting you and Kumiko safely off the island."
"What about you?"
"Me?" Naoki said. "There's too much to do for me to leave quite yet."
Fresh tears fell down Haru's cheeks, her pasta completely forgotten. "You are going to come, though?"
Naoki set his own food down and took her hand, squeezed. "Yes. I will come. I don't want to be here anymore. It's time to put Verona behind us. I promise I'm only lingering to make sure no one comes after us. That's all."
"Good," Haru said, and slowly went back to her food.
"So, what's the plan?" Forthwind asked, casting his eyes back to Dante. "I know you must have one, with all the brooding you've been doing. Self-recrimination doesn't usually take up more than an hour of your time."
"Shut up," Dante replied, rolling his eyes. He finished the dumpling he was eating, added some meatballs and tomatoes to his bowl, and then finally said, "It is going to sound self-serving, but I promise you it's not. The final stage of my revenge is all in place. I think all we need to do is make a slight change or two, and that will divert enough attention that we should be able to leave unimpeded and with nothing to worry about." He put his food down and held up his hands at the looks Forthwind, Naoki, and Brom gave him. "I told you it would sound self-serving. I swear to you it's not. I have run through a hundred scenarios, and anything better, we simply do not have time to execute. Hear me out."
Naoki frowned but gave a brief nod. "All right, then. Tell us."
"We've already arranged for Hardegin's little stash of magia blood to be found, along with Ferro steel, papavero, and more money than even a principe should be hiding away in a warehouse. Janshai isn't going to wait much longer to make his move. All the noise and panic spreading through the city will encourage him to grab what he can while he can. I plan to sneak back into the warehouse tonight and leave bloody scraps of Kumiko's clothes there, some splashes of blood, so it looks like he stashed her body there temporarily. It won't matter what he says after that: all his illegal dealings, his daughter missing, evidence of her and violence in his secret warehouse? He'll be lucky if the emperor doesn't remove his head. They'll be so busy sorting that mess out, they won't care if we're gone the next day, if they even notice."
Forthwind finished his second round of food and set his empty bowl down. "All right,