“She sounds remarkable,” I said.
“She is the first ray of dawn’s light after a storm, despite being older than the palace itself. She’s the only one who treats Haru like he’s still human. She calls him ‘little fish’ because apparently he was slippery as an infant. The Grand Minister practically pissed himself the first time she did that in open court.” Esumi’s smile turned sad. “We’ve only been here for a few days, and she’s the only one who can make Haru laugh. Even at night, when I’mallowedto sneak into his chamber, he’s not himself. His mind is forever elsewhere.”
“He does have the weight of an empire on his shoulders,” I offered.
“That he does.” Esumi looked between us. “Which is why I’m here. He asked me to check on you both, to see how you were managing.”
“He asked?” Yoshi’s voice cracked slightly. “He could have come himself.”
“He wanted to, but . . .” Esumi spread his hands helplessly. “It’s not that simple anymore. His every moment is accounted for. Every action is political. If he carves out time to visit two young men in the eastern wing, people will ask why. They’ll question his judgment, suggest he’s ignoring more important matters, wonder if you have some hold over him.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Yoshi said.
“That’s court . . . and you are aDaimyo’s son. It makes your very presence a political affair.” Esumi stood.
Yoshi’s head bowed. “I hadn’t thought of it like that.”
Esumi nodded slowly, then perked up. “Enough of that. I came to make you both an offer. You have to be bored out ofyour minds. I know I am. What would you think about training with me? We could start tomorrow morning at dawn, before the palace fully wakes and the war councils begin. Your muscles must be getting stiff from all this luxury and terror.”
Yoshi and I had trained each day, but having Esumi, a near-master, work with us, would certainly add a new challenge. And maybe—just maybe—he would be able to help Yoshi. He trained with Haru, after all. Relief flooded through me. “Yes. Please.”
“I don’t need morekata,” Yoshi huffed. “I need help with my power. I need someone who understands what it’s like to move at speed, to feel like your body is going to tear itself apart if you don’t let the gift out. I need—”
“Haru,” Esumi finished quietly. “I know. And he knows it, too. That’s why . . .” He hesitated, glancing toward the door as if checking for listeners. “That’s why I’m going to try to arrange something. No promises, but . . . he and I talked. Maybe late at night, after the councils finish, or maybe before dawn when fewer eyes watch. We’ll figure something out.”
“Thank you.” Yoshi breathed deeply, hope lighting his face for the first time in days.
“Don’t thank me yet. The palace is a prison for us all right now, even Haru,especiallyHaru. Hells, he hasn’t seen a brothel or an alehouse in . . . I can’t remember when. That alone is probably gnawing at him from the inside.” Esumi chuckled and moved toward the door, then paused. “Meet me at the eastern training grounds tomorrow at dawn. Ask any guard, they’ll direct you. And Kaneko?”
“Yes?”
His look was knowing. “Your shadow-taught skills . . . you’ve been holding back. I can see it. Tomorrow, hold nothing back. I am curious to see what you can really do.”
My throat went dry. “I don’t know what you—”
“We all have our secrets, Kaneko, but little remains hidden from his Divine Majesty, the man I sleep beside each night, remember?” His voice was gentle but firm. “Dawn, then? Both of you?”
We nodded.
After Esumi left, Yoshi turned to me, his expression complicated. “Shadow-taught skills? Kaneko, what doesthatmean?”
“It means . . .” I struggled for words. “It means I’m not just a fisherman’s son who learned basic forms from your uncle. It means there are things I haven’t told you. Things I—”
“Show me.” Yoshi stepped closer. “Not now, not here. Tomorrow. When we train with Esumi. Show me who you really are, Kaneko. I’m tired of secrets, of not knowing who I can trust in this place.”
“You can trust me,” I said fiercely. “Always. No matter what you learn about my past, that won’t change.”
Yoshi actually hesitated and looked away.
When he finally spoke, his voice was barely a whisper. “Then prove it tomorrow.”
We spent the rest of the evening in companionable silence, each lost in our own thoughts. Yoshi eventually fell asleep first, his breathing evening out as exhaustion claimed him. I lay awake, staring at the ceiling, wondering what tomorrow would bring.
For the first time since passing beneath Bara’s gates, I felt something other than purposeless boredom. Tomorrow, Yoshi would see what I could really do, and maybe things would start making sense.
The sun had set completely, the room falling into purpling darkness. I didn’t bother lighting the lanterns. Outside, I could hear boots grinding on packed dirt, orders being barked, the palace grounds transforming even further into a military camp.My mind wandered to the training ring, to the morning sun on my face, to the weight of weapons in my hands, to—
Ifeltmovement.
