Tasakeru

BOOK VI, CHAPTER 1

02 Mar 2011 2 Comments

by BHS in 2nd Volume: Night and Day, Book VI: The Voice of the Dawn Tags: adventure, animal, anthro, drama, fantasy, fiction, forest, furry, japanese culture, kemono, mammals, outcast, religion, Tasakeru, the voice of the dawn, web fiction, web serial novel

BOOK VI: THE VOICE OF THE DAWN

CHAPTER 1

A meeting of minds

Bitterness in robes of white

Rose’s thorns draw blood

“I have tremendous respect for the Silver Order. You may find this difficult to believe, reader, especially given what has happened between the Order and the Outcasts ever since Stalker’s rampage… but I remain firmly convinced that the Order is, at its heart, a force for good. Consider all that they have given Sankami over the centuries: training and education for the young, dedicated care for the sick, vast amounts of food for the hungry, protection for the weak. Like it or not, the Order is the single largest and most important organization in all of Sankami; even some of the Magistrates’ decisions pale in comparison to theirs.

“So, even given some of the extreme actions that the Silver family has taken in ruling the Order, I still respect them. The Order cannot help being influenced by its current Grand Mistress, after all. Lady Lily’s time of rule in particular was marked by a series of momentous, life-changing events… some would argue that they were far beyond any one sentient’s ability to handle. If we knew then what we know now, perhaps some of the tragedies that ensued could have been avoided…”

[An excerpt from Ashpaw’s personal journal]

The first snow of the winter was falling. White flakes drifted down out of an iron-colored sky. The old rabbit sat on the wooden bench with his cane in his lap and watched the snow through the window; his bloodshot eyes could only make out the largest of the snowflakes, even with the aid of the thick spectacles perched on the end of his nose. His back was bent double with age, and he sported a white beard that nearly reached his feet when he stood. Everything about this rabbit looked tired, but his mind was still as sharp as it had ever been.

“Something on your mind, Legatus?” said a voice next to him.

Innumerable wrinkles creased his face as he smiled. “Just that it gets harder to see the snowfall every year. How goes it, Quartz?”

The grey-eyed ferret shifted, nestling himself deeper into his black robes. He was of no great age, but he had half as many wrinkles as Legatus, and the fur on his muzzle was speckled with white hairs. “It goes well, I suppose. It’s still fairly thin on the ground outside, so the Yuki-majin haven’t appeared yet…”

“Oh, come now,” scoffed Legatus. “You don’t seriously believe that old children’s tale, do you?”

“Just because it’s a children’s tale doesn’t mean there isn’t any truth to it,” Quartz chuckled. “You know our ways, Legatus. A ferret is prepared to believe anything.”

Legatus climbed slowly to his feet, his bones creaking audibly. “Doesn’t mean it isn’t hogwash, either. So, have you any idea what she wants from us?”

Together the ferret and the rabbit started down the wooden corridor, with Quartz slowing his pace to keep next to his friend as he hobbled along on his cane. Dozens of faces stared sternly down at them as they passed by, carved in relief into the living wood.

Quartz shook his head. “None, I’m afraid. It must be urgent, if she wants to speak to us all at once. That hasn’t happened in a while…”

“Mmm-hmm. Don’t the foxes have a new representative? This will be her first gathering, won’t it?”

“Lady Ophelia, yes. I’ve been looking forward to meeting her. Rune spoke very highly of her talents…”

Legatus burst into a fit of hacking laughter. “And which talents were those, I wonder? Rune always did have the roving eye!”

“Why, shame on you, Legatus!” The ferret’s tone dripped with mock scorn. “You would dare suggest that mere beauty would have a say in how the foxes choose the voice for their people? Whatever would give you that idea?”

They laughed together for a while as they continued down the great hall. In due time, they were joined by a battle-scarred buck squirrel, who bowed polite greetings to both of them in turn. The squirrel wore a kimono that covered many of the old wounds he had received during his long service as a samurai… it was for that reason that he normally preferred less formal attire.

“Legatus Maximus, Lord Quartz,” said the squirrel. “Good winter to you. May I ask what was so funny?”

Quartz grinned, showing a mouthful of small, pointed white teeth. “Greetings, Lord Hayashi. Our friend Legatus just made the frankly absurd suggestion that the new Representative among us was chosen purely on the basis of her looks…”

“You mean the vixen?” Hayashi scratched behind one ear. “Have either of you met her yet?”

Legatus adjusted his spectacles. “No, have you?”

“I spoke with her briefly on a scroll, but I haven’t seen her in person. She told me she would be arriving by kago[1] with Lady Azalea… I suppose we can all welcome her together, eh?”

“I suppose we can,” said Quartz. “So that’s the three of us, Lady Ophelia, and Lady Azalea accounted for… no doubt Lord Smoke is seated up in the crown already…”

“And Tycho will be late, as usual,” grumbled Legatus. His attitude was hardly unusual; relations had been strained between the rabbits and the wolves for centuries.

“That just leaves Lord Oakrunner,” said Hayashi, ignoring the grumbling. “Have either of you spoken with him? Is he likely to be in a good mood, do you think?”

Quartz shook his head. “Not likely at all. I spoke with him by scroll last night… spent a half-hour reading him venting about that fool son of his.”

“Godsdamn,” sighed Hayashi. “What has he done this time?”

“Nothing lately, at least, not that I’m aware of. This was mostly typical: ‘He’s a wide-eyed idiot, a reckless endangerment to our people…’”

“‘… and no good will come of him,’” finished Legatus. “We’ve heard all of that before. Come now, let’s get to the crown, and get this over with. No reason to make him even angrier by keeping him waiting.”

The three passed a pair of Militia samurai acting as guards and stepped through the entrance to the Magistrates’ chambers, informally called “the crown”, as the room sat upon the very apex of the Great Tree in the center of Shinboku. The raccoon called Smoke was already there, seated at the bench and watching them with shining eyes. Like all raccoons, Smoke preferred to remain an enigma. His eyes and ringed tail were the only parts of him visible from beneath midnight blue robes. He never spoke above a whisper; in fact, he was never heard to speak at all outside of the Magistrate gatherings. No one ever saw him entering or leaving the crown, either… he was always simply there when he was needed and gone when he was not.

Across from him sat Oakrunner, representative of the badgers. Oakrunner’s stripes had turned grey with age, but his body was still massive and powerful. He was seated in his customary position: leaning forward with his elbows on the bench, his hands clasped in front of his mouth. Those hands hid his expression; he might have been smiling, but those who knew Oakrunner knew very well that smiles from him were rare indeed.

The wolf just now taking his seat several chairs to the badger’s left was almost his opposite. Young and bright-eyed, Tycho of the StonePack wore a look of near-constant amazement, for he truly loved his work as a representative, and was honored to be present among such influential figures.

Legatus, Quartz, and Hayashi took their seats at the great circular bench, greeting Oakrunner and Tycho cordially and nodding Smoke’s way. The atmosphere in the crown was charged with nervous tension… no one knew the precise reason why they had all been called together, but this meeting would doubtless have a profound impact on all of Sankami.

Two more figures stepped through the entrance, and the eyes of all the males were drawn to them. Lady Azalea had arrived, resplendent in silver finery, looking regal and proper as always. The floris possessed that mixture of motherly grace and stunning beauty so prized among the skunks, but incredibly, even she paled in comparison to the vixen standing next to her…

“Oh my,” said Legatus, adjusting his spectacles.

Lady Ophelia beamed up at the others with eyes of seafoam-green. She had a delicate but merry face with a perfect smile, locks of gently curling honey-blonde hair, an hourglass body with legs so long they seemed to go on forever… the impression of which was heightened by the shortest-hemmed set of robes any of the representatives had ever seen. Her tail flicked from side to side with interest as she smiled at each of them in turn, and in a cheery, bubbly voice, she spoke… “Good day to you, your Graces!” She tugged at the impossibly short hem of her robes as she bowed deeply. “I am humbled and honored to be among your number. I hope that we all will govern well.”

“L-Lady Ophelia?” stammered Quartz. “No, you can’t be. Surely there’s been some mistake… you’re so young…”

Ophelia laughed, a musical sound. “Indeed I am, but Lord Rune felt sure that I was well-qualified for my position.”

Hayashi raised an eyebrow at the ferret, and then frowned down at the fox representative. “And how exactly did you come to acquire that position, Milady?”

“I convinced him that I would go to any lengths necessary for the best interest of the foxes,” said Ophelia happily. “Simply put, your Graces,” … and here those seafoam eyes took on a cold and icy glint, and her voice lost all semblance of softness… “Stand in my way and I’ll snap the lot of you in half.”

There was silence all around as Ophelia climbed the stairs and took her seat at the circular bench, still smiling as if she had just told them about the weather.

“Breath of the Demon,” whispered Quartz to the rabbit next to him. He was numb with shock. “Did you see her eyes?! She’s pure evil!”

“Beautiful, charming, and deadly,” chuckled Legatus. “Old Rune knew what he was doing after all.”

“If we may begin…” Lady Azalea glared daggers at the both of them until they settled back into their seats. “As the first order of business, please allow me to welcome Lady Ophelia to her first gathering.” The vixen bowed her head respectfully at her words. “May her time among us be fruitful and prosperous.”

There was a chorus of “Hear, hear!” from around the room. Ophelia giggled, and her ears turned back.

“Now then, as to the purpose of this gathering… I believe our honored guest has arrived to give us the details. Lady Lily, you may come in now.”

The doors swept open, and in strode Lily, resplendent in a white winter mantle and flanked by two particularly burly rabbits wearing the characteristic mail of the Silver Order. Several of the Magistrates had to work hard to hide their shock; they had all heard Lily had been ill ever since the Soulsnatcher incident, but one would never know it to look at her now. There was a steely glimmer of purpose in her eyes, an aura of raw power in each step. It was as if she had lost twenty years since the last time they had seen her.

“Your Graces,” said Lily, bowing to each in turn. “I thank you for lending me your time. The matter is most urgent, but I shall attempt to be brief.”

“So urgent that we could not have been informed ahead of time?” said Oakrunner.

“I apologize for that, but it is not something I wished to discuss through the scrolls,” said Lily coolly. “This matter concerns the Outcasts.”

Hayashi and Quartz looked at each other. “And what about the Outcasts?” said Quartz, already feeling uneasy.

Lily began to pace around the room as she spoke. “Over the past four months, Sankami has seen more than its share of strange events: the spider attacks, the rise of the black tower in Tasakeru, the Soulsnatcher’s rampage, the golden pillar of light… I submit to you, your Graces, that all of these have occurred due to the actions of the Outcasts.”

Legatus scoffed. “Really, Milady? Takaichi and his ilk are troublesome, to be sure, but-”

“I speak not only of Takaichi,” said Lily, cutting him off, “though his recklessness and disregard for authority are well-noted. Through correspondence with a former Order operative, I have learned of many things about the Outcasts that are cause for grave concern…

“For example: my operative informs me that the rise of the mysterious black tower is due to the actions of one Faunelle Reinaka, the notorious thief who was exiled in 1541. The vixen meddled in affairs far outside of her control in the pursuit of personal gain, and the rise of the tower was a direct result.

“In addition: we already knew that the spiders that attacked our citizens originated in Tasakeru, but what we did not know until now was that their recent hostility is directly linked to their continuing battles with the Outcasts… my operative reported a ‘queen’ spider who took the Outcasts’ slaughter of her children as incentive to attack all sentientkind.

“Furthermore, the Soulsnatcher, the wretched creature who was responsible for the deaths of thirty-eight knights of the Order, the theft of eighteen souls, and the disappearance of an apprentice Healer… I have incontrovertible evidence that he was not only an Outcast himself, but that his entire hellish existence owes itself to the actions of one of his fellow Outcasts.”

The skunk stopped in the middle of the floor and stared up at the representatives, her hands clasped behind her back. “And those are but three examples of the Outcasts’ actions affecting all of Sankami… I assure you, there are many more. Shall I go further down the list, or are you convinced?”

Ophelia frowned, and the icy glint returned to her eyes. “You do make a convincing argument, Milady, but what are we supposed to do about it?”

“My colleague has a point,” said Oakrunner. “They may be as dangerous as you say, but they have already been exiled and stripped of their citizenship… what more are we to do to them?”

Lily smiled grimly. Her mouth was little but a hard, thin line. “Your Graces, I submit to you that exile is no longer sufficient. I have come here today to ask that our respective forces be united to bring the Outcasts to trial for their crimes… all of the Outcasts.”

There was a murmur of consternation. “Lady Lily, I see the need for action,” said Azalea, somewhat shocked at her old friend’s bitterness. “But if the Outcasts are such a concern, why do you not dispatch a contingent from the Order?”

“Because I no longer believe that the Order is sufficient to handle them,” said Lily quietly. “If one Outcast can take thirty-eight lives, then the knights must have support to capture them all. I am humbly requesting aid from all species organizations: the Samurai Militia, the United Packs, the High Mages, Shadowhand…”

Smoke stood up from his chair. “How do you know about-?”

Lily pierced him with her gaze. “My kind has spies as well, your Grace. Assemble your operatives… yours too, Legatus,” she said before the rabbit could start to protest. “The Praetors will be of invaluable help. So, what say you all? Will you assist me in bringing the Outcasts to justice?”

Outside the doors to the crown’s entrance hall, a ferocious argument was taking place.

“Milady, I apologize, but I’ve been specifically instructed not to let anyone in until the gathering is over…” said the tired samurai who had been repeating variations of that same sentence for the past ten minutes.

The young floris stamped her foot. The fur on her great striped tail was standing on end. “Who the hell do you think I am, dolt?!” snarled Nadeshiko, barely resisting the urge to turn around and spray this fool for wasting her time. “I am Lady Nadeshiko, of the House of Silver, Field Commander and Vice-Mistress of the Silver Order, and I’m telling you I need to speak to my mother immediately!”

“Milady…” said the samurai, gripping his spear tightly and hoping against hope that he would not have to use it, “This is official Magistrate business. Your mother is an honored guest. Disrupting the gathering would cost me my rank, if not my life. I am truly sorry, but I cannot let you pass. You will have to wait until the gathering is over.”

Nadeshiko turned on her heel and stormed away with a sound that was halfway between a growl and a scream. She paced back and forth for a few minutes before crossing to a window and sitting down heavily, letting her tail droop onto the floor.

The samurai exhaled and said a silent prayer of thanks to the Gods. He wasn’t being paid nearly enough for this.

It was almost dusk when Nadeshiko was shaken awake by a gentle hand. She had fallen asleep watching the snowflakes through the window. Her ears flattening in embarassment, she stammered an apology as she stood up, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief… but the owner of the hand laughed.

“It’s all right, Nadeshiko. You don’t need to be so embarassed…”

Nadeshiko blinked, shaking off the last remnants of sleep. “M-Mother! You’re-”

Lily drew her daughter into an embrace. “Speak, my dear. I’m listening.”

Hating herself for what she was about to say, Nadeshiko wriggled free of the hug. “Mother you shouldn’t be out, you… you haven’t been well… I thought you were staying in bed, but Iris told me this morning that-”

“Oh she did, did she?” Lily chuckled. “Dear Iris, I must have a talk with her when we return home. Please try not to worry about me, Nadeshiko, you’ll turn grey before your time…”

Nadeshiko felt frustration creeping up on her again. “Mother, please, listen to me. I’ve been trying to tell you for weeks, but I haven’t been able to-” The words spilled out of her in a rush. “Mother, I know about Drake, about the chimatsuri and-”

Lily put a finger to her daughter’s lips to silence her. There was a long pause in which she studied Nadeshiko’s face, her own expression unreadable. “You’re a clever girl,” she said finally. “I assure you, my dear, Drake will not be an issue for very much longer. He and the other Outcasts have been allowed to run free for far too long. Very soon, he will have to answer for what he has done… I will have justice, my dear, no matter the cost. The Magistrates have agreed to give aid, and the Goddess herself has seen fit to bless this endeavor, so we must not fail…”

She smiled and seemed to glide away down the hall. Nadeshiko stood paralyzed; this morning she would have been thrilled to see her mother back to her old self, graceful and driven to complete a mission… but she would not allow herself to believe that what she had seen and heard weeks ago was a mere fluke or a trick of the mind. Something was very, very wrong, and with Drake out of the question she only knew of one person she could trust to help find out what.

Nadeshiko waited until she heard her mother’s footsteps recede completely. Moments later, she looked out the window and saw her climbing into a kago emblazoned with the Order seal. Lily was headed home, but Nadeshiko would not follow just yet. She instead stole off down another corridor, heading for the city’s central library. There was research to be done.

END OF CHAPTER 1