Whisper of Blade | ✓ (Crimson #1)

Chapter 28: Water Lily

"Since the location marked in the Chrysanthemum district is a restaurant, we can hit the blue dot in Koi first before heading there for midday meal," Minerva suggested. She and Kodak kept to a brisk walk, though he had to shorten his strides for her. Several main roads divided the middle ring like the spokes of a wheel, but for now they kept to the street circling the imperial center until they reached the spoke leading to their destination.

She dodged to the side to let a norimono by. Two men bore its crossbeam on their shoulders with the enclosed box attached between them. Gold lacquer crafted in the form of phoenixes in flight decorated the wood and glinted in the sunlight. A few other robed attendants shuffled behind the transport with their lesser burdens—baskets of cloth and vessels containing sweet-smelling incense.

"A priestess," Minerva muttered. Her nails dug into the palms of her clenched fists while the old rage seethed within her. It took a shake of her head to clear the red seeping into her vision.

"This is a lot more walking than I thought it would be." Kodak mopped his sweaty forehead with his sleeve, leaving a dark blotch on the fabric. He pulled down the thin cloth covering his mouth and nose but started coughing.

"No taking that off outside." Minerva put a hand on his arm and tried to get him to put the filtering material back in place. "The smoke is bad today and your lungs aren't used to it." She squinted up at the sky and the spirals of black that wreathed the fragile wisps of white clouds.

"We can't get a ride like that one?" Kodak rasped, jerking a thumb back at the norimono before it disappeared around a bend.

Minerva prompted him to keep walking. "Only if you want to get baked alive. Those things are stuffy." She never liked them herself. Too vulnerable. If the escort were attacked, the passenger wouldn't know until too late. Sitting in a box like that was as good as handing yourself over trussed up and ready to be tossed into the cook pot. "We're almost there."

A man resting in the shadow of the center's wall held his hand out to them as they passed by. Yet, the gesture held arrogance, as if they owed him a favor and he did not ask for one.

Kodak moved to reach into his breast pocket, but Minerva disguised the motion by looping her hand through his arm. "Look at his fine clothes," she whispered and he had to stoop down to hear her. "His long hair and beard."

"He's not a beggar then?" Kodak asked once they'd moved beyond earshot.

Minerva shrugged her arm from his. Such an act didn't need to be kept up, with the paved roads nearly empty—their usual traffic gathered to watch the arena matches in the Pyrogon. "He's a nobleman fallen on hard times. If it weren't for pride, he could procure an officer's rank in the imperial military but it seems he'd rather beg."

Some of the smoke cleared—carried away by a breeze—letting the golden sun rain down its light on the city. Minerva thought of how she wouldn't be here much longer and the thought was bittersweet.

"You must not be quite as proud as I thought you are, if you're willing to do what he is not," Kodak said.

"What do you mean?" Minerva asked, still half-lost in her musings.

He walked sideways and looked her up and down as if sizing her up for a fight. "Serving in the army instead of living your life as nobility."

"Who told you about that?" she said sharply. "Kaolin? Or ... Brenna?"

Kodak heaved a sigh. "Does it matter? Why do you have to be so secretive? At least I haven't asked what you were doing my first day in the city and why you ran away."

Minerva didn't answer but unless her ears fooled her, a piece of tile from one of the buildings had come loose and dropped to the ground behind them. "Azuki, sweep the roofs. Rising sun side."