Several times, Seishuu glanced back and forth between Suzu and the wall in front of him. "Suzu, I can't see you."
"You can't?"
"When I'm looking ahead like this, I can't see you at all."
Suzu hurriedly directed her gaze forward. People normally had a wide field of vision. She could clearly see Seishuu out of the corners of her eyes.
"What's wrong with me?"
His childlike face colored with fear.
"Seishuu--"
His stricken countenance crumpled. She thought he was going to cry, but instead he laughed. The tint of fear still hung in his eyes. "I guess I'm a good boy after all."
"Seishuu."
"Yeah, looks like I'm going to die."
"No, you're not! Don't say stupid things like that!"
His face fell again.
"Let's go together." Suzu reached out and grasped his trembling hands. "Let's go to Gyouten together."
"Gyouten?"
"I'm going to Gyouten to see the Royal Kei. Surely the Empress will be able to heal you. The best doctors are in the royal palace. So shall we?"
Seishuu shook his head. "I don't think people like that are going to want to see me."
"But it hurts, doesn't it? And your headaches are real bad. What happens if things just keep getting worse and worse?"
"Do you think she can heal me?"
"If the Royal Kei can't, we'll go onto Sai. I'm sure the Royal Sai will."
"Okay," Seishuu nodded. A small tear spilled down his cheek. "I'm scared to die."
"Seishuu."
"No matter who you are, everybody dies. But you can't laugh about your own death."
"Idiot. You're going to be fine."
Seishuu laughed and cried at the same time. "It looks like I'm going to have to practice my poker face a lot more."
"Don't be a smart-ass." Seishuu nodded and rested his head in Suzu's lap. "Everything's going to be okay," she said, stroking his back. "I promise."
Three days later, they finally made it to Goto. Though called a "port," Goto had no real docks or piers. Instead, a series of large boulders had been sunken off the coast in a gentle arc. The boat anchored to the stones within the arc, and then barges came out from the cliffs to meet them. The barges were from the floating wharf at the foot of the cliffs. From there, a stone stairway carved into the cliff face in switchbacks up to the top of the cliffs.
Suzu helped Seishuu down from the stones, assisting him on his right side. His eyes still hadn't improved. Since that day when he said he couldn't see her, the vision on his right side hadn't returned.
Many times his feet got tangled up and they almost fell. A longshoreman, seeing that Suzu was not able to support Seishuu without losing her own footing, offered to carry him the rest of the way. They arrived at the top of the cliffs out of breath. From there they could survey the whole of the countryside. A long and narrow village spread out along the edge of the cliffs.
The Kingdom of Kei, Wa Province, the port of Goto. They were in the eastern reaches of Wa Province in the northeast quarter of Kei.
Seishuu slid down from the man's back and took in the landscape. Suzu grasped his hand. They were going to Gyouten and the Royal Kei was going to help them.
7-3
The kitsuryou galloped effortlessly through the sky. Shoukei looked down at the landscape and felt a heavy weight lift from her chest.
This is the only way to go.
She would hardly be meekly returning to the orphanage or becoming a servant again. From the start, she had determined to free herself and run away. She was never going to kowtow to anybody ever again.
Shoukei headed straight for the Black Sea, arriving at a town along the coast before the gates closed. There she sold an earring, fixed up her clothes and got a room. The sensation of silk against her skin after so long, a luxurious meal, a bed made up with embroidered quilts. She went to sleep, checking her urge to shriek aloud with delight.
The next day she sold another earing and flew off toward the Black Sea
A kitsuryou could cross a kingdom in two days. She passed over the featureless borders and entered Ryuu. There she got a room. The following day she headed north along the coast. Before evening, she had arrived at Haikyou, a port town in the central part of the kingdom. She was now closer to En than to Kyou.
The kitsuryou's reins in hand, she passed through the big gate. The gate was covered in a carved floral pattern. The walls were punctuated with a series of latticed skylights. Lanterns hung from the eaves, lighting the cozy forecourt that spread out from the middle of the gate. It was a large inn.
A man came running out to meet her. To Shoukei question he smiled and bowed low. "There is a fine room available, m'lady."
"Good," said Shoukei, smiling sweetly in return. "I shall stay here, then. Please look after my kitsuryou."
A groom hurried over and took the kitsuryou's reins. A bellhop undid the luggage from the saddle and the groom led the kitsuryou to the stables next to the gate. Shoukei went from the forecourt into the building through the gated entranceway.
Immediately inside the doors was a large parlor. Tables were generously spaced along the walls at which the guests sat and conversed together. To the concierge who walked up and bowed, Shoukei took a silver hairpin from her fashionably done-up hair and held it out to him.
"Should this cover everything?"
Because travelers did not like carrying large amounts of cash with them, payment was often in kind. Large inns always had a small shop where personal items could be exchanged and where accounts were settled. If the payment proved excessive, upon checking out the balance was paid in coin. The concierge took the hairpin and confirmed its workmanship with an enthusiastic nod of assent.
"It is quite sufficient. I shall deposit it against your account."
"If it is not enough, please let me know."
"Thank you very much. Shall you be eating dinner tonight?"
In the smaller inns, there was always a tavern open to the street, and the rooms on the second floor. The larger hotels served meals in the restaurant facing the courtyard or in the guest rooms. The guest rooms in a small inn were for sleeping only: beds set up on a wooden floor, and a sink to wash your face, if you were lucky. Many inns did not even enjoy those accommodations. Cheaper establishments simply had a bunch of cots lined up on a dirt floor, with not even screens separating them. You slept together with complete strangers.
Beds in an average hotel had canopies and curtains, along with a sink and a small table. In a fancy hotel like the one Shoukei was staying at, you had two bedrooms in which to make yourself at home, and a living room where dinner could also be served.
"I'd like a room."
"In fact," said the concierge, a concerned look on his face, "a ship just came into port. We have many guests and no single-occupancy rooms. Would you mind sharing a room?"
A hotel of this class would definitely have two bedrooms per room, and so was set up to handle double-occupancy reservations. If there weren't enough vacancies available, double-occupancy rooms were converted into shared rooms.
"Are there no other options? I wouldn't want to end up with some yahoo."
"I am indeed sorry. We would be happy to arrange for you to stay at another hotel, but I'm afraid they are all booked as well."
"I guess it can't be helped."
"Unfortunately, not in this case. If you would please follow me, I shall show you to your room."
Shoukei was shown to a room on the third floor. They walked down a corridor that overlooked a small courtyard and arrived at a room toward the back. It was hardly the best room in the place. In these types of buildings, the higher you went, the lower the ceilings became. Besides, the best rooms faced the gardens.