“I am willing to face the danger. For my people, for all Kamigawa, and to expiate my father’s sins, I would gladly give my life.”
“That is truly noble, Michiko, but rash. You must do as you see fit, but also trust the elders. They are wise beyond human understanding.”
“That is very patronizing, Sharp-Ear. It is the quality and the content of a life that creates wisdom, not the duration.”
“Again, my apologies. I know you do not need a chaperone or a nursemaid or even a tutor any longer. But you do need good advice. It’s something all leaders need. And before you respond to this almost-eloquent fellow, my advice as an actually eloquent fellow is to seek other counsel.”
“Like who?” Toshi scoffed. “You?”
“Me,” Sharp-Ear said. “And Riko. And above all, Lady Pearl-Ear.”
Toshi cocked his head. He could hold his own in an argument against Sharp-Ear, but he could never convince the princess if both brother and sister opposed him. He needed to act quickly.
“The dour frump?” Toshi said. “What do we need her for?”
Sharp-Ear growled darkly. “The dour frump is my sister.”
“Oh.” Toshi shrugged. “What do we need her for?”
“When people like us are certain we’re in the right,” Sharp-Ear said, “we need people like her to verify. She’s better than us, you see. If she agrees with us, we might actually be in the right. Also, if she agrees, she’ll help. And she’ll make sure the fewest possible number of people suffer in the process.”
Toshi narrowed his eyes, appraising the sly little fox with new respect. “You’re on our side, aren’t you? You think she should talk to the Taken One now.”
“I do. But I also think that everything that comes out of your mouth is suspect. Even when what you say is true, it’s not reliable.”
Toshi blinked. “Now that’s eloquence. But if we agree, why are we arguing?” He turned to Michiko. “In the end, it’s ultimately up to you, Princess.”
“We are arguing,” Sharp-Ear said, “because you seem to be encouraging Michiko to behave like a lowlife ochimusha thief and somehow sneak herself in or the entity out for this attempt at communication. I, on the other hand, am encouraging her to consult with her lifelong friend and mentor, my sister, who is often dour but has never been a frump. If Pearl-Ear agrees, we will petition the elders again. They may yet allow Michiko her chance.”
“If Pearl-Ear agrees,” Toshi echoed. “She didn’t agree back on the big log when we were discussing it. What makes you think she’ll agree now?”
“My sister is overawed by the elders, especially in person. But she is far more reasonable and pragmatic on her own. I have convinced her to go along with far more frivolous plans in the past. And, as you said earlier, Pearl-Ear can deny Michiko nothing.”
“You’re both doing it again,” Michiko said coldly. “Talking as if I weren’t here.”
Toshi said, “Speak up then. What are you waiting for?”
Sharp-Ear bowed. “We are both talkers, the ochimusha and I. But now we will listen. What do you wish to do?”
Michiko looked from Toshi to Sharp-Ear and then back. “I will attempt to communicate with the Taken One,” she said. “But I will do so only with Pearl-Ear’s support and the elders’ full knowledge.”
Sharp-Ear grinned triumphantly at Toshi. “Good. Then we’re all agreed.”
Toshi nodded. “It suits me.”
“Splendid.” Sharp-Ear clapped his hands and rubbed them vigorously. “Princess, shall we collect Riko and return to the training ground?”
“With all due speed,” Michiko said. “I am eager to hear what Pearl-Ear thinks of all this.”
“Absolutely not,” said Pearl-Ear. “The elders are making steady progress. They expect a breakthrough before dawn.”
“Dawn could be too late, sister.” Sharp-Ear had led them directly to his sister at the edge of the training ground. They stood on one side of the great fallen log while the elders meditated, chanted, and communed on the other.
Pearl-Ear glared at her brother. “Weren’t you supposed to be figuring out how to set the entity free?”
“I am and I have been. Toward that goal I say the ochimusha’s notion holds merit. The elders themselves said communication was the first step. Michiko-hime is in a unique position to communicate. If she can reach the entity, we will be a good deal closer to learning what it wants and how we can help.”
“But the danger to Michiko …”
“I am not afraid,” the princess said. “I welcome the chance to do this.”
Pearl-Ear stood flummoxed as she tried to formulate another argument.
Sharp-Ear prodded her. “Come on, sister. There is no reason to wait.”
“There is no reason to rush.”
“There is every reason to rush,” Michiko said. “Sensei, you said the elders are expecting a breakthrough. I think I can achieve it. If the elders will let me try, it’s possible nothing will happen. I could be hurt. It’s also possible the entity will recognize me due to our birth connection and respond more quickly than she has to the elders.
“But the point is we will know right away. The elders’ result will be slow in coming and far from sure. This way is better.”
Desperate for a supportive face, Pearl-Ear turned to Riko, then Toshi. The student archer seemed overwhelmed by the scope of the discussion, but she had always been a clear and rational thinker. Pearl-Ear could tell by Riko’s expression that emotion and logic both had told her to support Michiko’s idea.
The ochimusha was another matter. During the audience with the elders he had pressed for direct and swift action, but now he was distracted, tense. Was he truly so afraid of O-Kagachi’s sudden arrival? Or was he simply uncomfortable acting in the open, where his actions could be seen and judged?
“Toshi,” Pearl-Ear said, “you have been very quiet.”
“I think we’re all doomed,” Toshi said. “I think we’ve already wasted enough time for O-Kagachi to be arriving any second. Either he or Konda will descend on this village and crush it in order to reclaim the prize.” He turned to Michiko. “Sorry, Princess, but that’s what I’ve seen.”
Michiko bowed slightly and encouraging Toshi to continue.
“The entity reacts differently to different people. She let me touch her, carry her, even toss her around. She tolerates me, but I don’t think she trusts me. She has no reason to.
“But Michiko is different. I think if she touches the disk, if she speaks to it, it will respond.” He shrugged. “That’s all.”
“But why do you care?” Pearl-Ear said. “You are not a prisoner. You can leave here any time you like.”
“I’d never get far enough,” Toshi said. “I’ve been … diminished since I saved you at Minamo. I can no longer travel that way I used to. When the fight for that stone disk starts, I’m going to be stuck here with the rest of you. Letting the entity go free is our best hope for avoiding the great serpent and the ghost army, and that’s my main goal.
“It’d also be a powerful ally.” A mental picture flashed across Toshi’s mind, his myojin’s mask shattered from a single blow. “I’ve seen her do amazing things.”
Pearl-Ear nodded. Toshi’s candor was welcome and, for a change, genuine. “Very well,” she said. “I shall petition the elders. If they agree, you may begin immediately. But if and when you do, we will take precautions. The elders and I will be standing by if anything threatens you, Michiko-hime. I will not allow you to be harmed. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sensei.”
“Then we are agreed.”
Sharp-Ear smoothed the fur around his muzzle. “When will you go to the elders?”
“Now,” Pearl-Ear said.
The elders agreed quickly. Toshi suspected they had already reached the limit of what they could do some time ago, and so were happy to have an excuse to regroup. Pearl-Ear made a compelling case, however, so maybe the kitsune elders were simply convinced.
Whatever their reason, Silk-Eyes and the other two solemnly moved back to allow Michiko near the stone disk. Toshi, Riko, Pearl-Ear, and Sharp-Ear all stood behind her as the elders chanted a blessing and an invitation to the Taken One to come forth and be heard.