Chapter XXXVII (37)

  “Akuto,” Mitsuko said, shoving Gina out of her seat and taking it for herself. “What are you doing here?”

  “Mitsuko!” There was a gleam in the man’s eye as he looked her up and down, eyes lingering on certain parts of her. It made her grind her teeth. “I’m so glad we’re finally reunited! My love, it’s been years. But not the jungle, mountains, or sea will keep me from you. We’re to be married, after all!”

  “No. We’re not. I told you as much back when you stalked me to my meeting in Kyonaka three years ago.”

  “I recall seeing your…lovely face. But not you saying anything like that.”

  “It was right before I threw a pitcher of wine in your face.” Mitsuko resisted the urge to tear out his pretty brown eyes. “Why are you here?”

  “Well, your father and I got to talking—-”

  “What did he say?”

  “Ugh. I hate when you interrupt me. You know that, Mitsuko.” He rolled his eyes. “And you can ask him yourself. He’s upstairs.”

  Mitsuko went stiff. Her insides twisted. She hadn’t spoken to her pa in…five years. Not since his response letter.

  “You said you’d take the cat out!” the innkeeper’s daughter hurried over. “You promised you’d leave.”

  “Oh. I suppose I did.” Mitsuko glanced over at the moving burlap sack containing Sterling. She stood up. “I’ll be going now.”

  “No. You will not.” Akuto stood as well, his face twisted into a snarl. “You will not be running off again. Your father has blessed our marriage. We can have it completed by sunset.”

  “Good thing the sun isn’t setting,” Mitsuko said darkly. “I want to see my pa even less than I want to see you right now. I highly suggest that you step aside.”

  “I-I really need the cat to go outside,” the girl beside her insisted. She sounded near tears. “I’m going to get in trouble.”

  “Cat?” Akuto finally took in the sack. “I’ll take care of that.”

  He waved a hand and dozens of stone shards shot forward and pierced the burlap with a thump thump thump. Inside, the struggling ended. The sack darkened with blood. The girl screamed and fell over.

  “What? Now it’s just another dead animal.” Akuto gestured up at a purple boar’s head mounted over the bar. “You have several set up as decorations.”

  “I-I…” the girl stuttered, then she scurried off, weeping. Several other people in the bar were staring at Mitsuko and Akuto. Or, maybe they were staring at the burlap sack that dripped blood. Mitsuko set it to the side on an empty chair.

  “You’re an ass, Akuto,” Mitsuko said darkly.

  “But now I’m an ass with magic. Something you can’t seem to grasp.” He scoffed. He raised a hand and created an undulating orb of earth with spikes of stone. Then he leered at her. “You’re pathetic. What? Surprised by my power? Did you think I would just sit around getting fat for the last few years?”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “How did you find me?”

  “Come on. The Hon Emperor’s journey to the Prismatic Archipelago has been public knowledge for months. I’m not an idiot, Mitsuko. Of course you’d be here.”

  “Then you also know I’m under Emperor Sasaki’s protection.”

  “Oh?” Akuto made a show of looking around the inn. People were clearly listening in, but nobody moved to interfere. “I don’t see him here. Actually, I don’t think he’s under this dome at all. Pity for you.”

  “Your plan is to kidnap me and drag me back to the Hon Basin? You have any idea how stupid that is? Even if you succeeded, I have friends who would look for me.”

  “But we will be lawfully married.” Akuto leaned forward. “There are laws and ancient oaths that even an emperor wouldn’t mess with. Blood curses. And then I’ll be entitled to half of your income and savings. Which, someone has told me could be…a lot of money. Speaking of, is that ring on your hand an artifact?”

  Mitsuko had heard enough. There was some truth and if she was the girl from five years ago, she’d certainly follow him back to their little village on the edge of civilization. Unfortunately for Akuto, while he’d certainly advanced his magical earth elemental skills over the years, she’d actually taken the time to grow up.

  “Sure. Blood curses,” Mitsuko replied. “You planned this with my pa, who shares blood with me, to make the oaths I made as a child into something more defining. How clever. Must have had a damn powerful witch to cast that.”

  “As a matter of fact—”

  “I know Fuku is here,” Mitsuko cut him off.

  That finally gave him pause. He furrowed his brow. “How do you know the witch’s name?”

  “We have a history. Anyway, I’m not waiting around for my pa or your new witch friend.”

  “You’re not just going to walk out of here.” Akuto finally rose from his chair. She barely reached his shoulder in height. At one point, she’d found his height intoxicatingly attractive.

  Akuto raised his hands as if to grab her. Magic formed on his fingertips, some sort of earth spell. Likely intended to lock her down in place for long enough for Fuku to mindwipe her and make her little more than a slave to him.

  She didn’t give him the chance. A flick of the wrist and a blade of ice erupted into the bottom of his jaw and up into his cranium. The tip of the ice sword protruded from Akuto’s bun. Blood gushed down her sword so she let go of the weapon to save her needing to wash her hands. Then she stepped back to examine her handiwork.

  He blinked. Not quite comprehending his death. Then he stumbled and collapsed onto the floor. Someone nearby screamed and a man rushed up to check on Akuto’s corpse.

  “Death nullifies most blood curses from oaths. Goodbye, Akuto.”

  Mitsuko picked up her bloody sack and strolled out the door. Gina and the other patrons, all made way for her.

  Out on the street people were still gathered around the building Mitsuko had shattered and fixed a window of. One man on the other side of the window held the stone and several other perplexed locals chatted about it, theorizing about any magical significance the ordinary rock might have. Mitsuko wandered off and eventually found a bench at the sea’s edge. She finally opened her sack to stare at Sterling’s mangled corpse.

  The black cat’s body lay still and lifeless at the bottom of the sack. His corpse had gone stiff. His eyes now pale and without the green glow. Mitsuko wondered what would happen to Sterling’s soul if his vessel was killed like this. Probably nothing convenient for him.

  Even knowing that the cat would be back at the start of the next loop, Mitsuko couldn’t help the fury that raged inside her. Killing Akuto had been so easy. And she felt not a shred of guilt. The bully would be back alive in a few days. Inside the loop she lacked permanent consequences. Death was temporary here. Akuto, however, had not known anything of the sort before he killed Sterling. The cat had been an inconvenience to be taken care of quickly.

  “Why did he have to find me here of all places?” Mitsuko muttered to herself. “Why now of all times? I don’t want to deal with him week after week for a year’s worth of loops.”

  She used her sword as a shovel to dig up a divot in the earth to bury the cat. The poor thing didn’t deserve this. It had never asked to be used as a vessel by an ancient sage and then murdered by an asshole. Then she sat back on the bench and stared out into the frothing purple sea that surrounded the island.

  A few minutes later some guards approached her. They tried being discreet about their questioning, but Mitsuko simply sighed and informed them of her guilt. She confessed to murder. After a moment of surprise, they escorted her away.

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