The Twelve Kingdoms: A Thousand Leagues of Wind

numbers. Game hunters were called "corpse hunters" because they spent as much time tracking down the bodies of fellow trackers killed by youma as they did the youma themselves. The job of a corpse hunter was to capture youma, break them and deliver them to a wrangler. Youma wranglers worked hand-in-hand with death. So the animals didn't come cheap. Capture a top of the line youma like a suugu, break and train it, and you would be set for life.
    Suzu entered the shop. A middle-aged man in the shop was turning through the pages of a ledger. He said, "Welcome."
    He only raised his eyes when he spoke. A scar ran from the top of his head to his right cheek. His right eye was caved in.
    "I'm looking for a pegasus."
    "How much?" Are you willing to spend? he meant.
    Suzu placed the bank notes on the table. "Whatever I can get for this."
    "You want one that flies or one that's fast?"
    "One that flies. And one that heeds commands well."
    "You ever been on a bird youma?"
    Riding a bird youma was no simple task. "No. I'd prefer a horse."
    "In that case, a sansui is the best I can do for you."
    "What kind of beast is a sansui?"
    "A horse with a blue coat. It doesn't really have what it takes to fly at altitude, but it's got strong legs. Handy for leaping over the occasional river. Not exactly fleet-footed. Three times as fast as your regular horse, but gets winded quick. If that's okay with you, I've got a real gentle one."
    Suzu nodded. "Sounds fine."
    "Where you staying?" the man asked.
    Flying youma were not kept in the city. Suzu gave him her name and the inn she was staying at.
    "I'll bring it to you. The whole thing takes seven days. I could get it to you quicker, but I'd have to run it, and it being a sansui, then you'd have to rest it a day. After that, it needs time changing owners."
    "Seven days suits me fine."
    "Half down, half on delivery."
    Suzu nodded. "It's a deal. I'll be waiting."
    And so she waited at the inn, portioning out the remainder of her funds to leave herself enough to eat. This was the Gyouten she had so longed for, the city that blanketed the terraced slopes of Mt. Ryou-un. She wasn't impressed. It didn't mean anything without Seishuu there with her.
    Seishuu, welcome to Gyouten.
    High up at the top of Mt. Ryou-un was the Imperial Palace. In the palace lived the Royal Kei, the damned fool of a monarch who let a man like Shoukou be.
    Suzu grasped the dagger inside her blouse. She'd gut Shoukou with it and head back to Gyouten ahead of the news. Using the Royal Sai's endorsement on her passport, she'd arrange for an audience with the Royal Kei.
    They'd squeal like stuck pigs. Shoukou, and at the end of the day, the Royal Kei--they'd picked the wrong child of Kei to kill.

    As promised, the sansui was delivered seven days later. The stable boy handed Suzu the scent ball. Inside the scent ball was a burning incense stick. It had a little buckle to attach to a belt or sash. Inside the ball was the incense prepared by the youma dealer. The wrangler used this burning incense to tame the youma. When the youma was sold to another person, it'd be charmed by the smell of the incense and would not get alarmed. After that, the intensity of the incense was slowly reduced until the animal was acclimated to the scent of its owner.
    But Suzu didn't have much interest in any of this and didn't bother to remember much of it. Once she'd made it back to Gyouten, the thing could drop dead for all she cared.
    Suzu stayed on in Gyouten for three more days while she and the sansui got used to each other. Then she headed back to Shisui Prefecture and Takuhou.
    Seishuu, soon I'll have your revenge. Shoukou and the Royal Kei, they will feel what you felt in spades.

Chapter 43
    Y ouko finished her morning chores and sent Enho's charges off to school. The school here didn't have an age limit, so Rangyoku attended along with Keikei. The main subjects were reading, writing and arithmetic. Children could go to school starting from the age of seven (counting a child as one at birth and a year older on each New Year), or five (counting birthdays on date of birth).
    Because there was no formal graduation, adults could attend as well, and often came with babes in arms.
    It was a pretty laid-back atmosphere. The main thing stressed was that the talk be about something more constructive than mere gossip. But as a consequence, open attendance was allowed only during the time that the villagers returned from the hamlets to the town. The