The Twelve Kingdoms: A Thousand Leagues of Wind

waving her hand back and forth. She clung to the merlon and buried her face in the crook of her arm, tears of mirth streaming down her cheeks as she laughed.
    "Suzu, what's your problem?"
    "But . . . I mean . . . this is so stupid!"
    "Suzu, really!"
    "Not knowing the slightest thing about her, I built up all these expectations, only to see them dashed. I didn't place all my hopes in Youko. I placed all my hopes in some big, important person called the 'Empress.' What a fool I was!"
    Youko stared at her, a perplexed expression on her face. Suzu flashed her a strained smile. "But that's the way it is with an empress, no? Everybody burdens you with their own expectations. Nobody thinks about things from your perspective. And so we all get to wallow in our own disappointment. Don't you think?"
    Shoukei looked up at the heavens and sighed. "Indeed."
    "So what do you think I should do?" the puzzled Youko asked.
    "Huh?" said Suzu, raising her head. "Well, there's no doubt about that, is there?"
    Shoukei scowled at Suzu, and then sighed again. "No, you're right. There isn't." She clapped Youko on the back. "We defeat the provincial guard and tear Gahou from power!"

Part IXX
    n the dead of the night, Youko was awakened from a light sleep by the violent beating of a drum.
    "W-what's going on?"
    Next to her, Suzu and Shoukei awoke with a start.
    "An attack?"
    "The provincial guard can't have gotten here already!"
    They jumped to their feet and rushed out of the guard tower onto the wall walk. The sound came from one of the drum turrets positioned at the four corners of the castle walls.
    "What happened, Kantai?"
    Standing on the wall walk, Kantai turned his severe countenance and gestured toward the south.
    Youko gasped. She and Suzu and Shoukei stood rooted to the spot. The darkness spread out over the city of Takuhou. To the south, a light could be seen along the outer loop road. A red light. Flames.
    "A fire?" queried Suzu.
    Youko narrowed her eyes.
    "Why?" somebody asked.
    Sekki and Koshou came running.
    "Koshou, there's a fire--"
    Sekki's voice interrupted hers. "It's the provincial guard."
    "What?" The people there all turned and looked at Sekki.
    "This is no doubt some strategy of Gahou's. The guard intends to burn us out, along with Shoukou and the city."
    "Nonsense!" came a cry from the gathering crowd.
    "Koshou, what do we do?" a familiar voice asked. "Consider the time of night! We must wake the citizenry and muster them to put out the fires!"
    "No!" Both Kantai and Sekki answered together.
    "Why not, Sekki?"
    "The guard are waiting for us. The calvalry has likely pushed on ahead of the infantry. They're waiting for us to leave the castle. Send anybody out there, and the elite of the cavalry will set on them like a wolf pack."
    Kantai agreed. "Sekki's right. Rush out of here and you'll be running headlong into a trap. It will takes hours for the fire to reach the castle. For the time being, it'd be best to watch and see how things develop."
    Koshou glanced back and forth between the two. "You mean to stand by and do nothing?"
    "There's probably nothing that we can do," Sekki said. The sound of a pounding drum burst forth from another turret on the castle walls. Sekki hung his head. "Another fire's been lit."
    "Sekki!" Koshou raised his arms. "We turn our back on them and we're no better than common murderers!" He said to Youko. "Let's go."
    "Youshi! Koshou!"
    Suzu put her hand on Sekki shoulder. "It's wrong to get even with somebody out of a personal grudge, right? If we look the other way now, it will look like we did it all out of spite. We'll lose the high moral ground."
    "Suzu--"
    "There's no saying how things would have turned out if Kantai and Shoukei hadn't shown up. Since we were prepared for that eventuality all along, what if only we go?"
    Sekki nodded. "Find a place where you can break through and secure an escape route for the people of the city."
    "All right, then." Koshou gave Sekki a slap on the back that practically sent him sprawling. "Move out!"

    A man noticed the smoke and jumped out of bed. He took note of the sound of popping wood and the strange hot wind and shook his wife awake. After the many days filled with dread, she slept soundly on this unexpectedly quiet night.
    "Wake up!" he shouted. He ran through the living room to the bedroom opposite and scooped his small daughter up in his arms. Still half-asleep, she opened her eyes. Soothing her and hurrying his wife along, they headed