The Wings of Dreams

the forest floor, along with dying and withered ones. Before long, all they could see before them were trees piled atop each other like chopsticks, decaying and overgrown with moss, the whitened trunks poking out from among them like bleached bones.
    Emerging from this dead forest, they found themselves on the banks of a eerily crystal clear lake. Within the lake was a long, stone-lined depression, submerged beneath the glass-like water.
    Fifteen days had passed since they’d left the fortress. The number of fatalities had reached ten.
    During that time, the caravan had worked out a system of sorts. Taking the point were the goushi and koushu like Gankyuu. Tagging along were Shitsu Kiwa and others without guardians who, together with their entourages, had thrown in with the koushu. Plus those who similarly hoped to draw on the good graces of the goushi. Together, the lead group came to almost two hundred.
    Following after them was an ensemble of around a hundred and fifty put together by Ren Chodai. Many of them made no effort to hide their contempt for Kiwa and the goushi.
    The rest had the protection of their skilled retainers and were equipped accordingly. They didn’t ally themselves with either camp, and traveled in the caravan wherever they could best fit in.
    A rough form of leadership had formed among the twenty or so koushu, in the groups led by Kiwa and Chodai, and in the smaller, unaligned bands. Kiwa’s and Chodai’s entourages also included hangers-on who joined this or that group on a purely utilitarian basis. As a result, there was no end to the bickering and backbiting.
    The koushu were hardly a model of organization. But they did understand what to do and what not to do. When something happened, they joined forces without anybody shouting out commands.
    They quietly came together to clear fallen trees off the path, then separated and continued on without any ado. They selected similar ground for their campsites. At such times, Kiwa hurriedly ordered his people to rally around the koushu. Where they stopped, he pitched his tents nearby.
    All the while, Chodai pretended they weren’t even there or even searched out detours. He quite deliberately made camp as far away from them as was reasonably possible.

    “It’s weird,” Shushou muttered.
    They were clearing the dead leaves and grass out of a hollow in the pile of decaying trees on the banks of the lake. Leaning over to secure a tree with a length piece of rope, Rikou paused. “What is?”
    “Shitsu-san and Ren-san. Especially Shitsu-san. He’s an odd duck.”
    “How’s that?” Rikou pushed aside a rotten trunk, drove a stake into the exposed ground, and fastened the other end of the rope to it.
    “Look where he pitched his tent, next to these fallen trees like us. He apes everything we do.”
    “He probably thinks that is the safest course of action.”
    “Yeah, I get that. But Shitsu has an entourage of at least forty. With such a large group, mimicking the three of us doesn’t make sense.”
    Shushou looked at the bustling Kiwa camp. She understood why Gankyuu picked this as their camp site. He always sought out sheltered locations where they could hide out of plain view. Except that hiding was out of the question with Kiwa and his big crew stomping around.
    “That is true.”
    “Why doesn’t he simply ask Gankyuu or one of the guardians for an opinion on the matter? Something like, where’s the best place for a big group like ours? As long Shitsu-san keeps on doing whatever he sees us doing, he’s not going to ask what would be the best course for him.”
    “Would you ask, Shushou?”
    “Of course. People who are experienced at doing things are bound to have the best answers. The koushu travel in small groups, but that doesn’t mean they don’t know anything about organizing big ones.”
    In fact, Shushou mused as she watched the dusk falling over the lake, Gankyuu told them the crystal clear water was poisonous. A mouthful wouldn’t cause instant death, but human and animals shouldn’t drink it. If Gankyuu hadn’t said told her, she probably would have. And so would have Kiwa and company if they hadn’t been listening in.
    “Ren-san is strange too. I saw them on the shore debating whether or not to drink the water.”
    Rikou coiled up the excess rope and chuckled. “I’m not surprised.”
    “It seems they’re always discussing things, like they’re doing the opposite of us as a matter of course. I can