“Because if no one cares about what is right or wrong in the seat of our empire—the very seat of our justice—then all we hold dear is lost.”

Again, his young bride spoke the truth. It only caused Raiden even more consternation. “You were foolish to challenge Roku.”

“And you were foolish to let him rule without question.”

Anger spiked through Raiden’s core. “I am not responsible for Roku’s actions.”

“Your passivity gives him leave to act like a monster. If you allow a monster to destroy everything in its path, then you are no better than the monster, Raiden.”

Raiden tried to leash his desire to yell at her. His wish to prove her wrong. “I do not need to be lectured by a woman on such important matters.”

“Yes, you do. In fact, I think you need to be lectured every day of your life, preferably by a woman.” Mariko took a breath. “You are nothing like Roku. I suspect much of that is a result of your mother. The lectures of a woman have made you a far better man than your brother will ever be. They would have made you a far better ruler.”

“Your words are treasonous.”

“And correct,” she said quietly.

“Don’t lecture me about being correct, Mariko. You knew that Takeda Ranmaru had sent a message to Roku. I watched you today. The death of Lord Hirata is on your hands.”

Mariko blanched. Pain flashed across her features. “He is dead?”

“Yes.” Raiden swallowed around the sudden knot in his throat.

“If it helps you, I accept the blame,” Mariko said sadly. “I will gladly die for it.”

“If you die, it won’t be for that. It will be because you were in league with the Black Clan, as Roku always suspected.” Another spark of fury rippled through Raiden’s chest. “You’ve been in love with Takeda Ranmaru all along.”

“Yes.”

“You do not deny it.”

“I have no wish to deny it. What purpose would that serve?” Mariko met his gaze. “Now that Ōkami has begun to understand who he truly is—who he might one day become—he will be a fine leader. Just like you would be, too.”

The bluntness of her words unseated Raiden. Made him lose focus. “Enough of your poison.”

“It is not poison, Raiden. It is the truth.” Mariko reached for the chipped vessel of water beside her feet. Then—without warning—she hurled it at the stone wall behind her.

It chipped further. But it did not break.

“Do you know why that silly piece of pottery managed to survive?” Mariko asked.

“Because you did not throw it hard enough.”

“No.” She sighed. “In order for it to be hard enough to survive, it had to become strong. It had to be stepped on as clay. Shaped beneath the dutiful hand of a potter. And after all that, it had to live through a fire.”

Raiden listened to her speak, his gaze piercing.

Mariko continued. “You have lived through fire, Minamoto Raiden. You are stronger than you know. Everyone sees it but you.”

“You are mistaken.” Even to Raiden’s ears, his voice sounded uncertain. But he refused to allow this girl to seed even one more wild notion in his mind. So he spoke his barest truth. “I have no desire to rule this empire.”

Her smile curved upward sadly. “Which is exactly why you should.”

Raiden was startled from a troubled slumber at daybreak. Outside his chamber stood the two soldiers from the night prior, as well as Lord Shimazu. Their features were tight with worry. Wordlessly, Raiden followed them to the Lotus Pavilion.

Roku was seated on the floor of his mother’s chamber, burning pages of used washi paper above the flame of an oil lantern. His eyes were bloodshot. His lips were cracked. After Raiden took in the sight, he turned to face the other men.

“We are worried he will set himself aflame, my lord,” Lord Shimazu said in a barely audible tone.

Roku muttered something to himself. But he did not break away from his task.

After a moment of consideration, Raiden spoke. “Bring pails of water. Keep them just outside the chamber. Stand watch over him.” With that, he drew the doors partially closed.

As Raiden began walking from the Lotus Pavilion, a voice at his back halted him in his tracks.

“What do we do about the looters, my lord?” Lord Shimazu wrung his hands, distress forming creases around his mouth. “We are no longer able to bring supplies into the city. Soon the creatures will be at the very gates of the castle. We can no longer afford to be idle.”

Raiden stared at Lord Shimazu. It should not be his decision. It was not his responsibility. But if he left everything to his brother, the entire city would fall to ruin. There were not many options left to them. If they’d only sent word for their vassals from the east to rally toward them, perhaps something could be done about the situation. But now?

It seemed their most distasteful choice had become Raiden’s only option. The force Takeda Ranmaru commanded remained on the outskirts of the city, awaiting a signal fire along the ramparts of Heian Castle.

If Raiden did this and worked alongside the son of Takeda Shingen to restore order to Inako, Roku might kill him. He’d never before considered it possible. But his brother was not the same boy who’d hidden sweets in his sleeve and participated in archery drills with Raiden, even when he’d been too small to wield a bow.

Those days had passed. And if Raiden ever wished for there to be more—for his city to survive this scourge—it was time for him to worry less about what might happen to him and focus more on the people wailing at the gates.

His people.

“Lord Shimazu, I want you to gather two of your most trusted samurai,” Raiden directed. “Tell them to meet me on the ramparts of Heian Castle.”

“Then you intend to—”

“Do as you are told, Lord Shimazu. I will listen to any question—any grievance you have—later today.”

Lord Shimazu bowed low. “My sovereign.”

Raiden frowned. “I am not your sovereign, Lord Shimazu. It is treason for you to suggest otherwise.”

“Of course.” Lord Shimazu bowed again. “I spoke in error. My deepest apologies.”

But Raiden could not ignore the relief that passed across Lord Shimazu’s features.

The same relief he felt in his soul.

Kanako floated in her sleep, fending off her exhaustion. She’d been far too tired to venture from her chambers today, though she wished to seek out Raiden. She made inquiries as to his whereabouts—even sent her swallow to trail after him—but her son was too occupied trying to protect the ransacked imperial city. The same city Kanako had filled this morning with her remaining “distractions.” The poor souls—the innocent, the elderly, the infirm—that would serve to unbridle Roku’s imperial soldiers. Cause them to lose focus.

They were so close. Kanako was so close to achieving her goals.

Earlier today, she had asked her little swallow—her tiniest spy—to flutter around the castle, eavesdropping as it always had, even for Masaru. It returned to tell her that Roku had murdered his most senior advisor in cold blood. The nobility was on the cusp of rebelling against him.

And Raiden was fast becoming a source of strength for all of them.

Unbridled joy took hold of Kanako’s heart, even as she struggled to deny the toll of her efforts. All else was proceeding according to plan. The many bands of looters she’d sent into Inako continued wreaking their havoc. The distractions were already creating even more sources of discord within the imperial ranks.

But Kanako still struggled to regain her strength. These tasks were far more taxing than she’d thought they would be. Her food sat beside her untouched. But it did not matter. Soon her son would have all that she’d dreamed for him. She only needed to continue her efforts a short while longer.

Never mind that it might cause irrevocable damage to her health.

Never mind that she struggled to control the last band of looters she’d sent into Hanami.

Everything worthwhile in life came with a sacrifice.

And Death always collected its due.

Bitter Relief

I fear the only way to stop them is to kill them all,” Tsuneoki said, his face smeared with blood and soot.