A Path Through Destiny, Wolfheart [crime books to read .TXT] 📗

grass under a lotus tree, right beside a Kio fountain.
Kasumi flinched. “I apologize, Aki, that I am late.” She grabbed the priestess’s hand and kissed it gently. “Perhaps some wine will soothe your nerves?”
Aki saw her tail flick and purred when the boy servant came with her favorite wine – a wine Kasumi personally hated. The chilled wine was poured carefully into their glasses.
“Would you like your food?” The boy asked Kasumi quietly. She smiled almost affectionately, surprising Akira deeply.
“First, perhaps you should ask what Aki wants?” The warrior asked patiently, a single eye brow cocked.
His little face became red with embarrassment. “R-right.” He turned to Aki and formally asked what she would like to eat, listing a few of her favorite lunches. She ordered a roasted hare with a handful of blue berries. Kasumi ordered rice balls with raw salmon in their center.
She wasn’t surprised to see a disdainful glance at the wine before the warrior took a small sip – probably out of desperation for something to wet her throat.
“You could have ordered a different wine.” Aki smiled, purring.
“Never mind it. The wine is good enough.” She waved the courtesy aside. “The boy can’t carry more than one wine, and it’s a bit early for sake.”
“What’s on your mind?”
“Anya and Sauda are having a hard time, Aki. Would you mind supping with them?”
She tensed. “Over work?”
Kasumi shook her head. “No. It will not be for work. It won’t have anything to do with the Emperor or the war. We will not discus the market, either. They see me as a friend, I suppose. And as a guide. We will train together soon, but this is not about that. It is about companionship.”
A bit surprised – and instantly a bit jealous – Aki wasn’t sure what to think.
“If we continue to behave like this, then the other Commandants will see it as a weakness.” Kasumi reassured her that it was less personal than she would have thought.
“So it it’s about appearance as well as giving them something productive to do?”
“Not to mention reassuring them that I am there when they need me – as a warrior, a merchant and a friend.”
She relaxed. “So long as Anya isn’t loud, I suppose I can accompany you. I don’t want to hear a word about the war, Empire or trading.”
“They wouldn’t have that.” There was an ironic gleam in her eyes.
“Good.”
Their food arrived quickly, they boy struggling but still with decent balance. The two ate while talking quietly about things that shouldn’t have made either of them smile, but did. They spoke in Latin rather than Japanese, so their conversations were private. It was the first time they’d ever eaten in the garden and not their room, and people walked past them staring.
Honestly, it was nice to feel the breeze and hear the insects and birds. The Kio fountains soothed Aki more than anything but the temple. Well…and Kasumi’s voice.
Suddenly, Anya and Sauda rushed into the garden, their faces pale and their eyes wide with urgency.
“What is going on?” Kasumi was on her pawed feet. She was there in a second, trying to calm the younger Commandants. “Keep your heads, you two! You’re warriors of the GCDW!”
“R-right. The Lions have lost too much ground! They need assistance. Their Commandant is injured and half their troops are in the ground.”
With a glance as Aki, who nodded her to go, she departed to the meeting room. Aki heard her call the boy to tell him to take care of her, and then she was gone.
Aki sighed, feeling alone. At least they’d finished eating…
“She really loves you.” The boy startled her. “Is she your sister?”
Aki purred at his innocence. “We’re very, very close friends.” She told him quietly.
“I’m supposed to protect you and care for you!” He said with pride in his brown eyes.
“I feel safer already.” She assured him, acting relieved. “A big strong boy like you will definitely keep me in good hands. I bet you could clear this mess much faster than I could, even.”
“Right away!” He began to clear the blanket off as quickly as a lad his age could. She watched with a smile, trying to stay relaxed.
“Thank you very much.” She said in Japanese once he was finished. “Now, will you fetch some escorts to take me to temple? It is time I prayed.”
“Sure! Meet me by the palace gates on your assigned horse!”
Akira stood and headed for the stables, her only desire to pray for the fallen and for those still alive. It was a sad day indeed that the lions couldn’t hold their ground or their lives…

It took too long to get to the meeting room, and for the other two generals to meet them there. They had taken their time, and lost more Demi lives as they did so. Politics pissed Kasumi off in these situations. Anya was pacing endlessly, refusing to sit down. Sauda fiddled with her knife. Though Kasumi wished to show those signs, she sat in her chair motionless, her face carved of stone.
The other two came in.
“Let’s get this over with.” Hiroto commented, sitting in his chair. Daichi sat in his seat. Kasumi cleared her throat, and Anya got the hint. She sat down, a silent growl rumbling through her chest.
“Lion Demis are powerful and intelligent.” Kasumi began. “They rely on team support and coordination. If their leader falls, so does some order, but not all, as their second-in-command quickly takes charge. It seems that the second-in-command is a stickler for political rules, and isn’t very experienced in the field. This is why the coordination is slightly off, and some team work has been lost.”
“So send in Cheetah troops. They’re independent.”
“Are you insane?” Kasumi snarled. “It’d be a fucking massacre. Do you want to lose this damn war?!”
“What are you talking about? They’ll add speed to the power and independence to the patched team work.”
“Look at the region, human!” Anya growled. “The only way they’d be able to fight is in their human forms, and Cheetah Demis are no faster in that form than humans. As for independence, that would ruin the Leon troops! They need another group who relies on teams. That’s not happening with the other Great Cats. They’re the only team-based military in the GCDW. We use them in those situations because they’re the greatest in number and don’t rely so heavily on their Demi forms.”
“Then what do you suggest?” Daichi asked in his quiet voice, looking at the three Demi leaders.
“We actually don’t have any troops here that can stand the conditions. They do need a Priestess to send away the souls and heal the wounded or ill. Lions tend to keep their priests, healers and tech men out of battle, because they are often the first ones killed or injured in the brutal fights. If we can get about a hundred organized troops who can combat with Demis and keep up, then I can go there with my priestess and re-organize their troops, as well as get the second-in-command some courage.”
“Leaving your post is dishonorable.”
Kasumi looked Hiroto in the eyes and spat at his feet. “If it is honor we fight for, I will drop my blade and fall to my knees; I fight to survive, and to keep Aki alive.”
He stared at her with huge eyes, shocked.
Daichi cleared his throat. “I can give you a hundred of my best troops. They don’t mind working with Demis at all, and use elemental magic as well as guns and bows. They aren’t for the front lines, mind you, but they can provide the support the Lions need. My men are trained to fight in units themselves, so they will fit into Lion Demi strategy.”
Kasumi nodded. “The Lions will thank you. You have just saved many lives, Daichi.”
“Then we will move now. I will send the troops to the front gate. Summon your priestess and meet me and my troops by the east gate.”
“No. We’ll go by ship, not horse.It’s faster.”
“It took you months to get here!” Hiroto complained.
“We hit a storm, and I had allergic reaction to some human medication I was given by a visiting healer. My helmsmen tend to push himself to exhaustion when I’m not watching him, and my second in command can’t do everything.”
“Fine. We’ll go by your accursed flying ship.” He growled. “But if anything happens, it’d on your head, not mine.”
“I don’t run from bad situations, Hiroto.” Flicking my tail, I walked out. Anya and Sauda followed at my heels. I turned to them. “That is how you handle humans.”
“What do we do?” Anya looked a little taken aback.
“Simple. Monitor the situation from here. Make sure the humans can keep their end of the bargain.”
They bowed just as the human generals appeared. Then they rose and left, splitting down the hall to march opposite directions.
“I will prepare with my Priestess. My ship will be ready upon the hour to depart. I hope your troops won’t slow us down.”
Without waiting for an answer, Kasumi hailed a servant boy to show her to her room.

****

Aki had just returned from prayer when Kasumi rushed into the room. Instantly, the relaxed feeling the temple had brought her vanished. The stress, anger and urgency surrounding the ambassador were enough to make Aki want to scream.
“What in the world is it, Kasumi?” She demanded.
“The boy has been sent with a message to the ship. We’re to depart within the hour. Gather your prayer candles, Aki. We must depart soon, and you’re coming to send off their dead and heal the injured.”
Horrified, Aki obeyed.

Chapter Six
Magic of the Goddess

The cold of the Russian weather forced every Demi on the ship to revert to human form and dress into tight, warm human clothing. The human troops dressed as thus from the start, for the cold of the high latitude was too much for them from lift off.
Aki observed all of them for ship-sickness or chills, but only ten of the hundred became ill. Most of them had been in such ships before; they’d been selected from the best, after all.
The only person who had kept Aki was busy was actually Kasumi. She was so busy that it was impossible to keep her in good health for the four days it took to get to the location. She’d refused to sleep or eat for two of those days. And her stress was overwhelming…
And now she was shouting orders to her crew to prepare the ship for landing on the frigid plateau. Aki listened anxiously.
Why wouldn’t she just listen to me and have her helmsman handle this?
As they landed, the human warriors – soldiers, rather – evacuated as if they were robots given a command from the mainframe computer.
Kasumi was suddenly behind her with a backpack of leather.
“Here are your supplies Aki. I’ve