Fumiko and the finicky n.., p.23
Fumiko and the Finicky Nestmate, page 23
“Where’s it coming from?” asked Hallow.
Jiminy shrugged. “Oooh, you know. Here and there. Wherever it’s lodged.”
“Portia’s barrier strips away pollen that’s hitched a ride on skin or hair or clothing, but if the particles are internalized, they aren’t affected.” Bavol placed a hand against his brother’s forehead. “Nasal passages, bronchial tubes, mucus membranes. That sort of thing.”
Colt’s nose wrinkled. “Jiminy, I’m going to sneeze.”
“Hold it for juuust a sec. Induced sneezing is on our short list of remedies.” Carefully taking the bolt from his hand, Jiminy backed up several paces. “Go for it.”
He sneezed twice into a handkercheif. “Beg pardon,” Colt murmured, only to sneeze again.
Jiminy kept his sigils wheeling for several seconds, then asked, “Is there anything I can put this in?”
Bavol was ready with a slender tube used for specimens, and Jiminy gently slid the entire bolt inside. Once it was capped, everyone breathed a little easier.
Colt blew his nose, then rolled his eyes when his brother held open a hazmat bag for the hanky’s disposal. When Bavol thrust a tepid mug of tea under his nose, Colt grimaced but choked it down.
“Well?” Argent drummed his fingers. “How long before we know if we should give any credence to Jiminy’s razzle-dazzle?”
Buzz performed a cursory inspection and declared, “Clear as a spring morning.”
Which wasn’t especially helpful. Juuyu crisply asked, “Has anything changed?”
Colt scanned the room, his attention snagging briefly on Akira, but his whole expression changed a moment later. Pointing to the center of their war room’s table, he asked, “Has that always been there?”
Radiating satisfaction, Argent said, “Eureka.”
FORTY-TWO
Eyes to See
Juuyu strode forward. “Me next.”
“Sure thing!” Jiminy reached into the quiver strapped to his thigh and twirled another crystal-tipped bolt. “This may be the first time I’ve ever been glad that MayMay and DahDah are always so well-armed.”
He repeated the whole process with a confidence that snapped through his sigilcraft.
Juuyu watched closely, trying to follow the patterns.
“I’ll show you later, if you want.” Jiminy’s posture shifted in a way that granted equal standing. “Should be a cinch for you, judging by the finesse in your patterns.”
“Thank you.”
“Feel anything?”
After a moment’s consideration, Juuyu admitted, “The beginnings of the urge to sneeze.”
“Good sign. Hold off for as long as you can.” Jiminy asked, “What about your memories?”
Juuyu closed his eyes and reviewed the case, looking for discrepancies. “I cannot say for certain.”
Jiminy hummed. “Good chance what’s gone is gone. This stuff’s potent.”
He signaled for Bavol, who stood ready with another glass tube. The healer said, “If not for the fact that all those present are already warded against pollen, this method would not be advisable.”
“Cross contamination,” agreed Jiminy.
“Cross pollination,” countered Buzz, who smiled into Juuyu’s eyes and decreed, “That’s more like it. Sharpened up something beautiful.”
Argent ordered, “Do you now have eyes that can see?”
At the center of the table, under the dome of what looked to be a cheese board, a splash of red demanded attention. Flower petals. They tugged at his memory, mocked him when he couldn’t account for them.
“These are from the Amory?” he asked.
“They are from Denny,” said Argent. “The Gentleman Bandit would be on our very doorstep if he could find it.”
“Why did he follow us here?” asked Sinder. “Wait. Is that the right question?”
“How could he follow us here?” asked Moon. “Trees don’t travel.”
“Trees? Who said anything about trees?” asked Hallow.
Argent mildly said, “All in due course. Carry on.”
Bavol pressed a second dose of tea on Juuyu. It was still awful, but it must have done some good. He was thinking more clearly now. “Sinder, have you lost sight of Akira?”
His partner’s expression was blank.
Colt said, “He’s there,” and pointed.
“Who’s where?” asked Hallow.
Jacques shook his head. “Lord. I can’t decide if this is a comedy or a tragedy.”
Juuyu tugged Sinder forward, sat the dragon on the stool, and commanded, “Him next.”
Sinder swore, but he submitted.
Once the process was repeated with Hallow and Jiminy did a final sweep of the entire room, Argent took charge. “Shall we take another run at the facts of the case?”
The recap exposed more memory gaps, which Argent plotted on a timeline.
Juuyu grasped at each new detail, slotting it into the missing moments from his days. Most were small, unobtrusive details, but those were his specialty. His recollection gained clarity, and his questions grew increasingly precise.
Perhaps his subconscious had been at work, accumulating details.
Perhaps his Old Grove upbringing made him less susceptible to pollination.
Colt raised his hand. “I’m missing something big. If we’re all here, who’s guarding the Junzi?”
“Denny Woodacre is managing things at the Amory,” said Argent. “As far as the general populace and the museum management are concerned, nothing has changed.”
“And the Bamboo Stave?” prompted Sinder, who wasn’t what anyone would call a fan of the Four Storms.
“Someone else already absconded with it.” Argent flicked his fingers in Juuyu’s direction. “A bold move that gives us a second chance to catch our thief.”
“Who is a tree …?” Hallow asked skeptically.
Argent smiled thinly. “Akira thinks so, and I am inclined to believe him.”
He beckoned, and Akira stepped into the middle of the room, geta clacking, smile tentative. Juuyu frowned, knowing something was off. Intentionally off. Because everything that was yellow was meant to be red.
“Try to move as he did,” said Argent.
Akira wavered for a moment, then straightened his spine, rested his forearm along the small of his back, angled his head differently, and strolled across the room. Pivoting for another pass, he caught Juuyu’s eye … and winked.
Suddenly, Juuyu remembered red flowers on dark cloth. The flutter of falling petals. A figure wearing flowers in his hair. No, they grew there. Perfume filled the air, and Juuyu gazed into eyes as brilliant as sunlight through rubies—ancient in the manner of trees and soft with apology.
Juuyu whispered, “I saw him.”
“You did?” Akira’s expression was so fragile. “You remember him?”
Crossing to Akira, Juuyu touched his face. “You resemble the one who sprigged you.”
“I didn’t think you remembered my telling you that.”
“That part is still hazy. This memory is clearer.” Juuyu weighed whether he should say the rest in front of the team, but the information was important to all of them. “Our paths crossed during my patrol. This morning. He told me not to worry if you went away. But to follow if I could.”
Argent sharply asked, “He planned to take Akira?”
“I believe so.”
Akira shook his head. “Tabi-oji did invite me, but I turned him down.”
“Should you be expecting a known thief to respect your wishes?” asked Merit.
“Hold up.” Sinder raised a hand. “Sprigged? As in … the highly euphemistic sprigging in the lullabies of trees?”
Juuyu rested his hands on Akira’s shoulders. “Yes.”
Argent offered a succinct report, during which Akira studied the floor.
“Let me get this straight,” said Sinder. “The Gentleman Bandit is your father-in-law?”
Argent’s brows arched. “In your estimation, that is the most salient point?”
“What can I say? I like the human-interest angle.”
Hallow stepped forward. “So we have two things our thief wants.”
“We do,” agreed Argent.
“Either—or both—would allow us to reset our trap.”
Juuyu silently agreed. If they wanted to reclaim the two Junzi that had already been stolen, they needed to catch their thief.
“Then the thing I need to know is ….” Hallow’s gaze flitted briefly to Akira before he asked, “Which of them are you willing to risk?”
From the direction of the door, a softly dismayed warble alerted Juuyu to a fresh complication.
Suuzu was here. Suuzu had heard.
And Suuzu wouldn’t understand.
FORTY-THREE
Prioritizing Claims
The stricken look on Suuzu’s face had Akira stumbling over encumbered feet in his hurry to get to his best friend. Geta were a pain. But Argent caught Akira’s arm. It saved him from hitting the floor, but it also prevented him from reaching Suuzu.
“Juuyu, this would be a good time,” Argent said smoothly.
And then Suuzu was caught. Juuyu steered his brother back out the door, though Suuzu was trying to pull away and the last look he cast over his shoulder was desperate.
Akira tried to follow, but fanning tails surrounded them. He was mad enough to bat through them, manners be damned, but Argent startled him by pulling him into an embrace.
“Before you go to him, we must come to an understanding.” Argent’s voice was frustratingly calm.
“Suuzu needs me.”
“He does. But he is not the only one.”
Akira confined his protest to a small twist and a grumbled, “Suuzu comes first.”
“An understandable sentiment. Until you consider the urgency with which you are needed by several others.”
“Others?” Akira looked down at his costume and asked, “Do you mean Tabi-oji?”
Argent inclined his head, but he had his own list. “Juuyu’s team needs you. Boon needs you. Inti needs you. Kyrie’s and Mercy’s siblings need you. For that matter, I need you, since my plan hinges upon your participation.”
“But Suuzu’s here now.”
“And in the least danger.” Argent leaned back to look him in the eye. “I am not diminishing his need for you. He is here because I cannot ignore his claim. But with your help, we could end all of this.”
Akira pulled off the wig. “The thefts?”
“There is far more at stake than the Junzi. If you cooperate with my small scheme, you will help Boon out of a difficult position. You will provide Inti with a way of escape. You will make rescue possible for a large number of missing crossers. You will fulfill Tsumiko’s wish to bring home more of Kyrie’s half-siblings. And you may be able to locate Naoki Hajime.”
“We can rescue my dad?”
“There are too many uncertainties for me to make promises, but I will do my best.” Argent grimly added, “There is also a chance that we will finally stop the Rogue.”
“He’s part of this?”
Argent sighed. “I am not sure. But Hisoka is, and that is … promising.”
Akira tried to think clearly.
Boon was in a difficult position? That was hard to imagine. Then again, Merit was here, and he was Boon’s best friend. Akira glanced to where the Starmark dog stood with Moon. Both had to have heard Argent’s words, because both had eased into pleading postures.
“Me, though?” he asked. “How come you think I can do anything?”
“There are a handful of small reasons, hardly worth mentioning,” hedged Argent. “However, three things make you ideal for what lies ahead. First, you are an unendowed human … and therefore beneath notice.”
Hardly flattering. Or rare.
“Second, I trust you to do everything you can, even if the only ones who will thank you are Kyrie, Tsumiko, and myself.”
Akira’s irritation faded. “The dragon-crossers?”
Argent nodded. “They may need an advocate until I can bring them under my protection. Speak on their behalf. As their uncle.”
“Oh.” Akira knew Argent was good at getting what he wanted. On the international stage, he had his share of detractors. Words were bandied about: strategic, manipulative, cunning. Sure, Argent was cornering him, and whatever was about to happen was going to make Suuzu unhappy. But Argent was asking nicely. For him.
Akira knew he was going to hear Argent out.
And then he was going to do whatever Argent asked.
But not until everything was in the open.
“You trust me, and I’m not a reaver,” Akira said. “What’s the third thing that makes me ideal?”
Before Argent could answer, Jacques sidled into their embrace, looking injured. “Really, my lord. Are you trying to break hearts? Here, I thought I was special!”
“Tsk. I was not finished.”
“Mon dieu. You had him at uncle.” Jacques slid an arm around Akira’s shoulders and said, “Don’t drag this out. Tell him the other reason we’re perfect for the job.”
Argent looked annoyed, but his swaying tails looped around Jacques, wordlessly including him in … whatever this was.
“Nobody will expect unendowed humans to be immune to a dragon’s sway.” Argent studied their faces and quietly added, “You may be the only ones, which makes you rarer than remnants.”
Jacques happily said, “We’re in the same boat, my dear nephew, which I promise will be divine. I haven’t been on a cruise in ages!”
“I am not sending you on holiday,” muttered Argent.
“Yet I aim to be convincing!” Jacques held up a finger and quietly said, “My turn.”
Argent’s eyes flashed, but his tails swept back and away, and he bowed. Then vanished.
Jacques rolled his eyes. “Poor old sot. This is harder on him than anyone.”
“Tell that to Suuzu.”
“Oh, I will.” Jacques patted Akira’s cheek. “Argent had the easy job—convincing you. It is my unenviable duty to bring Suuzu around to our way of thinking.”
“So … when they send me to wherever Boon is, you’re going with me?”
“All the way.” Jacques herded him to their corner and went into valet mode again.
Akira confessed, “I’m glad.”
Jacques wryly replied, “You say that now.”
Juuyu had been given charge of Suuzu almost from the start, and he’d never once understood what he’d done to deserve such an earnest, sweet-natured chick. It had been hard to maintain a warrior’s edge in the presence of so much innocent adoration.
Father had always smiled to watch them together.
Letik had always laughed outright. And doted.
A chick changed things, and Suuzu had changed Juuyu. For the better. Maybe even for the best.
But his sweet chick was gone, replaced by a hissing, quaking bundle of fury.
“Peace,” Juuyu begged.
“You would use Akira for bait? Without regard for my claim? He is mine!”
What would Father and Letik say if they could see them? Their warrior begging for peace, and their peacemaker ready for war.
“He is safe.”
“I will ensure it! You cannot do this thing!”
With a frustrated warble, Juuyu signaled for Suuzu to follow, and he made for the guest room. He needed to calm his brother, or he’d never listen. And there was so much to tell.
“Akira must help us. There is no other way.” Juuyu sidestepped his brother’s lunge.
“There is always another way, if you look. Akira is only human.” Suuzu took another clumsy swipe, easily dodged. “You took him from me! He is all I …! Why would you even …? Why, brother?”
As the fight left him, Juuyu warbled softly and gathered up his gentle chick.
“My plans are rarely my own.” Juuyu didn’t intend to deflect, though. “I do think Argent’s scheme will work. Yes, it will send Akira even farther from your side, but the risks are minimal. And he will not be alone.”
Suuzu was more pliant now, so Juuyu made him to sit on the bed. While he preened his younger brother, Juuyu laid out the essentials of Argent’s plan.
Suuzu drooped further. “I do not like it.”
Juuyu hummed an acknowledgment.
“Could I go with him?”
“Without you, he is unremarkable. And that is his greatest safety.”
Suuzu asked, “Do I have the right to protest?”
“He is listed in our colony’s registry as your nestmate, but Argent can—and would—argue that his claim as denmate is stronger. Especially since Akira makes his home at Stately House.” More gently, Juuyu added, “Even if you were bondmates, you would have to abide by Akira’s decision.”
“And he will choose to leave,” Suuzu said bitterly.
“He is not the sort of man to withhold help from a friend in need.” Let alone two friends. And perhaps even a father.
“I know.”
“Will you stand in his way?” Juuyu pressed.
Suuzu offered a flat note of abject misery.
This wasn’t cooperation. This was resignation. But it would suffice.
“I wish I could do more,” Juuyu admitted.
Eventually, Suuzu broke the silence. “There is one thing I want.”
“Hmm?”
“I have the years. Teach me to dance.”
Of all things. Juuyu reminded, “We are tributes.”
“You did not learn?” Suuzu’s tone sang with challenge.
“I watched the others. I know the steps.”
Suuzu half-turned to search his face. “Will you dance for this tree’s sister?”
Juuyu averted his gaze and stubbornly repeated, “We are tributes. We do not have the luxury of choosing.”
“She confided in Akira. Everyone does.” Just like that, Juuyu’s earnest, sweet-natured chick was back. Suuzu asked, “You are her choice, are you not?”
Jiminy shrugged. “Oooh, you know. Here and there. Wherever it’s lodged.”
“Portia’s barrier strips away pollen that’s hitched a ride on skin or hair or clothing, but if the particles are internalized, they aren’t affected.” Bavol placed a hand against his brother’s forehead. “Nasal passages, bronchial tubes, mucus membranes. That sort of thing.”
Colt’s nose wrinkled. “Jiminy, I’m going to sneeze.”
“Hold it for juuust a sec. Induced sneezing is on our short list of remedies.” Carefully taking the bolt from his hand, Jiminy backed up several paces. “Go for it.”
He sneezed twice into a handkercheif. “Beg pardon,” Colt murmured, only to sneeze again.
Jiminy kept his sigils wheeling for several seconds, then asked, “Is there anything I can put this in?”
Bavol was ready with a slender tube used for specimens, and Jiminy gently slid the entire bolt inside. Once it was capped, everyone breathed a little easier.
Colt blew his nose, then rolled his eyes when his brother held open a hazmat bag for the hanky’s disposal. When Bavol thrust a tepid mug of tea under his nose, Colt grimaced but choked it down.
“Well?” Argent drummed his fingers. “How long before we know if we should give any credence to Jiminy’s razzle-dazzle?”
Buzz performed a cursory inspection and declared, “Clear as a spring morning.”
Which wasn’t especially helpful. Juuyu crisply asked, “Has anything changed?”
Colt scanned the room, his attention snagging briefly on Akira, but his whole expression changed a moment later. Pointing to the center of their war room’s table, he asked, “Has that always been there?”
Radiating satisfaction, Argent said, “Eureka.”
FORTY-TWO
Eyes to See
Juuyu strode forward. “Me next.”
“Sure thing!” Jiminy reached into the quiver strapped to his thigh and twirled another crystal-tipped bolt. “This may be the first time I’ve ever been glad that MayMay and DahDah are always so well-armed.”
He repeated the whole process with a confidence that snapped through his sigilcraft.
Juuyu watched closely, trying to follow the patterns.
“I’ll show you later, if you want.” Jiminy’s posture shifted in a way that granted equal standing. “Should be a cinch for you, judging by the finesse in your patterns.”
“Thank you.”
“Feel anything?”
After a moment’s consideration, Juuyu admitted, “The beginnings of the urge to sneeze.”
“Good sign. Hold off for as long as you can.” Jiminy asked, “What about your memories?”
Juuyu closed his eyes and reviewed the case, looking for discrepancies. “I cannot say for certain.”
Jiminy hummed. “Good chance what’s gone is gone. This stuff’s potent.”
He signaled for Bavol, who stood ready with another glass tube. The healer said, “If not for the fact that all those present are already warded against pollen, this method would not be advisable.”
“Cross contamination,” agreed Jiminy.
“Cross pollination,” countered Buzz, who smiled into Juuyu’s eyes and decreed, “That’s more like it. Sharpened up something beautiful.”
Argent ordered, “Do you now have eyes that can see?”
At the center of the table, under the dome of what looked to be a cheese board, a splash of red demanded attention. Flower petals. They tugged at his memory, mocked him when he couldn’t account for them.
“These are from the Amory?” he asked.
“They are from Denny,” said Argent. “The Gentleman Bandit would be on our very doorstep if he could find it.”
“Why did he follow us here?” asked Sinder. “Wait. Is that the right question?”
“How could he follow us here?” asked Moon. “Trees don’t travel.”
“Trees? Who said anything about trees?” asked Hallow.
Argent mildly said, “All in due course. Carry on.”
Bavol pressed a second dose of tea on Juuyu. It was still awful, but it must have done some good. He was thinking more clearly now. “Sinder, have you lost sight of Akira?”
His partner’s expression was blank.
Colt said, “He’s there,” and pointed.
“Who’s where?” asked Hallow.
Jacques shook his head. “Lord. I can’t decide if this is a comedy or a tragedy.”
Juuyu tugged Sinder forward, sat the dragon on the stool, and commanded, “Him next.”
Sinder swore, but he submitted.
Once the process was repeated with Hallow and Jiminy did a final sweep of the entire room, Argent took charge. “Shall we take another run at the facts of the case?”
The recap exposed more memory gaps, which Argent plotted on a timeline.
Juuyu grasped at each new detail, slotting it into the missing moments from his days. Most were small, unobtrusive details, but those were his specialty. His recollection gained clarity, and his questions grew increasingly precise.
Perhaps his subconscious had been at work, accumulating details.
Perhaps his Old Grove upbringing made him less susceptible to pollination.
Colt raised his hand. “I’m missing something big. If we’re all here, who’s guarding the Junzi?”
“Denny Woodacre is managing things at the Amory,” said Argent. “As far as the general populace and the museum management are concerned, nothing has changed.”
“And the Bamboo Stave?” prompted Sinder, who wasn’t what anyone would call a fan of the Four Storms.
“Someone else already absconded with it.” Argent flicked his fingers in Juuyu’s direction. “A bold move that gives us a second chance to catch our thief.”
“Who is a tree …?” Hallow asked skeptically.
Argent smiled thinly. “Akira thinks so, and I am inclined to believe him.”
He beckoned, and Akira stepped into the middle of the room, geta clacking, smile tentative. Juuyu frowned, knowing something was off. Intentionally off. Because everything that was yellow was meant to be red.
“Try to move as he did,” said Argent.
Akira wavered for a moment, then straightened his spine, rested his forearm along the small of his back, angled his head differently, and strolled across the room. Pivoting for another pass, he caught Juuyu’s eye … and winked.
Suddenly, Juuyu remembered red flowers on dark cloth. The flutter of falling petals. A figure wearing flowers in his hair. No, they grew there. Perfume filled the air, and Juuyu gazed into eyes as brilliant as sunlight through rubies—ancient in the manner of trees and soft with apology.
Juuyu whispered, “I saw him.”
“You did?” Akira’s expression was so fragile. “You remember him?”
Crossing to Akira, Juuyu touched his face. “You resemble the one who sprigged you.”
“I didn’t think you remembered my telling you that.”
“That part is still hazy. This memory is clearer.” Juuyu weighed whether he should say the rest in front of the team, but the information was important to all of them. “Our paths crossed during my patrol. This morning. He told me not to worry if you went away. But to follow if I could.”
Argent sharply asked, “He planned to take Akira?”
“I believe so.”
Akira shook his head. “Tabi-oji did invite me, but I turned him down.”
“Should you be expecting a known thief to respect your wishes?” asked Merit.
“Hold up.” Sinder raised a hand. “Sprigged? As in … the highly euphemistic sprigging in the lullabies of trees?”
Juuyu rested his hands on Akira’s shoulders. “Yes.”
Argent offered a succinct report, during which Akira studied the floor.
“Let me get this straight,” said Sinder. “The Gentleman Bandit is your father-in-law?”
Argent’s brows arched. “In your estimation, that is the most salient point?”
“What can I say? I like the human-interest angle.”
Hallow stepped forward. “So we have two things our thief wants.”
“We do,” agreed Argent.
“Either—or both—would allow us to reset our trap.”
Juuyu silently agreed. If they wanted to reclaim the two Junzi that had already been stolen, they needed to catch their thief.
“Then the thing I need to know is ….” Hallow’s gaze flitted briefly to Akira before he asked, “Which of them are you willing to risk?”
From the direction of the door, a softly dismayed warble alerted Juuyu to a fresh complication.
Suuzu was here. Suuzu had heard.
And Suuzu wouldn’t understand.
FORTY-THREE
Prioritizing Claims
The stricken look on Suuzu’s face had Akira stumbling over encumbered feet in his hurry to get to his best friend. Geta were a pain. But Argent caught Akira’s arm. It saved him from hitting the floor, but it also prevented him from reaching Suuzu.
“Juuyu, this would be a good time,” Argent said smoothly.
And then Suuzu was caught. Juuyu steered his brother back out the door, though Suuzu was trying to pull away and the last look he cast over his shoulder was desperate.
Akira tried to follow, but fanning tails surrounded them. He was mad enough to bat through them, manners be damned, but Argent startled him by pulling him into an embrace.
“Before you go to him, we must come to an understanding.” Argent’s voice was frustratingly calm.
“Suuzu needs me.”
“He does. But he is not the only one.”
Akira confined his protest to a small twist and a grumbled, “Suuzu comes first.”
“An understandable sentiment. Until you consider the urgency with which you are needed by several others.”
“Others?” Akira looked down at his costume and asked, “Do you mean Tabi-oji?”
Argent inclined his head, but he had his own list. “Juuyu’s team needs you. Boon needs you. Inti needs you. Kyrie’s and Mercy’s siblings need you. For that matter, I need you, since my plan hinges upon your participation.”
“But Suuzu’s here now.”
“And in the least danger.” Argent leaned back to look him in the eye. “I am not diminishing his need for you. He is here because I cannot ignore his claim. But with your help, we could end all of this.”
Akira pulled off the wig. “The thefts?”
“There is far more at stake than the Junzi. If you cooperate with my small scheme, you will help Boon out of a difficult position. You will provide Inti with a way of escape. You will make rescue possible for a large number of missing crossers. You will fulfill Tsumiko’s wish to bring home more of Kyrie’s half-siblings. And you may be able to locate Naoki Hajime.”
“We can rescue my dad?”
“There are too many uncertainties for me to make promises, but I will do my best.” Argent grimly added, “There is also a chance that we will finally stop the Rogue.”
“He’s part of this?”
Argent sighed. “I am not sure. But Hisoka is, and that is … promising.”
Akira tried to think clearly.
Boon was in a difficult position? That was hard to imagine. Then again, Merit was here, and he was Boon’s best friend. Akira glanced to where the Starmark dog stood with Moon. Both had to have heard Argent’s words, because both had eased into pleading postures.
“Me, though?” he asked. “How come you think I can do anything?”
“There are a handful of small reasons, hardly worth mentioning,” hedged Argent. “However, three things make you ideal for what lies ahead. First, you are an unendowed human … and therefore beneath notice.”
Hardly flattering. Or rare.
“Second, I trust you to do everything you can, even if the only ones who will thank you are Kyrie, Tsumiko, and myself.”
Akira’s irritation faded. “The dragon-crossers?”
Argent nodded. “They may need an advocate until I can bring them under my protection. Speak on their behalf. As their uncle.”
“Oh.” Akira knew Argent was good at getting what he wanted. On the international stage, he had his share of detractors. Words were bandied about: strategic, manipulative, cunning. Sure, Argent was cornering him, and whatever was about to happen was going to make Suuzu unhappy. But Argent was asking nicely. For him.
Akira knew he was going to hear Argent out.
And then he was going to do whatever Argent asked.
But not until everything was in the open.
“You trust me, and I’m not a reaver,” Akira said. “What’s the third thing that makes me ideal?”
Before Argent could answer, Jacques sidled into their embrace, looking injured. “Really, my lord. Are you trying to break hearts? Here, I thought I was special!”
“Tsk. I was not finished.”
“Mon dieu. You had him at uncle.” Jacques slid an arm around Akira’s shoulders and said, “Don’t drag this out. Tell him the other reason we’re perfect for the job.”
Argent looked annoyed, but his swaying tails looped around Jacques, wordlessly including him in … whatever this was.
“Nobody will expect unendowed humans to be immune to a dragon’s sway.” Argent studied their faces and quietly added, “You may be the only ones, which makes you rarer than remnants.”
Jacques happily said, “We’re in the same boat, my dear nephew, which I promise will be divine. I haven’t been on a cruise in ages!”
“I am not sending you on holiday,” muttered Argent.
“Yet I aim to be convincing!” Jacques held up a finger and quietly said, “My turn.”
Argent’s eyes flashed, but his tails swept back and away, and he bowed. Then vanished.
Jacques rolled his eyes. “Poor old sot. This is harder on him than anyone.”
“Tell that to Suuzu.”
“Oh, I will.” Jacques patted Akira’s cheek. “Argent had the easy job—convincing you. It is my unenviable duty to bring Suuzu around to our way of thinking.”
“So … when they send me to wherever Boon is, you’re going with me?”
“All the way.” Jacques herded him to their corner and went into valet mode again.
Akira confessed, “I’m glad.”
Jacques wryly replied, “You say that now.”
Juuyu had been given charge of Suuzu almost from the start, and he’d never once understood what he’d done to deserve such an earnest, sweet-natured chick. It had been hard to maintain a warrior’s edge in the presence of so much innocent adoration.
Father had always smiled to watch them together.
Letik had always laughed outright. And doted.
A chick changed things, and Suuzu had changed Juuyu. For the better. Maybe even for the best.
But his sweet chick was gone, replaced by a hissing, quaking bundle of fury.
“Peace,” Juuyu begged.
“You would use Akira for bait? Without regard for my claim? He is mine!”
What would Father and Letik say if they could see them? Their warrior begging for peace, and their peacemaker ready for war.
“He is safe.”
“I will ensure it! You cannot do this thing!”
With a frustrated warble, Juuyu signaled for Suuzu to follow, and he made for the guest room. He needed to calm his brother, or he’d never listen. And there was so much to tell.
“Akira must help us. There is no other way.” Juuyu sidestepped his brother’s lunge.
“There is always another way, if you look. Akira is only human.” Suuzu took another clumsy swipe, easily dodged. “You took him from me! He is all I …! Why would you even …? Why, brother?”
As the fight left him, Juuyu warbled softly and gathered up his gentle chick.
“My plans are rarely my own.” Juuyu didn’t intend to deflect, though. “I do think Argent’s scheme will work. Yes, it will send Akira even farther from your side, but the risks are minimal. And he will not be alone.”
Suuzu was more pliant now, so Juuyu made him to sit on the bed. While he preened his younger brother, Juuyu laid out the essentials of Argent’s plan.
Suuzu drooped further. “I do not like it.”
Juuyu hummed an acknowledgment.
“Could I go with him?”
“Without you, he is unremarkable. And that is his greatest safety.”
Suuzu asked, “Do I have the right to protest?”
“He is listed in our colony’s registry as your nestmate, but Argent can—and would—argue that his claim as denmate is stronger. Especially since Akira makes his home at Stately House.” More gently, Juuyu added, “Even if you were bondmates, you would have to abide by Akira’s decision.”
“And he will choose to leave,” Suuzu said bitterly.
“He is not the sort of man to withhold help from a friend in need.” Let alone two friends. And perhaps even a father.
“I know.”
“Will you stand in his way?” Juuyu pressed.
Suuzu offered a flat note of abject misery.
This wasn’t cooperation. This was resignation. But it would suffice.
“I wish I could do more,” Juuyu admitted.
Eventually, Suuzu broke the silence. “There is one thing I want.”
“Hmm?”
“I have the years. Teach me to dance.”
Of all things. Juuyu reminded, “We are tributes.”
“You did not learn?” Suuzu’s tone sang with challenge.
“I watched the others. I know the steps.”
Suuzu half-turned to search his face. “Will you dance for this tree’s sister?”
Juuyu averted his gaze and stubbornly repeated, “We are tributes. We do not have the luxury of choosing.”
“She confided in Akira. Everyone does.” Just like that, Juuyu’s earnest, sweet-natured chick was back. Suuzu asked, “You are her choice, are you not?”
