Favored by Stone C. L

Author:Stone, C. L. [Stone, C. L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Paranormal
Amazon: B07CQ6K2N2
Goodreads: 39980526
Publisher: Arcato Publishing Inc.
Published: 2018-04-26T07:00:00+00:00

THE ILLUSION OF CONFIDENCE

AFTER MRS. SATSU LEFT, I fell onto my side, staring blankly at the wall.

I could have destroyed all of our chances, not just for my own group, but for everyone within the House of Satsu. For Mrs. Satsu herself, and for Apricot. The stink left in the storeroom could have spread through the entire thing, bringing the House of Satsu down with it.

Who could have tainted the kimono? Who would risk so much? We’d all heard the guards come in and take someone for just talking about conspiracy and sabotage. Now someone has actually done so, and with precision.

For me.

The harder I tried to gain control of myself, the harder it was to stop wishing I had taken no part in writing a letter and not asked Sota to become part of it.

I was numb. Whoever it was, maybe they wouldn’t stop.

Maybe the only way to save my own life would be to return to my house and hide.

Apricot was right about watching my back.

Would there be even more to worry about in the Immortal City, where a wrong move meant the guard cutting off my head, or worse?

Maybe this had all been a mistake. Every part of me ached, thinking of home. Thinking of my parents.

I should have been with them on the ship.

A strong pair of arms lifted me suddenly off the floor. Without words, Ryuu carried me out of the tatami room.

“Get a tub,” Ryuu said to Sota as he carried me down the hall. “One as big as she is. Bring it to our room.”

Sota didn’t stop to ask. He simply walked away. Shima followed him, as if knowing none of us should be alone now.

Ryuu brought me to our room, sliding the door closed with a kick of his foot.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered to him.

“Shh,” he said. “Not now.”

I didn’t have the energy to tell him to put me down. I let him carry me. He kicked the futon out of the middle of the room, creating some space, and then lowered, kneeling on the ground with me, and waited.

He cradled me and hummed another folk song from our village. The Taka sitting on the windowsill perked up at hearing the tune and sang along.

It was enough to get me to stop staring off like a madwoman in complete shock, but my misery continued. Could I have ignored what I’d heard? Should I have confronted whoever it was myself instead of sending Sota to the authorities with a letter?

I couldn’t imagine who else would have sabotaged the kimono meant for me. But it felt like at every turn, we would face such problems. Why should we dare stay?

Sota returned with Shima, carrying a large tub behind him, and maids followed behind them with buckets of water. Shima put the tub down in the center of the room.

Sota spoke, “We should probably do this downstairs.”

“No, here is fine,” Ryuu said. He placed me on the futon and then rose to stand near the tub, looking inside it.

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