It was later in the evening. Stars studded the night sky, surrounding two of the three moons native to Taran; seldom were all three visible at the same time. Kagami turned away from the window, pulling the curtain back into place. “All right,” she said to her friends, who had assembled in her room. “Now that we’ve all gotten away, we’d better talk over any information we may have gathered and see if there are any connections. Then we can have a definite report for Miara when she gets here.”

Reiko snorted. “As for me, I got diddly-squat. The only person who even spoke to me was some girlie blonde in pink asking if I’d seen ‘Sir Allen.’ Though I did give the place a good once-over, and if someone wanted to cause trouble, there’s sure enough hiding places for it. Little corners and curtains and things all over the place, not to mention the upper levels. Looks like anyone can get to them.”

Kagami wandered over to a vacant chair. “I fared nominally better, but not by much. I struck up several conversations, but every time I alluded to the feud, everyone went carefully blank and claimed not to know anything. I overheard an allusion to a tomboy Astirannon girl who was ‘no better than she ought to be,’ but it sounded like an isolated piece of gossip than anything else. I did persuade someone to show me the more prominent members of the houses involved, although I have yet to arrange any introductions. I’ll try to get close to them tomorrow.”

“The known primary instigators as of this point in time are Fionn Astirannon and Lorimer Elbentar; they’re the ones who first got the feud going again, and they’ve gathered groups of young men from their respective families behind them in support of continuing the conflict, and they’re winning over the older men by a combination of numbers and plays on familial honor....”

They all stared at Ayame, reclining on the bed with her hands folded under her head. “Where did you find all that out?”

She kept staring at the ceiling. “Crispin.... You know, that cute guy in the white with the little ponytail. After I got past his first shyness he was real friendly.”

“Crispin who? I’m not familiar with the name,” said Miara as she closed the door behind her.

“Uh... we kinda never bothered with last names.... But he said he’s a distant cousin of one of the families involved, he was kind of vague, so I guess the connection is, too. But he and his friends also told me about all the people who’re in it the deepest, though he doesn’t know what they might do. They also told me tomorrow is some kind of big day because the king and queen are making a formal appearance, so it’s going to be crowded. If I wanted to make some mischief, I’d do it in a big group where it’d be harder to catch me. Or even see it was me doing it, for that matter.”

Kagami’s mouth opened, closed, and opened again. “But... but how did you manage to persuade him to tell you all these things, I couldn’t get half as much out of any of the people I talked to....”

Ayame rolled over on one side. Twirling a few strands of hair between her fingers, she grinned. “Never underestimate the power of flirtation.”

Shizuka, silent throughout the exchange thus far, finally spoke up. “I... I found something, too,” she said. “It’s not information, it’s a thing. So I waited until Miara came back before showing you, because I don’t know what it is.” She got into her pocket, putting the pieces of the little sphere on a table.

The other four gathered around, peering curiously at the small object lying in fragments before them. Miara shifted the segments around with the tip of her finger. “This is- was- a smoking shell,” she said. “Little devices made by a mix of alchemy and magic. They’re enchanted to go off at a certain time, when a certain word is spoken. When they do, they release clouds of thick smoke. Sometimes the smoke is poisonous.” She prodded the little pouch. “The alchemical part would be in here. They were originally thought up to be used in wars, but as you can see, people’ve found other uses for them. They’re called shells because that’s what the original casing was- a shell. Metal casings like this were used later.”

Reiko snorted again. “Nasty, sneaky business, that kind of stuff. If you’re going to fight someone, do it out in the open and to their face.”

Miara slanted a look at Shizuka. “Where did you find this? And how did it get disarmed?”

“Well....” Shizuka told the story of deciding to retreat into the curtains to focus herself and the resulting sensation of dark hatred she’d encountered. “I really can’t explain how I disarmed it. I was trying to figure out what to do with it, and... well, I don’t know what to call it, but I sort of probed it, mentally, and then I just sort of knew what to do to take it apart, and as soon as I did the danger went away.”

“Sounds to me like you did something called delving- using magic to delve into an enchanted item to figure out its purpose. Eluna’s talked about it. Speaking of which,” she added, “I’d like to show this to her and Sir Zarin. They’re more qualified than us to get into the little pouch of components. Likely there’s wards and things on it, and if the smoke was poison... well, I’m sure you can imagine the rest.” She swept up the bits of the shell, tumbling them into a little pouch. “You say you stumbled across this one. Do you think you could do the same thing again?”

Shizuka swallowed. “I don’t know, but I can try....”

“Good, because it’ll likely be necessary. Where there’s one, there are usually more. We all had better keep our eyes open. I have a feeling that whatever’s coming up, it’s going to be big.”

The court chambers were crowded when they arrived there the next evening, and it looked to only get worse. The royals had yet to make their entrance, as did many of the more important families, including most of the Kadowards. “The longer you wait,” Miara explained, “the more important you are. Technically I should’ve come in with the rest of the family, but I wanted to get you all in here, and we’re trying to keep your big entrances to a minimum.”

“Okay,” Ayame said. She gazed at her friends. “We all know the plan, right?” A round of nods circled, showing assent. “Then let’s move it on out.”

Shizuka quietly strolled the fringes of the room, praying she would pass without notice like she had the previous day. She needed to concentrate. It’s all well and good for me to try to sense out more of those shells, but I can’t do that if I’m being social as well. Luckily the room was full enough that a small unknown such as herself didn’t warrant undue attention. Bracing herself, she slipped between a couple of the banner poles lined up along one wall and into another curtained section.

She closed her eyes, breathing slow, steady, and measured. Her hands skimmed the stone, searching for hollow places and hidden pockets. Fingers brushed something cold and round- and the sensation of dangerous hatred hammered into her. Sagging against the wall, Shizuka drew in another deep breath, nerved herself against the onslaught, and set to work.

“Huh, I don’t see Crispin anywhere. I wanted to see if he’d tell me anything else.” Ayame hopped up on her toes, craning to see over the heads of the crowd.

“Humph. More likely you wanted to flirt with him some more.” Reiko folded her arms, propping herself against the wall. One foot crossed over the other.

“Same difference. You should try it sometime.”

“I don’t think so. I’ve got better things to do with my time.”

Ayame perused the room; her gaze flashed downward. She glimpsed something that looked suspiciously like the cuff of Reiko’s uniform pants poking out under the edge of her skirt. “Yo, what’re you wearing?”

A pause. “Uh... gotta be ready for anything?... Can’t fight in a skirt.” She tugged at her collar. “You think something’ll happen?”

“Dunno. I’d ask Kagami, if she were anywhere nearby. I think her intuition’s turned on again.”

At that moment, Kagami was giving Miara’s sleeve a tug. “Excuse me,” she said. “Who’s that?” She pointed at an older man standing about ten feet away, tall and lean and possessing of shoulder-length hair tied back in a queue.

“Him? Lord Strom Elbentar- head of Elbentar house. He’s actually been pretty neutral during this whole conflict. Why do you ask?”

“Just- just a feeling I got....” As soon as Kagami saw Lord Elbentar she felt a strange, quick thudding sensation run through her, as though she had been struck. My intuition’s trying to tell me something. “I think I need to get a little closer....” Gathering her skirt in one hand, Kagami pushed forward into the rapidly increasing crush of nobles.

The throng made movement difficult; it seemed as though every time she made progress, a surge of opposing movement would send her backpedaling. She had managed to get within two feet of the Elbentar lord when a set of trumpets sounded. Two pages, tabards over their shirts denoting rank, braced the steps. A pair who could only be the king and queen of Trevelyan passed through the open double doors. The room went down in a rippling cascade of bows and curtsies as the monarchs made their way down the center of the chamber to the dais.

And the alarms exploded inside Kagami’s head. Her gaze whirled sharply upward. One of the curtains of the high gallery shifted.

Kagami acted on pure instinct. “Get down!” she shrieked. Lunging forward, she threw herself into Strom Elbentar’s midsection, sending both of them tumbling to the floor. She felt a rush of air skim the top of her head. A crossbow bolt skidded to a stop along the floor behind them.

Chaos descended. Cries of “Murder! Assassin!” spread like ripples on the surface of a pond. Suddenly it seemed as though everyone was trying to move, some to get closer, some to get further away; the entire room surged, two collective masses moving against each other.

She darted another look in the direction of the gallery; along the way, she glimpsed Reiko and Ayame sprinting for the stairs. A small knot of men ran for the same target from the other side. The curtain moved again.

Hardly knowing what she was doing, Kagami grabbed the prostrate lord’s shoulders, rolling sideways. By now she operated on sheer instinct and adrenaline.

Something unseen raked, burning, along her shoulder.

Kagami screamed. She had never believed a sensation could be both searing hot and ice-cold. A sticky warmth oozed down her arm.

Reiko and Ayame were just reaching the stairs when they heard the scream. Looking back, they saw their friend huddled on the floor. Blood welled between her fingers as she clutched her left shoulder, red making a grisly contrast with her yellow dress. Miara was pushing her way through the crowd, trying to get to her.

Reiko’s teeth clenched; her breath came in hard, heaving gasps. Brown eyes narrowed. “They hurt Kagami. That’s it. Whoever did this is gonna-”

“Not if we have anything to say about it, girl.”

They hadn’t noticed the little group of young men who had now reached the staircase. Reiko threw out an arm. “Get out of my way.”

“Oh, no, I don’t think we can allow that. Little girls like you can’t interfere.”

“Little- girls-” Her fists clenched. In one rapid movement, she ripped off her skirt at the knee and ran straight for them. “Kya! Ki-ya!” Two swift side kicks sent a pair of her opponents flying, one into a row of banners, the other into his companions.

One of the others grabbed for what was left of her skirt. She swung in a circle; her elbow caught him square in the face. More fabric tore. Now free and with a clear path, Reiko darted for the stairs. “Watch my back!”

“You got it!” Ayame grabbed one of the banner poles against the wall. “It isn’t cold steel, but taste it anyway, punks!” One strike; she got one of the men square in the head. Jabbing forward, she hit another in the gut. He collapsed to the floor, gasping as the wind was knocked out of him.

Her own breath catching, Ayame retreated a step or two. This was a longer and more cumbersome weapon than she was used to dealing with. If only I had my sword! In a wild pivot, she knocked two of them over at once.

“Lady!” A voice called out from the crowd. It was Taro Kell. “Here!” As if in answer to a prayer, he tossed her the blade from his own belt.

Ayame didn’t know how she did it, but she caught the weapon before it hit the ground. It was larger and heavier than her accustomed sword, but more wieldy than that long pole. The girl raised it in salute. “Owe you one!” Taro nodded, then started making his way towards Miara and Kagami. She braced herself, feet apart. Her grin returned. “So, who wants to be next?”

“How about me?”

The arrogance of her smile faltered. “Crispin?...” Today the young man with the ponytail was clad in dark gray and black. “That’s not funny, c’mon now-”

“Who’s laughing?” A sword of his own whistled into his hand. “Now move, or I’ll be forced to make you.”

Ayame shook her head. “What a stupid cliché line,” she said. “You were a lot more fun yesterday.”

Crispin moved. She brought her sword up, clashing with his. Steel rattled as it met steel. Teeth clenched, eyes narrowed in concentration, she met block for block, parry for parry. But she was at a disadvantage; not only was she using an unfamiliar weapon, but she had already been fighting, and in a long dress to boot. Keep my guard up- Grinding her teeth, she was forced to give more ground.

An overhead strike made her stagger backwards; foot catching on the hem of her skirt, she stumbled. The next thing she knew she’d lost her weapon and Crispin had her sword arm twisted up behind her, his blade against her throat. “I was more fun yesterday because you weren’t in my way then,” he whispered in her ear.

“You- you-” Ayame scrabbled wildly, trying to make him let go. Her free hand flew upward, pulling his hair; jerking her head back, she knocked him in the face. With a yell and an oath, her captor’s grip loosened just for a second. Desperately, she kicked at his shins, struggling to break free. But it wasn’t enough. Somehow, he recovered and pinned not one but both of her arms.

“Why are you doing this?” Ayame spat. What the hell are all these people doing, just standing here staring at me? Why doesn’t someone do something?

“Why? Helping my family, of course. The noble cause of house Astirannon, to be specific. I’ve been working towards this for months now.”

“You?... You were behind all this?” In a surge of anger Ayame thrashed harder, kicking his shins again.

This only made him tighten his grip, pressing the edge closer. She felt something warm trickle down her skin. “I told you not to try anything funny,” he said. “But yes, I started it all again. No one ever suspected that the quiet, obscure little cousin was the one pulling all their strings.” He pulled her a step back. “And you’ll make sure I escape. All these people know the moment they try to stop me you’ll get it, and there’s no way anyone can sneak up on me.” He pricked her skin again. “It would be a pity to permanently mar such a lovely throat as yours. No one wants that less than I.”

“I can think of a few who do,” Ayame grunted. “Namely, me.”

“Then you’re going to co-operate. I will not hesitate to finish you should anyone try to stop me, and they all know it. Success is assured.”

But there was one he could not see, a girl who had spent the entire conflict hidden behind the curtains, making her way slowly towards the opening. At that moment, she did something both very brave and very rash. Shizuka darted from her place of concealment, crying out as she hurled herself onto Crispin’s back.

Her fingers scrabbled for the hilt of his sword, other hand clutching at his face. Yelling, the young man swung madly upwards. The blade wooshed within a centimeter of Ayame’s face. Dropping sideways, she shot a foot out, hooked it around his ankle, and tugged. Crispin tumbled forward. Before he had a chance to rise, Ayame snatched up her fallen sword and planted one knee firmly between his shoulder blades. Grabbing a handful of hair, she yanked his head up, pressing the blade against his jugular. “Now, you were saying?”

In the meantime, Reiko raced up the spiral staircase. At least I hope this is the right way, if the way I remember it looking downstairs is right, it is.... She just hoped she could catch the sniper before he did any further harm. Another rush of anger burned through her as she remembered the sight of the blood soaking Kagami’s shoulder. This isn’t just business. This is personal.

She rounded the corner; the door of the gallery was in reach. Slowing to a walk, she peered around the door frame. The chamber looked to be empty.

Don’t get complacent, there’s places he could hide in here.... Watching and listening, Reiko moved forward, silently as possible. If I can surprise him.... Her eyes moved from side to side, keeping an eye out for any sign of movement.

Her vigilance saved her. Out of the corner of one eye, she glimpsed a shifting of shadows in a corner; her ears caught a twang and whistle. Diving to the floor, she narrowly evaded another bolt. It stuck, quivering, in the wooden doorframe behind her. A dark figure stood, fluid and silent, making for the opposite portal.

“Oh, no you don’t-” Reiko growled as she rose and sprinted after.

Wait a sec- that guy’s awfully short.... The retreating figure looked to be smaller than Reiko. That’s weird, no matter how tall I am.

The sniper glanced over his shoulder. Reiko was gaining, fists clenched, visage set in a determined and dangerous glare. In a wild gesture, he threw the crossbow- a small, hand-sized one- over his shoulder at the girl in pursuit. It clattered along the floor; Reiko jumped over it, hurling herself forward at the attacker.

The figure spun around, a knife in each hand. Eyes barely visible behind a black mask covering the whole head and upper face darted frantically. One hand shook. Reiko took a step back, turned sideways, then swung her leg up and out in a half circling kick, neatly knocking the weapon from her opponent’s grip. The figure slashed, wildly, with the other blade. Reiko threw her arm up, blocking. Again and again the weapon lashed, and she knocked the blows aside. He’s just kind of flailing here!

I’ve got to use that, bide my time till the right- moment- A minute later, that moment came. He charged, knife raised overarm. Reiko spun, ducked, caught the wrist as it passed her head, and threw. The momentum sent the girl tumbling forward; she rolled herself into a pinning position over her adversary.

Hold on- I’ve pinned men in fights before. One hand pulled the mask away. Golden hair tumbled, shining, around finely sculpted features. “You’re a girl?” A memory arose, unbidden. Kagami saying, I overheard an allusion to a tomboy Astirannon girl who was “no better than she ought to be...”

“Will someone explain to me the meaning of this?”

The voice behind her was one used to delivering mandates and having them obeyed. Reiko slowly turned, still sitting on the girl sniper, torn skirt bunched up around her pant legs.

One man stood out at the head of the throng. His clothes showed a richness of fabric and fineness of structure unparalleled by anyone else seen thus far. A sword whose hilt glittered with a rainbow of jewels hung from his belt. Then, of course, there was the narrow but still definitely present crown.

Reiko tugged her collar. “Uh... nice to meet you, Your Majesty?”

Miara bustled from one of the four friends to another; uncharacteristically fussy, she fidgeted with collars, straightening seams and making sure nothing was out of place. “Are you sure you’re all ready to do this? It’s inevitable, given what happened, but we can try to put it off a little longer if you’re not prepared-”

“Yes, I do believe we can handle this.” Kagami winced as she rolled her shoulder a little, testing the bandage only visible through her clothes as a bump beneath the fabric. “So long as no one is offended by me favoring this arm, of course.”

“I don’t know about handling it,” Shizuka said, looking even paler than yesterday, “seeing as none of us ever counted on being presented to royalty, but we’re all as prepared as possible, given circumstances.”

At that moment, one of the young pages announced himself with a diffident cough. “Their Majesties summon you,” he said.

Ayame flipped a lock of hair over her shoulder. “Well, looks like we’re not going to have to wait any longer to find out,” she said. “Lead on!”

The great hall was almost completely untenanted except for the monarchs and a handful of attendants; apparently the court as a whole was not to be present for this reckoning. It felt almost barren without that number there. Despite the carpet, their steps seemed to echo as they made their way down the chamber. The lack of an audience only made the walk feel longer and the room more oppressive.

At the base of the stairs up to the royal dais, the girls went into the sweeping curtsy Trevelyan women made upon being presented to royalty. It was an elaborate affair ending in a drop to one knee, eyes lowered and one arm crossed inward, horizontal to the ground, with the hand palm down before the throat.

Without rising from his throne, the king spoke. “These are the young ladies at the crux of yesterday’s contretemps?”

Miara answered, eyes still on the floor. “That is correct, Your Majesty.”

He paused momentarily. “You do realize what you have done?” he said, expression and voice severe. “You have fought within these hallowed halls, disrupted the formal proceedings at court, and set up a disorder the likes of which have yet to be rivaled.” His visage softened. “And for that, I thank you.”

Five sets of eyes rose, stunned, at this pronouncement. A ghost of a smile glimmered on the edge of his stern features. “You have also aided in finding and uprooting a primary cause of the conflicts that, without your unprecedented, if disruptive, reactions, would have caused vaster disturbance than your actions of yesternight ever will.... Rise, and approach.”

Eyeing each other sidelong, the group of them stood and, with some hesitation, mounted the steps to the top of the dais. When they moved to curtsy and kneel again, King Elius stopped them. “Enough. Tell me- what are your names, and from where do you come? None recall having seen you before.”

Miara answered again, introducing each of them in turn. She swallowed before continuing. “...The reason none have seen them at court prior to this is because they are not from this land.”

Queen Ysolda spoke for the first time. “You mean from lands outside Trevelyan? I heard rumors of visitors from the distant lands across the sea.”

“I acknowledge those rumors and admit that they were fabrications. These ladies hail from a land not just outside Trevelyan, but outside Taran itself. They came through one of the Gates.” Another pause. “They are the Zantaros.”

Lord Kadoward cleared his throat before speaking. “Yes, it is true. They emerged through one of the Gates from another world and exhibited signs of unusual abilities, including spontaneous magic. They are also marked by the signs the Zantaros bear signifying their elemental alignments.”

One of the advisors stepped forward. “If I may be so bold to say so, the very idea is preposterous. They are- are-” a hand took in the four girls standing before them. “Barely more than children! Surely Taran would be in much more dire straights than it is if we must be defended by untried and untrained youths such as these. Girls, nonetheless. How are we to know that this is not some sort of misunderstanding or mistake, or a fabrication on their part to deceive and gain power-”

“Now hold it just a second there!” Reiko burst out. “Who are you calling children? And what’s this about tricking people to get power? How the heck are we supposed to fake coming through a Gateway to get positions we’ve never heard of in a place we didn’t know existed?”

“Yeah, and tell me how we’re supposed to have faked these?” Fingers fumbling in haste and anger, Ayame yanked aside the collar her dress, showing her flame birthmark. “Things like this ain’t faked, buddy. You’re born with ‘em!”

Kagami laid a hand on each of her friends’ arms. “Calm down, both of you,” she said in an undertone, adding, “And Ayame- button your collar.”

Then she sank down in a low, kneeling bow before the thrones. “I humbly beg pardon for this further disruption, and for any offense that may have resulted.” Her tone was respectful without fawning. “Any transgression was purely accidental and no offense was intended towards either of Your Majesties, nor any other parties involved.” She just barely heard Ayame mutter in the background, “I dunno about that.”

Ignoring the remark, Kagami continued. “If you wish us to depart court as a result of this, we understand and will comply. However,” she raised her head, “I ask you to please recognize the position we now hold as a true one. None of us ever suspected it, despite the marks all of us, not just Ayame, bear, but it fell upon us all the same.” She unclasped her pendant, holding it forward. “See this, as my proof.”

The queen reached forward, accepting the thing with long, elegant fingers. “I recognize this,” she said, even more somber than before. “This is indeed one of the four symbolic tokens of the Zantaros.”

The scoffing advisor cleared his throat. “Your Majesties, might I say that it is possible to create a false Dunamis; such things are not unheard of-”

“Silence.” An imperious gesture made his mouth clamp tightly shut. “You have said quite enough.” Expression disgruntled, the skeptic stepped back to his place with the other royal advisors. “As for you, Kagami Ikunokaze, rise.... We will overlook the comments of your companions; outspoken they were, but they were also apt.”

Their Majesties rose from their thrones, drawn up to their full imperial dignity. “We formally accept you as the Zantaros, the defenders of Taran. May you go forth, do your duty... and may all the gods go with you.”

It wasn’t until they had departed the great hall that Shizuka started and spoke. “Wait a minute! We never found out what happened with the conspirators! And what about those smoking shells I found?”

“Oh, I could have told you about all that myself. Crispin Astirannon is to be exiled for life. One of the advisors- I can just image which one that was- recommended execution, but Their Majesties felt there had been enough damage done already. No more blood should be shed. Exile will have much the same effect.”

“And the sniper?...” Reiko’s eyes narrowed.

“Oh, yes. She’s rather trickier. Apparently she was a reluctant conspirator; her cousin coerced her into aiding him because he needed her skill with the crossbow. He held a close friend hostage, as a matter of fact, threatening to kill her if she didn’t comply. She threw herself on the king’s mercy last night, declaring herself ready to accept whatever punishment was deemed necessary.”

“Which is?...” The severity of her expression lightened a little.

“They haven’t decided yet, but it’s likely she could get a pardon, given the fact that she was coerced. Most likely accompanied by a strategic marriage to some staunchly loyal lord or another, just to make sure.”

“Hmph.” Reiko had no other comment other than that.

“As for the shells, they weren’t linked to the Astirannon side of the feud. An Elbentar was responsible for those. Don’t ask me how they found that out. The smoke contained a soporific to dull the senses of those present so he could do what he wanted in concealment, lessening the chance of discovery. It’s all a strange coincidence that both attacks were planned for the same time frame. He too is being exiled. Hopefully with both gone things will settle down, for a while if not permanently.”

Shizuka rubbed her forehead. “This reminds me why I never wanted anything to do with politics. It’s all entirely too confusing.”

Ayame patted her on the head. “Don’t worry about it. If we meet any politics, we’ll let Kagami deal with them. She’s good at that sort of thing.”

The corner of Kagami’s mouth quirked up. “Thank you so much for that assignment and your apparent confidence in my abilities.”

“Hey, we know you.” Ayame looked around. “So, what now?”

“Well, everyone’s still buzzing from yesterday’s events, so nothing is really happening today. Which means you all get a reprieve. There’s going to be a lot of speculation about the group of you, you know.” Miara tapped her chin thoughtfully. “In fact, it might be better to make a strategic exit as soon as we can to avoid the constant attention you’ll be sure to receive.... It won’t be announced you’re the Zantaros, that’d be bad politics right now, but it doesn’t change what happened.” She headed in the direction of their apartments. “Come on. Let’s get ready to go home.”

Several days passed. They had since made the journey back to the Kadoward house, and Kagami’s shoulder was healing nicely. “I don’t understand it,” she said. “Injuries like this are supposed to take a lot longer to recover.”

Ayame shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. Just be grateful. And remember none of us has ever been a slow healer.”

The four of them passed the time in a variety of pursuits, studying magic, practicing fighting, and learning even more about their new environment. It was essentially a crash course in Taran life, studying maps, looking at books in the vast library, and talking to anyone and everyone who would answer back.

The day of the discussion of Kagami’s healing, however, there was a restlessness in the air. Reiko whirled from where she was thrusting punches and kicks into space. “When are we going to do something?”

Kagami took her nose out of the book she was perusing long enough to ask, “How do you mean? I thought we were doing plenty.”

“I know what she’s saying,” Ayame said. “We’re the defenders of this world, so when do we get to go out in it and defend it? Odds are whatever we’re supposed to fight isn’t going to come here while we sit on our backsides studying.”

Shizuka looked up from the stretches she was doing, foot propped on the back of a chair. “Are... you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“If you think I’m saying we’re gonna have to go out on our own, yes. I’ve had enough study- I want some action. And my fun sword.”

“On our own?” Shizuka’s foot slipped off the chair. She just barely caught herself on the back. “Out into a world we don’t know? Without telling anyone?”

“I have to concede that it’s not the most logical act right now,” said Kagami. She absentmindedly shut her book. “We’re not precisely prepared for it, are we? Not to mention that our hosts would certainly object.”

Reiko snorted. “I for one don’t see how we can get any more prepared without going out there. And we won’t give ‘em time to object, though I think Miara’d only do so because it’s her duty. We’ll just go. It’s not like we’re abandoning them- we’ll leave a note. Besides, it’s what we’re here to do.”

Kagami’s hand traced the cover of the book. “I know,” she said. “I know it isn’t logical, but there is a thread of practicality there, and while one side of me argues against the logic of it, some other, smaller voice is telling me this is right....”

“Then listen to it!” Ayame gave her a little shake. “It’s your intuition- you know to do what it says! You may not like it, but you’ve got a lot more power than just that gut feeling you get, you both do- don’t you want to get out there and use it?”

Shizuka nibbled her lower lip. “Now that you put it that way.... I won’t feel any more secure if we wait any longer....” Kagami just clutched her pendant, turning paler. But she still nodded.

“That’s right.... Now, we’ll have to sneak out in the night, probably- they sure won’t let us walk out on our own with all our stuff during the day. But we’re going to go. Just as soon as the right moment arrives, we’re setting out into Taran.”

Darkness, and silence. The silence was broken by a rustle, followed by a thump, a muffled yelp and then a faint click. A glow illuminated the visage of Ayame; deliberately holding her flashlight in the spooky-features position known to campfire storytellers everywhere, she grinned. “All righty, final countdown. We all got everything we came through the gateway with? A note been left?”

Shizuka was still rubbing her foot where someone had trodden on it. “Yes, both times.”

“Okay. How about supply raid?”

“Check. Got as much stuff as I could grab.” Reiko hefted her backpack. It was distinctly bulkier, as were the others. “That cook’s got an eagle eye.”

“Maps and guidebooks and stuff?”

“Present and accounted for. I was unable to find a ‘guidebook,’ per say, and had to make do with a basic history of Taran. I was also unable to fit in any maps of the lesser and more distant regions.” Kagami sent a look in Reiko’s direction. “I do hope what we have suffices.”

“Sounds good. Commence Operation Escape.” Flipping off her flashlight, Ayame led the way out into the hall.

“I’ve got it all planned out. While you all were sneaking around getting us ready to go, I was working the guards for information. It’s amazing what you can find out from a room full of men when you wear a short skirt and smile a lot. I know where they’re stationed, when they change off from all their posts, and who’s the most and least observant. Just leave it to me.”

“I always get worried when she says that,” Shizuka whispered. Ayame, in full “Mission: Impossible” mode, didn’t hear her.

Things started off surprisingly well. There was only one close call, when Kagami tripped over a protruding table leg. The resultant thump and stifled cry caught the ear of the guard they’d just slipped passed. It was sheer luck that they could sneak into an adjacent room and thus narrowly evade discovery.

“We’re on the home stretch,” Ayame hissed, voice as well as face showing now barely suppressed excitement. “One more, and it’s adventure time!”

This final wait was interminable; the seconds passed with agonizing slowness. Finally, the guards at the last door moved to formally pass on their duty to the next shift. “Right- they’re distracted. Go!” The four of them crept through the passage and into the concealment of the greenery outside.

And a voice behind them said, “Well, well, well, what have we here?”

Slowly they turned. They could just barely make out the features of an unknown and heretofore unacknowledged guard. A pinpoint of light emerged as he raised the shutter on his lantern. “Wait a minute- I know who you are. You’re those weird girls everyone’s making such a fuss about. What’re you doing in the shrubbery in the middle of the night?”

“Um, Ayame?” Shizuka’s voice was even higher than normal. “Do you have a back-up plan for being caught at the last minute?”

Ayame only hesitated a fraction of a second. “Yes.... Run!”

She swung her wooden sword in a wild movement, knocking the guard’s helmet over his eyes as she led the charge through the hedges. Reiko thumped him across the throat with her arm as she passed for good measure, sending him staggering into the wall as he gasped for breath.

Subtlety was forgotten by this point. Those who say discretion is the better part of valor have never been caught out in the midst of a midnight escape. Stealth was abandoned in favor of sheer speed. Behind them came the echoes of shouted orders; apparently either their erstwhile guard had recovered from their attack or the others had heard the sounds and followed to investigate.

“We’re almost to the forest!” Ayame pointed forward, wooden blade dramatically illuminated by moonlight. “We can lose them there!”

They spared a look back upon reaching the first fringe of trees. It was surprising to see just how much space they’d put between themselves and the house. However, that could not be said for the ever-closing guards, at least not in their current stationary position. “What’re we just standing here for? Get moving!” Reiko put a hand in each of Kagami’s and Shizuka’s backs, shoving. “Keep that flashlight out, but don’t turn it on. It’d be a dead giveaway, and the best strategy now is hiding. We’ll camp once we know we’ve lost them. Tomorrow we’ll use one of those maps of yours to find the nearest town. We can decide what to do from there.”

Kagami said quietly to Shizuka, “Why didn’t we have her make the plan?” Again, Ayame didn’t seem to hear her. She was searching the underbrush. Some minutes later, she gave an excited yelp. “I see something!” She darted forward.

“Something,” in fact, proved to be a small cave. “I spotted a darker spot in the bushes!” Ayame exclaimed, all eagerness. “We can hide in here tonight! There’s leaves and everything to sleep on!”

“Leaves?...” Shizuka’s voice was faint at the prospect.

Reiko grabbed her elbow. “Oh, c’mon. It won’t get better by looking at it. Let’s just make the best of it.” The four of them settled in as best they could in their impromptu woodland shelter and tried to sleep.

Pale dawn light filtered dimly into the mouth of the little cavern, illuminating the four friends huddled in their rocky refuge. As the sun rose and the day brightened, the girls came awake- it had been a light sleep for all of them in any case- yawning and stretching as they remembered what happened to them.

Shizuka massaged her lower back. “Someone tell me,” she said, voice still thick with sleep, “why we ever thought this was a good idea.” Struggling to her feet, she started to do some stretches to work out the multitude of kinks.

Reiko poked through her backpack in search of something resembling breakfast. “Ask Miss Planner over there.” Ayame, in turn, just mumbled something unintelligible, tossing a handful of leaves in her direction before flopping over on the ground again.

Kagami held a map unrolled across her knees. “From what I can make of this,” she said, “we’ve got a few options. There’s a town in each direction, apparently. We simply have to decide where we want to go.”

Reiko peered at the map, squinting. “I’ve never been good with these things.... They’ll probably be watching the cities for us- everyone’ll know we’re gone by now. Know anything about the size of these places?”

“From what I’ve inferred, this one here, to the south-” a slim finger tapped a dot on the map- “is the smallest, and then-”

“Right. We’re going there.”

Ayame picked her head up, a clump of leaves plastered to one side of her face. Swiping it off, she said, “That’s no fun, big cities’ve got more stuff.”

“That’s the point. It’ll be the first place they’ll look for us. No one will expect us to go to some little unknown village.” She grabbed Ayame under the arms, heaving. “Now c’mon- get up and go eat something. We don’t know how much walking we’ve got until we get to this place, wherever it is.”

While the term “town” hardly ever conjures up images of a large and bustling metropolis, the word as it is understood was generous to describe this place. Village would be more accurate. It apparently consisted of one large central street bisected by two or three cross-streets, all made of hard-packed dirt and worn with permanent grooves. The buildings, while not ramshackle or dirty, had that certain air about them only possessed by those in a small rural village. Everything was in good repair and sparkling clean, but also plain, nondescript, and above all dull.

There weren’t many passersby, but those who were there spared not a few curious stares for the oddly attired strangers who had wandered into their midst. The girls did their best not to notice the attention they were attracting. Unfortunately that wasn’t easy, as the town had a marked lack of distractions. The most interesting thing they’d seen thus far was a small black cat with enormous yellow eyes who went “Nyaaoo!” at them before disappearing into a crevice between two houses.

“Well,” Reiko said, “I know the plan was to stop here, but-”

Crash!

Her words- not to mention progress- were abruptly cut off by an equally unexpected collision with another human being. Both of them tumbled to the ground in an undignified heap.

“Whoa! Watch where you’re going!” The voice was male.

“No, you watch where you’re going! I was-”

“Staring into space after that cat! You should’ve-”

“Hey, I’m the one who’s new around here! You should’ve been keeping your eyes open!”

“If you’re so new, you should be watching out!”

“And you shouldn’t walk around with your brain off picking daisies!”

By this time, the two had managed to disentangle themselves between shouts. The argumentative newcomer proved to be a boy around the same age as them, probably a year or two older. He wore an orangey-red shirt of the same style worn by all the Taran men they’d seen thus far, sleeves rolled up above his elbows, tucked into a pair of loose-fitting tan pants. The ends of these pants, in turn, tucked into a pair of low reddish-brown boots.

However, the most noticeable thing about him was his hair. Not only was it a violent fire engine red, but the style could best be described as a whole-head sideways mohawk. It fanned out over the top of his head in a series of thick wild spikes spreading from one side to the other, other smaller spears of hair sticking out in all directions around and over the narrow tan band that seemed to hold the whole mess in place. To top it all off, he also had an earring.

The boy got up first, dusting himself off before looking towards the still semi-recumbent Reiko. “Hey,” he said, flashing a grin, “need a hand up, Babe?”

Reiko’s eyes narrowed. Her mouth set in a firm, hard line. First, this boy had the affront to yell at her after he knocked her over- everyone knew it was all his fault. Then, to add further insult, he addressed her by the most offensive of all diminunizing female terms. “No,” she spat, irritably knocking his proffered hand aside. “I’ve managed up until this point in my life to get up without your help, you know.”

“Oooo, spitfire.” The boy whistled a little, putting his hands behind his back. It was hard to tell for certain, but he seemed to be surreptitiously rubbing the struck wrist. “Have it your way, then.” With a cheery little wave over his shoulder, he then stuffed his hands in his pockets and sauntered off down the street, whistling a cheerful tune.

“You know,” said Kagami, “it really would have been more tactful of you to let him give you a hand, you did knock him over-”

“No I didn’t, he knocked me over!”

Ayame studied the sky as though it were suddenly the most interesting thing in the world. “From what I saw, you knocked each other over.”

“Hmph. Besides, he called me Babe. Do you honestly think I’d take help from him after an insult like that?”

“Maybe he didn’t mean it as an insult?...” Shizuka ventured.

“Whether he did or not, I take it as one. But then, what can you expect from a guy with a fang dangling from his ear?”

I dunno....” Ayame kept examining the clouds. “I thought that was kinda cool.” Reiko just humphed again.

In the meantime, Kagami had been perusing their surroundings with a more analytical eye. “The best thing to do just now would be to gain information. Based around what I’ve read about your typical small rural community, we’re most likely to find out what’s going on in the world in the economic center.”

Ayame blinked. “Could you repeat that? In real-people speech, that is.”

“I’m saying we need to keep our eyes out for anything akin to a marketplace or shopping district or whatever. That’s where people in places like this usually gather to talk over recent events.”

“I though they did that in bars.”

Kagami shuddered. “Hopefully we won’t have to go that far.” She halted, looking around to get her bearings. “Thus far almost everyone who has passed us seems to be coming to or from... there.” She pointed towards a wide lane circling towards the left. Sure enough, as they approached they could hear the distinct sounds native to such a location; the cries of vendors calling attention to their wares, housewives and merchants haggling over prices and qualities, and the buzz of more general conversation, all overlaid by the clamor of children and the noises of farm animals.

But if the sights and sounds were high, that was nothing to the smell- or, more accurately, smells. A mixture of barnyard, foodseller’s stalls, the moist earth of the road, and other scents they didn’t care to ponder too closely permeated the air. Those present didn’t seem to be adversely effected by the rural odors, or even to notice them.

Then Ayame’s stomach rumbled, loud and long. “Well, sorry,” she said to Reiko’s raised eyebrow. “Some bread and a bit of fruit is no substitute for a plateful of bacon and eggs. I’m off to look for some real food.” She set off across the street, leaving her friends to trail in her wake.

By the time they got there, Ayame had already finished ordering what she wanted. She looked back at her friends. “Do you believe these people eat porridge for breakfast? Miara never gave us that. I’ve had to improvise.”

“It seems you’ve managed quite well,” Shizuka said quietly at the sight of the large sack apparently loaded with Ayame’s provisions.

“If that’s all, miss-” the stall keeper spared yet another glance for Ayame’s uniform; it stood out like a red and white beacon in the earthy market square- “that’ll be twelve leptans.”

“Twelve?...” Ayame delved into her backpack, dropping some yen into his hand. “Great deal- food out sure costs a lot more’n twelve bucks back home.”

In the meantime, the man was studying the coin his customer had given him. “Here, this isn’t real money.”

“It most certainly is- it’s yen! That’s what we use, where I’m from!”

“Yen? Never heard of it.”

Ayame slapped the side of the stall. Her voice rose even louder. “It is real money, and it’s all I’ve got!”

Kagami slipped a hand through the crook of Ayame’s arm. “Um, perhaps it would be more prudent to just go, and not trouble the man any further....”

“No! He insulted our money, and besides, I want my food!”

A large hand came down on her shoulder. “What’s the problem here?”

The shopkeeper spoke up before Ayame had the chance to respond. “This girl here’s trying to pass off weird money on me.”

“Now hold it! I’m just sick and tired of you calling my money weird! So I’m not from around here- so sue me!”

“Not from around here? Traveled far, have you?” The owner of the large hand sounded intrigued. They finally took a good look at him. Several things were apparent. First, he was wearing armor. Second, he was carrying a large sword. Third, he was accompanied by a good number of other men who were similarly accoutered.

“Yeah.” Ayame looked a little suspicious. “What’s it to you?”

“Well now, I just heard there’s four girls all wearing outlandish clothes and claiming to be from some far-off place wandering around this area.” He stopped for a minute, hand hovering near his sword. “And someone’s interested in where they are and what they’re doing. So I’m thinking you’d better come with us.” At his words, the rest of the men fanned out to form a half-circle around them. As the space behind was filled with stalls and booths, ready escape routes were effectively cut off.

“Um, girls?” said Ayame. “I think we’re in trouble.”