For three days, rain fell on Delphinad once a day. The weather gradually grew cooler too. A hooded garment was necessary to keep off the rain. It was also ideal for concealing one’s face. At an hour when the shops, apart from the taverns, were closed, a man in a black hooded cloak walked swiftly through the wet streets. Turning onto the tanners’ street, he stopped before a shop and knocked twice, then four more times after a pause. The door opened.
“Come in.”
When the man entered, the proprietor lit a lamp. The man who lowered his hood was Gene, and the proprietor was Hanbun. Hanbun spoke first.
“You shouldn’t be going about like this already.”
“I’m all right now. Except that if I stay lying down any longer, I think I really will die.”
Taking Gene’s cloak and hanging it up, Hanbun answered.
“You must still be young enough that your wounds don’t ache when it rains, Captain.”
“Do yours?”
Hanbun only smiled, then quickly brought hot tea. Taking the cup, Gene spoke.
“You’re the only one I haven’t thanked yet. Thank you.”
“It was my duty. I’m the one who’s grateful you survived. The thought that you might die in a place like this was terrifying. Next time, I shall have to object more strongly.”
“No one knows where they’ll die. You tried hard enough to stop me. If something like this happens again, don’t say you’ll die with me if I do. Just run. Somewhere like the north.”
“I understand the order, but I doubt I can obey it.”
Gene smiled bitterly.
“You people really don’t listen to me very well. Oh, tell Gayar we’re now brothers who share blood.”
“I shall gladly deliver that honorable news.”
Hanbun bowed with military precision, then reported what he had investigated over the past three days.
“I had intended to tell you after you recovered, Captain. In any case, I’ve been watching those who enter and leave General Nikephoros’s manor. Recently, I noticed strange movements. Their numbers have steadily declined. Today, only one person came out and went back in.”
“Have they moved somewhere?”
“No. The general appears to remain inside. But a considerable number of his subordinates seem to have gone elsewhere. I don’t yet know why, but there doesn’t appear to have been any particular disturbance within.”
“They wouldn’t abandon their leader without a disturbance. That means the general sent them elsewhere.”
“Yes. I tried to trace where, but their movements were peculiar. They have been leaving Delphinad a few at a time over several days, and they’re still on the move.”
“They haven’t reached their destination?”
“No. If there is a destination. But I’ve begun to think there may not be. The first to leave have been traveling for three days, but they move too slowly and inefficiently to seem to have a goal. In short, they appear to be circling Delphinad.”
Gene thought briefly, then asked,
“You said only one person went in and out today. Who?”
“Adjutant Antonia.”
“Do you know where she went?”
“Yes. She went around the market ordering various things. Some of them looked like supplies for a banquet.”
“A banquet? After sending all his subordinates away?”
“I don’t know how many remain inside. His subordinates haven’t all been staying at the manor. But I would estimate perhaps twenty or thirty.”
“True, he might be planning to invite someone.”
“If so, there will probably be ten guests or fewer. I also discovered something else. It concerns the duel. When you collapsed, a man I had never seen among the general’s subordinates appeared. He whispered something to the general. I couldn’t hear it, but he seemed to be saying that you should be killed at once. Afterward, I investigated who he was and found a lead.”
Gene frowned and searched his memory. He thought he might have seen such a man, or perhaps not. But recalling that moment stirred an odd fear in him. He did not even know what he feared. It was simply there.
“Near the canal, there’s a house that used to be an inn. New people moved in some time ago. The nearby residents appear to think they’re devotees of a new religion. That in itself isn’t surprising, given how many gods Delphinad has. But these people are so closed to outsiders that, far from preaching, they even grow angry when anyone shows an interest. Someone testified that the man seen at the duel goes in and out of that house. To be honest, there’s only one witness, so it isn’t certain. But they sat in the front row on the day of the duel and must have seen his face clearly.”
“We’ll have to investigate that house further. If necessary, take one of them.”
“Understood. Then you should go back now, Captain. If you’re too late, Miss Rosa will…”
Lowering his head, Gene smiled.
“Since when did you become so concerned about Rosa’s opinions?”
Just then, a knock sounded outside. Twice, then four times. As Gene looked puzzled, Hanbun appeared flustered.
“Does someone besides me come here?”
“My apologies.”
Hanbun rose and opened the door. Another hooded figure hurried in and shook off the rain. Then, seeing Gene, the person immediately pushed back the hood and stared. It was Rosa.
“…”
Gene looked both bewildered and embarrassed. Rosa looked surprised and a little angry. Hanbun stared at a corner of the ceiling. Rosa spoke first.
“What happened to the bed?”
“How did you find this place?”
Neither seemed inclined to answer, so in the end Hanbun poured another cup of tea and spoke.
“I believe I had better explain.”
“What’s there to explain? At this point, it would be stranger not to know where this is. I don’t know why you’ve been hiding, but if you’re exiled royalty or something, shouldn’t you leave Delphinad altogether? Now that you’ve become so famous?”
Gene’s eyes widened slightly, then he looked at Hanbun again. Knowing perfectly well what had led Rosa to that conclusion, Hanbun could only avert his gaze. After a moment’s silence, Gene spoke.
“A great many things seem to have happened while I was lying down. It’s good that you’ve all grown closer, but I’d rather you didn’t make strange guesses. Well, I’ll go first.”
Gene rose, put on his cloak, and left. Rosa turned sharply toward the door, then changed her mind, said a few words to Hanbun, and ran out into the rain after him.
Though she had not delayed long, Gene was already some distance away. She ran to catch up. He glanced at her and spoke.
“You seem busy.”
“Yes. Very busy. Saving people, looking after them, coaxing them.”
Gene seemed to pause for a moment, then resumed walking. The cheek visible beneath his hood twitched slightly. Rosa spoke.
“Mr. Hanbun did his best. We were both urgently gathering information and needed to share it. He can’t come to the house, so I had to go there. That’s all we’re coming and going for, to cooperate. But if you let your pride get in the way and grow angry over something like this…”
Gene turned to tell her he was not angry. At that moment, Rosa continued.
“It’s as cute as a child.”
Rosa lightly lifted the front of his hood, and their eyes met. For an instant, Gene had no idea what expression to wear. Fortunately, the rain poured down too hard for them to look at one another long. When they started walking again, Rosa spoke.
“Perhaps we should change the knocking signal. Shall we make it once, then three times?”
In the end, a smile spread across Gene’s face. He lowered his head, trying unsuccessfully to hide it.
“Stop it.”
“Ah, yes. All right.”
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