Before the Battle

Reckoning 6/20

--Maya--

Taira disappeared.

He wasn't in his tent, he wasn't with his officers, he wasn't anywhere in the camp. And when Kioshi came running, panting, to tell me that the messenger had disappeared as well, I knew the worst had happened.

Despite all warnings, despite Kano's assurances, despite the advice of his officers, Taira had gone to meet the mercenaries. Without telling anyone, without any backup or plan.

I didn't think even he could be so stupid and naive. But obviously I was wrong. I should have realised that he couldn't think straight when it came to Shira.

If only I had stayed with him. But I didn't expect him to get up and leave in the middle of the night. Not after I slipped a sleeping pill into his drink. 

Yeah, it was wrong, but I'd only given him a weak dose. I wanted him to calm down and sleep. If I'd known what he was going to do, I'd have drugged him properly.

Goddamn it.

First thing in the morning, Kioshi and I called together Taira's team, sent out several groups of soldiers to search the area, and Kano himself ordered his men to take to the sea. 

All morning we did nothing but search everywhere.

Finally, one of our units found someone.

Shira.

*

To say that the black-haired assassin was in a foul mood would be an understatement. When he found out that Taira was gone, he was furious.

All the soldiers kept their distance, and the crisis meeting in the command tent, which now included a very irritated member, was not easy.

"If I understand correctly, you haven't been captured," I asked Shira carefully, who looked like he'd rather kill someone. And in his case, it was definitely not an empty phrase.

"I've already said that," he snapped. "They captured me. For a short time. But I escaped. They took my katana, and they also..." he ran his fingers through his dirty hair, a few stray strands missing.

"How did you get back to the camp without a ship?" Kano asked.

"I walked," he answered curtly.

Kano narrowed his eyes. "It's more than a hundred kilometres, all forest, mountains, almost no roads. How did you make it so fast? You must have..."

"It's not about me," the black-haired man cut him off impatiently, and for the first time I had a chance to examine him closely.

If Shira had managed to get to the camp in such record time, it meant he'd been walking all the time, day and night, not sleeping and probably not eating. His tattered and dirty clothes were also evidence of the arduous journey. He must have been exhausted and seemed to be injured.

"We must find Taira immediately," Shira said, "his life is at stake."

"Are you really sure that Mika Marat is behind this?" Captain Sorner, who had previously served in Marat's unit, asked.

When Shira told us that he had seen Satoshi there with Mika Marat, none of us wanted to believe it. Had Mika really gone mad? Did he hate Taira so much that he was willing to join forces with bandits and mercenaries?

"I'm sure. And I don't have time to tell you everything over and over again!" Shira slashed at him sharply. The young soldier lowered his eyes and asked no more questions.

"There's no point in arguing here, I'm going to find Taira," the black-haired assassin announced and turned to leave.

"Wait," I grabbed his arm. "Half the camp is looking for Taira, you need to rest. And get treated," I added, looking at the wound on his arm and the painful-looking burns on his hands.