Through Fire and Water

Chapter 22 - Emperor Ryuusei and Empress Izumi

Just as a reminder, the pic at the top is that of Shogun Ichirou :)

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Izumi pov:

I narrowed my eyes as I sat on a tree branch, hidden by the thick cover of leaves. It was early evening and slowly getting dark and the shadows were a great cover for those of us sneaking into Taheji's camp close to Yokobu Shore. There were several guards walking around, though they were scattered and relaxed and not enough to spot us when we sneaked in.

Having spotted and opening to get to one of the tents, I held up my small flashlight and flashed it to Haji san, Asahi and Iwase san, who were waiting in three other locations to infiltrate. I received a signal in return, not of a flashlight but a spark from spark stones, giving me the message that they were good to go too. Nodding to myself, I jumped down from the tree, rolling as I landed on the ground and sprinted quietly to the shadowy side of the tent.

I took a moment to relax my body and let the numbing pain of my yet-to-heal wounds decrease. I felt tightness in my chest and it didn't allow me to breathe very comfortably but I inhaled deeply to ease out the clenching. When I felt good to go, I proceeded around the tent to find a loose sleeve to slip in through.

There was no one inside the tent so I began to snoop around without worrying about being seen. I first walked to the desk at the very center of the tent and scanned through the papers haphazardly spread out there. They were mostly Taheji's agreements made with different governors saying that they would continue supporting Taheji as the 'Emperor' because they had received bribes and other assets. If they were to breach the contract, they would be liable for lifetime imprisonment or death. Thankfully, they were all yet to be signed and made official.

As I looked over the agreements, I tapped the small button on the right side of my smart glasses to get pictures of them – to know the names of the governors who had taken money or any other bribe from Taheji in return for giving him their support. There were about twelve people in total, most of which were quite high ranking.

"Twelve people isn't very much for political support in such a big country but their subordinates have also probably been dragged into the agreement indirectly. That would add up to a lot of people...." I mumbled to myself.

Having seen through all the agreements, I scanned the rest of the tent to see if there were any weapons I could find or poisons that Taheji might plan to use in the food or tea served to us. I found nothing though, not even in the chest of drawers beside the luxury throne that had been made ready for the festival. I wasn't sure if it was for Ryuusei or for Taheji though. Clicking my tongue in dissatisfaction, I decided to head back out while hoping that the others had got some better information.

However, just before I could leave from where I had sneaked into the tent, I heard footsteps and voices near the main entrance sleeve. I hurried over to the side to hide behind the chest of drawers and crouched while keeping absolute silence. Two people entered the tent and I hid more from the light that was brought in along with them. Someone sighed as they sat down at the desk, moving the chair with an annoying screech against the ground.

"It's finally time!" The person said and I cursed under my breath realizing that it was none other than Taheji. Of all the people to run into now – I had to make sure I wasn't found out if I wanted to live.

"I suppose it is..." Another person agreed hesitantly.

"In just two days, I will be the new Emperor of Nihon! The Blood Emperor, my foolish little brother will fall to the darkest depths along with that brat Shichiro. But Izumi, that beautiful woman that Ryuusei doesn't deserve, will be in my arms. I'm looking forward to her company!" Taheji said with a chuckle making me mentally gag.