Flame in the Mist (Flame in the Mist #1)(91)

“We are,” the Dragon of Kai said curtly.

“She does not answer to you,” ōkami replied in equally arrogant fashion.

Hattori Kenshin moved forward, attempting to intimidate his quarry. “She answers to her family. To her duty.”

“Mariko answers only to herself,” ōkami said without flinching.

“Mariko?” A smirk began to form across Raiden’s face.

“She is one of us,” the leader of the Black Clan answered simply. “And you will not lay a hand on any of our warriors.”

Raiden laughed as though the entire idea were ludicrous. “If she chooses to side with you, then I cannot help her.”

At that, Hattori Kenshin stepped forward. Though he tried hard to conceal it, ōkami saw the horror wash onto his features. Bloom across his face like a brushfire.

“Mariko!” he yelled. “Where are you?”

Not a sound emitted from the shadows and smoke.

“Mariko!” the Dragon of Kai called out once more, his voice increasingly desperate.

Again not a single answer.

“Put Takeda Ranmaru in chains,” Raiden said as he reached for his reins and began retying the chin guard on his helmet. “And kill anyone left standing.”

—

Mariko heard the hum begin to gather even before Raiden made his final pronouncement. She grabbed Ren and handed him her sword.

She would prevent any more blood from being spilled this night, no matter the cost. Mariko could not bear to lose anyone she loved.

“Kick me and strike me if you have to,” she said to Ren in an insistent tone. “Make them believe you hate me. Trade me for your safety.”

Ren’s eyes widened as Mariko swiped mud across her face and clothes.

“Don’t just stand there!” she said. “Here’s your chance to hate me as you’ve always hated me.”

Ren swallowed. “I’m—I’m truly sorry,” he said simply. “It wasn’t what I wanted to feel, Lord Lackbeard.” With that, he shoved her from the shadows.

“Try not to limp,” she said through gritted teeth. “Be strong. Unafraid.”

The sword at her back faltered.

“Stand tall, Ren,” she whispered. “The only true weakness is weakness of the spirit.”

The men before her shouted when Mariko and Ren came into view. The hum around ōkami only increased in intensity. Ranmaru—or rather Tsuneoki—put a hand on the Wolf’s shoulder. Only then did the hum slowly begin to dissipate.

Mariko halted her march ten paces away. Ren cleared his throat. In a flash, he positioned the blade of the tantō at her throat. “You wanted your bride, Minamoto Raiden? She is here. I’ll return her to you in one piece. Under one condition.”

Raiden dropped his reins. “Why would I want a bride who has betrayed me?”

“This ridiculous girl?” Ren laughed maniacally. “She couldn’t even betray herself. Cried herself to sleep most nights. Look at her. She’s filthy. When we took her prisoner, we had no idea who she was.”

Kenshin moved forward. “Mariko? Is this true?”

It wasn’t the sight of her brother that moved her to tears. It was the thought that those she cared for—her friends, the boy of her heart—the thought that they might die that made Mariko’s sight begin to water. The tears gathered and spilled over, trailing down her muddy, bloody face.

“Kenshin,” she said, her voice quavering, “please take me away from here. My lord Raiden, these men kidnapped me. They are liars and thieves. They have treated me abominably.”

The son of the emperor remained unmoved. He continued to address Ren and not Mariko. “Even if she is my bride, what makes you think we would trade Hattori Mariko for the lives of all the men left standing?” Raiden said, his hand still resting on the hilt of his katana.

In that moment Mariko had her first taste of hatred for her betrothed. And she knew it would not be her last.

“Because it is not just one life to be traded. Leave the rest of my men alone. And I will go with you as well,” ōkami said quietly.

No!

Mariko fought back the urge to cry out. To scream in protest.

But Minamoto Raiden smiled his menacing smile. And the deal was done.

Ren pressed Mariko into the fold. Kenshin swept closer, and Mariko ran the rest of the way. As she passed Asano Tsuneoki—the real son of Asano Naganori—her eyes met his for a moment. They glowed yellow and feral as he nodded once.

And the look was a promise. The beast would be at her back. Keeping watch. Always.

Kenshin took her in his arms. Held her tight. The tears continued to spill down Mariko’s face unchecked.

Over her brother’s shoulder she saw Raiden shove ōkami until he was kneeling in the mud. Watched as imperial soldiers bound his wrists in chains. Mariko closed her eyes tight, willing away the image.

“I’ll take you home,” Kenshin said softly.

“No,” Mariko said. “There’s nothing left for me at home. Take me to Inako.” Her tear-filled gaze bore into the face of her betrothed, daring him to lay hands on ōkami again. “If my lord Raiden will still have me, I’m ready to begin my life in the imperial court.”

“Are you certain?”

The tears burned in her eyes as she watched smiling, taunting imperial soldiers drag ōkami to his feet. “I have never been more certain of anything in my life.”