Chained to old wounds

CH99

Tarofu

The Elders looked terrified. I almost laughed.

Good. It was better to have them running scared. It was only a matter of time before Keiji rose

again.

What? Tsuneo roared from the back of my mind.

You have much to learn about being a celestial.

“The Convening won’t take place for several weeks.

“How can you be so sure of that?” An Elder asked, his nose wrinkled. “You have no idea when they

will arrive.”

Jilted my head looking at him. “I suppose neither do you.”

He flushed.

“The turtles will travel by ocean from their island, but their travel across land will be slow. The tigers move quickly in bursts, but they will require frequent stops and they are much further away. There is a mountain range between us after all. With the size of the caravans they will come with– guards, nobles, women, servants–it will take several weeks from the time they leave.”

They stammered and I pointed to the ceiling. “And the Alignment always falls on the first day of the Convening. It is several weeks out.”

Hayato frowned, then he lifted his head, leading the Elders to lift their heads to the giant star compass in the ceiling. They had likely never noticed that it was more like a clock because they weren’t keeping track of things as needed. They all looked back at me and I smiled.

“Should I go on?” I asked. “Or you need me to explain how it works?”

Hayato smiled. “Your proposition, Tsuneo?”

“You should take a break.”

My father looked at me, his eyes filled with surprise. “A break?”

“Yes, a long, restful break. I smirked. “You need rest. I can handle the preparations.”

1/4

CH99

Hayato’s eve

widened and he glanced at the Elders with a question in his eyes.

“Crown Prince Tsuneo, while I’m sure the king welcomes your concern, we cannot prepare for the Convening without him.”

I scoffed. “We cannot host the Convening without him. Preparing for it is a matter of having and executing the plan, which should be mostly oversight for him if the Elders and the Crown Prince are doing their jobs properly.” I cocked an eyebrow. Are you telling me that you don’t plan to pull your weight with preparing?”

They sputtered.

“You are too young,” one of the Elders said, her voice filled with a mixture of disapproval and condescension. “You lack the experience.”

“My father has never experienced a Convening, either. Have you?”

“That’s beside the point.

“No. That is the point,” I said. “He would be better off resting and preparing for hosting the event and leaning on his heir and his Council for the preparations unless you are admitting that you are not up to the task.”

They flushed and Hayato smiled, his eyes twinkling.

Another Elder huffed. “And what of your wife? You should be focusing on her. You have not been married for long. You have a duty there that should come first. An heir needs an heir.”

I clenched my fists, my anger rising. “My wife will be fine,” I replied, my

Dice firm. “She is strong, she is resilient. And if the Elders had not allowed the monitoring of trade to become so lax, taking kickbacks or whatever else you’ve done, she would not be recovering from anything.”

They shirked back. There was no guilt in their eyes but fear. They didn’t care what happened to Morgan, but they didn’t want to be exiled the way Ari was.

“But she is still unconscious correct?” One of the Elders insisted. “She needs your care.”

“I have no talent for healing,” I said. “She is perfectly fine.”

“Son.”

I looked at him.

“Is she?”

2/4

CH99

I smiled at her. “A phoenix always rises… His eyes widened. “Even if there is only a spark left, and Morgan has more than a spark. She will wake soon I leaned toward him, meeting his gaze. “But you need rest. You have lost two children in to my hand and another to her own greed. You have born the brunt of all of this for years, father. The Convening will be stressful enough without these things weighing on your heart.”

He pressed his lips together. I glanced toward the scales on his neck and worked my jaw. The golden dragon should not be so drained.

“What do you say? A week at least?” Hayato hesitated. “I promise not to kill any of them… Or exile them.”

He chuckled at that. “I would know your mind about this. Why?”

“Because you’re exhausted,” I said. “And things… will change soon.”

He frowned at that. I smiled.

“For the better, father. “I am your Crown Prince, aren’t I? I am more than capable of leading this meeting. I am more than capable of supporting you.”

The Elders were clearly against it, but Hayato’s eyes seemed to fill with understanding.

“Okay.

“Your Majesty-

“My son’s wisdom is irrefutable,” he said. “He will have his own part to play in the Convening, and if I cannot trust my heir with… planning a meeting, then the future of the kingdom is more

uncertain than I first believed.”

He stood and pat my shoulder. “I will check in with you in a week.”

I grinned. “They’ll still be here, I promise.”

He chuckled. “I’ll hold you to that.”

He stood then and pat me on the shoulder. “I think I’ll get started on that right now.”

“As you should.”

“Though, I would like to know when my daughter–in–law wakes.”

I

1 grinned. “I’ll be sure to let you know.”

3/4

CH99

He left. As the doors of the room closed, I looked back at the Elders and smiled, enjoying their

nervousness.

“Well, let’s get started.”

Hayato

That wasn’t my son. It was a strange realization to be speaking to Tsuneo, seeing his face, yet being able to pick out all the little nuances that set him apart. I had no idea who I’d been speaking to, but I wasn’t worried.

Was this something to do with him being a black dragon? It felt likely. My head ached at the thought. My vision went blurry for a moment, and I wondered when the last time I ate was. I went to my chambers and asked for a meal to be brought to me.

As I sat down to eat, I closed my eyes and felt the weight of exhaustion on my shoulders. This exhaustion wasn’t new. My mind had been weary since the attack years ago. If Haruka was here…..

Haruka….

My Haruka. My chest grew tight, and my eyes burned.

on my

My body ached with fatigue. The food came, but I hardly tasted it. When I was done, I put guards.

door and went down to the secret passage to where Haruka lay. I reached the casket and. sank down beside it. Her body wasn’t there, but the casket was still warm as if I had just put her there, as if she had simply gotten up and would be back.

“Hayato…” I heard her whispering. I closed my eyes, resting my head on the stone and glass. The coolness of it soothed the pounding in my head. “Hayato…”

1 closed my eyes, sinking into a welcoming, painless darkness.