The last few days had been sunny and unseasonably warm. Whether this signaled another short winter or a false spring remained to be seen. But for now the residents of Tatsumi enjoyed the reprieve regardless. The thick blankets of snow covering the castle grounds had grown patchy and frayed, leaving great swathes of bare earth

Relieved as Kagome felt, it was still vaguely distressing to her that Natsuko didn’t even attempt to snub her or curse her upon arrival. Instead, cowering back in her bed, she gazed palely at Kagome in tremulous, tearful apprehension. “T-that beast,” she asked faintly, clutching the blankets up to her chin, “…is he gone?” “He’s

On the eve of Marika’s departure, the household gathered at the gates to see her off. Only her father was notably absent, unable to rise from his bed. But Marika had said her goodbyes to him privately, before. At the front of the farewell party, Kagome stood with Yahiko at her side. She hadn’t spoken

“Kagome,” a voice spoke to her, deep and even and cool. She knew that voice. It was the voice she loved most in all the world. “Kagome, I am here.” But when Kagome woke, she was alone. Her lashes weighed heavy, the very tips of them crystallized with frost. But she was dry. Around her fevered

The guards might search the whole night in vain, but Kagome knew where Ikiryou would be. As the sky was beginning to lighten, she made her way alone and in secret to that spot in the thick timbered walls of the fortress which had never been patched over. Glancing about her one last time, Kagome

Kagome’s feet were wooden, dragging. She knew what she had to do, loath though she was to do it. But a figure on the veranda made her pause in dim surprise. “Yahiko!” she exclaimed, her heart pounding as she hastened over to him. Ikiryou’s whereabouts were unknown, and the sudden, paranoid fear that he might

Kagome’s head spun as she bolted up from the settee. On wobbling legs, she staggered outside. Her breath steamed before her in the autumn air, adding to the haze that eclipsed her. Half-dazed, she stared through it, frozen. Numb. Gravel from the garden path dug into her bare feet, but she barely felt its stab.

If Kagome thought Marika’s tantrums would be her last trial of the day, she was sorely mistaken. Worn down to the bone, she longed for nothing more than to rest. But seeing the maids clustered, wary and whispering, on the veranda outside her rooms made her stomach sink in dread. Squaring her shoulders, she approached

On the wings of sweeping victory against the Hiromi clan, a week of celebration was held throughout the Tatsumi region. Kagome participated in these festivities only nominally. She had duties to entertain the noblest of the guests, the wealthiest and most prestigious of the vassals—both Tatsumi and Hiromi. This was difficult to do when one