The Wind and the Void Read Online Free PDF Page A

should. There is little joy in your life at the moment, and if I had to guess, you are very lost.”
    Ryuu gave a short grunt in response, and there was a moment of silence.
    The old man broke it. “And now you must return the favor. What do you see?”
    Ryuu studied the man carefully. Despite his age, he moved with grace and strength. He handled a knife with a dexterity beyond a commoner. Ryuu gazed into his eyes, and he knew that at one time this man had been very dangerous, a soldier or a spy or an assassin. But not any longer. The old man had come to find peace with whatever was in his past, but he was always on the move, pursued by a history he’d rather forget. The old man saw Ryuu’s gaze, and although Ryuu couldn’t say how, he knew that the old man was aware Ryuu had guessed his past. Ryuu smiled.
    “I think you’re an old man who probably sees too much.”
    The old man laughed and served seconds of the stew. Ryuu had always believed food tasted better with friends, and the stew was excellent.
    The next morning dawned cold, but Ryuu awoke more refreshed than he had in ages. He and the old man had talked late into the night. The traveler was already up and packing. Ryuu bowed to him as they left.
    “May your journey north be safe.”
    The old man bowed in return. “And may you find peace.”
    Ryuu chuckled softly as the old man turned and walked away. He had decided the old man was right about the rumors, and he wondered what he was walking towards.

 
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 2
     
    Akira waited for Makoto and Mashiro to finish reading the documents. In front of them sat the final draft of the treaty that would merge the Southern Kingdom with the Western Kingdom. It was a long document, with hundreds of details that required close attention, and Akira fidgeted anxiously as he waited to hear what his two generals would think of it.
    More than ever, Akira missed both Toro and Ryuu. The two of them couldn’t be more different, but the one personality trait they shared was that they would tell him the truth, unconcerned about their status in his eyes. Makoto and Mashiro would get there, someday, but they still thought of him as a lord first and a person second.
    When they had both put down the papers, Akira questioned them. “What do you think?”
    “You have negotiated generous terms,” Makoto answered.
    Akira nodded. He agreed.
    Mashiro, the more outspoken of the two, jumped in. “I don’t trust any of it. These terms are too good to be true. He’s allowing you to sit as second in line to the kingdom? And he’s allowing it to be named the Southern Kingdom? I fear your life will be over not long after the ink is dry.”
    Makoto built on his friend’s comments. “I agree. The terms seem too good for a victor to agree to. Is he worried about your people uprising against him?”
    Akira shook his head. “No, he isn’t that foolish. It’s the military he worries about. His forces outnumber ours, slightly, but with the order for the First to return, the balance of power will shift. The First is our strongest army, and once they return, I could force his armies out of the kingdom. He knows his terms need to be generous for the alliance to work.”
    Mashiro stood up. “If that’s the case, why don’t we just use the First and crush his armies?” He paced angrily.
    Akira raised an eyebrow. “You know we can’t do that. If Toro’s reports are true, and I have no reason to doubt them, we can’t waste a single man on a civil war.”
    “It doesn’t mean I need to like it. Your life will still be in danger.”
    Akira shook his head again. “Maybe someday, but not soon. If I die too soon after the treaty is signed, it will be suspicious. He’ll need to keep me alive for a while, at least, if he wants this alliance to last. We have time.”
    Makoto spoke softly. “What do you think Toro will do?”
    It was Akira’s turn to stand up and pace the room. “I don’t know. I asked him to return, but