A Path Through Destiny by Wolfheart (books to read as a couple .TXT) 📕

She began to give orders immediately. The ship began to move.
Akira sighed. Kasumi waited, unsure on whether she should let her alone or ask what was wrong. She’d never been good at this kind of thing…
“It’s not you, Kasumi. It’s Azoic. She’s too hot in everything I give her, hates our food, won’t drink anything but sake and was ordering around the crew like servants!”
“It’s fine. She’ll be gone in no time. We’re only a week from the High Lord’s palace.”
“Do we have a week, Kasumi? We’re on a war mission! We are needed in Japan.”
“But Azoic isn’t a warrior; she’s not a part of my legion. In fact, she’s pissing you and the rest of the crew off with her high life antics and Lady Ren will be so infuriated I’ll be lucky if I’m alive if she’s not back safely.”
“Then send her on her board with a warrior or two. She’ll reach the messenger ship in a day or so.”
“And what happens if she isn’t good on a Caelum Board or they are taken or killed by pirates or militia? We’re worse off; we didn’t make sure she returned safely.”
Kasumi was thinking hard when she realized there was simpler – though more painful – answer to this.
“I could Reach for her…and Mindspeak with her…”
Akira looked at her as if she were insane.
“Come on, Kasumi, I know we need a solution, but the Himalayas are quite a distance away for you to be using Mindspeak, aren’t they? You’re very talented, but we need you able to command this ship.”
“Kaide is perfectly capable of getting us to the Islands, and signaling my warriors. If not her, than I know you can do the later, and they can guide us to the palace.”
She sighed again, not happy but less willing to argue with her stubborn lover.
“I will be fine before we reach the Islands, especially if we must first deliver the princess.” Kasumi purposely didn’t use Azoic’s name; it was clear Akira didn’t need to think she knew the healer personally.
“Alright. But I am watching you during and caring for you afterwards, understood?”
“I would have it no other way, meus amor.”


The scent of lavender and sage filled Kasumi’s lungs. She lay on her bed, an hour later, Akira’s hand in hers. The cabin window was open, giving her scents of the open sky and the sea breeze. She could see and hear the gulls calling to one another, zipping about the ship with interest and hopes of a meal. It relaxed her, easing her tense nerves.
Akira began to chant a protection spell to guide her spirit as Kasumi slipping deeper and deeper into meditation, her mind focused solely on her desire to speak to High Lord Ren. She began to feel light headed and weak. Breathing slowed. Slowly, she felt her mind drift from her body.
Kasumi let her mind push into the mountains of snow and ice that harbored the palace of her High Lord. She snaked her way through, finding Ren in a deep cavern. She was alone, and on a bed covered in thick, heavy blankets. Sickness spread through Kasumi’s mind. Ren was ill, and nobody but her would ever know. She slipped into the Lord’s mind, bidding her to awaken, to become aware of her.
She sent her apologies for entering her mind, and showed her images of what had occurred last night, and a feel of confusion.
Ren’s eyes shot open. They looked the Ambassador’s spirit in her eye and sent images of soldiers, blood, Russian colors and the scent of death. Then she showed the American flag, and the Canine Demi Legion enslaved under their “alliance”. Finally, the lord of Demis sent her an image of her daughter and Kasumi’s ship above the Japanese Islands. Pain ripped into Kasumi as their link was abruptly broken and all went black.

Chapter Three
The Emperor of Japan

Bright light and a throbbing head woke Kasumi. She looked around and saw Akira beside her, in a position of prayer. In her hands was poppy, explaining the queer dreams she’d been having. But what surprised her were the willow bark tea and the scent of burning white sage. She was performing a cleansing – on Kasumi.
“Akira…” Kasumi whispered; her voice was weak from days without use.
Her eyes opened slightly, but she didn’t break prayer. I waited until she had finished.
“What do you think you’re doing, dearest?”
“Cleansing you. You needed it. You’re dreams were haunted by battles gone past.”
“Now Akira…you understand better than anybody that poppy can do that to people…especially warriors. Why didn’t you just use something else?”
“Apparently, Azoic thinks humans have better medicine than her own people; she saw you like this and gave you something else in your drink.” She growled low. “I told her not to use chemicals like the humans. You’re not human; you’re a Demi. But she wouldn’t listen. If she’d let me care for you, I wouldn’t have needed the prayer. Oh…she called it useless, by the way.”
“A healer that doesn’t believe in Gaia?”
“She says Gaia is there, but science is the healer, not her.”
Kasumi rolled her eyes. “The chemicals in the herbs can only do so much…” She muttered.
I smelled something strange.
“Where are we?”
“Above the Japanese Emperor’s palace. We just repaired our ship, too.”
I stared at her in alarm.
“Oh. Because you were ill, Kaide was left in charge. Our helmsmen fell ill, though, and led us right into a storm while she was sleeping. She was doing great until then. I had to keep the crew calm, though.”
“Are you kidding me?” Her voice was rough and her throat sore.
“No.”
Then another thought hit her. “Why are we still aboard the ship? Are the legions not here?”
“Oh. They got here before we did, actually, thanks to that damn storm.”
“How long was I out?”
“You were very, very ill, Kasumi. You were hardly conscious and not quite sane when you were awake.”
“How. Long?”
“Two months.”
She tried to sit up, but Akira laid her back down. “I don’t think so! That stuff is vile and I want you to be fully healed before you go down there! They’ll put more horrid chemicals that don’t belong in a Demi into your blood!”
“I need to organize the troops, speak to the Emperor and the other Commandants. I have no time to be ill.”
Aki slapped her.
“Ouch!” She rubbed her cheek in shock. “What the –“
“Stop thinking about war and think about your health for once! You almost died!”
Kasumi sighed. Seeing her face dropped Kasumi’s heart. If she were in her human form, she would be crying. The Captain and Ambassador relented. “Fine. But I must speak with the Emperor as soon as possible. Are all three legions here?”
“Yes. Anya came last night, and Sauda was here on trade route anyway.”
“Then I need to speak with them.”
“No. You need to take this poppy and go to sleep. No visitors. You have been out of it too long. You’re pale, you’ve lost weight and you’re still broke out in that rash. How does your head feel?”
“It is fine, Akira. I’m just tired. I can sleep without the poppy, thank you.”
Kasumi wasn’t lying; she drifted back to sleep.
For several more days, the only added routine was eating and grooming. Both Kasumi tended to enjoy, because she had one-on-one time with Akira.
Then, Akira allowed her to stand. Three hours later they were in the palace.

Kasumi paced back and forth in the garden. It was the only place where she could see the sky. The heavily maintained gardens – neatly trimmed plants, perfectly placed rocks, a pound with ducks trained to swim in a certain fashion – made her anxious and restless. Being away from her warriors while they lived on the ship made her jumpy; if it wasn’t a dire insult to the Emperor, she would be on the ship now.
It would have been alright if they hadn’t have taken Akira from me and placed her in different quarters, or allowed Azoic to enter the palace. But it is too far; they are insulting Ren as much as I. If I do not meet with the Emperor tonight, I’ll be forced to inform Lady Ren…
The echo of boots and the overpowering scent of Humans drug her from her thoughts. The gardens were silent; it was long past dusk. She met them at the door. They stopped abruptly and stared at her. There was an alarm in their gaze. There were only two of them, but both were dressed in a servant’s attire. They had the royal mark to them. Kasumi had her meeting.
“What is it?” She asked in a smooth growl. They flinched.
“We are h-here to escort you t-t-to h-his ma-ma-majesty’s qu-quarters.” The braver of the two stuttered. The scent of their fear and the feel of their nervousness made her adrenalin pump. Their stammering frustrated her. All in all, she wasn’t in her best mood.
What the hell do they think I’ll do? Sacrifice their hearts to Gaia?
To prove she wasn’t going to rip their throats out and eat them for supper, Kasumi slipped into her human form.
“Then let’s go.” She answered quietly. Her clothes, magiked by Akira’s spells, still fit. The shirt was thick cotton, dyed brown. It was long sleeved. The pants were thick brown leather, as were the boots. She also normally wore leather gloves and an air-tight hat, but she had taken them off as she left the ship so she wouldn’t overheat. Still, the servants stared.
“What is it? I am prepared to meet with him.”
“O-of course.” The more nervous one began to walk down the hall. Kasumi followed him, and the first one to speak followed her. “Thank you.” The leading servant said quietly, embarrassed.
“It is rather frustrating when you cannot even speak competently around me.”
“We are not accustomed to speaking to your people, Lady Kasumi.”
She held herself back from screaming ‘then get used to it, fools’ and instead replied “I understand. Humans tend to fear the unknown. I assume our stay will acclimate both of our races to one another and be beneficial for everybody.”
They seemed so shocked and subdued from her words that they completely missed the fact that she had undermined the entire Human race. They walked silently through the richly decorated halls. It disgusted her to see that many of the walls and belongings were gold or silver. Most of Japan lived in wood huts with just enough to survive. The only way many of them received fruit and vegetables was through the trade Demis offered. But their empire spent thousands on war and their palace while they lived off the land and traded goods.
They arrived only a few minutes later at a double gold-plated door where four guards stood in the Emperor’s colors, with two on each side. They paused long enough to allow them to open the door. Then the servants preceded her to announce her presence, in their over-complex, formal manor. They entered a high ceiling room with so much rich décor she couldn’t absorb it all. But what she did see was a large bed, a table in the center with several chairs and the food upon the table. It disgusted the warrior. The finest food in their world was set upon that table.