The stallion’s hooves pounded against the dirt, the sound reaching Meilana’s ears in a muffled thrum. In fact, at that moment, all sounds paled in comparison to the sheer volume of her worry. 
   She prayed, to whom… she didn’t know. Please let him escape. Don’t let them kill him. 
   The vulnerability percolating through her bones finally pushed warm tears to the surface. She wept to herself, refusing to give Juroiza the satisfaction. They soon rode into a grassy clearing, putting the forest at their backs. On the horizon, a gargantuan castle. 
   Sarcasm colored her thoughts. Back to the great Gazzo Castle. Home sweet home.
   Its gothic design was composed of vibrant gray stone bricks, every surface adorned with sweeping embellishments. High atop the towers and spires, silver flags billowed in the wind. Purple draperies emblazoned with the Gazzo Clan symbol hung over the ramparts—an ostentatious spectacle.
   Outrage eclipsed her sarcasm. Why does she have to be so pretentious? She gripped at her thighs, ruffling her kimono. I’ve had enough of her shit. I won’t let her do this to me anymore. A quarter mile from the castle lay the fossil of a Gatling gun, rust-worn and half-eaten by tall grass. It’s returning to nature. Looks almost peaceful. Maybe I should do the same.
   As they crossed the bridge to the castle, she glanced down at the moat. Predictably, it was full to the brim with brown, murky water. She wondered what repugnant creatures might dwell there.
   Before reaching the gatehouse, the stallion slowed to a halt. Two muscular men stood guard in front of the shiny bars. They, too, wore armor like Juroiza’s.
   Meilana quickly wiped her tears. Nobody seemed to notice. Upon recognizing them, the samurai saluted with nothing but the utmost respect.
   “General Juroiza and the Grandheiress have returned. Open the gate!”
   In a snap, the gate rose into the high archway. After passing through a short tunnel, they emerged in a torch-lit courtyard. Countless voices erupted from the city folk as they prepared for the coming daylight. The courtyard was large enough to hold thousands of people at once. Several shops lined the base of the ramparts; everything from food to clothing was for sale. Meilana paused to observe the elders at their game of chess and the children lost in mischief. It filled her heart with joy.
   I would give anything to be free like them. They seem so happy. Loud, obnoxious trumpets reverberated from the towers. Great, the sound of my impending confinement.
   City folk fell silent then shuffled to either side of the courtyard. Juroiza and Meilana headed toward the keep at the opposite end. On the left, a small stable housed a donkey who had clearly seen better days. It sat between the keep’s entrance and an arched pathway, above which a dangling sign read: Gazzo City. Beyond it, Meilana could see hundreds of homes built in the same gothic style. One of them overflowed with potted plants clustered across its front stoop.
   I’d live in that one for sure.
   Juroiza placed his stallion in a stall then stroked its neck. “I’ll be back soon. Don’t try to break out this time. You cost me a lot of money every time you do that, buddy.”
    The majestic animal looked away, as if bashful. Juroiza pulled out a silver ring overflowing with keys. He unlocked the long doors of the keep and swung them open. Meilana rushed inside, and he followed close behind. Before he finished shutting the doors, the hustle and bustle of the courtyard reignited.
   The castle’s interior was far more decorative than anything outside. A shimmering foyer opened into three branching hallways, each one dazzled by glass chandeliers. Silver-and-purple marble tiles accented the granite walls with effortless elegance. Two statues carved from pearl outshone the chandeliers, the floors, and the walls combined—one portraying a beautiful yet shrewd woman, the other a man with a long, flowing mustache who looked equally shrewd.
   Meilana glared at the two statues. I bet you were every bit the asshole she is. 
   Beautiful as everything was, the display left her with a deep, unsettling despair. Dark memories resurfaced, stirring her imagination and conjuring a grotesque demon. It observed her from the wall, siphoning what little happiness she had left. 
   Juroiza ushered her along. “Let’s go, kid. The Grandmagistra’s waiting.”
   They climbed a short staircase to the mezzanine, then entered the centermost hallway, which opened into a towering hall that ascended three levels. 
   On the fourth floor, a set of double doors engraved with lavender flowers awaited them. Juroiza knocked gently with his knuckles. 
   A voice, doing its best to sound calm, called out from within. “You may enter.”
   He pushed both doors open, revealing yet another lavish chamber. A balcony jutted from the far wall, its banister swallowed in thick vines. Flanking it were two half-oval windows crafted from the finest stained glass. Each depicted the same shrewd woman from the pearl statue—only here she wore full battle armor. On the left, she sat stoically atop a noble steed; on the right, she lifted a massive war-hammer toward the sky in triumph. Near the balcony stood a bed vast enough for six adults. Beside it, a blonde, curly-haired woman sat before a floor mirror. A purple kimono hung from her smooth shoulders, her olive-skinned back facing the entrance as she combed her hair. 
   “Stay here,” said Juroiza, stepping inside and closing the doors. 
   Unable to resist, Meilana eavesdropped. Careful not to make a sound, she pressed her ear against one of the doors. The voices on the other side were nothing more than mumbles. Realizing her effort was in vain, she gave up. Over five minutes later, Juroiza returned to escort her inside. The blonde woman was now on her balcony, looking out at the distant lands.
   “Here she is, Grandmagistra Izaru.”
   “Thank you. Please leave us.”
   “As you wish.”
   A stressful silence boiled the room. Meilana prepared to unleash, but her mother’s words wrestled her anger into submission.
   “Come. Stand with me.”
   Her voice sounded like malevolence wrapped in a blanket of serenity. Hesitation took hold of Meilana, it felt like a trap. Despite her better judgement, she walked toward the balcony. Each step was almost painful to complete, her feet moving as if shackled. Once she arrived, the mesmerizing view stole her problems away, only to return them a second later. It occurred to her that she’d never been on her mother’s balcony before.
   “You know, one day this will all be yours,” said Izaru. “There are those who would literally kill to be in your position. Yet, you take it for granted.”
   Meilana gazed at her mother, trying to gauge her temperament. However, she was difficult to read, her facial expression unwavering. Izaru met her daughter’s gaze, her eyes a brilliant tint of yellow, her stare beyond intimidating. Their eye contact broke, Meilana blinking against a sudden burn in her eyes.
   “The things I’ve done to secure your future bring me no comfort. But everything has been for the betterment of Bushido Empire. I can’t have you tarnishing the family reputation for some peasant boy.”
   Meilana went to speak, but her voice quivered. Before she could utter a word, Izaru pressed on.
   “Now, you’re going to tell me all about this boy you’ve been sneaking around with.”
   Shock hit Meilana like a force of nature. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.
“First things first. What’s his name and what clan does he belong to?”
   The interrogation gave Meilana a bout of anxiety. Fear pressed in on her, threatening to suffocate her. She wouldn’t dream of revealing anything, but she couldn’t think fast enough to craft a convincing lie. She wished she could disappear—go anywhere else.
   “I’m waiting.” Izaru’s tone turned openly hostile.
   “He’s a boy from the academy, mom. That’s all. He’s in my class.”
   “Interesting. If he was indeed a boy from your class, I’d know. I handpick all of your classmates myself.”
   Meilana spiraled through a torrent of emotions, each one threatening to tear her apart. “Are you serious?”
   “Of course, darling.” Izaru was now smug and arrogant. “It’s been that way ever since you convinced me to let you learn with the common children.” 
   “No wonder everybody in this godforsaken city treats me like I’m some sort of freak.”
   “They treat you like the Grandheiress that you are.”
   “They treat me like a porcelain doll. People are too afraid of you to risk getting close to me. I’m all alone here. Always have been!”
   Izaru scoffed then turned back to the spectacular view. “Don’t be so dramatic, you have everything a girl could ever want.”
   With a surge of resilience, Meilana pulled herself out of the emotional torrent. “This is what you want! You could care less about what I want! You have no idea how much I hate it here. Did it ever occur to you that maybe I don’t want to rule over this place?” 
   Her sudden burst of rebellion left Izaru flabbergasted. “Enough! Give me the boy’s name.”
   “He’s just a boy I met down in the courtyard one day.”
   “Tell the fucking truth!” Fury flashed in Izaru’s eyes, sharp and explosive. “If I have to find out on my own, I will make him suffer. They’re bringing him to me as we speak. You know that, right? What do you think I’ll do when I get my hands on him?”
   For a moment, the disgusting display of wrath left Meilana speechless, but words soon found their way back to her.
   “You want to talk about truth? You think I don’t know about you sneaking around with Juroiza behind Dad’s back?”
   Flabbergasted yet again, Izaru faltered, her expression betraying the truth of her daughter’s claims. “Mind your tongue, child. Your father’s allegiance no longer resides where it should. Even a Grandmagistra has needs.”
   A series of urgent knocks hit the double doors.
   “Juroiza, I told you to leave us!”
   Both doors flew open. Juroiza hurried inside, a look of utter shock splashed across his face. He squeezed the words out, gasping like somebody who had just sprinted a mile.
   “I know… I’m sorry… but this couldn’t wait.” After taking a deep breath, he beckoned to someone next to him. “Come here, hurry.”
   Agalo limped inside, clutching the back of his bleeding head. 
   Izaru was appalled. “Agalo? What happened to you?” she asked, leaving the balcony with Meilana close behind.
   Like an eager child, Juroiza interjected. “Tell her everything you just told me.”
   Agalo winced. “I’m sorry, Grandmagistra. He… he escaped. Stole my horse. We chased him, but… the others. They’re all dead. He killed them! I’m so sorry. I failed you.”
   The happiness building within Meilana was uncontainable. She smiled as big as her cheeks would allow. 
   Infuriated, Izaru yanked Meilana close, wrenching her neck. “Tell me who the boy is this instant!” she screamed, her voice straining in protest. 
   Meilana’s smile fled like prey from a predator, but she didn’t give in. Overcome with frustration, Izaru shoved her daughter to the floor. With that, the last shred of respect Meilana held for her mother vanished. 
   “Something isn’t adding up.” Izaru turned away. “Agalo, what can you tell me about this boy?”
   “Well. He had green hair.”
   “Okay, that’s a start. What about weapons? Did he use any against you? Did he deploy any type of deceptive tactics to escape?”
   “Oh. Yeah, sort of. Um… he threw knives at us.”
   “What kind of knives?”
   His eyes darted about. “I think they were normal kitchen knives. Couldn’t see them too well in the dark.”
   “Kitchen knives?”
   “Yeah. Uh… he threw a bomb at us too.”
   Izaru stroked her chin in an investigative manner. “Interesting. Smoke bomb?”
   “No. It was full of little sharp objects.”
   “Shrapnel, huh? I see, I see.”
   Juroiza offered a comment of his own. “You’re not suggesting?”
   “Quiet down,” snapped Izaru.
   “Ah, come on.” Juroiza rolled his shoulder in irritation. “This has got to stop. You’re being paranoid. I mean, what are the odds?”
   “It’s highly possible. You’d be an idiot to think otherwise.”
   “We haven’t had any conflicts with the ninja in decades. Why would they risk war now?”
   “Those abhorrent gaikaos can’t be trusted. And now my daughter’s colluding with one of them.”
   “You don’t know that.” Juroiza sighed. “Plenty of samurai use knives and bombs, too. This means nothing. We can’t keep traveling down this road, Grandmagistra. Please, give it up.”
   Izaru looked at him, fury in her eyes once again.
   “I don’t recall giving you permission to tell me what to do. You work for me. Or did you forget?”
   Like a scolded pet, Juroiza backed down.
   “It’s normal for a girl to behave suspiciously while having a secret boyfriend. I’ll give you that. Nevertheless, she’s far too nervous for this to be a boy from our empire. Even for a teenager, why go through this much trouble?”
   Juroiza hesitated, then added one final thought. “I understand. I just feel like we need some sort of proof, is all. We can’t risk the lives of so many on a whim.”
   Mulling it over, Izaru took a moment to respond. “At dawn, go out to the scene and bring the bodies back. I’ll have the doctors analyze them for any clues that may corroborate my theory. See what evidence you can find as well.” She folded her arms. “You’re right. As of now, I’m only speculating. But my intuition has never been wrong before.”
   “Yes, Grandmagistra,” said Juroiza, bowing so low he risked toppling over. 
   Meilana got back to her feet, drawing Izaru’s attention once more. 
   “Report to your quarters and remain there until I say so.”
   Surprise rippled through Meilana’s face. “But what about the academy? My graduation ceremony is Friday night.”
   “There will be no graduation ceremony. Not for you or anyone else.”
   Exhaustion had already set in. She no longer possessed the energy to argue back.
   “I’ll need you to herd the cattle as well,” said Izaru, locking eyes with the general.
   “What day and time would you prefer?”
   “Friday at sunset.”
   Brimming with arrogance, Izaru leveled a condescending laugh at her daughter. “Go now, darling. Think long and hard about your defiance and what that gets you.”
   Seeing how vindictive her mother could be was like a punch to the gut. She slouched, then sulked from the chamber. Great. Back to my very own personal prison cell.
   Her room opposed the décor in the rest of the castle. Each high-priced item was relegated to a forsaken corner, hidden beneath a transparent veil. Two white vases rose above the rest of the discarded items. A painting depicting Meilana, Izaru, and a thin man leaned against them. A smaller version of the shrewd-looking man’s foyer statue lay on its side. Nearby, a windowsill held a lone fiddle-leaf fig. Despite the bleak surroundings, the plant was healthy and well-watered. Even the granite walls were barren. Everything had been stripped away. 
   Meilana dragged herself across a rug that covered most of the marble floor. She then dropped onto a bed she had long since outgrown. Tears streamed down her cheeks with such force that she dry-heaved. For a second time, darkness descended upon her. As she gazed around the room, she imagined the demon’s return—its grotesque face peeking from all four walls, howling with laughter.
   No. Stop watching me. Go away! She felt herself sinking under the weight of it all. I can’t keep living this way. Anything would be better than this.
   She reached under her bed, retrieved a tanto, and unsheathed it. Holding it to her wrist, she thought about dragging the cold steel up the length of her forearm.
   The demonic laughter grew louder, more haunting. It taunted her. “Do it!”
   Meilana stalled, an epiphany washing over her. “But I have Obake now. I can run away with him.”
   “She’ll never stop hunting you.” The demon’s eyes went crazed. “You might as well kill him yourself.” 
   “You’re right. I’m no good to anyone.”
   When the blade pierced her flesh, she watched the deep wound seep blood. The sight of it snapped her out of the hazardous trance. She tossed the tanto to the floor and wiped the sweat gathering on her brow. The demonic faces vanished, and the walls returned to normal.
   “Sweet Drop, may I come in?” 
   A familiar voice called out to her from the hallway. Unsure whether she had imagined it or not, she said nothing. The door to her room creaked open.
   “Sweet Drop, you in there?”
   The voice was real after all; she dove for her tanto, then threw it back under the bed. 
   Covering her wrist, she sat on the edge of the mattress. “Come in.”
   A thin, pointy-nosed man waltzed over the threshold—the same man from the painting under the veil. Meilana was aghast to see him.
   Silver hair fell to his waistline, where it turned into two ponytails, both tied by kiwi green ribbons. The sleeves of his shozoku hung beside his hakama pants. He moved with fluidity, just like his outfit’s many loose-fitting components. He sat at the edge of the bed and looked at his daughter with a joyous smile. His circular specs made him appear like a wise man that held the answers to life’s many conundrums.
   “I heard what happened. Are you okay?”
   Meilana focused on her fiddle leaf fig. “I’m fine,” she barked. 
   “You don’t seem fine.” He continued to smile. “I know when my little girls upset.”
   After a bit of squirming, she succumbed to the urge to speak her mind. “Why do you let her treat us this way? Why don’t you stand up to her? Huh? Pai-Liu?”
   Pai-Liu’s smile faded, replaced by solemn eyes. “We’ve been over this Sweet Drop. Your mom is Gazzo’s daughter.” With disgust, he glanced at the statue under the veil. “I’m only Grandmaster by way of marriage. She calls the shots. Not much I can do about it.”
   “I still don’t understand why you even married her. She’s a nightmare.”
   A toothy grin spread across Pai-Liu’s olive-toned face. “I married her so I could have you.”
   “Yeah, right.”
   “No, seriously. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
   “Doesn’t seem like it.” She gritted her teeth. “You barely talk to me. Let alone spend any time with me. Can’t believe you still follow her stupid rules.”
   “Can’t argue with you there. Most of her rules are very stupid.”
   “Then why follow them? I’m lucky if I see you once a month. I’m your fucking daughter! What? Does she think we’ll plot to overthrow her if she lets us near each other?”
   He chuckled, the glow of a proud father emanating from him. “First off, language. Second, she thinks I’ll make you soft.”
   Meilana grimaced.
   “I know it’s not right, but try to understand. There’s only so much I can do. Your mom could have me exiled or worse. At least I can help you in secret.”
   “You could’ve been happy with someone else.” She shook her head. “You could’ve had a completely different life.”
   He breathed deep. “I was confused when I was your age. I craved power and wealth. Your mom fancied me, and being with her gave me everything I thought I wanted. I later realized that none of it mattered. But I got you out of the deal. I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”
   Before she could stop herself, Meilana rolled her eyes.
   “So, what’s this I hear about you having a little ninja boyfriend?”
   Fraught with panic, she sprang to her feet. 
   “Don’t worry,” he said with a slight giggle. “You don’t have to answer that.”
   “Why does she hate them so much? I mean… I know about what happened, but that was forever ago. Things are peaceful now.”
   “Some people are better than others at getting over things.”
   She toiled over her father’s words.
   “Look, hang in there a little while longer. Once you turn eighteen, you’ll be able to take control of your life. You’re almost there. Don’t give up now.”
   Her body eased, settling into something far more relaxed. “I guess you’re right, Dad. Thanks for the visit. I needed that.”
   “Yes! Calling me Dad again.” His expression brightened. “Oh, and anytime. Well—anytime I can get away with it. Your mom’s a bit preoccupied at the moment.”
   “Do you think she’d ever,” Meilana averted her gaze. “Hurt us?”
   Wrapped in contemplation, Pai-Liu took a moment. “Let’s hope we never have to find out.”
   At a loss for words, Meilana gave no response.
   “Well then, I’ll be on my way.” After kissing his daughter’s forehead, Pai-Liu returned to the hallway, then glanced over his shoulder. “Should I be concerned about that?” he said, gesturing at the blood rising between Meilana’s fingers.
   “No! Um… just a scratch.”
   “That’s some scratch. Do me a favor and have Madame Weila take a look at it, okay?”
   Meilana nodded, and Pai-Liu answered with a wink before closing the door behind him.