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"Clicking his heels together three times sounds really stupid, but, shit, it might work,” I said. “He's got the Judy Garland drag queen act down perfect."

"I really do wish that I did understand more of what you are telling me,” Tamazusa told me crossly.

I laughed. “Sorry, honey, it's too hard to explain. Shit, ask McGann about it. She knows all sorts of cool stuff like this. But fuck, Keno wants to go home. I think that's all he needs with this kind of hoodoo."

"Hoodoo?” she asked. “I think that I've heard you use this word before, but I don't know what it means."

"Magic,” I told her shortly. “We tend to use a lot of different terms for it. Hoodoo's either casual stuff or something really nasty. What Collins and Fairinox were doing was nasty, so it was hoodoo. Same with the spell that gets us here.” Something tickled at the back of my mind when I said that, but I ignored it. I'd try and think about it when I got some time. “Magic, shit, it's like what fairies do. Spell casting, which is also magic, is something where a human needs to say shit or do shit to make it work. I know that there is a lot more to it than that, but, fuck, that's what I know. I've always said that I ain't the brightest bulb in the pencil box."

"It is too confusing to even try and coax the truth out of that tangled mess,” she said. “But I think that I know how to approach the issue now."

"Glad to be of use,” I said, even though I had no clue what I had just told her. “Does the kid know that he can do something like that?"

She smiled at me. “Keno is aware that I took him under my protection because I sensed that he had some sort of power."

"Really?” I asked her sarcastically. “Not because he was a present for the boy toy?"

She flushed but then smiled. It was wistful somehow, and it made me sad for some reason. “I see the two of them together, and I think that it's wonderful."

"Well, I sort of figured that Keno had it for him bad when he hugged Samojirou horns, claws, and whatever,” I agreed. “So I really don't think that this barrier shit is going to keep them apart."

She nodded. “Excuse me, then. We are close to it."

I could tell now, since Tholf had told me what to look for. The sea was rough, and I guessed that McGann was going to be hanging her head over the side soon. There was a faint shimmer about a half mile off, if I was guessing the distance right. My stomach twisted, and I wondered how we were supposed to get through that.

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Keno

We were tired and dirty by the end of the journey. Tamazusa had decided to sail right up to Shino's castle, which was part of the capital for his territory and right on the ocean. It helped that his territory was next to Sousuke's and they shared their power equally. Between the two of them, they controlled an area that was huge, almost twice as big as Tamazusa's and a lot more populated. There were a lot of castle towns scattered around their territory, while Tamazusa's had one or two of them, because she preferred a leisurely rural life to the busyness of a city. It also helped that she had resources they didn't. I didn't know exactly how she made her money or whatever you want to call it, but I knew she and Samojirou were rich.

We sailed into the town's harbor to get to Shino's castle. It was going to be annoying, trying to pass through all their defenses, knowing there were archers on the wall who were watching our every move as we disembarked off the longboat.

"Who goes there?” one of the guards called out.

Tamazusa and I looked at each other. I didn't want anyone to know she was with us. “Tell Inusuka-sama that one of his brothers is here to see him,” I called back.

The man disappeared off the wall almost immediately, even though he had no reason to believe that claim. I also noticed that the
tenshu
was closed up, as if they expected an army to march up at any moment.

"It looks like you're not welcomed here,” Helga said nastily, even if she didn't understand Japanese.

"Can you trust this lord?” McGann asked, looking tired and put out. I figured she wanted to be clean more than anything and was willing to risk the wrath of my family to do it.

"He is my brother,” I said. “I trust him. If I didn't, then we wouldn't be here."

"Those mean fuckers weren't too happy to see us last time,” Mason said. He was about to say something else when the castle gate was raised. A dozen samurai spilled out of the gate and surrounded us.

"You will come with us,” one of them said. He was big, and I knew that he was a good fighter, but I couldn't remember his name. We had met the last time I was here, and he did seem to recognize me, even if I was dressed in modern clothing. And I was pretty sure he knew who Tamazusa was.

The rest of the party tensed up, but I wasn't worried. I didn't think there was any danger here, but I knew something strange was going on. Everyone in the castle was too tense, more so than if Tamazusa and I had simply gone missing. Something else had happened, probably to do with whatever Iida's plot had been.

"Big sister?” I asked Tamazusa respectfully, wanting to know what she thought of this.

She shrugged but didn't look too worried. I strode forward, trying not to show how uneasy I was, because this could be a trap. We were all inside the walls when the gate came crashing down. I'm not ashamed to admit that I jumped a mile when I heard that. But before anyone could say anything, a woman came running toward us.

"Keno!” she screamed and practically threw herself in my arms, hugging me and crying. It was Inusuka Hamaji, Shino's wife. My arms automatically went around her. She held me close for a minute before drawing back to look at me. “You look terrible,” she exclaimed unthinkingly. “That clothing is awful on you. And you smell! What happened to you?"

I laughed, because Hamaji was infamous in the family for her tactlessness. She didn't give me a chance to answer her, though. She turned and snapped at her master-at-arms. I remembered his name: Farusawa. “Send birds to my husband. Tell him that the blossoms have returned to Nippon."

"What has happened?” Tamazusa demanded.

Hamaji looked at her and the rest of us. “That news can wait until you have bathed and rested."

"Samojirou-sama?” I asked, trying to keep the quiver out of my voice.

She hugged me again. “Mother has had such a time with him! Even Father's trying to be nice to him. He... he was
very
upset about what happened, but Dousetsu managed to keep him from doing something stupid."

"How?” Tamazusa asked in an overly calm tone.

Hamaji looked to be at a loss. Even she wasn't brave enough to give Tamazusa a hug like she was family. “He's spent most of the time drugged, because he thinks that you're both dead. He's throwing himself into battle, because no one's agreed to be his second. Unfortunately, your
kuni
is in chaos, between the monsters and Iida-sama's invasion. I don't have all the details. My
karo
can tell you more, after you've bathed and eaten."

I sagged in shock and then looked at Hamaji. “Get me a fast horse."

"You can't,” she told me, even as I wrenched myself out of her arms. I needed to leave here now! “It's complicated. But—"

"Nippon is at war, since it is spreading, since the lords of Nippon are taking advantage of the chaos,” Tamazusa said flatly. “Because I was a fool and underestimated Iida."

"What the fuck's going on?” Mason asked, because we were all talking in Japanese.

"Tell them, Wolf,” Tamazusa said coolly. “I know that you speak the language. I've known for a while."

Wolf looked startled, flushing under the looks that Tamazusa and Hamaji gave him, like he had been caught stealing sweets. “Nippon's at war,” he said in English so the others could understand what was going on. “Who's Iida?"

"A southern Nipponese lord,” Tamazusa said in English. “It was his ship that Keno and I had been on when it was driven into the Northlands. A good move on his part. No one would suspect we were there, if we survived, since his land is off the southern tip of Nippon."

"He almost fuckin’ kills you, and you're admiring him?” Mason burst out.

"Aside from the grief that he is causing Aboshi, I can admire Iida's skill in the Game. I was overconfident, and I.... many other people are suffering for it,” Tamazusa said sadly.

"And is ‘Aboshi’ your husband?” Helga asked her.

It wasn't a nice question, not the way she asked it. She had seen that Tamazusa was still being nice to Mason. Or maybe that Mason was being nice to her, looking after her and teasing her. I couldn't believe she was still trying to stir up trouble, seeing that she was in a foreign country, didn't know the language, and had no friends here. But then, Helga wasn't too intelligent, from what I had seen on the ship. Even Hamaji stared at her in amazement for her rudeness.

Tamazusa looked down her nose at Helga. “He is my
karo
, and my consort. Also Keno's lover."

Helga gaped at her while Tholf grimaced at the news. He knew what that word meant, and he wasn't too happy about finding out that I was gay.

"And what are these two doing with you?” Hamaji asked us in Japanese. “That woman... I wouldn't trust her."

I shook my head. “After we were driven into the Northlands by a storm and maybe other things, we met the others on a small farm on someplace called the Faroe Islands. Helga and Tholf are from the Northern Lands, while Wolf, Mason, and McGann are from the real world. They... I knew them before I came here."

Hamaji nodded, signaling to her samurai and the maids. “A bath and then food. We can discuss things then.” She hesitated for a second. “Do you want to include the outsiders?"

"They are my allies at this time,” Tamazusa said. “It would be rude not to."

Hamaji blushed, looking very young and innocent. She didn't play the Game, instead still acting like the carefree girl. I thought that was how she played her part in the Game most of the time. “Including the Northerners?"

Tamazusa laughed. “Unfortunately so. Though I doubt that they would add anything to the conversation."

Hamaji nodded. A group of her samurai escorted us to the samurais’ baths, while she took Tamazusa, McGann, and Helga to ladies’ baths, her maids trailing behind her.

Tamazusa

Inusuka Hamaji escorted my party to the baths. I must admit that I was willing to wait for information, if I could have a hot bath. I felt filthy, and I knew that I could take any bad news when I was clean and rested. McGann, since she had bathed this way before, needed no instructions. Helga, however, proved to be difficult. She was upset that we expected her to be clean, like a civilized person, and that we were going to take her clothing away from her. It was torn, and she had been sweating heavily in it, since it was wool, and it was summer in Nippon. It stunk and had been dirty before she had ended up with us.

"This is disgusting!” Helga snarled, looking at the kimono she was supposed to wear. Given her size, it was one worn by a man, but attractive nonetheless. I didn't see what issue she had with it, other than it was something she wasn't familiar with and thought she could bully me about. It hadn't worked in the past, and I didn't know why she thought that it would work now.

"To be clean?” I asked dryly. “I know that hot water and cleanliness are a foreign concept to you, but do try to be open to new experiences."

McGann was wise and stayed out of our way. She even managed to draw Hamaji away from us. I was grateful that my hostess wouldn't get caught in a fight between us, if it turned physical again.

"I won't wear the clothing of the
skraelingjar
,” she snarled.

"Then you will be naked,” I said coldly. “You will clean up and be civil to our hostess, if I have to beat manners into you."

"You couldn't!” Helga snapped, stepping closer and trying to intimidate me, since she was far taller than I was.

It didn't work. I grabbed her arm, pulled her forward so she was off balance, twisted her arm, driving her to her knees, and then pulled her arm up behind her so she would stay there. You would think the woman would have learned not to do this after the first time I had done this to her. “You will be clean and civil. Keno's family is not to be insulted."

"You and they are just
skraelingjar
,” Helga screeched. “You told us that he was your brother! You lied!"

I twisted her arm tighter. “I don't like that word,” I said calmly. “So you will stop referring to me or anyone else here as that. And Keno
is
like a brother to me. You will find out that Keno has a very large and formidable family, besides myself. It would be wise of you to keep a civil tongue in your head."

Helga sneered at me, and I debated whether or not I should break her arm. I really wasn't in the mood to deal with her foolishness. Fortunately, Helga realized that she was about to push me too far. I thought that it had just dawned on her how alone and without allies she was. Tholf had been amused more than anything when he saw how I had dealt with her, so he would be of no help to her.

"She really is rude.” Hamaji told McGann, apparently in all innocence, but loud enough for us to hear. “Was she like that for your entire journey?"

"Unfortunately, Helga seems to have fewer manners than Mason,” McGann told her with a laugh. “And I never thought that I'd say that about anyone."

Helga flushed but said nothing. I debated shoving her into one of the garden ponds, because I really didn't want to deal with the temper tantrum of a weak spirit when I had so much else to deal with.

"I will bathe,” Helga told me haughtily, and I let go of her arm. She eventually moved over to the side of the tub to scrub herself clean, glaring at the
onsen
as if it had insulted her. I joined her, cleaning up while I listened to the other two chatter.

"Mother said Mason was very nice to her in the real world,” Hamaji said. “She thinks very highly of him."

McGann flushed. “I'm sorry about that. I never knew that was the plan."

"Father was the one who was in terrible temper about the whole thing, along with everyone else,” Hamaji continued, accepting McGann's apology with a gentle smile. “He was so angry that you stole Mother, even if Samojirou was humbled because of it."