Page 153

A high-pitched giggle gave away the intruder, and I whirled to glance over Takkan’s shoulder.

“Megari!” I squealed.

“Takkan told me to give you a song’s worth of time alone,” said Megari, setting down an unlit lantern. In the year I’d been away, she’d lost some of the youthful roundness to her cheeks, but a familiar glint of mischief sparkled in her eyes. “I chose a short song.”

I scooped her into a hug, spinning her once before setting her down. I marveled at her. She was nearly to my shoulder now, and she no longer wore her hair in pigtails but loose against her back.

“Don’t comment on how much I’ve grown, and I won’t comment on your hair,” Megari warned before I could get a word in. “You’re going to get lots of remarks on it. Trust me. Father and Takkan wouldn’t stop staring at me when they got home. As if they’d been away for years, not months!”

“My sister is beginning to prefer the company of rabbits to humans,” joked Takkan.

A pair of fluffy beasts gamboled over my feet, one brown-spotted rabbit even daring to nibble on my slippers. I knelt to stroke its velvety fur.

“They’re usually afraid of strangers,” mused Megari. “But not you.”

“There are many rabbits on the moon,” I replied, letting the creature go. I watched it caper off into the tall grass.

I could feel Megari burning with questions for me, but Takkan touched his sister’s shoulder, as if reminding her of some unspoken agreement. With a sigh, she picked up her lantern, swinging it as she sauntered toward the base of the hill, where they had tethered the horses. “Enjoy this time alone. Once you reach home, Mama’s not going to give you two a moment’s rest.”

“Careful riding home!” Takkan called after Megari. “It’s getting dark!”

Megari waved to show she’d heard, then once more in farewell. I waved back, watching her recede into Iro. Then my eyes drifted up to the sky, where the fading sun was changing places with a rising moon. A sea of stars glimmered through the gauzy dusk, the seven-pointed crane already brighter than the rest.

“They’ve renamed it,” said Takkan, sensing what had caught my attention, “after a new legend.”

“What legend?”

“It’s a legend of cranes and demons and dragons—and a princess under a terrible curse. The children are riveted.”

He silenced whatever I was going to say by taking my hand and pressing a kiss to my palm. “It’s a decent story, but long. I’ll tell you later. Tonight, we have guests.”

“Guests on the same day as my long-awaited arrival? Who could be so important?”

He knew I was frothing with anticipation. “Did I tell you we have a little demon in the kitchen now? It came a few weeks ago, and it’s burrowed itself into the stove. It burns the rice and makes the fire go out when it’s in a temper. The cooks are nettled, but Megari likes it. I think it’s growing on Chiruan, too.”

I put my hands on my hips. Demons could wait. “Who’s the guest?”

“Guests.” Takkan paused deliberately, enjoying my impatience. “It’s your brothers.”

My brothers? A huge smile sprang to my face. “They’ve come?”

“All six of them,” Takkan confirmed. “Even Reiji, from A’landi. And…your father.”

At that, both my eyebrows rose.

Takkan laughed. “That was my reaction too. You can imagine my mother’s distress when she got word of his visit. She’s spent the last week trying to get the household in perfect order. And she still hasn’t quite gotten over the fact that she hosted you an entire winter without knowing your true identity.”

“Does that mean she won’t let me back in the kitchen?”

“Probably not. For at least a year, I’d say.”

“A year?” I lamented. I missed cooking, and from the way my stomach growled right then, I missed eating too. “Well, I have six brothers for a reason. Let’s hope she’ll be more preoccupied with them than me.”

“I doubt it. She does have her son’s wedding to prepare for.”

I blushed, tongue-tied for once. Then I said, “Megari was right, wasn’t she? It’s going to be pandemonium when I get back. Everyone will be staring and asking questions….”

“We can be a little late…,” said Takkan.