Tomasolle returned a little after noon, striding into the room while rubbing his hair with a towel.
“Brrr. It’s cold out there,” he said. “The temperature really drops when it rains.” He paused at the sight of the guests. “Oh, pardon me.”
Makokan slipped behind Tomasolle and discreetly closed the door.
“My dear brother-in-law,” Hohsalle greeted, walking over to stand before him. “Where is Shikan? His luggage is no longer in his room. Did you send him off somewhere?”
Tomasolle frowned, clearly wondering what this was all about. “We parted after lunch. He’s probably just wandering around nearby. I can’t very well take him with me when I go to see the king, now can I? He said he hasn’t been in Kazan for a while and wanted to do some shopping, so I let him have the afternoon off. Is there some problem with that?”
Hohsalle watched his brother-in-law’s face closely but spied no indication that his bewilderment was false. He really hoped that Tomasolle wasn’t that devious.
“You said you visited the northern forests before coming here. With Shikan.”
Tomasolle’s eyebrows bunched together. “Why bring that up now? I already told you that’s what we did.”
“Was Shikan with you the whole time?”
Although Tomasolle started to nod, his eyes wavered ever so slightly, a sign that did not escape Hohsalle. “So there were times when you weren’t together?” he pressed.
Tomasolle glowered. “What is this? Some kind of interrogation? Are you accusing Shikan of something?”
A chair scraped. Van stood and approached with slow and measured steps. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Van of the Gansa.”
Tomasolle blinked. Still frowning, he beheld the man with eyes wide. “Van of the Gansa? You’re Broken Antler Van?”
Van nodded. “Sir Hohsalle told me you Otawalle know all about me. Did you know that I’m unusually sensitive to smell?”
Tomasolle looked impressed. “Yes. I heard about that. And that your adopted daughter possesses unusual vision.”
Van nodded. “Well, sir, you smell of black wolves. I would guess that you caught a lot of females, because their scent is particularly strong.”
Surprise showed plain on Tomasolle’s face. “Incredible. You’re right.”
Van gazed at him. “You smell of black wolves, but you don’t smell of rochai.”
“Rochai?”
“Kinma dogs, a cross between hunting hounds and black wolves.”
Tomasolle was growing more astonished by the moment. Gazing straight at him, Van said, “You don’t smell of rochai, yet the chair where the man you call Shikan sat reeks of them.”
That set Tomasolle rigid. In the silence, the drumming of the rain outside seemed abnormally loud.
“Brother,” Hohsalle said, his voice stern.
Tomasolle faced him, anger showing through on his pale features. “You’ve got some nerve!” he spat. “Clearly, you think Shikan did something wrong. People always misunderstand him because of his wooden expression, but he’d never do anything wicked.”
“Enough!” Hohsalle snapped. “Surely in your heart, you already know the truth, Tomasolle. That’s why you’re trying so hard to protect him. But we’ve no time to waste. We need to stick to the facts, not emotion!”
A blue vein throbbed on Tomasolle’s forehead. “Facts?!” he shouted, his voice an anguished howl. “I’ll give you facts! Shikan’s kin were butchered! His older brother served the ailing Kenoi and stood by him to the bitter end. They were murdered by the King of Aquafa!”
He laughed derisively. “Yes, from your point of view, Shikan looks very suspect. We don’t stick together during every moment when we’re surveying. We’ve divvied up the work for years to cover broader areas. I admit it would have been possible for him to meet Ohfan in secret. But what of it? To Shikan, Ohfan is his respected kin. The desire to know what’s become of his older brother, to hear how he faced his end, is only human!”
Tomasolle jabbed a finger at Van. “You claim Shikan smells of Kinma dogs. Well, what of it, I say! Kenoi is dead. The Dog King is slain. Even if Shikan met Ohfan, even if he came into contact with Kinma dogs, there’s absolutely nothing he can do!”
Van stepped closer to Tomasolle and looked him in the eye. “A child died to a Kinma dog.” His calmness doused the heat in the room.
“What?” Tomasolle said, mouth agape.
“A boy from a settler village in the southern part of Mikula Forest died from a Kinma dog bite just the other day,” Van explained. “He was only eleven. The beasts attacked while he was out collecting firewood. His parents thought he’d been attacked by an ossam and applied an herbal poultice to the wound. Within a day or two, he developed a sore throat followed by a high fever, and then the seizures began. By the time a healer reached him, it was too late. The boy went completely rigid and died in agony.”
Tomasolle stared at Van, robbed of speech.
“The next day, the beasts that attacked that boy appeared in another settlement. Fortunately, no one died, but one of the little girls they bit still can’t walk.” There was a direness to Van’s expression. “I don’t know if Ohfan led the pack there or if Kinma dogs already roamed the northern forests. Nor do I know if the young man called Shikan was involved. But he was in the same region as those children when they were attacked, and he was in contact with Kinma dogs. It stands to reason that he might know something at the very least. Don’t you agree?”
Tomasolle said nothing. Van pressed him further, his voice low and even. “Do you believe that little children deserve to suffer and die just because they’re settlers?”
Tomasolle’s lips trembled, and he finally found his voice. “No, I don’t. But…” He hesitated, shaken with doubt.
“Sir Tomasolle,” Milalle interjected. She leaned across the table, her stomach resting against it. “Surely you agree that we should find out what, if anything, Shikan is trying to do.”
Tomasolle stared at her without replying.
“He may simply have become entangled in something by accident, but we’ll never know if we just continue discussing it here. At the very least, we know that Shikan is in Kazan when many Zolians have gathered to celebrate the Visit of the Emperor’s Eyes. Not only that, but he may have some connection to Kinma dogs. Doesn’t that thought frighten you?” Milalle put a hand to her throat. “Personally, I’m terrified. We must act before disaster strikes. If you wish to help Shikan, then you must stop him before it’s too late.”
Tomasolle took a deep breath and exhaled. His fingers shook. “Yes, I suppose you’re right.” He looked rattled, as though various possibilities were racing through his mind. “I’ve been a fool,” he whispered. After taking another deep breath, he looked at Hohsalle. “While we were in the northern forest, there were several times when Shikan was on his own. It was more efficient to work that way. I can’t deny that he could have met Ohfan without my knowing.”
He brought a hand to his mouth and sighed. “I know what he’s feeling so well, it hurts. I’m sure he longs to follow in the footsteps of the brother he loved so dearly. He would gladly lay down his life to fulfill his people’s wishes.”
To Van, Tomasolle said, “Surely you too can relate as well. After all, you were the leader of the Lone Antlers.”
Van’s gaze hardened. He gave Tomasolle a long, measuring look, then replied, “You don’t understand the Lone Antlers at all.”
“What do you mea—”
But Van cut him off. “There’s no time for that now. Where did you last see Shikan?”
“On Madoro Street. In the restaurant that serves Yukata food,” Tomasolle said, words quivering.
Makokan raised an eyebrow. “You mean Muttao?”
Tomasolle glanced at him. “Yes. That’s the one. There’re some flowers in the window on the second floor.”
Makokan nodded and looked at Hohsalle. “That’s Muttao all right. I know the master well. Shall I take them there? I know what Shikan looks like.”
Hohsalle waved his hand. “Of course. Get moving.”
Makokan opened the door, and just as Van and Sae were about to pass through, Tomasolle hurried after. “Wait! Let me go with you.”
Van turned. “I’m sorry, but we can’t take you with us.” Although his voice was gentle, his manner was so forbidding that Tomasolle recoiled.
“What are you going to do with Shikan?” he asked plaintively.
“I’ll bring him here, if I can.”
Tomasolle’s anxious frown eased slightly. “I see. Then I will wait here. Please, be gentle. He’s like a son to me.”
Van gazed at Tomasolle for a moment, then left without a word.