Brave Story - Miyuki Miyabe [164]
“I don’t know. They didn’t know the particulars either, but they said that one of their parents’ superiors had come to the south before them, and if I met him he might tell me. That’s why…”
“Hrm,” Kee Keema growled. “You believed their story, and helped them escape, is that it? They led you astray with their promises, and made you work with them.”
Meena said nothing, but her head hung so low Wataru could no longer see her face. That was answer enough.
“But what about the circus? Aren’t they worried about you?” Wataru asked. “You must have snuck away, right?”
“I did. If I had told them, they would have stopped me for sure…”
“I would have stopped you too. You must have come from a good family, to take the word of those two,” Kee Keema said, jokingly.
Meena frowned. “But, there were some things I did find out. Those two hadn’t made up everything, after all.”
Apparently, a special unit known as Sigdora was involved with the forceful return of refugees from the North, though the reasons for their activities were unknown.
“Are they military?”
“They don’t have anything to do with the Imperial Army, no. The current emperor, Agrilius VII, and the commander of the Imperial Army, General Adja, were friends in their youth, but among the people in the north it’s widely known—though never openly discussed—that they don’t get along very well these days.”
The Northern Empire had its own peacekeeping force like the Knights of Stengel and the Highlanders here, but theirs was directly tied to the military. Unable to bend them to his will, Agrilius VII had gone behind General Adja’s back and created his own special forces to do his bidding. Thus was Sigdora born.
Kee Keema’s long tongue snaked out and brushed the top of his head.
“What’s wrong, Kee Keema?”
“Hrm? Nothing, it’s just, I don’t much like that name. Sigdora…” Kee Keema cleared his throat. “Sigdora was the name of the monster that the Old God created when he learned of the Goddess’s betrayal—according to how they tell it in the north, of course. Three heads it had, and six legs, and a tail split in two with a snake’s head at each tip. In the tales we waterkin tell, it’s merely one of the horrible nasties living in the depths of Chaos, eating the souls of those who are lost there.”
“Three heads…six legs…?” Wataru shivered.
“It’s always fiercely hungry, and it will eat anything, and once it finds its mark, it never stops until it’s sated. The word Sigdora means ‘cursed hound’ in the old ankhan tongue, you see.”
And Meena’s parents had been taken by an organization that named itself after that?
“Wataru, I have a request,” Meena said, turning her large eyes to look at him. “Won’t you let me come with you on your journey?”
Wataru felt his face redden. “H-huh?” he stammered, “Wh-what? My journey? With me?”
“Please! I know I’ll be of help! And with you, I’ll be able to travel faster and farther than with the circus. Please!”
Meena begged, leaning closer, so that Wataru leaned back until his chair was in danger of falling.
Kee Keema grabbed Wataru by the back of his neck, and grinned. “Can’t refuse such a cute girl her one request, can you now?”
“N-no. I mean yes, you can come,” Wataru said, wiping the sweat off his brow. “You did save my life, after all.”
“Thank you!” Meena said, jumping to her feet.
“But, before we leave, you need to tell the Spectral Machine folks you’re okay. That’s my condition,” Wataru added.
“It’s ‘Spectacle Machine,’” Meena said, giggling. “But, you’re right. I will.”
“How about we all go visit the circus together?” Kee Keema suggested. “You’ll be able to see everyone, Meena, and Wataru might get a lead for the next step of his search. How’s that for a plan?”
Chapter 13
In Maquiba
They waited a few days for Meena’s wounds to mend, and then the three left Gasara. They chose a darbaba with strong legs for the arduous trip, and loaded up supplies in a cart. Kee Keema took the reins, but allowed Wataru to take over during the smooth patches of road.
Seated in back on the cart, Meena enjoyed the passing scenery.