Banner of souls by Liz Williams Read Free Book Online Page A

other at one side, with only two arms between them. Left-Hand Grandmother was wizened, with black eyes in a mass of wrinkled skin, and the hand that rested on the counterpane was gnarled. Right-Hand Grandmother appeared no more than eigh-teen, hawk-faced, with a coil of white-streaked dark hair, though Dreams-of-War knew that the two were the same age. "Do you think it learned anything?" It was Right-Hand whose voice was clearest, but Left-Hand echoed all that she said.
    "Who can say?" Dreams-of-War replied, endeavoring to keep the coldness from her voice.
    Typical of the Grandmothers to exhibit outrage: They were the ones to enjoy control, to slink or barge into a per-son's mind and body, commit all manner of violations be-fore retreating, but woe betide anyone else who tried such a thing.
    "If the Kami now know she is the hito-bashira ," the Grandmothers said, "they will not suffer her to live."
    Dreams-of-War frowned. "Why not?"
    "You would not understand."
    "If you only told me what is meant by hito-bashira , perhaps I might," Dreams-of-War said, exasperated. "Is it to do with this thing she does, this folding of time? Three times a week I watch as she flicks the minutes forward, turns seed into flower or fruit, then back to seed. I watch, and yet I have no idea what she's really doing, because you won't tell me. I assume that the term hito-bashira has something to do with her talents, but what? The girl asks and asks, and what can I tell her? She pesters both myself and the kappa for answers. We feel obliged to pretend, for otherwise we look like idiots. It is time all of us are told."
    "No! And you are nothing more than a hired hand. Do not presume."
    But Dreams-of-War was unwilling to be stopped. "And what is to be done now? Can she turn back time in order to change it?"
    "Not yet. And so we must send Lunae away, now that the Kami know she is here. It is no longer safe. We can hide her no longer; we must find a safe place for her."
    "Then why raise her here, in the city of the Night-shade Mission, where the Kami are known to be present?"
    "Because it is thereby easier for us to see what the Mis-sion might be up to. And we have learned from them, too. Our enemy has been making swift progress, and this proj-ect, always important, has now become a matter of ur-gency." Left-Hand nudged Right. "Do not tell her so much."
    Dreams-of-War stared at the Grandmothers, who stared unblinkingly back. She could feel depths and mys-teries. She did not believe for a moment that they had told her the truth. Dreams-of-War scowled. "I dislike secrets."
    The Grandmothers grinned in unison. "And you, a creature of Memnos?"
    "That is why I dislike secrets."

    "You should have learned to live with them by now. Enough of this. There are arrangements to be made."
    "Very well," Dreams-of-War said through gritted teeth.
    "You say that both Lunae and the woman disap-peared?"
    "For no more than a fraction of a second. But as you know, that can be deceptive." Dreams-of-War hesitated. "I was angry and alarmed. Perhaps I misperceived the situa-tion. Who knows how long they were really absent, wher-ever they were? Who knows what might have taken place?"
    "Go," the Grandmothers told her. "Take her to the kappa and get her hand attended to. Then bring Lunae to us."
    Dreams-of-War climbed the endless flights of stairs to the tower, to find her charge sitting up in bed, looking pale.
    "Lunae?" Dreams-of-War asked. That feeling again: all fright and anxiety and concern.
    Dreams-of-War fought it aside and took refuge in anger. "What were you thinking of? I told you never to go beyond the house." She paused. "How did you get out, anyway?"
    "I climbed a tree."
    Dreams-of-War felt a swift flicker of pride and shoved that away, too. "You should not have done so."
    "1 wanted to get out of the mansion." Lunae stared at her, defiant.
    "Well, now you have your wish," Dreams-of-War said. "I've spoken with your Grandmothers.
    They're going to send you