The Army Of Light (Kestrel Saga) (15 page)

    
Melissa found his voice both smooth and strangely hypnotic, but not unfriendly.
He released his gentle grip on her hand and stood tall once again. Melissa’s
mind flashed back to Jacques De Lorme, and she silently hoped this meeting
would be far less demanding. “But, how do you know—?”

    
“Like Captain Kestrel, I too know of your father. His name is spoken with great
honor in my family’s house.”

    
“My father?”
Melissa asked in surprise, almost in a
whisper. “But, how—”

    
Toyo quickly raised his hand and smiled, silencing Melissa before she could
continue. “Please, I’m sure you have many questions, and undoubtedly will have
many more before our business is concluded. All I can offer you is that they
will be addressed in their proper time. And, speaking of business, I’m having a
party this evening to celebrate the closing of a rather large financial merger.
I would be honored if you would join me,” he smiled as he turned his attention
from Melissa to Shawn.
“Both of you.”

    
Shawn eyed the two armed
Denarian’s
in the room with
them. “Are we 
all
 invited, Toyo?”

    
Toyo smiled and then chuckled. “They’re precautionary only. These are…
dangerous times, my old friend.” Toyo then looked to the shorter
Denarian
and nodded abruptly, silently dismissing the two
aliens from the room. As soon as they’d departed, a young Asian woman appeared
at the top of the stairs and glided down to meet them. She was wearing a
luxurious red silk kimono, with a large golden fish embroidered down its left
side. Her impossibly long, glossy black hair fell in waves down her slender
frame.

    
“This is Keiko,” Toyo said as he extended a hand and escorted the woman down
the last two steps. When she reached the bottom, she folded her arms out from
her, inserting her hands into the large cuffs at the ends of her sleeves,
then
bowed gracefully at the introduction.

    
Toyo smiled lovingly, as a father would to a daughter. “She will show you to
your room, Miss Graves, and attend to your every need while you are my guest.”

    
Melissa bowed slowly, and somewhat awkwardly, to Keiko in return,
then
turned to Toyotomi in confusion.
“My
room?”

    
Toyo’s face took on a look of seriousness. “It’s much too late for you and the
Captain to return to Minos tonight. Please, I would be honored if you would
accept my humble accommodations until the morning.”

    
Melissa looked to the captain, who only nodded in response. She wasn’t sure if
that meant that they would be accepting Toyo’s invitation, or if it meant that
it was okay for her to verbally accept the request at this time. When she
narrowed her eyes at him, the captain gave her a warm smile, and something told
her that this was going to be different than what had happened on Minos. His
eyes said to her ‘It’ll be alright’, and, for some unfathomable reason, this
time she believed him.

    
Besides, Melissa dreaded the thought of sleeping onboard 
Sylvia’s
Delight
 or worse—on the torturous military cot back in Shawn’s
office—and was pleased better lodgings had suddenly come her way. However,
Melissa wasn’t sure if she felt up to mingling at a stranger’s party. There
seemed little point in arguing that fact now, and decided she could easily
decline the offer after she’d freshened up. Besides, a shower would do her a
world of good. She bowed towards Toyo, more gracefully than before. “Yes, of
course. Thank you.”

    
Shawn turned to Melissa and noticed a swath of her hair had fallen to obscure
her left eye. He instinctively reached out to brush it aside, but withdrew his
hand at the last moment before he touched her. He cleared his throat and
instead gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder. “Don’t get into any trouble.”

    
“I won’t.” She smiled kindly,
then
moved to follow
Keiko up the carpeted staircase.

    
Shawn’s eyes followed her as she ascended to the second floor, not realizing
Toyo was also doing the same. The two women turned towards the east wing of the
house and, when they were out of sight, Toyo stealthily crept up behind the
captain.

    
“She’s more beautiful
then
even William could have
described. Be careful, my old friend,” he whispered into Shawn’s ear.

    
“I don’t recall him ever describing,” Shawn said, finally turning his eyes from
the empty staircase to Toyo. “Besides, I hadn’t noticed.”

    
Toyo shrugged noncommittally. “As I said, be careful.”

    
“I have rules about how far I’ll stick my neck out for people.”

    
“Yes, and I see they apply to everyone except for ones named Graves.” It wasn’t
a question.

    
“You of all people should know why that is, Katashi.”

    
Toyo’s playful smile faded and nodded his head sharply. “
Ōku
ni
taishite
,
ikutsu
ka
no
.
The few against the many.”

    
Shawn nodded slowly in affirmation.
“Yeah.”

    
Toyo put a firm hand on Shawn’s shoulder and his smile quickly returned. “First
we shall deal with the present—then we will remember the past. Come. Let me
show you to your own room. We must make you presentable.”

    
Shawn fanned his faded flight jacket open, revealing the tropical shirt
beneath. He looked down to his broken-in, exceedingly comfortable black
trousers and
well traveled
nearly knee high boots.
“What’s wrong with my appearance?”

    
“Nothing.
That is, you look perfectly presentable for
someone looking for a fight at Jack’s Place.”

    
“Oh, you heard about that, huh?”

    
Toyo smiled a toothy grin. “Come.” He began walking up to the west wing of the
house, Shawn following close behind.

*          
*           *

    
Fidgeting nervously, Melissa’s felt as if she were in a small apartment rather
than a bedroom. Resembling the rest of the house in decorative tastes, it was
lavishly furnished in art from multiple planets in the Beta Sector. She stood
in the center of the space, turning slowly and admiring every square inch of
the opulent room.

    
Keiko, who had disappeared briefly through what Melissa
assumed
was the servant’s entrance, returned carrying a white box. Based on its size
and shape, it wasn’t hard to surmise what the contents were.   

    
“Mister Katashi would appreciate if you wore this for his party,” Keiko said
after a diminutive bow.

    
Melissa smiled kindly as she took the box from Keiko’s hands and placed it on a
nearby lounge chair. “If I may ask, Keiko, what kind of party is this?”

    
The corners of the young woman’s mouth turned upwards. “It’s a gathering of all
the major financial investors in the region. Mister Katashi has recently
completed the merger of the two largest banks in Beta Sector, and has invited
everyone of importance to celebrate.”

    
“I see. And where do Captain Kestrel and I fit in? We’re not exactly the crème
of the financial elite.”

    
She smiled meekly “The Captain and Mister Katashi are old acquaintances. It has
been said that the captain once saved Mister Katashi from a fate worse than
death. Because of this, he has earned a place of high honor in this house. As
far as why you are also invited, I was told that you were his 
Suītohāto
.”

    
Melissa narrowed her eyes and shook her head in confusion. “I’m sorry.
His what?”

    
Keiko’s cheeks reddened slightly as she brought a hand to her mouth in
embarrassment. “Forgive me. I have said too much. The party will begin in just
over an hour. If you need anything, you have but to ring this bell,” she then
gestured to a thick, golden pull cord hanging near the bed. “Someone will
attend to you shortly.”

    
“Thank you,” Melissa replied sweetly before Keiko left the room.

    
She retrieved the box off the couch and walked it into the bedroom, then placed
it on the large four-posted bed. Opening it, she found a beautiful white silk
gown and matching shoes in precisely her size. How Katashi had managed it was
of less concern than why he’d done it. Melissa suddenly felt the cool, inviting
evening breeze flutter through her hair. She followed its source to a set of
French doors that opened out to a beautiful garden. She could smell orchids
just coming into full bloom mixed with a hint of the distant ocean breeze.
Turning to look at the dress once more, she couldn’t help but wonder how any of
this was going to help her solve her
fathers
disappearance.

*          
*           *

    
Less than an hour after Keiko had left Melissa’s room, Shawn was ready for the
evening. Toyo had lent Shawn a black tuxedo that he kept in reserves for just
such occasions. Shawn had both showered and shaved, and was left alone in the
well-stocked second floor library. There must be a thousand books in here,
spanning dozens of different cultures. He knew from experience that
Toyotomi, an avid collector, had probably read them all. There was an antique
brass telescope at one window, an ancient sextant lying on an oak desk in the
center of the room, and several paintings of tall sailing ships on the walls in
cubicles between the rows of books. 
Very nautical
.

    
Through the closed doorway, Shawn could hear the bustling of people down in the
lobby. The party had begun only a few moments ago, and the captain recognized
the sounds of laughter and glasses clinking in the background. Never one to
enjoy the ritualistic formalities of high society, the captain usually shied
away from accepting invitations to things like this—not that many had come his
way lately. So, why was he nervous? In fact, he hadn’t realized that he’d been
pacing the room until Toyotomi slipped through the doors a moment later.

    
“My apologies,” Toyo bowed slightly, then reached out to firmly shake Shawn’s
hand. “You look well, Captain.”

    
“I feel a bit out of place.”

    
“Nonsense.
You look quite dashing,” Toyo smiled
genuinely. “Most of my guests are bankers and investors, to which I’m sure
you’ll find the conversation stimulating to no end. If any of them corner
you into a conversation, simply continue to nod your head until they take a
breath, then excuse yourself to the bar. Trust me, it works every time.”

    
Shawn couldn’t help but smile and laugh at the remark. “I’m sure.”

    
“Believe me, the reward I will grant for your momentary agony will be well
worth it. Come, let’s get you a drink.”

    
After wading through a sea of well-dressed guests—each pair looking like an
oversized cake decoration—and about a dozen handshakes and introductions by
Toyo to people Shawn immediately forgot, the duo made it to the bar near the
back of the house. Toyo slipped behind the counter and began to pour Shawn a
drink as the captain looked at the colorful spectrum of illuminated bottles
lining the shelves behind his friend.

    
“What are you putting in me?”

    
“Ah,” Toyo grinned from ear to ear. In the blink of an eye he’d already mixed
the ingredients and was shaking them over ice. “This is an old family recipe.
It is called a Hokkaido Cocktail. You’ll love it.” He poured the diamond-clear
libation into a glass and handed it to Shawn.

    
Shawn inclined the glass in a toast before taking a timid sip. The sweet and
sour flavors bathed his tongue in warmth. He then inspected his glass before
announcing his verdict. “It’s good. 
Domo
.”

    
Toyo nodded.
“
Dou
itashimashite
.”

    
“So tell me, what was with that welcoming comity down at the docks? I wasn’t
expecting an armed escort.”

    
Toyo bowed his head slowly. “Later.”

    
Shawn was impatient for answers, but decided that he could hold his tongue a
while longer. The captain took a moment to finish off the second half of his
delicious drink. “Okay. So, tell me this: where’s my passenger? You didn’t
recruit her into your harem, did you? And don’t tell me ‘later’ this
time.” 

    
Toyo smiled at Shawn and went back to masquerading as a bartender. “You know
how women can be, Captain,” he said as he absently wiped the inside of a clean
glass. “You can never really know completely. One day they’re here, the
next…well,” he made a whistling sound, then yanked back the towel to reveal the
glass underneath had vanished. “Then they’re gone.
Disappeared.”
He chuckled at Shawn’s amused expression. “Who can explain it?”

    
Shawn had to admit that he’d always had a soft spot for gimmicky tricks. “So,
you’re an amateur bartender 
and
 magician?”

    
“Amateur?” he scowled with mock disdain. “I’ll have you know that I’m highly
regarded around this quadrant. I’ve even been known to perform at children’s
parties, from time to time of course.”

    
Shawn sensed the irony of it all.
Toyo, arguably the
wealthiest man within twenty star systems, playing the lovable clown for his
subjects.
“Gulliver and his Lilliputians.”

    
Toyotomi chuckled to himself softly,
then
looked at
his watch. “You know, if I were a betting man, I’d say Miss Graves would be
here…now.” He smiled,
then
locked his eyes on
something over Shawn’s left shoulder. With a nod of his head, Shawn turned
slowly on his stool and followed his friend’s gaze.