Come Forth, Firefly
Signo, who had come along late with Lucy, followed in the wake of the imperial couple. The night wind of late spring was cool, though not sharp. Even if some lingering chill had still been working its way through her clothes, Laniakea would not have felt it. She was wound round and round in so many layers and a muffler that one might easily have taken the season for the dead of winter.
"I really don't think all of this is necessary."
As if the cloth bound tight about her neck displeased her, Laniakea quietly caught the end and tried to unwind it.
"That won't do."
Before she could loosen it even once around, Hyperion's hand closed over hers and wrapped the muffler back into place.
"Anyone who sees me will think I've gone out to hunt bears in midwinter."
"With the backs of your hands bare like that, what sort of bear hunt could it possibly be?"
Murmuring over nothing of consequence, the two of them made their way toward the Annex.
"Lucy and Signo will come with us. The rest of you, watch the surroundings and stand by."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The knights who had accompanied them bowed their heads. There were not many—ten or so at the very most. Hyperion had wanted the night walk kept quiet. In truth, he had not even cared to bring these ten. Unless the point was display, a larger escort did no one any good. Even in an emergency, a few skilled hands could settle a crisis faster than a crowd. Setting all of that aside, the mere fact that a guard had to be attached unsettled him. A detail within the Imperial Palace was only to be expected, and yet in the end it was nothing more than proof that the palace itself was uneasy.
Once I've dragged every last one of them into the light, I'll carve them to pieces.
Thanks to Lucy's help that afternoon, the outlines of those who had instigated the attack had grown far clearer. At this rate, he would be able to bury the lot of them sometime next week. Once he had made one thorough sweep of it all...
Hyperion's gaze shifted to Laniakea beside him, her steps light, as though she were in fine spirits. She had stayed inside the Main Palace for only three days, yet she must have felt terribly cooped up; simply being out and walking seemed to please her. The days would grow warmer still, and the nights even kinder for walking.
She said it was better to remain in the rear garden, on account of the spirits.
Then she ought to be able to walk there more often, and more freely. Fully settling his imperial authority would take time. However exceptional Hyperion's martial strength, the affairs of the world were not accomplished by force alone.
Unaware of what was turning through his mind, Laniakea was busy putting one foot in front of the other. She passed straight through the Annex's entrance hall and out into the rear garden, then walked without hesitation toward a corner—the vegetable patch, of course. It was night, and the only light came from the lamps Lucy and Signo carried.
"Give that here."
Hyperion took the lamp from Signo's hand and came to stand close beside Laniakea as she rummaged through the patch.
"Thank you. I can see a little better now."
For all the gratitude in her voice, Laniakea's shoulders sagged. Under the light, the wilted state of the crops stood out all too clearly.
"Just as I thought. I knew it would be like this."
"What's the matter?"
"It's nothing so serious as a problem. They've only wilted because they weren't watered on time. Normally Mole would..."
Having said that much, Laniakea glanced sideways. A short distance off, Signo was saying something to Lucy. Speaking of spirits in front of him would be uncomfortable, and seeing as much, Hyperion called the two of them over.
"Signo. Take Lucy and go check the surroundings."
"What? Right now?"
Signo looked at Hyperion as if to ask why, with knights already posted outside, he was suddenly being handed such a task. Then, as though he had caught the intent, he snapped his fingers and bent at the waist.
"Yes, yes. We'll take a very slow look around and be back. Miss Lucy, let's go."
Lucy stared at him as if she had no idea what he was talking about, until Signo whispered something and her face lit with an oh! She set down everything she had carried in her arms, seized Signo as though to drag him off, and left the rear garden. They seemed to be under the mistaken impression that Hyperion had sent them away so he might have a private moment with Laniakea. He had only removed Signo so that Laniakea could speak freely of the spirits... and yet, watching her peek out from behind him to see whether Signo had truly gone, Hyperion had to admit it was also true that he had wanted to be alone with her like this.
Once Signo's figure had vanished completely, Laniakea went on.
"Usually Mole tends the patch, so I don't have to water it myself. But Mole has fallen asleep now, and I couldn't come either, so of course it wilted."
As she explained, she rummaged through the wooden crate Lucy had set down.
"Your Majesty, could you help me with this? It's heavy... ngh..."
At the sound of her straining, Hyperion set the lamp down and hurried to her side. What she could not lift in one go, and was struggling over, was a large watering can. Even when he put his strength into it, the thing was considerably heavy; it must have been filled to the brim. Thinking that Lucy had somehow managed to haul this along after them, Hyperion carried it to the edge of the patch.
"Shall I pour it all here?"
"Give it to me. I'll do it!"
"It's all right. If I hand it to you, you'll sink straight to the ground, so I'll water it myself."
"But for Your Majesty to do this sort of work..."
"Is there anything an empress may do that an emperor may not? More to the point—is this how I should pour it?"
"No. Scatter it a little farther."
She had been about to tell him not to, but seeing Hyperion, unlike her, lift the can so lightly and fling the water about, she found she could not stop him after all. The plants needed water, and soon.
Come to think of it, why did I come with His Majesty?
She had even sent word for him to hurry back, and waited. Thinking on it, she could have come alone to tend the patch—so why had she thought to bring him? Strangely, ever since she had shown him this garden and introduced Mole, it felt as though the three of them, him included, had become a little gathering that tended the place together.
"Speaking of which, would you tell me more about Mole? You said it fell asleep. Do spirits need to sleep as well?"
"Ah, it's different from the way humans sleep. If they use too much power, their bodies grow gradually transparent, and if they push themselves then, they vanish. So they sleep until their strength is fully restored. For a human, it's something like falling into a state of suspended animation. At times like that they can't hear you even if you call, and their power disappears entirely."
As she explained, Laniakea harvested what Mole had not managed to pick beforehand. After Hyperion had given permission to use the place, not only Laniakea but Mole as well had been overjoyed. Perhaps because of that, fruit hung heavy on every crop that had been planted. Tomatoes and corn in particular dangled especially large; seeing how well Hyperion ate, Mole must have wanted to give them to him as gifts.
"It seemed to have spent a great deal of strength running about looking for Your Majesty. Still, thanks to Mole I could confirm you hadn't been hurt, and that let me calm down a little."
Laniakea took a basket from the wooden crate and set what she had harvested inside it. Thanks to Mole, even things out of season grew lush in this patch, and as she worked she told Hyperion just how diligently the spirit had gone about that day. The more he heard, the darker his expression grew.
"So Mole was a great help. To think it kept searching until things grew dangerous..."
"You don't need to worry too much. It will appear again before long. This has happened before. That time, it was because it insisted on trying to grow a pumpkin the size of a house."
"Even so..."
Hyperion brooded for a long while, then asked her, "Is there anything spirits like? When Mole returns, I'd like to give it some sort of gift."
"Hmm... Rare seeds or plants would probably please it. Being an earth spirit doesn't seem to mean it knows all of those things."
"Then I'll have them turn the Imperial Palace conservatory inside out and prepare the rarest of them. If it spent so much of its strength, I feel badly enough that I want to do something. It really will be all right, won't it?"
Though she had explained several times over, Hyperion could not quite shake his unease. At that, Laniakea came closer and took the lamp he held into her own hands.
"If you're that worried, I'll ask."
"Ask? Whom?"
"Whom else? Another spirit, of course. And I wanted to introduce this friend to Your Majesty as well."
Laniakea looked at him with a bright smile, then whispered into the lamplight.
In that instant, golden sand began to spill, soft as silk, all around the lamp.