Chapter Nineteen Kasu
Kasu managed to get about three hours of rest before Camellia House opened for the day.
She had operated on less, but that was usually because she’d been meditating or reading by candlelight, not because she had spent all night being chased by the Sage of a Thousand Faces, pursuing a curse, or running after a human.
Her legs still ached as she stood behind the exchange desk, wondering if Arun had been right about asking for that chair after all.
Outside Camellia House, a noisy line of ghosts and demons trundled past on their way to the eastern quarter carrying signs that read: access for all demons! and down with the two-tier meat system!
One particularly large sign in the shape of a steak simply said: meat! meat! meat!
As far as Kasu could tell, the crowd were marching to change the monthly meat auction.
With the backing of Lord Cobalt, demon lord of the eastern quarter, the meat auction displayed and sold the finest cuts of meat from the mortal realm – usually holy saints or princesses kidnapped and brought to the under-realm.
The occasional dragon, if they were lucky.
Kasu had heard that there had once been a celestial horse on sale, stolen from the heavenly stables.
It was an auction most ghosts and regular demons were not permitted to attend.
“But why now? People have never complained about it before,” Kasu asked Banse and Manzu when the guards sauntered inside to bother her. The meat auction had always been an exclusive, invite-only event and no one had ever raised such a fuss about it.
“What are you talking about? People have always complained about the meat auction. Only this time, they’ve got organized. And louder,” said Banse.
The stream of protesters flowed by, filling the air with chants of “MEAT! MEAT! EQUAL MEAT FOR ALL!”
“Oi, Kasu, your little admirer is back!” Manzu grinned so wide she could see past his canines to his molars.
“Admirer?”
“You know. That guy from yesterday who caused the ruckus with Hanyu. The one who was hovering around you all day and ended up sleeping next to your counter.”
Kasu frowned. “What of it?”
“Nothing, nothing,” Manzu said, in a tone that implied it was clearly not nothing.
The doors to Camellia House swung open and Arun strode right in.
“You should be sleeping,” said Kasu as Banse and Manzu scurried out of the way with their tails wagging.
“What about you? You work all day, and then at night…”
At night she helped Arun find his missing mother.
Kasu shrugged. “Sleep is simply a way to regain qi. I can technically go without it as long as I have alternative ways to replenish my energy.”
She had asked the kitchens to send a whole pitcher of spirit nectar to sustain her through the day. Right now, it was the only thing keeping her upright.
As if sensing her thoughts, Arun’s lips curled into a sheepish smile. The shape of his mouth reminded her of a painting she had once traded for – the portrait of some long-dead beauty who had sparked a war over her hand in marriage.
Kasu shook her head. There was no time to waste on idle thoughts.
“Well, I wanted to apologize.” Arun looked up at the line of shelves just above her. “Again, I mean. For last night. For everything. My temper… I’m trying to learn how to control my temper.”
Kasu tried not to show her surprise. They had already settled the matter; she had not thought Arun would bring it up again. Or that last night would gnaw at his conscience so much.
“That’s … very gracious of you. I accept your apology.”
Arun stood a little straighter. The corners of his mouth were pulled down into a hard line. “Oh! Here, this is for you. Ruo said that if I wanted to say sorry I should give these to you.”
He reached into the pocket of his trousers and pulled out a small sprig of slightly battered flowers. Summer’s blood – the common name for the blossoms in Arun’s hand. Their stark yellow crowns were vivid against the pastel pink of their petals.
“Those are poisonous.”
Arun dropped the sprig like a hot coal. It landed between them, knocking pollen across Kasu’s counter.
A smile threatened the corners of her lips as she fought off a giggle.
It wasn’t right to laugh at the misfortune of others, no matter how charming she found it.
In fact, she was pretty sure she wasn’t supposed to find Arun’s predicament charming at all.
Or sweet. Or any of the warm feelings currently fluttering inside her chest.
“Most plants that grow in the under-realm are. Don’t worry, you should only get a mild rash from touching the flowers.
It will itch, though.” Kasu reached down into her box of tools and pulled out a clean piece of cloth.
Soaking it in spirit nectar, she took Arun’s hand and pressed the fabric against his skin.
“Ruo said you liked them,” Arun muttered, betrayed.
“Ruo tells ten lies before breakfast.”
“Then I have nothing to give you as an apology.”
“There’s no need. I’d already accepted your apology. If you want to do something for me, you could get some sleep. I’ll need you at your best soon,” she said when Arun tried to protest.
It was a flimsy excuse, but Arun had the grace to accept it. They stood silent for a moment, his hands still resting in hers.
Kasu quickly snatched up her usual rag and wiped away the pollen that had fallen onto the wood. When she looked up, Arun was holding his wrist and staring at her with eyes too dark to discern his emotions.
His gaze was as sharp as his sword – it pierced her through.
After a moment, Arun nodded his thanks and made his way out of the parlour. Kasu watched him go until the doors swung shut behind him.
The sprig of summer’s blood remained discarded on her counter. Poisonous though they were, no one had ever given her flowers before. Not in her life. Not in her death. Carefully, Kasu wrapped a cloth around her fingers so as not to touch the petals and placed the flowers in her empty cup.
The blossoms stayed there for the rest of the morning.
The next few days passed peacefully. Or, rather, peacefully for Ghost City.
The crowd of protesters marching past Camellia House had dwindled in size – Kasu had heard that quite a few had been eaten – but they were no less dogged and just as loud as when they had been at full force.
The day of the demon bazaar was imminent and Lady Camellia would be gone the entire night.
From time to time, Arun would drop in while Kasu was at work. His presence amused Banse and Manzu enough that he no longer had to bribe the guards to let him through.
“Why do you want to be reborn as a human so badly? There’s nothing great about it, in my opinion. If I could choose what to be in my next life, I’d be a cat,” said Arun as he leaned across her counter, watching her tally tiles.
“Like Ruo?” Kasu glanced at him.
“Like a proper house cat. I’d hunt mice all day, and at night my owners would pamper me with a plate of juicy meat and a dish of warm milk. I’d sleep in all the best sunny spots and jump onto the cupboards to avoid children pulling my tail.”
Kasu almost laughed at the thought, but stopped herself just in time.
Maintain proper decorum in your exchanges with others.
Her smile faded under the sombre reminder that she would not be able to reincarnate at all until her contract with Lady Camellia was over.
Whenever she thought of how long she had left, the years seemed to stretch into eternity.
Arun sobered as well. “I know what you dream of,” he said delicately, like he was talking to a cornered animal he did not want to spook.
“You told me about the apple orchard. But you might not get that in your next life. You might never get that. What if you’re born in a desert country?
What if you’re born to a poor family and you starve to death? ”
His words were like stones thrown into the middle of a pond. As soon as they hit the bottom, they stirred up the sediment of her memories. Kasu remembered green fields and the warm kiss of the sun. She remembered snow and harsh winds. She remembered a hunger so terrible it hollowed out her bones.
You need to eat. Just one spoon. Please. I promise I’ll—
Kasu shook her head. The fragments of her past life only left her feeling addled. She did not want to think about it – about the silly and vain girl she had once been, trading her soul for a simple jade pendant.
“It doesn’t matter where I end up or what circumstances I’m born into; I just want to be reborn. As long as I obey the Heavenly Principles, the gods will reward me.”
If the Heavenly Principles failed her, what else was there to believe in?