“Well, Mother, I must say I thought you were mad to buy back this old place, but as usual you’ve proven me wrong.” Casting her daughter a smile, Sumire strolled with her through the blooming courtyards, repaved and replanted for the season. Children ran by them as they went, laughing and playing in the warmth

In the glade he knelt before the pillar of stone. The leaves overhead dappled it in shadow so that it seemed paley to glow through the veil of dark that touched it. Mayhaps it did, he thought, lit from below by what embers of spirit yet clung to the ashes it housed. Or mayhaps he

As the snows began to thaw and the days began to lengthen, Sumire felt a lightness of spirit she’d forgotten she could feel. Life was not easy, but it was better than before. Though no longer living hand to mouth, money remained thin. With the constant need to re-invest in the family business, the amount

At dusk the children began to gather, trickling in from the streets by ones, twos and threes. They were of all ages, these homeless war orphans. Some of the older ones carried the littlest ones at their hips. Grubby, scrawny and leery-eyed, they slinked about like alley cats, ever cautious of their surroundings and those

The journey that had taken Sumire and her family many longs months to make through the wilderness they completed in less than a fortnight by traveling along the main roads. Still the snows raced ahead of them, blanketing the western countryside in such thick drifts that the scars of war were largely hidden. Yet Sumire

As the days grew short and the air grew chill, a spirit of grim restlessness descended over the residents of Shurei’s court. More than two years had passed since they’d made the journey east. The feat had been so arduous and costly that for the first year it was fair to say they’d had no

Sitting on the veranda of Shurei’s court, Sumire watched the children play as she smoked her slender pipe. It was a fine clear day, not too cool. In their game of tag, occasionally a child would dart up the steps from the yard and hide among the chatting women, who’d pretend not to notice. Bundled