Free Yashakiden: The Demon Princess, Volume 2 by Hideyuki Kikuchi

was hanging on the wall. Two yards in, the floor became a descending flight of stone stairs.
    The blue-white light wavered across her face. “It’s been five hundred years,” she said to herself, praising the lamps that had been burning steadily all that time.
    She lifted the lamp off the wall and smoothly started down the stairs. Down she went. And further down. Down into the depths of the darkness. An eternal spiral to the bottom of the black.
    There was no telling how much time passed. It was just as likely that time did not exist here. Another iron door blocked her way. She opened it the same way she had the previous one and went inside.
    Another iron door. She opened it. And another. Every door was more than two inches thick. Solid metal. Whatever thing was confined deep in the bowels of the ship could not be contained by anything less.
    Passing through the final door, she was confronted by the figure of a person occupying a chair ten feet in front of her. They were in a room of sorts. A round table and black shelves sat in a wan, smoky light.
    There was nothing between them and her. But where she stood seemed to be a completely different place. The figure stood up. A man who yielded to Ryuuki nothing in terms of majesty and size.
    â€œIt has been a long time, Princess.”
    He spoke in crisp Chinese, though with a heavy rasp in his voice. His phraseology and accent identified him as a subject of the Song Dynasty.
    â€œI’m impressed. When it comes to learning the language of another country, and anything else for that matter, I always knew you to be a man without peer.”
    â€œI’ve had nothing else to do these past five hundred years but read books.”
    He approached her. But stopped after the first three feet. His feet continued to move. He should be getting nearer, but wasn’t taking up any more of her field of view. He reached out with both hands but couldn’t cross the space dividing them.
    He soon gave up and returned to his chair. The springs creaked.
    â€œWhat do you want?” Suppressed anger tinged his voice.
    â€œI came to let you out.”
    â€œWhat?”
    The woman smiled charmingly. “There is one provision, something you must do first. It turns out it was worth keeping you sealed up here for five hundred years.”
    â€œOh, and what happened to your eyes? And your hand—why is it covering your face? Someone exists who could do that to your fair skin? Killing him must be my job.”
    â€œExactly. No need prevaricating with you. So will you do it?”
    â€œI would kill my own mother to get out of this jail. Well, if I hadn’t killed her already, that is.”
    â€œYour opponent is very strong.” The sense of danger welled up in her voice. “You know Ryuuki, don’t you? The man who locked you up in here. He attacked twice and was twice repulsed.”
    The figure swayed. Silent laughter, the woman realized. “In any case, how do you wish him killed?”
    â€œThe method is up to you. As long as he ends up dead.”
    â€œLeave it to me. So will you open the doors?”
    â€œLater. Right now, Ryuuki is having another stab at it.”
    â€œA waste of time.” A terrible hostility lurked in the scornful laughter. He put on a placid front. “I see. He’s your baby, after all. Fine. If he falls under the heel of the enemy again, I’ll awaken the fiery passions within. But what reward should I expect as I set forth?”
    Saying nothing, she touched her gown with her right hand, in the center of her sternum. The fabric rent in two, sliding off her porcelain-like body and falling to her feet.
    Taking several steps forward, the invisible wall between them suddenly wasn’t there anymore. She settled her white body onto the man sitting in the chair, the smell of blood wafting up around them.
    â€œWhat a nice perfume. You’ve been soaking in your pool of blood?”
    â€œLike it?”