Haku heard the door open but did not open his eyes. It took effort to even think about opening his eyes. He had worn the cursed collar that sapped his magical strength for nearly four days. He had given up trying to pull it off when he had scratched his neck so much with his fingernails that the blood made it too slippery to hold. It was actually melded to his skin. He could not remove it himself; not without his power and that was still maddeningly sealed away from him.

That was bad enough, but his power was being constantly drained away. It was only a minuscule amount every thirty minutes or so. He understood why so little was taken at a time, there was no point draining him dry, he would take days to recover before he could be tapped again. The collar only took what he could replace, that way his power was never completely exhausted. But even then, it still hurt him every time power was extracted from him. It would hit him like a blow to the stomach making him queasy and disorientated.

Haku wondered exactly how Kenshin was using the power he provided. He felt a bit like a cow or goat, milked for a useful substance. It particularly hurt his pride to think of himself that way, especially as he had eaten plenty such animals that strayed too close to his river in the past. Now he felt almost sympathetic towards them, though that did not take away from the fact that they tasted good.

"If I stay here much longer I'm going to become a vegetarian," he muttered to himself.

"What?" snapped a very familiar voice. Despite his tiredness, Haku's eyes flew open.

Yubaba stood in his cell. He stared at her for a long moment, not quite believing that the old witch was back. He had not seen her since almost savaging her hand. He looked at the plate-sized eyes, wrinkled face and grey hair cinched back into a bun on top of her head. Yubaba; the builder and former owner of one of the largest spirit replenishment facilities in the spirit world. The nastier of the cursed witch sisters. She was underhanded, greedy, uncaring and selfish. However, in an odd way, he was glad to see her. She was a face he knew, even if she was one he now hated. He sighed, shrugged and closed his eyes. He was too tired to even care why she was there.

"Kenshin has finally broken you, I see," spat the witch. "I expected you to last longer."

Haku opened one eye and gave her a flat look.

"I am weakened, but far from broken," he said softly. "Release me and I will show you by tearing your throat out." The witch huffed at him.

"You would not be here if you had not tried to take my bathhouse from me!" she cried. "This is all your own fault!"

Haku closed his eye again and curled up on the sandy floor.

"You keep telling yourself that, witch," he sighed. "Maybe you'll be able to convince yourself it's the truth in a few months time."

"The Rift Guardians had no right to interfere in my business!" the witch half howled. "You should not have listened to them. No one had a right to intervene!"

"Your bathhouse is a vital public service," yawned Haku sleepily. "What you failed to realise is that you maintained it for the spirits who use it. It was never supposed to be a way for you to amass a vast personal fortune. That was not why you and Zeniba built it."

"You know nothing," hissed the witch.

"Probably," murmured Haku. "What I do know, however, is that you would have been bankrupt by now if I had not stepped in. The fact that you have any fortune at all is my doing; you should be thanking me."

The witch made no reply, but Haku could hear her teeth grinding in frustration. He grinned and pulled his knees closer to his face. He was too tired for this conversation. Too much had happened to him recently. Kenshin's words had shaken his faith. The lord and lady had been prominent residents of the spirit world for as long as he could remember. They had ruled a large domain in the south. They had to fend off attacks from smaller nations, greedy of their success and their enemies had usually been mercilessly crushed. But they had been wise and just rulers to those spirits that lived in their realm, which was why they had been asked to guard the rift.

He had not really been aware of much at the time of the splitting of worlds; he had been an uncaring bonded spirit. All he cared about was the seasons and the life within the water. He was ignoring the humans and their numbers after he had killed that child. The spirit world had been distancing itself from humankind anyway; creating two parallel worlds seemed like a natural progression. But after what Kenshin had said, Haku was beginning to wonder if the spirit world was too quick to judge humankind. He was an example of how the entire world had behaved. Humans had first been welcomed, helped out of pity. These intelligent creatures fighting for survival and scratching a living from the land with no magic to aid them had touched the hearts of many spirits. But many of those benevolent spirits had either been taken advantage of or been harmed in some other way. Thus the spirits had fled from humankind and made a safe haven for themselves.

But Haku was now in a unique position. He had been shown that humans could be good and kind creatures and now he was mated to a human, he knew her innermost thoughts. While her understanding of his true nature was limited she did her best to comprehend him. She loved him even though she would never fully understand him. If she could trust him that much and not fear what she did not understand then surely other humans could too. Perhaps they had all underestimated them. But it was too late now; humankind was beyond their influence, the majority of them did not even believe that the ground they walked on was aware of their every step. If they were, they would surely tread upon it more gently.

Haku did not think ill of the old ones; they were protecting spirit kind no matter what Kenshin said. He was after all surrogate uncle to their child, he knew them to be good and kind spirits. But he also knew they were ruthless with those who crossed them. Yubaba was only one example of many. Now they were using his mate; he was not sure if he could forgive them for that, no matter how good the cause. He was not sure of the exact nature of the prophecy but he was sure that Chihiro's purpose was to stop the worlds from reuniting. It was a heavy task and almost certain to fail, no matter how much help she had. It worried him greatly but there was nothing he could do from inside his cell; he had to trust her not to die. Her Tac' Tal was full of protective magic and the fact she was his mate gave her the ability to command a small amount of his power just through the connection between them. It was not much but it eased his mind slightly that she was not defenceless.

What also weighed on his mind was what would happen if she did fail. If the worlds were made one as Kenshin planned, then what would happen to the billions of humans who would be plunged into a world they knew nothing of? Haku knew what the sallow-hale could do. There was no way all the humans with no magical blood could be adapted to its effects. The sallow-hale was basically an allergic reaction to magic; a reaction that was so strong it was deadly. If Kenshin was seeing the death of billions of humans as acceptable, then Haku could truly feel no sympathy with his cause, no matter how just it may at first appear. If that number of humans died it would poison the land and water, many bonded spirits would weaken and may even perish. That was also unacceptable. Besides, Haku thought the old ones were doing the best job they knew how to do. There was no one else more capable.

"Err..." said Yubaba's cracked voice. "Are you asleep?"

"Yes," groaned the dragon. "You will get no sport out of me today, Yubaba. Now let me be."

The witch grunted and closed the door, but she had shut herself in the cell.

"I am here in a professional capacity," said the witch pompously. "I have been asked to maintain your strength and therefore health. We can't draw power off you if you are unhealthy and not replenishing the power taken from you."

Haku gave a sleepy chuckle. "I prefer the shadow spirits," he grumbled.

"Kenshin felt that I would better take care of your needs. As much as I dislike you, I agree with him," muttered Yubaba. "The shadow spirits are different from the average spirit. They will not notice if you sicken."

"Kenshin has a sense of humour, I see," murmured Haku. "I have no idea how he has got those creatures to work for him, I've never known them to associate outside their own kind," he added in a more serious tone.

Yubaba shuffled around the cell. He could hear banging noises and water pouring but he did not open his eyes.

"They owe him a debt," replied the witch. "He was captured by them once. It was luck more than might and he could easily have escaped. However, when he saw the conditions they lived in, he was moved to help them. They feared the day; they were completely nocturnal and dependent upon their weasel spirit overlord to feed them." A dish clattered and she muttered a curse before continuing.

"As you know, if they don't eat they can't maintain their form and they evaporate; that is why so many restaurants have sprung up around the bathhouse."

Haku nodded. He knew this well, they had been good customers.

"They fought for this spirit in exchange for food," sighed Yubaba. "An entire race of spirits enslaved. Kenshin cast a spell over all of them, changing their essence to endure the daylight. He exhausted himself doing it, but it freed them from their overlord. They nursed him for ten years as he recovered and in that time he taught them how to farm, just like humans do, so they would never be dependent on anyone for food again. Their weakness became their strength. They trade their produce all over the spirit world and though they prefer the night they can, and do, move around during the day. When Kenshin left them they pledged their lives to him and have worshipped him as a benevolent god ever since. When he imposed a hibernation trance on himself they guarded the underground cavern where he slept."

The witch cackled to herself. "It took me two weeks of negotiation with them before they would allow me to wake him to speak to him."

A memory flashed in Haku's tired mind. He was walking to the temple of the Lord and Lady, through the street of a thousand temples in the town of the clock tower. Chihiro was just to his left and they were walking up the street with a large amount of the bathhouse staff. His mind was primarily on her bonding. She had to be bonded; he loved her too much to let her go. But in-between the worry and his racing heart and ignoring the temple to his own kind, he really hated the adulation he got just for being a dragon. It made him feel uncomfortable, even now... He remembered the black obelisk the shadow spirits prayed and made offerings to...

"It was they who gave him the name "The Night Wind," he is their deity, they recognise no other," continued Yubaba. "They offered to help him with his plan after he woke; he did not even ask them."

Haku grunted; another old mystery solved. The shadow spirits had been moving around in the daylight since before humans evolved. It was worrying that Kenshin had an entire race of devout followers. No wonder there were so many shadow spirits among those who had attacked the bathhouse. He should have seen the warning signs; the shadow spirits had stopped attending the bathhouse not long after his mating. They must have been rallying for months.

"When I get out of this I am putting together my own spy network," he thought ruefully. "I will never be surprised like this again."

There was the clinking of pottery and a strong smell of herbs. Haku wondered what Yubaba was up to but he could not trouble himself to move. Just then the collar took another bite out of his power. He whimpered and shuddered, though it shamed him to show such weakness before his enemy. He opened his eyes and glared at the witch. To his surprise, she was looking at him flatly, with no triumph in her eyes. As he continued to look as his stomach cramped, he saw something that made his blood boil. Sympathy; she felt sorry for him.

Haku rolled to his hands and knees, chains rattling, tiredness temporally forgotten.

"Don't you dare pity me, hag!" he roared. "This is all your own doing; your avarice caused all of this. The blood of those who died defending the bathhouse is on your hands!"

She flinched back from him, eyes hardening.

"Tell me," he growled, teeth bared. "Are the rotting corpses of your former staff acceptable as long as you gain your bathhouse back?"

"Silence," she hissed. "I had no idea Kenshin planned to attack that way. I thought he would besiege you... make you surrender. He used the battle as a decoy so I could steal my sister's seal," she ranted back, but Haku could see from her frown that she was less than happy about her slain staff.

"He hoped to lay hands on Chihiro also," she said tiredly. "He knew of the prophecy months ago and wanted to stop her from opposing him before he even put his plan into action. But she was still in the other world; we had not thought you would sacrifice so much energy to keep her there. We wanted to weaken you to get her, but you kept her in the other world. We underestimated your commitment to her."

Haku's arms would not support him and he collapsed, rolling onto his side panting. He moistened his lips. He was thirsty again but was too tired to reach for the water on the table at the other end of the cell.

"You didn't think I would keep her there because you have never loved anything more than your own life..." he gasped. "I would sacrifice myself ten times over if it meant my mate was safe."

"You're an idealistic fool," snapped the witch. "It's a wonder you have survived this long with such a small self-preservation instinct." There was more clinking of crockery.

"If you had not wasted all your resources on her you may have been in a better condition to fight," she murmured absently. "Less of my staff would have died and you would not have been captured."

"Better to have me here than her," he gasped. "I would do the same again; the only one who can oppose you is still free."

"She could be killed," said Yubaba softly.

"I know," he whispered. "And if she dies it will kill me."

"Don't be so dramatic!" snapped the witch. "You are a dragon; you would bear her loss and carry on. She is just a human, no matter how fond of her you are."

Haku shook his head; the witch would never understand.

"Now sit up," demanded the witch. "I have some medicine to make you feel a bit stronger and then you will eat a proper meal and drink a good quantity of water."

Haku swore violently at the witch, and refused to move.

"Get up or I will lift you up myself," she threatened.

"You come near me I really will take your fingers off this time," he growled. Yubaba sighed.

"Stubborn," she grunted. "You're not fooling me; you can't even keep your eyes open."

Hands grabbed him by the front of his new homespun kasode, another way Kenshin was trying to improve his conditions and thus his viability as an extra source of power. The fabric itched a little, especially as it was yanked over his shoulders while Yubaba pulled him upright. He growled and snapped at her half-heartedly. But they both knew his energy was spent.

She propped him up against the cool, rough-hewn stone blocks that made up the wall at the back of his cell. She stood up, panting.

"You're heavy," she gasped.

"You're old," growled Haku by way of a reply.

The witch said nothing. Suddenly she bent down to him and a bowl containing a pungent-smelling watery herbal infusion was shoved before his nose. He winced at the smell.

"Drink it," she commanded.

"I don't think so," he snorted, trying to get the offensive smell from his nostrils.

"Drink it," she repeated, "Or I will open your mouth and pour it down your gullet."

He stayed tight-lipped; the contents of the bowl smelt like a combination of cat urine and compost. He was not drinking it, no matter how good it was for him.

His eyes nearly popped out of his head when the witch grabbed his nose. The gnarled fingers pinched his nostrils together firmly, not allowing him to breathe. Normally that would not be a problem for him; he could hold his breath for well over thirty minutes in this form, being a water spirit. But he was weak; he did not have the stamina to hold his breath for long. He managed five minutes before his lungs began to burn in protest. His eyes watered and he bit his lip.

"Stop being so obstinate and drink the stuff," sighed Yubaba tiredly. "It's the best gold can buy."

Haku could not hold on any longer, he slightly parted his lips to take a quick breath in. Yubaba was too fast for him. The bowl was shoved between his lips and the liquid was poured down his throat. He choked and wheezed as he inhaled more than he drank.

"Next time drink something when I tell you to," snapped the witch, wiping his face roughly with her sleeve to mop up what had dribbled down his chin and neck. "If I have to look after you then you are going to do as you are told."

"No, I'm not; I hate you," gasped Haku between coughs. The stuff tasted worse than it smelt.

"You want to escape don't you?" said the witch suddenly Haku's coughing ceased and he stared at the witch as if she had gone stark raving mad. His eyes narrowed suspiciously; what was she up to?

"If you want to escape you have to be in the best condition possible to take advantage of an opportunity," declared the witch, standing up. "Do as you are told and conserve your strength, Kohaku," she said, waggling a bent finger at him. "You won't be able to aid your mate if you fight against us every step of the way."

Haku knew she was telling him this to make him behave for her, but she was right. He was seeking a way to escape and he had to be in good condition to do that. Besides, the noxious concoction she had force fed him appeared to have settled his stomach and he certainly felt less tired.

"It's a powerful stimulant," said the witch, seeing the amazement on his face. "It will counteract the physical effects of the loss of your power."

Haku nodded, feeling better than he had in weeks. He was almost grateful to the old witch. She presented him with a bottle of fresh spring water and five large carp on a silver platter.

"Now eat it all, and drink plenty. I will not have you dehydrating," ordered the old witch.

Haku looked at the gleaming fish and felt his stomach rumble.

"Thank you," he murmured, surprised how easily the words rolled off his tongue.

He looked up at the witch; she appeared to be astonished. Her eyebrows had shot up and her huge eyes were even larger than they normally were. She opened her mouth twice before any sound came out.

"You're...You're welcome, Haku," she stammered.

Phew, sorry for the delay in getting this out but I've been preoccupied with my book launch. Snowblind hit online bookstores worldwide yesterday, physical copies are in production (covid slowed this down) and I am in talks with voice actors for an audiobook version!

Phew! 

This writing thing takes up a lot of time. If you want to see what I am working on head over to www.annavelfman.com