Chapter 8Hisaka Tomi, Mother Priestess of the Lotus Flower Buddhist sect, looked up from the sputtering candle flame, aware that the young neophyte, Midori Sato, had awaited her attention for over an hour, sitting unobtrusively in the shadows of the temple.
She waits with the patience of one much younger, Hisaka thought, the neophyte's presence a mystery. The Mother Priestess often knew what a supplicant's request would be and when she might expect the request, long before being approached. The close confines of the Lotus Flower Monastery allowed her unspoken knowledge of her daughters. But not this neophyte.
Much about her was a mystery, Hisaka reminded herself. Midori's appearance five years ago at the temple door, begging for work and sanctuary. Her mechanical aptitude and ability to
