Something screeched in the mist and Suzume was yanked from her thoughts. The flames leaped to her skin in her defense and she reached for her staff as she scanned her surroundings. She expected some monster to leap out of the forest at any moment. But a lone bird flew past their heads. Suzume relaxed, as did all of the warriors around her.
Noaki, who stood to her left, was the only one who remained alert, scanning the forest.
"Do you sense something?" Suzume asked him.
Noaki didn't take his eyes off the impenetrable fog, as if he was seeing beyond what everyone else could see.
"We're being watched," he said.
Suzume swung her head around, as if eyes would materialize out of the mist, but she couldn't see anything.
At the head of the group Ryuu shouted, "Everyone keep close, we don't want to get separated."
"He'll already know we're here," Rin said. She'd taken her true kitsune form, and her flickering tails gave them dim light in the fog and darkness of the forest.
Hikaru was gripping his bow and arrow tightly and his eyes were illuminated green in the dim light.
Suzume drew her staff and crept along after the others. She jumped at the slightest sound. Tsuki stepped on a twig and she leaped into the air, swinging her staff, and would have knocked Noaki upside the head if he didn't have quick reflexes. He caught the staff before it could strike him, and gave Suzume a look that said, ‘calm down.’
She tried deep breathing to calm her nerves, but this place was like a twisted maze of trees and fog. A white blur zoomed past, and Suzume saw only a flash of it from the corner of her eye. On closer inspection there was nothing but a fallen tree, thick with moss. I'm starting to see things.
As they went deeper, all light ceased to break through the trees and though it should have been early morning, the forest was dark as night. There was a definite chill in the air. That's when she heard a howl in the distance. Everyone drew their weapons and they moved into a circle, waiting for an attack.
"Hold," Ryuu said, putting up his hands. He scanned the forest.
There was no sound, just wind blowing through the trees and the faint echo of their breathing. Then very faintly at first, Suzume felt it, a rumbling just beneath her feet. She looked around to see if anyone else had felt it and that's when the massive beast burst from the nearby forest. It was twice the height of Rin in her true form. Suzume stared at the boar that was both animal and something made of foliage. Its thick hide was covered in moss, and its eyes were hollow like a skeleton's. Its tusks were the entire length of Suzume's body and were hung with vines.
"Run!" Ryuu shouted.
Everyone scattered. Suzume did not even bother to try and stand up to such a horrifying monster. She ran heedlessly through the forest. As she ran branches reached out, grabbing a hold of her clothes, tearing into her. Suzume felt the flames rising up in response to her fear, illuminating her and making her the perfect target for the beast. It turned and its thundering footsteps followed after her.
A root jumped up out of nowhere and caught her foot. She tripped and collided with the ground, landing hard on her right arm. She rolled a few feet before coming to a stop. When she did, she grasped her arm. Pain bloomed from her shoulder, shooting down to her elbow. It might be broken. There wasn't much time to assess the damage because the creature was closing in now, but her staff had been knocked out of her hand. She struggled to get to her feet, unable to put weight on her arm. She fell back onto her back.
The tusks were inches away from impaling her when she held up her hand and shot a fiery blast toward the creature. The flames caught on the moss, which covered its entire hide, and began spreading fast. The creature had reacted just a moment too late and began thrashing around in the forest—bucking and smashing into trees, trying to put out the flames.
Suzume rolled out of the way of its crashing feet, found her staff, and kept on running in the opposite direction away from the monster. Her injured arm dangled at her side. She kept on running until she was certain she'd gotten far enough away—where it could not find her again. Only then did she stop to catch her breath, by leaning against a tree. Her shoulder was throbbing painfully and she could not quite raise it up. I definitely broke it.
Behind her a branch snapped. Suzume turned to see where the sound was coming from. She thought she saw that white shadow again. Unthinking, she reached for her weapon but pain shot up her arm as she tried to raise it. After a few tense moments, nothing came out of the mist to kill her, but that didn't change the fact that she was in the middle of the spooky forest, surrounded by trees, with no way of knowing from which way she had come. Just great. She chose a direction at random and started walking. She figured eventually she'd stumble into someone or figure out where she was going.
She had only gone a few feet when a giant white wolf stepped out of the shadows and in front of her. His fur was pristine as fallen snow and he was twice her height. Suzume stared up at it as it bared pointed teeth.
Suzume channeled her fire, thinking the flames would deter the creature that was slowly creeping closer to her with every second. But the animal seemed unafraid of the flames. Even a yokai should have feared the holy flame, or at least she would have hoped. It couldn't know she wouldn't use the full extent of her power for fear of losing control again.
"Stay back," she said, waving her flaming hands at the creature.
"You shouldn't be here," he said.
"I'm warning you."
The wolf lunged for her and Suzume stumbled out of the way. She tripped over a nearby branch and went falling to the ground, rolling over just as the wolf pinned her in place.
"Humans are not allowed in the guardian's forest. Get out of here before it's too late."
It was a risk but Suzume tried something. "I'm here to see the guardian."
"You're a fool to even tempt him. Leave before it's too late." He stepped off her and backed away.
She climbed to her feet the best she could with an apparently broken arm. And the two of them faced off. The giant white wolf was blocking the way, but even if she hadn't broken her arm, she didn't think she'd be any match against this wolf. That massive boar had been just dumb luck. Well, maybe not so lucky since she broke her arm for her trouble.
"Go!" he roared, his voice echoing over her. Suzume almost stumbled backward, but before she could fall over she was caught from behind.
She turned around to see Noaki holding onto her.
"Bring her to Akio. I think he'll want to see her," Noaki said, his voice even.
"That's exactly why I'm not bringing her there," the wolf said.
"This is outside of your control."
"You're free of him. You don't have to serve him anymore."
Noaki made no comment and only stared at the wolf. Suzume's head swiveled between the two of them. "Anyone care to explain what's going on here?"
The wolf transformed from the white wolf to a more human visage. It was the same yokai who had attacked the night before. His shaggy, brown hair was tied at the nape of his neck and his kosode was open to reveal a tanned chest, leading down to a wolf pelt tied around his waist.
"Like what you see?" he said with a wolfish grin at Suzume after catching her assessing him.
Suzume scoffed. "Hardly."
The wolf laughed, but sobered quickly. "Are you sure about this, Noaki?"
The legendary swordsman nodded his head. "She made me promise."
The wolf sighed heavily and then ran his hands through his hair before turning around. "Come. I will bring you to Akio."
Suzume hesitated to follow the wolf. "What's going on? You know him."
"We used to serve the same master."
"You mean he served Kazue too?" Were there any yokai she hadn't enslaved?
"No, we both served Akio, the forest guardian, until she bought me from him."
"She bought you?"
But Noaki was no longer in the mood for sharing and he silently followed the wolf, forcing Su
zume to join or be left behind. They took a winding pathway through the forest. Both of them seemed to know the way and Suzume struggled to keep up with them. After a few minutes they reached a large bridge over a canyon, and beyond she could see high walls of a palace. She had not expected the place to be so large.
"This is it?"
"What were you expecting?"
"I thought guardians of the forest lived more naturally..." In truth she didn't know anything about forest guardians, but this one lived in a palace, just like the kami had. Was he some sort of kami? Her grandfather spoke of him like he was a god.
"Akio is not like other forest guardians," the wolf replied.
He led the way across the bridge, on which Suzume resisted the urge to peer over the side. From the way their footsteps echoed, it was a long way down. They entered a courtyard with a massive tree, the roots of it weaving into the gaps between cobblestones.
At the top of the stairs leading out of the courtyard, a pair of servants with the heads of deer were waiting.
"Prepare the lady to meet with Akio," the wolf barked.
As the maids came closer to her, Suzume felt her defenses flare. There was something about this place that put her on edge. The sooner she could talk to the guardian and get out of here the better. When the maids reached for her, she knocked their hands away. "I'm not here to waste time. Take me to this guardian."
"He will not see you unless you are properly attired," the okami said.
He glanced down at her muddy clothes. Suzume flushed, embarrassed by her disheveled appearance.
"What's wrong with my clothes?"
The wolf only raised an eyebrow without comment.
The servants gestured for her to follow, and Suzume sighed before letting them lead her down a series of twisting hallways. Noaki stayed close to her, but it was only a small comfort. She was starting to question whether she made the right decision coming here. Once Suzume peeked behind her, trying to get her bearings on where they were in case she needed to escape, only to find the hallways had changed entirely.
"The palace shifts all the time," Noaki said.
Suzume felt a chill down her spine. What had she gotten herself into?
She was brought to a room that rivaled what she had at the White Palace. There servants dressed and changed her into a kimono with a pattern of sakura blossoms. The servants bowed and left her and Noaki alone. When they were alone she turned on him, pointing her finger.
"You have some explaining to do."
The legendary swordsman was leaning against the wall, staring at the garden beyond her room. A tree grew in the center of the garden with giant white blossoms which floated gently on the breeze before landing on the ground.
"I was given to Akio as punishment for betraying my creator," he said, not facing her. His voice was even and without emotion. "And then Kazue made a deal with Akio. She traded the dragon for me." He turned to face her. His gaze was direct, without conflict. He merely stated the facts.
"Kazue sealed Kaito to protect her child." Suzume felt compelled to defend her, perhaps because a part of her was Kazue.
"That is what she told you. Kazue wanted power. By the time she sealed the dragon, she had already started amassing more power than any human before her. She wanted to be equal in power to the dragon. And it made her enemies, so she needed me. But to get me, she had to pay the price."
Suzume's hands trembled and she started pacing the floor to quell her restlessness. "Then why did you want me to come here?"
"Because you have to make the same deal."
Suzume rounded on Noaki suddenly. "What?"
"You have to destroy the dragon."
33
Suzume stared at the legendary swordsman. It felt as if her entire body had turned to ice. Kill Kaito? That just wasn't possible, even if she was strong enough. She never wanted to see him again, sure, but she didn't want him dead either. She shook herself. She couldn't even consider it. Noaki was watching her with a slight smirk on his normally expressionless face. And then it hit her.
"You're not Noaki."
The corners of his lips turned upward in a maniac’s smile. How had she not seen it straight away? Noaki was sworn to protect her. He would never have lured her into this sort of trap. It could only be one person.
"You're losing your touch, Suzume," Hisato said as he revealed himself, transforming into the form she was most familiar with.
Suzume backed up and reached for her staff with her broken arm. Shooting pain traveled up and down her arm and it fell uselessly at her side. Even under normal circumstances she was no match against Hisato, but in this condition she was practically helpless. Hisato stalked closer to her and Suzume backed away, never letting her eyes leave his face.
"I haven't lost my touch, you're just getting sloppier. I knew it was you the entire time," she lied.
Hisato threw his head back and laughed, his voice echoing off the ceiling and even inside her head. His lips didn't move, but she could feel his words slithering around inside her.
You cannot lie to me, Suzume. I know you too well.
Knowing he was inside her head and in front of her, Suzume panicked and ran for the door. But before she could even reach it, he cut her off, smiling in that insane disjointed way of his. Fire bloomed along her fingertips and she lifted it up to shield herself. Maybe if she could burn him enough to disable him for a little while, she could escape.
But before the flames even came to life they were extinguished and Suzume was frozen in place. She couldn't even move her fingers.
"Each time you use your power, I get stronger. Just as it did in Kazue." He reached out, cupping her face in his hand. "But you knew that, didn't you? The darkness calls to you, just as it did Kazue."
Never!
"What I said before, it was the truth. Kazue betrayed the dragon to his greatest enemy in exchange for Noaki. She will pretend she wants you to destroy me but in reality, she wants to consume you. If I am gone she can be reborn truly immortal.
And you want the same, Suzume thought, as she mentally struggled against whatever spell Hisato had put her under.
"I can see it in your eyes. You think I am no different than Kazue, that I will absorb you to make myself stronger. But that is not true. I merely want to give you the life you deserve." He pushed her hair behind her ear in a mockery of a loving gesture. There was nothing about Hisato that was affectionate. Everything he did was calculated to make her believe his poisonous lies.
He dipped down as if to press his lips against her, but it was then that the flame inside her sparked and burst out, burning both her and Hisato's face. He reeled backward and clutched at his burned lips.
To her surprise Suzume found her voice and she could move again. She leaped backward away from him. "You can spin all the stories you like, but I know you for what you are—you're a murderer." She jabbed her pointer finger in his direction.
"Quite the opposite, actually. I am giving back what Kazue took." Already the burned flesh on his lip was healing.
Suzume laughed mockingly. This was just more of his tricks. Despite her show of confidence, inside she was terrified.
"I knew you would not believe me. That's why I brought you here, so you could see what I've been working on." Hisato turned to walk toward the door, and she found her feet forced to follow. Whatever escape she'd made from his hold on her had been temporary. Maybe he'd only allowed her momentary freedom so she'd feel like she had a choice.
Hisato led her down the twisted corridors of the palace. Despite the ever-changing nature of the path and the confusing, curving hallways, he moved about with ease as if he'd spent his entire life here. Suzume once again tried to memorize their route, still planning an escape. It was an exercise in futility. She was going to have to play along with Hisato's games for now. They stopped in front of a pair of double doors where two yokai stood guard.
When Hisato approached the yokai bowed and allowed them to enter. The room beyond was enorm
ous, rivaling the size of the emperor's throne room. Columns lined the edges of the space and inside were hundreds of yokai, most of them strange mixtures of humans and animals. There was a man with the body of a boar wearing human clothes. While a woman with a deer's head and a woman's body carried a tray. There were all manner of forest animals, foxes, raccoons, all in human clothes and standing upright. But towering over the heads of a few of them were monstrous oni—the same dumb, brutish creatures she'd fought before. They watched her with hungry eyes as she followed Hisato to the front.
At the far end of the room was a massive boar. His bulk consumed the space. Beautiful women yokai held up platters of food from which he ate greedily, spilling crumbs on the heads of his servants, who barely came up to his middle. He wore hakama and hoari, vaguely in the court style, but even with human clothing it did not disguise his pig-like face or the hoof-like hands. He drank heavily from a bowl and liquid dribbled over his snout and down his neck, staining the collar of his hoari. Had Suzume the ability, she would have crinkled her nose at the sight of him.
As they approached the throne, Hisato bowed deeply to the creature and Suzume, like a puppet controlled by Hisato, did the same.
The creature dropped a giant thigh bone picked clean of meat onto a platter held by one of the nearby servants and then turned his beady black eyes on Suzume.
"You are her, then." The creature scanned her up and down. "Not much to look at. I would say I was cheated in my trade."
Not much? If I had control, I'd burn him to a crisp right here. As if the flames were summoned by her thoughts, her fingers sparked faintly but unlike the last time her power had taken over, she did not regain control over her body. Hisato's hold on her was too strong.
"Her appearance can be deceiving," Hisato said.
The boar sniffed. "She has the look of that woman."
"Kazue?" Hisato asked with a sidelong glance at Suzume. That was for her benefit, she could tell. Hisato already knew everything.
The Song of the Wind Page 23