by Sarah Ash
A russet streak of flying fur erupted from the bushes and shot straight toward Sakami. Kai seized his stick, raising it, ready to strike.
“No!” she cried, spreading her arms wide to protect the creature. “It’s a friend.”
“A friend?” Kai found himself staring at a young fox, lean and lithe, its white teeth exposed in a menacing snarl.
“Honou,” said Sakami sharply, “what’s the matter?”
The fox’s form glowed and writhed before Kai’s astonished eyes; out of a shimmer of fiery light a young man appeared, with a wild head of flame-red hair.
“Strangers coming this way,” he said in a hoarse voice that was no longer a boy’s but not yet a man’s. “Hide.”
“Could it be the Kites?” Sakami turned to Kai and he glimpsed a brief flash of fear in her brown eyes. And in that moment he felt an overwhelming desire to protect her, no matter what the cost. Before he could stammer out any words of reassurance, she picked up the medicine chest.
“Follow me.” She set off toward the far end of the overgrown street. Kai did his best to keep up, with the fox-boy hovering fretfully behind, sniffing the air.
Sakami suddenly darted to the left of the track and ducked behind a clump of bushes. As Kai followed, he saw her crawling into a concealed opening in the rocks, dragging the backpack in after her.
“A cave?” Kai could feel a breath of cool, dank air emanating from the aperture in the stones. He knelt down, and laboriously edged his body in through the hole.
“This is where Shun and I hid that night.” Her voice, though hushed, echoed in the darkness. “It was easier to get in when we were children.”
From Kai’s vantage point, he could just make out two figures coming their way, walking slowly along the track, constantly looking around.
“They look like yamabushi,” he said softly. “But that could just be a disguise.”
“I’ll distract them,” said Honou, his amber eyes glinting. “I’ll lead them away.”
“Get in here straight away and lie low,” hissed Sakami.
Honou gave a sigh but obeyed, wriggling his lithe, warm body in between her and Kai.
The two monks were now so close that Kai could make out what they were saying to one another.
“Don’t drop your guard for a moment,” said one. “Black Crane shinobi could be hiding out anywhere up here. If they were skilful enough to kill Hideaki and Taro, they could easily take us out.”
“But what shinobi could tear out a man’s throat?” Kai heard the other shudder. “It looked as if they’d been savaged by a wild beast.”
Kai sensed Sakami flinch. Was she afraid that this wild beast might attack them too? Surely they were in far more danger from these strangers than from any marauding mountain cat or wolf?
“I’ve heard that their shinobi use a technique called Dancing Crane.”
“Na. Isn’t Dancing Crane hurling fistfuls of little blades? Blades like wing feathers? Taro’s wounds were too jagged to have been inflicted by man-made weapons.”
One stopped to unroll what looked like a map. “So where’s Kinkiyo’s cave, then? I can’t get my bearings.”
Kai heard Sakami draw in a short, sharp breath. What cursed luck had brought these ‘monks’ to search for the very place they had chosen to hide in? He had nothing to defend them with, except for his scalpel, which was wrapped in cloth in the medicine chest. And he had noticed that the taller of the two, a broad-shouldered, muscular young man, had a knife in his belt.
“There’s nothing left from when Master Kinkiyo first came here but the ruins of the Inari shrine we passed further back.”
“Bats come out at dusk, don’t they? All we have to do is wait for sunset and watch the sky.”
Bats? Kai’s eyes met Sakami’s over Honou’s quivering head. Why bats? He mouthed, mystified. She shook her head.
“This can’t be the right place.” The shorter monk rolled up the map again and stuck it in his sleeve. “Let’s move on.”
As the voices died away, Kai realized that he had been holding his breath. “Are they gone?” He was ashamed to hear that his voice shook.
“Hideaki,” said Sakami slowly, “and Taro.” She gave an uneasy little laugh. “Such ordinary names.” She rubbed her arms, as if the dank air in the cave had given her gooseflesh. “Better suited to farmers or fishermen. Not enemy shinobi…”
Now Kai understood. “They were the ones who attacked you.”
She nodded. “If it hadn’t been for Lady Inari, I’d be dead – and you’d never have received your mother’s message.”
He looked at her with new respect, wondering what terrifying ordeal the Kites had put her through. “You killed them?”
She pulled a wry face. “Do I look as if I’m capable of that? No; Lady Inari put an enchantment on one and Honou fought off the other one.”
“Your little fox familiar?”
“Who’re you calling little?” Honou’s eyes flashed menacingly in the gloom.
Kai was having difficulty accepting that this cocky, aggressive boy was a kitsune, a fox spirit. But he was determined to try to win his trust. “Thank you for warning us in good time, Honou.”
“Huh!” Honou folded his arms across his chest. “Don’t think I did this for you. It was all for Sakami. I have orders from my mistress to protect her. But you? You stink of the sea.”
“Honou!” Sakami sounded shocked at his insolence. “Apologize to Lord Kaito at once.”
Honou said nothing, his stiff stance radiating hostility.
“I stink of the sea?” Kai repeated slowly, not understanding.
“You reek of Tide Dragon. I can tell.” If Honou had been in his original fox form, Kai reckoned that his fur would be bristling.
“It’s true that I come from the Tide Dragon temple.”
Honou flashed him a furious glance. “The dragons of the sea don’t care about the land or its creatures. If it weren’t for my lady Inari they would have drowned us all, and – ”
“That’s enough, Honou!” Sakami wagged one finger at him severely. “And don’t go picking quarrels with the Kites. Just reconnoiter. Leave the fighting to the warriors.”
Honou scowled. “I have to get stronger. And to get stronger I have to fight.”
“We’ll need your help tomorrow. We’ll need you to scout ahead to check that the path down to the castle is safe.”
“You can count on me! And I’ll keep guard tonight.” For a moment Honou’s sullen attitude melted away and Kai heard a much younger voice beneath, desperately eager to please.
“Thank you.” Sakami smiled at him and Honou’s body suddenly dwindled, changing back into his vulpine form. “Good boy.” She leaned forward and stroked his russet head. Kai watched in silent amazement as the fox allowed himself to be petted. Absently he stretched out one hand to touch the sleek coat – but Honou, as if sensing his intention, half-turned and fixed him with his challenging amber stare. Kai hastily let his hand drop.
So that’s how it is. He sees me as a rival. He still had difficulty in believing that the dog fox curled up so obediently beside Sakami was one and the same as the surly young man. And he found himself looking at Sakami differently too. So she was protected by Lady Inari? There’s so much more to you, Sakami, than I would ever have guessed.
***
That night they slept close to Inari’s shrine. As Kai lay in the warm darkness of the mountain summer’s night, he became aware of the rich, dry smell of the earth. The crushed grasses beneath him exuded a scent too, redolent of healing herbs and nourishing grains.
Is it your influence, Lady Inari? Is it because we’re sleeping on sacred ground?
Sakami murmured a little and turned over in her sleep, flinging out one arm. It seemed to him that her body also exuded a faint, sweet scent, like meadow flowers. It stirred a confusion of unfamiliar feelings in him, so strong that it was all he could do not to stretch out his hand to touch her. He raised himself on one elbow to gaze at her
sleeping face.
What are you dreaming about, Sakami?
A soft growl interrupted him; Honou had crept out silently to guard her.
Kai sighed and lay down again.
Chapter 17
“Is this even the right mountain?” Saburo swallowed a mouthful of water from his gourd. “There’re no bats – or caves – around here.”
Masao nodded, wearily swatting away a mosquito as he sat down beside the armorer on a mossy boulder. The soles of his feet burned with walking over stony ground for so long. The sun was sinking toward the western horizon, but the cicadas still whirred noisily in the pine branches overhead. “Lord Toshiro won’t be pleased.”
“If there’s no saltpeter to be found, then the iron dragon won’t roar again.”
Masao scratched the back of his neck, secretly glad to hear Saburo say those words. If that were the case, Lord Toshiro might even grudgingly allow him back into the shinobi squad.
“If I were a superstitious man, I’d say that the mountain doesn’t want to give up its secrets. We should have left an offering at the Inari shrine.” Saburo shook his gourd but only a few drops came out. “And now I’m out of water.”
“Let’s find a stream.” Masao rose, stretching. “I can hear a waterfall nearby.” They had climbed so high that they must be near the summit, he reckoned, close to the source of the many little rivulets that ran down to the bay. As the distant whisper of running water grew louder, Masao pressed on, curious to discover the source, Saburo following.
“It’s getting misty up ahead,” Masao said, puzzled. The atmosphere felt damp and close and he detected a distinctly medicinal tang in the air. As the pungent mineral smell grew so strong that he could almost taste it, he let out a whistle of surprise. Hidden by rocks and vegetation lay a natural pool of greenish-brown water that bubbled invitingly beneath its white coverlet of steam.
“Who’d have thought it?” Masao found himself smiling at the discovery. “The Cranes have their own private hot springs hidden away up here.”
“And hot springs can mean rich mineral deposits,” said Saburo, catching up to him. “See the stains on the stones around the edge? I think we’ve struck gold, Masao.”
“You think we’ll find saltpeter up here?” Masao’s hopes were dashed once more.
Saburo sniffed the air. “Can’t you smell it? Let’s collect what we can before nightfall.”
But Masao had already begun to strip off his clothes. “I’m just going to have a quick soak.” The waters looked too inviting to pass by. “Join me, Saburo?”
“You won’t be alone.” Saburo pointed; peering through the rising steam, Masao spotted monkeys shyly bathing in the furthest corner of the pool, brown macaques. He let out a shout of laughter.
“You won’t mind sharing your bath with me, will you?” As he slid in, the water felt just right; not so hot as to make him dizzy, nor so tepid as to be unrelaxing. “Ah, this is so good.” He let out a slow sigh of contentment, lying back and staring up at the translucent blue of the sky in which the first star had begun to glimmer.
It’s so beautiful here; if only I could show this to Yūgiri… He suddenly lost concentration, sank, floundering, and came up for air, the bitter taste of the lukewarm water in his mouth. Why am I thinking of Yūgiri? The heat must be going to my head after all; it’s time to get out. He pulled himself out and wrapped the white outer robe around his wet body; in the warm summer evening, there was no danger of getting chilled . Yūgiri must have come to mind because this is a healing spring. Why else? Squeezing the water from his hair, he tied it back with a leather thong and looked around for Saburo.
In the dusk, he could just make out the armorer on the far side of the pool, busily scraping away at the deposits on the rocks. The macaques had fled, disturbed by the sound of the trowel on stone. But as Masao made his way around the edge, the wish still glimmered in his mind, a vision of a peaceful future in which, no longer exiles, he and Yūgiri could walk together on the mainland, a vision as distant and unattainable as the evening star overhead.
***
Next morning Honou was nowhere to be seen; Kai and Sakami rolled up their sleeping mats and went to the stream to splash water on their faces and refill the water gourds.
On the way back to the shrine Kai noticed that Sakami was limping.
“Have you hurt your foot?”
“It’s just a blister.” She looked a little embarrassed. “The thongs in my sandals rub, and with the heat…”
“Let me look.”
“Oh, there’s really no need. And we should be on our way. If the Kites come back – ”
“There’s some healing salve in my pack. You shouldn’t neglect a blister; if it becomes infected, it could make you very ill.”
“Very well, Kaishin-sensei.” She sat down on one of the boulders and kicked off her sandal.
“Sensei?” Was she teasing him? “I’ve still a long way to go in my training before I’ve earned that title.” He knelt down and lifted her foot to have a closer look. “One blister? I can see at least three, and this raw one between the big toe and the next looks particularly painful.” He looked up into her face and saw that she was biting her lower lip. “Why didn’t you say? It must have been agony walking.”
“I didn’t want to hold us up.”
He let go of her foot gently and turned to the medicine chest, searching for the little pot of Master Seishi’s cooling salve. Then, resting her foot on his knee, he smoothed some on to the angry, broken skin.
“It’ll sting at first,” he said as he sensed her tense, “but then you’ll feel some relief. Say ‘ow’ if it helps.”
She shook her head.
Kai cut a little wad of clean bandage and placed it between her toes. “And this should help to stop that thong rubbing and undoing my good work.” Such a small but sturdy foot; the sole worn hard with walking. He examined the offending sandal, tugging at the rough leather thong to loosen it a little, and then he slipped it back on, ensuring that it held the bandage firmly in place. “That should help. But when we get back to the castle, I’ll need to treat it again.”
“Thank you; I’m sure it’ll be fine.” She was gazing at him, a half-smile on her lips. “It’s an honor to be healed by the lord of the clan himself.”
Was she teasing him? Before he could reply, she pushed herself to her feet and tried a few steps over the mossy ground. “That feels so much better.”
“What’s going on?” Honou shot out of the undergrowth. “Why were you holding her foot?” He went close to Kai, sniffing suspiciously. “What’s that weird smell? Like…you’ve been rolling in those plants that grow by the stream.”
“You mean water mallows? Your nose is good, Honou,” said Kai, packing away the salve. “That’s one of the healing plants we use to make the salve.”
“Why are you in human form?” demanded Sakami. “You’ll use up too much energy. Change back.”
Honou pouted. “And if we meet any Kites?”
“If you go on ahead and make sure the way is clear, that won’t be a problem.”
***
If going uphill had proved a problem, Kai found the descent far harder. This was the third day they had been on the road and the strain on his twisted leg had begun to affect his whole gait. As the day wore on, every step he took set off a twinge at the base of his spine, sending sympathetic vibrations of pain resonating through his body. And when the sun began to sink far out over the sea the lengthening shadows made the path more difficult to see clearly.
But at least having to concentrate on where he placed his feet drove all other concerns to the back of his mind.
If we make it as far as the castle, what will we find when we get there? Fighting? Will there be injured soldiers to tend to? And Takeru…suppose he’s taken a turn for the worse? Even thinking about what faced him set off an anxious churning in his stomach. And then there’s my mother. He hadn’t admitted it to himself till now but there was no denying that h
e was dreading seeing her again after so long.
His foot slid suddenly from under him on a patch of loose stones and he grabbed wildly at a nearby bush, ending up in an undignified sprawl.
“Are you all right?” Sakami came back up the track. “I didn’t mean to force the pace. Do you want to take a rest?”
Kai’s face was hot with humiliation; he knew he must look an idiot for being so clumsy. He pushed himself to his hands and knees and began to dust himself off. But when he tried to put his weight on his foot, his ankle gave way and he subsided again.
Why does this have to happen when we’re so close to the siege tunnels? The last thing I wanted was to draw attention to us. If those Kites are still around…
***
Naoki sat hunched against the wall of his cell. The rough-hewn rock pressed into his back; the Cranes had tunneled deep into the cliff to excavate their castle dungeon. Ever since the explosion at Tenryu Bay, the Cranes had treated him harshly, as if it was his fault that Lord Takeru had been so gravely injured.
“Don’t cage this fledgling Kite in a tower,” he had heard Kakumyo say to the commanding officer as the Crane guards pushed him into the cell. “Keep him below ground. Otherwise he’ll just stretch his wings one day and fly away.”
Fly away? He raised one hand and the heavy shackles with which they had chained his wrists clanked against the rocky floor. Some chance. Even a master shinobi like Yoriaki would find escaping from here a challenge.
A damp draft blew through the cell from time to time from a mossy vent high in the wall, but rather than dispersing the foul odors, it only seemed to stir them up. The vent was also the only source of daylight: a single narrow shaft that left most of the shadows untouched. Naoki knew that the longer he was left confined in the gloom, the more likely it was that he would lose the physical and mental agility he needed to have any hope of escape.
It wasn’t easy practicing the secret skills he had learned since childhood from Master Yūdai. The chains were heavy and weighed him down, impeding his every movement. But every Kite warrior who was taught to summon the Kite Shadow from deep within knew that inner resilience was as important as physical strength.