The Grass Cutter Sword: A Young Adult Romantic Fantasy (The Healer Series Book 3)

by C. J. Anaya

  “Mikomi, might I have a word with you?”

  I turned in surprise upon hearing Akane’s voice. Her ability to sneak up on one was a skill I planned on learning within the very near future. Worry lines creased the corners of her mouth, which turned down in an unconscious grimace. Her emotions teetered between fear and near panic.

  “Tell me what has happened. Is Musubi hurt?” I knew it was a rather stupid question to ask considering his invincibility as a kami, but my concern for him was primal, instinctive, and completely devoid of logic and reason.

  Her faint smile lifted my worry, but it never reached her eyes.

  “I’m afraid a different kind of calamity has befallen us. Our last group of warriors has finally returned to, but their unusual delay is due to an illness they acquired along the way. Aiko just arrived with most of them, supporting two of our women soldiers on either of her arms. The other soldiers much more affected by the illness fell behind, and Aiko went back with Musubi to fetch them.”

  I heaved a sigh of relief at Aiko’s return. “Thank heavens she was there to help them.”

  “Indeed. I need you to come with me.”

  I nodded and fell in step with Akane. Her dual personalities, that of commander and also my friend were separate and distinctive. At the moment she carried the weight of the rebellion on her shoulders and looked every inch the rebel commander with her fiery hair plaited in a tight braid at her back. Her sword sheathed at her side and her tight fitting breeches and loose shirt gave her more mobility of movement than a kimono would. I admired her tremendously and desired nothing more than to lighten a few of her ever multiplying burdens.

  “Tell me what the problem is.” I nodded toward the company of warriors as we approached them near the end of the compound.

  “They’ve all come down with the same kind of symptoms—nausea, vomiting, and fever—but no other soldiers are ill. This group, and this group alone, are the sole contractors of this illness. The source of their symptoms could not have started here.”

  “How long?”

  “Twelve hours. I thought it was a simple disruption of the bowels, but they don’t seem to be recovering. I am afraid it might be something much more serious in nature.”

  “I will check them, but I don’t have any herbs with me to mask the healings I perform.”

  “I have brought a few supplies to help you with that. No need to worry, Mikomi.”

  I took the small satchel she handed me and then walked over to the group of soldiers who were sitting down and leaning their backs against the bark of various trees.

  I knelt down next to the first soldier and realized it was a woman. She gave me a brave smile, but in the growing dusk her skin took on a sickly pale hue. I was grateful the sun had almost set. I hoped the descending darkness might cover my methods to any questioning or curious glances.

  “May I touch your head to check your temperature?”

  She nodded in agreement. I placed one hand on her forehead and did my best to connect with her while keeping my eyes open and focused on the tree bark behind her.

  Images came to my mind and the nausea I felt was acute. If all of them were as sick as this woman I was surprised that they were able to make it back to camp.

  That wasn’t the alarming part, however. Her kidneys were failing and her liver appeared damaged, almost as if her organs were beginning to disintegrate. The cells within her heart were undergoing the same kind of damage. The source of this malady was a toxin I was familiar with. I instructed her body to reverse the process, expel the toxins and heal the damage to her heart, liver, and kidneys, all the while continuing to keep contact with her by touching her forehead and hands. Her body would recover within a day and hopefully she would assume her illness had not been so serious.

  Once I broke my connection with her I withdrew and found Akane by my side.

  “Well?” she breathed.

  “Come with me,” I said, pulling her away from the soldiers.

  “Akane, what have your soldiers consumed within the last few days? They know better than to eat those white mushrooms that grow within the forest, am I correct?”

  Akane’s face grew serious.

  “Everyone knows better than to eat those mushrooms. The death cap is poisonous.”

  “Well, I’m afraid that’s exactly what must have happened, whether they ingested it or the spores made contact with their skin in some way. If your soldiers know better than to willingly ingest it, then someone either put it in their food or exposed them to it in another way.”

  “Which means someone in our camp had to have introduced the poison to their systems.”

  “Are all of the soldiers you sent accounted for? Did all of them get sick?”

  “All but one. Aiko and several of the soldiers mentioned that this particular individual who hadn’t yet contracted the illness went missing last night.”

  “He probably left fearing discovery. It would have looked suspicious for him to be the only one unaffected,” I reasoned.

  Akane let out a frustrated growl. “We cannot stage an attack against the emperor if we have dissenters amongst us.”

  “I am glad you called me when you did. The poison has not damaged their organs to the point that I cannot fix it, but by the next day I am not so certain there would have been any hope for them.”

  “Thank you, Mikomi. You will never know how your efforts have helped.”

  I nodded. “I had better finish helping the rest of your warriors. I hope Aiko and Musubi quickly return with the more serious cases. The sooner they arrive, the better.”

  I went back to work and healed several more soldiers. They would all recover within the next day. I was relieved no one had been too far gone, and that I hadn’t run into the veil. I wouldn’t have been able to breach it again even if I had wanted to. I finished my ministrations just as I heard the loud thunder of galloping hooves draw near.

  Musubi and Aiko rapidly approached, fairly leaping off their horses before the winded animals came to a stop. My whole body warmed at the sight of my soul mate, but the urgency with which Aiko and Musubi moved left me feeling uneasy.

  “What is it?” Akane asked.

  “Nekomata.” Musubi’s voice dripped with fury and disgust.

  I panicked at the revelation. “We need to evacuate immediately.”

  He held his hands up to quell my panic.

  “We were able to dispatch with all five of them by disarming them and using their weapons to finish the deed.”

  “That easy, was it?” Akane asked dryly. “How did they know where to find us?”

  “I’m assuming that soldier who disappeared into the night led them to our latest location which was five miles from here. When we returned for the rest of the soldiers we were ambushed,” Aiko reported. She kept her eyes lowered, a strong sense of guilt settling in.

  “And the rest of the soldiers?” Akane pressed.

  When Aiko raised her eyes I was shocked to discover a lone tear slide down her face.

  Musubi cleared his throat and shook his head. “They had already been slaughtered by the time we arrived.”

  “How many?”

  “Seven.”

  Akane let out a few heated expletives, which I thought was wholly warranted.

  Those poor soldiers.

  “You slew the demon god’s monsters then?”

  “Every last one of them,” Aiko said in a shaky voice.

  “Aiko was quite an asset. I couldn’t have taken five on at one time.” Musubi gave her an encouraging look, but my maid didn’’t seem to notice. Her guilt at the loss of seven soldiers had her completely preoccupied. I understood that horrible sense of failure when holding yourself to such a high standard. When you believe yourself to be invincible enough to thwart death no matter the cost. It seemed that time had simply not been on their side.

  “This is not your fault, Aiko,” I began.

  “They were my responsibility. I…if you’ll excuse me. I think I
need a moment to compose myself.”

  “Of course,” Akane said.

  As we watched Aiko walk deeper into camp, Musubi said, “She’s taking it hard. Didn’t hardly know any of them, and yet she behaves as if she’’s lost family. I’m glad she will be added to your protection detail, Mikomi. She’s definitely someone you want on your side.”

  I couldn’t have agreed more, but I feared Aiko’s compassionate nature was going to cause her continual emotional pain, especially if she bonded more with our warriors.

  “How are these soldiers faring?” Musubi asked.

  “Just something they ate that must have been contaminated. I suspect their illness will resolve itself within a twenty-four hour period once my ministrations take effect.”

  Musubi’s eyebrows narrowed. “I find it hard to believe that a simple case of food poisoning was able to wreak so much havoc on our soldiers’ bodies for so long. When I encountered them they could barely struggle forward. I thought for sure I would return to find that half of them died before ever having reached the camp. You’re sure it wasn’t something more serious?”

  Akane cleared her throat and gave me a worried look.

  “See for yourself.” I pointed toward the last soldier I helped. “Their fevers are already abating and their breathing is less labored. They will be fine within a day.””

  Musubi strode over to the soldiers and inspected them one by one, nodding his head in approval as he reached the last of them. “Impressive,” he stated, but he didn’t look impressed. His emotions didn’t align with his words.

  He was disturbed on some level, but I couldn’t get a good read on his emotions before it changed into something completely different. A mischievous smile broke out across his face, and I was sure I wouldn’t like whatever it was he had planned.

  “You must be exhausted after treating so many of our warriors.”

  “Not at all,” I defended immediately.

  He smiled. “In that case I think there is time for an hour or so of training, unless of course the role of medicine woman has taken its toll upon you?”

  “We have planning to do. The emperor must have an idea of our location. We need to leave as soon as possible.”

  “He won’t send out what he believes to be another round of regular kami for a while. He’ll be waiting for some report from kami he thinks are invincible. There is time yet before it becomes necessary for us to leave. You’re going to need as much training as you can get before we attempt this suicidal endeavor. We shall practice until sunset and possibly longer unless you are afraid to practice during the night surrounded by nothing but forest.” His eyes glinted a challenge.

  “I am not afraid of anything.” A bold lie. I was afraid of plenty of things, but fortunately for me the darkness of the forest was not one of them.

  He stepped closer and offered me his hand. “Well then, off to train we go, little healer.”

  Akane chuckled softly beside me. “I know that tone and look, Mikomi. Your trainer intends to work you hard. It’s a good thing you’re so fearless.””

  I looked to her and smiled, then I quickly let go of Musubi’s hand and stripped off my kimono, revealing my black, skin-tight undergarments. “Shall we get started then?”

  He let out a low chuckle. “I believe we already have.”

  * * *

  Musubi decided that this training’s torture method would involve simple sword drills. I quickly pulled my feet into the position he had been pushing me in for over an hour, chafing at the bit because I now had more knowledge at my disposal, but circumstances forced me to gradually employ it. Frustrated, I lost my focus and thrust forward, aiming my sword at him and nearly tripping in the process.

  He laughed and easily danced beyond my reach. “When in the throes of battle, keeping one’s balance is a rather imperative must.”

  I gave him a caustic smile. “I think I finally performed the exercise correctly. Now what?”

  “Now you practice it until you get it right.”

  “But I did get it right.”

  “Did you manage to impale me with your sword?”

  “Well, no, but—”

  “Then clearly we have more work to do.”

  I glared at him, but continued the exercise despite my sore feet and aching arms. I’m not sure how much longer I worked, practicing the simplest of sword moves, but eventually Musubi felt he had punished me enough.

  “That should be sufficient practice for one night.”

  “Oh, thank the gods,” I said, collapsing to the ground. “I can barely feel my arms.”

  “Yes, I’m sure your muscles will be spent for quite some time. I doubt you’ll be able to return to your training for at least a week or two. A shame, really, and you held such promise.”

  He sat down next to me on the ground and let out a wicked chuckle.

  “Are you always this sarcastic?” I asked.

  “Always.”

  I tried to give him a fierce look of reproach, but couldn’t hold it together when he began laughing at me again.

  “Is that you attempting to be intimidating or have you ingested something sour?” he asked.

  I smacked him playfully on the arm even though it hurt to raise my own arm to do it. I wasn’t too worried about my aching muscles. I would probably be all healed up within a few minutes. I couldn’t wait for him to be disheartened by my quick recovery.

  “Sometimes I feel you work me so hard to discourage me. Do you truly feel I am not up to the task of fighting?” His answer was important to me. I needed him to believe in my abilities.

  His tumultuous emotions answered that question. “I believe I made my position on the matter perfectly clear some time ago. You’re a healer, Mikomi, a woman of medicine, not someone interested in taking lives.”

  “I may not be disposed to the idea of violence, but I want to be able to defend myself and those I love. You dislike taking lives as well, but you do so in order to defend what you believe is right. Don’t you feel a weight lifted from you, knowing you are capable of defending the people you love?”

  Musubi’s mood shifted toward a dark and brooding abyss.

  “I love no one, Mikomi.”

  My heart ached at this response, feeling as if we had somehow backtracked from our earlier affections within Akane’s tent.

  “You love Akane. You would not have helped her or followed her into this rebellion if you didn’t care deeply for her welfare.”

  Musubi nodded. “Yes, I suppose she is a familial tether to this world. Though that might have been different many years ago. Unfortunately, I can’t change the past. I can’t change anything.” A deep sadness took root within him. I recognized the melancholy that edged to the surface with thoughts of Edana. The woman he might have had a family with.

  I reached over and touched his shoulder, sending thoughts of healing as I did so. I didn’t necessarily try to connect with his ki. Sometimes just a simple touch laced with positive energy was enough to sooth a person’s tangled emotions.

  “I wish you didn’t continue to feel her loss so deeply. I wish your pain wasn’t so profound.”

  “You can’t possibly understand the depths of my pain, child,” Musubi choked out.

  I raised my eyebrows at this, recognizing that calling me a child was his way of distancing himself from me. “You continually forget my empathic abilities. When you hurt, I hurt for you. I feel it just as if the emotions were mine.”

  “I won’t relinquish the past before I’ve accomplished my goals, though my goals have altered slightly since yesterday.””

  I puzzled over this, but continued on, “Please see reason, Musubi. What can I say to discourage you from your current path? This quest for revenge will be your undoing. You must leave the past where it belongs, else you’ll never attain that which you most desire.””

  Musubi let out a taunting laugh. “What I most desire is to avenge the death of Edana, and once I’ve meted out punishment where punishment is due,
I will be at peace.”

  “Will you? Will this man’s death truly be enough for you?”

  “What makes you think I want him dead? There are other ways to inflict punishment.”

  He glared at me, attempting to dissuade me from continuing along this vein of conversation, but I wasn’t about to yield.

  “It seems to me that your anger has poisoned you to the real issues you grapple with.”

  “I suppose you believe you know my heart better than I do?”

  “I understand what betrayal and the resultant anger from that betrayal can do to a person. It warps their sense of justice, lodges bitterness and fear within the soul, and turns a pure heart into a blackened weight within their chest. The key to any and all of these dangerous emotions is to meet them with forgiveness, tolerance, acceptance, and love.””

  He grunted at that. “Love. As if that will ever be an emotion I’ll have the pleasure of experiencing again.”

  “You can experience anything in this life so long as your own emotions are tethered to things that heal rather than things that hurt. You need to let go of Edana. Forgive her for what she did, and forgive the man who caused her death. Forgiveness is an amazing remedy for many of our own inner maladies.”

  Musubi swallowed hard before responding. “I don’t know if I can, and I wouldn’t know how to begin.”

  My heart lifted at this. Could it be he was ready to at least try?

  “Then you must let me show you how. You simply cannot function under such crippling pain.”

  A wall snapped down upon his emotions, and his face took on a stormy look.

  “There’s nothing you can do to ease my pain, Mikomi. We won’t discuss it further.”

  I grappled with my own panic as he distanced himself from me yet again. I was losing him, though I had felt certain for one moment that I had made progress. I needed to do something more, help him along if possible, but it was risky to further reveal this ability of mine. He could easily connect it to my identity as The Healer, and who knew how he would react to that information.

  I chose to ignore his protests and placed both of my hands on his chest. I closed my eyes and instead of connecting with his ki, I merely touched it and began drawing out some of the pain, anger, bitterness and even hatred he was feeling, absorbing it throughout my body. In my mind’s eye the blackness around his heart seemed to shrink ever so slightly, weakening a little more since last I chipped away at it. Its circumference gave way to a small measure of light. My actions wouldn’t hurt me immediately, but the aftermath would manifest itself within a few minutes.