by M. H. Bonham
“Kasumi-chan?” Akira asked gently. He set her down.
The cat began to grow larger. Instead of the mottled tortoise shell, her fur became tawny with black stripes. Akira and Hiroshi shifted against the cliff since Kasumi’s large bulk took up most of the ledge. She raised her paw and placed it on the indentation. Her paw fit it perfectly, and for a moment, the paw print glowed.
A large crack appeared in the wall. It glowed blue with magic as it traced the outline of the door, which then swung inward into darkness.
Chapter Ninety-Four
For a moment, all three stared into the darkness without moving. The door opened to a tunnel, which appeared to lead down into nothingness. Even with his sharp Tengu eyes, Akira could not see anything within the passage. It took a sharp turn many yards away, but beyond that, he had to accept that Kasumi had entered this tunnel before.
Kasumi’s tail lashed as she peered into the blackness. She sat on her haunches, affording the men a little more room. Akira stood beside her, stroking her fur along her shoulders in an effort to calm her apprehension. “Are you all right?” he whispered.
No, she admitted. My stomach is in knots, and it was so long ago. I might have made a mistake.
I don’t think so, he said. I don’t think there are any other passages here.
“I’ll go first,” Hiroshi offered, interrupting the two’s private conversation.
No, said Kasumi. If the Neko see a human first, they’ll kill you. I should go first. She started forward into the dank passage. Akira slid beside her, his hand resting gently on her warm fur as they walked ahead.
#
Hiroshi followed them silently, his mind whirling with the discovery. He now knew the Neko’s secret: they were cats, just as their name suggested. But Kasumi was more than just a cat; she was a tora, a tiger. He wondered if all Neko could turn into cats or into tigers. If they could, they would make a formidable army.
He could kill both Akira and Kasumi now and escape, but to where? It made no sense for him to complete his mission for Shigeko only to be captured and killed by the Neko once they found their bodies. And even if he could, at this point, he was as curious as they were to see where this adventure led them. They could all die, in which case, he wouldn’t have to fulfill his duty anyway.
Water dripped all around them, and Hiroshi was soon soaked to the skin. As cold and uncomfortable as he felt, he was unwilling to stop, his curiosity growing more with each moment. He suspected if they were attacked, he could use some of his ninja magic to disappear. He wasn’t sure how he would escape the island, but he remained more intrigued than concerned.
He marveled at Akira’s and Kasumi’s eyesight. The tiger would naturally have good eyesight in the dark, but he hadn’t expected the half-Tengu to as well. But the passage wasn’t completely dark either. When they entered, the door had shut behind them and the walls emitted a pale greenish glow. Occasionally they’d pass odd symbols that flared as they walked by. Hiroshi guessed they were wards or traps that would allow a Neko and his or her companions to pass. It was magic of a powerful kind, one he hadn’t expected to see.
The passage ran down for a ways before turning then headed down again. The tiger stopped and sniffed the air before continuing. Occasionally Hiroshi would catch meaningful looks between the two, and he knew they were using mindspeak. He suspected they knew he was Shinobi because of their wary looks at him, but their uncertain manner made them prone to mistakes.
Yet as he walked behind them, he noted that the great no-dachi glowed faintly in the dark. Hiroshi was both intrigued and fearful of the weapon. He had heard of some cursed weapons given by the gods or kami to punish mortals. These were dangerous weapons, for both the wielder and those who dared to go up against them.
Suddenly the tiger halted and sniffed the air. Hiroshi had been so absorbed in the two half-kami born that he almost ran into the tiger. Kasumi glanced behind, swishing her forked tail in displeasure. They now stood at a four-way intersection.
#
“Which way?” Akira asked.
I don’t know, she said. I half expected the passage to be guarded, but there is no one.
Akira frowned. “Maybe everyone is busy with the siege.”
“Or maybe the passage is already guarded,” Hiroshi said. They both turned to look at him. He waved his hand. “Magic. Can’t you feel it? The passage positively bristles with power.”
Akira cocked his head and winced. The Tengu habit had gotten ingrained. “You can feel magic?”
“Look at the walls,” Hiroshi said. “There’s light in here when there shouldn’t be, and I’ve seen some written characters as we’ve walked by. It’s in an odd form of kanji, but I don’t recognize the symbols. I think they’re made so those who pass with a Neko are safe. I don’t think Stormhammer or I could pass through unscathed without you.”
Akira blinked. “What did you call me?”
Hiroshi smiled. “Stormhammer-san. That is an apt name for you. The Tengu chose it well.”
Akira stared at Hiroshi for a moment, uncertain if the man was joking or serious. “You can see this magic?”
“Yes,” Hiroshi said. “You can see it too, but you may not recognize it.” He pointed to the no-dachi. “Your sword, for example. It glows in its own light.”
Akira looked down at Windspirit. It seemed normal to him, but perhaps Hiroshi could sense magic. He held up the tanto. “Is this magic?”
The other man shook his head. “No. The only thing magical you carry on you is the no-dachi.”
Don’t be impressed, Windspirit said. He did hear that the Tengu gave me to you.
True, still… He hadn’t really thought about the light in the passage until now. He was about to say something when Hiroshi held up his hand.
“Someone is coming.”
I don’t hear anything, Kasumi said.
The hall burst into light, blinding them. Akira cried out and covered his eyes with his hands. When he lowered them, he found they were surrounded by tigers and leopards.
Chapter Ninety-Five
Akira stared at the great cats that surrounded them. Much to his chagrin, instead of drawing the no-dachi, he had covered his eyes against the bright light. Now he was at a disadvantage. He noted with much chagrin that Hiroshi had drawn his own weapon—a straight-bladed sword that looked suspiciously like a ninjato.
Is this what your training has taught you, to cover your eyes? Rokuro’s voice dripped with sarcasm. At that moment, Akira wished he carried a less talkative blade. He put his hand on the pommel but did not draw Windspirit for fear of inciting an attack.
Kasumi stood ready, her hackles raised along her shoulders and back. She bared her teeth and snarled, batting at the nearest leopard and causing it to retreat. There were four leopards and two tigers, and even if they had been matched evenly in numbers, Akira doubted he, Kasumi, and Hiroshi could do much against the great cats. Still, he was surprised to see Kasumi was a great deal bigger than the other tigers, and those tigers were male. It was his experience that male tigers tended to be bigger, but perhaps that was not true with the Neko.
Who are you? growled the largest tiger at Kasumi. He seemed to take little notice of either Akira or Hiroshi.
I am Naotaka Kasumi Neko, daughter of Naotaka Keiko Neko. I’ve come to see the Guardian immediately.
The great cats hesitated, and Akira thought he saw fear in the lead tiger’s eyes. They bowed. Naotaka-sama, the Guardian has been expecting you but in your human form and not through the back gate.
Akira stared first at the lead tiger then at Kasumi. The tiger had bowed to her and addressed her as a superior, not an equal. Akira wondered what Kasumi’s status was in the clan.
I know but the harbor is under siege, and we could not enter. I lost my possessions gaining entrance to the back gate.
The tiger bowed. Naotaka-sama, we will bring you at once to your quarters, and then you will have your audience with the Guardian after you have rested.
The tiger hesitated. The Guardian is very powerful, and Nanashi has not yet breached the first wall, but in time he will succeed if we do not receive help.
Akira felt a pang of remorse. Maybe he could’ve tried to convince his father that the Kimon was truly at risk. Then he would be with Kasumi and an army of his father’s finest samurai and ashigaru to bear against Nanashi’s attack.
You would not have convinced him; Isao was always a stubborn man, Windspirit replied. That’s where you get your stubbornness from. Once Isao makes up his mind, he has to learn the hard way in order to change it.
Then I am truly a samurai’s son, Akira said with a half smile.
Was there really any doubt?
The great cats turned to Akira and Hiroshi, who had still not sheathed his blade. Who are these humans? the lead tiger asked.
They are my friends, Takeshi Akira Stormhammer, the half-blood Tengu, and…
Shinobi Hiroshi, the ninja spoke up.
Akira and Kasumi turned to him, wide eyed. Akira considered the man. He had been willing to give his father’s retainer the benefit of the doubt when it came to his being a ninja, but now there could be no denying it. Yet he hadn’t killed either Akira or Kasumi.
You come to represent your clans? The tiger flicked an ear in curiosity.
That is for the Guardian’s ears, Kasumi replied. We will reveal all to her and her alone.
The Guardian is female, Akira thought in surprise. He had expected a male, but given Kasumi’s larger size, now it made sense for the Guardian to be female.
Very well, Naotaka-sama, follow us to your quarters.
#
Akira, Kasumi, and Hiroshi followed the great cats through the passages and upward to a door that brought them above ground and into the great Neko city. As they stepped out of the passage and into the cool night, Akira was greeted with the reek of wood smoke, sulfur, and death on the wind. He coughed, choking on the air heavy with the stench of war. The door opened into a yard where warriors and cats of various types prepared for battle.
The city itself would have been unremarkable to Akira except that it was so large. Shops lined the yard and continued down the street, where other streets met them in a maze of shops and apartments crammed side by side. Cats and people seemed to be everywhere, and all held a nervous energy that suggested the battle would come soon.
The great cats and men had lined up in the yard and began marching down the street toward what Akira guessed were the city’s walls. The warriors were in human form, dressed in armor and carrying weapons that included katana, naginata, bows, and staffs. Several cats, most in the form of tigers and leopards, although a few took the form of lions. Akira had heard of these cats from school and recognized them from the descriptions, though he had never seen one. They would normally come from the south. The cats wore a type of armor as well—metal collars with laminate plates that ran along the body and down each side. There were smaller housecats as well, but most seemed to be darting to and fro and not part of the army.
They’re messengers, said Kasumi. Most of the Neko can only change into little cats, and they must fight in human form rather than in cat form. Those of us who can change into the big cats will choose that form because we’re more powerful.
The Neko city sat on a hill with consecutive gates and layers of homes and shops above and below. Akira marveled at the buildings. It would’ve taken amazing engineering and construction to build a city in this fashion. Kasumi had claimed that the Neko were a small clan, but Akira thought they were at least the size of his own clan and maybe even larger.
You have not seen all who owe their allegiance to Takeshi. Takeshi is lord over many islands, not just Tsuitori-jima, Windspirit said.
Akira knew this but he had never seen so many warriors in one place. He wondered about the fighting force his father could have brought to bear on Nanashi.
The cats led Akira, Kasumi, and Hiroshi through three gates and several streets. The gates were arranged such that an invading enemy would be forced to travel through narrow portions of the city to get to the next gate, thus making it treacherous and deadly for anyone who dared to take the city. After the third gate, Akira was surprised to see larger homes and palace-like residences with gardens and even a forest and brook here near the top of the mountain.
At the very top sat an estate so magnificent that Akira presumed it was the Guardian’s palace. It gleamed white with a gold and jade roof that made him gasp at both the loveliness and the expense. The palace made his own home look like a hovel. This is what the emperor’s palace on Kyotori must look like, he thought.
A sudden rumble shook the ground. Akira and the others turned to look down at the lower levels. Beneath them, he could see that a portion of the main wall had collapsed and a tide of soldiers poured in, met by large cats and samurai Neko.
Nanashi has breached the first wall, the lead tiger said.
Chapter Ninety-Six
Akira drew a quick breath. The sounds of battle reached them even this far, and the stench of sulfur and gunpowder filled the air. “Is there anything we can do?”
We need reinforcements, the tiger said.
They did not speak after that. Instead, the tiger led them into the palace and showed them their rooms. The palace was larger than Akira imagined, built with fragrant cedar and rosewood timbers. The white walls appeared to be some kind of stone Akira was not familiar with, cut into large sheets that lent a gleaming white facade to the rosewood trim. The rosewood doors to the mansion stretched twelve feet above. Their panels, inlaid with silver- and gold-leaf tigers, caught the sun and spoke of the opulence within.
He was not disappointed when he stepped inside. Dark cherry planking, smoothed and polished to a sheen, paneled the entire hall. Accents of rosewood and ebony caught his eye. Everywhere across the walls danced gold and silver cats with gemstones as their eyes.
Their rooms were only slightly less sumptuous, with ebony futons with thick mattresses, silk sheets, and matching tables and pillows. Akira found a hot bath drawn for him in a room adjacent to where he was staying. He quickly shed what remained of his damp armor and garments and lowered himself into the fresh water, relishing the warmth against his sore muscles. Instead of the normal rice bran, he found soap—an expensive luxury that must have been imported from the lands in the far west. He smelled the soap and found it fragrant with oats and herbs. Scrubbing himself down, he delighted in the feel of the suds and the clean feeling they imparted.
After the bath, he dried himself with a linen cloth and walked back to his room, where he found the most exquisite silk clothing laid out for him on his bed. Golden hawks entwined with golden dragons across the fine red silk. Akira put it on and was considering putting his armor back on when there was a soft knock on the door.
“Come in,” he said absently as he looked at the armor. His tumble into the water had soaked it and it needed drying and cleaning. But he didn’t feel safe in a city under siege without it. Still, if they were to have an audience with the Guardian, he knew he needed to look like the son of a daimyo and not a wild ronin.
“How do I look?” Kasumi asked as she entered.
Akira turned and gaped. The woman who stood before him was Kasumi but not Kasumi the way he was used to seeing her. Gone were the dirty clothing and mussed hair. She wore a beautiful blue and silver silken kimono decorated with tigers and dragons. She had tied it with a silver obi, and beneath, he could see silken pants that matched the kimono. Her hair had been washed, showing off the tawny highlights. A pair of ornate chopsticks held it in place. She almost blushed at Akira’s stare and frowned, looking down at herself. “Not that good?”
“N—no, quite the opposite!” Akira stammered, finding his tongue. “Kasumi-chan, you’re beautiful!”
Kasumi smiled and Akira felt his heart thump hard in his chest. He felt giddy and even a bit light-headed. He had never had this reaction to the Tengu women.
At this moment, he couldn’t imagine any other woman looking lovelier than Kasumi.
“You’re looking very handsome, Akira-kun,” she said and walked over to him, brushing her hand against his long hair. “We should put your hair up. Would you let me do it?”
Akira was about to agree when an older woman appeared at the doorway. The small woman had dark hair, but Akira could see the familial resemblance. “Kasumi-chan?”
Kasumi turned and her face brightened. “Keiko-sama! Mother, it is good to see you!” She hurried to Keiko and they hugged. Keiko pulled away, a shadow crossing her face. Kasumi’s face twisted in confusion. “Mother, what is wrong?”
“Your smell, my darling,” Keiko said. “You stink of demon.”
Kasumi caught her breath. Akira instinctively came behind her and put his hand reassuringly on her shoulder. “Kasumi has had many encounters with demons, Keiko-sama. I’m sure that is what you smell.”
Keiko tilted her head to look at him, drawing deep breaths through her nose the way Kasumi often did. “And what are you? A Tengu?”
“I am Takeshi Akira Stormhammer,” he said evenly. “I am the son of Takeshi Isao daimyo and Ikumi.”
“Ah, you are the half-Tengu the Guardian has foretold.”
Foretold? Akira looked askance at Kasumi, who shrugged. He knew nothing of the Guardian’s powers, save perhaps the ability to keep the demon gate closed. He wondered how much she knew of Kasumi’s demon.
Keiko smiled but Akira could sense the smile was forced. “The Guardian, Kanayo, will see you now.”
They found Hiroshi waiting for them just outside his door. Unlike the colorful silks, Hiroshi wore simple black, as though the Neko knew he would be more comfortable in that color. Keiko led them through the hallway and down the stairs to the lower level of the palace where there was a large audience chamber with statues to the goddesses Kuan Yin and Maneki Neko. She bowed before the statues, and the others followed suit. She strode to the dais and pressed her hand against the base. The statues shimmered then disappeared, leaving a stairwell that led down into blackness.