by C. J. Anaya
Kenji had pounded every facet of the land of the dead, its history, its inhabitants, the god that ruled over it and their weapons into my head time and time again. I had to learn about these weapons and these assassins because I was The Healer, the one meant to heal the veil between the living and the dead, thus preventing Amatsu from crossing over and making the world of the living his permanent home.
I was the threat, the proverbial thorn in this demon god’s side, and I had been warned by my overbearing father countless times that an attempt on my life by one or more of Amatsu’s assassins before I united with Katsu and became a full kami was inevitable.
There had never been a single assassination attempt throughout my entire life, and I had begun to wonder if perhaps my father had made it all up to scare me into submission and keep me a prisoner within the walls of the palace.
The scorched scarring of the tree dispelled any and all previous doubts. I took another frightened step back and felt something scald me sharply against the top of my left ear. I heard another thunk and saw the second arrow embedded within the tree.
Then the whole tree went up in flames, an alarming sight considering the many prop roots it possessed. The heat exploded in my face, throwing me to the ground. My right wrist buckled under my weight as I tried to get into a standing position. I managed to get up, but threw myself to the ground when I saw something large and ominous out of the corner of my eye. Another arrow, a different tree…all meant for me. This forest was filled with banyan trees. I would be surrounded by fire within minutes if I didn’t find a way to move faster.
I grasped the scorched terrain with my hands and quickly pulled myself to a standing position as I heard the padding of soft, stealthy footsteps creep up behind me. When I turned around and beheld the thing that hunted me, I could scarcely believe what my own eyes revealed.
Not fifteen feet away stood a huge monster, something that looked like a cross between a human and a large, black panther. This creature was all muscle and sinew, covered in a layer of scraggly black hair. Its feet and hands were capped with claws that looked like enlarged, curved fangs or talons even. He wore strange straps of some type of animal skin to keep his large sword secured at his side. The sharp blade gleamed wickedly in the breaking sunlight. His muzzle was ugly and scarred, no doubt from countless battles within the ranks of his own assassin brothers, and he had two large tails undulating up and down behind him. I couldn’t have fled from this monstrous apparition even if I’d had the presence of mind to do so.
“You don’t wish to flee from me, Princess?” His mouth looked unnatural, trying to form the words of my native tongue. “I expected more of a chase from you.”
I thought for sure the nekomata would end me right then and there. Instead, he took several predatory steps forward until his grotesque features were merely inches from my own. He pointed one long talon to my left temple and brought it slowly down my face, applying just enough pressure to draw blood. I had heard that the effects of fear could paralyze one so completely that no power of will in any measure could make one react to the most basic instinct a human might have, that of survival.
My fear held my feet firmly in place.
The nekomata’s green slits monitored my face as I felt the cut he administered slowly heal before his eyes. Surface wounds, such as scrapes and cuts were easily remedied by my ki.
The nekomata made an ugly, satisfied sounding grunt, as if what he had suspected had been confirmed, and pulled his sword from its sheath.
“I will make this quick, though I love the thought of spending hours torturing a soul with the ability to heal. My brothers are more interested in eliminating this problem as quickly as possible.” He lifted his sword high above his head. “And since I am merely a slave to the will of my companions,” he took one step forward, “I must comply.”
The nekomata let out a strange cry, and I knew my life was about to end, but I couldn’t close my eyes. Just before the nekomata brought his sword to bear against me, he stiffened sharply, his eyes flickering wide with pain. His hands slackened, and the sword he’d intended to end my life with fell to the blackened floor between us. He crumpled forward, with black blood foaming at his mouth and the front of his chest.
And then he died.
I stared at the grotesque, lifeless figure on the ground. My eyes shot upward, terrified anew as I heard the sound of a twig break, ringing loudly in the silent wake of the nekomata’s violent death.
I couldn’t have been more surprised with what I saw. Left standing behind the beast was a handsome stranger with an unhappy look on his face.
The man was about six feet tall, well-muscled with dark hair to his square chin and dark, stormy eyes framed by the kind of brows and cheekbones only a god could have possessed. The hatred in his eyes made me feel as if I had just traded one enemy for another, until I realized his hate-filled glance was directed at the large, lifeless beast in between us.
He finally lifted his eyes to mine, and I saw a slow softening of his features as he took me in. He didn’t hide his interest but took his time studying me intently. It was an uncomfortable feeling, as if I had been placed on display at some vendor’s market, waiting to be sold to the highest bidder. I wanted to break the silence but still hadn’t gathered enough of my wits to form a complete sentence.
He finally broke it for me. “Are you okay?”
I nodded, still not daring to speak, barely able to look him in the eye.
He waited, continuing to stare at me, but he was confused. He seemed to be vacillating between anger and recognition.
“Are you from this area?”
I swallowed hard. “The village.”
“The village. What were you doing in the forest?”
“Ah…I…was gathering figs for breakfast.”
“This far into the forest? Surely you could have found some closer to your home or to the path, at least?”
“Well…I was being hunted by that monstrosity and must have come much farther than I thought.” This was not good. I needed to end this conversation as soon as possible and return to the palace before my father discovered I was missing.
“Yes, and that brings me to my next question,” he said, placing his sword point down into the earth and then leaning on it. His posture was that of one feeling casual, but his tensed muscles and strained features told a different story. This man was always prepared for battle, a warrior by the look of his sword and sheath. “Why was an assassin from the underworld wasting his time with an insignificant peasant girl?”
His obvious slight didn’t offend me in the least. I welcomed being mistaken for a peasant, relished it with all my heart. It made my job of healing others significantly easier. Having powers, being royalty or simply being different was something I couldn’t afford to have anyone outside of the palace discover.
“I couldn’t say, only that I may have interrupted him while he was pursuing his real purpose.”
The warrior quirked a confused eyebrow at me.
“He wasn’t hunting you? He didn’t make contact first?”
“No,” I lied easily. ”That is, not until I managed to stumbled across his prone form. Maybe he was sleeping?”
“Nekomata never sleep. They can’t. They can, however, lie in wait for what they are stalking to make its way over to them.” He eyed me shrewdly. “I don’t believe you.”
I felt my heart deflate. I was never going to get home in time with my identity intact.
He made his way over to me, stepping over the nekomata and placing his large frame right in front of my small one. Instinctively, I backed up a step and then stopped, realizing the movement was futile. I kept my eyes fixed on the forest floor but sucked in a sharp breath as he lifted my chin with his finger. Now he was forcing me to look up at him. I couldn’t help but feel slightly resentful toward him for that.
“Your manner, your dress, and your bearing indicate that you are far above a mere peasant’s class, and nekomata are sent by the demon god for one
thing and one thing only.” The handsome warrior gently grabbed my right hand with his left and lifted it to his heart. “The Healer,” he whispered softly. “He was trying to kill the one meant to heal the veil.”
I shook my head defensively and tried to pull my hand from his, but he brought it to his lips and kissed the back of it.
I felt a shock go through me at this overbearing man’s bold and callous behavior. My father would have had him executed immediately.
“You will release me at once…please.” It was difficult to assert myself with a man. I simply wasn’t used to it.
The young warrior merely leveled me with a suggestive glance and then quirked his lips in amusement and turned my hand over, laying a kiss on the soft pulse at my wrist. He couldn’t have failed to notice how my heart rate sped up at this inappropriate contact.
I forcefully pulled away. “How dare you? You may have saved my life, but that hardly gives you the right to handle me in such an inappropriate manner.” I used the only threat I could think of that might be powerful enough to stop the young warrior’s idea of conquest. “I am betrothed to someone else, and…and he will no doubt kill you for touching me.” I had no intention of following through with my union to Masaru Katsu, but he didn’t have to know that.
The young warrior didn’t look at all frightened. If anything he looked happier with news of my union.
“Your devotion to a man you have never before met does you credit, young princess, but I’m not overly concerned about my demise at the hands of your betrothed.”
I inched backward, getting ready to flee the moment he attempted to touch me again. “And why is that?”
“Because, my dear, I am your betrothed. I am a kami, a warrior god and keeper of the Grass Cutter Sword.”
I looked up in horror as he inched closer and placed both his hands at my waist, pulling me to him.
“I am Katsu.”
I shook my head several times, trying to take in this bizarre and rather unwelcome twist of fate. This man—couldn’t be Katsu. He wasn’t anything like I’d imagined. I had expected the man to be large and intimidating to be sure, but I hadn’t once considered the possibility that he might be beautiful to look upon or that I would be attracted to him in any way. I had pictured someone somber and remote; someone unwilling to address me unless it was absolutely necessary, but this man looked at me like I was the only thing he would ever want to look upon the rest of his life.
I fairly squirmed under the intensity of his gaze.
Katsu’s eyebrows narrowed ever so slightly. “Are you not happy to see me, Princess?”
My mouth opened in surprise at this unexpected question. Why would he care about my feelings? I clamped my mouth shut when I noticed him staring at it hungrily. I’d never before been kissed, but I knew what desire looked like.
Oh dear! This first meeting wasn’t anything like I’d thought it would be.
I cleared my throat with some difficulty, realizing that he had wrapped an arm around my waist during my awkward silence. “Forgive me, sir, but I was under the impression that the warrior god wouldn’t make an appearance until my eighteenth birthday.” I lowered my eyes to his chest when his smoldering gaze became too much for me. “I was told our union wasn’t to be finalized until then. So you see, I…wasn’t expecting you.”
“I see. I guess your father wouldn’t have been forthcoming with that information considering my reasons for arriving early.”
I felt curious as to what those reasons might be, but knew it would be terribly inappropriate to ask. I waited for him to continue, and when he didn’t, I raised my head.
When my eyes met his, I felt the full force of his emotions. Even if I hadn’t been an empath I would have had to have been carved of granite to not feel the alarming mix of emotions this warrior god was experiencing. I sensed shock, fear, joy, and affection. Those feelings of affection seemed to center solely around me. I could almost sense him replaying the last few minutes of our encounter. The moment he considered what might have happened to me if he hadn’t arrived when he did, made his arms around me tighten ever so slightly and a fierce protectiveness settled in, an emotion so all-encompassing I felt my body shake and my knees begin to weaken.
“You’re trembling, Princess. Did that monster hurt you before I came to your aid?”
I shook my head and tried to push away from his iron-clad grip, but I may as well have been pressing against stone.
“Tell me where you are hurt,” he demanded.
“Truthfully, I fear the only thing causing me to tremble so is the proximity of our persons and your arms around me.” I stared resolutely at his chest as I felt heat slip up the back of my neck and wash over my face. “I’m…not used to such close physical contact with…a man.”
I sensed his amusement and satisfaction, though he reluctantly released me. Once freed from his overpowering presence, I stepped back as quickly as I could and inhaled deeply.
“Better?”
“Much.” I nodded but didn’t miss the narrowing of his eyes or the way they continued to analyze every inch of me.
“Now then, Princess, I’m afraid I must demand you tell me what on earth you were doing out in the forest without a single guard to protect you.”
I was certain Katsu was accustomed to throwing out demands and expecting unquestioning compliance. I sighed inwardly, wishing with all my heart that for once in my life I could be the one making the demands and ordering members of the opposite sex around. I also had to scramble mentally to come up with a convincing lie. I was certain if Katsu learned of my involvement with the village and its people, he would put a stop to it—and quite possibly physically punish me as a result. It was certainly no less than my father would have done.
“I left the palace through no fault of my own.” I paused, continuing to grasp for some fabrication that might be believable to this imposing kami. “I received a summons from my father by one of his guards requesting that I meet with him immediately. It was quite early in the morning, but my father has summoned me early before, so I didn’t think it out of the ordinary.” I thought I saw Katsu grimace at that last remark but continued spinning my lie. “No sooner had I left my chambers and walked the length of the hallway, when a cloth was placed over my mouth…and I…remember very little after that. I awoke propped up against a tree, and after gaining my bearings I began making my way back to the palace until…that thing,” I pointed to the black monster on the ground, “attacked me.”
“And I saved you.”
My eyes darted to his, and I felt heat stain my cheeks. “Yes, you saved me.”
I took in Katsu’s features and noted the way his eyes focused in on me as his feelings of affection for me increased. Strange. I had assumed that an arranged marriage between the warrior god and myself would never hold any affection. He’d taken to me immediately, but I couldn’t for the life of me understand why. I held a title and powers that were of little use to me unless I was using them for the good of others. It wasn’t much for him to go on.
I supposed I should have been grateful that he had decided to like me, but other thoughts intruded—thoughts of the young soldier I’d met in Daiki’s tavern, and how much I wished at that exact moment that he had been the one to save me instead of the man I was betrothed to. A terribly ungrateful thought to have, but a thought, and a feeling, I found impossible to dismiss.
“So someone within the palace walls is a traitor to this empire. I can’t say I’m surprised. The emperor has played the fool with his games of intrigue and—” he cut off abruptly.
I sincerely wished for him to elaborate on his political views concerning my father. It never would have occurred to me that Katsu might have a bone to pick with him. I had always assumed he was only interested in the veil and the part he played in keeping balance on the Earth.
There were many things I didn’t fully comprehend, but my future was still being decided for me. I couldn’t play along anymore without the knowledge n
ecessary to understand whether my destiny was certain or if plotting out my own path might be the best course of action. I determined right then and there that regardless of my intentions to escape my union with Katsu, I would do all I could to learn from him what he knew of my father’s plans for the empire.
“I’m interested in the timing, however,” he continued. “Why would an assassination attempt occur the day I send word of my arrival?”
His question chilled me. Why indeed?
“It was fortuitous that you happened upon the attempt on my life on your way to the palace, sir.”
“It was fate, Princess, plain and simple. You and I are meant to be. Not even a well-planned attempt on your life will ever have the power to separate two people destined for one another.”
I swallowed a large lump in my throat and wondered at the tears forming. I was touched by his remarks, and in truth almost craved the loving attention. It wasn’t what I was used to. I reached up to swipe at the corners of my eyes before he noted the moisture there, but I could tell by the strengthening of his emotions for me that he noticed and was fighting to keep his distance as per my request.
“Why do you persist in calling me sir?” he asked, effectively changing the subject.
“This is our first meeting. I suppose I assumed things would be a little more formal.”
“I think after saving you from a human sized cat it’s a little late for formalities.” He gave me a mischievous grin. “Besides, this is hardly our first meeting.”
I knew what he referred to but felt uncomfortable to admit it. The whole experience had left me reeling, knowing I had been found wanting in some way.
“You were presented to me at our betrothal ceremony when you were fifteen,” he continued, “but I wore a traditional mask. You did not see my face at the time, and your face was covered in that traditional white makeup that barely allows a man to actually get a glimpse of his intended. I apologize for not recognizing you much sooner.”
I remembered the lavish party my father had thrown to announce my betrothal to Katsu. In other words, the day I turned fifteen was the day I was eligible for marriage, and Katsu was present at the ceremony. I had no way of knowing what he looked like beneath the traditional betrothal mask. I wasn’t allowed to see him, but he was allowed to look upon me, inspect me as if I was an animal paraded before an audience. It had been humiliating to say the least, and even more so when Katsu never claimed me after the ceremony, as was expected.