The Fractured Soul

by Nicolette Andrews

  “Not too cold, are you?” Rin asked as she nuzzled her face against his neck.

  “Why would I be when I have you to keep me warm?” he replied with an amused chuckle.

  They continued onward. Fog snaked through the trees that dotted the mountainside. Through it, the blurred shapes of a building began to take shape. The tengu castle was made up of multiple stories, that pierced the clouds like the peak of the mountain it sat upon. The highest tower loomed over scattered buildings spread across the sprawling compound. Gray curved rooftops were nearly buried in snow, making it difficult to tell them apart from the snowcapped peaks of the mountain. A large stone wall surrounded the perimeter, it had been built eons ago during the early days when yokai had often warred with one another. Even during times of peace, they had maintained their defenses and were famed for being impregnable.

  “We’re nearly there,” Rin said, and they both quickened their pace. The sooner they got the tengu onto The Dragon’s side, the sooner they would have true peace in Akatsuki. Though she had her doubts about the Dragon’s plan to unite humans and yokai in marriage. But she wanted to believe in his vision of a reunited Akatsuki. Only then could she and Hikaru return to the quiet life they once had.

  A shadow passed by on the snow, followed by another and another. The wind picked up, blowing Rin’s auburn hair into her face. Pushing it out of her eyes, she craned her neck, as several sets of dark wings swooped down toward them. She resisted her animal urge to transform into her true Kitsune form to better defend herself. She had come here in peace, and she didn’t want to give the wrong signals. Even though they were welcoming to allies, the tengu was a warrior clan. And if she were to take her true form, they might interpret it as a threat.

  It was strange that they had sent out this many tengu to meet them, and seeing as the formation in which they flew and their weapons strapped to their hips, she very much doubted this was a welcoming party. Since the fall of The Dragon, the rumors were that they had retreated from the affairs of yokai. Keeping to themselves, all previous attempts at contact had been rebuffed. But what warranted such a hostile greeting? One by one the tengu landed in front of her, their dark black wings spread out behind them as they encircled her and Hikaru with their swords drawn and pointed at them.

  “Who are you and why have you dared journey on tengu lands.” The speaker wore a white mask with an elongated nose, and his voice echoed when he spoke.

  “We come here in peace, I am Rin, emissary of the Great Dragon and friend of the Tengu Elder. We’ve come with a gift.” She held out a parcel wrapped in silk. Resources at the palace were scarce, but Kaito had somehow managed to gather together expensive jewelry and silks to give as a gift for the Tengu Elder.

  “Your gifts mean nothing, the Elder will see no visitors, and outsiders are not welcome on the tengu mountain,” the leader said, and the tengu at the back of the circle stepped away, making it clear there was only one path they could travel and that was back down the mountain.

  Though he tried to hide it, Hikaru’s teeth were chattering, and a return trip might prove too difficult with the sun going down and the night growing colder.

  “We are no outsiders, but friends. The Elder of the tengu’s own son, Morikazu, sat upon The Dragon’s council. We have been allies for centuries. Surely you can at least allow us a moment to warm ourselves before we journey back home.” She stepped forward, the present on her outstretched palms.

  “Everyone knows, the great Dragon was defeated centuries ago.” He slashed his sword through the air and knocked her gift from her hands, where it fell into the snow.

  She took a step back, and Hikaru’s icy hand squeezed hers. This made no sense, the tengu were always such generous and welcoming people before. What had changed in the time since the fall of the Dragon? Whatever had made them so cold, it wouldn’t stop her. She hoped she could avoid seeing him again, but there was no choice now.

  “Bring me, Morikazu,” she said, her voice echoed back at her with the howling wind off the mountain.

  Because they wore masks, it was impossible to read their reactions. But the tengu’s wings twitched, fidgeting back and forth. Only their leader stood unmoving, the wind catching strands of his ebony hair.

  “Who are you to be making such demands of our prince?” he said, his voice booming and echoed off the mountain.

  Hikaru frowned, and Rin shook her head slightly, hoping he wouldn’t ask questions. She should have told him before they set out, but she wasn’t sure how to approach the topic. She never imagined she and Morikazu would ever see each other again. And the tengu clan was so large, she hoped that she’d be able to visit without running into him. But it was too late now.

  “Go to Morikazu and tell him the Kitsune, Rin is asking for him. If he does not wish to speak to me, then I will take whatever punishment you deem necessary.”

  “Are you sure this is wise?” Hikaru asked.

  She couldn’t look him in the eye. If she weren’t absolutely desperate, she wouldn’t have dared, but they needed the tengu on Kaito’s side and to get Hikaru out of the cold. This was her only hope of getting inside. If Morikazu would answer her summons, that was. Their final parting had not been the most amicable one.

  “Trust me.” She forced a smile.

  “Wait here.” The leader flapped his wings and took flight back toward the compound. While the remaining tengu closed ranks around her and Hikaru, removing their last path to freedom.

  “Whose Morikazu?” Hikaru whispered in her ear.

  She bit her bottom lip. She would tell him but not here surrounded by the tengu warriors, what if one of them overheard and rumors spread? The tengu might be elite warriors, but they were also the worst of gossips.

  Rin waved her hand in dismissal. “An old friend.” She forced a smile, but Hikaru narrowed his eyes at her.

  Minutes passed, and darkness crept in as the sun went down unseen behind the clouds. Hikaru’s shivering got worse, and they huddled together to keep warm. The tengu warriors seemed unaffected by the cold, however, they stood as still as statues. And the only movement was the occasional flutter of their black feathers in the wind. What if Morikazu didn’t come? What if he were still mad at her all these centuries later. If she had made a miscalculation, then it would have doomed both her and Hikaru.

  A dark figure emerged from the innermost ring of the castle, which rose above the others. Rin squinted through the clouds and darkness, which obscured her vision. Whoever it was unfurled their wings and launched into the sky, quickly followed by two more tengu. The trio rose high up into the air, before making a sharp descent downward in a near freefall straight for them. Hikaru grasped Rin’s shoulder, trying to pull her away, but at the last moment, they opened their wings and glided just over their heads to land in the snow before them.

  The tengu in the center of the group, stood a head taller than his companions. Unlike the guards who’d come to greet them, he wore no mask to disguise his handsome face, which looked as if it had been chiseled from stone, nor did he tie back his long, thick black hair which fell in ebony waves over his shoulder. He strode toward them, and the tengu guards stepped back as he approached.

  “Then, Atsukore was telling the truth, it really is you, Rin,” Morikazu said in a booming voice that echoed back at him from the mountain tops.

  “It’s good to see you too, Mori,” she said with a solemn tilt of her head.

  Mori closed the distance between them and gathered her up into his arms, taking her off her feet, he spun her around in a circle. “I always knew you would come back to me!” he roared with laughter.

  The world was nothing but a blur of white and gray, and her head spun. “Mori, put me down, I’m getting dizzy!” Rin protested with a laugh.

  Chuckling, he set her back on her feet and rested his large hands on her shoulders. “It’s good to see you. And you are looking as radiant as ever. I would ask why you didn’t send a message letting me knowing you were coming, but.” He shr
ugged his shoulders and nodded his head back to the castle. “Where have you been for the last five hundred years? I heard the most awful rumor that you married, but I always knew we would be reunited again someday.”

  Rin very tactfully removed his hands from her shoulders and grasped Hikaru’s hand, pulling him closer as she cleared her throat. “It’s good to see you too, Mori. Can I introduce you to my husband, Hikaru?”

  “An old friend, huh?” Hikaru teased.

  There was no more pretending, she supposed. “We were lovers once, long ago.”

  “This vixen broke my heart!” Mori laughed again. “And now she has returned to wound me further by introducing me to her husband.” He clutched his chest as if wounded.

  “Jealous?” Rin leaned into Hikaru’s shoulder.

  “Only a little.” He kissed her cheek.

  Mori shook his head. “It really is lovely to meet you. I am Morikazu, general of the tengu army, and Eldest son of Yoshinobu.” He bowed so deeply to Hikaru, who returned it with an equally deep bow. When Mori stood up again, his expression was open but serious. “I must apologize for leaving you out in the cold so long, it took some convincing to get the Elder to allow you into the compound.”

  “I appreciate your efforts,” Rin said.

  Mori waved his hand dismissively. “You know I would do anything for you, Rin. It’s the Elder who is slow to act.”

  The tengu formed two lines on either side of them as Mori led the way up to the tengu compound.

  “Why is it that you had to have the Elder’s approval to let us in?” That had never been the practice before.

  Mori looked over his shoulder at the tengu guards flanking them and shook his head slightly. “We have not let anyone into the compound in a very long time. You should be proud, this is a rare treat.” He winked at her.

  Rin shook her head. Centuries had passed, but Mori was the same as he ever was. Getting inside the tengu palace was the first step. Getting to talk to the Elder was another matter entirely.

  As they approached the gates, Mori made a signal with his hands, and the massive gates were pushed open, allowing them into the inner courtyard of the outermost ring of the tengu palace. Tengu stood along sky-high walkways, watching as they entered. Young tengu pointed at them as they clung to the hem of their mother’s hakama. Warriors watched them pass with curious gazes.

  “Would we be able to meet with the Elder?” Rin asked.

  Mori barked a laugh. “Perhaps if you were to bring back Tomohiko, but short of that, I don’t think he’ll let anyone near him.”

  “Tomohiko...” Rin frowned. “Your youngest brother? What happened to him?”

  Mori’s shoulders tensed, and his pace quickened. “This way,” he said, leading them to a nearby building.

  She must have struck a nerve, Mori was never good at hiding his feelings from her. The Tengu Elder had eight sons; the oldest was Mori, and his youngest, Tomohiko, she had only met on a handful of occasions. After the fall of the Dragon, many had died in the ensuing infighting and chaos. Perhaps Tomohiko had been one of those casualties? That would explain why the Tengu Elder had shut out the rest of the world, to grieve. As well as the Tengu Elder’s resistance to seeing her.

  Inside, a meal had been set out on trays on the tatami mats in the main room, and in an adjoining room, a plush futon had been prepared. Tengu servants knelt as they entered greeting them with a deep bow. This was more like the tengu hospitality she remembered.

  “I’ve gotten permission for you to stay one night, but come morning, you’ll have to leave,” Mori said. He was looking anywhere but at Rin, very unlike him.

  The tengu servants filled out, and the last one closed the door behind them. Mori stayed one ear cocked toward the door and a frown on his face.

  “We appreciate your hospitality,” Rin said. Taking a seat before the feast which had been presented for them. Roasted venison, and mountain vegetables along with steaming bowls of rice and herbaceous soups.

  “It is my pleasure, consider it a late wedding gift to both of you,” Mori said as he rubbed his arm and stared at the door.

  “Are you sure you cannot return with us to The Dragon’s palace?” Rin prompted. He was holding something back from her, and she for one wasn’t leaving until she found out what it was.

  “Believe me, Rin, I would if I could, but the old bird has forbidden it.” He paced back and forth, raising and lowering his wings.

  “Pity. I would do almost anything to have you back, just like the old days.” She took a sip of her tea, while Hikaru covered up his laugh with a cough.

  “Do you mean it?” Mori’s eyes lit up, as did his wings perk upward.

  Rin shrugged. “But like you said, the Elder won’t let anyone leave the tengu mountain.”

  Mori knelt down on the ground and scooted closer to them. Then in a whisper, he said, “That’s the problem; my father won’t let anyone leave since Tomohiko was taken hostage by the yuki onna. I’ve been begging him for centuries to send our army to retrieve him. They’ve kept him alive, we know that for certain. But I cannot rescue him alone. But I know having Tomohiko back would ease his cold heart, and allow me and the others to leave the mountain again.”

  Rin set her teacup down. This was exactly the opportunity they needed. If they could rescue the Tomohiko, that would be just the chance they needed to win the favor of the tengu. She looked at Hikaru, trying to communicate without words. He nodded his head, and she smiled.

  “What if Hikaru and I were to rescue Tomohiko?”

  Mori grasped her hands, holding them tight. “You would do that, for me?”

  Rin pulled her hands free. “I would do it, if you could help us convince the Elder to form an alliance with The Dragon.”

  Mori’s gaze slid to Hikaru, and he cleared his throat. “Of course, I cannot make any guarantees, but I do believe bringing Tomohiko back could greatly tip the odds in your favor.” A smile curled his lips. One she remembered she had found so charming long ago. Hikaru grabbed her hand, threading their fingers together. Perhaps he was a bit more jealous than he would let her know. But it didn’t matter; she only had eyes for him. And no matter the cost, she would see to it that they returned to the life they once had.

  10

  Kaito’s claws skimmed the clouds. For two days, he and his soldiers had scoured miles of shoreline and forest with nothing to show for it. He spread out invisible tendrils of his spiritual energy, searching out Akira and Tsuki. All he could sense were animals, lesser yokai, the occasional human, and his own soldiers. Their betrayal stung. He wouldn’t have called them friends, but they were allies, or so he thought. It was in yokai nature to think of one’s self-interest first. And this sort of treachery was not uncommon. His mistake had been assuming their shared goals were enough to prevent it.

  He had even trusted them with protecting Suzume... If they had harmed her, he would not rest until he’d torn their bowels out and strangled them with it. Though he could reason their duplicity, what he could not understand is how they had vanished so effectively. They weren’t strong enough to disguise their spiritual energy, not from him. And more puzzling was how much more powerful they had become, more so than even Suzume had become when Hisato took control over her. It was as if they’d become a vessel for something else...

  Kaito flew lower, skimming over treetops; on the off chance getting closer to the ground would reveal those traitors. A wolf howled. Shin’s signal. Maybe he and his mate, Akane, had found something. Kaito dove beneath the canopy of skeletal branches. Two massive white wolves with golden eyes awaited him. Kaito landed and transformed into his human form in one seamless motion.

  “Did you find something?” Kaito asked.

  Shin and Akane transformed into their human forms as well.

  “Nothing for Tsuki and Akira, I’m afraid,” Shin said.

  “We did find a couple of spies, though,” Akane said.

  Spies? Was Hisato planning on making a move already? The hybrids mi
ght have been just the beginning.

  “Take me to them.”

  Akane turned, her wolf tail twitched back and forth as she led him a little way into the forest to an outcropping of rocks. A group of soldiers was gathered, and at their feet two kijo, their hair was tangled with branches and their clothes nothing more than mere rags. Kijo were notoriously solitary, living all over Akatsuki in remote locations. In his long life, he could not think of a time he’d seen two together. This was unexpected, indeed. They growled at him as he approached like a pair of feral cats.

  “Kijo spies, now I have seen it all,” Kaito said.

  The kijo to the right spat and Kaito stepped backward to avoid it landing on his foot. How dare they, before he had been sealed in stone, none would have even dared do such a thing. In fact, their head would have been separated from their shoulders within moments. But he wanted to know what they were doing here and why there were two of them.

  “You’re bold to spit upon your captors; perhaps I should carve up your mouth to teach you a lesson,” Kaito said icily.

  “Raise one hand to strike my sister, and you will lose that hand,” said the second kijo.

  Sisters. Now, this was interesting indeed. He didn’t even know their kind had siblings. They transformed human women, twisted by their own wicked deeds in their human lives and reborn hideous and deformed.