The Fractured Soul

by Nicolette Andrews

  “It is good to be back at my old roost,” said the tengu prince raising his voice to be heard over the rush of wind around them.

  Tengu guards rose to the sky as they approached.

  “It looks like they know we’re coming,” Rin shouted back.

  The tengu approached in formation, weapons drawn.

  “Oy, it’s me! I’ve come home at last,” the tengu prince shouted to the guards.

  They surrounded them in masked faces, their black wings beat, creating a breeze that blew Rin’s hair around her face and made it difficult to see.

  The leader of the guards removed his mask, revealing himself to be Mori. “Brother, are my eyes deceiving me?”

  “It’s really me. Sorry, it took me so long to return.”

  The smile on Mori’s face was as bright as the sun. “Come, let’s go home.”

  He dove down for the ground.

  “Hold on tight,” the tengu prince told them, before following his brother down in a similar dive.

  Rin clung to his side as the ground came closer and closer. Inches before they collided with the ground, the tengu prince pulled up, and they landed safely. As soon as they were on the ground, the tengu swarmed around the young prince, with Mori at the center. The two brothers embraced, and Rin thought she might have seen tears in the eyes of the elder tengu brother.

  Hikaru put his arm around her shoulders, it was a touching scene. And she felt fortunate to be able to reunite the family.

  Mori and the tengu prince broke apart, and he turned to Rin. “Thank you for bringing my brother back when no one else could.”

  Rin bowed her head, accepting his praise.

  “Please, you must be exhausted from your flight, you have the tengu hospitality. Please rest and recover.”

  A couple of tengu stepped up to lead Rin and Hikaru to their room. It was twice the size of the room they’d been given on their first visit. And waiting for them were two steaming tubs of water where they could wash and take away the chill, that still lingered in her skin after facing the yuki onna. After sitting in the bathtub until the water ran cold, she dressed in a fine silk kimono, also provided by the tengu, and ate a sumptuous meal.

  With her belly full to bursting, Rin rested her head on Hikaru’s shoulder and let go of a contented sigh.

  “Happy?” he asked as he stroked the hair from her face.

  “I could get used to such a luxurious life,” she said with another wistful sigh.

  “Should we continue on as diplomats instead of returning to the shrine?” Hikaru teased.

  She shook her head. “No, I’ve had my fill of politics. Once The Dragon’s kingdom is restored, and Hisato defeated, I will be much happier living out the rest of our lives at the shrine.”

  Hikaru leaned down and planted a kiss on her lips.

  “I feel the same.”

  They slept on a soft goose down futon, warm and contended. In the morning, they were served another meal, which she ate with gusto. Around midday, Mori came to escort them to their meeting with the Tengu Elder.

  Rin’s stomach was tied in knots. It was finally happening, she was going to gain the alliance of the tengu. The Tengu Elder lived in the innermost ring of the tengu compound, where only he and his immediate family dwelled. There were fewer tengu here, and they wore solemn expressions as Rin and Hikaru were brought to the audience hall.

  The Tengu Elder was a wizened old yokai, one of the oldest she had ever met. His long white beard coiled on the tatami in front of him, and thick white brows framed his sharp black eyes over his large crooked nose. His black wings were folded behind him, but she imagined the wingspan when unfurled would be impressive. On each side, he was flanked by his seven sons, Mori and the youngest prince on his left and right.

  “Rin and Hikaru, we thank you for returning our son to us,” said the Tengu Elder in a booming voice.

  Rin and Hikaru both bowed low. “It was the least we could do for one of The Dragon’s oldest friends.”

  “Yes, Mori has told us of your desire to reform our alliances,” the Tengu Elder leaned forward, his shrewd gaze fixed on Rin.

  She wanted to squirm beneath his scrutiny, but resisted the impulse.

  “It is our hope that we can resume our alliance of the past. The Dragon has returned and is gaining power, but the kingdom remains divided. With our combined strength, we could bring peace to Akatsuki.”

  “We tengu are proud, and we do not ask for favors lightly. Though I did not request that you rescue my son, a favor must be repaid. I will consider your request, for now, you are welcome to remain as honored guests of the tengu,” the Elder declared with a tone of finality.

  It had been perhaps a bit naïve to hope that these discussions would be resolved in one afternoon. But she wasn’t ready to give up, not yet. They left the audience hall, and outside, a storm had come upon the palace suddenly. The sky was a cloud of white.

  A shiver ran down her spine, she would be happy once they were back inside. As accommodating as the tengu had been, she could not see herself staying for long on this frigid mountain top. When they passed through the gates of the inner ring, to the second ring of the palace, she noticed tengu rushing about shouting to one another as a few took to the sky.

  “What’s going on?” Rin asked a passing tengu.

  “The yuki onna, they’ve come for revenge, they’re outside the gates right now,” the tengu said before flying off into the sky.

  Rin and Hikaru exchanged a look before bolting across the yard and to the outermost ring of the tengu palace. There was a ladder that led onto a rampart which overlooked the pass that led upward to the tengu compound.

  A blizzard had obscured everything from view, and she had to squint into the gloom to see clearly. But there between the flurries of snowflakes, an army of figures were approaching. The yuki onna were on their way.

  “We have to do something,” Rin said to Hikaru.

  He shook his head, “There’re too many. We’ll be frozen if we even try.”

  Hikaru was right, they were outnumbered, and she was just one Kitsune. But if they called on Kaito for help, then perhaps the combined force would be enough to save the tengu. They retreated from the wall and went back to the inner ring of the palace. She found Mori rushing out, a pair of guards following close on his heels.

  “Mori!” She flagged him down.

  He said a parting word to the tengu who took off into the air, before he strode over to them.

  “Rin, my dear, I would be more at ease if you were indoors and out of danger.”

  “We want to help, I can send a message to The Dragon, to bring reinforcements.”

  Mori shook his head. “I appreciate all the help you’ve given us, but we cannot spare a man for the job. Don’t worry, we’ll chase them away in no time.”

  He strode away before she could argue. Maybe Mori was right, the tengu were legendary fighters. They could withstand this attack, couldn’t they? The cold was getting worse, and she shivered. She really should head inside, but she knew she would only pace and wonder what was happening outside if she did.

  “Let’s go back to the wall and wait,” Hikaru suggested.

  She grabbed his hand and squeezed, at times it felt like he could read her mind. They headed back through the yard as groups of tengu took to the sky and flew into the storm to fight the yuki onna. She didn’t have to worry; the tengu could handle this, they would get the alliance, and then they would return home.

  As they stood on ramparts, Rin could see nothing much beyond the reach of her hand. They waited, minutes seemed to drag on into hours. The shouts of the tengu were dulled by the roar of the storm. Hikaru shivered in his coat, and they huddled for warmth. If this went on much longer, they would have to retreat indoors.

  “It’s been hours, and there’s still nothing,” she remarked.

  Neither of them said what they were thinking. But the possibility of failure loomed large over them both.

  “Help, is anyon
e there?” A cry came out from within the storm. The sound had almost been swallowed up by the storm itself.

  Rin created a ball of fox fire and lifted it up into the air to guide the tengu back.

  “We’re here!” Rin shouted.

  The beat of wings drew closer, until at last, the shape of a few dozen drew closer. Mori led them to the ramparts, carrying a man covered in frozen blood. The tengu landed, their wings were strung with icicles and their beards and hair covered in frost.

  The guards on the ramparts rushed over to help carry away the wounded.

  “Get them warm,” Mori ordered the guards. He looked exhausted, as if he had been gone for days instead of just a few hours.

  “What happened, did you see anything?” Rin asked him

  “There’s too many, there are more than I’ve ever seen before. They’ve created a wall of storm, it’s near impossible to get through. We couldn’t get close enough to attack.” He ran a hand over his face. “We lost so many. We can’t defeat them as things are.”

  A stone sunk in her stomach. “Should we evacuate the others?” she asked.

  Mori shook his head. “They cannot breach our defenses. We’re trapped inside.”

  “If you could get through their storm and get a message to Kaito, I know he would come to our aid.”

  “You’re right, that might be our last chance...”

  “But?” Rin asked.

  “There’s only one person who can fly fast enough to get past this storm, and that’s my youngest brother.”

  He’d only recently returned, the Elder wouldn’t let him go easily. “It’s either he goes and relays the message, or we all die here, your father has to see reason,” Rin said.

  “You don’t know my father.”

  They hurried to the main hall where the Elder had the young tengu prince sitting beside him. It seemed since he returned, he had not let him out of his sight.

  Mori bowed before his father and Rin, and Hikaru followed suit.

  “Elder, the yuki onna have us under siege, we must reach out to our allies for aid.”

  The Elder nodded. “I feared this would be the cost of having my son returned.” He rested a hand on the young prince’s knee. “You have my authority to send our fastest flier with the message.”

  The young prince stood. “None can fly faster than me, Elder, I will deliver the message.”

  The Elder gave him a stern look. “You will do no such thing. You are still weak, you cannot leave.”

  “Elder, my brother speaks the truth. The storm is too fierce; only he can possibly breakthrough.”

  “No.” The Elder’s voice shook the room with his fury. “I will not let him go. You must choose another, any but my boy.”

  “You will condemn us all to die if you do this,” Rin said, alliance be damned, she wouldn’t die here for one old man’s foolishness.

  “Rin,” Mori said in a warning tone.

  The Elder narrowed his eyes at her. “You forget your place, Kitsune.”

  “I risked my life to save your son, and if you had any honor, you would at least allow him the choice to decide if he will risk his life to protect his people.”

  The Tengu Elder looked at her for a very long moment, all the while, her stomach felt as if she had swallowed a live snake. It was a risk, and the Elder might very well toss her out into the storm to fend for herself against the yuki onna.

  Then he turned to his son. “Is this really what you want to do?” His tone was softer than before, not a stubborn leader but a father who had just been reunited with his son.

  “I must go,” he said as he rested a hand on his father’s shoulder. Before standing to address all those who’d gathered in the audience hall. “I will bring The Dragon back, and together we will defeat the yuki onna.”

  The tengu in the hall cheered as he marched out into the storm. Rin, Hikaru, and Mori followed him. Before he took flight, he turned to his brother, and they embraced for a moment.

  “Fly safe,” said Mori as he took a step back.

  The wind had picked up in intensity, and it ruffled the prince’s feathers as he extended them outward. Hikaru grasped her hand as he gave them both a smile before launching into the air. In a few moments, his figure was swallowed up by the white storm. And with him went all her hope. She just prayed he’d get there safely and bring The Dragon back before it was too late.

  22

  Their cell was closing in on Akira. After centuries trapped in the shrine, guarding the staff, she thought she would be accustomed to enclosed spaces. But she’d grown used to the freedom Suzume had given them. When she had refused their apology, she condemned them to a place without a sunrise or sunset, just endless darkness, and the constant drip of seawater for all eternity.

  “This is because we didn’t tell Suzume in the first place, we deserve this,” Tsuki said.

  “If you would defend her after she’s discarded us, you are a fool. She never really cared about us, that is why she threw us away so easily,” Akira said.

  Tsuki did not reply; what could he say? Looking back and regrets of paths not taken were pointless. If they couldn’t rely on Suzume, then they could only count on themselves.

  Footsteps approached from the stairs. Kazue, who was in the cell adjacent to them, did not even stir. Akira would not lower herself to appear curious. But she couldn’t help but wonder who it was. Had Suzume changed her mind and come for them after all?

  Kaito stepped out of the shadows of the stairway and approached Kazue’s cell.

  “He’s back?” Tsuki remarked.

  A few days prior, The Dragon and Kazue had a long conversation, and he had left looking more than a little rattled. But he had come back, had he fallen for Kazue’s charms? It wouldn’t surprise her; The Dragon had always seemed like the sentimental type to her.

  Kazue approached the cell door and smiled as Kaito waved a clawed hand, and the barrier around her cell faded away. He wasn’t letting her go, was he?

  Akira stood and moved closer to the bars of her prison, so she could get a better view. Kaito removed a key from his sleeve and unlocked Kazue’s cell. Before approaching her cautiously to take the manacles off.

  “Your information was good, but that doesn’t mean I trust you yet,” he said.

  She nodded her head eagerly, with all the innocence of a child. She hated to admit it, but Kazue was clever to play him this way. Like a fool, he was falling for her lies. She had no doubt whatever camp he had cleared, had been left there just to earn his trust.

  “We should warn him,” Tsuki said.

  “And what good will it do us? The dissonance remains, if we speak out against her, she will destroy us.”

  She couldn’t help but wonder what would be worse, wasting away in this cell for eternity or letting the oblivion of becoming something new, transformed by Kazue’s spell.

  It sent a chill down her spine. After seeing what she was capable of, the cold detachment of her actions, she pitied The Dragon more than anything. The pair of them left, and Akira and Tsuki were once more left alone in the dark with just one another for company.

  Some time must have passed, it was hard to tell just how long had passed. But footsteps approached again. She didn’t pretend indifference this time and instead waited at her bars for their visitor.

  Kazue smiled at her, that twisted, deranged smile that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

  “Aren’t the two of you a pitiful sight,” Kazue said as she strolled over to them.

  “Did you come to crow over your triumph?” Akira replied, stepping back from the cell walls. Was she going to punish them for failing to capture Suzume for her? Was this the end at last.

  “We could try and fight,” Tsuki said.

  She appreciated his naive optimism, but there was no more hope for them; they’d gambled and lost it all.

  “I won’t kill you, not if you’re still willing to work for me.”

  A chill ran down her spine. A part o
f her had hoped being locked away, they would be safe from her.

  “Would you rather stay in this cell?” Kazue canted her head to the side as she examined them.

  “What could we possibly do for you locked in this cell?” Akira gestured around them.

  “Getting you out is easy enough, I’ve won Kaito’s trust now.”

  “Enough games. I won’t hear anything you have to say unless you’re willing to remove the dissonance you placed inside us.”

  “Akira. You cannot be thinking of trusting her, can you?”

  “No, Akira is not so naive as to trust. But you both must see that you have only one choice.”

  “Maybe we’ll choose to stay locked in this cell, what is it you want us to do?”

  She could feel Tsuki’s disapproval through their bond. But she ignored him.

  “I need you to help me lure Suzume away from the palace. If you do that, not only will I free you of the dissonance, but I will separate you from one another.”

  “Big promises,” Tsuki said aloud.

  It was, and Akira’s heart raced just to think of it. After so long trapped together, to think freedom might be this close. But she had been fooled before.

  “How do we know you are strong enough when the others weren’t?”

  “You’ve seen what I am capable of, you know I am not like the others. So, do we have a deal?”

  “I don’t like it,” Tsuki said.

  “It doesn’t matter what you think, it’s either this or we remain trapped together forever, would you want that more.”

  There was a long silence, he was thinking and trying to keep his thoughts guarded from her.

  “I can’t say no, can I?”

  To Kazue, Akira said, “We have a deal.”

  Suzume ran her shaking hands over the sakura blossom pattern of her kimono. It felt like a lifetime ago since she’d worn silk this fine. She sighed and adjusted the jade pin in her hair. Kaito had insisted she wear it tonight, another request she couldn’t refuse. She used to love wearing pretty hairpins, and combs. She turned her head this way and that, it had been a lifetime, it seemed since she’d looked at herself in the mirror, the woman who stared back at her was a stranger. Shoulder length hair, tanned skin, and muscle definition in her shoulders and arms. She wasn’t the delicate palace flower anymore. And she didn’t want to be her, either.