"You brought me into the middle of the swamp for… this?" She swept her arm across the landscape. The trees were different here than anything she had seen before. Their roots were above the waterline and they looked like hundreds of coiling snakes curling and jutting out of the brown muddy water. Land was a rare sight and it was predominantly water and trees. The island they stood upon spearheaded into the river that ran through the swamp, and unlike the areas they had trudged through, the water was relatively clear here.
"That I did. Maybe we can make this our summer home."
She narrowed her eyes at him, but before she could snap back a retort, something else spoke instead. "I know this voice, though long has it been since I heard it."
Suzume glanced about, looking for the speaker, but there was no one there but Kaito and her.
"Did I hear someone talking just now?" Suzume asked.
"You did. It was I," the voice said.
Suzume spun around in circles, flinging mud every which way as she did so. "This isn't funny, Kaito."
Kaito laughed so hard that tears streamed down his cheeks. He clutched his knees and waved his hand towards the grassy mound at the far end of the island. It had moved closer. The front of the mound was diamond shaped and the back almost serpentine, but wider. Suddenly the front lifted up, revealing a crevice beneath. Suzume screeched and fell backwards onto her rump. Kaito was still laughing as she realized it was not a hill but a creature, which opened a wide mouth. It bellowed something akin to a laugh. The creature's breath stank like fish and the mucky water.
Suzume climbed onto her knees and frowned at the two of them. Kaito stopped laughing and went to kneel in front of the creature, which had raised itself off the ground by a few inches and sported short stubby legs that were draped in slimy moss. Two tiny black eyes stared at her from the flat head, and smooth skin covered its body. The creature's feet were webbed and greenish brown and sank into the soft earth. His body was covered in the same glistening skin, and a large bulbous tail was sunk into the water at the edge of the island. It's a giant salamander. Yuck.
"I have not had quite this much fun in a long time. The way she spun and mud went everywhere." It rumbled and croaked. "My old friend, I thought you were gone for good," the thing said in a deep booming voice.
"You should know better than to doubt me." Kaito grinned.
The creature nodded its massive head. "You're right. Perhaps it is a sign of the times. Once long ago I was sought after for my wisdom and knowledge; now I waste away here in my swamp, sometimes dreaming and sometimes listening."
"Please tell me we didn't come here to hear the swamp monster's life story," Suzume said.
Kaito ignored her and addressed the creature. "Well, I hope your ears are as sharp as they once were. Tell me what has happened in my absence? Everyone is gone, even the small ones are scarce."
The giant salamander shook his head back and forth, and clumps of grass and mud slid off his brow and revealed brown mottled skin beneath. Suzume wrinkled her nose as the creature sighed and a gust of foul-smelling wind hit her.
"They've fled south to warmer climates, east and west to the sea, and north to the island. They were trying to get as far as they could from here."
Kaito frowned. "What are they running from?"
"A new Yokai appeared when you went to slumber. The small ones claim it devoured the less powerful to absorb their energy, but that sounds like small ones' nonsense to me," the giant salamander scoffed.
"What is it, then?" Suzume asked. She had no patience for this chitchat in the swamp. The sun was rising high and so was the humidity. The insects buzzed about and she waved her hands in front of her face to bat away the swarm of gnats that were circling her.
"I can only speculate, as I have never seen it myself, but I would wager it is a shape-shifter. Those that came through my swamp described it in different ways: Tall as a mountain, small as a gnat, as powerful as a dragon, or as meek as a small one. I would have left my swamp to search myself, but I could not leave it unprotected. The small ones I have managed to catch say this land is cursed."
"What could you possibly protect in this swamp?" Suzume said with her arms crossed over her chest. "It sounds like you're just afraid of this powerful Yokai."
The giant salamander stared at her for a moment and she did not like the way its slimy eyes felt on her skin.
"Did you learn what you wanted?" Suzume asked Kaito to end the silent appraisal of the swamp monster.
"Not quite. When the shifter rose, where did it come from?"
The creature lowered its head and hummed a rumbling sound that rippled the muddy water around it. "Now that is a good question. It happened so long ago I think my memories are foggy."
"He doesn't remember—let's go. I am being eaten alive here!" Suzume snarled as she slapped another bug on her arm.
"That's right!" the salamander interrupted. "From the north, near Mount Kitayama… wait, weren't you…"
Kaito did not wait for him to finish. He leapt across stones and flew from stepping-stone to stepping-stone faster than Suzume could ever hope to keep up with. Suzume sighed. Damn him, can he not remember for a second that I do not possess inhuman speed and balance?
"Girl," the salamander called out to her.
Suzume turned hesitantly. "Me?" She pointed at her chest.
"There is no other human here that I see." He opened his mouth in what Suzume took to be a smile.
"Yes?" She arched a brow. She did not like to make a practice of talking to a swamp monster. Good thing no one is here to see me talking to this thing…
"What became of the child?"
She looked at the giant salamander askance. Not only is he disgusting, he's confused as well, great. "I don't know what you're talking about." She looked at the rocks, trying to decide how to best escape from this situation.
She saw a rock that was not covered in moss and moved towards it to make her escape.
"Oh, my mistake. I thought I recognized your spiritual energy. It is so like hers. But now that I think of it, she was a human and you do not live quite as long as we do."
She hesitated. He could only mean Kazue, but what did the Dragon's former lover have to do with her? She was tempted to ask him more, but Kaito had backtracked a few feet and peered at her from beyond the draping vines hanging from one of the large trees nearby. Judging by how he had reacted when she brought up Kazue before, she figured he wouldn't want Suzume asking questions.
"Coming? Or do you plan to marry my friend here? You would be his sixtieth wife!"
"One hundred!" the creature called. "I remarried a few more times since you've been gone."
"You have my congratulations. How did the last one go?"
"I cannot remember—probably drowned or maybe eaten by one of the other creatures in the swamp. It's hard to keep track."
Suzume did not hear any more. She scurried across the stones at a surprising speed. I would rather be Kaito's bride over a swamp monster's any day. She was nearly to him when her luck ran out and she slipped on a rock and almost went headfirst into the muck. Kaito caught her about the waist and kept her from falling. He pressed her to his chest and she could smell the masculine scent that was unique to him. This is nice, compared to the swamp smells. Her newfound defense mechanism did not even stir, so she assumed he did not mean any harm, at least for now.
"Were you sniffing me?" Kaito asked.
She blushed and then pushed him away and stomped over to the next series of stones. "Not on your life," she called out. Never mind. I'd rather marry the swamp monster.
8
"Don't fall for me, Priestess, it will only make it more difficult if I have to kill you," Kaito called after her as she stomped away.
She scoffed. Maybe if he wasn't such an arrogant jerk. "You keep saying that, but I don't think you will kill me."
He grabbed her hard by the wrist and spun her around. Her feet landed in a mud puddle and water splashed over her ankles. Wher
e his hand encircled her wrist, her red aura rose up and tangled around his hand. His touch was a cold burn and the chill crept up her arm. She yanked her arm back, trying to break free of his grip, but he only pulled her closer.
"What do you hope to get from taunting me?" he said, his voice a low rumble.
She didn't even know the answer to that. The rational part of her knew it was a foolish thing to do. But the more she felt like she was spinning out of control, the less reason she seemed to have. Inciting anger in the Dragon was the only control she had left. His cold breath brushed against her cheek. Only a few inches separated them. Her breath came out in a cloud as she stared up at him. You will not defeat me.
"You were sealed by a human before," she replied. Her voice sounded much more confident than she felt. She had no control over her powers and no possible way to defeat him. But if she let her facade slip, he would use her weakness—she just knew it.
He grabbed her chin, rubbing his thumb across her skin. She shivered from his touch, and not from desire. Frost gathered along her skin, he was trying to freeze her out. But where he touched her, warmth followed, melting the ice. It was a constant battle between them, their powers seemingly at odds. She grabbed his wrist with her free hand and he stared down at the connection. He must have felt the flame that focused on her palm burning into his flesh—she could feel the residual heat radiating from her own skin.
"You've got some nerve, I'll give you that." He dropped her hand and she let him go as he brushed past her.
He leapt over a puddle of swamp water. And when he landed on the other side, he turned back to face her. "Coming?"
She stared at him, arms crossed over her chest. I should run. Why follow him when he'll likely kill me? But like a moth drawn to the flame, she obeyed him. Who was she kidding? She had nowhere else to go. Just thinking about what horrid creatures might be lurking in this swamp made her skin crawl. At least with Kaito she had some measure of protection.
They trudged through the swamp, and Suzume avoided puddles, but still more mud ended up splattered on her already filthy clothes. I feel as if I will never be clean again. Kaito, on the other hand, seemed to repel dirt. His clothes that the priestesses had given him were still pristine. The bright blue silk looked out of place against the brown and green of the swamp.
As they traveled, Suzume distracted herself from the biting insects and the squishy wet feeling between her toes by wondering about the swamp monster's parting words. Whatever Yokai had taken over this region sounded dangerous. Perhaps even more dangerous than the Dragon, as hard as that was to believe. If I could find this shape-shifter, I would ask him to take out the Dragon for me.
She tripped over a root that jumped out to tangle in her pant legs. She stumbled and fell hard into a puddle, her hands squishing in the mud. She pounded the ground. What is wrong with me? A week ago I thought Yokai were just a myth and here I am plotting to find one to destroy another.
The Dragon stopped ahead of her. He looked down at her from his dry perch and grinned at her current state of affairs.
"Maybe I should leave you here with the swamp creature, you look like you would fit in."
Suzume pushed back the curtain of filthy hair from her eyes. She was tired. Tired of being dirty, tired of feeling helpless. "I should fry you for that." She meant it as a joke, but the Dragon's moods were volatile at best, he'd probably take her seriously. She held her breath, waiting for his response.
"I'd like to see you try." He jumped in the air and rushed towards her. His feet did not even need to touch the ground; it was as if he could fly.
Suzume did not take her eyes off of him. Her power moved to defend her, cloaking her in red energy. She braced herself for the attack, but it did not come. He stood in front of her with his arms crossed across his chest.
"This will all go much smoother if we make a few things clear."
"What's that?" she said, climbing to her feet.
"Do not make threats you cannot follow through on."
"Who says I can't make good on that threat?"
He smiled thinly; it sent a chill down her spine. She had awoken his temper.
"Be my guest." He made a sweeping gesture with his hand.
"Fine."
Why did I open my big mouth? I cannot control these powers; they only show up when I'm threatened. Suzume closed her eyes and tried to picture the power, as she had done back at the temple. It felt like fire in her gut. She pictured a candle flame; nothing happened. She tried a brazier; when that didn't work, she pictured a fire she had witnessed when she was a girl, which had burned down an entire wing of the palace. She could still smell the smoke and see the amber glow of flames as they danced against the inky black sky. Nothing happened, she could feel the burning embers of her powers deep inside her, but they were just out of reach. I will not be made a fool of, I can do this. She tried to picture flames, lightning, anything that might awaken the powers. But without the Dragon directly attacking her, she could not go on the offensive. I cannot let him show me up this way. But no matter how hard she concentrated she could not find the source of the power. She scrunched her nose and balled her hands into fists.
The Dragon laughed. "Don't hurt yourself."
"Shut it," she snapped.
And then she felt it, an ember, a mere pinprick glowing in her gut. Even as soon as it sparked to life, it threatened to peter out and die. Maybe when I get emotional, my powers react.
Kaito stared at her with arms crossed. She concentrated on him, his smug smile, the arrogant tilt of his head so he always appeared to be looking down on her. I should be the one looking down on him; I am the daughter of the emperor. He thinks I am weak. It wasn't enough. Because right now, cast aside by her family and the shrine, and covered head to toe in mud, she felt worthless. The ember flared up for just a moment then faded.
"Give it up. This is a waste of time," he taunted.
Suzume, eternally stubborn, would not give in. "No."
She was determined to prove her worth, not only to the Dragon but to herself. She concentrated on searching for something that really angered her. She thought of her mother, specifically the last time she had seen her. It had been in the courtyard of the palace. She could picture it clearly: her mother sat in her golden palanquin. At the time Suzume did not know it would be the last time she saw her. As it was, it had been nearly a year since they had spoken other than through the occasional letter.
Her mother had pulled back the curtain and stared down at Suzume. Her long ebony hair fell over her shoulders like silk and she wore so many layers of bright-colored silk she rivaled a rainbow. She smiled down at Suzume, but the gesture felt more like playacting than genuine affection. They both danced the dance of pretending, her mother acting as if she cared for her daughter's welfare and Suzume pretending she didn't want her approval. She had been secretly anticipating her mother's visit for weeks. Her mother so rarely had time for her children, but now Suzume had won her attention by landing an important marriage for the family. She had expected her mother to praise her for her cunning, and reward her for her service to the family by giving Suzume some of her precious time. But her mother did not even step out of the palanquin. Her men came to a halt and she stared down at Suzume.
"I'm leaving the palace," her mother said.
Suzume bit back her hurt. Weeks of planning and anticipation dashed in just a few words. Her mother had done it so many times before, it was a surprise it still hurt, but it did. "Goodbye, Mother," Suzume said.
"You will leave the palace too. The emperor knows everything and none of us are safe."
That familiar rage started to bubble in Suzume's gut. Just a few words and her mother had brought her entire world crashing down. All of Suzume's plans and hard work ruined in an instant. She didn't even bother to explain. She learned later of her mother's infidelity. How the legitimacy of all of her children with the emperor was called into question. And so she and all of her brothers and sisters were shipped off
to the far reaches of the kingdom. Her mother's clan's loyalty had been called into question; many of them were in high-ranking positions thanks to her mother's marriage to the emperor and now they were all being looked at as traitors. And it was all her mother's fault.
She had not even cared to see to Suzume's upbringing, had hardly batted an eye when she had landed a marriage contract, and with a flick of her finger she ruined Suzume's life. The ember in her stomach burst into a flame and then grew into an inferno. The feelings that she had locked up came pouring out, just as the fire flooded through her like a dam being broken, and it reached to all of her limbs, burning her from the inside. Tears fell onto her cheeks but evaporated beneath the heat of the flames. She had no control as energy burst from her fingertips and the ends of her hair, which rose up and swirled around her as if she were a gale force. She threw her arms out in an attempt to control the energy that rushed out of her, scorching her, threatening to burn her down to nothing but ash.
Kaito jumped out of the way just before a beam of red energy shot towards him. Everything inside Suzume came pouring out of her like a volcano erupting until there was nothing left. Her hurt, her anger, the fire that seem to be the core of her being and all the tears were burned from her. She felt the last of the energy escape and her knees gave out in the same instant. She collapsed and her limbs trembled.
Well, that was not what I was expecting. She hoped Kaito had been too distracted by the fire to notice her tears. And that's what I am more worried about, not having someone see my weakness, even when I catch on fire. She slumped over onto the ground, too weak to even sit up. She stared up at the canopy of the trees. She could feel water creeping into her clothes, soaking them through, and it was possible something was wriggling across her knee, but she had nothing left to fight it with.
Kaito leaned over her and peered down at her. "You're never going to defeat me if you cannot control your powers."
She bared her teeth at him in a snarl; that was all she could manage, she felt too weak to argue. He was right, of course. She could not stop her mother and she could not stop Kaito from taking her from the temple. She rolled her head to the side. She did not want him to see how badly this failure hurt. How once again her mother had caused her even more humiliation. The plants surrounding them were charred black and the water had dried up, leaving cracked and barren earth behind. Wavy black soot marks scored the earth. She squinted and realized they were in the shape of her body.
The Dragon Saga Box Set Page 6