"He looks like he's the same age as you," Suzume said in disbelief. "I was expecting an old man."
Akira looked at her father, her expression was a mix of emotions, fear and relief.
"We've all been cursed to stay the same. We do not age, which means he has stayed the same as well."
"Are you going to challenge me, then?" he said to Akira.
Akira's expression fell; she had expected him to recognize her, most like. Kazue's spell was strong if it broke the ties of family. What have you done, Kazue?
"Father, do you not recognize your daughter?"
He answered with the screech of metal against the scabbard. He pulled out one of the blades and pointed it at Akira. "Choose your weapon. If you wish to enter the inner sanctum, you must get past me."
Akira reached out to her father, but her hand jerked back at the last moment. "He is not himself, Akira," Tsuki said, using his sister's face. We have to get through to him, let me fight."
Akira looked to her father and then dropped her head. "You're right."
They switched in a seamless motion. Akira's soft mouth and rounded cheeks melted into Tsuki's high cheekbones.
"I'll need a weapon," Tsuki said. His voice had lost all of its usual humor.
His father removed the second blade and tossed it to Tsuki. He caught it in midair. He removed the blade from its sheath and then he tossed the scabbard aside. Tsuki's father, the guardian, took a defensive stance, his legs spread apart and the blade pointed at his son. Tsuki took on a similar pose, and they bowed to one another—a half smirk slipped across Tsuki's face.
They are the children of a legendary sword. No wonder he is a capable fighter. Kaito stepped back to let them fight, curious to see Tsuki in action. They moved around in circles before the first attack. Tsuki moved first. He rushed his father with a low swipe, which his father dodged and rolled away. The guardian's robes rippled like water. Kaito had encountered this particular legendary sword, though never had the pleasure of seeing him fight. He moved gracefully as if it were part of a dance.
Tsuki stumbled, having expected to land a blow, and the guardian swung back around with a thrust to Tsuki's shoulder, but Tsuki spun and blocked with his blade. Metal screeched against metal, echoing around the audience. They broke apart and Tsuki jumped backwards as his father rushed him once more, slashing and cutting into Tsuki's shoulder. Tsuki did not even acknowledge his wound. He thrust forward for another attack. Tsuki tried to parry only to have his blade torn from his hand. It landed a few feet away at Kaito's feet. Tsuki knelt on the ground, panting, his father's blade pointed at his throat.
"You are not worthy." The guardian pulled the sword back, ready to strike, when another sword blocked his swing.
The guardian looked up. "You challenge me?"
"I do," Kaito said with a grin. "I have been waiting five hundred years to see Kazue, and I will not let you stop me. I let the child play, now it is time I get some answers."
The guardian smiled, a faint echo of his son's smile. Rin helped Tsuki to his feet and the two of them returned to the edge of the battlefield while Kaito's battle ensued. Though he preferred to use his claws and teeth, he was no stranger to a blade. Kaito blocked all of the guardian's thrusts and moved about in circles, matching the guardian blow for blow.
The guardian, meanwhile, gave no inch. He harried Kaito around the courtyard, metal clanked against metal, and the battle continued. The battle lasted much longer than Tsuki's. Time lost all meaning as he lunged and dodged, all the while at the back of his mind he knew he had to win, to get a chance to find Kazue. Then his energy flagged. He was not at full strength, and the guardian had lifetimes to wait. Kaito started to slip.
At first it was just a small mistake, the guardian got within his defense and slashed Kaito's thigh. Then Kaito stumbled, falling to his knees. The guardian lifted his blade high, ready for a final blow. Time slowed down. From the corner of his eye, he saw Suzume inching closer. He reached for his blade, ignoring the priestess, she would only distract him. But his moment's hesitation could have been his death; he moved too slowly to block the oncoming attack.
Suzume rushed forward and put herself between him and the coming blade.
"Stop!" she shouted.
And then the sword fell.
46
A rush of wind blew her hair away from her face. The blade grazed the side of her hand, but did not break the skin. The cold steel did not touch her aside from that but went past her and drove into the ground. Kaito knelt beside her, panting. She did not look at him, but she felt him staring at the back of her head, probably wondering why she had jumped to his rescue. The truth was she was wondering the same thing. The guardian had his hands held in front of him, palms up. He looked down at his large calloused hands and then slowly raised his wide dark eyes to Suzume's face.
"You are… Kazue?" His voice cracked as he fell into a deep bow.
Suzume looked around to Rin and Tsuki. Rin seemed to be just as baffled as Suzume. Tsuki was back on his feet and he looked prepared to leap forward and embrace his father, but something held him back.
"No, my name is Suzume. I am… I guess I'm Kazue's reincarnation." She shrugged. This has taken a strange turn. A few seconds ago he was ready to kill us all, now he's bowing?
The guardian looked up at Suzume and his expression shifted. Gone was the blank stare of a mindless puppet, and the expression that replaced it was one of unadulterated fury. Something had snapped inside of him, it seemed. He yanked his sword from the ground and swung it at her.
Kaito grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back in time to save her from being sliced in half.
"What was that for?" Suzume shouted at him. "I thought we were calling a truce?"
"I have been chained to this desolate place for nearly five hundred years! What do you have to say for yourself, Kazue?" He did not seem to hear Suzume; he was blinded by his anger.
Suzume took a step back, her hands up. "Hey, I'm not here to fight you. Just show me to Kazue's remains and I'll be on my way."
The guardian pointed the blade at Suzume. "You will not be going anywhere until you prove you are worthy of the prize."
Suzume swallowed past a lump in her throat. If Kaito couldn't beat him, how could she expect to?
"You see, I'm more of a pacifist, really." She took a few more small steps backwards, Kaito at her side, but he did not transform and his sword lay at the feet of the guardian.
She tried to catch his eye to silently signal him to defend her, but he was staring at the guardian with a fixed expression. She looked to Rin and Tsuki.
Tsuki clutched at the wound on his shoulder. He did not move either. Rin's hand was frozen in midair as if she was going to yell out. He froze them somehow. I guess I am on my own. Just the prospect sent nervous tingles racing up and down her spine. Her power coalesced around her in a maelstrom of fire. It was not the same inferno as back in the forest, more like a controlled blaze.
Suzume drew the staff and for once it came out smoothly and flawlessly. For a half second, she felt powerful. The energy coursed through her veins. But the moment was short lived as the guardian swung at her. She shrieked and threw up the staff on impulse to block his attack. His blade sliced through the flames and, unlike when Akira tried to touch her, the flames did not try to burn him.
"Did you think the holy fire would harm me? You are mistaken, I was formed by holy fire. You cannot harm me with it," he said, then swung at Suzume.
She held up the staff to take his blows. The force of it rattled her arms down to the sockets and her footing slipped. He hit her again and again. The guardian came at her, his expression grim as he pushed her backwards, closer and closer to the edge of the courtyard, towards the archways that opened up onto the sky. It took all the minimal skill she had just to block his attacks and even that seemed like an impossible feat. She tried to stay away from the edge, but he kept pushing her back. Her arms trembled from the effort of keeping the staff in front of her and the f
orce of the guardian's blows.
"If any of you want to step in and help at any time, that would be great," Suzume said, knowing full well the others could do nothing to help her. It helped her feel less alone to talk to them. I think this is it, this is how I am going to die. I was so close to going back, it's not fair.
"They cannot help you now, Kazue. They will only awaken when one of our blood is spilled, and I intend for it to be yours."
"Yeah, here's the thing. I share a soul with Kazue, but I do not really have the same goals as her," Suzume said to the guardian between strikes of his sword.
He did not respond to her but kept hacking at her with his blade. If she had a moment to concentrate, she might be able to erect a barrier, but it was taking all her concentration to not lose her head, literally.
The edge was getting ever closer and Suzume's body could only take so much of a beating. When she had a brilliant plan.
"I can understand why you would hate Kazue. Believe me, I have a few bones to pick with her myself, but maybe we can come to some sort of agreement."
The guardian had his blade held up, but he lowered it half an inch now. "What sort of agreement."
"I can tell just being near me has brought you out of whatever zombie trance you were in."
He nodded his head and his brow was furrowed. "Yes, when I saw you, it was like waking from a very long sleep, one full of nightmares."
His tone was haunted and Suzume wondered how many people had tried and failed to retrieve Kazue's remains. "Well, that guy over there is your son, and he is trapped in the same body as your daughter."
The guardian turned his head to look at Tsuki, who stood frozen in place, clutching the injury his father had given him.
"That cannot be possible… I sired no children."
"If you don't believe me, release your spell and ask him yourself," Suzume said.
The guardian glowered at her. "How do I know this is not a trick?"
"You don't. But I know you're curious; just release him and ask. I promise I won't attack."
The guardian looked over to his son, his expression full of longing. He debated silently for a moment before he drew his blade and slashed it against his palm. Blood welled there and he strode over to Tsuki and dropped a few droplets at Tsuki's feet.
Tsuki lowered his arm from his wound, looking from his father to Suzume. "What happened? The last thing I remember you were about to cut into Suzume."
"He sealed you and the others to stop you from helping me," Suzume said. She waved her arm, which was still flickering with flame.
Tsuki nodded. "Ah."
While Tsuki and Suzume bantered, the guardian studied Tsuki. He tilted his head from one side to the other as if he were taking in a painting.
"I can see it now, you are my son."
If Suzume had been hoping for a heartfelt reunion, she was not going to get it. The guardian still held his weapon at his side as he regarded his son.
Tsuki smiled. "I am. We have been looking for you for a long time, Father."
"We?" the guardian asked.
"My sister and I, we share this body."
The guardian was not fazed, he only stared at his son a moment longer without speaking. "How did this happen?" he said at last.
Uh-oh, this talking thing might not have been my best idea.
"It was Kazue," Tsuki said in a matter-of-fact tone.
The guardian turned back to Suzume. "What game are you playing at? Are you trying to enrage me, Kazue?"
"Stop calling me that, I'm Suzume," she corrected with a huff.
The guardian gripped his sword tighter and Suzume amended her statement. "We are seeking Kazue's remains to save your children from their curse and you as well," Suzume lied.
Tsuki did not move to correct her. None of them knew about her real motives. She felt filthy lying in front of them. When before she would have done anything to get her way, now she felt guilty for tricking them.
The guardian lowered his head and contemplated her words. He never took his eyes off her. From the corner of her eye, Suzume spotted Kaito creeping closer. While she had been fighting the guardian, he had been making tiny steps towards the sword on the ground. He knelt down behind the guardian and picked it up.
"Do not move, or I will kill Kazue." The guardian pulled a dagger out and had it trained to throw at Suzume.
Kaito growled in his throat and Suzume was not sure if she should be scared or flattered that Kaito was trying to protect her. Why didn't he move to protect me sooner?
She glanced over at Kaito and the expression she caught made her stomach twist in knots. There was real concern on his face. He's getting sentimental because the guardian keeps calling me Kazue. He's not really seeing me.
She turned back to the guardian. "Show me to Kazue's remains and I will use the power to save you all."
The guardian lowered the dagger. She felt a wave of relief until he said, "I'll let you pass if you tell me what happened to Satsuki. Where is she? If you have my children, then you must have her as well."
Suzume's eyes grew large. She had no idea what Kazue had done with his wife, if she had done anything at all. She could be dead for all she knew. How could she? Everything she knew came from what the others told her. She looked to Kaito; he shrugged. He knew less than her, having been sealed for so long. She looked to Tsuki, who only shook his head. It was Rin who stepped up. When the guardian spilled his blood, it had broken the spell on all of them.
"She was sealed away," Rin said, addressing the guardian.
"Why?" the guardian asked Suzume. She had no idea how to answer, so she made something up.
"Kazue was trying to save her. There's a dark power that is gathering and she wanted to save them. She knew that she wouldn't be able to save everyone in her lifetime, so she sealed you, your children and your wife to prepare for my arrival. I am the hope for the future, but only if you can get me to Kazue's remains."
No one spoke against her, they were all set on getting to Kazue's remains. They were willing to go along with her ruse.
"Is this true?" The guardian looked to his son.
Tsuki met Suzume's gaze. She nodded her head infinitesimally. "It's true, Father. Will you help us?"
The guardian sighed before sheathing his sword. "I will show you, but only Kazue may enter the holy shrine."
Kaito looked prepared to argue, but Suzume spoke before he could. "Good, it would not be proper for anyone else to go." I am so close to freedom, I can taste it. The others will scramble to explain to the guardian once I am gone, but I am sure he'll forgive Tsuki and Akira.
He turned on his heel and walked towards the clouds that covered the other half of the courtyard. Now that the threat of a fight was over, the fire died and she was back to normal. Despite what the guardian had said, Kaito joined her. He walked beside her, not touching but close enough to do so. The guardian walked ahead of them, his arms swinging. Kaito leaned into Suzume and whispered, "Nice cover back there."
His breath was warm against her neck, and though she wanted to push him away, she couldn't help but enjoy the feel of his walking next to her. When it was just the two of them, it felt normal and natural to walk together and even his compliments felt genuine. But it's all an illusion. He is just reliving his life with Kazue through me, but I'm not her, not really.
The clouds were so thick she could barely see the guardian but for the impression of his body moving through the clouds. She did not realize it at first, but there was a maze of arches and pathways hidden behind the cloud cover.
"Stay close, one wrong step could be your last. This area is heavily warded," the guardian said from a few feet away.
Suzume skirted around a hole that fizzled and sparked when she got too close. Kaito grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him. She thought about protesting, but for once her body did not light up at his touch. Instead his hand felt warm against hers, large and enveloping. She was glad she could not see his face or she might have had s
econd thoughts about what she planned to do. This was just an indulgence, a short trip into a land of fantasy where Kaito was a normal decent man, the type a princess could marry, not a maniac dragon who would most likely get her killed. After this she would never see him again. She was surprised by how sad that thought made her.
They wandered down the twisting pathway, following after the guardian. Eventually they came to a halt. A red arch loomed in the mist and Suzume let go of Kaito's hand. It felt cold when he stepped away from her and crossed his arms over his chest.
"This is as far as I can take you; from here, you journey alone."
Suzume looked past the arch into a cave that was dark and bottomless. She was tempted to turn back around. But she had come this far, what was one more step? She went through the archway. There were no explosions or dangers lurking within. The tunnel was dark at first, but her eyes adjusted enough that she could navigate through it. It seemed to go on forever, dipping down, twisting and turning. Eventually it emptied out into a large chamber. Her footsteps echoed as she entered.
Light came from a hole in the ceiling and in the center of the room sat a pedestal wrapped in charms. Suzume took a step towards it and then waited. Part of her thought her impure intentions would set off some magical defense or that the actual artifact would be warded so no one could touch it. When nothing happened, she took a few more steps.
The pedestal held a single object, a ruby stone that glimmered in the single shaft of light. She hovered over it, staring down at the blood-red stone. It was nothing special, really. It was even hard to believe this had once been a human heart. It looked an ordinary stone.
Suzume's hand trembled as she reached out and closed her fingers around it, and then a bright light erupted from between her fingers. Suzume used her free hand to shield her eyes. She closed her eyes against the rush of air and light that was pelting her. When she opened them, she was no longer in the dark chamber but in a field of wildflowers. A woman stood nearby looking out across the mountain scape. She had ebony hair that fell to her waist.
The Dragon Saga Box Set Page 34