A Fox's Rescue

by Varnell, Brandon

  In the center of the torii was an image. Its form reflective like the water’s surface, the image shown was of a bamboo forest, and rising above that forest on spires that jutted from the ground like fingers grasping the heavens was a palace of the most beautiful asymmetry he’d ever seen.

  “Uh, so, does anyone know what just happened?” Iris asked. “Because I’m completely lost.”

  “I think…” Kevin gazed at the necklace dangling from his hand. The light had died out. Not even a pale flicker remained. “… I think this necklace that your grandmother gave me somehow opened the Shrine Gate.”

  Iris stared at the necklace, too, as if only now seeing it for the first time.

  “Huh.” She scratched the back of her head, ears twitching. “I guess it’s a good thing you started wearing jewelry, isn’t it?”

  “I don’t wear jewelry.” Kevin glared at her. “I only wore this because Delphine told me to, and I don’t know about you, but I’m not gonna say ‘no’ to someone who can erase me from existence.”

  “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” Iris admitted.

  “So, then, now that we are here, do we go in?” Phoebe asked.

  Kevin turned his head to look back at Phoebe. His eyes burned with a fierce determination that would not be deterred.

  “What do you think?”

  He turned back around to face the torii. Without a backward glance, he walked through the portal. This was it. He wouldn’t be stopped here. Come hell or high water, Kevin promised himself that he would rescue Lilian.

  He also made a mental note to look up what the Chinese equivalent for torii was.

  CHAPTER 10

  THE CITADEL OF LIGHT

  Stepping through the portal of a Shrine Gate was a most unusual experience. It had a sort of liquid feel to it that, combined with its strange elasticity, made him feel like he was walking through a sheet of water that had somehow solidified into the consistency of a rubber band. The feeling only lasted for a second, maybe less, and then he was standing on the other end of the portal, gazing at the most unusual of scenes.

  This place… It was a bamboo forest. Towering over him like giant beanstalks were thousands of bamboo trees. Tilting his head to glance up revealed a canopy of leaves, which blocked out much of the sun. He gazed upon the ground once more. The leaves overhead caused the sunlight to cast patterned shadows on the ground.

  “So this is Saint’s Chariot.” Iris walked up to stand by his side. Her eyes, too, were gazing around the forest with something like a mixture of shock and “WTF am I looking at?” It was an expression only she could pull off. “I expected many things from the famed Shénshèng Clan. A bamboo forest was not one of them.”

  “I don’t think any of us expected to see a bamboo forest on Saint’s Chariot.” Phoebe walked past the two in order to better survey their new surroundings. Her blond hair swished as she turned her head left and right. Bright blue eyes were narrowed in concentration, and pouty lips lowered into a stern frown.

  The other yama uba came up to them, each walking past him and Iris to join Phoebe.

  “What do you think?” Iris asked.

  “I think we should get moving.” Kevin strode up to the yama uba, and then glided past them to stand before the only path out of this place that he could see. He then turned around and gazed upon his companions. “Are all of you ready to go?”

  “Hmph.” Iris’s locks of raven-colored hair caught sparse trickles of sunlight as she flicked it over her shoulder. “Do you even need to ask that?” Her predatory gait brought her to him, where she stopped and gave him that sexy smirk that she was so well known for. “You already know that I’m ready for anything. I didn’t come all this way just to let you go off and rescue Lilian on your own.”

  “I believe that all of us are ready, Kevin Swift.” Phoebe’s declaration, made with a completely solemn voice, was accompanied by the nods of her fellow yama uba, even Polydora.

  “Where Lady Phoebe goes, I go,” Polydora said impudently. Kevin didn’t let her words get to him. He’d long ago accepted that she didn’t like him because she was yuri for her leader. He just nodded and went along with it.

  “In that case, let’s get a move on.”

  Kevin turned around, eyes back on the path. Leaves crunched underneath his heels as he began what he hoped was the last stage of their journey.

  Hang on, Lilian. I’m coming.

  ***

  Zhìlì didn’t know whether to be amused or annoyed.

  It wasn’t like his situation was horrible. Certainly, there were worse things he could be doing. Still, the idea of being stuck at home, unable to leave, incapable of committing to his favorite pastimes, bothered him. That he was more or less stuck babysitting Lilian Pnév̱ma because his older brother wanted to kill the girl before she could heal Jiāoào was just the icing on the cake.

  “Oh, man,” he said, paraphrasing the phrase he’d learned while in North America. “I really wish Jiāoào would hurry up and get better. All this waiting is killing me. I’m so bored.”

  “Then perhaps you should be doing something productive,” a voice said from the doorway.

  Lifting his head from his hands, Zhìlì stared at his little sister as she stood in front of the door. Behind her, ever the silent sentinel, was her bodyguard, Li. His towering mass stood stock-still, trunk-like arms crossed over his massive chest, the hem of his Shaolin robes caressing the marble tiles. He was a stark contrast to Fan with her cherubic face and white lolita clothing.

  “I am being productive,” Zhìlì said defensively. Fan’s snort told him exactly what she thought of his words.

  “Right. Productive.” Cocking her hip at an angle, she crossed her arms and stared. “Tell me, oh dear brother of mine, does being productive include napping in your chair? Does it include complaining about how bored you are?”

  Zhìlì felt her words were a bit too harsh. “I’m not just sleeping and complaining, you know?”

  “Oh? Then what are you doing?”

  “I was, um, uh…” Zhìlì thought fast. “I was reading reports from my intelligence network in the Americas!”

  A single raised eyebrow told Zhìlì that Fan didn’t believe him.

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really.”

  “Then where is this report?”

  “Um…”

  For reasons that he didn’t quite understand, Zhìlì broke out into a cold sweat as Fan stared him down, waiting impatiently for him to produce the report that he spoke of. For his part, Zhìlì couldn’t understand what he was so afraid of. Why? Why did this three-tailed kitsune, this vixen who was so much weaker than him, inspire this feeling of fear?

  Perhaps it was fortune that led to the door bursting open. Zhìlì probably would have thought so, were it not for the words the person who’d done the bursting in, a young guard with two tails and a bald head, said.

  “Lord Zhìlì! Lady Fan! We have a serious problem on our hands!”

  “Calm down,” Zhìlì said placatingly. “Seriously man, chill out. Now take a deep breath and tell us what happened.”

  The young guard did as instructed, taking several deep breaths, and then he said the words that made Zhìlì feel like someone had just tentacle raped him.

  “Lord Zhìlì, the barrier has been broken. All of the humans down below can see us.”

  A stifling and uneasy silence filled the room. In the face of such a devastatingly horrendous declaration, Zhìlì could only sum up his thoughts with a few choice words.

  “Well, shit. That isn’t good at all.”

  ***

  “I think we’re lost,” Iris said.

  “We’re not lost,” was Kevin’s rebuttal.

  “You sure?”

  “Positive. We haven’t been walking long enough to get lost.”

  “Being lost implies that we knew where we were going at one point,” Phoebe pointed out. “As we have not a clue as to where we are going, the term ‘lost’ does not apply to
us anyway.”

  “Thank you for that,” Kevin muttered.

  “You’re welcome,” Phoebe said in a gracious manner. She didn’t seem to realize that he was being sarcastic.

  Walking through the bamboo forest was a surreal experience. That they were on a floating landmass only made it more out of this world.

  The pathway had long since disappeared. Oh, sure, there was a trail, but it didn’t seem to lead anywhere. They had been walking for a long time now and seemed no closer to their destination.

  As they continued to pass brambles of bamboo, the sound of hurried footsteps caught their attention. They were getting closer. The group shared a startled look before, as one, they rushed off the path and into the sea of bamboo trees.

  Kevin peered around the large series of bamboo trees that he and Iris had chosen to hide behind. Rushing through the very spot where they’d been standing mere seconds prior was a group of kitsune, a large group of nearly thirty kitsune, all of whom were wearing orange and yellow Shaolin robes. Their bald heads gleamed brightly even in the sparse lighting that trickled through the canopy. It presented a stark contrast to their fox ears, all of which varied in color as they stood on end.

  “What do you think is going on?” Iris wondered, her voice a mere whisper.

  “It probably has something to do with this place becoming visible to the humans down below,” Kevin whispered back.

  Before Iris could say another word, both of them froze as the feeling of something approaching reached them. Even Kevin, who could not sense yōkai, felt an electric jolt run down his spine.

  A man appeared before them, a kitsune. Unlike the others, this kitsune did not run. He walked, his stroll sedate, almost leisurely, as if he was in no rush to get wherever everyone else was going. His short blond hair swayed as he walked, hovering over a pair of blue eyes that seemed capable of melting steel. The robes that he wore were more trench coat than actual robes, even though they held the same general style as those Shaolin monk robes that the other kitsune wore, if a bit more extravagant. They flared out behind him, billowing like they had a life of their own.

  “Oi! Chao! Wait up, man!”

  A second man walked up to the first, who’d stopped and turned his head to glare at the one who dared to intrude on whatever thoughts were wandering through his head. The other man appeared similar to the first, except his hair was much longer, his posture was more laid back, and he wore really intricate fantasy armor instead of robes. Kevin recognized that man. He had been one of the people who’d attacked him and Lilian back in Greece.

  “What do you want, Zhìlì?” the one known as Chao asked.

  “I just thought I’d walk with you, since we’re going to the same place.” Zhìlì stopped next to Chao and grinned. “You and I hardly ever talk even though we’re brothers. I thought it would be nice if we caught up a bit.”

  “Did you ever think that maybe I don’t want to ‘catch up’ with you?” Chao turned away from Zhìlì and resumed his walk. The one in armor hurried to catch up.

  “Aw, come on. Why are you always hating on me like that, huh?”

  “Because you’re annoying,” Chao started, then stopped. He halted in his tracks, and his head turned to where Kevin and Iris were hiding. The two swiftly ducked behind the bamboo.

  Did he see us?

  A cold sweat broke out on his brow. He tried to still his breathing, but his anxiety made that difficult. He could feel blood pounding in his ears. It was like the roar of a rushing tide, blocking out everything else.

  Fortune favored them when, seconds later, Chao turned his head and began walking again, studiously ignoring his seven-tailed brother.

  “Wha… H-hey! Come on, Chao! Wait up! Chao! Chao!”

  Two sets of footsteps soon receded into the distance. The overwhelming presence of the two insanely strong kitsune disappeared. Kevin’s shoulders sagged in relief. The breath that he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding was released in a single gust.

  “That was way too close,” he muttered.

  “I’ll say.” Iris peered out from around the bamboo trees again. “Meeting two kitsune with that many tails right off the bat doesn’t bode well. I hope that isn’t some kind of omen.”

  Kevin saw how shaken up Iris was. Her skin appeared clammy. Sweat had formed on her face, trickling down her neck and even soaking her shirt. Her hands trembled as they clutched at the bamboo. In fact, most of her body was shaking like a fox kit staring down the muzzle of a wolf.

  “If it is an omen, then I believe it’s a good one,” he assured her.

  “Why is that?”

  “Because…” Kevin looked back at the path that the two kitsune had just disappeared down. “… The Bodhisattva only has four children: Chao, Zhìlì, Fan, and Jiāoào. The rest are branch members, and none of them have that many tails. Those two who just left must be Chao and Zhìlì, the Bodhisattva’s oldest sons. Jiāoào is currently a vegetable, or so I am told, which means that Fan and her bodyguard are quite possibly the only two kitsune of note that we’ll have to really worry about.” He looked back at Iris and gave her a surprisingly feral grin. “I like those odds much better than our previous ones, don’t you?”

  After a moment, Iris returned his grin with one of her own. She held up her hand.

  “Have I ever told you that you’re really sexy when you grin like that?”

  “No.” Kevin reached out and grasped her hand. “But Lilian has, and we need to rescue her.”

  “Right!”

  “Just as soon as we find our way out of this forest.”

  “… Way to kill the mood, Stud.”

  “Sorry.”

  ***

  Kotohime walked through the Ta’er Monastery, doing her best to blend in with the crowd. Considering she refused to wear anything except one of her traditional Japanese kimonos, she stood out like a sore thumb—or a Japanese woman with a fetish for out-of-date Japanese clothes in China.

  “That is quite rude,” Kotohime said with a miniscule frown.

  And no less true. Maybe if you actually wore a disguise…

  “My kimonos are a very important part of my design, which you well know. And besides, I rather like my kimonos. Now, need I remind you about which one of us has the katana?”

  Ah, um, d-did I say you stuck out like a sore thumb? Hahaha! I merely meant you were just so radiantly beautiful that people couldn’t help but notice you!

  “I suppose that is a bit better.”

  Phew.

  “You’re still not off the hook.”

  Eep!

  “Give the author a break, Kotohime.” Walking alongside her, his posture a lazy slouch, Abercio grinned at the yamato nadeshiko. “He makes a fair point, you know? That’s why I suggested several disguises for you to wear before we came here.”

  Kotohime almost sneered. If doing so wouldn’t have ruined her image as a traditional Japanese beauty, she would have.

  “You can’t honestly expect me to wear the clothing you suggested, Abercio-san. I do not know what kind of fox you think I am, but this Kotohime refuses to wear anything so inappropriate.”

  “As opposed to a kimono that shows off your more than ample cleavage?”

  Kotohime stared down at her kimono, a dark red piece that depicted a sakura tree during the sunset. Pink sakura blossoms wove their way across her back, traversing her entire kimono in a spiral that went down her sleeves and dispersed along the hem. Much like all of her other kimonos, this one was quite loose, which meant her jaw-dropping bust was practically popping out of it.

  She looked back at Abercio.

  “If you do not look away from me in ten seconds, I will gut you, Abercio-san,” she said in an almost sincere-sounding voice.

  “Right. I got you.” Abercio looked away. “I wasn’t ogling you or anything of the sort, you know. I was just stating a fact.”

  “Fact or not, you should never speak of such things in the presence of a lady.”

  “Touché.
”

  A moment of silence passed between them.

  “Is everyone in place?” asked Kotohime.

  “They are.” Abercio nodded in several directions. Kotohime followed each nod to see one of the many kitsune who’d come with them. There were about fifty in total. They were all incognito, acting like tourists and taking in the sights. Some she recognized by face, but others she’d never met. “They’re simply waiting for the fun to start… and speaking of fun.”

  Kotohime’s gaze was drawn toward the same area as Abercio’s. She felt it just like he did, the powerful emissions of youki that were beginning to saturate the area. She could even tell that the youki in question was celestial in nature.

  “It seems the Shrine Gate has been opened again.”

  “Yeah. Heh, I’ve gotta admit, Mom’s a genius when it comes to concocting a plan like this. She has those two go in first and use a God’s talisman to forcefully open the Shrine Gate after the barrier was abruptly disrupted. The Shénshèng Clan reacts exactly as expected, sending their warrior monks down here to erase everyone’s memory and putting the city in lockdown until it can be repaired. And that’s when we strike.”

  Abercio’s left hand made a fist, which he slammed into the palm of his right. Excitement permeated his being, wafting from his frame like pheromones from a vixen in heat.

  Kitsune were an odd race. Most hated fighting. However, when there was no choice but to fight, they displayed an excitement that only an inu or an oni could match. This was especially true for male kitsune, who looked at every opportunity to battle as a pissing contest to display their manliness.

  Kotohime rolled her eyes.

  Men…

  “By the way…” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “… Do you know how the barrier was broken in the first place? I mean, the barrier around Saint’s Chariot is supposed to be the strongest barrier in the entire world, a masterpiece of Celestial Kitsune art. I hear that it interweaves two hundred separate illusions into a seamless gradation that masks it so completely not even the most sensitive yōkai can detect it. And that’s not even going into the barrier itself, which can withstand nuclear explosions with ease. How did something like that break so easily?”