Turesobei had to admit he was happy to see Kurine. She always cheered him up, but then she also made him uncomfortable. Of course, all girls made him uncomfortable. Kurine planted a big kiss on his lips. He could feel Iniru’s gaze burning holes in his back, so he squirmed out of the embrace as fast as possible.
Satsupan emerged and walked slowly and carefully down a branch, as if afraid he might miss a step. The muscles in his face trembled as he restrained himself from showing any expression.
“So, you have returned,” he said pompously, but with a tremor in his voice.
Turesobei reached into his pack, pulled out the now-inert nozakami statue, and tossed it onto the shore. “Brought it back, just like you asked. Our agreement is fulfilled. Though, I don’t think you were entirely honest with me …”
Satsupan’s eyes flared in shock as he looked at the statue, then his eyes narrowed. “How dare you! What has happened to Utotsu?! Why can’t I visit her in the dreamtime?”
“Oh that,” Turesobei replied. “You can’t visit with her because Motekeru ate her heart. Sorry, you only said to bring the statue. I know, a technicality, but you did fail to mention that she was going to eat us.”
“How dare you!” Satsupan marched toward them and the knobs closed in, chattering angrily. “Chonda dog, I am going to enjoy killing you. Slowly. You will suffer for years.”
Turesobei shook his head. “Yeah, I don’t think so. How are you feeling by the way? Under that anger … you look a little bit afraid. Something the matter with … oh, I don’t know, your roots maybe?”
“How dare you?!”
“Master dares,” Lu Bei replied, “You should ask yourself, where is Motekeru? What is he up to? Is he, perhaps, directly above you, digging into your roots, exposing them to the cold.”
“You would never,” Satsupan hissed.
“But I would,” Turesobei replied. “In fact, you know that I have already. Would you like for me to order Motekeru to do a little more digging, a little more clawing?”
Satsupan grew long wooden claws out from his fingertips. “I will crush you before the machine man does enough damage to harm me.”
Turesobei smiled and snapped his fingers, activated the spell to signal Motekeru. Satsupan collapsed, screaming and grabbing at his body. Turesobei sent the stop signal and stood over Satsupan.
“On my signal, he will attack your roots again with claws and flame. And if I die, he will know immediately and he will dig, slash, and burn until you are no more. Are we clear?”
“Even if your machine could kill me, my knobs would destroy you all.”
“I realize that,” Turesobei said. “That’s why I returned here for my friends instead of killing you first. I figured we could work something out. You let us go, and Motekeru won’t keep hurting you.”
Satsupan lunged at Turesobei. Before he could reach him, the two amber hounds pounced onto Satsupan and knocked him off course. As he started to get back up, Turesobei clicked his fingers. Satsupan started writhing on the ground again as Motekeru burned his roots. The knobs hesitated, not knowing what to do.
“Everyone, mount up,” Turesobei said. “Start moving toward the entrance. Push through the knobs if you must.”
Turesobei walked backward behind his friends as they shoved through the knobs toward the entrance to the cave. He clicked his fingers again to make Motekeru stop. Satsupan lay gasping for air. The anger was gone from him, for the moment. The big knob rallied the horde and they started rushing in. Iniru and the others began to fight them off.
Turesobei yelled with his fingers above his head. “Back off or your master suffers and dies!”
Some of the knobs backed off, but others did not. With Lu Bei and the hounds shielding him, Turesobei cast the spell of the sun-fire globe, drawing on the sun-stone’s power. A giant glowing orb appeared in the top of the cavern. While the orb crackled and flamed, it couldn’t burn anything. It merely gave off light. It was nothing more than an impressive bluff, or so he hoped. Half the knobs backed away in fear, but that still wasn’t enough.
“Call them off or die, Satsupan!”
“Your word?” Satsupan yelled.
“My word!” Turesobei returned.
Satsupan ordered the knobs to stand down but many of them disobeyed him. With dozens chasing them, Turesobei leapt up onto the mount behind Zaiporo and they raced out through the tunnel, outpacing the knobs. When they reached the outside and the endless ice and deep drifts of freshly-fallen snow, the knobs slowed as they began to slip and tire. They couldn’t handle the cold nor walk well on the ice.
Once the last of the knobs stopped chasing, Turesobei and his companions stopped to catch their breath. Luckily, no one had gotten any serious injuries fighting off the knobs this time. Turesobei stared back toward the tunnels, deep in thought.
“Going to get rid of him, master?” Lu Bei asked.
Turesobei sighed. “No, I can’t go back on my word.”
“He could kill more people,” Zaiporo said.
“True,” Turesobei replied, “but I don’t think many people wander into this canyon anymore. He’s suffered, that’ll have to be enough.”
As Kemsu and Narbenu nodded, approving of his honor in keeping his word, and Kurine beamed at him with pride.
“Let’s get as far away from here as fast as we can,” Iniru said. “Those knobs are determined. They may keep coming.”
As they rode toward the blind with the shortcut path leading up out of the canyon, a strange feeling struck Turesobei, a disturbance in the kenja currents. He turned and looked to his left. His heart plunged into his stomach and bile rose into his throat.
On the edge of the sloping side of the canyon, the side they had slid down in the snowstorm, stood a long line of yomon. Eighty-eight of them, he suspected. At their center, scantily clad in ripped traveling clothes — blood-smeared — taller — filled out with hips and breasts and corded muscle — a pentagram on her forehead — was Awasa. She stood with one hip cocked and her head turned almost coyly to the side. The familiar pose made her new form look even more twisted and monstrous.
Her purple eyes locked onto him. He thought he saw a grin. Then she pointed Sumada toward them and bellowed: “Charge!”
Chapter 35
Awasa ran madly down the slope, somehow managing not to fall and slide down. The yomon poured down behind her.
“Oh gods!” Enashoma cried out. “That’s not —”
“It’s her,” Lu Bei said. He had the sharpest eyes of all of them.
“We’ve got to get out of here and fast,” Iniru said.
Turesobei opened his kenja-sight. He had to see. “The blood … she’s painted herself with the blood of the Winter Child. That’s why she’s safe from the cold.”
“Sobei,” Iniru urged. “We have to get out of here. Now.”
“Right.” He took a deep breath. “When I give the signal, ride hard for the blind. I’m going to cover us.”
He chanted the spell of the fog cloud. Normally, it would cover only a small area at best, but the spell used air and water kenja, the two most abundant energies in the Ancient Cold and Deep, and he planned on putting everything he had into it.
“Hurry,” Shoma urged.
The yomon and Awasa were halfway down into the canyon when he finished chanting the long spell. Almost instantly a mist rose from the ground and clouds fell from the sky, filling the canyon with a fog so thick that Turesobei couldn’t even see the tail end of the sonoke he was riding.
“I can’t see anything,” Kemsu said. “How’s this supposed to help us.”
Turesobei spoke a command and a bubble within the fog cloud formed around them so that they could see each other and just ahead of themselves.
“Ride to the blind,” he said.
“Master, what if the yomon or Awasa can sense us and follow our trail magically?” Lu Bei asked.
“Do you think they can?”
“I’m not sure. I would assume that Awasa’s power
s are similar to those of Barakaros the Warlock. I’m certain that he could’ve tracked us, though you have stirred up a lot energy here and she hasn’t had time to get used to her powers. Or had any magical training for that matter.”
“We’ll just have to ride and hope she can’t,” Turesobei said. “It’s the only choice we’ve got.”
“You say that a lot,” Kemsu said.
“That’s how I live my life,” Turesobei replied. “I never seem to have any good options. I just work with what fate gives me.”
“They could physically track us once the fog clears,” Iniru said.
“The fog will last in the canyon for days, maybe weeks.”
“It’s not going to spread, is it?” Narbenu asked.
“I localized it,” Turesobei said. “But probably. Slowly. We should be able to stay well ahead of it. Meanwhile they can flail around blindly and take the long way out of the canyon.”
“I hope they run into the cave and face all those angry knobs and what’s left of Satsupan,” Zaiporo said. “That would be justice.”
As they rode up the blind, a frustrated, shrieking howl pierced the fog and echoed through the canyon. Turesobei knew the voice behind it.
“Sounds like we’ve thwarted them for now, master,” Lu Bei said.
Kurine pulled alongside Turesobei and stared at him. “So that … that was …”
“My other betrothed,” he replied dully.
As they rode Turesobei stared blindly into the distance and thought of the time he’d run into Awasa with his shirt stuck over his head. That was the day Lu Bei had come to him. Or the tea they’d had with their mothers before the note from Iniru had changed their lives. He thought of the dance he’d offered to take her to. A dance he would’ve attended without that note. Without that note she would still be the same old Awasa. Not the good person she had started to become and not the nightmare she was now. But even without that note, the Deadly Twelve would have come after him and Awasa would probably be dead. Although that would be a better fate than being turned into what she was now.
When they reached Motekeru an hour later, he was meditating near the destruction he’d wrought. He nodded tersely and climbed into the saddle of his mount. But they didn’t go on immediately. They gave the mounts a few minutes to rest since they’d be riding them nonstop for the rest of the day and part of the night.
“You okay?” Iniru asked.
Turesobei shrugged. “This is my fault.”
“It is, but what’s done is done. I’m sorry it happened.”
“The trip was making her a better person. She was trying so hard. She’d turned the corner.”
“She really had,” Shoma said. “She was becoming almost tolerable. She worked so hard to earn Sobei’s respect and now …”
“The magic has brought out all the worst of her. If not for all those yomon, I’d do anything I could to help her, though I’m not sure what I could do.”
“I haven’t seen many things like this before,” Lu Bei said, solemnly, “obviously, but my experience and instincts tell me there’s probably no way to cure her of this.”
Chapter 36
For the next several days they pushed on as hard as they dared over increasingly rough terrain with jagged rocks, sudden gullies, and sloping hills. But with no sign of Awasa and the yomon, they eventually slowed to a more reasonable pace that wouldn’t kill the sonoke. The only good thing about this region was how sparsely populated it was, so they didn’t have to worry about the yomon tearing through any villages. This also meant game was plentiful. Unfortunately most of it was able to fight back. Periodically, Turesobei would cast the spell of the baby’s breath to blow snow and debris over their tracks. It was the first wind spell an apprentice learned and was normally sufficient only for blowing out a candle across a room. Here its effect was considerable.
Turesobei was settling down for the night in the snowhouse with the others when Iniru appeared at the entrance.
“I’m coming in.” By the time Narbenu could start to complain about the impropriety of it, she was already inside. “Turesobei is needed in our snowhouse.”
“He can’t go,” Narbenu said, “and you can’t stay here any longer.”
“His sister needs him,” Iniru said in her screw-you voice.
Narbenu frowned. “I don’t think —”
“Motekeru is there, so is his sister. We’re not going to do anything improper.”
“I’m going to check on my sister,” Turesobei told Narbenu authoritatively. “I’ll be back.”
“Sobei,” Zaiporo said. “Tell Shoma … tell her … tell her I said … hi.”
“Um … okay,” Turesobei said, and he stepped outside, following Iniru.
“What’s wrong with Shoma?” Turesobei asked.
“She’s cracking under all the pressure. She’s exhausted and seeing Awasa, I think it really shook her up. I tried to comfort her but she’s mad at me.”
“What? Why?”
“Because I flirted a bit with Zaiporo a few times. Several maybe. I think.”
“You flirt with a lot of people. Doesn’t mean anything.”
“Yeah, but he flirted back and … it’s just … you know how it is.” She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Well, you probably don’t.”
“I feel like I don’t know what’s going on between us all anymore.”
“Well, if we could share the same snowhouse, we’d all communicate better and you’d get to see Shoma more. That would help. If Narbenu wasn’t such a prude. I’m really not fond of him.”
“Narbenu’s a good man, Niru. He saved my life and took me in. Risked his neck to help rescue you, too. He’s just trying to do what he thinks is right. He feels responsible for us.”
“Maybe so,” Iniru said, “but I don’t think he’s that simple. He has a slave. Good men don’t keep slaves.”
“And you’re an assassin. Good people don’t kill other people.”
Iniru spun on him. “Oh yeah?”
Turesobei shrugged. “I’m not holding it against you. Just saying the world isn’t that simple. And things are different here. Just like they’re different for k’chasan qengai and k’chasan families. Kemsu’s paying a blood debt, and if he’s okay with that, then so am I.”
“Well, I can see Kurine is good for one thing.”
“Wait … what? What does she have to do with anything?”
“You were a lot easier to manage when you had less backbone,” Iniru said with a sigh. “Still, it has to be a good thing in the end.”
“What makes you think Kurine has anything to do with me having more backbone? I’ve always had backbone!”
“Before her you never thought of me as anything but wonderful. I was magical … perfect. It was a good feeling. Now, I’m an assassin … though an excusable one at least.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek and stroked her hand down his neck. “Reality had to set in eventually I suppose.”
With that she ducked inside the girl’s snowhouse, leaving him to stand in the cold, utterly bewildered. Kurine had given him backbone? He thought of all the times he’d stood up to people, dared the unknown, faced dangers deemed insurmountable, did things his way … He’d faced down the Storm Dragon and was still himself. How by the love Kaiwen Earth-Mother could he not have backbone already? It just didn’t make any sense.
He shook his head. No sense in pondering it. If Shoma, Kurine, and Awasa didn’t make sense to him there was no way he’d ever understand Iniru. He entered their snowhouse. Motekeru sat in the corner with Enashoma cradled in his bronze-jointed, wooden arms. Enashoma was sobbing, her head against his chest. Turesobei paused, overwhelmed by the absurdity of that image.
Kurine popped up from the side and gave him a smile and a quick peck on the cheek. She gave Iniru a seething glance then said, “Enashoma’s been crying for an hour now. I did what I could … but she doesn’t really know me and …”
“It’s okay,” he responded. “Thank you for trying.” He turned to
Iniru. “Thank you both.”
He knelt beside Enashoma. She spun into his arms. Motekeru nodded to him and Turesobei nodded back.
“Shoma, Shoma, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“I’m … I’m fine,” she sobbed.
“You don’t sound fine.”
“I don’t want to trouble you, Sobei. You’ve been through so much. And seeing Awasa … you must be —”
“I’m fine,” he said.
“You’re lying.”
“I’m trying not to think about it.” That was a lie. He thought about Awasa all the time while riding, even more now that he’d seen her. That was the problem with riding in the cold all day long as fast as you could, bundled in thick furs with your face covered, there wasn’t much chance for conversation. He and Zaiporo had long ago run out of things to talk about and talking between mounts was difficult. Even Kurine had largely given up now that the terrain was rough.
“Awasa … is that what’s bothering you?” he asked.
“Yes … no. It’s everything. This isn’t what I set out for. Freedom, a little adventure, that’s what I wanted. I miss our world. I miss warmth. I miss home. I miss Grandfather … hot meals … tea … even Mother. Life was easy at home … Home was okay, I just wanted to be myself … to marry who I wanted … see a little of the world.”
“I know. I failed you. I’m sorry. I wish I’d made you stay.”
“I don’t want to end up like Awasa. I’m okay with dying, but not that. Never that. If something like that happens to me, kill me, okay? Don’t hesitate. Don’t wait because you’re going to try to save me. Just end it.”
“Shoma—”
“Promise me.”
“I’ll do better than that. I promise I won’t ever let it happen.” He held her for a while, letting her cry. Then he kissed her tenderly on the nose. “I love you, Little Blossom. Be strong. I’ll get you home yet.” He sat back and smiled at her. “Now, I have just the thing to cheer you up. Lu Bei!”
The Forbidden Library Page 21