The Priestess and the Dragon

by Nicolette Andrews

  "You're not going to boil the water somehow and make me into a broth, are you?"

  "I doubt it would be very filling." He smiled, but she knew a demon hid behind that smile.

  Suzume looked to Kaito, then to the spring, and then back to Kaito. She just could not believe he was doing something nice for her. "Did you set this up so you could see me naked?"

  He threw up his hands in defense. "There is nothing beneath those filthy clothes that I wish to see."

  She folded her hands over her torso. "I'll have you know men have written poems about my body."

  "Uh-huh." He strolled away. "Just hurry up and wash."

  She watched him go with a suspicious glance. Once she was sure he was gone, she stripped down in a hurry. She peeled off her filthy clothes and dropped them onto the ground. Clumps of dirt came loose from the fabric and fell onto the ground with a plop. She shook her head, looking at the ruined clothes. She had no inkling how to clean them and she had no change of clothes. I'll worry about that once I'm clean.

  She waded into the water. The water embraced her flesh and the gooseflesh rose on her arms and legs. She went to the center of the pond, it reached up to her middle, and she sank down to her shoulders. Dirty water swirled away from her in a murky cloud. She watched it go with a crinkled nose. Did all that dirt really come off of me?

  She plugged her nose and submerged her entire body in the water. She burst through the surface and flicked her hair back, showering the rocks around the pool in water. She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to untangle the knots as she looked for a place to sit. All the while she kept one ear cocked for the sound of approaching footsteps. She found a smooth stone that made a natural seat at the water's edge. She sat down and the water came up to her shoulders. She leaned back against the volcanic rock and closed her eyes. I am not coming out until I am a giant prune.

  The ground beneath her feet was smooth, like a polished stone. She rubbed her toes against it absently. A twig snapped and her eyes flew open. She peered past the rising steam but saw nothing waiting in the dark. Maybe I'm being too jumpy. With her luck, the monkey's relatives would have followed her here and were intent on revenge. She decided it was best to keep her eyes open. She stared at the steam as it rose off the surface of the water. I would stay here forever if I could. No courtiers to worry about, no responsibilities and no dragons.

  Her vision blurred as she let her mind wander. Images danced through the steam and she smiled groggily. It's almost like watching a dream while I am awake. The longer she watched the images, the clearer they became. She watched as a priestess attended to a shrine. She leaned forward. I know that place. Suzume recognized the carved depiction of the mountain god above the shrine where Kaito had been sealed. The priestess had her back to Suzume, but she knelt before the shrine, hands pressed together as if in prayer. A second priestess approached her and put her hand on the priestess' shoulder.

  "You shouldn't come here, what if you break the seal?" the second priestess said.

  The first priestess looked up. She was beautiful in a classic way, round face, large eyes and ebony hair worn in a single braid. "I wanted to come here once more before I leave," she said.

  "We will keep him safely locked away . Do not worry."

  The priestess' hand drifted down to her belly. She rubbed her swelling stomach absently. "Thank you for this," she said. "You must never tell anyone the truth. Keep him here until I return for him. Promise?"

  The second priestess bowed to her. "Even if it takes a thousand lifetimes, I will protect your secret."

  The image dissipated in a swirl of colors. Suzume rubbed her eyes as another scene played out before her in the steam. This one was even clearer than the first.

  The priestess from the shrine walked through the swamp they had just left. She had a long staff in a holster on her back, and instead of the traditional red and white of a priestess, she wore a long haori shirt in brown over brown hakama pants. She stopped at the edge of a clearing along a large expanse of water. The water bubbled and then parted. The giant salamander emerged and the woman raised her hand to him in greeting.

  "You have some nerve coming here, Priestess." The giant salamander rose up on all fours in a menacing pose. He was five times the priestess' size and could crush her with one swing of his tail.

  She did not even reach for her weapon. "Do not waste your empty threats upon me. I have erected a barrier to protect me. Now listen to me speak."

  The creature shifted back and forth but appeared unable to move. "Very well, why have you come here?"

  "For answers," she said.

  He shook his head. "Many seek but not all find."

  "I know. I wanted to know about--" She hesitated and touched her stomach. "Can a human ever become a Yokai?"

  He sank down into the water and blew bubbles. After a few moments he rose up again. "No, it is not possible."

  She reached for her staff but hesitated. "And a child born between a human and a Yokai, will they be trapped also by this mortal coil?"

  "Such a child would never be accepted by humans nor among the Yokai. It would forever be torn between two worlds. They are cursed with a long life of suffering."

  "There has to be another way."

  "You carry the Dragon's child, then?"

  She had turned to walk away. "Yes."

  "Is that why you sealed him away?"

  She paused and looked the swamp creature up and down before answering, "Yes."

  The vision ended and Suzume felt as if it took the breath from her lungs. She sank down into the water up to her nose and let her limbs float on the water's surface. That was Kazue, then. She was pretty. Suzume rose out of the water a bit. She knew she was carrying Kaito's child. Why seal him away?

  "You have seen the vision?" a voice squeaked near her ear.

  Suzume flailed in the water and splashed about, covering her naked body as best she could with her hands.

  "Who's there? You pervert, you promised not to peek!"

  "I do not care for your human body," the tiny voice said again. It sounded close, but when Suzume squinted towards the forest, she could not see anything.

  "Where are you? Who are you?"

  "I am here. I am me."

  She stopped flailing around and really looked. The sound was coming from her left. She stood up and looked around.

  "Down here."

  Her gaze went downward to a small shrine made of four flat stones, three for the walls and one for the roof. A short string of ofuda had been tied over the opening. And sitting on a clay offering bowl was a tiny figure. Suzume sank back down into the water to conceal her naked body and then swam closer to get a better look. She leaned against the ledge and came within inches of the smallest person she had ever seen. It looked like an old woman with a long robe of bright pink and white with tiny water lotuses embroidered on it. She had her silvery hair tied up on top of her hair.

  "Who are you?" Suzume asked.

  "I am the keeper of the pool and the guider of visions. You were brought here to me."

  Suzume narrowed her eyes. "By whom?"

  "The master, the Dragon who has woken from his sleep, of course," she said with a smile. She only had two or three teeth in a gummy mouth.

  I knew there had to be a catch. "Why did he bring me here?"

  "He is testing you. You woke him and that could only mean you are linked to the one who sealed him."

  "Meaning what? Are you saying she's my grandmother or..." She could not choke out the words she was thinking. It was too ludicrous to even consider.

  The tiny old woman shrugged. "I cannot tell you; that is for you to discover."

  Suzume sighed. This seemed to be a reoccurring theme. "Does this vision have something to do with my newfound powers? That was Kazue in the vision, right? The woman that sealed him? Why would she seal him because she was pregnant? Seems like a weird way of dealing with a bastard."

  The old woman shook her head. "You are not prepar
ed to understand. Nor is he; when he asks you about your visions, tell him you saw nothing. Do you understand?"

  "Why? I mean, I don't exactly like doing what he wants, but I don't want to be eaten either."

  "It's best that he does not know about your connection to Kazue. Much more will be revealed in time. For now wait and watch, Priestess."

  The long grasses alongside the pool rustled and Suzume looked up. Kaito came strolling into view.

  "Are you done yet? I'm bored."

  That's why he wanted me to come here. For the vision. Well, two can play at this game. He may be a dragon, but he is a male dragon.

  "Almost." She swam to the edge of the pond nearest to Kaito and pulled herself up, baring the top of her breasts glistening with water. She covered herself just enough to keep a sense of mystery. "Join me?"

  She pouted her lips and ran her hands through her damp hair.

  He narrowed his eyes at her. "Anything strange happen?"

  She had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. He was not very subtle. "No, I was just thinking I owe you for saving me from those awful monkeys. Is there any way I can repay you?"

  He crossed his arms over his chest. "No, there's nothing you have that I want." He stomped away.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Kaito stormed away. The hot spring should have exposed her. I was sure she was the one. Well, she's hiding something, that's for sure.

  Since the shifter, he had been thinking about it. Kazue's reincarnation was out there, and only her reincarnation should have been able to unleash him. He knew Kazue better than he had ever known another living soul. She would only allow the seal to be broken if she was the one doing it. No mere mortal could have unleashed him. She was tied to Kazue, that he knew for sure. Whether she be her descendant or otherwise, he was going to find out and get his revenge. These feelings the fake Kazue had awakened needed to be squashed. His love for Kazue made him weak, and the sooner he closed this chapter, the sooner he could regain his kingdom. I should kill her and be done with it. I am wasting time.

  He went back to the campfire he had built and plopped down on the ground, crossing his arms over his chest. He did not even need the warmth of the fire, he had done it for the priestess. She's worthless to me, mostly an annoyance, yet I continue to see to her comforts. Who's the pet here?

  She shouted from a distance, her voice carrying, and in her agitation her spiritual energy flared up. It washed over him like a wave; to a hungry Yokai it would be irresistible. He did not even lift his head, no matter how much she squawked. He stared intently into the flickering flames. The fool will bring every Yokai in the area down upon us.

  She stumbled through a bush nearby, night blind to the pathway a few feet away. She grumbled and complained as she pulled her robes free of the reaching branches. He thought about teasing her for being clumsy but decided against it. Getting close to her would only end poorly for both of them. If he wasn't willing to kill her, then he should leave now. She was no use to him.

  "What's wrong with you? I'm a highly desirable woman. I was going to marry my father's top general before my mother ruined it for me."

  He did not respond but continued to stare at the flames. She looks nothing like Kazue, and her energy feels different too. She's loud and crude, Kazue was demure and quiet. There's no way she's Kazue's reincarnation.

  "The silent brooding routine doesn't suit you," Suzume said.

  Again his answer was silence. If she's not Kazue's reincarnation, how did she break her seal? While he dreamed, he had plotted and planned his revenge. He wanted to find her reincarnation, win her trust, then slowly destroy her. He wanted her to feel the betrayal he had felt when she realized he had done it all for vengeance. But just a few moments with an impostor and he had forgotten his anger and fallen under the spell of love. These feelings are a cancer that is spreading throughout my body. What do I have to do to forget her?

  "If you're going to ignore me all night, then I'm going to bed."

  She lay down and faced away from him. She probably expected him to chase her, to beg her forgiveness. He scoffed. Humans could be so vain.

  He could not help but ask again, though he felt like a fool for doing so. "That hot spring is blessed by one of the Eight. Did you see anything special while you bathed?" he asked, his voice coaxing. She had to have seen something, a priestess with her power should have been given a vision.

  "Other than you peeping? No," she replied while keeping her back turned to him. Her voice rose just a bit, and he knew she was lying.

  He stared at the back of her head. Kill her now and be done. Let these memories go. But he could not move from his seat.

  Without warning, he felt a probing tentacle of energy brush against his own. He looked over at the priestess, but it was not coming from her direction. He stood up, surveying their surroundings. The probe withdrew when they realized he had noticed them. He had felt from the brief connection that they were powerful, close in power to his own. What did she attract? Instead of drawing closer, they stayed in one place as if they were waiting for him. Could it be? He spread out his senses, using his own probes to find them, but when he brushed against their energy, they cloaked themselves. He growled in frustration and pushed harder, spreading his energy out further, trying to break their barrier only to find them further away, but still within reach. They were calling to him. Curious, he went in pursuit.

  The priestess heard him leaving and shouted after him, "You cannot leave me here alone!"

  He ignored her, consumed by the hunt. Whoever they were, they had mastery over their spiritual energy, which meant they were very powerful. Few were of an equal level with him, and he knew them all. But this energy was unfamiliar; there was a strange note to it. It was an imperfection that he could not quite place.

  Kaito ran to the edge of the forest, where the energy vanished and did not reappear. He stood at the edge of the forest, the road stretching out in either direction, darkness enclosing him. Kaito turned in place, his senses on high alert. There was nothing here, not even a void to indicate someone masking their spiritual energy. Despite that, he knew they were watching him.

  He felt a spark, a tiny insignificant burst of energy. Had he not been focused on finding something, he would not have noticed it. Casually he turned and shot a blast of icy energy in its direction. A crystallized ofuda materialized, hanging in the air before it fell to the ground, shattering into thousands of pieces. He walked over and stared at the fragments of frozen paper.

  Someone clapped slowly. A peasant stood on the roadside, rake slung over his shoulder.

  "That was impressive, how'd you make that beam of ice?"

  "You can see me?" Kaito asked, narrowing his eyes. He probed the man's energy, but he appeared to be a mundane human. There wasn't even a hint of spiritual energy; he shouldn't be able to see him.

  "Of course I can, I've always been able to see your kind." He grinned, but there was something off-kilter about his expression as if he was disconnected from his body somehow.

  "You're lying," Kaito rumbled.

  The man smiled in a sinister way before he rushed Kaito, swinging his rake at Kaito's head. Kaito dodged it, and as the rake went zooming over his head, he transformed his hand into a claw and popped up to swipe at the farmer. The farmer jumped backwards, laughing all the while. Kaito lunged forward, and though the farmer bobbed and weaved, he landed one claw on the farmer's face. Then like a crack in a door, a sliver of spiritual energy escaped from underneath the mask. The farmer noticed and ran a hand along the seam, hiding the energy. All that remained was a veneer of an average human.

  Kaito jumped backwards; he had grossly underestimated his opponent. He had never met someone with this sort of power, hiding his spiritual energy as if he were human. Then it dawned on him, the shifter had been a diversion. This was the real menace the salamander had warned him about. "Who are you?" Kaito asked.

  "A friend, an enemy? Only you can tell," the man taunted. He stood a few
feet away, the rake held in front of him like a staff. He knew the pose because Kazue had fought with a staff.

  "What are you?"

  He peered at the farmer, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not break past the barrier he had created to mask his energy. If he didn't know any better, he would think he was human.

  He shook his head. "I just came to see the famous Dragon, ruler of Akatsuki. I can understand how Kazue could seal you away now. You seem to have a soft spot for humans."

  Kaito snarled and bared his teeth, he would rend this creature apart piece by piece, and maybe once his guts were exposed, he would know how he could hide so well. He tapped into his spiritual energy to unravel it and transform into a dragon. But though he could feel the energy, he could not unleash it. He looked at his hands and arms, there were no seals on him, nothing that could stop his transformation, but try as he might, he could not transform.

  "She took more of your energy than you realized, and you're weak from being locked away in a holy place." The farmer sighed.

  "You did this?"

  "Sent the monkeys and the Aryūru after you?" He shrugged his shoulders. "They do what they want. That's how things are run around here now. All the leaders are gone, except for a few clans. There are no Kami, there are no emperors." He smiled.

  Kaito was done talking. He had met enough tricksters in his life to know he wouldn't get a straight answer out of this fool. Kaito shot a blast of ice at the farmer, weaker than he would normally be able to do, but it should at least knock the farmer off his feet. But before it hit him, he disappeared.

  The farmer laughed behind Kaito. "You think you can hit me with such a weak attack?"

  He turned around to see the farmer standing on the grassy knoll where he and the priestess had stopped earlier. The farmer rested his palm against the tree and then pulled his hand away, rubbing his fingers together as if residue remained.

  "The priestess is delightful, though." He inhaled deeply as he waved his hand towards his face. "So much power and so little control. She leaves traces all over. You shouldn't have left her alone. Who knows what will find her."