by Julie Kagawa
“Blood magic,” Hanshou said. “An extremely complex, powerful ritual. I have not felt anything so strong in...centuries. They are using the lives lost, the blood spilled and the slaughter here to power whatever it is they are doing. An entire city’s worth of carnage and death. I shudder to imagine what Genno is planning.”
At my side, the noble blew out a horrified breath. “Kage-san, we must return to the palace,” he said, turning to me in alarm. “Kiyomi-sama must know about this. Yumeko-san, as well.”
“An excellent idea,” said Lady Hanshou, smiling faintly at the Taiyo noble. “Let us all return to the palace. I imagine Kiyomi-sama will want to know why a contingent of Kage warriors suddenly appeared in her city out of nowhere. Hakaimono,” she went on, her voice growing softer as she turned to me. “You and I go back a long way, First Oni. I know you wish to take your vengeance, and perhaps you will one day.” Her eyes narrowed. “But on this day, we have the same enemy. And he is close to achieving victory. The Shadow Clan is here, and we will offer whatever aid we can. I suggest you take it.”
“On one condition,” I told her, making the ancient daimyo raise a perfectly inked eyebrow. “Stop calling me Hakaimono. My name is Kage Tatsumi, and I am no longer yours to command.”
Lady Hanshou blinked at that, and a faint smile curled one corner of her lips, but she only nodded. “Then let us go, before Genno completes whatever ritual he is casting.”
* * *
The journey back to the palace was swift. Demons and yokai still roamed the streets, but they appeared to be fleeing the city instead of attacking. We killed the stragglers we came across without slowing down, and soon reached the outer walls of the palace.
When we entered the courtyard, we came upon a scene of slaughter. Bodies of both humans and yokai, samurai and monsters alike, were scattered across the stones. It was clear that a horrific battle had taken place here, and worry for Yumeko twisted my stomach. Hanshou’s expression was grim as she gazed around at the massacre and I remembered her words about death powering the ritual. If that was truly the case, then Genno would have all the blood and butchery he needed.
I saw the Moon Clan daimyo in the courtyard, directing samurai and servants as she dealt with the aftermath of the brutal battle. Spotting us, her eyes widened, and she straightened quickly, her attention not on me or the Taiyo noble, but on the Kage daimyo striding toward her over the carnage. Lady Hanshou’s demeanor was calm as she and Masao walked easily across the yard, but by Kiyomi-sama’s expression, the Tsuki daimyo wasn’t entirely certain that having the Shadow Clan appear in her city was a good thing.
“Daisuke!”
The ronin came hurrying across the courtyard, dodging or leaping over bodies, his gaze only for the Taiyo. The noble didn’t move, only held out an arm, and before samurai, daimyos and servants alike, pulled Okame close as the ronin crashed into him.
“Yokatta,” muttered Okame, his voice muffled against the noble’s haori. “You’re alive.” His brow furrowed, and he pulled back to glare at the Taiyo, shaking his head. “Baka noble. Why do you always have to fling yourself at the biggest thing on the battlefield?”
“Forgive me.” Daisuke’s lips curved faintly, and one hand rose to touch the ronin’s face. “But I was in no danger. I promised I would not meet that glorious death without you, Okame-san. And I have yet to break a promise.” His fingers traced the stubbly jaw, and the other shivered. “We are here, and we are victorious. It is not yet our time.”
The ronin sighed, his face darkening as a flicker of grief went through his eyes. “We lost Reika.”
I straightened, and Daisuke’s eyes widened. Shoulders slumping, Okame turned, observing the massacre spread through the open yard.
“It was crazy,” he muttered. “Demons and yokai everywhere, all trying to get to the daimyo and slaughter the rest of us on the way. And that was before they brought out this huge, eight-headed monster that started killing everything in its path.”
“The Orochi?” I asked in disbelief. My worry for Yumeko spiked, and I glanced toward the palace, hoping to see the flash of ears and a bushy tail. The eight-headed serpent of legend had popped up a few times in the history of the empire, and though heroes had fought and slain the monster each time, powerful blood mages were quite fond of summoning the dreaded Orochi simply because it was so nasty.
“Yeah.” The ronin bobbed his head once. “Orochi. That’s what they called the bastard. Kiyomi-sama managed to call on the Kirin for aid, but Reika-san held the barrier against the demons and the Orochi and gave her time to complete the ritual. We would’ve all been eaten had she not been there.”
“She died with honor,” Daisuke said solemnly. “That is all any of us can hope for in the end. Protecting the land and those we care about from the greater evil. I can only hope to follow her example.” He exhaled, closing his eyes as he bowed his head. “Though the world is a little less bright today. She will be missed.”
The ronin glanced at me. “Yumeko is taking it pretty hard, Kage-san,” he said, making my pulse jump at her name. “She was there, when Reika...”
I nodded. “Where is she?”
He gestured across the courtyard. I glanced at Kiyomi-sama and Lady Hanshou, still deep in conversation, and made my way toward the palace.
I found Yumeko sitting on the railing of the veranda, her legs and fox tail dangling over the side as she gazed out over the courtyard. Though her face was dry, her eyes were red, her expression haunted and far away. Wordlessly, I joined her, vaulting up to sit beside her on the railing. One of her ears twitched in my direction, and she raised her head.
“Tatsumi.” Her voice was soft with relief, and a glimmer of emotion pierced the darkness that had gathered in her eyes. “You’re here. I guess you killed the oni, then.”
“Yes.” It was strange, seeing her like this; stranger still that I wanted to say something, to ease the sadness in her voice, but I didn’t know how.
“I heard about Reika,” I said quietly.
She sniffed, the sheen in her eyes growing bright again. “She was right there, Tatsumi,” Yumeko whispered. “Right there, holding up the barrier against everything. And then I look back...and she’s gone.” Her bottom lip trembled, and she took a shaky breath to compose herself. “It doesn’t seem real,” she went on. “I keep expecting her to walk up and scold me for wasting time while Genno is still out there.”
Mention of Genno caused a shiver of warning to race up my spine. I glanced toward the sky, to the distant statues that could be seen even over the roof of the palace, and could just make out the figure atop the head of the Great Tiger, a faint glow of magic around it.
Yumeko followed my gaze, and her expression darkened even more. “Something is going to happen, isn’t it?” she asked in a small voice. “I can feel it. There’s a terrible dark energy swirling around the city. Genno is about to do something even more unforgivable.”
Her voice shook. I reached out and placed a hand on her arm, picturing all my strength flowing into her, everything I felt: my anger, determination...and this strange, terrible emotion that could only be love. “We’ll stop him,” I told the kitsune next to me. “This fight will not be in vain, Yumeko. There is still time. And I will be at your side until the very end, I promise.”
Yumeko gazed at me, golden fox eyes meeting my own, and the depth of emotion staring back made my stomach twist wildly. A small part of me wanted to flee, to turn away and put distance between myself and an obvious weakness, to slam the door on these emotions and become an empty shell, as I had in the days before I met her. I stayed where I was, meeting her eyes, though my heart and stomach refused to calm. I was still stumbling in the dark, letting these strange feelings take me where they would, but with her, I knew I was safe. I trusted she would not put a knife in my back and push me into the void, that she would at least catch me if I fell.
Who are you
trying to fool, Tatsumi? You’ve already fallen.
“Tatsumi,” Yumeko whispered, and even the sound of my name on her lips made my pulse spike. One slender hand rose, trailing soft fingers down my cheek, and I closed my eyes. “I...”
A shudder went through the air. It rippled across the ground, seeming to originate from the center of the city and expand outward, a pulse of darkness fed from blood and death and human souls.
“It’s happening,” Yumeko whispered, just as the pulse of magic reached us. I had the brief sensation of being swarmed, of millions of spiders, centipedes, worms and crawling things scuttling over my body and under my clothes, wriggling into my flesh. I saw Yumeko cringe, her ears flattening against her skull in loathing, before the feeling passed and all felt normal again. Silence descended over the palace, every human frozen in fear and confusion, hands on the hilts of weapons as we waited for what was to come.
And then, the kami started to scream.
It wasn’t a physical sound. There were no high-pitched shrieks carried over the wind, no cries or wails or anything you could hear. It was more a sensation of utter terror, of thousands of voices rising in one unified cry of pain and horror. It came from the earth, the sky, the forest surrounding the city, a bombardment of emotion and fear that pierced right through you, shredding your soul from the inside.
Yumeko gasped, flinching and clapping her hands to her ears, as if the screams of the kami were physically painful. I leaped off the railing, gazing around for the others, for Lady Hanshou and the Tsuki daimyo, knowing that whatever Genno had planned, it had started. The final play had begun, and we needed to move now.
“Kage-san! Yumeko-chan!”
The ronin leaped up the steps, bow in hand, followed closely by the Taiyo. “What the hell is going on?” Okame asked, his face pale as he strode toward us. “Does anyone else hear that? I feel like my ears are going to start bleeding.”
“It’s the kami,” Yumeko said, her voice shaking as she slid off the railing. She gazed at the sky, at the forest looming beyond the city, her eyes huge with fear. “I’ve never...heard them scream like this. Something terrible is happening. We need to find Kiyomi-sama.”
“I am here.” The Moon Clan daimyo strode up the steps, her face as pale and grim as Yumeko’s. Behind her, like a poised, elegant shadow, came Lady Hanshou, though her lips were also set in a tight line, her expression dark. Yumeko drew in a sharp breath as she caught sight of the Kage ruler, her back straightening in alarm.
“It’s all right,” I said in a voice only for her. “The Kage are here, but they’ve come to help us stop Genno.”
She shot me a brief worried glance. I could see the questions in her eyes, the concern for me, knowing that if the Kage were here, they would have also come for Hakaimono and the sword. I had no doubt that Hanshou had plans for me once this was over, if any of us survived. But right now, stopping Genno and preventing the Summoning was the only issue that mattered.
“Yumeko-san.” The Moon Clan daimyo’s voice was grave. She paused in front of her daughter, and the similarities between the two women were remarkable and obvious. “I must gather my remaining forces for the final march,” the daimyo stated. “Whatever the Master of Demons has set in motion, we cannot let it stop us. Whatever Genno has brought about, no matter the cost, we must reach the cliffs of Ryugake and halt the Summoning of the Dragon.” She sighed, and for a moment, seemed decades older. “The kami are fleeing the island,” she whispered. “I can feel their presence leaving the land, and soon they will be gone completely. I am not certain what the day will bring. My forces have been decimated, and even with the Kage’s help, we will be at a terrible disadvantage. You have seen Genno’s army, what he is capable of, and you have lost someone dear. We might not survive this battle, Yumeko-san, but our time is nearly up, and our choices are gone. Are you and your friends still with us?”
“Yes,” Yumeko answered, and there was no hesitation or fear in her voice. “This is why we came, Kiyomi-sama. We’re not giving up now.”
The Moon Clan ruler nodded. “Then make ready,” she told her daughter. “Gather what you need, pray to the kami and say your goodbyes. Whatever horror the dawn brings, we will face it with honor, and we will either stop a madman from summoning a god, or we will meet our ancestors in the next life.”
PART III
21
Valley of Demons
Yumeko
My soul felt sick.
That was the only way I could describe what I was feeling; the terrible sensation of wrongness that lingered over the entire island. The very air seemed lifeless, the once lush forests felt barren and dead. Where the land once teemed with life, it felt hollow now. Empty. And it wasn’t hard to figure out why.
The kami were gone. Whatever Genno had done, whatever dark magic he had performed, it had caused the mass evacuation of every spirit on the island. And with them, the heart of the land had vanished, as well.
I rode beside Kiyomi-sama at the head of a procession of Moon Clan warriors, the last of the army that had survived the attack. Mounted, armored samurai rode behind contingents of ashigaru, spear-carrying foot soldiers who, according to Okame, were made up of farmers and peasants that had been “volunteered” to serve in the army. Unlike the heavy black-and-silver armor of the samurai, the ashigaru wore little more than cuirasses and bracers, with conical metal hats perched on their heads. They also looked rather scared, like they didn’t really want to be marching to their deaths alongside the warriors and samurai. I couldn’t blame them. I didn’t know anything about armies or warfare, but to my eyes, our forces looked frighteningly small. How would we stand up to Genno’s army of demons, monstrous yokai, blood mages and whatever other surprises he had planned?
However, outside the city walls, a second force of mounted samurai greeted us, all in the black-and-silver colors of the Moon Clan. I blinked in amazement, wondering where they had all come from, before realizing the Moon Clan capital was not the only city in Tsuki lands. Kiyomi-sama must have put out the call to the rest of her islands, who had answered their daimyo’s command and sent forces of their own.
“Kiyomi-sama,” one of the lead samurai greeted, bowing to her in the saddle. “You have called us. We have come.”
The Moon Clan daimyo cast an appraising glance at the assembled samurai and ashigaru soldiers behind him. “How many have answered?”
“So far, forces from Miho, Izena and Yugawa are here, my lady,” the samurai answered. “There are likely more, but they have farther to travel and will not be here soon. With such short notice, we came as fast as we could.”
Kiyomi-sama gave a solemn nod. “Then we will continue with whom we have. And we will pray that it will be enough.”
Now a much larger force, we left the city outskirts and entered a gently rolling grassland dotted with copses of trees, the blades of grass so long they brushed the bellies of the horses. As the light broke over the horizon, it illuminated a mottled gray sky, bleak and dark and sullen, or perhaps those were just my feelings coming to the surface. I hoped it was not an omen of what was to come.
On Kiyomi-sama’s other side, Lady Hanshou rode a horse as dark as shadow, her black-and-purple armor seeming to absorb the shifting light. The Shadow Clan daimyo spoke to no one, not even Masao, riding quietly at her flank. I had not seen a single Kage samurai since we had left the city, but occasionally, I thought I would catch movement in the grasslands around us, a ripple of darkness or a blur that didn’t quite belong. Hanshou’s shinobi trailed us, following alongside like deadly shadows. Behind me, Okame and Daisuke were mounted as well, but Tatsumi had opted not to ride with us, as it seemed horses still had a strong aversion to having a demon on their backs and refused to calm down when he was present. I couldn’t see Tatsumi, but I knew, like the shinobi, he was close, following in the shadows, and would appear when we needed him. I could also feel something in the air, a
growing dread and darkness, getting stronger and more terrible the closer we came, like walking toward a violent storm.
Ahead of us, the land sloped upward in a gentle rise, the top empty of trees and showing a clear view of the sullen gray sky. Thunder growled overhead, and my heartbeat picked up in response. Something was out there, waiting for us. We started toward the rise, but at the bottom of the hill my horse suddenly gave a violent squeal and half reared, nearly throwing me from the saddle. I yelped and grabbed for the reins, clutching them tightly, as the animal snorted and danced in place, throwing back its head. From the corner of my eye, I saw Okame and Daisuke struggling with their mounts, though they were faring far better than me, and heard the snorts and squeals of the horses behind us.
A hand grabbed my horse’s bridle, bringing the animal to a snorting halt, though its eyes were still white with fear, its ears pinned flat against its skull. I blinked and looked up into Kiyomi-sama’s grim face.
“The horses will take us no farther,” she told me. “The amount of corruption and fear in the air is too much for them. The rest of the way must be traveled on foot.”
That sounded good to me. I nodded and quickly slid from the saddle, grateful when my feet touched solid ground again. Kiyomi-sama released the horse, which immediately cantered back the way we’d come, tossing its head. She turned to the army behind her.
“Dismount!” she called to the closest ranks of samurai. “From here, we go on foot!”
It took a few minutes for the army to release the rest of the horses, who were all too eager to be gone. In the organized chaos of dismounting and setting horses free, I realized Tatsumi had appeared again, standing beside me as we watched the army of horses gallop away over the plains. I also noticed that a pair of black-clad shinobi had appeared before Hanshou-sama, their heads bowed as they knelt before her. It was impossible to see their faces, but both were trembling violently through their dark haori.