The Haunted Onsen

by Phil Gabriel

  She peered at her reflection. “I thought it would work faster than this,” she said. “I’m still old.”

  “Jane,” I said, “Akiko and I warned you the process would take time. Working from inside your body makes it very difficult to heal and rejuvenate.” Rejuvenation from inside was like a mechanic working on a running engine, nearly impossible, and it required a deft touch.

  I stepped over to her and examined our reflections in the mirror and said, “You already look much better.” It was true. Although she was still frail looking, her posture had improved, the cataract was gone, and her arthritic hands were no longer liver spotted.

  “I feel so much better,” she said with a thoughtful look. “Akiko’s efforts have made a difference already.”

  She turned to me and took my hand. “I’m just so impatient to become the woman I once was.”

  John examined her through narrowed eyes. “How do we know it’s really my Jane speaking?”

  Jane’s face changed from the animated warmth of Jane to the composed visage of Akiko. It was the same face, but the difference was obvious, as was the change in her aura. “Lord John,” she said in Akiko’s measured tones, “even you should be able to tell the difference in our auras. My Deal stands.”

  Changing back to Jane’s voice and mannerisms, she stepped over to John and took his hands. She continued, “Don’t worry, dear heart. This is not really possession. More like two friends sharing a carriage.”

  Although unconvinced, John nodded in acceptance.

  “Well, now,” I said, “we need to discuss our trip to retrieve our artifact.”

  15

  Lord Ape and Lady Fox

  “What, now?” he asked. “I need to stay here and watch over Jane.”

  “Sorry,” I replied, “we’re on a deadline. If we don’t get back with the artifact in two weeks, all hell will break loose in Hakone.”

  “Deadline?” asked John. “What deadline?”

  “We need to return to Japan, with the artifact, before the next full moon on the eighth of June,” I said.

  “If you cannot meet the deadline?” asked John.

  “The ancient wards that keep the ghost of an insane samurai imprisoned will fall,” I said. “Once he is released, he will proceed to kill the descendants of those who brought him to justice. Hundreds, if not thousands, will die.”

  I saw the battle as John fought his contradictory feelings. He wanted to stay with Jane but had already sworn to assist us. “Can Jane not accompany us?” he asked.

  It was Akiko who answered. “That’s not possible. I will need rest, lots of good food, and solitude to complete the rejuvenation.”

  Akiko’s red-framed ectoplasmic spectacles appeared on Jane’s face. She blinked several times, then said, “Oh, that’s much better.” Then she continued, “Scott-sensei, I think that I will not be able to assist further. This recovery will take an enormous amount of power. I fear I won’t be able to return to Hakone before the deadline expires.”

  Breaking a Deal already started would have drastic negative consequences. I opened my mouth to reassure her, but Kitty-Sue beat me to the punch.

  “Don’t worry, Akiko-chan,” she said, using the in-family diminutive of her name. “We’ve got this. On our team, we’ve got the monkey-man and the luckiest magician alive, led by the best kitsune ninja in the world. If we can’t pull this off, nobody can.”

  I raised an eyebrow at the “led by” comment, but let the other comments stand.

  “Anyway,” said Kitty-Sue, turning to John, “Lady Jane’s protected by your magic, as well as the most powerful ghost mage in the world is acting as her guardian. She doesn’t need your help.”

  The spectacles faded and Lady Jane’s spirit took over. She shuffled over and sat on the bed again, the glasses reappeared, and her expression changed back to Akiko’s.

  “Our agreement,” said Akiko, “our Deal stands. You must leave us to our devices. You can be reunited with your Lady Jane in thirty days’ time.”

  It was surprisingly difficult to watch; the subtle cues and micro-expressions changed so much between personalities, it was dizzying. I blinked and turned away.

  I went over the sequence of events that had led up to losing the assistance of Akiko. At each step, we had been faced with choices that had seemed inevitable. From my dalliance with the dragon to helping Koji-san with his useless charts, to finding Lady Jane in desperate need of magical healing. At each step, the right choice had led to this: Kitty-Sue and me, with the grudging assistance of John Clayton, set to hunt down and steal a doubtless well-guarded magical artifact.

  I had to admit the truth—without Akiko, our chances of success were very low. Almost as strong as me in raw power, she had a Gordian knot cutting mind, a mind that saw ways to get around problems I would butt my head against.

  Well, we would just do the best we could without her assistance. I could see no other way to proceed.

  I blinked and found that an hour had passed. I vaguely remembered John and Kitty-Sue chatting. The two most dangerous people I knew apparently had a lot in common.

  At my blink, they both turned their attention to me. Kitty-Sue turned to John and asked, “Did he always zone out like that?”

  “Never when on a mission,” John said. “But at the base, he would do it. We just thought he was so lazy that he had learned to sleep with his eyes open.”

  Speaking of sleeping, the form of Lady Jane was curled up on the bed. She had apparently changed to a nightdress and gone to sleep while I had been musing. I checked my phone and found it was 03:00 in the morning.

  It was Lady Jane’s body, but the small smile on her face was pure Akiko. Akiko loved to sleep: a vice denied her since she had died. A vice only available when she possessed someone.

  “So,” I started, using a low voice to avoid waking our sleepers, “here’s what we need—” I stopped at Kitty-Sue’s upraised hand.

  “We’re all set, boss,” she said. “Akiko and Lady Jane will stay here, in this apartment. She has all the help she needs here, and John has set some powerful protections on the apartment.

  “Do you have enough stolen mojo-juice to do that location spell now?” she asked. Both John and I winced at that sentence; me because the life force was not stolen, and John at the description of his life force as “mojo-juice.”

  “Yes,” I said. “I have enough energy to power up that spell now. We can get a location for the armor.”

  Crossing her arms, Kitty-Sue said, “Then we need to get moving. John, grab your kit and get ready to go.” Then she did something that belied her drill-sergeant manners. She stepped up to the bed, leaned down, and kissed Lady Jane/Akiko’s forehead.

  “Bye, Akiko-chan, Lady Jane,” she whispered. “See you soon.”

  Kitty-Sue strode over and stood by the door, impatient to go, while John grabbed his essentials. I noted John was reluctant to say goodbye to Jane. He was probably weirded out by the possession.

  As I gathered up the spell-craft materials I had used to modify Jane’s spectacles, John stepped close and said in a voice too low for Kitty-Sue to hear, “You have a habit of encountering unusual women.” His eyes darted to Kitty-Sue, who apparently wasn’t paying attention, then he continued, “Remember the kinnaree?”

  “Patty Pak-wan?” I whispered. Wow, I hadn’t thought of her in years.

  “Quit talking about old girlfriends and let’s get going,” said Kitty-Sue. Yeah, those kitsune ears are hard to beat. I stuffed everything in my satchel. Turning, I saw John and Kitty-Sue at the door. I held up a finger in a just a moment gesture.

  Stepping over to the bed, I whispered, “Sweet dreams, Akiko, Jane.” I stroked her cheek with my fingers. “We’ll see you at the end of this adventure.”

  I turned to the door, only to be met with matching stares of disapproval from John and Kitty-Sue. Disapproval, or jealousy? Screw them; I cared for both Lady Jane and Akiko. I stepped past them without a word and headed downstairs.

&
nbsp; Downstairs, at the bar, the music, booze, and dancers were still in action. John stopped on the way out to speak with the manager. Kitty-Sue and I exited and waited in the muggy heat. Even at 03:00, Bangkok was hot and humid.

  Reflecting on John’s actions, I finally realized something. “John owns this bar!” I said.

  Kitty-Sue looked at me with a raised eyebrow and replied, “Of course he owns the bar. That’s why he has an apartment above the place.”

  John stepped out of the door at that moment and walked up to us. We were standing beside a line of tuk-tuk three-wheeled taxis. Kitty-Sue and I turned to get into the first one in line.

  “So, you’ll follow us?” I asked, pointing to the next tuk-tuk. The tiny vehicles only had room for two passengers.

  “No,” said John as he hefted his bag onto his back, “I feel like a run. I’ll meet you at the hotel.” With that, he loped off into the night.

  Kitty-Sue was already sitting in the tuk-tuk, and I slid in beside her. This time, she spoke with the driver in Thai, giving him the address of the hotel. Soon we were off, careening through the streets. Even at this hour, there was traffic and people everywhere. Like Tokyo and New York, Bangkok never sleeps.

  Bangkok never sleeps, but my ninja girlfriend does. She dozed off in the tuk-tuk, resting her head on my shoulder.

  Ten minutes later, we arrived at the hotel. I roused Kitty-Sue, and we paid off the driver before heading in. I noted that this time, with Kitty-Sue speaking Thai and bargaining, the fare was less than half what we had paid earlier.

  In the lobby, there was no sign of John. “Do you want to wait for John?” I asked Kitty-Sue.

  “No,” she said, “he’s a resourceful guy. He can call us from the lobby when he gets here.”

  As we walked to the elevator, Kitty-Sue’s features shifted, fox ears peeking out and her two tails sprouting like flowers. Her kitsune “don’t-see-me” magic protected us from humans and cameras.

  We stepped into the room and found John sitting in the dark, patiently waiting for us. Kitty-Sue suddenly had blades in her hands.

  “Don’t ever try that stalking trick around me,” she said through tight lips.

  “My apologies, milady,” said John as he rose from the chair. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

  That was the wrong thing to say. I had seen Kitty-Sue face down murderers and monsters. Implying she lacked courage rubbed her the wrong way.

  In answer, one crystal blade flew through the air, directly at John’s head. It glittered with kitsune magic, leaving a comet streak in its path.

  John was fast enough to sidestep the knife, but instead, he chose to try and pluck the blade from the air. Depending on quick reflexes and magical protections were a serious mistake around a pissed-off Kitty-Sue.

  The blade swerved in midair, turning almost ninety degrees before impaling itself in John’s left hand. The shock on his face was evident. The blade had evaded his reflexes and penetrated his magical defenses, a new experience for him.

  He managed to pull the knife from his palm, watching Kitty-Sue for further signs of attack. Kitty-Sue had another blade ready but did not throw it.

  Looking down at the blade, which was still squirming and glittering with energy, John said, “What the hell is this?”

  “Kitsune magic,” I said. “Well, kitsune magic combined with my glass blades.”

  John threw the blade to the floor. Before it could hit the ground, Kitty-Sue made the recall gesture that brought the blade back to her waiting hand. I was proud of that boomerang spell. The hilt of the blade made a thwap sound as it hit Kitty-Sue’s palm.

  As John stared at his still-bleeding hand, which should have already started to heal, Kitty-Sue smiled in satisfaction.

  “Lord John,” she said, “I’m sorry if I frightened you. My apologies.”

  “Apology accepted,” said John. He pulled out a handkerchief and bound his hand. “As I hope you will accept my most sincere apologies.”

  Looking down at his bound hand, John muttered, “Why isn’t it healing?”

  Kitty-Sue stepped closer and took his hand in hers. She unwrapped the cloth gently and examined the bloody wound. Inside the wound, tiny glitters of magic flashed. Kitty-Sue concentrated for a moment, then ran her forefinger across the wound. The sparkles all flowed from the wound to her finger and were absorbed by her.

  As we watched, the now clean wound closed and the flesh knitted over, leaving a small scar.

  John used the cloth to scrub up any remaining blood. As a magician, he was careful not to leave any body fluids that could be used in an attack.

  Kitty-Sue took his hand in hers again and examined the wound. “That’s going to leave a mark,” she said. “Does it hurt?”

  “No,” said John, “it feels good. The scar will serve as a reminder not to underestimate beautiful women.”

  Kitty-Sue dimpled at the compliment and looked into John’s eyes. Her ears perked up, and her tails wagged. The moment went on far too long, them gazing into each other’s eyes and Kitty-Sue holding John’s hand.

  Finally, I had to say, “No flirting on the job. We have a lot of work to do.”

  John jerked his hand back, suddenly serious. He raised an eyebrow at Kitty-Sue and asked, “Pheromones?”

  “Who, me?” said Kitty-Sue with a smile. Then she turned serious. “I have them, but don’t use them on allies.”

  Turning to me, she said, “Unlike my sister, I depend on my natural attractions.”

  “Milady Fox,” said John, “while I admire your skills and your natural attractions, I am married.”

  John turned to me, changing the subject. “Are you ready to divine the location of this armor?”

  Kitty-Sue smiled brightly and said, “While you two magicians work your hocus-pocus, this little fox is going to take a nap.” She walked over to the door to the bedroom. Was that a little extra wag in her tails?

  At the door, she turned and gave her mischievous smile. “Lord John?” she asked.

  “Yes, Milady Fox?” he said.

  “Aren’t your marriage vows in abeyance for the next thirty days? Why let Lady Jane have all the fun?”

  16

  The Chiang Rai Chase

  I turned away as Kitty-Sue closed the door. John was standing there with a bemused expression on his face. He was absently rubbing the healed scar on his left hand. He saw my look, shook his head, and said, “Let’s get this tracking spell set up.”

  I had prepared some maps that covered the entire country of Thailand, as well as regional maps. We would start out with the overall map and then narrow the location down.

  I set up the maps, bordering the edges with glyphs and patterns that would feed energy to the location spell. After another hour of painstaking work, the largest map was ready.

  John watched the proceedings with the patience of a predatory cat, seated on his haunches without moving anything but his eyes. My style of magic was very different than his. Although he understood my glyphs and symbols, his interest was low. I remembered the same expression on my own face when I had spent an afternoon watching a friend paint miniatures, a hobby that had never caught my interest.

  The first map was completed as the dawn light came through the windows. Setting the crystal globe that contained a lock of the samurai’s hair on the edge of the map, I activated the spell. The globe vibrated in place for a few moments, then rolled to the upper right corner of the map.

  Performing the same spell on a series of smaller scale maps finally brought the location into focus. The crystal globe rolled in a circle in an area called Chiang Rai, near the Golden Triangle.

  As the globe continued to roll in circles, John asked, “Why doesn’t it stop and give a precise location?”

  “Magical interference,” I said. “It should lock on to the exact position, but something is blocking it. We’ll have to get closer to narrow it down.”

  “That’s not an easy area to travel through,” said John. “We will both be a
t a disadvantage there. If your deadline is that close, we won’t have time to acclimate to the magic flows in that area.”

  “Yeah,” I muttered, “this job just became ten times harder.” Turning to John, I said, “Don’t you know any magicians in that area? Someone willing to make a trade?”

  “There is one I know,” John said reluctantly. “One of my club’s dancers is a minor magician from Chiang Rai.”

  Damn prophecies. “You mean Daeng?” I asked. At his nod, I continued, “She’s low-powered, untrained, and much too young. She would be more of a danger than a help.”

  “Still,” said John, “she’s the only magician from that area I know of.”

  Did the prophecy mean she would betray us? Or that she would fail at a critical moment? Thoughts whirling, I finally halted them and made a decision as if I hadn’t heard the dragon’s prophecy.

  “We might be able to use her,” I said. “Can you call her and ask her to meet us here this afternoon?”

  Walking over to the mini-bar, I took a Coke from the fridge. I offered John a drink, but this hotel didn’t stock Laphroaig, so he declined.

  “What is likely to interest her in making a Deal for assistance?”

  “I have no idea,” said John.

  “But she works for you,” I said.

  “I don’t get involved in my employees’ lives,” he said. “They only know me as a bar regular who has a partial ownership interest in the business.”

  “If she gossips about who you really are and what you can do, it might mean you’ll have to leave the bar.”

  “To save Jane, I’d gladly torch the place with my own hands.”

  “OK,” I said, “maybe we can offer her something for her assistance. Ask her to come to the hotel later this afternoon, and I’ll propose a Deal to her.”

  “It might be better if Milady Fox makes the Deal,” said John. “You seem to have trouble making good Deals when females are involved.”