Page 29 of Shadow of the Fox

“Yumeko,” I snapped, turning to the girl, “run! Get off the bridge.”

With a shriek of wind, the ropes holding up our side of the bridge snapped. The wooden planks bucked in the gale, making Yumeko scream, before we plummeted downward.

I had just enough time to spin around and lunge for the girl, grabbing her around the waist as the bridge started to fall. I snatched one of the ropes with the other hand and tightened my grip as we swung back toward the cliff with the rest of the bridge. Yumeko gasped, clinging to my jacket, as I looked up to see the gully wall coming right at us.

“Hang on,” I growled, and twisted my body around so the girl would be protected. We struck the ravine wall, thankfully in a patch of bushes instead of rocks, the bridge bouncing and clattering beside us. The jolt drove the air from my lungs and nearly ripped my arm from the socket, and I fought to keep my grip on both the girl and the rope.

Clenching my jaw, I looked up toward the edge of the ravine, about thirty feet overhead, and shifted my weight so I could plant a foot between the bridge planks. The tension on my arm eased, and I glanced down at the girl.

“Yumeko,” I gritted out, and she looked at me with huge black eyes. One hand clung to my haori, the other clutched the furoshiki across her chest. “We’re going to have to climb to the top. Can you grab the rope?”

She nodded, a determined look crossing her face. Reaching over my head, she grabbed the line, but before she could start pulling herself up, a high-pitched chuckle rang overhead and a gust of wind shook the planks.

The wind witch floated to the edge of the ravine, peering down at us. “Well, isn’t this a terrible predicament,” she mocked. “Kage-san, if you let go of the girl, you could probably get yourself out of this little dilemma. Of course, she’d fall straight to her death, but that wouldn’t bother you, would it? Not the infamous demonslayer.” She chuckled again, as a large brown weasel materialized on her shoulder, watching us with beady red eyes. “In fact, I’ll make you a deal, Kage-san. Give me the scroll, and I’ll take my kamaitachi and leave.”

Pressed against me, Yumeko went rigid, and my own heartbeat picked up, making me frown. The witch was after the scroll. Perhaps she was the one who had sent the demons to the temple. “I don’t have it,” I told her.

“Oh, well, you’re no fun at all, Kage-san,” the wind witch said, crossing her arms. “How disappointing. I suppose we’ll have to do this the hard way, then. Say hello to Kiba-sama for me.”

The last of the ropes parted. Yumeko gave a yelp and buried her face in my jacket as the bridge plummeted down the gully wall, taking us with it. I rolled, tucking my chin and hunching my shoulders, trying to absorb most of the impact with my body. For a few seconds, the world spun dizzyingly around me, then it finally stopped.

I pushed myself upright and looked around. We had come to a halt at the bottom of the ravine, the shattered remains of the bridge curled around us in the brush. I ached, both from slamming into the cliff and from the slide down the gully wall, but nothing was broken, and the bruises would heal. The girl, lying beside me with her eyes closed, was far more troubling. If she was dead, I would have to find the way to the Steel Feather temple on my own.

“Yumeko.” I pushed dark strands of hair from her face and saw a thin line of blood running down her temple. A cold knot twisted my stomach, and I shook her arm. “Hey. Get up.”

She groaned and cracked open an eye. “Are we dead?”

An odd sense of relief filled me, dissolving the chill in my gut. “No,” I muttered, struggling to my feet. “But the wind witch is close. We need to...”

I trailed off, suddenly realizing what lay on the other side of the gorge.

“Tatsumi?” Yumeko climbed to her feet behind me. “Do you see her? Where—”

I reached back and gripped her arm while pressing a finger to my lips. She fell silent, staring at me and then following my gaze until she saw what I was looking at.

On the other side of the riverbed, about forty yards away, the gaping mouth of a cave opened up into darkness. Bones were scattered about the entrance, white and gleaming, and a strange dark miasma coiled and writhed from the entrance.

Yumeko gasped, then clapped a hand over her mouth, as if remembering.Tread softly. Beware of Kiba-sama.

A ringing laugh and a blast of wind announced the arrival of the wind witch. She hovered overhead, hair and clothes whipping around her, “Oh, no no no, Kage-san,” she called in a shrill voice. “Where do you think you’re going? I didn’t come all this way to watch you sneak off like a frightened rodent.” She gazed at the cave, smiled and took a deep breath. “Oh, Kiiiiiiiiiiiiba-sama!” she bellowed, making me wince. Her voice echoed through the gully, bouncing off the walls, and the miasma in front of the cave started to churn. “You’ve been asleep far too long! Wake up, wake up! I’ve brought some friends for you to play with!”

A deep, rumbling growl echoed from the cave, making Yumeko wince. “That’s right, Kiba-sama!” called the witch. “Come on out! You must be famished after such a long sleep! Look who I’ve brought to visit!”

There was a coughing roar, and heavy footsteps made the ground tremble. I turned in resignation, even as Hakaimono gave a snarl of excited glee, and a gigantic furry shape filled the mouth of the cave and let out a bellow that shook the ravine walls.

“Kiba-sama,” Yumeko breathed, as the monstrous creature turned to eye us with ravenous hunger. The demon bear of Suimin Mori was twice as large as its ordinary brethren, with massive shoulders and clawed forepaws that crushed stone beneath them. Arrows and spear hafts jutted from its hide, snapped and broken, and its eyes blazed with red fire as it reared onto its hind legs, towering over us.

“Yumeko,” I said, not taking my eyes from my huge opponent. “Stay back. Find a place to hide and don’t move until its safe.”

“You’re not going to fight that giant thing, are you?”

“I’ll be fine.” I dropped my hand to the hilt of my sword, feeling excitement and bloodlust pulse through me. “This is what I do.”

I drew Kamigoroshi and felt the demon’s power surge up, howling as the sword was bared to the light. As Yumeko scrambled back, Kiba-sama charged with a roar, covering the space between us in two giant strides. It lunged, and I dove out of the way, feeling the massive forepaw smash into the stones and crush the earth beneath it. Kiba-sama whirled, surprisingly quick for its bulk, and swatted at me again. I dodged the lethal claws and lashed out with my sword. The blade cut deep into the monster’s shaggy hide, but barely left a scratch as I leaped away. Hakaimono snarled in frustration.

Dammit, its fur is too thick. I’ll have to get closer to land a killing blow.

With a bellow, Kiba-sama reared onto his hind legs, towering over me. I dove aside as the monster came crashing down, trying to crush me under a few tons of muscle, bone and flesh. Rolling to my feet, I palmed the single kunai I was able to keep on my person and hurled it at the demon bear. The throwing knife flew straight at Kiba-sama’s forehead but bounced off its thick skull, doing little but annoying it.

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