Page 66 of Shadow of the Fox

“I would,” the miko replied, “if I knew where he was.”

I blinked. “He’s not here?”

Reika shook her head. “Three days ago,” she explained, “a courier arrived with a message for Master Jiro, summoning him to the Imperial Palace. He left to attend the meeting, and put me in charge of the shrine until he returned. That was the last I saw of him.” Her lips thinned, and she shook her head. “I shouldn’t have let him go. He confessed that he had an ominous feeling about the meeting and warned me to be on my guard. I should have insisted he stay here. And now, he’s missing and I have no idea what happened.”

“Have you been to the palace to look for him?”

She gave me a bemused look. “I’ve been trying, but you cannot just show up at the imperial palace without an invitation,” she exclaimed. “The guards keep turning me away at the gates. They say that no one has seen or heard of Master Jiro.” The miko made a frustrated gesture. “But I know he’s there. I know he went to speak to a woman named Lady Satomi, and never came back.” She gave me a wary look. “And then, a kitsune arrives at the shrine with part of the Dragon scroll, wanting to know the way to the Steel Feather temple. How could I not think the two were related?”

I started to answer, but a shiver suddenly went through the air, causing a chill to race up my spine. Reika turned, eyes widening, as the edge of a blade slashed through the sliding screen door, cutting the ofuda in half. The door panels toppled to the floor with a clatter, revealing Tatsumi’s lean, dark silhouette in the frame, Kamigoroshi unsheathed and glowing in the fading light.

27

Summoned by Shadow

Something wasn’t right.

I’d watched Yumeko leave with the shrine maiden, feeling Hakaimono’s restless stirring in my mind. As soon as we’d passed beneath the torii gate at the stairs, the demon had recoiled. This was sacred ground, sanctified by priests and protected against evil. Demons were not welcome in this place. Even though Hakaimono’s presence had been masked within the sword, it was still uncomfortable for me to be here. To make matters worse, Hakaimono held a special, venomous hatred for priests, shrine maidens and spiritual figures of any kind. When the miko had first appeared, I’d had to suppress the instant desire to tear the head from her body.

Still, I sensed no evil from the shrine maiden herself, and when she told the rest of us to wait while she continued on with Yumeko, I was wary, but protesting would not have gotten us any closer to our objective. Especially when there were other ways of listening in on the conversation while not being physically present.

Wandering to the side of the building, I leaned against the railing and crossed my arms, affecting a pose of casual patience. While the ronin sat heavily on the steps and pulled out his sake jug and the noble walked quietly to the edge of a rock garden, I furtively held two fingers to my lips and whispered a few words under my breath.

Around me, everything grew very quiet. Sounds faded, becoming muffled, like the world was suddenly underwater. Closing my eyes, I tilted my head very slightly and angled my focus toward the building behind me.

Voices whispered past my ears, as I sent my consciousness into the rooms, searching for Yumeko’s voice. This was a special Shadow Clan technique, used by some of our shinobi to listen to a private conversation in a room, across a yard, or in a crowded restaurant without giving themselves away. Since my missions usually involved death and not information gathering, I rarely used it, as focusing so much of your attention elsewhere left your body vulnerable. But the shrine seemed secure enough; there were no demons here, except the one hidden in my blade. Unless the ronin got bored and decided to bother me, I would be safe to listen in on Yumeko and the shrine maiden.

However, as I pressed farther into the building, hearing what I assumed were more mikos, talking about their daily lives, I suddenly hit a wall. Not a physical one; I could go through wood or stone or rice paper with ease. But a wall of magic, shimmering with energy, prevented me from going any farther.

A barrier?

I opened my eyes, and the magic scattered to the winds. The ronin still lounged on the steps, drinking, and the noble seemed to be admiring the well-tended rock garden in the shade of a pine.

Pushing myself off the railing, I turned and walked around the veranda and up the steps, brushing past the ronin, who gave me a puzzled look.

“Oi, where you going, Kage-san? I thought we were supposed to wait here.”

Ignoring him, I continued down the hallway, pulling my sword as I did. With a yelp, the ronin scrambled after me, demanding to know what I was doing, but I didn’t pause. I’d underestimated the shrine maiden, thinking she wasn’t a threat. That wasn’t a simple barrier I’d encountered; it was a complex seal, blocking any sound or magic from getting in or out. If she had Yumeko in that room and decided to attack, none of us would be able to hear what was going on.

As I drew closer to the last room, I could feel the magic pushing against me, trying to keep me back. I saw the nearly invisible shimmer blocking the door and narrowed my eyes. Raising Kamigoroshi, I aimed, then brought the sword slicing down across the frame, feeling the blade rip through the barrier and shatter it into a thousand pieces.

The doors fell, clattering to the floor beside me. I stared into the room as Yumeko and the shrine maiden whirled around, their eyes going wide as they spotted me.

“You!” The shrine maiden stepped forward, seeming unafraid, even as Hakaimono snarled with hate and urged me to split her in half like the doors. “Kamigoroshi, you are not welcome here. Get out, and take your human host with you!”

“It seems the head priest isn’t here today.” I stepped into the room, and the miko retreated a pace. I glanced past her, making sure the girl was all right, before turning to the shrine maiden. “You deceived us to get Yumeko alone. Did you think your barrier could stop me?”

Scowling, the miko pulled another ofuda from her sleeve and brandished it before her. It readloyaltyin stark black ink down the paper. “Leave this place, abomination,” she ordered again. “If you come a step closer, I will summon the guardian of the shrine to drive you out!”

“Do it,” I said, feeling Hakaimono flare with eagerness, “and you will have one less shrine guardian.”

“Tatsumi, wait!”

Yumeko stepped between us. “It’s all right,” she told me, as the noble and the ronin pushed into the room, as well. I could feel their shock as they took in the scene; me with my sword bared, facing a shrine maiden brandishing ofuda. And a slip of a girl between us. “I’m fine, Tatsumi. There’s no danger here. Reika-san was just telling me how Master Jiro went missing and that she needs our help to find him.”

“What?” the miko exclaimed, obviously just as surprised as the rest of us. Yumeko half turned, looking behind her, as the shrine maiden lowered her arm, frowning.

“That’s what you wanted, isn’t it, Reika-san?” She cocked her head, as if the solution was perfectly clear. “To find Master Jiro. And we need his help to get to the temple. So, obviously, we should aid each other. Right, everyone?” Yumeko glanced back at the three of us, her gaze plaintive. “Daisuke-san? Okame-san? You’ll help, too, right?”

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