Page 77 of Shadow of the Fox

“There are other ways,” Reika said. “I’m sure the emperor would be very interested to hear—”

“Oh,dobe careful of what you accuse me, girl.” The woman’s voice was like silk threads that could slice open your throat. “We wouldn’t wantothersecrets to suddenly be revealed.” She looked in my direction, the threat in her eyes perfectly clear. “Would we?

“Besides, you didn’t let me finish,” Lady Satomi went on, her lips pulling down in a pout. “You see, Icouldrefuse, and watch the lot of you strut and threaten like tiny male sparrows. But as amusing as that would be, I know I will be hounded for the rest of the night. If not by you, then by the Kage demonslayer, who I am sure is listening to this conversation. I do not wish to draw the ire of the Shadow Clan’s immortal daimyo, nor do I wish to watch my back every time I stroll down the halls of the palace. That would grow very tiresome.” She sighed. “So, yes, I will take you to your priest. I have no further use for the old fool, anyway. In fact, you’d be doing me a favor, taking him off my hands.” She raised an elegant white hand, indicating the sweeping landscape. “You wouldn’t mind a quick stroll across the garden, would you? It is quite lovely in the moonlight.”

Daisuke narrowed his eyes, and glanced to where the emperor and his guests had gathered at the edge of the lake. “The emperor’s concubine is not permitted to venture off alone, late at night,” he said in a voice of chilly politeness. “Especially with a group of strangers. There will be speculation, rumors at the very least. Will you not need an escort, Lady Satomi?”

“You are adorable,” Lady Satomi purred. “Such a good boy, to be concerned about staining my honor.” She tittered, making Reika’s scowl darken. “Worry not, Taiyo-san. The emperor and his guests will not miss me. They will not notice I am gone. Even if they do, tonight’s sake is especially strong—they will forget all about it tomorrow.

“So,” she continued, drawing back. “Shall we go? I assume you are eager to see if the priest is all right. Follow me, my precious ducklings. I will show you where he is.”

Warily, we followed the woman around the edge of the lake, away from the emperor and the rest of the court, heading deeper into the garden. As the shadows closed around us, I found myself scanning the bushes, searching for movement, for a ripple of darkness that didn’t quite belong. I wondered if Tatsumi was trailing us, keeping an eye on his prey as we moved through the trees, farther from the crowds and anything familiar.

I also wondered if, deep in the garden, out of sight of any guards or witnesses, she would try to kill us with blood magic. It seemed unlikely; there were four of us, six if you counted Tatsumi and Chu. The odds appeared stacked against her, but I didn’t know how blood magic worked, or how strong a sorceress she was. Perhaps she could summon flocks of dead crows or raise skeletons from the ground. It seemed a good idea to be cautious.

Near a corner of the outer wall, we came to what I assumed was an old storehouse, a tall, square-based building with a peaked roof and a single door in the front. It was similar to the storehouses I’d seen in farming villages, except those were smaller and stood on stilts to protect crops from rain and vermin. An aura of menace hung over the building like a shroud, and my stomach curled in dread.

“A storehouse?” Reika gazed at the structure, then glared at the woman walking calmly toward the door. “You’ve been keeping Master Jiro locked up in astorehouse?”

“What a crude accusation. I am highly offended.” Lady Satomi didn’t break stride as she reached the entrance. She pushed back the door, and turned back to us. Framed in the doorway, her crimson robes standing out against the black, she gave us a cruel smile. “Your Master Jiro is not here,” she stated, “but the path to reach him is within. Follow if you dare, little ducklings. Into the dark we go.”

She took a step back through the doorway and vanished into the shadows.

“Hurry,” Reika said, stepping forward. “We mustn’t lose her.”

“Wait.”

Surprisingly, it was Okame’s voice that cut through the night, stopping her. The ronin stared at the storehouse with crossed arms and narrowed eyes. “I might not know a lot about blood witches and court politics,” he said, “but I know a trap when I see one.”

Reika whirled on him. “We cannot stop now,” she said. “I will not let that woman get away with this. Stay here if you are afraid—I will find Master Jiro with or without your help.”

“I didn’t say I was afraid,” Okame snapped in return. “Of course we’re going in. I just don’t think we should walk merrily into an ambush, if that storehouse is filled with demons, monsters or giant centipedes wanting to eat our faces.”

“It’s not,” said a new voice overhead.

We looked up. A figure in black crouched on the roof of the storehouse, silhouetted against the moon, a crimson scarf rippling behind him. My heart leaped, Chu flattened his ears with a growl and Okame snorted.

“There you are,” the ronin said, as Tatsumi landed gracefully in front of the storehouse. Chu’s growls grew louder, but the shrine maiden spoke a quiet word, and he stopped. “Finally decided to show up, eh, Kage-san?” Okame continued. “I won’t even point out the previous shinobi comment I made a few days ago that resulted in a threat to my life. I’ll just stand here, being quietly vindicated.”

“Kage-san,” Daisuke said, staring at Tatsumi. “You are...shinobi?”

“He’s the Kage demonslayer,” Reika broke in, her voice flat. “Of course he is. How are you even surprised by this? Regardless...” She turned to Tatsumi. “Kage-san, you said there are no demons or other creatures lurking within the storehouse, is that true? Kage-san?”

Through this whole exchange, Tatsumi hadn’t said anything, his gaze solely on me. At Reika’s question, however, he blinked and glanced at the shrine maiden, the cold mask of the demonslayer dropping into place as he turned.

“I didn’t sense any,” he replied. “There are no demons, but...” His gaze flickered to the open doorway, eyes narrowing to violet slits. “There is something. Not living, but...powerful. It reeks of blood magic and death. Whatever is in there, it’s nothing of this realm.”

With a metallic shiver, Daisuke drew his sword, the razor-sharp blade catching the moonlight as it was unsheathed. “Then we will face it with honor.”

“I was afraid you would say that.” Okame snorted and pulled his bow over his head. “Into the jaws of death once more. As long as it’s not a giant centipede.”

“That doesn’t seem very likely,” I told him as we started forward. “I don’t think a giant centipede could fit through the door. Unless she summoned one from inside the storehouse, but then how would it move around?”

Tatsumi moved to my side. “Stay close, Yumeko,” he said softly. “If this is the blood mage that has been following us, we’ll be her first targets.”

I nodded. With Reika leading, an ofuda held before her and Chu at her feet, we walked across the grass and slipped into the darkness of the storehouse.

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