Spirit's Chosen (18 page)

“Pardon me, please. I am Gori of the Inoshishi clan.” He knelt hastily and pressed his hands to the earth, showing us respect. He was a broad-chested, brawny fellow who looked big and imposing even when he crouched submissively. “I apologize if I frightened you.”

“Did I
look
frightened?” Kaya snapped.

He began to stammer a jumble of explanations and apologies. Kaya
had
been scared—so had I!—and she clearly resented Gori for giving her a fright, even if it was only temporary. She would have let him go on babbling excuses forever, just to soothe her wounded pride, if I had let her.

“Lady Karasu and I are happy to accept your apology, Gori,” I said, putting an end to the awkward situation. “Now tell us why you’re following us. Your clan has its own shaman, so I doubt you need my help for a healing.”

Gori got to his feet. “I came after you to offer help, Lady Iyoko, not to ask for any. I am one of our clan’s best hunters. I know these mountain paths very well. When I found out you were heading this way, to reach the Ookami homelands, I thought you could use my knowledge and my protection.” A sideways glance at Kaya’s stormy face made him add: “Well, maybe you won’t need my
protection
. You’re more than a match for the
oni
, if you ask me.”

“What do you know about the
oni
, Gori?” I asked. “Are you one of those who has seen him?”

“Only from a distance. I was on the other side of the mountain, tracking a kamoshika, when I got a peek at
him.” He grinned nervously. “He saw me too. I’ll never forget how he roared and shook his club! The kamoshika was caught between us, took one look at him, and bolted back uphill, right into range of my spear. It was too good a kill to pass up, even with a monster so close, so I acted fast. My quarry didn’t have a chance to hit the ground before I slung the body over my shoulders and ran!”

Kaya narrowed her eyes. “Hunters’ tales. Bah. I’m surprised you didn’t claim to kill the kamoshika and the
oni
with the same spear-thrust! Speaking of spears, where’s yours now? What kind of a hunter takes to the trail without his favorite weapon? And how were you expecting to … 
protect
us without it?”

Instead of quailing under my friend’s sarcastic attack, Gori stood tall. “It was a
small
kamoshika. I’ve run with heavier burdens on my back. I didn’t bring my spear because I no longer have it. The shaft broke and it hasn’t been repaired yet. And I didn’t come after you unarmed.” His hand dropped to the double-edged sword at his side. “Lady Karasu, you are a formidable young woman. I did not pursue you and your sister because I thought you were helpless females. I admire your courage for having undertaken this challenging journey. I don’t think I could have done something so brave. All I want is to share one small part of your adventure by getting you through the mountain pass and beyond the
oni
’s territory. Will you allow it?”

Kaya and I looked at one another, silently contemplating Gori’s offer. I motioned her closer and whispered, “He would only be with us for a few days, and he does know the road.”

“What’s there to know about it?” Kaya hissed back.

“Whether it survived the winter,” I responded. “What if there’s been a rockfall or a place where the path’s washed out? He’s hunted both sides of this mountain. He’d be able to guide us to the Ookami lands by following game trails.”

“He
says
he’s a hunter.”

“He’ll have to prove it soon enough. We’ll let him come with us, but we’re not going to feed him.”

Kaya grinned. “Agreed.”

Kaya’s skepticism about Gori did not last the day. The big man showed himself to be deeply familiar with the route we traveled. Every so often he would pause to point out a place where a few early mushrooms had sprouted, or where a spring of fresh water bubbled just off the path, hidden unless you knew it was there. Once, he climbed a tree and came down holding a nest full of eggs. The mother bird came swooping down at him, but his answer was to grab a rock and fling it at her with deadly accuracy.

“Not much meat,” he said, holding the little feathered body by one leg. “But I’ve eaten less and worse.” He stuck the creature into his belt and offered us the eggs. Kaya accepted, but my mind echoed with the plaintive lament of the desolate mother’s ghost and could not bring myself to stomach such a meal.

By the time we made camp for the night, Gori and Kaya had reached an accord and were beginning to banter back and forth like old friends. There were even a few mildly flirtatious words and looks between them. When he excused himself for a necessary trip into the woods, I
nudged her and teased, “Do you think Yari’s going to like it when you bring
that
one home?”

“The only one who’ll have to like it is me.” She smirked.

Though I had gotten up before dawn and walked all day on steep paths, I could not sleep that night. All my worries about what I would find when we reached the end of the road to Ryu’s lair danced and swayed around me. I saw a wooden palisade ringing the wolf village, but the logs took on new life, sprouted branches and leaves, and began to grow until I faced an impenetrable fence of cedar trees keeping me out. To make things worse, I could hear my little brother’s voice calling to me from the other side, weeping, screaming, and then … silenced. I threw myself against the unmoving tree trunks, clawing at them until my fingernails split and bled, crying,
Noboru! Noboru, don’t give up! Don’t despair! I’m here! I’ll save you!

He cannot hear you, Himiko
, said a voice behind me. My heart leaped at the cherished sound but I froze where I stood.

What is it, my princess? Why won’t you look at me?

I am afraid
.

What do you fear?

That when I turn, I won’t see you. I don’t know if this is a vision or a dream. I didn’t seek it, so I must have wandered into sleep, but if that’s true …
I took a steadying breath.
If that’s true and I’m dreaming, I am afraid that when I try to see you, I will wake up and you will be gone
.

A strong hand closed gently on my shoulder.
How can that happen, when I am yours in dreams as well as visions, as much
a part of you as wishes, love, and memory? I am here. Turn to me, Himiko
.

I did, and once again saw his face: Reikon, my spirit prince, my heart’s home.

His arms folded around me and I inhaled a dizzying fragrance of the deep forest, of soft moss, ancient trees, and immortal stones.
If this is a dream, never let me wake
, I thought.
If this is a vision, let it carry me away forever
.

My love, you know that cannot be
. He stepped back, breaking our embrace, shattering the moment. His eyes held my heartache.

Yes
. I lowered my head. Mama’s mad, distraught face swam in the air between us, and Noboru’s image, innocent and smiling.

You are afraid you’ll fail them
, Reikon said.
You imagine monsters standing in your path, and you have no sword mighty enough to slay them
.

A sword?
I uttered a brittle laugh.
I don’t even know how to fight using my knife!

Yet you will know how to use it well enough, when you must
.

Yes, at mealtimes
.

I mocked myself, but he looked as wounded as though I had spoken cruelly to him.
You will see, my princess. You will learn to have more faith in yourself. Perhaps you were not meant to win your greatest battles by bloodshed. You might not need a blade at all. Maybe
—he cocooned my hands tenderly in his—
maybe all that you are fated to wield is this
.

His fingers uncurled, revealing that I held the radiant image of the goddess. I began to smile, welcoming her, but
suddenly all my joy fled. Something was wrong. The dragon stone in the goddess’s arms shone as gloriously as always, but within the whirlpool of light I saw darker threads arising to entwine with the swirls of gold. I gazed deeper into their dizzying dance and tasted sour fear in the back of my throat as the central vision took the shape of a serpent’s head, jaws wide, fangs about to strike.

You thought you killed me, Himiko
, the
mamushi
hissed.
But I only shed my skin and came back to claim my rightful prey
. The heavy head darted out, the fangs struck, and I heard Kaya cry out in pain, terror, and despair.

I awoke breathless, staring up through pine branches at a sky full of stars, my heart pounding so loudly in my ears that I thought my head would shatter.
Oh gods, what a nightmare!
I thought.
I hope I didn’t scream and disturb …

“Don’t. Please, don’t.”

What was that? It was Kaya’s voice, but so quiet, so cowed that it didn’t sound like her at all.

“Shut up, I told you,” a second voice whispered, harsh and intense. “Wake your little friend and I’ll have to kill her. Is that what you want?”

“No.”

“Then lie still.”

I turned slowly onto my side and peered into the darkness. My friend’s bedroll lay a short distance from mine, just beyond the ashes of our fire. We usually slept side by side, but the terrain for this campsite was a maze of tree roots and rocks with few places comfortable enough to settle for the night. Now I saw two shapes lying together
where only one should be. For a moment I imagined I was still the captive of my evil dream.

But this is no dream
. All useless thoughts and feelings left me, banished by one decision, hard and sharp as a sword’s edge:
I must … I
will
save my friend!

I moved soundlessly, calling on the spirits to guide me, to clear dead twigs from my path, to disguise the muted rustle of my steps as the natural noises of small, night-prowling creatures. I implored the phantom of my brother Aki to lend me his stealth as a hunter and begged the ghost of his bride, Hoshi, to keep her sister Kaya safe until I could reach her.

The spirits were good: Gori didn’t know I was standing over him until I seized him by a thick loop of hair, yanked his head back, and held Lord Hideki’s sword under his chin. He tried to shriek but could only gurgle in fear. The blade’s bite let him know that if he struggled at all, he would fall forward and cut his own throat.

Starlight shimmered over the knife he still clutched in his right hand. “Drop that,” I told him. He obeyed instantly. “Kaya, can you see where it fell?” The time for “Lady Karasu” and “Lady Iyoko” was past.

“I’ve got it.” How wonderful to hear my friend speak normally, no longer a victim pleading with her attacker, her strength restored! “He had it against my neck; a fine way to wake up! I think he even cut the skin a little. Hold him still, Himiko, and I’ll let him find out how that feels.”

“No. Not unless we have to.” I turned my attention to
Gori. “You are going to move just enough to let my friend get out from under you.
Slowly
, understand?”

Automatically he began to nod, but my sword reminded him this was a bad idea. “Y-yes, my lady,” he croaked, and cautiously supported his weight on his arms so that Kaya could crawl clear of him.

“Get your bow and train an arrow on him,” I told her once she was on her feet again. “We have to talk about what to do with this carrion eater, and I don’t want to hold him still like this forever.”

“Well, if that’s the case, you’ll have to kill him now and be done with it,” Kaya spat. I could almost feel the white-hot force of her justifiable rage against Gori. “The bastard cut my bowstring! He taunted me about it, while he had me pinned. You should have heard him, playing the big man! ‘
If
you please me, pretty one, I’ll let you two girls go, but I don’t want to find one of your arrows in my back when I head home, so I’ve taken care of that.’ He told me he was going to make off with everything we had, and it wouldn’t do us any good to come back to his village and complain, because he’d get there first and split whatever he stole with his clan leader.”

“What? The Inoshishi
sent
him to rob us?”

“Pff! No. But this filth was going to drop enough gifts into the boar chieftain’s lap so that we’d
stay
robbed! He’s a brute and a coward and a miserable thief and—”

“—heavy,” I finished for her. “Where’s your bow?”

“I
told
you, he cut the—”

“Even a cut bowstring has its uses,” I said with a smile.

Shortly later, Kaya and I stood contemplating the man
who had claimed his only reason for following us was to be our helper and protector. He lay on his stomach, face in the dirt, ankles tightly bound together and hands secured behind his back.

“You tie very impressive knots,” I remarked to my friend.

“That was the best bowstring I ever owned,” she grouched. “
Now
what good am I?”

“You still have your knife, and you can keep Gori’s. Unlike me, you do know how to throw a blade.”

“But I’m better with a bow and arrows.” Kaya rubbed her chin thoughtfully, then pulled out Gori’s knife and dropped beside him. He squealed in fear, expecting the worst.

To be honest, so did I.

“Kaya, don’t—!” I spoke too late. The blade slashed, the deed was done, and my friend was on her feet again, brandishing her trophy.

“Would you
look
at this, Himiko?” she insisted, waving her hand under my nose. Her fingers clutched a remarkable length of shining black tresses, no longer bound up in the men’s traditional style but trailing down her arm. “He’s got nicer-looking hair than me! It’s not fair.” She grinned. “But it just might braid into a decent bowstring.”

We left Gori trussed up and helpless. If he was lucky, he might find a way to wriggle out of his bonds, or maybe someone from his clan would notice his absence and have the Inoshishi hunters track him down before thirst or hunger or predators did so. Part of me felt that he deserved whatever hard fate the gods chose, a suitable punishment
for what he had tried to do to Kaya. Another part of me hoped he would be saved and live to regret what he’d done.