to Ningen-kai, if the blood mage would do him a service in return.”
“What?” Tatsumi actually took a step back, sounding stunned and furious. “The Lord of Jigoku knows better than to bargain with the souls of the damned,” he snarled. “He knows the consequences could unravel the stability of all the realms, from Jigoku to Ningen-kai to Meido. What kind of game is O-Hakumon playing?”
Akumu chuckled. “You would know, if you hadn’t been stuck in Kamigoroshi all these centuries, Hakaimono. The Lord of Jigoku is eternally patient, but even he could not wait for you any longer.” He bared his fangs in a sneer and raised his twin clubs. “Perhaps when you die with the rest of these mortals, your soul will be reborn in Jigoku this time and not sucked back into Kamigoroshi. Then you can ask O-Hakumon what you’ve been missing.”
He lifted a club skyward, raised his head and let out a roar that shook the ground and made the air shiver. “Demons!” he boomed. “Yokai! Take the city! Tear it apart! Reach the heart of this sanctuary and leave no one alive.”
“No!” I whispered, but my voice was lost in the howl of the army as they swarmed into the streets, scaling roofs and swooping overhead. The oni took two enormous strides forward, momentarily blocking out the sun, and brought one tetsubo sweeping down with a snarl.
Tatsumi leaped back, the tetsubo crushing a massive hole in the center of the road. With his other arm, Akumu lashed out and swept the second club into a trio of samurai, smearing them across the stones.
“Tatsumi!” I cried as the oni threw back his head with a triumphant bellow. “The army is heading for the palace!”
He shot me a split-second glance, concern flashing in his eyes for just a moment. “Go!” he told me, sweeping his hand out. “All of you! Get to the palace, protect the daimyo and the people. I’ll deal with the oni.”
“Tatsumi...” I wavered a moment, my heart twisting around my ribs before I made my decision. “I trust you,” I whispered, backing away, though the ache in my heart made it difficult to breathe. “Be careful.”
He couldn’t have heard me, but his gaze flicked to mine all the same, solemn and grim, and he nodded. He’ll be all right, I told myself. No demon will ever beat him. I have to trust he’ll come back.
“Reika!” I cried, whirling to find the shrine maiden. “Let’s go! We have to get to the palace before the demons do!”
“Chu!” called the miko, and the komainu bounded to her side in a blur of red and gold. Reika threw herself onto his back and turned to me, holding out a hand. Heart pounding, I grabbed her arm, and she hauled me up behind her. The komainu’s coat was smooth, his mane silky and light, and he radiated heat, as if a fire pulsed just below muscles and fur.
“Hang on!” Okame jogged forward and threw himself onto the shrine guardian’s back behind me. “I can’t do much against that big bastard,” he muttered as we stared back at him. “But I can pick off a whole lot of ankle-biters before they can reach the palace. Taiyo-san!” he called, and pointed a finger at the noble a few yards away. “It is not time for that glorious death, peacock,” he warned as, with a jolt, I realized Daisuke was staying to fight the oni lord with Tatsumi. “I can’t stop you,” the ronin went on, his voice shaking a little, “but you’re not allowed to die without me. Cut this thing down and then find me again. I expect one final drink before we meet on the other side.”
Daisuke met Okame’s gaze and gave a solemn bow. Then with a sharp word from the miko, Chu sprang into the air, powerful muscles carrying him onto the roof of a building. With another leap, he soared over a burning fallen tree, landed on the roof beyond and bounded in the direction of the palace.
Demons and yokai swarmed below us, a shrieking, chaotic mass. They skittered down the roads, setting things on fire, attacking any living creature they came across. I saw kami fleeing in terror from the approaching demons, kodama