Shadow of The Fox (Shadow of the Fox #1) - Julie Kagawa Page 0,122

or yokai can get in or out, and no one outside will hear us. Your friends, if they even are your friends, won’t be coming, kitsune.”

My ears flattened as I stepped back, feeling fox magic rise to the surface. So, she had seen me, after all. “I just came to speak to Master Jiro,” I said, in what I hoped was a calming voice. “I’m not here to cause trouble.”

“No?” The miko’s gaze narrowed. “Did you think you could just walk in here and I wouldn’t know a yokai when I saw one? Even a half yokai. I speak to the kami every day. I see their world as clearly as my own.” She gestured past the sealed door. “Those men outside—none of them know what you really are, do they, fox? You’re deceiving them all.” A hard smile crossed her lips. “You won’t find me so easily fooled.”

“I came here for help,” I insisted. “I’m from the Silent Winds temple. My master sent me to find the head priest of the Hayate shrine.”

“Why?”

“Because...” I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to fight the miko, but it was clear she didn’t trust a word I was saying. She saw only a kitsune, and the reputations of the mischievous foxes preceded me. If I wanted to talk to the priest, I had to get past the shrine maiden.

“Because...” I sighed again and reached into my furoshiki. “I have this.”

The shrine maiden’s eyes got huge as I pulled out the lacquered scroll case, holding it between us. The blood drained from her face, and she took a step backward, staring at the item in my hand as if it were a live snake. “Merciful Kami,” she whispered. “That is... You have a piece of the scroll.” She stood there a moment, then leaned forward with narrowed eyes. “Who else knows of this?” she snapped. “The men outside—are any of them aware that you have the Dragon’s prayer?”

I shook my head. “None of them know I possess the scroll,” I told her. “Or, this piece of it, anyway.” I hesitated a moment, wincing. “Although there is...one, who is searching for it, who was sent to my temple retrieve the scroll.”

“The samurai in black,” the miko guessed. “The warrior of the Shadow Clan. Who is he?”

“His name is Kage Tatsumi,” I told her. “He carries a sword named Kamigoroshi.”

She closed her eyes. “The Kage demonslayer,” she whispered. “I thought I felt something evil close by. I suppose that makes sense, that Hanshou would send him.” Her eyes opened, angry and fearful, glaring at me. “How could you bring that creature into this shrine?” she demanded. “Do you know how dangerous he is, what he could do to the spirits who call this place their home?”

“I needed him,” I told her. “He agreed to help—”

“Because he wants the scroll,” she interrupted. “That’s the only reason you’re still alive, kitsune, the only reason the demonslayer hasn’t killed you. If he finds out you have it...”

“My temple was attacked,” I said. “An oni came through, murdered everyone, and tried to take the scroll. I barely escaped.” I shivered, remembering the terror of the horde, the monstrous oni crashing into the hall, and the horror that came after. I had to swallow the lump in my throat before continuing. “Before he died, Master Isao sent me here. He said that the head priest would know where to find the Steel Feather temple.”

“Which has the second piece of the Dragon’s prayer,” the miko finished gravely, and sighed. “Yes, I can see the truth of your words.” She took a step back, rubbing her eyes as if they pained her. “Though I don’t know why the monks let a yokai run off with something so important. I suppose they were desperate.”

I ignored the contempt in her voice, slipping the case back into my furoshiki. “My name is Yumeko,” I told her. “Master Isao and the monks raised me. I spent my entire life in that temple. I didn’t know the story of the Dragon until recently, but I did promise to take care of the scroll. I have no intention of letting it fall to the demons, or into the hands of evil humans. I’ve come a long way, fought bandits and gaki and omukade, to talk to the head priest.” I pinned back my ears, feeling a tiny bit of desperation and anger rise to the surface. “If I really was pure yokai, I would have dropped the scroll