Shadow of The Fox (Shadow of the Fox #1) - Julie Kagawa Page 0,159
winced. “Give me but a moment.”
Abruptly, Okame stepped forward, lifted the noble’s arm around his shoulders and pulled him upright. Daisuke clenched his jaw, gritting his teeth in pain, and the ronin braced himself until the noble had gotten his feet.
“Okame-san,” he muttered when he had gotten his balance, still leaning against the ronin. “I am...pleased to see you unharmed. Forgive my weakness. I am ashamed that I could not help you or Tatsumi-san.”
The ronin snorted. “I didn’t see much after that bastard oni collapsed the tower,” he replied, “but it looks to me that you cut down the entire hoard of ankle-biters on your own. I don’t know how you managed it, but that doesn’t sound like a weakling to me.”
The noble gave a faint smile. “Arigatou gozaimasu.”
Okame sighed, glancing up at me and the shrine maiden. “So,” he said with forced cheerfulness, “Yumeko-chan is a kitsune, the priest is saved, and apparently Kage-san went insane, carved the oni into little pieces and took off. Big night. Anything I’m missing?”
“Lady Satomi,” Reika said. “Let’s not forget her. We still have no idea where she is, or what she’s doing. Certainly, she lured us here to kill us, but now that we found Master Jiro, she will likely strike again. We need to find a way out of here, quickly.”
“Agreed,” said a new voice, Master Jiro’s, as he stepped over rubble piles and bits of armor. Ko was at his side, and the head priest looked grave as he joined us. “There is no time. We must...”
His legs trembled, and he nearly fell, causing Reika to grab his arm. I snatched a wooden bucket from the dirt and placed it upside down in front of him, and the priest lowered himself onto it with a groan. For a moment, he sat there, breathing hard, then lifted his head.
“Time is now against us,” Master Jiro panted, gazing around at us all, though his gaze lingered on me. “Kitsune...” He paused. “Yumeko-san...do you have the Dragon scroll?”
I nodded, feeling numb inside and out. “Yes, Master Jiro.”
His eyes narrowed. “You must take it to the Steel Feather temple. The monks there will protect it. Nothing else matters but getting the scroll to the temple, do you understand? The Dragon cannot be summoned into this world again. Reika-chan,” he continued, making the shrine maiden straighten, “we will go with her. Protect her on the journey. We must not let the scroll fall into the hands of evil like Lady Satomi.”
“Yes, Master Jiro.” The shrine maiden bowed. “I understand.”
“Hey, don’t forget about us,” the ronin broke in. “I’ve come this far, fought demons and blood mages, and just got my ass kicked by an oni. I feel I’ve earned the right to continue with Yumeko-chan, at least until we get to this Steel Bird temple or wherever she’s going.”
“Indeed.” Daisuke’s voice was tight with pain, but resolved. “I, too, will accompany Yumeko-san. To make up for my failure in protecting Kage-san, my blade will be at her side until my debt is paid. This I swear.”
“I will take the scroll to the temple,” I told the priest. “I’ve already promised to do so. But...” My throat tightened, and I took a deep breath to open it. “Tatsumi,” I whispered. “Can we save him? Can the demon be driven out?”
Master Jiro bowed his head. “To answer that question,” he began, “you must know who you are dealing with, and the bloody history that is tied to it.” He glanced at Daisuke, still leaning against the ronin, and his mouth thinned. “Taiyo-san’s wounds must be addressed,” he stated. “And Lady Satomi could still be about, not to mention Hakaimono. We must flee. But when we are safe, I will tell you the story of the Shadow Clan, the Dragon’s prayer, a woman named Lady Hanshou, and the cursed sword named Kamigoroshi that is tied to them all.”
Epilogue
In the golden palace of the emperor, all was quiet. The Moon Viewing party had gone splendidly, and everyone had returned to their rooms with a sense of satisfaction. Or, at least, in the pleasant haze of alcohol. The emperor, especially, slept soundly on his futon in a sake-induced torpor, his sleep free of dreams and the nightmares that had plagued him of late.
In the lavishly furnished apartments of the royal wing, in a bedroom cloaked in shadow, a full-length mirror shimmered, and the smiling form of Lady Satomi stepped through the glass. Brushing imaginary dirt from her robes, she