“I’m returning their sibling, so they can make their own choices.”
“No!” shrieked the witch, as Yumeko drew back her arm. “Stop! You don’t know what you’re doing!”
Yumeko hurled the netsuke into the air. It sailed up in a graceful arc, flashing as it caught the sun until, with a blast of wind and a streak of darkness across the sky, the piece of jewelry shattered. For a split second, I saw a kamaitachi hovering in the air, looking dazed, before it shook itself and vanished into a whirlwind.
The poison in my body was finally wearing off. I pushed myself to my knees and grabbed my sword, as the witch let out a wail and turned on the girl.
“You meddlesome fool,” she spat, and raised her arm, causing the wind to whip around her once more. I staggered upright, but my legs shook, and I nearly fell again. “You cost me my kamaitachi, but I don’t need those vermin to kill you. I’ll slice you to pieces my—aagh!”
She dropped her arm with a grimace, clutching her wrist, where her billowy sleeve had been cut in two. I looked up as three small furry shapes appeared in front of Yumeko, curved blades glinting in the sun as they faced the witch. Their eyes gleamed an angry red, their muzzles pulled back to reveal sharp yellow teeth, and the witch shrank away at the sight of them.
“No,” she said, as with a swirl of wind, the yokai disappeared. “Get away from me! Stay back!”
With a deafening shriek, a gale descended on her, tossing her hair and yanking wildly at her clothes. The wind witch screamed as her robe was torn apart, scattering fabric into the air, and hundreds of cuts opened up on her body. Yumeko winced and turned away, closing her eyes, as the witch continued to scream and the wind continued to gust around her.
Finally, the whirlwind sputtered and died, the breeze fading to a faint whisper. The wind witch, or what was left of her, swayed in place for a moment, eyes wide and unseeing, then collapsed to the rocky ground.
I observed her for a moment, making certain she was truly dead, before looking at Yumeko again. The girl sat against the gully wall, a trio of kamaitachi at her feet, sitting on their haunches with their blades folded back, watching her with solemn red eyes. I tensed, my hand dropping to my sword, but the yokai didn’t appear threatening any longer.
Yumeko smiled, pushing herself upright and deliberately not looking at the body of the wind witch, lying crumpled in the dirt. “You’re free now,” she said softly, and the kamaitachi cocked their heads, as if really listening. “You don’t owe me anything. I’m glad I could help.”
As one, the yokai lowered their heads and bowed. Then, with excited yips and snarls, they spiraled into the air, wind and leaves swirling around them, and were gone.
13
Song of the Kodama
It took us the rest of the afternoon to get out of the ravine.
“Tatsumi, stop,” I said, after we’d walked several yards from Kiba-sama’s cave, leaving the demon bear and the body of the wind witch where they had fallen. He paused and looked back at me with cold purple eyes, having said nothing since the fight with the witch and the bear. I ignored the tingle of fear and gestured to his torn haori, where a dark stain was beginning to spread below his shoulders. “You’re bleeding.”
My voice shook a little. There was a faint ringing in my ears, and I felt like I could lose my breakfast if I thought too hard about certain things. The encounter with the wind witch, the kamaitachi and the great demon bear felt surreal, as if it had happened to someone else. I remembered the struggle in flashes: the terror of falling down the ravine, the ground trembling as Kiba-sama emerged from the cave, the helplessness of watching Tatsumi fend off the bear and the kamaitachi. The rage as the witch directed her familiars to attack the demonslayer while he was distracted. I’d snatched a rock from the stream, intending to give the witch something else to think about, and suddenly remembered a voice from the night before, his final words before he disappeared.
Kamaitachi always come in threes. Their loyalty to each other is unbreakable. Remember that, and ask yourself why Kazekira has only two familiars.
Because they didn’t want to help her, I’d realized. The weasel yokai were her familiars because she was