Shadow of The Fox (Shadow of the Fox #1) - Julie Kagawa Page 0,77
Kage demonslayer should be wary of. Someone that rivals even the power of Kamigoroshi.” He cast a glance at my sword, as if afraid to offend it, before lowering his voice to a near whisper. “Long ago, there was a being that was a curse upon the pages of Iwagoto’s history. His name inspires fear and loathing, even now. The one responsible for such hate has been called many things throughout the ages, but most remember him as Genno, the Master of Demons.”
I straightened, and Hakaimono perked as well; both of us recognized that name. The Master of Demons was a well-known, if terrifying, figure from the country’s darkest era. Four hundred years ago, in the midst of the worst civil war the land had ever known, a sorcerer named Genno raised an army of demons and undead to assault the capital and overthrow the emperor. Because the land was so fractured, his strategy nearly worked. The emperor was killed, and the imperial city was on the verge of collapse, when the clans finally put aside their squabbles and united against the greater threat. Many lives were lost, and the country was nearly torn asunder, but the combined strength of the clans was enough to finally turn the tide. In the final battle, Genno was slain, the hordes of undead crumbled and the demons fled, scattering to the winds. But that was not the end of the story. Not content with simply killing the Master of Demons, the new emperor had him beheaded, his body cremated and his head sealed deep within a sacred tomb, so that he would never again rise to threaten the land.
That was the theory, anyway.
I faced the yokai and frowned, making him shrink back. “The Master of Demons was killed over four hundred years ago,” I said slowly, making certain I understood what the one-eyed creature was implying. “I take it he’s returned, somehow?”
The yokai bobbed his head. “That is what my master believes,” he said. “The wind witch that attacked you earlier was one of his servants. Uh, Genno-sama’s, not my master’s. My master would not bother with one such as she.” His eye scrunched up, as if he were disgusted by the thought, before he shook his head. “But Genno has many demons, yokai and even humans that do his bidding, and now that he is looking for the scroll, he’ll try to eliminate any competition. That means you, demonslayer. And any who are close to you.”
I thought of Yumeko, her bright gaze and cheerful smile, the light going out of her eyes as a demon ripped her apart. Strangely, it bothered me in a way I’d never felt before. “Why are you telling me this?” I asked the yokai. “If the scroll is so powerful, why doesn’t your master want it as well?”
“I don’t question the master’s orders,” the one-eyed creature said, going a bit pale at the very thought. “My only purpose is to serve him in whatever way I can. He told me to warn the Kage demonslayer that the Master of Demons is searching for the Dragon’s prayer, and that he plans to kill you. So, I have. And now my job is done.” He blinked his enormous eye and gave me a nervous look. “Uh... I can go now, yes? You won’t try to kill me once I try to leave?”
The demon in my head gave me a push to do just that, cut the pathetic creature down when its back was turned, a fitting end to such weakness. I stifled the urge and jerked my head toward the tree line. “Go,” I told the yokai, who immediately leaped off the woodpile, without turning his back on me, I noticed. “But tell your master this—don’t get in my way. If he threatens me or those who travel with me, I’ll kill him. That is my only warning. If we meet on the road as enemies, I won’t hesitate to cut him down.”
The yokai’s eye widened until it resembled a tiny moon, and he nodded. “O-of course, Kage-san,” he stammered, bobbing as he backed away. “I’ll be sure to deliver your message.” He stole a glance toward the trees, and I was suddenly certain that this “master” was close, and that he had heard the entire conversation. “Well then,” the yokai finished, preparing to dart into the woods. “H-have a good night, Kage-san. Hopefully we will not meet again.”
He darted away, a streak of pale skin in the moonlight,