see Kamigoroshi slicing down to take my head.
“Yumeko?”
I glanced up to see Tatsumi still watching me over his shoulder. His face, though not exactly sympathetic, wore a puzzled frown. “Are you all right?” he asked. “Do we need to stop to rest?”
I shook my head, smiling at how genuinely concerned he sounded. “No, Tatsumi-san, I’m fine. I’m just—”
“Oiiiiiiiiii!”
The faint shout came from the road behind us. I turned and saw a dark, blurry shape hurrying forward, one arm upraised. As it got close, it resolved itself into Okame, huffing and puffing as he jogged toward us.
“Finally...found you,” he panted, bracing his hands on his knees. Gasping, he looked up at me with a wry grin. “Thought you could get rid of me, eh? Didn’t Kage-san tell you I was coming with you to the capital?”
I glanced at Tatsumi, who wasn’t looking at either of us, his gaze on the distant mountains. “No,” I said, frowning. “He didn’t mention that.”
“Well, lucky for you, I’m a light sleeper.” Okame straightened, adjusting the yumi bow on his back. “And that I’d already decided to help you out. Because I happen to know you’re going the wrong way.”
I blinked. “We are?”
“We’re not,” Tatsumi countered. “This road leads to the imperial highway, and from there, straight to the capital itself. We are on the right path.”
“Yes, if you want to go completely around the mountains,” Okame said, jerking his head at the mist-shrouded peaks, still cloaked in shadow. “Which will take days of travel, at least. I know this territory and, more specifically, I know the trails and hidden paths through the mountains.” His thumb rose, pointed back at himself. “If you follow me, I can get you to the capital much faster than if you keep to the main roads. And we won’t have to bother with the imperial checkpoint at the border.”
I couldn’t be sure, but I thought Tatsumi perked up at that. Well, maybe perked up was the wrong phrase, but he did seem to take notice. “It would be nice to reach the capital sooner,” I mused.
“And just think, Kage-san,” Okame added. “The sooner we get to Kin Heigen Toshi, the sooner you can get rid of me. Win-win situation, right?”
Tatsumi regarded us in stony silence, then shrugged and turned away. “It doesn’t matter,” he said with his back to us. “As long as we reach the capital. And you don’t get us lost.”
“Good!” Okame exclaimed, rubbing his hands together. “Just follow me, then. We’ll be in Sun lands before you know it.”
* * *
“Huh,” Okame mused later that afternoon. “I was sure there was supposed to be a path here.”
We were deep in the mountains now, having left the main road a few hours ago to hike into the wilderness. Okame had quickly found a game trail, and we’d followed him through a dim forest of pine and cedar, over a thick carpet of green moss that covered stones, roots and fallen logs. He was, I noted, very graceful despite his self-proclaimed boorishness, moving easily through the woods and brush like he was part of the forest itself. Tatsumi trailed silently at my back, making no sound at all and prompting me to glance over my shoulder every so often, just to make sure he was still there.
But when the trail abruptly ended at a small mountain stream, Okame stopped and crossed his arms, gazing down at it like he expected a new path to appear.
“Well, that’s strange,” he muttered, gazing up and down the stream. “I don’t remember this being here.”
“You’re lost,” Tatsumi stated, his voice cold enough to make the creek ice over.
“I am not lost,” Okame protested, glaring back at him. “I’m...momentarily confused that there’s a stream here, but that is a temporary setback. I know exactly where we are.” He scratched the back of his neck, frowning in thought. Across the stream, a small spotted deer stepped daintily from behind a tree and stared at us, twitching large ears. “We must’ve missed the side trail,” Okame mused, “but if we head north, we should find it. So...” He gazed around the forest, and the deer bounded into the undergrowth. “If that’s the position of the sun, and the shadows are going in that direction...”
“Um.” I pointed a finger upstream. “North is that way, Okame-san.”
“Right.” Okame grinned back at me. “Back on track, Yumeko-chan. We’ll be in Kin Heigen Toshi in no time.”
Several hours later, with the sun beginning to set behind the distant peaks and the