Soul of the Sword (Shadow of the Fox #2) - Julie Kagawa Page 0,107
cross fire. As arrows tore into them, both men jerked and toppled sideways off the seat.
For a moment, the world seemed to stop, crystallizing into a strange, surreal moment where nothing was real. Then the horse gave a strangled whinny and collapsed, black shafts peppering its side and neck, and Reika screamed.
Around us, the grass exploded, as several black shapes hurled themselves into the air. I froze, but Daisuke spun, already on his feet, his blade slashing in a vicious arc before him. There was a chilling screech of metal, as he knocked several things out of the air, and they flashed in the sun as they were deflected away. At the same time, three shiny black daggers struck the pile of crates I sat next to, embedding themselves in the wood with sharp thunks. Chu leaped off the crate stack just in time to avoid being impaled, and the blood froze in my veins.
“Ambush!” cried Daisuke, as a pair of black-clad figures in masks leaped toward the cart. His sword flashed, cutting one figure in half as it tried to leap into the cart bed, and the assassin gurgled as it fell back, leaving a streak of blood across the wood. The other sprang to the edge of the cart, raising his sword, and was struck in the chest by an arrow before toppling to the ground. Grimacing, Okame pulled another dart from his quiver and ducked behind a sake barrel.
Another arrow struck the crate, barely missing my arm, and I winced. I could see Okame, firing arrows into the long grass, hearing muffled thumps and falling bodies with every dart loosed. From the corner of my eye, I saw Daisuke smack an arrow from the air, spin gracefully with his white hair flowing behind him and impale an assassin leaping into the cart.
“Reika!” I gasped, seeing the shrine maiden huddled behind another stack of crates, face white and her eyes staring. “Where are Chu and Ko? Can you order them to help?” A couple komainu stomping around would certainly give the assassins something to think about.
She shot me a frantic look, then shook her head. “They’re not dogs, kitsune,” she spat. “They’re holy shrine guardians, meant to drive away demons, yokai and evil spirits. They cannot attack normal humans, only those corrupted by blood magic.”
A shadow fell over us. Heart lurching, I spun to see an assassin perched on the edge of the cart, kama sickle raised, before he sliced it down toward me.
I snarled. Reacting on instinct, I threw up my hand, releasing a gout of kitsune-bi into his face. He yelped, twisting aside to avoid it, but was momentarily blinded by the sudden flare. As he staggered, Reika snatched one of the black throwing knives sticking out of the crate, rose and stabbed him through the neck with the inky blade, then pushed him back out of the cart.
Instantly, she dropped back behind the crates to avoid the sudden hail of arrows that zipped overhead. Breathing hard, she stared at the bloody knife in her hand, trembling. “Oh, kami,” I heard her whisper, her face going as pale as the grains of rice scattered between the floor planks. “What have I done?”
“Reika.” Alarmed, I bent close, grabbing her sleeve. “Are you all right?”
Her eyes flashed as she stared up at me. “Do something!” she hissed, making me fall back. “You’re kitsune! You have magic.”
“Fox magic,” I argued. “Illusions and shadows. None of what I do is real.”
“That doesn’t matter! Not to them.” She pointed fiercely to the battle raging behind us. “They don’t know you’re kitsune, or that your magic is just illusion. Use that to your advantage—make them believe that what they see is real. If you don’t do something, we’re all going to be killed! Don’t let Master Jiro’s death be for nothing!”
A chill shot through me. Turning, I snatched a pair of twigs lying on the bottom of the cart, took a deep breath and reached for my magic.
All right, Kage. Arrows still flew through the air, striking the cart, as Okame and Daisuke continued to fend off the attackers. An unfamiliar fire kindled to life, fed by anger and fear, and I felt a snarl rising in my throat. You’re so good at shadow play and covering up the truth with illusions. Let’s see how good you are at seeing through them yourselves!
I stood and hurled the sticks into the air. With a flash and a crack of lightning, two enormous fiery