Soul of the Sword (Shadow of the Fox #2) - Julie Kagawa Page 0,116

Daisuke’s expression, as always, was composed, expressing the perfect mix of serene remorse. Okame, standing with his arms crossed and his jaw set, looked like he would either snarl at anyone who touched him or burst into tears. Reika chanted, her voice shaking only slightly, her hair and sleeves billowing in the wind, and Chu sat primly in the grass, the tops of his ears barely visible. How many more will die before this is over? When I’m facing Hakaimono and Tatsumi, will I be strong enough to do what has to be done?

I reached up a hand and touched the furoshiki beneath my robes, feeling the thin case of the scroll within. The thing Master Jiro, and so many others, had given their life to protect. Master Jiro, Master Isao and all the monks at the Silent Winds temple. The list of names of the dead was growing long indeed. I feared that, by the end of this adventure, it would be even longer. And it was still a lengthy journey to our destination.

One step at a time, I told myself. Find the Steel Feather temple. Face Hakaimono, drive him back into the sword and free Tatsumi. Hand the scroll over to whatever guardians are waiting for it. Then you’ll be done. You will have upheld your promise to Master Isao. After that…

I faltered. Then what? What was next for me after I had delivered the scroll? I had no home, nothing to go back to. Perhaps, whoever lived at the Steel Feather temple would let me join their order? But that thought made my nose wrinkle. I had seen so much. I had been to the great golden capital and the shadow-shrouded lands of the Kage. I had talked to monsters, yokai, yurei and demons. I had fought great evil, seen wonders and magic, and had performed for the emperor of Iwagoto himself. And yet, I knew there was more out there. More to see, to experience. Now that I was outside the temple walls, I didn’t want to go back. How could I, when I finally knew what lay beyond?

Don’t be naive, Yumeko. Do you really think it will be over once you deliver the scroll to the temple? What about Lady Hanshou, and the Master of Demons? What about Tatsumi?

My stomach twisted. Tatsumi. What would happen to the demonslayer if I managed to free him and drive Hakaimono back into the sword? His mission, before the First Oni had taken over, had been to retrieve the pieces of the Dragon scroll. Would he continue his mission, even if it meant fighting the guardians of the Steel Feather temple? And…the rest of us? Reika, I knew, would never allow him to take the scroll back to Lady Hanshou, and Daisuke would protect his family, his clan and his emperor at all cost. The only question mark was Okame, but I had the feeling he wouldn’t want the Shadow Clan to get their hands on the Dragon’s Wish, either. Would Tatsumi attack them all to acquire the scroll? If he did, if it came down to choosing between Kage Tatsumi and protecting the scroll, what would I do? Who would I stand with?

Was I making a terrible mistake, trying to save him?

“Yumeko-san.”

Reika’s voice jerked me out of my dark musings. The shrine maiden stood before me, looking tired. Bags crouched under her eyes and her skin was pale and wan, but her eyes were dry. “We’re done here,” she said in a quiet voice. “It’s time to move on.”

Silently, we continued down the road on foot, away from the crows and scavenger birds already gathering, and the site of the ambush soon faded behind us.

That evening, we made camp in a nearly dry creek bed very close to the road. According to Okame, who had talked to Roshi before the driver’s unfortunate death, we would reach his village by tomorrow afternoon, and then it was just a short walk to the base of the Dragon Spine.

“We should be able to replenish supplies at the village,” he said, using a twig to poke at the flames of the fire he’d started. A tiny black pot sat on stilts above it, bubbling cheerfully; part of the supply pack Masao had sent along with us. It contained barely enough rice to make each of us a rice ball, but we couldn’t be picky. “We’re going to want more rice, and I’m going to need about a quart of sake in my