Soul of the Sword (Shadow of the Fox #2) - Julie Kagawa Page 0,118

said gently. “And performed the proper death rites. Your husband’s soul should not linger in this world. But if you want to see for yourself, he is buried about a day’s walk east of here. Just look for the hill with two graves on the side of the road.”

The woman gave a watery smile. “Thank you,” she whispered, looking at both Reika and me. “Thank you for not leaving him, for giving him the proper rites to pass on. And I know my Roshi. He wouldn’t have offered his cart to just anyone.” She eyed my onmyoji robes, then glanced at Daisuke, taking in his clothes and hair. Even if he wasn’t wearing his family mon, his noble bearing was obvious. “I know you must have important matters to attend,” she said, turning back to me. “Please excuse my forwardness, but are you traveling to the shrine of the mountain kami near the top of the Dragon Spine?”

I pricked my ears. “Mountain kami?”

“Yes.” Roshi’s wife nodded. “Forgive me, but I thought that was your destination.” She turned, gesturing to the distant silhouettes against the sky. “Every few years, a pilgrim will pass through our village to pray at the shrine of the mountain kami. It is an arduous journey, but it is said that if your heart is pure and your prayers fervent enough, the mountain kami will grant you a bit of their secret knowledge. This is the last village before you reach the path that leads up the Dragon Spine. I simply assumed that was where you were going, as well.”

“Where is this shrine, if you don’t mind telling us?” Daisuke asked.

Roshi’s wife nodded at the road that cut through the final houses. “Just past the village, you’ll find a path that heads due east,” she said. “If you follow it for half a day, it will take you into the Dragon Spine Mountains, to a peak that overlooks the valley. The shrine sits at the very top.”

“Thank you,” I said, and bowed to her. “You’ve been most kind. We won’t trouble you any longer.”

“Wait.” Roshi’s wife glanced at me, then at my companions. “If you mean to journey up the Dragon Spine, you shouldn’t go tonight,” she warned. “The path is narrow, and treacherous in the dark. One slip, and you could tumble all the way down the mountain—it has happened to even the most sure-footed of travelers. And the Dragon Spine is home to all manner of spirits and yokai. Most are indifferent to humans, but no yokai is predictable, and a few are very dangerous. If you are to attempt the pilgrimage to the shrine of the mountain kami, it is best to do so in the light.”

I glanced at the sun setting behind the mountain peaks and nodded. “That is probably a wise idea. Is there a place we could stay in the village, a ryokan or inn of sorts?”

She shook her head. “We are a small village. Even with the shrine to the mountain kami, not enough travelers come through to warrant a ryokan. The headman often lets pilgrims stay at his home for the night, provided they pay a small fee, or perform a favor for the village if they have no coin.”

“Well, that sounds like us,” Okame said with a sardonic grin at Daisuke. “We left Kin Heigen Toshi in such a hurry, our noble Taiyo didn’t have time to grab his coin pouch. Now he’s just as poor as us peasants and ronin.”

“Indeed.” Daisuke’s voice was wry. “Though I will point out that I usually have no need of coin, and to even discuss matters of money is seen as exceedingly poor taste. It is within my right, as a samurai and of Imperial lineage, to expect that all amenities are offered without compensation, in service to the empire. Most of my kin would agree that it is a privilege for those of lesser stations to serve the emperor’s finest warriors, and they should be honored to provide whatever the samurai requests. There are those in my family who do not even know the values of the different types of coin.”

Okame snorted, letting everyone know what he thought of that, and Daisuke smiled. “However,” he went on, “if you have not noticed, Okame-san, I myself sometimes harbor…unpopular opinions among my clan. Many have forgotten, but ‘samurai’ means one who serves. The Code of Bushido states that compassion and humility are just as important as honor and courage, and if I