Soul of the Sword (Shadow of the Fox #2) - Julie Kagawa Page 0,12

deserve such loyalty, I wonder?”

“Maybe I’m not an onmyoji,” I suggested. “Maybe I’m really a kami princess in disguise.”

He snorted a laugh. “That I am certain you are not,” he said, before letting out a long sigh and waving a hand. Behind him, the shinobi straightened and sheathed their blades in a raspy chorus. “Very well,” Naganori said, surprising me. “If your companions are decided, they are welcome to accompany us back to Hakumei castle. Let no one say the Shadow Clan lacks hospitality. You will all be honored guests of the Kage.” He smiled again, but it wasn’t a very nice smile, more knowing and evilly amused. “I am sure Lady Hanshou will be pleased to have you.”

“Back to Kage lands.” Reika’s brow furrowed. “I hope you brought horses. Shadow Clan territory is on the southern edge of Iwagoto, past Sun and Earth lands. Literally on the other side of the empire. It will take weeks of travel to get there.”

“For the uninitiated, yes.” The majutsushi’s voice was now smug. “Why do you think Lady Hanshou sent me, and not a squad of ashigaru—foot soldiers? Were we to travel by foot, it would certainly take far too long. But we are not traveling by ordinary means.” He raised a billowy sleeve, casting a long shadow over the floor. “For those who know the way of shadows, no distance is too far, if one does not get lost in the void along the way.”

“Ah,” Okame said, giving Daisuke a sideways grin. “There’s that cryptic Kage babble I was waiting for.”

Naganori’s lips thinned, and he dropped his arm. “Come,” he ordered, and turned away. “The night is waning, and even on the paths we must take, it is still a long way to Hakumei castle. Lady Hanshou is waiting.”

4

A HIDDEN TALENT

Suki

From the shade of a willow tree in the garden, Suki watched Lord Seigetsu meditate by the pond, hands cupped in his lap and eyes closed, and silently admired his perfect physique. His long silver hair glimmered in the moonlight like liquid metal, his back was straight and his face serene. Even his spotless white robes had settled perfectly around him. A small pale ball perched on the tips of his thumbs, glowing softly and seeming to hover there of its own volition. At his feet, red-and-white carp swirled lazily in the crystal clear water, barely making a ripple on the moonlit surface, and overhead, a sakura tree, fully in bloom, sheltered the figure beneath with brilliant pink blossoms. Not one petal fluttered down to disturb him.

“Isn’t Lord Seigetsu amazing?” Taka said next to her. The little yokai sat against the tree trunk, his single huge eye riveted to the figure at the edge of the pond. A wistful smile stretched his fang-filled mouth, and his chin rested in the palms of his clawed hands as he stared at his master. “Everything he does is perfect,” the yokai stated. “I wish I had his poise, his grace, his…perfection.” He sighed. “Sadly, I will have to be content with ‘small’ and ‘hideous’ and ‘only slightly useful.’ Not that I’m complaining!” he added quickly. “Or that Lord Seigetsu has ever called me those things. I just…have accepted the truth about certain things. Some of us are destined to be lords and leaders.” He gestured with a clawed hand to the figure beside the pond. “And some of us are born to be servants, right, Suki-san? Oh, gomen.” He clapped both clawed hands over his mouth, perhaps remembering that the girl he spoke to was no longer alive. “I didn’t mean to imply…I only meant…”

Suki drifted back to smile at him, shaking her head, and the little yokai relaxed. Taka wasn’t malicious, she knew. He didn’t have a cruel bone in his body. She did believe he was slightly lonely and didn’t get to talk much with Seigetsu-sama, especially when the subject was about their mutual, mysterious benefactor. “Lord Seigetsu saved me,” Taka went on, returning his gaze to the figure by the pond. “He took me in when no one wanted me, and has allowed me to travel with him ever since. Sometimes, I wonder why. He doesn’t tolerate anyone else following him.” He blinked his huge eye. “Well, except you, Suki-san, and you’re a ghost, so he can’t exactly threaten you.”

Suki cocked her head with a frown, but Taka didn’t seem to notice. The yokai leaned against the tree with a gaping, toothy yawn. “You worked at the Imperial palace, didn’t you,