the end of the journey might be near at last, I started across the dusty stone floor. But, as I approached the stairs, a tremor went through the ground, making me stumble and causing the hair on the back of my neck to rise. I froze, gazing up the steps, feeling a gathering in the air around me, a swirl of ancient energy snapping with power, like the air before a lightning storm.
Magic, I thought, as the invisible storm faded and, for a moment, the chamber seemed to hold its breath. Very old magic. Something is going to happen…
Another tremor went through the ground. With a rumble and a grinding of stone against stone, two of the statues lining the stairs stepped off their pedestals and landed on the steps with a crash. They walked down the steps, moving far quicker than a few tons of stone had a right to, each footstep crunching and scraping against the rocks, until they reached the bottom.
I swallowed hard. It was another pair of the statues we’d seen earlier, the young warrior in armor with the double swords, and the large man with the giant spear. What had Daisuke called them? Yoshitsune and Benkei? For a moment, they stood motionless in front of the stairs, blocking the path, their empty, hollow gaze fixed on us. Then, Yoshitsune’s stony lips parted, and a raspy voice emerged, like sand sliding over a gravel pit.
“It reveals the way. Prove you are worthy to pass. Or die upon stone.”
I blinked. Did…did it just give us that warning in haiku?
For a heartbeat, not one of us moved. Then, Daisuke stepped forward, drawing his sword with a screech, making Okame start. “Oi, Daisuke-san,” the ronin growled. “What are you doing, peacock? You’re not going to fight Boulder one and Boulder two, are you?”
“Of course, Okame-san.” Daisuke glanced back, that strangely eager smile on his face. “Didn’t you hear it? Prove your worth to pass. Yoshitsune was one of the greatest swordsmen who ever lived. If we want to prove our selves worthy, we must defeat him in battle. Besides…” His gaze flicked to me. “I promised to escort Yumeko-san to the Steel Feather temple, and to protect both her and the Dragon scroll from any who wish to acquire it. If I cannot defeat these guardians, here and now, how can I hope to stand against Hakaimono when the time comes?”
“That is not what the spirits said, Daisuke-san,” Reika broke in, stepping forward, as well. “It is not just you who wishes passage to the Steel Feather temple. We all must prove our worth if we wish to pass.” She reached into her sleeve and withdrew an ofuda, holding the slip of paper up between two fingers. “This test must be completed together.”
I frowned. For some reason, this situation didn’t seem right. “Are you sure we have to fight them?” I asked.
Okame snickered. “Well, they’re blocking the only way up the steps, and the haiku didn’t say ‘sit down and have tea.’ I don’t think they’re going to let us pass if we just ask nicely, Yumeko-chan.”
“Correct,” Reika agreed, and turned to point at me. “You should stand back, Yumeko-chan,” she ordered. “Let your guardians take care of this.”
I scowled at the shrine maiden. “I’m not afraid.”
“I did not say you were.” Reika shot me an exasperated glare. “But you must reach the Steel Feather temple, Yumeko-chan. We are close, just one more challenge remains, and the rest of us are here only as your shields. If we fall, that is not as important as you delivering the scroll to the temple and warning them of Hakaimono.” Her eyes narrowed. “So for once, listen to your protectors, kitsune, and let us do what we came to do. We don’t need you getting your stubborn head bashed in on the temple steps. Go.” She pointed, and only when I had retreated off to the side and had stepped behind a pillar did she turn to the men. The noble waited calmly with one hand on his sword hilt, and Okame had an arrow nocked to his bow. “Taiyo-san, Okame-san? Are we ready?”
Daisuke nodded. Turning to the statues, still watching rigid and unmoving in front of the steps, he bowed. “Guardian spirits,” he announced in a solemn voice, “we will not turn back. We will be honored to accept your challenge.”
The statues’ expressions didn’t change. Without warning, the large man swung his great stone spear before him in a savage arc,