Soul of the Sword (Shadow of the Fox #2) - Julie Kagawa Page 0,34
isn’t it? The chance to actually feel without…well, this happening.
He tried to hide it, but the tiny swell of hope that came from the demonslayer was almost pathetic. His weariness seeped into me, a soul poison weighing me down. He was tired. Tired of fighting, of constantly struggling for control. His entire existence had been one of darkness and pain, becoming a weapon who killed for the Kage, because that was all he knew how to do. He hadn’t known there was anything more…until he met her.
I perked at this, even as Tatsumi forcibly wrenched his thoughts away from me. But it was too late, and I grinned in delight. Her? I gloated, feeling the demonslayer’s fury at his own weakness. You mean the girl, don’t you? The kitsune half-breed. Oh, Tatsumi, how shameful, how dishonorable. What would your clan say if they knew you had developed feelings for a half-breed yokai?
There was no answer from the soul inside, no glimmer of emotion or feeling; he had closed himself off. But the echo of his longing still lingered, and I chuckled quietly to myself. This information would come in very useful; I was certain we would run into the fox girl and her companions again.
“Did you say something, Hakaimono-sama?” the blue hag inquired as we left the tomb. A cold wind blew into my face, smelling of fish and lake water and the subtle hint of decay. A few coils of red-black taint followed us from the cave entrance and writhed away on the breeze. I inhaled the familiar, choking corruption of my home realm and sighed.
“No, but it’s a long way to Onikage castle, and I’ve wasted enough time here.” I turned to the trio of hags and bared my fangs in a smile. “Let us go and speak with the Master of Demons. I am very interested to hear his plans for the future.”
8
GUESTS OF SHADOW
Yumeko
We walked the Path of Shadows twice more, listening to the spirits of Meido wail and rant at us through the mist, enduring Naganori’s glares and subtle insults, before we finally arrived in Kage lands.
“At last,” the majutsushi sighed, as we stepped out of the shadows and into the real world again. I shivered as the breeze hit my skin, smelling of wood and smoke and the realm of the living; the Path of Shadows smelled of grief, hopelessness and despair, things I hadn’t even known had a scent until now.
I looked around and saw that we were in a dark, bare room, with no windows to let in outside light. The walls and floors were made of stone, though the ceiling had huge wooden beams running across its length. Torches sat at the corners, flickering erratically, and the scent of Shadow magic permeated the room. A circle had been drawn on the floor in what looked like glowing white paint, with runes, kanji and magical sigils etched around it. As I watched, the circle flared once, then faded away, seeming to melt into the floor. I glanced up at Naganori.
“Where are we?” The last time we had left the Path of Shadows, we’d ended up in a tiny hidden temple in a cave, somewhere in Earth Clan territory. This didn’t look like a cave, but I was tired of darkness, shadows and everything that lurked within, and was eager to get back into the sun.
Naganori sniffed. “We have arrived at Hakumei-jo,” he stated grandly. “The home castle of the Kage family, and the seat of Lady Hanshou herself.” He gave us a critical look, lips curling in what seemed to be barely restrained disgust as he eyed our clothes, torn and dirty from the long days of travel. “You’ll of course want to make yourselves presentable before you see the daimyo. The servants will see to your every need. Follow them, and do not attempt to wander off on your own. Hakumei castle can be quite…mystifying for the uninitiated. I have matters I must attend. Please excuse me.”
And with that, the head majutsushi of the Shadow Clan turned and glided away, vanishing from the dim circle of light and leaving us alone in the darkened room.
“Okay,” Okame muttered as a wooden door thumped shut and silence descended, if only for a moment. His eyes had looked haunted ever since we’d first come out of the Path of Shadows. “Don’t worry about us, then. We’ve just spent three days in the realm of the dead, we’ll be fine.”