Soul of the Sword (Shadow of the Fox #2) - Julie Kagawa Page 0,36
I wondered.
“That I could not tell you,” Daisuke said. “Nor do I think the Kage would reveal their secrets to outsiders, so I am afraid we will have to wonder.”
“Maybe they all carry a roll of string, just in case.”
We finally came to a flight of wooden stairs leading to the overhead floor. The woman didn’t pause, but continued up the steps until we reached the interior of the castle, leaving the damp underground behind. The floors were made of polished wood, with thick beams crisscrossing overhead and shoji panels running the length of one wall, separating individual rooms. A pair of Kage samurai guarding the entrance to the stairs ignored us as we followed our guide into the hallway.
Still silent, our escort led us through another series of corridors, this time made of dark wood, shoji screens and decorated fusuma panels. The images depicted on these screens were beautiful—bamboo forests in the moonlight, lonely cliffs with breaking ocean waves, a pine grove hiding a lurking tiger—but they felt slightly ominous, as if purposefully designed for the viewer to feel uncomfortable looking at them. Maybe that was because I felt they were looking back. As we went farther into the castle, I saw more Kage samurai standing guard or walking the halls, and servants scurrying to and fro like silent, efficient mice. A dismal air hung over everything, making me long to be outside, away from the murk. Though the castle was strewn with hanging lanterns and candlelight, it felt dark, quiet and gloomy, with shadows around every corner and hidden eyes in the walls. I missed the sunlight.
As we turned yet another corner, a man suddenly stepped out of an adjoining room into the servant’s path, followed by a pair of samurai. The woman instantly bowed and sidestepped, keeping her gaze on the floor as she backed into the wall. The man didn’t spare her a second glance. He was dressed in black-and-purple robes patterned with golden crescent moons, and he carried a shimmery golden fan in one hand. His face was pale, with thick lines of black painted beneath his eyes, accenting their sharpness. Stopping in the center of the corridor, the noble raised a thin, painted-on eyebrow at us.
“Ah. So these are Lady Hanshou’s ‘honored guests.’” His voice was smooth and oily, and somehow reminded me of an eel. “I was not aware she was taking in commoners. Our daimyo is a truly kind and benevolent soul. Do we have proper accommodations for them, I wonder?” He tapped his golden fan against his pale chin, looking thoughtful. “We want our guests to be comfortable, after all. I worry that we do not have an adequate supply of flea-infested straw.”
I didn’t know much about the fancy way the nobles of the court interacted, but I was fairly certain I was being insulted. And by Reika’s dark look and the dangerous sneer creeping across Okame’s face, they didn’t appreciate it, either. “Excuse me,” I said, causing the noble to gaze down at me as if I were a bug on the floor, “but who are you?”
“Insolence!” One of the samurai stepped forward, menacing. “How dare you speak to Lord Iesada without being addressed? Were it up to me, I would cut you down for your disrespect.” He turned to the noble with a bow. “Iesada-sama, allow me to remove this insect from your presence at once.”
“I am certain Lord Iesada does not want to do that,” came Daisuke’s voice, cool and unruffled, from behind us. The Taiyo noble stepped forward, smiling, though his eyes were razor sharp and cold as he leveled a gaze at the other nobleman. “I am sure Iesada-sama knows that onmyoji Yumeko-san is an honored guest of Lady Hanshou,” he said, his smile never wavering. “That the Lady is expecting her, that she sent Kage Naganori to Sky Clan lands to escort Yumeko-san to Hakumei castle. An informed man like Lord Iesada would surely know that Yumeko-san is also under the protection of the Taiyo family and the Hayate shrine, and they would take great offense if she were to come to harm.” His voice became like silken cloth over the edge of a blade. “But I feel foolish even mentioning this, because the Shadow Clan certainly does not wish to insult the Taiyo and risk the wrath of the Imperial family. Forgive me for even voicing such a thought. I am certain that I will return to my homeland with nothing but compliments for