Soul of the Sword (Shadow of the Fox #2) - Julie Kagawa Page 0,38

move. Any behavior that would raise concern or cause them to become suspicious would likely be reported straight to their daimyo. I couldn’t let them think I was anything more than a simple peasant girl or even an onmyoji, and I certainly couldn’t let Hanshou discover I had one piece of the scroll. If the Shadow Clan daimyo realized I had the very thing she had sent Tatsumi to retrieve, we wouldn’t survive the night.

“We’ll be fine, Yumeko-chan,” Okame broke in, as the shrine maiden gave him a look of disgust. “Just scream if a shinobi pops out of the wall. We’ll come running.”

The servant girl’s eyes widened at this, but the woman remained fiercely unruffled as she gestured to the room again. Reluctantly, I stepped across the threshold, and the panel closed behind me with a snap, leaving me alone with the two girls.

“Um, hello,” I offered, not knowing what to do and feeling uncomfortable. I’d never had servants attend me before. “You’ll have to excuse me, I really don’t know what I should do.”

One of them smiled, though it was a rather forced, practiced smile and didn’t quite reach her eyes. “We are here to make you presentable to Lady Hanshou,” she told me. “It is a great honor to appear before the Lady of Shadows—few are ever called into her presence. The Lady has given you the rarest of gifts. We must make certain you are ready to receive it.”

“Oh,” I said. “That’s…very nice.”

“Yes.” The second girl nodded. “So, if you would, my lady.” She gestured in my general direction. I blinked at her, confused, and her eyes tightened. “Please remove your clothes.”

“Nani?” I pinned my ears back. The servants waited expectantly, their faces calm. Obviously this was something they did often. I, however, had never disrobed in front of strangers, or anyone, really. “Right now?”

“Please.” The servant gestured again with a fixed smile. “We must make you ready to meet Lady Hanshou. Sadly, there is no time for a bath. Your regular…clothes…will be washed and waiting for you upon your return.”

I looked at the kimono hanging from the arms of the servant. It was very beautiful; black with red-and-gold leaves swirling up from the bottom as if caught in a whirlwind. The sleeves were long and billowing, nearly touching the floor. A wide, red-and-gold obi-sash completed the outfit.

“Come.” The other servant set her tray down and stepped forward, still smiling. “Please disrobe. We are both experienced in aiding the ladies of court in every way possible. It will not be unpleasant, I assure you.”

For a moment, I teetered on the edge of panic. What did I do? To refuse would insult the Kage and worse, it might make Lady Hanshou suspicious. I couldn’t meet the leader of the Shadow Clan in torn, filthy robes, even if they were onmyoji robes, but the very thing that she wanted more than anything was sitting very conspicuously in my furoshiki. If I handed it over to the servants, they would certainly find it.

Come on, Yumeko! You’re a kitsune. If there are no doors or windows out of the room, go under the floorboards.

I smiled shyly at the servant girl, secretly drawing on my magic. “Sumimasen,” I told her. “I don’t mean to be difficult. It’s just I’ve never had anyone attend me, and this is very strange. I was raised in a temple, and the monks there were very strict. I have…never undressed in front of anyone before, and it is…”

I trailed off, as if too embarrassed to continue. The servants relaxed, though I could sense one of them masking a sigh. “It is understandable,” she told me. “The customs of nobles must be strange to you. We will turn our backs while you disrobe—will that make it easier?”

I bobbed my head. “Arigatou gozaimasu.”

They nodded and turned their backs to me. Knowing that other eyes could still be watching, I quickly slipped my fingers into my obi and palmed one of the small leaves I’d stuck into the sash before we came to the castle. And I silently thanked Reika for warning me to come prepared.

I drew the furoshiki over my head, feeling the narrow length of the scroll case under my fingers through the cloth. As smoothly and quickly as I could, I slipped the leaf between the folds, brushing it against the lacquered case hidden inside.

A tapping came at the door, making us all jump. “Marisan? Akane-san? Have you started?” came a woman’s voice through the shoji.