demonslayer, if you can. But remember, there are those who will try to destroy you before you even begin your journey. Trust no one, and you might survive.”
“Arigatou,” I whispered, but Tatsumi’s sensei took one step back and threw something to the ground between us. A cloud of smoke erupted from his feet, obscuring my vision, and when it cleared, Tatsumi’s sensei was gone.
A soft chuckle echoed behind me. I spun to see yet another shinobi leaning against the wall with its arms crossed, its features hidden in shadow. Though a moment before the hallway had been empty, I had the sudden impression it had been there the whole time.
“He cares for him, you know.”
I pricked my ears, both at the statement, and that it had come from a female. The shinobi raised its head, revealing a slender form in black, long dark hair tied behind her. “Tatsumi-kun,” she explained. “Master Ichiro’s training has to be harsh, and he can’t show any emotion when it comes to the demonslayer, but he cares about what happens to him. More than he does any of us.” She shook her head. “Tatsumi has always been his favorite.”
“I’m…sorry?”
Her mouth twisted in a bitter smile. “I could have been the demonslayer,” she said, pushing herself off the wall. “I was faster, more skilled, than Tatsumi. But they chose him. And now he’s fallen to Hakaimono.” The smirk grew wider, as a black kunai throwing dagger appeared in her hand, balanced on two fingers. “They should have chosen me,” she said. “I could have told them he was too softhearted to wield Kamigoroshi. They thought they could train it out of him, but apparently not.”
“What do you mean?”
The shinobi gave me a brief look of pure loathing. “He let you live, didn’t he?”
She hurled the kunai at me. I flinched, throwing up my hands, but the black knife missed my head by inches, hitting the far wall with a thunk. Heart pounding, I looked up, fox magic surging to my fingertips. But the shinobi, whomever she was, had disappeared.
Harumi-san found me moments later and silently led me back through countless twisting halls until we had reached the guest quarters. I thanked the servant for bringing me to my room and slipped inside, wondering if I would be able to sleep in a castle full of shinobi. Especially after the unexpected meeting with Tatsumi’s sensei, and the female shinobi who seemed to hate me.
As I stepped through the frame, I realized I wasn’t alone.
Reika was waiting for me, Chu at her side, her expression dark. “Close the door,” she ordered in a low voice. “And come closer. I don’t want to be overheard.”
Puzzled, I shut the door and crossed the room to where the shrine maiden waited. “What’s wrong, Reika-san?” I whispered. She frowned at me, and I hurried on. “You don’t have to worry. It is safe. Lady Hanshou doesn’t know anything about it—”
“That’s a relief,” the shrine maiden interrupted, “but that’s not why I’m here.” She glanced in the corners and at the ceiling, as if there could be shinobi nearby, listening even now, and lowered her voice further. “We have a problem. The ronin and the noble have disappeared.”
9
THE FOREST OF A THOUSAND EYES
HAKAIMONO
“Finally here,” said the blue hag, gazing up at the trees. “We just have to make it through the forest to the castle in the center. It shouldn’t be long now.”
I crossed my arms, gazing at the forest in question. Four hundred years, and the Forest of a Thousand Eyes hadn’t changed, except to get bigger and even more sullen-looking. Tree trunks were bent and twisted, warped into unnatural shapes, like creatures writhing in agony. Branches boasted crooked talons clawing at the sky, or sometimes at living things. Vegetation was thick and tangled, despite the fact that every leaf, frond and blade of grass looked withered and sick. A pallid mist hung over everything, coiling from the trees and creeping along the ground, and the air had a sickly sweet stench that reminded me of rotting flowers.
“Ah, it is good to be home,” sighed the red hag. “I sent word ahead to the castle, so they should be expecting us. Lord Genno will be very interested in meeting you, Hakaimono-sama.”
“I’m sure he is,” I said. The question is, will he see me as an equal partner, or just another demon he can subjugate? That would be unfortunate. I’ve never been good at being subjugated.
“Well,” I told the hags, gesturing at the