Soul of the Sword (Shadow of the Fox #2) - Julie Kagawa Page 0,73
and a great deal of your armies’ heads, before I go.”
In the corner, Aka the half-demon didn’t move, but I could sense his muscles tightening, responding to the blatant threat. I refused to look at him, though a part of me was almost hoping he would try something, give me an excuse to paint the walls in blood. I could sense that the half-demon wouldn’t go down easily, that a battle with him would be extremely nasty, which just incited me further.
“There is no need for unpleasantness, Hakaimono.” Genno drifted lower, hovering only a few inches from the ground. “Certainly, a mutual partnership would benefit us greatly. Though I am not a fool. You did not come here simply to join my cause. The Hakaimono I remember cared nothing for our vision of the empire. He simply reveled in the slaughter of the Shadow Clan. Taking vengeance upon the Kage has always been your desire, so why are you here now? Ah…” The ghost of the Master of Demons nodded slowly, a smile curling his transparent lips. “You want something from me. Something only the greatest blood mage in the empire could grant. You wish to make a deal.”
“I want something,” I admitted. “I won’t deny that. But in return, I’m offering something just as valuable.”
“Intriguing.” The specter floated back a few steps, giving me an appraising look. His long, spidery fingers folded beneath his pointed chin. “And what makes you think I would agree to this? You know what they say about making bargains with demons.”
“About the same as making deals with blood mages.” I shrugged. “In both cases, you stand to lose your soul, but that isn’t much of a problem for you, is it?”
“Well put.” Genno waved a billowy sleeve. “Very well, then. I am curious. Let us say that I will consider your offer. What would the great Hakaimono the Destroyer, the First Oni of Jigoku, want from me?” He raised his hand. “Bearing in mind that I am not quite the mage I once was. Without a body, my powers are…somewhat limited.”
“Yes,” I said. “I am well aware. Which is why I think you’re going to like what you’re about to hear.” Grabbing Kamigoroshi by the sheath, I pulled it from my obi and held it up to the ghost. “Do you know what this is?”
“Of course I do,” Genno replied. “We have all heard of the Cursed Blade, the Godslayer, the blade that trapped the spirit of an oni lord. The name Kamigoroshi is a curse among gods and yokai alike. That an oni wields it now is likely of much concern to the Shadow Clan.” His pale gaze flicked to the blade in my hand, and I bit down a smile. Even Genno, the Master of Demons, feared the sword that could slay ghosts and spirits. What became of the few yurei Kamigoroshi had destroyed in the past no one, not even the Shadow Clan, could say for certain. The notion that a soul could die, that it could cease to exist without any hope of passing on or being reborn, was so horrifying to the mortals that the Kage demonslayers were forbidden from cutting down a ghost unless their own lives were in danger.
I, of course, had no such concern.
“So, yes,” Genno finished, his hair rippling behind him as he stared at me. I sensed he was deliberately staying in one place, instead of easing back to put distance between us. Wouldn’t want to give me the idea that he was afraid. “I am aware of Kamigoroshi, and what it is capable of. I do hope that was not a subtle threat, Hakaimono. Why bring up the Godslayer if you are not planning to use it?”
“Because,” I replied, and slammed the sheath on the pedestal with a crack that echoed off the walls. “I want it destroyed,” I growled. “I want the curse removed, so that the next time a stray arrow hits this pathetically weak body in the heart, I won’t be sucked back into Kamigoroshi for another four centuries. I don’t want to lose my mind again while being stuck in that wretched blade, doing nothing, only watching as some insignificant mortal uses my power to kill yokai. I want to be free of it, so that when I die, I can finally return to Jigoku and be reborn from the pit like the rest of my kin.”
Deep inside me, there was a flicker of anger and horror; Tatsumi, reacting