Soul of the Sword (Shadow of the Fox #2) - Julie Kagawa Page 0,75

first rebellion, completely ruthless. If he had decided to summon the Harbinger, he would be searching for the missing pieces tirelessly. Honestly, I was a little surprised he had found only the one piece so far.

“Forgive me, Hakaimono,” Genno said slowly. “But I have been attempting to gather the fragments of the Dragon scroll ever since I knew of the Harbinger’s coming. I have minions across Iwagoto searching for the missing pieces, for any hint of where they might be. We have scoured the empire from corner to corner and have yet to turn up more than one. I had a servant in the capital, who swore she could get another of the pieces, but she failed. And the night of the Wish is rapidly approaching.” Genno turned and gazed at the sickly moon visible outside the balcony, his voice turning grim. “Time is running short,” he mused darkly. “If the pieces are not brought together by the time the Dragon stars fade over the empire, the Wish will be lost, and the Harbinger will not reappear for another millennium. I cannot allow that to happen. If I have to sacrifice the whole of the empire to Jigoku, I will be the one to summon the Dragon.”

Genno turned back, raising his sleeves so that they fluttered in an imaginary wind. “So imagine my surprise,” he said, “when the demon Hakaimono strolls into my castle, after centuries of being trapped within Kamigoroshi, and casually announces that he can bring me the very thing the entire empire is seeking. You’ll have to excuse me if I find that rather difficult to believe.”

“Believe what you want,” I replied, knowing he was hanging on my every word now. “But I know where the scroll is. Both pieces, actually. And if you agree to play nice, I’ll even go get them for you.”

The human’s eyes glittered. He wanted the scroll, was desperate to have it. It was, as I had always known, the one thing he couldn’t pass up. But Genno wasn’t stupid; the Master of Demons knew the dangers of bargaining with Jigoku and was understandably skeptical. “Would you?” he asked, narrowing his gaze. “And the thought of summoning the Dragon yourself doesn’t interest you? The final pieces of the prayer to summon the Harbinger are in your grasp, and you would simply turn them over?”

I snorted. “The Harbinger doesn’t respond to demons or yokai—his bargain was with the humans. Only a mortal soul can call the Kami from the sea.”

“True, but you could always force someone to make the Wish for you,” Genno reasoned. “Use it to free yourself from Kamigoroshi. Isn’t that your greatest desire, Hakaimono? Would you not seek out the scroll for that alone?”

“No,” I said firmly. “I have no interest in the Dragon’s Wish, no desire to call upon the Harbinger of Change.” Curling a lip, I shook my head. “You humans and your constant quest for power…There is no mortal I would trust who, at the penultimate moment, would not use the Wish for himself. Besides…” I sneered and glanced at Kamigoroshi, still lying on the pedestal. “Demons and Kami don’t exactly get along. I wouldn’t trust the Harbinger to undo what he brought about a millennium ago. In fact, if the scaly, wish-granting bastard appeared before me, right now, I’m fairly certain I would take Kamigoroshi and shove it up his dragon hole.”

No change in expression from the Master of Demons. “You would bring me the scroll pieces,” he repeated, “in exchange for breaking the curse on Kamigoroshi and allowing your spirit to return to Jigoku. That is your bargain?”

I nodded. “Couldn’t have said it better myself.”

Genno’s pale lips thinned. “Very well,” he murmured. “If that is what it takes, then you have a deal, Hakaimono. But I’m afraid I will need you to bring me the scroll before I can attempt to break the curse.” He raised transparent arms so that the moonlight filtered through his sleeves. “As you can see, I am not at my full power. After the Dragon is summoned and I have my new body, I will gladly honor your request.”

“I figured as much.” Picking up Kamigoroshi, I tucked it through my obi again. “Don’t worry, I’m not some conniving blood witch who has to send minions to do her dirty work for her. You’ll have the complete scroll before the night of the Wish, I assure you.”

“Out of curiosity,” Genno mused as I took a step back. “How do you know