Soul of the Sword (Shadow of the Fox #2) - Julie Kagawa Page 0,80

a good light, and in fact seemed a cautionary tale about the dangers of strong emotions, that duty to one’s clan, family and daimyo should always come first. I’d found it rather depressing, and had felt sorry for the poor girl who drowned herself, but I didn’t understand how she could become so attached to a man that she would rather die than live without him.

That certainly wasn’t what I felt toward Tatsumi. I worried for the demonslayer, of course. When I imagined what Hakaimono might be doing to him, I felt physically ill. When we’d first met, Tatsumi had been cold and frightening; a weapon that killed without hesitation or regret. But on our journey, I had come to know Kage Tatsumi, and I had seen glimmers of the soul he kept locked away, small flashes of humor and even kindness. When danger threatened, I’d seen him fight to protect others even though he didn’t have to. And I had realized, too late, why he never let down his guard.

You distract him, Hakaimono had whispered to me that night. Make him feel things. Make him question who he is and what he wants. And that’s all the invitation I needed. His last thought tonight, before finally losing himself, was of you.

So, it was my fault that Hakaimono had been released. My fault that Tatsumi had lost himself to the oni, that he was suffering. That he thought I had betrayed him. I would free Kage Tatsumi from Hakaimono and drive the demon back into Kamigoroshi. I would save the demonslayer, even if it cost me my life. But that wasn’t love.

At least, I didn’t think it was.

Reika shook her head. “Well, it doesn’t matter,” she sighed. “Tomorrow we start the hunt for the First Oni, as crazy and suicidal as that sounds.” She gestured at the futon. “Get some rest while you can. I don’t think I’ll be doing much sleeping tonight.”

I didn’t think I would sleep, either. My mind was filled with swirling thoughts, about Tatsumi, Hakaimono and the Dragon scroll. About Lady Hanshou, Lord Iesada and the attack we’d just survived. I lay there in the darkness, wondering where Hakaimono was now, how we were going to defeat him and how I was going to possess the demonslayer when we did. And I wondered if Tatsumi was thinking of me the way I was thinking of him.

The next thing I knew, I was dreaming.

The white fox was waiting for me, sitting on a log beneath the shade of a pine, his magnificent tail curled around his feet. Fireflies drifted around him, blips of green light winking in and out of the darkness. Lazy golden eyes watched me as I padded up, my paws sinking into moss and dirt, making no noise on the forest floor.

“Hello, little dreamer.”

“Hello again.”

“Have you given any thought to my proposal?”

I nodded. “Yes. I need to know how to drive out Hakaimono. Please…” I hesitated a moment more, then blurted, “Show me how to save Tatsumi-san.”

The white fox smiled.

His bushy tail uncurled, rising into the air behind him, swaying to and fro as if it had a mind of its own. “You are no match for Hakaimono in the physical world,” he crooned. “Your priest and your shrine maiden will not be strong enough to force him out. If they try, you will all die. The answer lies with you.”

His tail, swaying like a serpent behind him, abruptly burst into blue flames at the tip. They flickered and danced over his head, casting him in a ghostly light. “A warning, little dreamer,” he went on, as I stared at the kitsune-bi on the end of his tail. “Simply possessing the demonslayer will not be enough. If you want to free your human, you must be prepared to fight Hakaimono inside Kage Tatsumi.”

I trembled, tearing my gaze from the mesmerizing sway of his tail. “Yes, but how will I do that?” I asked desperately. “I don’t have a sword. I’m not a warrior like Tatsumi-san. I don’t have anything that can stand up to a demon.”

“On the mortal plane, no.” The white fox twitched his long ears. “The physical world has rules that must be followed. On the plane of the soul, however, it is a different story. Much like in Yume-no-Sekai, reality can be shaped, twisted into something that suits your needs, if you know how. For example, in the mortal realm, your foxfire is a distraction at best, a vague annoyance at