Shadow of The Fox (Shadow of the Fox #1) - Julie Kagawa Page 0,106
searching for the scroll, armies of men, yokai and demons trying to find it. Ruthless mortals who would stop at nothing to acquire its power. And if that was the case, then...
“Whoever is using these dead crows to spy on us,” I continued, as the realization slowly unfurled like a roll of parchment, “could be behind the attack on the temple. The one who sent the demons to kill everyone and steal the scroll.”
I gazed at Tatsumi, who still hadn’t moved or changed expression. “It’s possible, isn’t it?” I asked. “Demons wouldn’t have any use for the scroll. Someone sent them. A blood mage.”
“Yes,” he admitted at last. “Demons...don’t just appear in the mortal realm for no reason,” he went on, looking reluctant to explain. “Either a mortal has been consumed by darkness and has turned into one, or they’re summoned from Jigoku using blood magic. Oni, especially, are extremely powerful and almost impossible to control for long. It would take a talented blood mage to summon and bind one to do its bidding, even for a short while.”
“And now we’re talking about oni,” said Okame. “Oni, blood mages and demons. Should I start screaming now, or should I wait till you get to the part with the eighty-foot skeleton?” Looking at me, he shook his head. “And here I thought you were a simple and innocent peasant girl, Yumeko-chan. How did you get involved with demons and blood magic?”
“Well...”
“Explain later,” Tatsumi said brusquely. “We should keep moving.” Scanning the road and the surrounding trees, his eyes narrowed. I followed his gaze and saw another crow perched in the branches of a tree, glaring at us. “The blood mage knows we’re onto him. It’s not safe to be out in the open. Hurry.”
We continued down the road with a bit more urgency. I thought back to the dead crow, to the mysterious blood mage who could be following our movements, and my stomach turned in both fear and anger. Whoever had sent the amanjaku and the terrible Yaburama knew I had the Dragon scroll. They were also responsible for the deaths of Master Isao and everyone in the Silent Winds temple. I was putting Okame and Tatsumi in danger; there was no doubt that the blood mage would try to take the scroll again. But with every attempt, I might learn a little more about this new enemy. Who he was, what he wanted, and most important, where he might be. Vengeance was something Master Isao had always cautioned against, especially since yokai could lose themselves to revenge, obsessing over a grudge until it consumed them. But if I ever came face-to-face with the one who had destroyed my temple, he would come to fear the vengeance of an angry kitsune.
“So, Yumeko-chan.” Okame’s voice jerked me out of my dark musings. The ronin had dropped alongside me, hands clasped behind his head as we walked together down the path. “Normally, I don’t like poking into matters that aren’t my business,” he began, “but I just heard the words demon, oni and blood mage in the same sentence, and any one of those is enough to keep me awake at night. Also—and stop me if I’ve missed anything—I just watched a bird disintegrate after I shot it, because someone who can raise dead crows has taken an interest in us, because of a scroll. Did I get all that right?”
“More or less.” I frowned a bit. “Although, I think he would do more than just bring crows back to life. That would be a very strange skill to have, unless he really loves crows.”
“Right. So, I think I deserve some sort of explanation, and I know better than to ask He of the Scary Glowing Sword.” He nodded at Tatsumi several paces ahead. “I’d probably get my head lopped off before I could open my mouth. So, I’d appreciate it if you could tell me what’s going on, Yumeko-chan. I’ve faced gaki, yurei and now undead crows. Am I going to have to fight demons anytime in the future?”
“It’s...possible,” I said, and briefly explained what had happened the night the demons had attacked the temple, using the same story I’d told Tatsumi. That Master Isao had sensed a great evil coming, and had sent the scroll away before the demons arrived. I told him about the oni, and the amanjaku, and my promise to Master Isao to warn the other temple of the demons. And that I had to find Master