Shadow of The Fox (Shadow of the Fox #1) - Julie Kagawa Page 0,111

in the least.

An arrow bounced off the shiny carapace, then another, and a third. “Dammit,” Okame growled, firing a fourth arrow at the monster’s head. It skidded off the top of its skull, and the centipede didn’t even look up. “Kuso,” the ronin spat, reaching back for another arrow. “Tough ugly bastard. Every spot is armored. At this rate, it’ll eat Kage-san and then come after us.”

Oni no Mikoto suddenly appeared, leaping over the centipede’s long, writhing body and raising his sword over his head. The omukade, still facing off with Tatsumi, didn’t notice the masked swordsman until the Demon Prince sliced down with his blade. Like Kamigoroshi, it screeched off the monster’s thick carapace, and the centipede whirled on him with a hiss.

Every spot is armored. “Okame,” I gasped, turning to the ronin, who was fitting another arrow to his bow. “The eyes! The eyes aren’t protected. Aim for the eyes.”

“What?” Okame lowered his bow and gaped at me, then the centipede. The huge yokai thrashed about in the center of the bridge, snapping at Tatsumi and Oni no Mikoto as they desperately tried to avoid getting caught between its huge pinchers. Tatsumi lashed out with Kamigoroshi as the centipede’s head snaked down, and the monster recoiled, furiously gnashing its jaws.

“Dammit, it’s moving around too much,” Okame growled, sighting down his bow at the huge yokai. “And its eyeball is the size of a persimmon, so it’s really hard to get a shot. If the bastard would stop moving around, I just need it to be still for a second...”

I swallowed hard. “Keep aiming,” I said, stepping forward. “I’ll get it to stop.”

Walking to the edge of the bridge, I watched the battle raging in the center: Tatsumi and Oni no Mikoto trying to put a dent in the centipede’s armor, to little effect. The centipede had lost several more legs, which lay scattered over the planks, twitching weakly, but it didn’t seem hampered by the loss of its limbs. Heart pounding, I put a thumb and forefinger into my mouth and did what always annoyed Denga-san.

A long, piercing whistle echoed over the bridge. The omukade froze at the sound and glanced up. For just a moment, its cold, beady gaze met mine, just before an arrow flew overhead and struck the very center of one bulbous black eye.

The yokai wailed. Its huge body thrashed wildly, smashing into posts and railings, snapping beams and splintering wood. Tatsumi and Oni no Mikoto quickly dove aside, but the Demon Prince was struck by a writhing coil that knocked him to the edge of the bridge and sent him over. I saw his lean form plummet toward the river, long pale hair streaming behind him, before he struck the water and vanished below the surface.

And then, I looked back at the bridge, and saw the omukade glaring at me with its one good eye, mandibles trembling with rage.

Well, that certainly got its attention.

I turned and ran as the monster charged with a shriek, multiple legs skittering over the bridge. I didn’t dare look back, but the furious chitter of snapping centipede jaws told me it was closing rapidly.

Tree, tree, I need a tree!

Spotting a twisted pine at the edge of the riverbank, I changed direction and darted toward it, snatching a leaf from the ground as I did. As I neared the tree, I whispered a few words of fox magic and released the leaf just before I ducked behind the trunk. And I hoped none of the others would see the second Yumeko appear, cringing at the base of the pine.

On the other side of the trunk, I held my breath, praying the omukade wouldn’t see through the illusion. I needn’t have worried, because with a screech that made my ears ring, the centipede crashed headfirst into the trunk. I felt the solid thunk of its mandibles slicing through the fake Yumeko, sinking deep into the wood and making the tree rattle.

As the centipede thrashed, trying to dislodge itself, I sprang to the first overhanging branch, pulled myself up and instantly reached for another. Years of climbing the old maple tree in the temple gardens made it easy to shimmy up the trunk, and fear of the monster below made me quick.

I was halfway up the tree when the omukade tore itself loose with a splintering of tree bark. Looking down, I met its flat, soulless gaze as it peered up the pine and gave a hiss of fury. Gnashing its