Shadow of The Fox (Shadow of the Fox #1) - Julie Kagawa Page 0,119

down. Once we figure out where the temple is, we should leave them behind.”

“He’s helping us, Tatsumi. Okame helped us, too, in the gaki village. We can’t just leave them. Besides, what about your duel with Daisuke-san?”

He eyed me. “Are you saying you want to see one of us die?” he asked in a strangely brittle voice. “Or do you not want me around at all? Perhaps you would prefer the ronin and noble to escort you to the temple.”

“Of course not.” I frowned at his strange, sudden hostility. “That’s not what I’m saying, Tatsumi-san.”

“No?” His voice dropped, becoming nearly inaudible. “Maybe it should be.”

“Oi, you two,” Okame called from up ahead. “Whatever you’re whispering about back there, can it wait? Our guide says the shrine is across the road.”

I hurried past a pair of boys with fishing rods to join Daisuke and the ronin at the edge of the street. Directly across the road, a red torii gate stood before a stone staircase that went straight up the forested hill.

“This is the entrance to the Hayate shrine,” Daisuke said, gazing up the steep staircase, looking undaunted by the thought of climbing it. “Though it is rather late to be calling on the priest,” he added, glancing at the sky through the branches. The sun had set a few minutes ago, and the first of the stars were coming out. “Is he expecting you, Yumeko-san?”

“Not that I know of,” I replied, feeling Tatsumi stop beside me. “But I need to talk to him soon. Tonight, if I can.”

“All right.” Okame sighed, giving the staircase a resigned look. “Priest first then, gambling hall later. And maybe some red light district fun afterward. It’s going to be a busy night, I hope you two can keep up.” He specifically looked at Daisuke as he said this, as if gauging the other’s response. The noble, for his part, ignored him and raised a hand toward the steps.

“This is your mission, Yumeko-san. We follow you.”

I took a deep breath, relieved and nervous all at once. I was almost there. Just a few more steps until I completed the first part of my mission. Finding Master Jiro, who could tell me where to find the Steel Feather temple. My journey wasn’t over; we still had to get to the temple and I had no idea where it was, but I imagined we would have to cross several unfamiliar territories and search the harshest, most unforgiving terrain, all the while being pursued by blood mages and demons. I would still have to keep the scroll safe, from demons and my own companions. From a dangerous, single-minded demonslayer who might kill me if he realized I had tricked him, that I’d possessed the scroll all along. This wasn’t the end, far from it. This was another beginning, and for a moment, my head spun at what I still had to do.

One step at a time, little fox. I remembered Master Isao’s voice, his words whenever I faced a mountain of chores or an especially daunting task. The spider does not spin its web in a heartbeat, nor does the albatross fly across oceans with a few flaps of its wings. Many would consider what they do impossible, and yet, they still complete their tasks without fail, because they simply...start.

One step at a time. I took one step, then another, until I had crossed the road and stood before the torii gate. Beyond the arch was sacred ground, the realm of the kami. I offered a respectful bow to the spirits whose territory I was entering, and started up the steps.

It was a fairly steep, long stairway, and I was careful to keep to one side of the steps, as the center of the path was reserved for the kami. The edge of the staircase was quite worn, rough with age and time, making it important to watch where you put your feet. As I climbed the last step, I spotted a komainu statue, the maned lion-dogs that protected the shrine from evil spirits, atop its plinth flanking the staircase, mouth open in a fearsome snarl. Another stone pedestal sat on the other side of the steps, but this one was empty, as if the second guardian had decided to abandon its post.

Briefly, I wondered what had happened to it; komainu guardians always came in pairs. But the thought was quickly forgotten as I passed beneath a second torii and saw the small but elegant shrine across the