Shadow of The Fox (Shadow of the Fox #1) - Julie Kagawa Page 0,53

three fingers held up, long and elegant. “Kamaitachi always come in threes. Their loyalty to each other is unbreakable, and if one is threatened, the others will do whatever it takes to save their brother or sister. Remember that, and ask yourself why Kazekira has only two familiars. Sayonara.”

Before I could reply, he strode down the alleyway and vanished into the darkness.

* * *

Walking was painful. Gritting my teeth, I pushed myself along the wall of the alley, feeling the wound throb and pulse with every motion. Gingerly, I pulled up the hem of my robe, expecting to see a mess of blood smeared across my skin and dripping to the ground. I found the gash easily enough, a thin straight cut right above my knee. But, though it looked fairly deep, it wasn’t bleeding.

As I limped toward the main street, there was a blur of shadow, and the bright edge of a sword suddenly blocked my path. Freezing, I looked up into Tatsumi’s cold, unamused face.

I shrank from him as he pressed forward, his terrible blade casting his face in a faint glow as it hovered between us. Hitting the wall, I winced as the movement sent a flare of pain through my leg, making me gasp. “Ite,” I whimpered. Ouch.

Instantly, the blade at my throat lowered a few inches, and Tatsumi frowned at me. “You’re injured,” he stated, his cold fury thawing a bit. “What happened?”

“I...um... I was attacked,” I stammered. Remembering what Seigetsu had said, I thought quickly. “I was going to get us a room at the inn, but then there was this strange wind and...something hit me. I ran, and it chased me here.”

“Where is it now?”

“It was invisible,” I went on, making his eyes narrow. “Or it was too fast. I didn’t see anything when I was cut. But I did look up once and there was this...this weasel thing with knives growing from its legs, perched on the corner of a roof.”

“Kamaitachi? Here?” Tatsumi took a step back and scanned the alley, his gaze sweeping the rooftops. His sword flared, almost in excitement, but the shadows surrounding us were empty.

“Kama...itachi?” I repeated, as if this was the first time I’d heard it. “What are they?”

“Sickle weasels,” Tatsumi answered, not taking his eyes from our surroundings. “A type of yokai that travel on the wind. The stories say that there are always three of them, and that they have a particular way of defending their territory—one knocks you down, the second cuts you, and the third applies medicine to the wound so you don’t bleed to death. This all happens near-simultaneously, so the intruder doesn’t know he’s been injured until later when the wound starts to bleed.” He tore his gaze from the rooftops and glanced at me, appraising. “In reality, kamaitachi produce a type of secretion and coat their claws with it, so when they strike you, the gash doesn’t bleed right away. But they’re usually found farther north—I’ve never heard of one attacking someone in a city. Are you sure that’s what you saw?”

“A weasel with giant knives growing out of its legs? I am very certain.” I was glad that he seemed to believe me. I didn’t dare tell him about Kazekira. Better that this was a strange yet random yokai attack, and I the clueless, hapless visitor who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. “They weren’t very nice weasels,” I grumbled, wincing as my leg throbbed again. “Are kamaitachi always this cranky, or was I just unlucky tonight?”

Tatsumi sighed, sheathing his sword. “Can you walk?” he inquired, not looking at the leg where the kamaitachi had slashed me. I nodded and pushed myself off the wall again. Pain flared, and my leg nearly buckled, but I clenched my jaw and limped after Tatsumi.

On alert for yokai and sudden winds, I followed him back to the ryokan. Tatsumi walked slowly, setting a pace that I could easily keep up with, though his hand did not stray far from his weapon. I scanned the rooftops, shadows and crowds of Chochin Machi for a figure with long hair floating on the wind, but if Kazekira and her sickle weasels were close, they were staying out of sight.

Back at the ryokan, we left our regular shoes at the entrance as was custom and found our room. Curious to see what the inside of a ryokan looked like, I stepped eagerly through the frame, but found a normal room on the other