to balance on the rocking planks, as the bridge shuddered and bounced like a ship at sea.
The wind witch rose into the air, robes flapping wildly in the gale, and grinned down at us. “No, I would be a fool to pick a fight with the Kage demonslayer. I can’t stand the sight of blood. But I’m afraid I can’t let you go any farther.” Raising an arm, she snapped her fingers, and the wind around her surged even faster. “Kamaitachi, heed my words! Cut the ropes, and let us see if they can fly.”
“Yumeko,” I snapped, turning to the girl, “run! Get off the bridge.”
With a shriek of wind, the ropes holding up our side of the bridge snapped. The wooden planks bucked in the gale, making Yumeko scream, before we plummeted downward.
I had just enough time to spin around and lunge for the girl, grabbing her around the waist as the bridge started to fall. I snatched one of the ropes with the other hand and tightened my grip as we swung back toward the cliff with the rest of the bridge. Yumeko gasped, clinging to my jacket, as I looked up to see the gully wall coming right at us.
“Hang on,” I growled, and twisted my body around so the girl would be protected. We struck the ravine wall, thankfully in a patch of bushes instead of rocks, the bridge bouncing and clattering beside us. The jolt drove the air from my lungs and nearly ripped my arm from the socket, and I fought to keep my grip on both the girl and the rope.
Clenching my jaw, I looked up toward the edge of the ravine, about thirty feet overhead, and shifted my weight so I could plant a foot between the bridge planks. The tension on my arm eased, and I glanced down at the girl.
“Yumeko,” I gritted out, and she looked at me with huge black eyes. One hand clung to my haori, the other clutched the furoshiki across her chest. “We’re going to have to climb to the top. Can you grab the rope?”
She nodded, a determined look crossing her face. Reaching over my head, she grabbed the line, but before she could start pulling herself up, a high-pitched chuckle rang overhead and a gust of wind shook the planks.
The wind witch floated to the edge of the ravine, peering down at us. “Well, isn’t this a terrible predicament,” she mocked. “Kage-san, if you let go of the girl, you could probably get yourself out of this little dilemma. Of course, she’d fall straight to her death, but that wouldn’t bother you, would it? Not the infamous demonslayer.” She chuckled again, as a large brown weasel materialized on her shoulder, watching us with beady red eyes. “In fact, I’ll make you a deal, Kage-san. Give me the scroll, and I’ll take my kamaitachi and leave.”
Pressed against me, Yumeko went rigid, and my own heartbeat picked up, making me frown. The witch was after the scroll. Perhaps she was the one who had sent the demons to the temple. “I don’t have it,” I told her.
“Oh, well, you’re no fun at all, Kage-san,” the wind witch said, crossing her arms. “How disappointing. I suppose we’ll have to do this the hard way, then. Say hello to Kiba-sama for me.”
The last of the ropes parted. Yumeko gave a yelp and buried her face in my jacket as the bridge plummeted down the gully wall, taking us with it. I rolled, tucking my chin and hunching my shoulders, trying to absorb most of the impact with my body. For a few seconds, the world spun dizzyingly around me, then it finally stopped.
I pushed myself upright and looked around. We had come to a halt at the bottom of the ravine, the shattered remains of the bridge curled around us in the brush. I ached, both from slamming into the cliff and from the slide down the gully wall, but nothing was broken, and the bruises would heal. The girl, lying beside me with her eyes closed, was far more troubling. If she was dead, I would have to find the way to the Steel Feather temple on my own.
“Yumeko.” I pushed dark strands of hair from her face and saw a thin line of blood running down her temple. A cold knot twisted my stomach, and I shook her arm. “Hey. Get up.”
She groaned and cracked open an eye. “Are we dead?”
An odd sense of relief filled