Shadow of The Fox (Shadow of the Fox #1) - Julie Kagawa Page 0,60

again. “Ignore my kamaitachi, and they’ll slice you to pieces. Ignore Kiba-sama, and he’ll devour you in a heartbeat. I wonder how you’re going to—ite!”

A fist-sized rock flew through the air and struck the side of her head. Clapping a hand to her temple, the wind witch glared at the other side of the ravine, where Yumeko stood with a stone in one slender hand.

“You talk too much,” the girl said angrily as the witch spun toward her. “And your voice is very shrill. Kamaitachi!” she cried as the woman stiffened in outrage. “Listen to me! I know this isn’t what you want. I know you’ve been manipulated, that she’s made you her familiars against your will. Help us, and I’ll do my best to set you free.”

“Silence, vermin.” The witch gestured sharply, and a whirlwind shrieked through the gully, lifting Yumeko up and slamming her into the wall. The girl cried out as she collided with the ravine, tumbled to the ground and collapsed limply against the stones.

Yumeko. I clenched a fist, knowing I couldn’t go to her now, as the monstrous bear stood between us. The wind witch sniffed in disdain, turning away from the girl’s limp body. “Do not presume you understand our situation,” she said. “The kamaitachi are mine, and will remain so, regardless of what you think.”

Kiba-sama charged again, swiping a huge claw at my head as it tried cornering me against the ravine. I leaped aside and ran along the gully wall to escape the demon bear. But my legs were moving strangely now, an odd weakness spreading through them, and a tremor went through my body as I landed. Jaws gaping, Kiba-sama whirled and lunged. I slashed at the blocky muzzle, making it recoil with a howl, blood streaming from its nose.

“Oh-hohoho, you are certainly putting up a fight, Kage-san.” The wind witch laughed. “By the way, if you’re feeling a bit strange, don’t worry. That’s just the poison on the kamaitachis’ claws, starting to paralyze you. You should be completely incapacitated in a few minutes. Tell Kiba-sama thank you for being such a lovely distraction for my kamaitachi. They never would have gotten close otherwise.”

Poison. Dammit. I could feel the numbness in my legs, making it hard to move, and my fingers were starting to tingle. Kiba-sama stalked toward me, blood and ribbons of drool dripping from its muzzle, eyes burning with madness. Hakaimono raged at me, fighting the barriers of my consciousness, demanding entry.

Let me in, a furious howl echoed at the back of my mind. You’re going to die otherwise. Open your mind now!

“No,” I muttered through clenched teeth, and raised my sword. “Not yet.”

With another earsplitting roar, Kiba-sama bore down on me once more. This time, I didn’t leap away, but scrambled backward, dodging claws and the snapping teeth, lashing back when I could. The wind witch’s laughter echoed, and a gust of wind sliced across my leg, making me stagger. I fell backward, and Kiba-sama immediately lunged, huge jaws gaping, to bite me in half.

Now, Hakaimono!

Purple fire erupted along the edge of the blade, illuminating the symbols carved into the steel. They flared a brilliant white in the eyes of the bear, who flinched back with a snort of alarm. Power filled me, burning away the weakness of my frail human body; with a snarl, I leaped at Kiba-sama, vaulting off a thick foreleg to land between his shoulders. Spears and arrow shafts jutted out of his fur as I raised the sword high, then plunged it through the back of his neck.

Kiba-sama bellowed and reared onto his hind legs, thrashing and shaking his head in an effort to throw me off. I grabbed the end of a spear jutting from his hide and sank the sword in deeper, as the demon bear roared and bucked. I caught a split-second sight of the girl, still crumpled on the ground, just before Kiba-sama spun and lurched blindly in her direction.

You will not touch her! With a final shove, the point of Kamigoroshi exploded out the front of the bear’s throat. Kiba-sama gave a strangled bellow and toppled forward, hitting the ground with a crash that echoed through the ravine. His huge body twitched several times, claws raking deep gouges in the earth, before the great demon bear of Suimin Mori gave a final shudder and was still.

I yanked Kamigoroshi free and rose, feeling the sword’s savage glee as it reveled in the fight, the violence and the spilled blood.