Page 17 of Night of the Dragon

“No, Suki-chan,” Seigetsu said gently. “You needn’t do anything. Only accept the fact that I will be with you, seeing through your eyes. When I meditate, the two of us will be connected, and I will be able to use you as a vessel for my consciousness. But only if you are willing. Are you?”

Suki was vaguely aware that Taka was standing beside them, gazing up at her with hooded eyes and a slight pout on his face. She didn’t know why he was unhappy; perhaps he was upset that Seigetsu-sama had spoken to him coldly. If Suki was being honest, she wasn’t certain she liked this idea, but Lord Seigetsu had always been truthful with her, even if he never told her everything. And if she was determined to save Daisuke-sama and see this game through to the end, there was only one answer she could give.

“Yes, Seigetsu-sama. I... I am willing.”

He gave her that comforting smile. “Good,” he whispered. “Time is short, Suki-chan. And the game marches on. Come.” He held out an elegant hand to her. “Once we establish a connection, I will be able to go where you go, and see what you see.”

“Will...it hurt?” Suki wanted to know as she drifted close. Lord Seigetsu shook his head.

“It will not,” he assured her. “You won’t even know I am there. Just close your eyes, Suki-chan, and empty your mind. This will not take long.”

Suki did as he asked, and felt the lightest brush against her forehead, which shocked her for a moment and nearly caused her to open her eyes. She had long been unable to feel anything physical, her insubstantial form moving through everything she touched. She had almost forgotten what it felt like to interact with the world, and only her awe and trust in Seigetsu-sama kept her from flinching back.

“There,” Lord Seigetsu murmured, and the sensation faded as quickly as it had come. “Now when I meditate, I will be able to find you, even if you are a great distance away. Thank you for this, Suki-chan. I am in your debt.”

“It is nothing, Seigetsu-sama,” Suki whispered. “I... I want to help. I don’t know exactly what is going on, but I know that the fox girl is important. If I can aid them, I want to try. And I... I want Daisuke-sama to be happy.” Maybe then she could finally move on.

Seigetsu nodded. “We will change the course of destiny together, Suki-chan,” he said quietly, and motioned out the door with a billowy sleeve. To the great island floating beneath them in the sea. “These are the lands of the Moon Clan, the most spiritual of the great families. Long ago, they made a vow to the kami that they would remain distant from the politics of the empire and live in peace with the spirits of the island. That is their capital, Shinsei Yaju, the City of Sacred Beasts.” He gestured, and Suki looked down to see a sprawling collection of buildings and roads surrounded by a massive forest. She had never seen a city from the air before, and marveled that something so huge could seem so tiny when viewed from the clouds.

“The daimyo of the Moon Clan resides there,” Seigetsu went on, and for just a moment, Suki thought he sounded...wistful. “All decisions regarding the islands come from the Moon Clan Palace. That is where the seat of power dwells, and that is where our players will be heading. If they survived the last challenge.

“Suki-chan...” Seigetsu turned to her again. “You must be my eyes. I need you to go to the Moon Clan Palace and look for the fox girl and the others. Let no one in the palace see you, but return to me at once if you find them. Can you do this?”

“Yes, Seigetsu-sama,” Suki whispered.

“Then, go,” Seigetsu said. “And don’t be afraid. I will be with you until you return.”

A tiny thrill of fear went through her, but she pushed it aside. Ignoring Taka’s dour glare, she shimmered into a ball of light, flew out of the carriage into open sky and soared in the direction of the island.

9

The Kodama’s Favor

TATSUMI

Something cold and wet slapped my face, dragging me out of oblivion, and I opened my eyes.

Brilliant, searing light made me grimace. I lay on my stomach, my cheek pressed into cold pebbles, something sharp jutting uncomfortably into my ribs. Wincing, I raised my head and found myself on a stretch of rocky beach, black outcroppings jutting up between sand and pebbles. I lay half in, half out of the water, and though my clothes were drenched, I could feel the sun beating down on my back and shoulders.

A wave crawled over my body, hissing and smelling of brine, and my stomach roiled. I hunched my shoulders and retched up seawater, coughing and heaving until my stomach was empty. Panting, I pushed up, then sat back on my heels and gazed around, trying to get my bearings.

A rocky shoreline stretched away to either side of me, vanishing into a dense forest of pine and cedar. There were no docks, ships, buildings or any hint of civilization. I had no idea which island I was on, though I suspected this was Ushima, as we’d been closest to the Tsuki capital when we were attacked. The beach itself was scattered with broken boards, crates, barrels and other debris. Clearly the ship had not survived the encounter with the umibozu.

A flutter of white and red caught my eye, making my stomach turn over. Yumeko lay in a nearby tide pool, draped across a splintered plank that kept her face out of the water. Her body bobbed limply with the waves, her eyes were shut, and her skin was nearly as white as her robes. I remembered the terror I’d felt when the kitsune had gone overboard, thrown from the ship by the power of the umibozu’s attacks. I remembered diving into the cold, inky waters without hesitation, reaching the girl, dragging her back to the surface. The umibozu had still been raging about, smashing what remained of theSeadragon’s Fortuneto splinters, and the water was filled with debris and bodies. Yumeko had slumped against me, her skin cold and her body limp in my arms. Gazing around, I’d spotted a blot against the horizon, a silhouette darker than the sky it was cast against. Ushima Island, or at least one of the Moon Clan islands; I wasn’t going to be picky. Trying my best to keep the girl’s head out of the water, I’d struck out for that tantalizing glimpse of land. That was the last thing I remembered.

I staggered to my feet and splashed through the pools to carefully gather Yumeko in my arms. She was alarmingly light, her small frame like a collection of twigs wrapped in silk, and my stomach twisted. Holding the girl close, I turned and carried her up the beach, my chest tightening with every step, my breath becoming ragged as I stumbled toward dry land.

Not dead, I told myself.She’s not dead. Not now.I stared at her pale face, uncertain if I was trying to convince myself or screaming a challenge to the fortunes who dictated fate.We’ve come this far, Yumeko; you can’t leave us yet.

Near the edge of the forest, I knelt and gently laid the girl on a patch of grass in the sun. With shaking fingers, I checked the pulse in her neck, bracing myself to find nothing, to accept that her spirit had fled, and that the cheerful, optimistic fox girl was gone. For a heartbeat, she lay still as death, her skin pallid and her body limp, and for one sickening moment, nothing in the world mattered at all.

Then there was a flutter beneath my fingers, and I could breathe again. Though the burst of relief was short-lived. Yumeko’s heart still beat, but it was faint, frighteningly erratic, and a cold certainty crept over my thoughts. Yumeko was alive, but she was fading. Unless I could stop it, the fox girl wouldn’t last the night.

Carefully, I eased aside the fabric of her robe to fully reveal what I was dealing with, and my blood chilled. A shard of wood jutted from her skin just below her ribs, the flesh around it oozing and swollen. Grimly, I checked my travel pouch, discovering what I had feared: I still had a roll of soggy bandages, but the powder to make medicine and numbing healing salves was gone, washed away in the sea. I would have to make do with what was left.

Yumeko remained unresponsive as I drew the piece of wood from her flesh, gritting my teeth as it came free, the jagged end soaked with blood. I cleaned and dressed the wound as best I could, the girl lying so still that twice I checked her pulse to make sure she was still alive. The silence throbbed in my ears, mocking me with its emptiness. Though it was probably best that she was unconscious for this, I wanted her to open her eyes, to yelp and jerk back, to tell me to be gentle. Yumeko was light and noise and cheerful, guileless wonder. Seeing her like this, pale and limp, knowing that she might never wake up again, made my stomach tighten and a knot form in my chest.

She’s going to die, Tatsumi. You know that.The thought was both mine, the logical part of me that was used to blood and death, and also Hakaimono’s.She’s lost too much blood, and you might be days away from any help. You won’t be able to save her, and time is running out to stop Genno. Let her go.

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