Page 18 of Night of the Dragon

“Shut up,” I growled to both sides of myself. They relented, but the terrible knowledge still remained. Yumeko was dying. And I had seen enough injury and death, in both my lifetimes, to know the terrible moment where her heart stopped forever was not far away.

But I would not let her go without a fight.

Reluctantly tearing myself from the girl, I stood, trying to get my bearings as I gazed around. Before me, the ocean stretched on to the horizon. To either side, a jagged, rocky shoreline continued until it curved and was lost from view. Behind me, the forest loomed, thick and tangled. From the position of the sun, I estimated we were on the northern side of the island, and Heishi, the port town to which the ship was originally headed, was somewhere along the west coast. I didn’t know if there were any closer towns or villages, or how far away I really was, but Yumeko needed help, and that vague direction was all I had to go on.

Turning from the ocean, I bent and lifted the girl in my arms, feeling the lightness of her body, that ominous sensation ofwrongnessthat came when death was not far behind. Closing my eyes, I bent my head until our foreheads touched, willing my strength into the fading body, praying my thoughts would reach her.

Stay with me, Yumeko. Don’t die on me now. If you’re gone, how will I find a reason to fight for anything?

The waves hissed over the rocky shoreline, and overhead, the sun slipped a little farther from the sky. Setting my jaw, holding the girl close, I walked into the forest.

The trees closed around us, huge and dense, blocking the wind and the sounds of the ocean. The farther I walked, the thicker the forest became, until there was nothing but trees and tangled undergrowth in every direction. Overhead, the canopy shut out the sky, only a few spots of sunlight poking through the leaves to mottle the floor. Moss grew everywhere, a thick spongy carpet that covered rocks and trees alike, muffling my footsteps and casting a green tinge over everything. The forest felt ancient, alive.

And it was watching us.

I could sense eyes on me from every angle, curious and intense. More than once, there was a ripple in the corner of my vision, a shimmer of movement through the trees, though nothing was there when I turned my head. Sometimes I was almost certain I saw faces, dark eyes peering between the branches, watching me through the leaves. Always gone when I focused on them, like shadows vanishing in the sun. Spirits and forest kami, I guessed, judging from how ancient and wild these woods felt. Like they had not seen the tread of human feet for centuries. Briefly, I wondered what the kami that called this place home thought about a demon marching through their territory, if they would take offense and try to do something about it, or simply wait until I was gone. I hoped they would not interfere; I wasn’t afraid of what they would do to me, but if Yumeko was hurt or killed because of it, this forest would burn to ash before I was done.

Evening fell, and the forest continued, growing thicker and wilder the farther I walked. Ancient mossy trees towered over me, curtains of lichen trailing to the ground like silk streamers. Pale blue and white toadstools glowed with an eerie luminance on logs and fallen branches, brightening the forest floor as the daylight faded. Fireflies began drifting through the air, winking in and out of existence, and floating balls of ghostly fire—tsurubebi, onibi or other spirits—flew through the branches, trailing wisps of light behind them. The air was alive with kami and magic, and I continued to feel dozens of invisible eyes watching me as I walked through the undergrowth.

My legs shook, and I stumbled and fell to my knees with a soft curse. The fight with the umibozu, being half drowned, my own wounds and the long march through the forest with no water or food were taking their toll. As I knelt there, gathering my strength to press on, my instincts pricked a warning, and I raised my head.

A kodama, one of the tiny tree kami of the forests, stood on a moss-covered log a few feet away, watching me with pupilless black eyes. My heart jumped, but as soon as our gazes met, it vanished, winking from sight before I could say a word. I could suddenly see more of the tiny green spirits in the branches around me, peering from behind leaves, but they, too, disappeared as soon as they realized I’d spotted them. Perhaps they were keeping an eye on the demon strolling through the forest, or maybe they were curious as to what he was carrying.

I looked down at Yumeko. She lay cradled in my arms with her head against my chest, eyes closed and face slack. Alarmed, I felt for a pulse again and found it, faint and erratic, in her wrist. Still fighting. Not gone yet.

Setting my jaw, I pushed myself to my feet to continue on.

As I started forward, there was the faintest stirring from the body in my arms, the softest intake of breath, and my heart jumped. I didn’t stop, walking doggedly into the undergrowth, as Yumeko shifted against me and raised her head.

“Tatsumi?”

Her voice was weak, barely a whisper. It both caused my heart to leap and dread to blossom in my stomach at how faint it was. “I’m here,” I told her quietly.

“What...happened?” She turned her head a bit, trying to gaze around us. “Where are we?”

“The umibozu destroyed the ship,” I went on. “We’re on one of the Tsuki islands, hopefully Ushima.”

“The others?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I haven’t seen them. If they’re still alive, I can only assume they’ll meet us in Heishi.”

“I feel strange.”

“You...were badly hurt, Yumeko.” I swallowed the tightness in my throat. I had to keep her talking, keep her awake. If she fell asleep again, I knew for a certainty that she wasn’t waking up again. “We’re not far from Heishi,” I lied. “Just hold on a little longer. What do you know about the Tsuki family?”

“The...Moon Clan? Not a lot.”

“Tell me what you do know.”

She paused, as if gathering her thoughts. I continued through the forest, seeing flashes of movement through the trees and undergrowth, spirits or kami keeping just out of sight.

“The Tsuki are the most reclusive of the great families,” Yumeko went on, sounding like she was quoting something from a history class. Her voice slurred, as if she was battling exhaustion. “They used to live among the other clans, but two thousand years ago the entire Tsuki family moved to the islands off the western coast, and they’ve stayed there ever since. They don’t like visitors, and they rarely get involved in the other clans’ problems. No one knows much about them, but it’s said that they’re close to the kami. Although, the kami here...feel very sad.” Raising her head, she peered up at the branches. “This forest...feels sad,” she whispered. “Sad, but...but also angry. Like it’s lost something, but it can’t remember what it is.” She slumped against me again as her strength failed her. “Gomen, I don’t remember much else.”

I stopped short, as with a rustle of leaves, a large stag stepped from the undergrowth a few yards away. It snorted when it saw me, but didn’t seem overly troubled at the appearance of a half-demon, for it calmly turned and walked back into the forest, parting branches and undergrowth as it did. A few white moths, disturbed by the passing of the large creature, fluttered around us like bits of paper.

“I don’t know,” Yumeko whispered suddenly.

I glanced down at her. “What?”

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