Page 20 of Night of the Dragon

When it was about a dozen yards away, the Kirin stopped. Depthless black eyes, as ancient as the forest itself, regarded me over the heads of the kodama. I didn’t move, holding Yumeko close. If the Kirin was here to kill us, to purge the demon blood from its forest with one blast of sacred fire, so be it.

The Kirin slowly tilted its head, watching me. It didn’t speak; there were no words, in my head or otherwise, but I could suddenlyfeelits unspoken question, the inquiry as clear as if it had shouted the words out loud.

Why do you come to my forest?

I bowed my head, feeling a sensation of utter tranquility emanating from the sacred beast, snuffing any thoughts of violence or desire to harm. Even if I’d had ill intent, raising a weapon against this creature would be nearly impossible. “Great Kirin,” I replied, “forgive this intrusion into your domain. We are only passing through. My comrades and I came to these islands seeking a blood mage called Genno, who possesses the pieces of the Dragon’s Prayer.”

The night of the Wish approaches.The Kirin’s “voice” was impassive. Around us, a noise rose up, like the rustle of a thousand dry leaves, as all the kodama began shaking and waving in the wind. The Kirin didn’t seem to notice.The Dragon is almost risen, and all the world trembles with the end of another age. But whether the Wish brings ruin or fortune is yet to be decided.

The chatter from the kodama faded, and the Kirin’s ancient black eyes fixed on me again.Hakaimono, it said flatly, and my stomach dropped.And not Hakaimono. Your soul is fragmented, tangled with another’s. I cannot tell where the human and the demon intersect. It seemed to sigh, the ox tail swishing thoughtfully against its flanks.Normally I do not speak with your kind, but the kodama called on me for aid, and I have come. The kami always honor their debts.Though make no mistake, it was for the kitsune that they responded tonight, not the demon.Its elegant, deerlike ears swiveled forward, toward the girl in my arms.She is nearly gone, it said, making my heart clench.Her spirit is ready to depart its body. It has perhaps a few breaths, a few heartbeats more.

“Save her,” I rasped, and the Kirin blinked. “Please. She can’t...die now.”

The sacred beast regarded me without expression.Death is the natural order of things, it stated calmly.It comes for all mortals, human and yokai alike. To snatch a life from the jaws of death disrupts the balance of the world. Why should I change this fate?

“Because, I...” I closed my eyes, trying to grasp the thought that could save Yumeko’s life. A dozen responses sprang to mind: because she was the bearer of the Dragon scroll, because she could be important in stopping Genno and preventing the coming of the Harbinger. But those answers seemed trivial and inadequate, and I knew they would not satisfy the immortal creature before me.

“Because... I care for her,” I whispered at last. A selfish reason, I knew, but it was the most honest one I could think of. Even as it shocked me just as much. I had lived a long time. I had seen countless mortals come and go. Their lives were insignificant dust motes on the wind. And yet, somehow, this slip of a half-fox had unassumingly bypassed all my defenses and wriggled her way into my soul.

“I can’t lose her,” I finished. “She’s my light. If she disappears, the darkness will swallow me again.”

The Kirin’s expression didn’t change. It took a step back, still managing to avoid the dozens of kodama behind it.Come dawn, you will leave this place, it told me.The forest will not keep you here, and the spirits will not impede you any longer. When the night fades, a guide will appear to show you the way.

I slumped in defeat, anger and despair rising once more, drowning that brief moment of hope. The Kirin wasn’t going to help. It was a god, and the life of a single half human meant nothing to the fickle kami. A part of me considered leaping up, drawing Kamigoroshi and forcing the beast to help, but threatening the sacred Kirin would likely result in either a terrible curse or a swift death by holy fire. In either case, it wouldn’t save her.

The Kirin swished its tail.I will grant you this gift, human who is not, it said, and turned away, though I could still sense its voice, resonating through the forest.Sleep, and do not worry about enemies or creatures that mean you harm. Within this forest, nothing will touch you. Sleep now, and do not dream. Your burdens will be lighter with the dawn.

I didn’t want to sleep. I wanted to stay awake with Yumeko, to be there when her spirit left her body and she died in my arms. And when she was gone, I would depart this forest, find the Master of Demons and his army no matter where they were hiding, and tear every soul apart with my bare hands. The last thing I wanted to do now was fall unconscious.

Setting my jaw, I started to rise, intending to leave this clearing and the presence of a god who refused to help. But my body was suddenly sluggish, and my eyelids felt like they were made of stone. A feeling of deep peace swept through me, blissful and overwhelming, and then I knew nothing at all.

10

The City of Sacred Beasts

Yumeko

Master Isao was waiting for me on the steps outside the temple.

“Hello, Yumeko-chan,” he greeted, smiling. He held a piece of wood in one hand and a small knife in the other, whittling tiny flakes that drifted to the steps between his feet. The block in his hand had taken on the vague likeness of some four-legged beast, though it was still unrecognizable. He would spend months, sometimes years, on a particular piece, though I remembered he never kept the figurines that he finished, placing them in the woods outside the temple, returning them to nature.

“Hello, Master Isao,” I said. “It’s a nice morning.”

“It is. Very peaceful.” He nodded to the sun-warmed steps of the main hall. “Sit with me a moment, won’t you, Yumeko-chan?”

Uh-oh, what had I done this time? I picked my way up the steps and sat next to my mentor, trying to remember if I had gotten into any trouble with Denga or Nitoru. I didn’t think I had, though my memories of today seemed scattered and hazy. The sun was warm on my skin, and several birds sang in the branches of the nearby trees. It was quiet here, very peaceful, as Master Isao had said, but something nagged at me. A feeling I couldn’t quite place.

“Where is everyone, Master Isao?” I asked, glancing up at him. I couldn’t remember seeing Denga, Jin or Nitoru today.

“Around,” Master Isao replied, continuing to whittle chips from the wood block in his hand. “I see them occasionally. From time to time, our paths will cross. But they have their own paths to walk now. Their own terms and conclusions to reach. I cannot guide them down these roads—they must find their own way to the beginning.”

“I don’t understand, Master Isao.”

“Yumeko-chan.” Master Isao’s voice was firm. He lowered the items in his hands and stared at me, his dark eyes kind but intense. “You are not supposed to be here now,” he said, making me frown in confusion. “Your mission is not complete. You still have an important task to fulfill. Do you remember?”

A chill went through me. I gazed around the peaceful garden, trying to recall how I got here, and couldn’t. “I...don’t remember,” I stammered, feeling something hovering at the tip of my consciousness, just out of reach. “What do you mean, I’m not supposed to be here?”

Master Isao gave me another grave look, and pointed a long finger to something across the gardens.

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