Page 37 of Night of the Dragon

Somewhere in the courtyard, there was a scream of fury and anguish from the second scorpion twin, and the Orochi howled in response. I flung my arm at the monster towering overhead, scoring it with flame, and the creature turned its heads away with a snarl. But its eight long tails whipped around, faster than thought, and something struck me in the side. I was lifted off my feet and smashed into the courtyard, the impact jolting the breath from my lungs as I rolled to a painful stop on the hard stones. The foxfire flared once and sputtered out.

Dazed, gasping through the searing pain down one side of my body, I raised my head. Demons and yokai surrounded me, and the monstrous Orochi was still attacking at the foot of the steps, only now there was no barrier and no foxfire to keep it back. For just a moment, I saw Chu on the top stair, snarling his defiance to the demons and towering Orochi, and Okame grimly raising his bow for a last stand. Then the enemies surrounding me rushed forward with shrieks and snarls, blocking my view, and I saw nothing but my own death closing in.

And then, the area around me exploded in brilliant golden light.

Warmth blazed down on me, like the eruption of the sun through the clouds. The demons and yokai that had been surging forward to kill me jerked back with shrieks of alarm, flinching in the intense light. Wincing, I pushed myself up a little farther, and something stepped in front of me, an elegant creature with shifting scales, cloven hooves and a single horn curling back on its brow. The Kirin, blazing with holy fire, raised its head, its dragon-like face terrifyingly blank as it gazed over the battlefield, and let out a cry that send chills racing up my back. The demons closest to us burst into golden flames and vanished, twisting away on the wind, leaving nothing behind but smoke. With a swish of its tail, the Kirin leaped skyward, soaring like a phoenix toward the huge monster near the front of the palace. Where it landed, there was another burst of light, and more demons howled as they erupted into flames and disappeared.

The Orochi turned, its six remaining heads whipping around to face the holy beast blazing like a sun as it strode forward across the stones. With a hiss, four of the heads reared up and spat fire, which engulfed the Kirin and caused it to disappear in the flames.

I gasped, but the inferno surrounding the Kirin flared, the tongues of fire turning a brilliant white gold and then exploding in a flash of heat and light. The Kirin continued to stride forward, the flames engulfing it almost too bright to look at. I could feel the intense heat from where I lay across the courtyard, though for me, it was akin to lying in a beam of very warm sunlight, pure and soothing. I was certain it didn’t feel like that to the demons.

With a snarl, the Orochi backpedaled, retreating from the Kirin and the dazzling radiance shining from its body. The army, too, was retreating, fleeing blindly, while the remaining samurai struck down the demons or yokai that were too slow. I saw the surviving scorpion twin on the Orochi’s back, her sister’s body cradled in her arms, one hand stroking her twin’s pale forehead. She shot a final, lethal glare at the palace, at the ronin who still guarded the top of the steps, before calling something up to the monster.

With a last, defiant hiss, the Orochi turned and fled, abandoning the demon army to its fate. With shocking speed given its bulk, the monster sprinted across the courtyard, slithered up the wall and vanished over the edge. Its eight tails whipped and thrashed behind it, and then it was gone.

It took me a few tries to get up. My body ached, my shoulder crushed from where I had landed when the Orochi hurled me aside. I felt empty and drained, the searing, white-hot ball of power within now a tiny flickering ember. Setting my jaw, I finally pushed myself to my feet, clutching my throbbing shoulder, and gazed around at the aftermath.

It was a scene of carnage. Bodies, both human and yokai, lay everywhere, bleeding, smoldering, some twitching weakly in their death throes or too hurt to move. The air was filled with the stench of blood and smoke, and the moans of the wounded and dying drifted over the wind. Swallowing the nausea in my stomach, I began walking toward the palace, trying to ignore the gaping wounds, the bodies that had been burned, cut open or torn apart.

In the center of it all, holy fires faded but still glowed with ethereal light, the Kirin stood motionless, its great noble head turned toward the palace. Toward the figure of the daimyo approaching it. Kiyomi-sama had come down the steps, moving slowly but steadily across the bloody courtyard, toward the Kirin waiting for her in the center. When she stood in front of the great beast, she lowered her head and bowed deeply at the waist, while the Kirin watched her with impassive dark eyes.

Lady of the moon islands.As before in the forest, there were no words, but I could feel the Kirin’s voice inside me.Ruler of the Tsuki. The kami have heard your request. You have called on me, and I have come.

“Thank you, lord of the forest,” Kiyomi-sama murmured, still bowing low. “I am in their debt, and in yours. What would the kami ask of me?”

The Kirin swished its tail, raising its magnificent head.Only that you keep these islands safe, as your line has promised since the day they made their pact with the kami. Let it be a haven for the spirit world. Let the shadow of man’s greed never touch this place, and may it be a place of peace for all living creatures.

Kiyomi-sama straightened slowly. “I swear it will be so.”

The Kirin tossed its head.You will not see me again in your lifetime, it said simply.Rule well, lady of the moon. For just a moment, its dark gaze flickered to me.And may those who follow rule as wisely as you.

The Moon Clan daimyo bowed again, and the Kirin turned away. There was a glimmer of light through the courtyard, like a ray of sun piercing the branches of the trees, making me wince. When I looked up, the Kirin was gone.

When she raised her head, Kiyomi-sama’s gaze found mine over the courtyard, and something in that grim, sorrowful expression made my stomach clench and everything inside turn to ice. Without speaking, I hurried across the yard and up the steps, searching frantically for a figure in white and red, unwilling to believe what I had seen.

You’re okay, Reika-san. You’re too strong to die. Any second now, you’re going to march up, swat my ears and scold me for being so reckless...

My thoughts trailed off, and the breath froze in my throat. Okame knelt beside the palace wall, Chu’s hulking, furry form across from him, both flanking a figure in red and white, leaning against a pillar. The shrine maiden’s face was pale, her hands fallen into her lap, her head resting back against the wood. The once spotless white of her haori was stained crimson.

“Reika-san?”

Numbly, I approached the miko, ignoring Okame and the grim, anguished look in his eyes. Chu’s soft, hopeless moans. As I knelt at her side, Reika’s eyes opened, dark and glazed over with pain, fixing on me. One hand, pale and stained with red, rose toward my face.

“Yumeko-chan.” Her voice was barely a murmur. I had to lean close to hear her, taking the offered hand. “You’re all right. Is...the daimyo safe?”

I nodded, unable to speak, and she smiled. “Good,” she breathed. “I was afraid you would do some...foolish kitsune thing, and then how would I explain to Master Jiro...that I let you die?”

I choked on a sob, and the flood of tears lurking behind my eyes finally burst forth, running down my cheeks in a hot stream. “You can’t go, Reika-san,” I whispered, barely able to get the words out. “We need you here. How...how will we defeat Genno without you?”

“Baka.” Reika’s fingers gently squeezed my hand. “You don’t need me,” she whispered. “You have...everyone else. Okame, Daisuke and Kage-san...they’ll fight for you. You’re not alone, Yumeko-chan. Besides...” She smiled, serene and completely at peace. “Death isn’t goodbye forever. I’ll be keeping an eye on all of you from the other side, don’t think I won’t. And if you ever visit the shrines and hear the kami whispering in the trees, know that I’ll be there, watching over you always.”

I could no longer speak. I bent over our clasped hands and sobbed, hearing Okame sniff loudly, wiping his eyes. Chu leaned forward, not whining or making any sound, and pressed his blocky muzzle gently into Reika’s side. She looked over at him with a sad smile, placing a hand on his forehead.

“You miss Ko, don’t you?” she whispered, stroking the guardian’s silky mane. “Don’t worry, we’ll see her soon. Master Jiro, too. Yumeko-chan,” she breathed, and I raised my eyes to hers, tears still pouring down my cheeks. “Thank you,” Reika murmured. “For letting me be a part of this. For all the adventure and frustration and nearly dying more times than I can count. I don’t regret any of it.” One last smile, as the light behind her eyes started to dim. “You...you did good, kitsune. I am proud...to call you a friend.”

Her eyes closed, and her chin dropped to her chest, her hand going limp in mine.

Wordlessly, I lowered her arm and lay it gently in her lap, folding her hands so it looked like she was just sleeping. “Goodbye, Reika-san,” I whispered, drawing back. “Thank you for everything. And don’t worry. We’ll beat Genno, and I’ll make sure the Dragon isn’t called into this world. I swear it.”

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