Page 61 of Night of the Dragon

I paused a heartbeat, then did the same, seeing the illusion disappear in a blast of foxfire. In that split second of distraction, I leaped at the monstrous Ninetail with a snarl, blade sweeping toward its neck, figuring even a god would die if Kamigoroshi severed its head from its body.

One of the kitsune’s tails lashed out, slamming me from the air. Pain seared half my body as white-hot foxfire scorched my skin. My demon half was used to the fires of Jigoku, and even in human form I tolerated heat better than most mortals, but the flames of the Ninetail defied belief. I struck the ground, and as I did, my body seemed to fracture into dozens of Tatsumis, tumbling through the dirt to either side.

Yumeko.Though there was no time to marvel at the kitsune’s distractions, or what her ultimate plan was. If she even had one. I pushed myself to my feet, gripping my sword and seeing the small army of myself do the same. I didn’t know where Yumeko was or how she was doing this, but there had to be at least a few dozen duplicates of myself that had suddenly joined the battle. Raising multiple Kamigoroshis, they began to surround the huge Ninetail, who watched them without concern.

“Daughter,” it said, sounding unimpressed, “I have lived a thousand lifetimes. I have watched clans rise and crumble. I have seen the birth of forests and the death of stars. I have created my own kingdoms and filled them with servants, lovers and enemies. Do you really think you can defeat me with simple tricks?”

It waved a single tail, and half of the duplicates surrounding it burst into flame, consumed in an instant. But the other half sprang forward, rushing the Ninetail with Kamigoroshi blazing a sickly purple as they swarmed their enemy.

I lunged forward as well, hoping the images would do their job and distract the Ninetail long enough for me to get close. The kitsune snorted, shaking its head in contempt, and casually swiped a tail toward the illusions. Another half of the crowd went up in flames, fraying apart and turning into smoke as kitsune-bi consumed them. I gritted my teeth and charged the monster, seeing the few duplicates left do the same, as the huge Ninetail chuckled.

“You insult me, little fox,” it said, leaping gracefully back. “Sending these false demonslayers to distract and confuse. As if I have not used such tactics a thousand times before. As if I do not know the difference between what is real and what is not.”

Turning from the illusions, it looked right at me with blazing yellow eyes. I had a split second to realize it knew I was real before the kitsune lunged, a blur of silver against the dark, and a huge paw slammed into me, pinning me to the ground. I felt the breath leave my lungs in a gasp, and curved black claws dug into my chest as the monster fox loomed over me, tails writhing madly behind it.

“Sayonara, Hakaimono,” the Ninetail said, and its mouth began to glow blindingly bright. I braced myself for the blast of foxfire that would char me to ash, when one of the duplicate Tatsumis leaped into the air and brought Kamigoroshi slashing across the monster’s neck.

Blood, bright and vivid, erupted from the white fur, and the Ninetail screamed. Jerking back, it stared wildly at the illusion, golden eyes wide with disbelief and shock. I blinked in shock as well, watching a stain of crimson spread through the pale fur, dripping to the ground. Real blood. Not an illusion.

Utterly bewildered, I glanced at the other Tatsumi, who gave the equally stunned Ninetail a grim smile.

“You may be a god,” he said, and rippled into Yumeko with a swirl of white smoke, making my heart stutter. A bloody tanto was clutched in her hand, and she glared up at the monster in defiance. “But you can still bleed.”

With a snarl, the Ninetail lunged, covering the space between them in a blink. Before I could move, its deadly jaws opened, snatched the girl up and shook her like a rabbit in the teeth of a hound. Yumeko screamed as her body was torn apart, before she exploded into a cloud of smoke that writhed from the monster’s fangs and vanished on the wind.

My heart lurched into motion again. The monster fox straightened, tails writhing menacingly behind it as it gazed around. “You cannot hide forever, daughter.”

“I learned a lot from you.” Yumeko’s voice still echoed around us, from the tongues of foxfire crawling over the ground, from the trees and the rocks and the very mountain overhead. “Never be where your enemy expects. Let them chase shadows, like reflections in a pond. Make it so they don’t know what is real and what is not. But there was one trick you didn’t tell me, something you always kept back. It’s all right, though. I figured it out.”

The branches rustled, and dozens of Tatsumis strode from the trees, a small army of demonslayers with glowing eyes and swords. As one, they came forward, not speaking, their faces grim as they converged on the massive fox. Melting into the throng, I felt a chill slide up my back as dozens of versions of myself surrounded me. I had seen Yumeko’s magic many times before. Her illusions were always lifelike, a perfect image of reality, but these seemed different somehow.

“Your illusions.” The voice of the Ninetail sounded reluctantly impressed and...could it be...afraid? “They are...real.”

With unified battle cries, the swarm of Tatsumis around me attacked. Instantly, the giant fox reared up, multiple tails waving, and howled. Its powerful voice rose into the air, swirling the clouds overhead, and lightning fell from the sky like rain. Flickering white strands seared into the ground, and dozens of Tatsumis frayed apart, becoming tendrils of smoke on the wind. One of the bolts hit a pine next to me, and the trunk exploded in splinters and flames, sending me tumbling to the ground.

Wincing, I pushed myself upright, intending to rejoin the battle, when a soft whistle made me stop. I glanced over to see another Tatsumi shake his head, putting a finger to his lips as he drew back into the trees. Setting my jaw, I stepped back and crouched behind a boulder, reluctant to hide but knowing Yumeko had a plan. The kitsune knew what she was doing, and I would trust her.

With a roar, the huge Ninetail landed in the midst of the remaining Tatsumis, tails and claws flashing as it scythed through them like paper. Leaves scattered to the wind, wisps of smoke dissolving around them, as the fox destroyed the army of demonslayers in an instant. But even as they were incinerated, the branches rustled, and even more emerged from the trees on the far side of the battlefield, filling the air with fox magic.

“Enough.”

The Ninetail shook its head, rising to its full impressive height. “I weary of these games,” it announced, glancing at the new mob of demonslayers walking toward it. “I wished only to kill the demonslayer and bury Kamigoroshi where none would ever find it. These tricks are amusing, but I have seen them before. And I know better than to continuously chase shadows.” It looked at the trees beyond the army of demonslayers, narrowing its eyes. “I can feel you, little fox,” it said quietly. “If one wants to destroy the hornet’s nest, one does not waste time with drones. You take out the queen.”

Its tails writhed madly, igniting with kitsune-bi at the tips, before it sent a storm of foxfire into the trees. Flames roared as ancient pines were consumed, turning to ash. Trunks snapped, trees curled and blackened in the heat, and embers swirled into the air, as an entire swath of forest became an inferno of blue-white flames. The army of Tatsumis jerked up, shuddering, and seemed to lose form, crumpling to the ground before dissolving into mist. I tensed, ready to spring from cover and charge the Ninetail, but a rock struck the trunk by my head, startling me. The other Tatsumi, crouched a few feet away, shook his head emphatically and mouthed a firm command.Not yet.

A scream drifted over the roar of the fire, making my stomach clench. Heart in my throat, I looked back to see a figure stagger from the flames, coughing and hunched over. Her long hair was scorched away, smoke curled from her body, and I could see the skin of one arm blackened and charred. Heart in my throat, I watched Yumeko stagger, then fall to her knees, gasping and surrounded by her fading army, as the Ninetail loomed over her. The monster fox was no longer smiling.

“I win,” it said quietly, and waved a tail. Immediately, Yumeko burst into flames, blue-white foxfire consuming her body. She screamed, jerking up as she vanished in the conflagration, and shriveled into a blackened husk before crumbling to ash.

I dug my fingers into the tree, reminding myself that wasn’t her. It couldn’t be the real her. If it was, there was no way the other Tatsumi could still be here, a few feet from me. I glanced back at the image, saw him wink, and my heart unclenched a little.

“All right,” he began, “while he’s distracted...”

I rose, but abruptly the other Tatsumi jerked up as a fireball streaked from the air and slammed into his chest. Ignited instantly, he fell back with a cry, writhing on the stones as foxfire roared around him, and my blood froze asherfamiliar voice tore through me.

“No!”

Forgetting everything else, I rushed to her side, falling to my knees in the dirt. Yumeko lay curled on the ground, the illusion faded, tongues of foxfire still flickering over her robes. I smothered the flames and gently pulled her to me, turning her face to the light.

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