whirls and bubbles of light, a bit like the ball of Maiko’s soul, only larger and duller, shifting and swirling, taking on new shapes as they curled round Koyasan, pressing closer and closer, menace clear in the way they hissed and laughed — not human laughter, but the cold, humourless chuckling of those who’d been tickled by death.
“Ssssilly girl,” one or more of the spirits said, the words coming from several different directions at once. “Sssso closssse to the prize. Defeated by a humble mousssse.”
“I won,” Koyasan sobbed, pleading even though she knew it was useless. “I beat the spirits. I found Maiko’s soul.”
“Yessss,” the spirits replied. “But you broke the ssssilenccce. You mussst be quiet around the dead. You mussst ressspect the sssssilenccccccce.”
Something icy and jagged scraped the back of Koyasan’s neck. She spun away from it, slapping out. But there was nothing there when she looked.
“This isn’t fair!” Koyasan shouted, angry tears in her eyes.
“ Fair?' the spirits snorted with contempt. “What do the living know about fairnessss? You have a body, flesssh, life. You have other humanssss to play with and the whole world to explore. Ssssso many people to mix with and thingssss to experiencccce. We have nothing, excccept death, each other, thisss graveyard... and your sssisssster’ssss ssssoul... and now you!”
The spirits laughed cruelly, and again something scratched Koyasan’s neck. This time she didn’t react. She was too busy thinking. The spirits were bitter. They sounded angry because they were bored and imprisoned here. Maybe that was something she could use. But how...?
“What will you do with me?” Koyasan asked, playing for time.
“Kill you, of coursssse,” the spirits sneered.
“Torture her firsssst,” came a voice from somewhere outside the dome.
“Naturally,” the closer spirits said.
“We want ssssome of her too,” a third voice chimed.
“There will be enough for everyone,” the spirits within the dome snapped.
“No, there won’t,” Koyasan said, seeing her chance.
The spirits went quiet.
“It will be daylight soon,” Koyasan pressed on. “You can’t keep me here when the sun rises. You’ll have to kill me before that. There won’t be time for you to torture me.”
“Nonsssensssse,” the spirits hissed. "It issss alwayssss dark here. The ssssun can’t bother usssss in thissss placccce. We can take all the time we pleassssse.”
“I’ll fight,” Koyasan growled. “You’ll have to kill me.”
“You can’t fight ussss,” the spirits snarled. “Maybe sssshe can/’ a spirit outside the dome chipped in. “Ssssshe beat the three we ssssent againsssst her. Perhapsssss...”
The spirits began arguing among themselves in muted mumbles. Koyasan stood stilly shivering, trying to listen to what they were saying. But their voices were too low. She thought about grabbing Maiko’s soul and running, but she’d never make it. At least, if the spirits were talking to her, there was a chance she could convince them to let her go. But if she angered them, they’d fall on her in a furious huddle and rip her to pieces before she could blink.
Finally, the shapes stopped flickering and the arguments ceased.
“You are a clever, courageousssss girl,” the spirits said. “You entertained usss tonight. And there’sss no denying you are of more interessst to ussss than your sssisssster.”
“Essspecccially asss ssssshe doesssn’t have a body,” a spirit outside the dome shouted. “If we’d kept her body, like I ssssaid...”
“Sssssilenccce!” the spirits closest to Koyasan roared. When there was no response, they addressed Koyasan again, angrily this time. “We will do a deal. You came here to ssssave your sssisssster. If you agree to our termsss, we will sssend her ssssoul back to her body.”
“You’ll let her go?” Koyasan gasped.
“Yessss. You have our word and the dead cannot lie.”
“What will I
“Ssssilly girl,” one or more of the spirits said, the words coming from several different directions at once. “Sssso closssse to the prize. Defeated by a humble mousssse.”
“I won,” Koyasan sobbed, pleading even though she knew it was useless. “I beat the spirits. I found Maiko’s soul.”
“Yessss,” the spirits replied. “But you broke the ssssilenccce. You mussst be quiet around the dead. You mussst ressspect the sssssilenccccccce.”
Something icy and jagged scraped the back of Koyasan’s neck. She spun away from it, slapping out. But there was nothing there when she looked.
“This isn’t fair!” Koyasan shouted, angry tears in her eyes.
“ Fair?' the spirits snorted with contempt. “What do the living know about fairnessss? You have a body, flesssh, life. You have other humanssss to play with and the whole world to explore. Ssssso many people to mix with and thingssss to experiencccce. We have nothing, excccept death, each other, thisss graveyard... and your sssisssster’ssss ssssoul... and now you!”
The spirits laughed cruelly, and again something scratched Koyasan’s neck. This time she didn’t react. She was too busy thinking. The spirits were bitter. They sounded angry because they were bored and imprisoned here. Maybe that was something she could use. But how...?
“What will you do with me?” Koyasan asked, playing for time.
“Kill you, of coursssse,” the spirits sneered.
“Torture her firsssst,” came a voice from somewhere outside the dome.
“Naturally,” the closer spirits said.
“We want ssssome of her too,” a third voice chimed.
“There will be enough for everyone,” the spirits within the dome snapped.
“No, there won’t,” Koyasan said, seeing her chance.
The spirits went quiet.
“It will be daylight soon,” Koyasan pressed on. “You can’t keep me here when the sun rises. You’ll have to kill me before that. There won’t be time for you to torture me.”
“Nonsssensssse,” the spirits hissed. "It issss alwayssss dark here. The ssssun can’t bother usssss in thissss placccce. We can take all the time we pleassssse.”
“I’ll fight,” Koyasan growled. “You’ll have to kill me.”
“You can’t fight ussss,” the spirits snarled. “Maybe sssshe can/’ a spirit outside the dome chipped in. “Ssssshe beat the three we ssssent againsssst her. Perhapsssss...”
The spirits began arguing among themselves in muted mumbles. Koyasan stood stilly shivering, trying to listen to what they were saying. But their voices were too low. She thought about grabbing Maiko’s soul and running, but she’d never make it. At least, if the spirits were talking to her, there was a chance she could convince them to let her go. But if she angered them, they’d fall on her in a furious huddle and rip her to pieces before she could blink.
Finally, the shapes stopped flickering and the arguments ceased.
“You are a clever, courageousssss girl,” the spirits said. “You entertained usss tonight. And there’sss no denying you are of more interessst to ussss than your sssisssster.”
“Essspecccially asss ssssshe doesssn’t have a body,” a spirit outside the dome shouted. “If we’d kept her body, like I ssssaid...”
“Sssssilenccce!” the spirits closest to Koyasan roared. When there was no response, they addressed Koyasan again, angrily this time. “We will do a deal. You came here to ssssave your sssisssster. If you agree to our termsss, we will sssend her ssssoul back to her body.”
“You’ll let her go?” Koyasan gasped.
“Yessss. You have our word and the dead cannot lie.”
“What will I
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