capable of discerning deceit from truth. Many mages had used the winds to carry messages when they wanted to deceive a foe.
Maybe because it mentioned an oni, she thought. After all, sensing an oni on her after she had seen a summoning was to be expected. Yet she could smell nothing of demon around herself or her clothing. How was it that the wind kami could smell oni on her when she could not? Had it tainted her in some way?
She shivered and pulled the rough woolen blankets of her futon around her. She wanted to believe that there was nothing more than speculation in the wind kami’s words, but she knew that was not the case. Something was wrong; what, she did not know.
The ship’s bell pealed from the deck, interrupting her thoughts. She shrugged off the blankets, tugged on the overcoat, and tied her swords around her thin waist. She opened the door and saw the men climbing the ladders to go on deck. She followed reluctantly.
A sharp wind greeted her as she climbed on deck, but the seas were relatively calm. Still, she smelled fear in the men’s sweat as they fully unfurled the junk’s sails to catch the night breeze. The first of the two moons crested the horizon, shining its silver light down on the junk and the ocean. She snuffed the air and caught the bitter tang of brine. And there was something else she smelled, but what, she couldn’t say.
Looking around, she noted that all the lanterns had been extinguished and many of the men were carrying sharp knives, sticks, cudgels, or other simple weapons. Their dark eyes gleamed with fear in the night.
“What’s wrong?” she asked as she approached the captain.
The captain was an old seafarer with almost entirely gray hair and skin tanned dark and weathered from years of sailing beneath a relentless sun. He turned to her with a frown. “Pirates, Neko-sama.” He pointed to a dark shape, barely visible along the south.
Kasumi frowned as her eyes scanned the waves. Even with her cat vision, she had a hard time making out the junk on the horizon. She wondered how the sailors were able to see it. “Are you certain, Captain?” she asked. “It could be a merchant.”
The captain nodded. “We are not far from Shinobi-jima. The ninja sometimes raid these waters to obtain supplies. Most stay away from here for that reason.”
“Pirates?” Jiro spoke. “You dared to risk our lives by taking the ship in pirate-infested seas?”
Kasumi stared at her half brother. She hadn’t noticed him in all the excitement.
“My lord samurai, we would have to sail weeks out of our way to get around all the dangers.” The captain’s eyes narrowed on Jiro with unspoken contempt.
“Enough, Jiro,” Kasumi said. “There wasn’t any choice.”
Jiro grunted and swaggered away, leaving Kasumi feeling relieved. She cursed her stubborn half brother under her breath and strode to the railing to get a better look at the pirate ship.
“You should go below decks, Neko-sama,” the captain said as he stood beside her.
“No.” Kasumi stared at the silhouette of the pirate junk in the distance. “I am samurai. I can fight as well as any of your men.”
The captain glanced down at her swords, nodded mutely, and moved on. Kasumi stared at the junk in the distance, knowing there was something else out there. Her eyes followed the ship on the waves and its shadow in the bright moonlight. The shadow danced over the waves beneath the hull, but to her eyes, it seemed separate. The dark shadow moved with the ship yet seemed to tear away and come straight for them. She saw the shape coalesce into something she could not readily name.
The ship drew nearer. Kasumi heard the captain shout to his men to turn the junk away from their pursuer. Kasumi glanced up at the sails and saw that the fickle West Wind had deserted them, leaving the sails and the battens
Maybe because it mentioned an oni, she thought. After all, sensing an oni on her after she had seen a summoning was to be expected. Yet she could smell nothing of demon around herself or her clothing. How was it that the wind kami could smell oni on her when she could not? Had it tainted her in some way?
She shivered and pulled the rough woolen blankets of her futon around her. She wanted to believe that there was nothing more than speculation in the wind kami’s words, but she knew that was not the case. Something was wrong; what, she did not know.
The ship’s bell pealed from the deck, interrupting her thoughts. She shrugged off the blankets, tugged on the overcoat, and tied her swords around her thin waist. She opened the door and saw the men climbing the ladders to go on deck. She followed reluctantly.
A sharp wind greeted her as she climbed on deck, but the seas were relatively calm. Still, she smelled fear in the men’s sweat as they fully unfurled the junk’s sails to catch the night breeze. The first of the two moons crested the horizon, shining its silver light down on the junk and the ocean. She snuffed the air and caught the bitter tang of brine. And there was something else she smelled, but what, she couldn’t say.
Looking around, she noted that all the lanterns had been extinguished and many of the men were carrying sharp knives, sticks, cudgels, or other simple weapons. Their dark eyes gleamed with fear in the night.
“What’s wrong?” she asked as she approached the captain.
The captain was an old seafarer with almost entirely gray hair and skin tanned dark and weathered from years of sailing beneath a relentless sun. He turned to her with a frown. “Pirates, Neko-sama.” He pointed to a dark shape, barely visible along the south.
Kasumi frowned as her eyes scanned the waves. Even with her cat vision, she had a hard time making out the junk on the horizon. She wondered how the sailors were able to see it. “Are you certain, Captain?” she asked. “It could be a merchant.”
The captain nodded. “We are not far from Shinobi-jima. The ninja sometimes raid these waters to obtain supplies. Most stay away from here for that reason.”
“Pirates?” Jiro spoke. “You dared to risk our lives by taking the ship in pirate-infested seas?”
Kasumi stared at her half brother. She hadn’t noticed him in all the excitement.
“My lord samurai, we would have to sail weeks out of our way to get around all the dangers.” The captain’s eyes narrowed on Jiro with unspoken contempt.
“Enough, Jiro,” Kasumi said. “There wasn’t any choice.”
Jiro grunted and swaggered away, leaving Kasumi feeling relieved. She cursed her stubborn half brother under her breath and strode to the railing to get a better look at the pirate ship.
“You should go below decks, Neko-sama,” the captain said as he stood beside her.
“No.” Kasumi stared at the silhouette of the pirate junk in the distance. “I am samurai. I can fight as well as any of your men.”
The captain glanced down at her swords, nodded mutely, and moved on. Kasumi stared at the junk in the distance, knowing there was something else out there. Her eyes followed the ship on the waves and its shadow in the bright moonlight. The shadow danced over the waves beneath the hull, but to her eyes, it seemed separate. The dark shadow moved with the ship yet seemed to tear away and come straight for them. She saw the shape coalesce into something she could not readily name.
The ship drew nearer. Kasumi heard the captain shout to his men to turn the junk away from their pursuer. Kasumi glanced up at the sails and saw that the fickle West Wind had deserted them, leaving the sails and the battens
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