limp.
The men aboard the pirate ship were armed with swords and knives that glinted in the moonlight; she could see it with her cat eyes better than anyone on the junk. They were weapons crudely forged from iron or scraps of metal sharpened to blades, not the elegant weapons of the samurai.
At that moment, Kasumi felt a tug of wind against her face. Hello, Neko, the wind whispered in her ears.
Kasumi let out a sigh of relief. Wind kami! I thought you had left us.
Only for a while. I missed you.
Despite the tension, Kasumi stifled a laugh. You could help me, you know.
What? How shall I help?
We need you to fill the sails and get us away from that other ship.
The wind disappeared for a moment. Kasumi held her breath. She knew the wind kami would do what it wanted to.
That ship is bad, the wind kami replied after several long moments. It has a shadow. With that, the wind filled the sails, and the junk turned from the pirate ship.
Kasumi felt, rather than saw, the shadow. In the near blackness of the open sea, the shadow was darkness upon darkness. She felt the shadow as a cold finger shivering up her spine. It caused her skin to prickle and the guard hairs around her neck to rise. Even though she was in her human form, she felt the wild fear of an animal. She wanted to run from the shadow thing and leap away. She wanted to flee until the thing stopped pursuing her.
But it would not stop in its pursuit, she knew. It would follow her until she was caught or destroyed. That was the nature of the shadow—the demon—a creature that would destroy her and her people if she let it.
She steeled herself and forced herself to stare down at the waterline. The demon lapped at the boat, its dark tendrils caressing the hull much the same way a lover might caress his beloved. Kasumi shivered, unsure what she should do. Demons were her people’s forte, but she was still untried. How could she turn it away?
She drew her katana, certain that her threat would go unheeded, but she didn’t know what else to do. Demon! She used her powers of mindspeak, hoping it would hear her. Begone lest you are ready to meet a powerful Neko in battle. I see you and I am ready to destroy you. Her mindspoken voice sounded far braver than she felt, but her mother had always said demons were cowards. Perhaps she could bluff her way out of this fight.
The black tendrils hesitated. Kasumi forced herself to breathe after realizing that she was holding her breath. The oni moved upward in the water, coalescing as it did so. Kasumi backed up and raised her katana in a defensive position. For a moment the demon’s blue head formed from the waves to look at her. Kasumi held her ground and met its gaze steadily. Then it shuddered and sank back down into the dark water, formless. The dark mass shot away from the ship.
“Kasumi!” Jiro’s voice came to her ears.
Kasumi lowered her weapon and turned to see her half brother coming up to her.
“Where were you? You missed the pirate ship.”
“Really?” she said, trying to steady her voice. She smiled weakly. “What happened?”
“The ship turned away from us at the last minute.” He paused and eyed her. “You all right? You look sick.”
Kasumi’s legs began to shake, and sweat broke out along her brow. She sheathed her katana and shook her head. “I need to rest.” She took two steps before collapsing.
Chapter Fourteen
Akira stared at the man as he approached. The man’s hair hung loose in a wild mess, with pine needles and leaves clinging to it. He wore a mismatched assortment of armor as though scavenged from the battlefield, and he carried the katana and wakizashi—the swords that denoted the samurai’s station. But his face and eyes held Akira’s attention. His dirty face was scarred deeply from left eyebrow to right cheekbone across
The men aboard the pirate ship were armed with swords and knives that glinted in the moonlight; she could see it with her cat eyes better than anyone on the junk. They were weapons crudely forged from iron or scraps of metal sharpened to blades, not the elegant weapons of the samurai.
At that moment, Kasumi felt a tug of wind against her face. Hello, Neko, the wind whispered in her ears.
Kasumi let out a sigh of relief. Wind kami! I thought you had left us.
Only for a while. I missed you.
Despite the tension, Kasumi stifled a laugh. You could help me, you know.
What? How shall I help?
We need you to fill the sails and get us away from that other ship.
The wind disappeared for a moment. Kasumi held her breath. She knew the wind kami would do what it wanted to.
That ship is bad, the wind kami replied after several long moments. It has a shadow. With that, the wind filled the sails, and the junk turned from the pirate ship.
Kasumi felt, rather than saw, the shadow. In the near blackness of the open sea, the shadow was darkness upon darkness. She felt the shadow as a cold finger shivering up her spine. It caused her skin to prickle and the guard hairs around her neck to rise. Even though she was in her human form, she felt the wild fear of an animal. She wanted to run from the shadow thing and leap away. She wanted to flee until the thing stopped pursuing her.
But it would not stop in its pursuit, she knew. It would follow her until she was caught or destroyed. That was the nature of the shadow—the demon—a creature that would destroy her and her people if she let it.
She steeled herself and forced herself to stare down at the waterline. The demon lapped at the boat, its dark tendrils caressing the hull much the same way a lover might caress his beloved. Kasumi shivered, unsure what she should do. Demons were her people’s forte, but she was still untried. How could she turn it away?
She drew her katana, certain that her threat would go unheeded, but she didn’t know what else to do. Demon! She used her powers of mindspeak, hoping it would hear her. Begone lest you are ready to meet a powerful Neko in battle. I see you and I am ready to destroy you. Her mindspoken voice sounded far braver than she felt, but her mother had always said demons were cowards. Perhaps she could bluff her way out of this fight.
The black tendrils hesitated. Kasumi forced herself to breathe after realizing that she was holding her breath. The oni moved upward in the water, coalescing as it did so. Kasumi backed up and raised her katana in a defensive position. For a moment the demon’s blue head formed from the waves to look at her. Kasumi held her ground and met its gaze steadily. Then it shuddered and sank back down into the dark water, formless. The dark mass shot away from the ship.
“Kasumi!” Jiro’s voice came to her ears.
Kasumi lowered her weapon and turned to see her half brother coming up to her.
“Where were you? You missed the pirate ship.”
“Really?” she said, trying to steady her voice. She smiled weakly. “What happened?”
“The ship turned away from us at the last minute.” He paused and eyed her. “You all right? You look sick.”
Kasumi’s legs began to shake, and sweat broke out along her brow. She sheathed her katana and shook her head. “I need to rest.” She took two steps before collapsing.
Chapter Fourteen
Akira stared at the man as he approached. The man’s hair hung loose in a wild mess, with pine needles and leaves clinging to it. He wore a mismatched assortment of armor as though scavenged from the battlefield, and he carried the katana and wakizashi—the swords that denoted the samurai’s station. But his face and eyes held Akira’s attention. His dirty face was scarred deeply from left eyebrow to right cheekbone across
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