Samurai Son (49 page)

Chapter Ninety-Three

Takeshi stared out at the setting sun, his heart heavy and his thoughts on his son.
 
He stood in the empty garden, wondering how he could have misread Akira so terribly.
 
The Neko girl had no doubt bewitched him, but Takeshi had never imagined that Akira would leave with her.
 
He wondered if perhaps Masashige had been right; he had been away from home for too long.
 
Perhaps he should’ve brought his family to Kyotori-jima, even though they would be under the scrutiny of imperial and enemy clan eyes.
 
At least there he would not have lost his wife and nearly his son to the Tengu.
 
Or so he told himself.

He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn’t hear Masashige approach.
 
“Takeshi-sama,” the samurai said.
 
“I have word as to the whereabouts of your son.”

Takeshi turned, his expression still grim.
 
“What have you heard, old friend?”

“That your retainer, Hiroshi, had booked passage for all three to Neko-shima aboard Captain Maki’s junk.”

“Maki?
 
She took my son to Neko-shima without my permission?”
 
Takeshi felt rage boil up inside.

“Hiroshi must have forged the documents because everything was in order.
 
There was no reason for Captain Maki to assume the orders were false.”

A lump settled in Takeshi’s stomach.
 
“Hiroshi?
 
Hiroshi is a ninja.”

Masashige stared.
 
“A ninja?
 
You had a Shinobi as a retainer?”

Takeshi nodded.
 
“Hiroshi had been working for Nanashi but came under my employment after an agreement between me and his shonin.
 
If Hiroshi has gone with Akira, I fear for my son’s life.”

Masashige shook his head.
 
“There is another possibility, my lord.
 
The ninja may be helping Akira and Kasumi to aid the Neko against Nanashi.”

Takeshi frowned.
 
“You think Hiroshi may believe the Neko girl about the threat to the
Kimon?
”

The older samurai shrugged.
 
“May I speak frankly?”

“Of course, my friend.”

“I, too, believe the Neko girl.”

Takeshi considered the older samurai.
 
“You believe that there is a danger?”

“I do.
 
And I believe that Akira has seen the danger as well.”
 
Masashige shook his head and turned to leave.
 
“But it is not my place to counsel you.”

A silence ensued and the last rays of the sun disappeared behind the mountains, throwing them into twilight.
 
As the shadows stretched over the garden, Masashige bowed and left Takeshi alone with his thoughts.

#

Akira floundered as the boat pitched him into the frigid water.
 
He splashed frantically to keep his head above water as his armor weighed him down.
 
He gasped for air and got a mouthful of salty water for the effort.
 
Panicked, he considered changing into a Tengu to fly away.

Don’t,
said Windspirit.
 
Remember that the Tengu will kill you for that.
 
Keep your mouth closed, your eyes open, and quit thrashing so wildly.
 
Swim with long strokes.

Rokuro’s voice brought Akira back to his senses.
 
Just as he followed his old sensei’s advice, the weight of the waterlogged armor made him slip underwater.
 
As he did, he saw a flash of orange and heard a splash.
 
Before he could react, he felt teeth slice through his armor and slide along his back.
 
Suddenly he was hauled up to the surface, coughing and sputtering.
 
Kasumi in her tiger form swam while holding him and her head as high out of the water as she could.

Are you all right?
she asked him.

Akira coughed but did not want to worry her.
 
I’m fine, Kasumi-chan.
 
Thank you but you revealed yourself.

I would’ve anyway.
 
Hiroshi will learn our secret once he comes inside.
 
She swam toward the wall and the capsized boat.
 
Can you climb on top of the skiff if I bring you to it?

I think so.

Kasumi swam to the skiff, and Akira reached out and grasped the slippery hull.
 
The little boat bounced violently as Akira struggled to climb up on the bottom.
 
It was hard to grip, so he drew his tanto and sank the blade into the wood.
 
He used the knife as leverage and hauled himself up.

The boat rolled side to side, reminding him of a freshly caught fish floundering out of water.
 
As he gripped the sides, the movement became less alarming and he was able to look up to see where Kasumi and Hiroshi were.
 
Kasumi treaded water beside him; Hiroshi clung to the wall but had moved lower as he watched Akira and the tiger in the water.

Hiroshi-san, I need your help,
Akira thought to him, and the man jerked his head back in surprise.
 
I can’t jump as far.

All—right,
Hiroshi replied haltingly.
 
He stepped slowly down the cliff face and held out a clawed hand.
 
Akira hesitated and grasped Hiroshi’s wrist above the shuko claws.
 
With what seemed superhuman strength, Hiroshi hauled Akira up.
 
Akira scrambled, using his tanto to gain purchase until he gripped the bottom rung of the tiny ladder.
 
He pulled himself up, relying on his Tengu-enhanced strength and agility.
 
He then turned to see what Kasumi would do.

Kasumi made a leap first to the skiff and, without stopping, jumped right up to the shelf.
 
Akira marveled as he watched the feat of amazing dexterity.
 
He climbed up after her.

The tiger filled the shelf, so as soon as Akira climbed up, Kasumi shape changed into her alternate cat form.
 
She became a small cat with stripes and splotches of black and orange mottling her body.
 
Akira bent down and scooped her into his arms as she mewed plaintively.
 
I so hate getting wet while in cat form.

Akira stroked her gently as Hiroshi climbed up.
 
“You’ve lost all your things, Kasumi-chan,” he whispered to her.
 
“Your swords, your clothing…”

It’s all right,
she said.
 
I am home now, and I can get more.

But your tail…
 
As soon as he said it, he knew he had spoken too quickly.
 
She buried her head in his arms.

It is a reminder of my obligation to the demon, Akira-kun.
 
Her mental voice quavered.

“Oh, Kasumi,” he whispered, stroking her gently.
 
“I will change that; I will.”

Hiroshi studied Akira and the cat for a while, saying nothing.
 
When he spoke, his voice could not mask the awe.
 
“So this is the secret of the Neko clan.
 
They really are Neko.”

Akira nodded slowly.
 
“They can take several forms.”

“So I have seen.”
 
Hiroshi’s face was inscrutable.
 
“So now we are on the ledge and there is a secret entrance here with a lock, only now I know the secret to that too.”

Akira cocked his head and winced at his own reaction.
 
“What secret?”

Hiroshi pointed to the cliff face.
 
On the wall was the indentation of a tiger’s paw.
 
“I think Neko-sama can open this.”

“Kasumi-chan?” Akira asked gently.
 
He set her down.

The cat began to grow larger.
 
Instead of the mottled tortoise shell, her fur became tawny with black stripes.
 
Akira and Hiroshi shifted against the cliff since Kasumi’s large bulk took up most of the ledge.
 
She raised her paw and placed it on the indentation.
 
Her paw fit it perfectly, and for a moment, the paw print glowed.

A large crack appeared in the wall.
 
It glowed blue with magic as it traced the outline of the door, which then swung inward into darkness.

Chapter Ninety-Four

For a moment, all three stared into the darkness without moving.
 
The door opened to a tunnel, which appeared to lead down into nothingness.
 
Even with his sharp Tengu eyes, Akira could not see anything within the passage.
 
It took a sharp turn many yards away, but beyond that, he had to accept that Kasumi had entered this tunnel before.

Kasumi’s tail lashed as she peered into the blackness.
 
She sat on her haunches, affording the men a little more room.
 
Akira stood beside her, stroking her fur along her shoulders in an effort to calm her apprehension.
 
“Are you all right?” he whispered.

No,
she admitted.
 
My stomach is in knots, and it was so long ago.
 
I might have made a mistake.

I don’t think so,
he said.
 
I don’t think there are any other passages here.

“I’ll go first,” Hiroshi offered, interrupting the two’s private conversation.

No,
said Kasumi.
 
If the Neko see a human first, they’ll kill you.
 
I should go first.
 
She started forward into the dank passage.
 
Akira slid beside her, his hand resting gently on her warm fur as they walked ahead.

#

Hiroshi followed them silently, his mind whirling with the discovery.
 
He now knew the Neko’s secret: they were cats, just as their name suggested.
 
But Kasumi was more than just a cat; she was a tora, a tiger.
 
He wondered if all Neko could turn into cats or into tigers.
 
If they could, they would make a formidable army.

He could kill both Akira and Kasumi now and escape, but to where?
 
It made no sense for him to complete his mission for Shigeko only to be captured and killed by the Neko once they found their bodies.
 
And even if he could, at this point, he was as curious as they were to see where this adventure led them.
 
They could all die, in which case, he wouldn’t have to fulfill his duty anyway.

Water dripped all around them, and Hiroshi was soon soaked to the skin.
 
As cold and uncomfortable as he felt, he was unwilling to stop, his curiosity growing more with each moment.
 
He suspected if they were attacked, he could use some of his ninja magic to disappear.
 
He wasn’t sure how he would escape the island, but he remained more intrigued than concerned.

He marveled at Akira’s and Kasumi’s eyesight.
 
The tiger would naturally have good eyesight in the dark, but he hadn’t expected the half-Tengu to as well.
 
But the passage wasn’t completely dark either.
 
When they entered, the door had shut behind them and the walls emitted a pale greenish glow.
 
Occasionally they’d pass odd symbols that flared as they walked by.
 
Hiroshi guessed they were wards or traps that would allow a Neko and his or her companions to pass.
 
It was magic of a powerful kind, one he hadn’t expected to see.

The passage ran down for a ways before turning then headed down again.
 
The tiger stopped and sniffed the air before continuing.
 
Occasionally Hiroshi would catch meaningful looks between the two, and he knew they were using mindspeak.
 
He suspected they knew he was Shinobi because of their wary looks at him, but their uncertain manner made them prone to mistakes.

Yet as he walked behind them, he noted that the great no-dachi glowed faintly in the dark.
 
Hiroshi was both intrigued and fearful of the weapon.
 
He had heard of some cursed weapons given by the gods or kami to punish mortals.
 
These were dangerous weapons, for both the wielder and those who dared to go up against them.

Suddenly the tiger halted and sniffed the air.
 
Hiroshi had been so absorbed in the two half-kami born that he almost ran into the tiger.
 
Kasumi glanced behind, swishing her forked tail in displeasure.
 
They now stood at a four-way intersection.

#

“Which way?” Akira asked.

I don’t know,
she said.
 
I half expected the passage to be guarded, but there is no one.

Akira frowned.
 
“Maybe everyone is busy with the siege.”

“Or maybe the passage is already guarded,” Hiroshi said.
 
They both turned to look at him.
 
He waved his hand.
 
“Magic.
 
Can’t you feel it?
 
The passage positively bristles with power.”

Akira cocked his head and winced.
 
The Tengu habit had gotten ingrained.
 
“You can feel magic?”

“Look at the walls,” Hiroshi said.
 
“There’s light in here when there shouldn’t be, and I’ve seen some written characters as we’ve walked by.
 
It’s in an odd form of kanji, but I don’t recognize the symbols.
 
I think they’re made so those who pass with a Neko are safe.
 
I don’t think Stormhammer or I could pass through unscathed without you.”

Akira blinked.
 
“What did you call me?”

Hiroshi smiled.
 
“Stormhammer-san.
 
That is an apt name for you.
 
The Tengu chose it well.”

Akira stared at Hiroshi for a moment, uncertain if the man was joking or serious.
 
“You can see this magic?”

“Yes,” Hiroshi said.
 
“You can see it too, but you may not recognize it.”
 
He pointed to the no-dachi.
 
“Your sword, for example.
 
It glows in its own light.”

Akira looked down at Windspirit.
 
It seemed normal to him, but perhaps Hiroshi could sense magic.
 
He held up the tanto.
 
“Is this magic?”

The other man shook his head.
 
“No.
 
The only thing magical you carry on you is the no-dachi.”

Don’t be impressed,
Windspirit said.
 
He did hear that the Tengu gave me to you.

True, still…
 
He hadn’t really thought about the light in the passage until now.
 
He was about to say something when Hiroshi held up his hand.

“Someone is coming.”

I don’t hear anything,
Kasumi said.

The hall burst into light, blinding them.
 
Akira cried out and covered his eyes with his hands.
 
When he lowered them, he found they were surrounded by tigers and leopards.