Samurai Son (51 page)

Chapter Ninety-Seven

Akira stared at the stairwell and back at Keiko.
 
Kasumi’s mother stepped lightly onto the dais and down into the darkness.
 
He and Hiroshi exchanged glances, and by the ninja’s look, Hiroshi did not want to enter this place any more than he did.

Kasumi took a measured breath.
 
“I’m sure it’s all right.”

“You’ve never been here?” Akira asked.
 
He didn’t like that Kasumi appeared as nervous as he.
 
Something was wrong.
 
Call it senses or magic, but he was certain that if they entered this tunnel, they would be trapped.

“No, they’ve never let me see the
Kimon.
 
This is the way, though.”
 
Kasumi swallowed visibly.
 
“It’s the only way for us to meet with Guardian Kanayo.”

She took several steps toward it and looked down into the stairwell.
 
Akira followed her but every fiber of his being told him to flee.
 
He could not smell the oni as he knew she could, but he could sense something sinister below.

What you feel is evil, pure and untainted by any good,
Windspirit said softly in his mind.
 
Be careful as you approach the Kimon; legend has it that it can rend apart your soul.

“Kasumi-chan,” Akira whispered, “you don’t need to do this.”

Kasumi looked back at him.
 
Her face was pale and she trembled, but she shook her head.
 
“I have to, Akira-kun.
 
It’s the only way.”
 
With that, she stepped over the threshold and descended into the darkness.

Akira stared after her.
 
Everything within told him not to enter that passage; death lurked beyond.
 
Yet he owed it to Kasumi to keep her safe after her sacrifice for him.
 
He loosened Windspirit in its scabbard and made certain that his tanto and wakizashi were ready.
 
It was unlikely that he would have enough room to draw, let alone use, the no-dachi.

Hiroshi laid a hand on his shoulder.
 
“Friend, I think this is folly.”

Akira turned and looked at the ninja.
 
“I honestly don’t know why you haven’t killed me yet, and maybe you’re still planning to, but you don’t have to come.
 
I agreed to help the Neko any way I could.”

Hiroshi nodded.
 
“Part of being a ninja is acting independently.
 
I can’t say I agree with Shigeko, and that is why you still live.
 
Still, I am here, as you are.
 
I believe we both have a part in this.”

Akira smiled wryly and entered the stairwell.
 
He stepped down into the blackness, and at once, his skin began to itch as though mosquitoes had bitten him all over.
 
He yelped and began scratching furiously.
 
He wanted to leap out of the stairwell and rush back into the light and air.

“It’s all right, Akira.
 
It stops,” Kasumi’s voice came from somewhere below him.
 
“You have to pass through.”

Akira gritted his teeth and ran down the steps, unwilling to stop until the feeling abated.
 
It felt like wasps stinging him repeatedly.
 
He was ready to throw himself down the steps, regardless of the injury he might suffer, just to rid himself of the pain.
 
Somehow he landed in another passage, his feet on the ground and his body upright.
 
He was sweaty and shaking from the experience.

Kasumi’s warm hand gripped his, and as his Tengu eyesight adjusted, he could see her smiling.
 
“It’s one of the many magical guards we have against intruders.”

Akira nodded.
 
Had he not known that the pain would stop, he would have been quick to leave.
 
Still, he wondered what it would do against an army of determined samurai.
 
Hiroshi soon appeared beside them, his face pale.

“Come, Kasumi-chan.
 
Kanayo is expecting you.”
 
Keiko was a dark figure up ahead.

Akira followed Kasumi, looking around them.
 
The passage was not quite pitch black; otherwise they would not be able to see.
 
Instead, he noted the luminescent green shimmer that the rocks emanated, similar to those in the tunnel they had used to enter the Neko city.
 
He wondered if they were connected.

The tunnel dipped lower, and Akira felt the air grow warm then hot.
 
He began to sweat profusely and wondered how anyone could stand to be in this place for very long.
 
He could barely see Keiko up ahead, leading them.
 
The tunnel leveled out and widened.
 
Keiko had stopped and Akira looked ahead.
 
Before them was a vast lake.

“Don’t touch the water!” Keiko commanded.

Akira doubted he would be tempted to touch it.
 
The water stank of brimstone, and an unnatural hot fog roiled above it.
 
The water smelled hot, even to him, and as he looked across the lake, he could see it wasn’t placid, as he first thought.
 
The lake was a boiling cauldron, and anyone foolish enough to step in would be cooked alive.

“How do we cross it?” Akira asked.

Keiko raised her hands and plucked a single hair from her head.
 
She turned to Kasumi, who did the same.
 
“I need one of your hairs,” Keiko said.

Akira yanked a single strand and winced as the hair pulled from his scalp.
 
Hiroshi already held up a strand.
 
Keiko took each of the strands and dropped them into the lake.
 
Akira waited.
 
For a moment, it appeared nothing happened.
 
But then the water grew calm and the stench of sulfur diminished.

Keiko nodded.
 
“We don’t have much time.
 
Follow me exactly and don’t stray from my path; otherwise you’ll fall into the deep parts of the lake.”
 
With that, she stepped into the water.

Akira stared as Keiko waded hip deep into the lake.
 
He glanced at Kasumi, who looked as hesitant as he.
 
She gingerly stepped forward and cautiously dipped a toe in.
 
He heard her exhale in relief, and she turned to him.
 
“It’s all right.
 
It’s not hot.”

Akira and Hiroshi glanced at each other.
 
With a shrug, Akira stepped into the sulfurous water and found it was warm but not unpleasant.
 
He looked ahead and could barely make out Keiko’s silhouette against the dark pool.
 
He hoped Kasumi had a better feel for the path than he did.

The way was slow going.
 
Twice Akira’s foot stepped off the trail, and he nearly plunged deep into the lake.
 
Once Kasumi caught him before he fell face-first into the water; the other time, Hiroshi caught his arm.
 
The ninja’s surefootedness amazed him, and he pondered how Hiroshi was able to walk such a treacherous path.
 
The minutes dragged and he hoped the magic would hold until they crossed.
 
After what seemed an hour, the water became shallow and he found himself walking out on the other side.

He looked down at his clothes and winced.
 
They were soaked—hardly presentable to the guardian.
 
His only consolation was that the others looked the same.
 
Keiko murmured something that sounded like a low growl, and his clothing was suddenly dry.
 
Kasumi smoothed her now dry clothing and smiled at him.

If I know magic, there will be a third challenge,
Windspirit spoke for the first time.
 
Be careful; kami magic can be treacherous.
 
They continued and Akira kept looking side to side for the third challenge.
 
The air increased in temperature until it became unbearably hot; every painful breath seared his lungs.
 
He glanced at Kasumi, who was sweating as much as he.
 
He wondered how long before they died from the hot air.
 
He could see a light source up ahead and hoped that would mark the end of their trials.

They passed a crossroads in the passage but went straight ahead for a while.
 
The path continued to dip downward.
 
Keiko stopped twenty paces before them.
 
As they walked forward, Akira could see that the passage widened into another large chamber.
 
This one was bigger than he thought possible to cut underground, and he knew it had to have been hewn with magic.
 
But the room was not what held his attention.

Akira was staring at a giant red dragon curled up within.

Chapter Ninety-Eight

The red dragon was bigger than any dragon Akira had yet seen, including the great dragon of the Shinobi.
 
Unlike the blue dragons, which obviously governed the weather and the seas, this ryu was a creature of fire.
 
It was difficult to look at directly because it appeared to be made not from flesh or skin, but from rock and fire.
 
Its scales glowed yellow to white in places, and red flames licked around where its legs appeared to be.
 
The stench of sulfur was overwhelming.

The dragon opened its eyes upon their entrance.
 
Its eyes glowed red and had slit pupils like those of a cat.
 
The dragon’s tail twitched.
 
It opened its mouth, and its roar shook the cave.
 
Akira drew Windspirit without thinking; he stepped forward to face the dragon.

“No, Stormhammer.”
 
Keiko turned to him.
 
“Put your sword away.”

Akira could see that the dragon was considering him.
 
Akira shook his head.
 
“It’ll attack us.”

“Akira,” Kasumi said, her voice level.
 
“Put away the no-dachi.
 
The dragon will
cue
off it.”

Akira hesitated.
 
The dragon hissed.
 
Akira slowly sheathed the no-dachi, and the dragon lowered its head and closed its eyes.
 
He glanced at Keiko, who nodded.

“You’re our guest and the dragon knows you’re supposed to be here.
 
Otherwise, it would attack.”
 
She paused.
 
“Follow me; the Guardian awaits.”

She led them past the dragon—so close that if Akira had wanted to, he could’ve touched it.
 
The heat from the fire dragon was intense, and despite its ferocity, Akira had to look.
 
Ornate brows topped its heavily whiskered mask.
 
Exaggerated nostrils issuing jets of steam jutted forward.
 
It glared at Akira with its slit, red eyes, and he knew that if the dragon had its way, it would charge him.
 
Perhaps it was the age-old animosity between dragons and Tengu.
 
Perhaps it was because he had drawn his sword.
 
Perhaps it was something else.

They left the hall and entered a small passage just large enough for one person to walk through.
 
Akira wondered how the Guardian could effectively defend the gate without the ability to summon an army through the narrow channel.

She may not need to,
Windspirit said.
 
The dragon would act as a sentinel for anything coming in or out of the
Kimon.
 
This passage tactically makes sense.
 
It’s easier to defend against a thousand soldiers one at a time than it is to defend against a thousand warriors all at once.

Akira considered this.
 
He had assumed that the Guardian was there to defend the
Kimon
against demons coming into the world, not necessarily soldiers trying to overtake the gate.
 
Certainly no one would be as foolish as Nanashi…

Ambition drives the desperate man to foolish acts.
 
Greed is the downfall of many men.
 
The sword shifted slightly in the scabbard.
 
Nanashi is evil and ambitious.
 
Never underestimate to what extent he will go to obtain his goals.

A light filled the passage ahead.
 
Keiko led with Kasumi behind her and Akira after her.
 
The passage widened and grew into a large chamber.
 
Akira caught his breath as he stepped into the great room of the
Kimon.

Room
was a poor word for the place where the
Kimon
stood.
 
The enormous natural cavern felt a bit like a giant mouth, with stalactites dropping from the ceiling and stalagmites greeting them from below, glistening white with their own luminescence.
 
Their glow twinkled like millions of stars across the cavern, illuminating the room in a soft, silvery twilight.
 
A pool lay in the chamber’s center and reflected the rocks’ glow, silvery like a mirror.
 
Here, the air was cool and almost refreshing compared to the hot and sulfurous dragon’s cave.
 
On a small island in the middle stood the
Kimon
itself.

The
Kimon
torii towered above them all.
 
The gate had two upright posts and upturned gables on the kasagi and nuki horizontal bars.
 
It appeared hewn from the stone around, for Akira could see no seams in any part of the torii.
 
The inscriptions running across the
Kimon
appeared to be kanji, but Akira couldn’t read it despite his education.

That is in a language not known to man,
Windspirit said.

Akira’s gaze caught something moving within the water.
 
For a brief instant, he saw what looked like a large creature with shaggy hair on its head; a tortoise shell; and long, shiny legs like that of a frog.
 
He frowned as its glittering eyes met his and it snapped its beak once at him before descending into the pool.
 
“What is a kappa doing this far below the ground?” he whispered.

The Neko probably have it as part of the
Kimon
guard.
 
I wouldn’t enter that water if I were you,
the sword replied.

Akira nodded in agreement.

Surrounding the torii on the island were four tigers, facing the cardinal points.
 
In the center of the circle, just beneath the gate, stood the largest tiger Akira had ever seen.
 
What was more, she was not orange, but white with black stripes.

Welcome, my daughters.
 
The Guardian spoke in their minds, rich and low.
 
She walked over to the pond and waded through the water, changing as she did.
 
She became a tall woman with white hair streaked with black.
 
Her face was of an ageless beauty that reminded Akira of Tengu women, and he wondered if this were a trait of all kami immortals.
 
As she changed, clothing appeared over her body, wrapping her in the finest white silk, striped like her tiger stripes.
 
Her golden eyes scanned each of them as she stood on the beach.
 
“But one of you is missing.”

Akira and Kasumi looked around.
 
Hiroshi was nowhere to be seen.
 
Keiko frowned.
 
“Mother Kanayo-sama, the Shinobi was with us.”

The Guardian inclined her head slightly.
 
“I will send our warriors to look for him.
 
He will not have gone far.”

Akira frowned.
 
He hadn’t fully trusted Hiroshi, but now he wondered what the ninja had planned.
 
Originally he had thought the Shinobi might try to kill them, but when that did not happen, he thought that maybe Hiroshi had been earnest in his offer to help.
 
Now he couldn’t help but wonder if Hiroshi was a spy for Nanashi.
 
If so, then the Neko were in danger.

The Guardian looked at him, and for a moment, Akira felt as though his soul were laid bare to her.
 
“Do not worry, Akira Stormhammer.
 
We will find the Shinobi quickly.
 
There is little where he can hide.”
 
She smiled sadly.
 
“While we appreciate your offer to help us, we were hoping for more of a commitment on the part of your clan.
 
Still, you are one warrior.”

Akira nodded.
 
“I would be honored to help you any way I can.
 
The enemy has broken through your first wall.”

Kanayo nodded.
 
“I know.
 
But Neko-tori has nine walls and nine gates.
 
As much as we do not wish for them to break through one gate, they will have eight more to try to break through.”

“But Nanashi has magic!” Kasumi said.
 
“He could easily break through.”

Kanayo turned and looked at Kasumi.
 
The Guardian’s demeanor changed abruptly and she frowned.
 
“You?
 
You dared to bargain where you should not have?”

Kasumi shook her head frantically.
 
“Guardian, I had to…We were dying.
 
Forgive me.”

Keiko turned to her daughter, her face pale.
 
“What did you do, my daughter?”

The Guardian shook her head sadly.
 
“Your daughter has bargained with oni.
 
She bears the stench and the mark of demons on her.”
 
She waved her hand.

Kasumi screamed in agony as the Guardian’s magic forced her to change her form from human to cat.
 
Akira was used to seeing her change, but never had seen it forced on her.
 
He was appalled.
 
Her human scream became a cat scream as her forked tail was revealed to all.
 
The Guardian had forced her into a small black cat’s body.
 
The little cat hissed and spit at them.

Akira put his hand on the no-dachi’s hilt.
 
“Change her back.”

The four tigers around the
Kimon
broke their positions and approached the edge of the island, snarling.

Kanayo looked at him mildly.
 
“What do you intend to do with your no-dachi, Stormhammer?
 
Strike me down?
 
To do so would leave the
Kimon
open for Nanashi and the oni.
 
With my death, Nanashi would win and the
Kimon
would open to this world and bring an army of demons.
 
Is this truly what you want?”

Akira stared first at the Guardian then at Keiko, whose head was bowed.
 
“Keiko-san, this is your daughter.”

Keiko looked up, her eyes shining with tears.
 
“I know, Stormhammer.
 
My daughter has failed.”
 
She dropped to her knees and wept.
 
“There is nothing I can do.”

“I don’t believe that.”

Kanayo waved her hand, and the cat vanished.

Akira wheeled on her.
 
“Where’d she go?”

“Kasumi will soon become a Bakeneko,” the Guardian said.
 
“She is safe for the moment, but she is no longer welcome.
 
You now have a choice: you may join us or leave.”

Akira stared at Kanayo.
 
“Just like that?
 
You think that I would abandon her?
 
She gave her life to save mine!”
 
He drew Windspirit.
 
He didn’t care if the tigers tore into him.
 
“I won’t leave her!”
 
He raised the sword for an overhead strike.

“Then join her.”
 
With that, the Guardian waved her hand, and Akira fell into blackness.