The Forbidden Library (46 page)

Ooloolarra reached out again and her hand passed through Lu Bei. Then she faded away from their view. Along with her, the stable, the village, and the library all faded away. The sun overhead was so dim its light could barely penetrate the clouds. The ground was not ice anymore but dust and rock. The terrain around them was barren and hugged by eerie drifts of mist. 

“That was perfect, master.” Lu Bei laughed. “Can’t believe she fell for it.”

“Do you really think you fooled her?” said Hannya, her deep voice vibrating from the sword and surprising them all.

“You think she was just playing along?” Turesobei asked.

“She was giving you a chance to best her and knew you had a plan,” Hannya replied. “Otherwise, why not demand you leave Lu Bei with her in the library? She could have done so.”

“You’re probably right,” Turesobei said.

“I know I am right,” Lady Hannya replied. “Kaiaru such as her love to play these games.”

Lu Bei nodded as he flew over to Enashoma. “Her and Master use to do these sorts of things all the time with one another. A sign of respect, I think.”

Enashoma planted a big kiss on Lu Bei’s cheek. “I don’t care why or how, I’m just glad he’s sticking with us. Though you could’ve said something.”

“I didn’t want her to find out by accident,” Turesobei said. “Thought it best to keep it just between Lady Hannya, Lu Bei, and myself.”

“Too bad she didn’t find out,” Iniru replied with an over-the-top, fake scowl. “I’d rather we have left the little jerk.”

Lu Bei stuck his tongue out and blew a raspberry at her.

“Is it just me,” Zaiporo said, shivering, “or is it actually colder here?”

“It’s a mystical cold,” Turesobei said. “Caused by the absence of life and love. No amount of clothing can shield you from it.”

Lu Bei popped up in front of everyone. “My lords and ladies, and you two.” He pointed at Iniru and Kemsu. “Welcome to the Shadowland. Do not stray, or you will become lost and die. Do not panic. We will be here for only a short while. Because otherwise, we would die.”

Lu Bei’s speech wasn’t really necessary. Turesobei had already explained it to them all that morning. Having never been here before, it clearly unnerved them, though they were putting on brave faces. It should unnerve them. He’d been here through astral projection several times along with Grandfather Kahenan, and in the nightmare with Awasa, but being here physically was another matter altogether. It felt terrible, like half his life had been sucked out of him.

“So this … this is where people go when they die?” Kemsu asked.

“They pass through the deeper layers,” Lady Hannya explained. “But they do not stay long, a few moments maybe, though some linger. Most souls quickly head on to Paradise or Oblivion or Torment. Do not think too much on it. I find it is best that way. We are only in the first layer of the Shadowland. It gets less pleasant and more dangerous the farther in you go. You should get moving.”

As they rode, they tried talking to one another to calm their nerves, but that failed. Their voices were weak and silence dominated the Shadowland. Even Lu Bei’s chatter trailed off eventually. Turesobei worried about Kurine because she was closest to death, but the stasis was still preserving her.

After an hour riding top speed, Zaiporo said, “I really don’t see the point in going back … to the real world I mean. It’s fine here. I thought it was bad at first, but it’s really not. You get used to all the gray.”

Enashoma sighed. “We could ride toward Paradise, you and I.”

It was the sort of statement that might have made Zaiporo dance with glee any other time. Instead his response was flat. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

“I’d be okay with Oblivion,” Narbenu said.

Kemsu began to stray out of the line, heading toward some random spot in the distance.

“Oblivion, Paradise … all that sounds like too much trouble,” Iniru said. “I’d be happy if we just stopped and took a nap.”

“It’s time to go, master,” Motekeru said.

Turesobei snapped out of the near trancelike state he’d fallen into and noticed his disinterested mount was slithering along at half-speed. 

“Oh, right. Lady Hannya …”

Adding in his own power, to the point it nearly knocked him out, he helped Hannya tug them back into reality. He was a little disturbed that she’d been willing to keep them here longer but he didn’t say anything about it.

With what seemed like a crack of thunder, they returned to the real world. Even the Glass Sea had a vibrance and life to it that was breathtaking. The snow and ice sparkled a thousand shades of pink and white under the crimson sun. The sky was many shades of deep blue and purple overhead. The sonoke snorted and sped up, playfully racing one another.

Narbenu took in a deep breath and exhaled a laugh of relief. “Really gives you an appreciation of life, don’t it?”

“That it does,” Turesobei said.

“No difference to me,” Motekeru said. “But the hounds didn’t like it.” The hounds had, indeed, whimpered throughout their Shadowland journey. 

“I can’t believe I wanted to stay,” Enashoma said.

“Worry not, fair lady,” Lu Bei said. “It was the Shadowland tempting you. We all would have fallen to it eventually.”

“Even you?” Zaiporo said.

“Even me, though I would not have died. I would have wandered the Shadowland for ages until I turned into a demon.”

“He is not joking,” said Hannya. “That is what happens to those who never pass on.”

*****

As sunset approached, Turesobei stopped them. 

“Let’s go ahead and make camp.”

“Shouldn’t we keep riding a few more hours under the moon mirrors?” Iniru said. “Avida is rising. That ought to help. And the sea is free of obstructions.”

“Another hour of riding and my simulacrum ritual will start fading because we’ll be too far away from the amulet. Once we are out of range, Awasa will know and they will pursue us. So we might as well get a good night of sleep before the magic fades out.”

“Oh, that makes sense then,” Iniru replied. “Assuming it worked and it fooled her.”

Turesobei closed his eyes and concentrated. “I can’t feel her pursuing us, so I assume so.”

“You’re that connected to her?” Iniru said, with a hint of worry in her voice. “I knew she could track you, but I didn’t know you could sense her.” 

“It’s not a strong connection. I wouldn’t want to rely on it.”

Motekeru began cutting blocks out of the ice, and the others stacked the blocks to build a giant snowhouse. Narbenu was back to his old insistence on separate snowhouses, but Turesobei had talked him back into a single snowhouse with blankets hung down the middle.

“If you end up in my world,” Turesobei told him, “at least your moral standards won’t be a problem.”

Narbenu laughed. “Assuming people accept how we look different?”

“You’re not that different from Iniru,” Turesobei replied.

“The Chonda will accept you well enough because of Turesobei,” Zaiporo replied, “but I don’t think you’d feel at home or particularly welcome. I’m heading to Zangaiden. Hopefully Shoma will go there with me. But I’m not sure how well you’d fit in even there.”

Zaiporo glanced toward Enashoma, but she said nothing and pretended to be too busy to notice.

“You’d probably do best among my people,” Iniru said. “The k’chasa would accept you. The city of Dogo Daiyen in the far west would definitely welcome you, too. But something tells me a city of a million people would be overwhelming for you.”

“A million people?” Kemsu shook his head. “I find it hard to imagine your world. Leagues and leagues of trees and fields. Millions of people crammed into one location. Even ten thousand in one spot would amaze me. It sounds wondrous. And …”

“A bit frightening,” Narbenu added.

Turesobei cast the
spell of sensing presences
to make his regular check before they turned in. As he scanned he picked up something, but only for a moment. It had seemed almost human, but it was gone. His brow furrowed in concentration, he knelt and placed his palms on the ice.

“What is it, master?” Lu Bei whispered.

Even after doubling the spell’s energy, he couldn’t sense anything. Turesobei shook his head. “Nothing. I thought for a moment that I had picked something up but it’s gone now, if it was ever there at all.”

“The yomon?” Iniru asked. 

“Definitely not one of them,” he replied.

“A reitsu?” Lu Bei said. “We haven’t seen them in a while.”

“I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure they gave up after the blizzard in the canyon. Haven’t detected one since. Don’t think they’d have kept after us on the sea or waited outside the library. I’m not sure what it was. A beast of some sort … or maybe just a mistake. The spell’s not perfect. Hannya, did you sense anything?”

She replied telepathically, “I’m not sensing anything powerful or demonic.”

“Probably nothing then,” Turesobei said. “But I’ll check again before I go to sleep, just to be safe.”

With the snowhouse finished and the sonoke resting in the trench, they went inside. As the others tapped a couple of star-stones to life, Turesobei removed the sheathed dark-steel sword from his back and placed it onto his blanket so he could keep it beside him.

The others glanced at the blade, nervously. None of them had asked him anything about it. Probably they wanted to but were terrified. He was carrying around a sword containing the legendary Earth Dragon Hannya. In a way, this was the most ridiculous thing he had ever experienced.

“Why are you smiling?” Zaiporo asked.

Turesobei touched the ruby kavaru in the sword’s hilt. “The Earth Dragon. Amazing, huh? Would you like to meet her?”

“I’m good,” Zaiporo said. “No offense to you, my lady.”

Turesobei could feel a vibration in the blade that he thought was laughter.

*****

Over the next three days they rode until the mounts couldn’t go any longer. Late on the third night, as they set up camp, Hannya spoke to Turesobei.

“You are getting close. Not even a whole day’s ride left. You should make it there by midmorning.”

Turesobei relayed the news to the others.

“Good, because our food supply’s nearly gone,” said Narbenu. “Hope we can find food in this Nexus we’re going to.”

There was little game out on the ice and they didn’t have time to hunt, and they certainly didn’t have enough time to dig holes ten feet deep through the ice for fishing.

Turesobei stood gazing south, back toward the Forbidden Library. “I can feel Awasa getting close. She is not far away now.”

“I can see her, too,” Hannya said telepathically. 

“Do we need to keep moving?” Iniru said.

“Mounts have got to have some rest now or we’ll kill them within an hour or two,” Narbenu said.

Turesobei frowned. “I think we have enough of a lead. We’ll get up early as we can and head out.”

*****

Turesobei woke. The snowhouse was barely lit. Kemsu was pulling on his parka and his overboots.

“Narbenu went outside to get the mounts ready,” Kemsu whispered. “Thought I’d go help him. I couldn’t sleep either. And I do need to repair a strap on one of the saddles.”

“Worried about leaving your world?”

“Yeah,” Kemsu whispered. “Narbenu and I both are, but we’ll be all right. Just want to keep busy so I don’t think about it too much, you know.”

Turesobei yawned and tried to pry his eyes open. “You need me to help?”

“No, you rest. You’ve got about another hour before the sky starts to lighten. I’ll wake you when it’s time.”

“I’ll send Motekeru out with you.”

Kemsu drew a hanging blanket back, revealing Motekeru in the corner on the girl’s side cradling Kurine with Enashoma and the hounds curled up against him. Since he’d eaten the vine spirit’s heart, Motekeru’s body generated more heat than anyone else’s by far. Without a blanket under him, he would melt the ice overnight. 

“I don’t want to disturb them.”

Drifting off, Turesobei nodded in understanding.

He slept until Hannya, in her human form, appeared to him within a dream and yelled, “Turesobei, awake now!”

Chapter 57

Hannya’s shout thundered through his brain.

Turesobei snapped awake.

A tall, slender form shot toward him. A dagger flashed in the wan light of a star-stone — white steel! 

“Twist left!” Hannya warned.

Turesobei wrenched his body to the left. The white-steel dagger missed his heart and sliced across his ribs. He grabbed the hilt of Fangthorn.

“The other way!” Hannya said.

Turesobei twisted back to the right. The second strike also missed his heart but stabbed deep into his shoulder. The assailant didn’t draw the blade out. Instead she twisted the blade and grabbed him by the neck with her free hand.