The Healer: A Young Adult Romantic Fantasy (The Healer Series Book 1) (28 page)

The road wound its way down a steep incline and opened up into a long gravelly driveway. A two-story, red brick house rose up in the distance. It looked pretty ordinary from where I was seated. I was kind of disappointed. I’m not really sure what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t something so nondescript.

A small feminine figure waited for us in the front yard. My father pulled in and parked, and we unloaded ourselves and our possessions from the car.

Ms. Mori instructed us to take our shoes off at the front door, and then herded us inside and down a hallway that opened up into a large, cozy den. The walls were lined with hundreds of ancient looking books, and there were large brown mats that covered the entire floor. They felt cool on my bare feet. Two rocking chairs sat in either corner of the room and two large brown sofas faced one another in the middle. I could smell incense burning in the corner. It had a nice lived in feeling, and I got the impression Ms. Mori spent a lot of her free time in this particular room.

She directed us to sit down. My father, Angie and I sat on one sofa, while Tie, Victor and Ms. Mori sat on the other like we were facing off.

“Tell me what has happened,” she said in her slightly accented voice.

Victor, always ready to take charge, shared the events of the night starting with his and Tie’s visit to the hospital and ending with our decision to come here. Ms. Mori appeared to be taking it all in stride, but I could see her hands gripped tightly in her lap.

“The nekomata should not have found Hope so quickly,” she said once Victor was finished. “I’ve been teaching Hope for several weeks, and even
I
wasn’t sure it was her.”

“Why doesn’t anyone ever take me seriously? I’ve been telling you it’s Hope for months now.” Tie leaned forward in his seat and glared at Victor as if he was to blame for Ms. Mori’s uncertainty.

“What do you people want with my daughter? She may have healing powers, but she’s still none of your business,” my father said.

“She isn’t your daughter, Dr. Fairmont. At least her spirit doesn’t belong to you,” she replied in a gentle tone.

I grabbed my father’s hand and held it tight. This was not what I’d expected to hear.

“What are you talking about?”

“Look, I need to start from the beginning, and in order to do that I’ll need to explain to you who we are,” she said in a patient voice. I was certain I didn’t want to hear any of this.

“Tie, Victor, and I are called kami. Our origins date back to the very beginning of creation, and therefore, must be discussed at another time. Our first parents, Izanami and Izagami, went on to give birth to a large number of gods called kami. There exist various legends, religions, and folklore all doing their best to pin down exactly what we are, but the truth is kami are deities of substance, and each kami has a specific role to perform.”

“Stop right there,” I said. “You’re telling me you three are gods? Am

I supposed to bow down and worship you or something?”

“I’m not buying this,” Angie cut in, “at least not in Tie’s case. He doesn’t have a spiritual bone in his body. There’s no way a real god could ever be capable of such spot on sarcasm. Gods are supposed to be perfect, right?”

“I thought I
was
perfect. Hope, don’t I look perfect to you?” Tie grinned and gave me a flirtatious wink.

I involuntarily shivered which made his smile grow brighter.

Ms. Mori gave him a stern look. “Now is not the time for frivolous behavior, Tie. This is serious.”

He nodded to her respectfully, something I wouldn’t have been able to imagine him showing if I hadn’t seen it for myself. Ms. Mori started again.

“We are not the kind of gods you pray to for salvation. The only reason we are considered gods is because we are immortal and have been given various assignments and responsibilities by our first parents to take care of the heavens, the earth, and all life that dwells within it.”

“So, you’re like Japanese guardian angels?” Angie asked. Victor and Tie broke out into peals of laughter.

I glared at them, thinking Angie’s question had been perfectly reasonable. I’d been wondering it myself.

“We aren’t assigned to specific people. More like specific groups of people, places, and things. Victor, for example, is a kami warrior. He descends from a long line of warrior gods created by Bishamonten, the god of warriors,” Ms. Mori explained.

“Are you in charge of creating war or something?” I asked feeling a quick flash of revulsion.

“No, not at all,” he reassured. “Most warrior gods champion those who fight evil. We keep the forces of good and evil balanced.”

“What is it that you do to balance the forces of good and evil?”

“I’m the keeper of the Grass Cutter Sword.” He referred to the sword in reverent tones.

I, on the other hand, almost started laughing. Seriously? Grass Cutter Sword? I had this mental image of Victor wielding an oversized weed wacker while seated atop a driving lawn mower. I was totally losing it.

“Well, I’m completely lost,” Angie announced.

“I still don’t understand what this has to do with Hope,” my father cut in.

My father’s frustration and impatience was palpable. He was sick of the entire situation. I wasn’t sure if he even believed what Ms. Mori shared with us, but if my father was anything he was thorough. He wasn’t going to leave now until he learned everything there was to learn about the dangers we faced.

“I’m getting to that, Dr. Fairmont. I understand your impatience, but this bit of history really is necessary in order for you to understand why Hope is so important, not only to us, but to the demon god Amatsu-Mikaboshi,” Ms. Mori said.

“What an awful name. Doesn’t exactly role off the tongue, does it?” Angie quipped folding her arms and looking up at the ceiling.

“Not every kami was pleased with the assignment given them,” Ms. Mori said. “Some rebelled against our creators and lost their human forms becoming something unnatural and evil. Amatsu-Mikaboshi was one of those who became angered with his role in this universe.”

“What was he supposed to do?” I asked.

“He was to welcome the souls of those gone from this earth back into the folds of heaven. What he really wanted was what our first parents have. He wanted to create life, worlds, galaxies. Simply put, he wanted power. His rebellion cost him his original position and split the heavens in two. It was the first time anyone had ever rebelled against the gods, and as a result, the seed of evil was planted within the hearts of men. Instead of welcoming those souls who are to return to a place of rest and peace with our creators, he welcomes the souls of those he’s managed to poison into the land of the dead.”

“Well, that sucks,” said Angie.

The corners of Ms. Mori’s mouth twitched upward.

“Okay,” my father said, “so we have the main gods, we have lesser gods called kami, and kami have roles to play and rules to follow. Now we have the first signs of evil from a rebellious kami who doesn’t play nice with others.”

“Correct, Dr. Fairmont. Amatsu’s behavior instilled such evil in the hearts of men it was imperative this evil be contained. A veil was placed between the world of the dead and the world of the living. Amatsu was banished there, never to be released. The kami that followed him were turned into nekomata by the evil they so willingly served. Those spirits who live lives of evil on this earth are sent to the land of the dead, and Amatsu is given dominion over them.”

“So, what does the Grass Cutter Sword do?” I asked. I stifled back a snort when I said it.

Victor gave me a strange look, taking note of my poorly hidden amusement.

“It’s the power behind the veil’s strength. Whoever wields it is in charge of protecting the veil. Unfortunately, the veil has become weaker over the ages. Men are more easily persuaded to do evil instead of good, and the more followers Amatsu receives into the land of the dead the more powerful he becomes. He’d love nothing more than to break the veil entirely and steal the Grass Cutter Sword from those that oppose evil. With the sword, he’d have the power to banish all of us for good, and the earth would be his to do with as he pleases.”

“Is that why the nekomata are able to leave the land of the dead? This veil is getting weaker?” my father asked a little hoarsely.

“Yes, that is why the nekomata are able to come into our world,” she replied.

“If they can come, why can’t Amatsu?” I asked.

“His banishment is much more powerful because he has dominion there. As the kami of the underworld he cannot leave unless the veil is broken,” Victor said, giving me a meaningful look.

My thoughts raced back to the moment I’d broken through that strange barrier to heal Kirby. Had I inadvertently weakened the veil?

“Why doesn’t this demon god come after you?” I asked him. “You’re the one with the Grass Cutter Sword.”

“He isn’t worried about me because he knows the veil is failing. His main concern is capturing the one person who can help strengthen it.”

“It’s Hope,” my father said dumbfounded.

“What’s Hope?” Angie asked.

“She’s the one who can help keep the veil from breaking.” My father glanced at me and his lips pursed into a thin line. He was about to go into full overprotective parent mode.

This time I did laugh. I knew it was probably inappropriate, but I just couldn’t help myself. All my life I’d been doing everything I could to keep people healthy and happy, healing anyone who needed me. It was something I felt so passionate about. I’d always thought my role on this earth was important and meaningful, and I knew someday I’d understand the reasons behind my abilities. Finding out my real purpose in this life was to heal some invisible veil that kept a demon god and his minions at bay felt like one big let-down.

“You find this funny, Hope?” Ms. Mori asked. She raised a disapproving eyebrow at me.

“Incredibly,” I replied, wiping my eyes with my fingers. “This has to be a joke. I heal people, not invisible veils meant to keep out rebellious deities. I connect with life forces and give them instructions. Nothing I do translates into healing something that doesn’t live and breathe.”

Ms. Mori exchanged a look with Victor. I noticed Tie watching me with a guarded look on his face. He didn’t seem very happy, but trying to figure out what was annoying him this time seemed pointless and time consuming. I had other things to worry about.

“Why me?” I asked them all. “Why am I the one who’s supposed to be able to do this? Tie is capable of healing himself, and Victor has some healing powers as well. Why can’t one of them do it?”

“All kami are capable of healing themselves, Hope. This is how we remain immortal. Our life forces instinctively know how to keep us living forever. We are in a constant state of healing. Victor diverts some of his power between himself and the Grass Cutter Sword in order to maintain the veil’s strength, but he cannot continue on like this without help.”

“So let Tie help him,” I said slapping my knee in frustration.

“He can’t, Hope. Every kami has a specific role they must play, and they cannot perform any other role without throwing the heavens and earth out of balance.”

“How long has this veil been weakening?” my father asked.

“It started about a thousand years ago,” Tie stated.

“Then why wasn’t there someone like Hope, ready and waiting to help strengthen it when that happened?”

“There was someone,” Ms. Mori said. “The gods knew that the veil would eventually become weaker as the centuries passed. They found a way to solve that problem, and a prophecy was given concerning the birth of a baby girl to a specific deity and a human empress. It was vital that the girl be half mortal and half immortal in order for her to be endowed with specific gifts and powers. Her immortal father was called Fukurokuju. His role was giving special blessings of health and longevity. The mortal mother was an imperial princess and then an empress of Japan. Her noble blood line and her humanity were key elements in producing a child who had healing powers.”

“Why couldn’t two kami with healing powers have produced a child who could’ve strengthened the veil?” my father asked.

“Kami are immortal and cannot have children. At least, the female kami can’t. It diverts their power to heal and begins the aging process. Also, the child had to have mortal blood in her bloodline. She had to be able to learn how to heal others and heal herself. Without this kind of knowledge she would’ve been incapable of connecting with the veil and strengthening it.”

“There seem to have been quite a few stipulations for such a desperate situation,” Angie piped in.

“Angie,” Victor started.

She held up her hands to ward off an argument. “All I’m saying is when push comes to shove beggars can’t be choosers. It just seems ridiculously complicated to me. You crazy deities are always making these life or death situations so impossible to overcome. If I were you, I’d be exhausted.”

I was getting annoyed by all the interruptions, even from my best friend. I just wanted them to get to the point so I could lie down and pass out somewhere. With any luck, I’d wake up in Germany with my father, in search of tasty German foods and a handsome looking Latino.