Koyasan

by Darren Shan

  For a moment, Koyasan wavered. She thought about her parents and how they’d welcome her back. Her friends and how amazed they’d be when she told them her story. She’d be a hero, regardless of whether she returned with Maiko’s soul or not.

  But Koyasan wasn’t interested in being a hero or impressing her friends. She had come here for one purpose only — to save her sister. A valiant failure would bring her no comfort whatsoever.

  “No,” she said silently to the inner voice. “I go back with Maiko’s soul or I don’t go back at all.”

  As though the forest had been waiting for her to make such a decision, the branches of the trees ahead of her swayed in a sudden sharp wind, and the bushes gave way. When she pushed through them, she found herself in a domed clearing. It was a large circle, devoid of trees and bushes, but covered high overhead by the leaves and branches of the surrounding trees, which formed a canopy over the clearing, blocking out the sky, stars and moon.

  It should have been pitch black in the dome, but Koyasan was actually able to see better than ever. Because at the centre, hovering close above the ground, was a ball of pulsing, glorious light. It was maybe the size and shape of a pumpkin, filled with every sort of colour Koyasan had ever seen and many she hadn’t.

  It could be nothing other than Maiko’s dislocated soul.

  Koyasan started forward in great excitement... then stopped. Itako had told her she must face three spirits before she could rescue Maiko’s soul. Yet here she was, the soul glowing ahead of her, nothing between Koyasan and her goal. Had Itako been mistaken? Had Koyasan only needed to defeat two of the evil spirits?

  It seemed unlikely. Itako had been right about everything else. This wasn’t as straightforward as it appeared.

  Taking a step back, Koyasan began to circle the dome, preparing herself for an attack. She caught a glimpse of movement close to her right, but it was only the skeletal mouse. It had followed her to the dome and was now mincing along after her. Maybe it thought she had cheese to give it.

  As Koyasan smiled at the thought of the mouse trying to eat cheese - the bits trickling through its bones as soon as it gulped a mouthful down - the ground ahead of Maiko’s soul trembled and growled. Koyasan thought it was the start of an earthquake. But then the crust of the earth split and something sharp and triangular thrust upwards, and Koyasan knew this was no earth tremor, but the entrance of the third and final spirit.

  She watched with amazement as the spirit grew into being. It was massive, far bigger than either of the others. It grew to twice the size of a man... three times... five... only stopping when the top of its head brushed against the roof of the dome.

  And what a head it was! The spirit’s body was man- shaped, but the head was a huge upside-down pyramid, accounting for maybe two-thirds of its height. It was the colour of clay. It sat on the neck of the spirit, the tip of the pyramid buried in the flesh of the creature’s upper torso. Like the colourfully dressed spirit* it had no eyes or mouth. Yet Koyasan was certain it somehow saw her.

  The spirit stood in front of Maiko’s soul* blocking Koyasan’s view. Its arms were crossed over its chest, and Koyasan could sense it secretly grinning at her. She waited for it to move, but it held its position, its massive head steady on its shoulders, as though standing to attention.

  Koyasan edged to her left* to see how the spirit would react. It moved when she did, keeping itself between Koyasan and Maiko’s soul. Koyasan went faster and the spirit moved more quickly too. She took a step towards it — the spirit did nothing. Another step — no reaction. Another... and she saw the head tilt ever so slightly forward.

  Koyasan leapt back quickly and the spirit’s head straightened. She understood now how this spirit worked. Unlike the others, it wouldn’t chase her. It was content to stand here and block her path to Maiko’s soul. If she came too close, it would lean forward and let its head crash down on top of her, squashing her flat.

  It appeared that Koyasan had met her match. There was no way a tiny girl like her could defeat a behemoth like this. It didn’t have any weak points. If there’d been more time, and she had the proper tools, perhaps she could dig a tunnel and burrow beneath it. But night was drawing on and she had only her hands to dig with.

  If she’d met this spirit before facing the others, Koyasan would probably have given up hope and either slunk away, defeated, or tried to dart around it — which would have resulted in the spirit crushing her. But she’d grown as the night progressed and learnt from her experiences with the first two spirits. She knew she could defeat this monster somehow. This thing had taken its shape from her, and because she was imperfect, the spirit must have its imperfections too. It was just a case ofputting herself in the spirit’s place and thinking about what she would do, and how she could be outfoxed, if she had a head the size of...

  Koyasan smiled. It seemed too simple, but she was sure it would work. The thing about spirits was that they were simple. No matter how frightening or invincible these creatures looked, they weren’t as clever or complicated as humans. They were shades of the dead, mere shadows of the night. And there wasn’t a shadow in the world that could stand up against a good strong light.

  Koyasan studied the spirit’s head, trying to get an accurate measurement. Then she examined the ground, silently counting off paces. She took a step backwards. Another. One more to be absolutely sure. Then, facing the spirit, she smiled politely... and bowed.

  Immediately, automatically, bound by the rules of politeness — just as Koyasan was — the spirit bowed in reply.

  The neck held its grip on the head for maybe two seconds as the spirit bent, giving Koyasan a scare and making her think she’d misjudged it. But then gravity took control and the giant head came thudding down to earth, snapping the flesh and bones of the spirit’s neck and chest, hammering into the ground like a meteor which had fallen from the sky.

  A great cloud of dust, pebbles, twigs and leaves rose into the air, filling the dome. Koyasan had to close her eyes and cover her mouth with the top of her shirt, and wait for the dust to settle. When it did, after a couple of minutes, and she opened her eyes, she saw the head imbedded in the earth, the nearest edge no more than a worm’s wriggle away from her toes. It had been closer than she’d realised!

  She couldn’t see the body until she nudged round the head. When she got a clear view of it, she was pleased to see it lying stiffly on the ground, as lifeless as its giant head.

  And behind the motionless body, pulsing more brightly than ever, hung Maiko’s beautiful soul.

  Koyasan felt as if she was erupting with joy as she raced towards the prize at the centre of the dome. She’d won! She had defeated the three spirits, found Maiko’s soul and kept her silence. There was nothing the other spirits could do to detain her. They were bound by the rules of their own game. All she had to do was collect the soul, take it home and—

  As her left foot came down, the skeletal mouse darted forward, grabbed the side of the foot with its tiny paws and sank its teeth as deeply into the flesh as it could bite. Caught by surprise, Koyasan did two things simultaneously. First, she kicked the bony mouse away. And, at the same time, reacting instinctively, she yelled, “Ow!” at the top of her voice.

  Before the echoes died away, the dome filled with more spirits than Koyasan could count. They materialised out of thin air with the inhuman speed of bodyless ghosts. And she knew, within the space of a panic-stricken heartbeat, that all was tragically lost.

  A SWAP

  KOYASAN NEVER guessed there would be so many spirits. She should have known, by the amount of tombs and headstones, as well as the legends. But she had never truly believed that the spirits of the dead would haunt the ancient graveyard in such massive, uncountable numbers.

  They filled not just the dome, but all the area around it. Koyasan could hear them muttering and cackling beyond the cover of the bushes and trees, trying to push forward to see what would happen next. The dome could only accommodate a small percenta
ge of the spirits. Koyasan guessed that those who were here must be the more powerful and prestigious of the dead... and thus the most dangerous.

  Unlike the three spirits she’d faced and defeated individually, these didn’t have fixed shapes. They were whirls and bubbles of light, a bit like the ball of Maiko’s soul, only larger and duller, shifting and swirling, taking on new shapes as they curled round Koyasan, pressing closer and closer, menace clear in the way they hissed and laughed — not human laughter, but the cold, humourless chuckling of those who’d been tickled by death.

  “Ssssilly girl,” one or more of the spirits said, the words coming from several different directions at once. “Sssso closssse to the prize. Defeated by a humble mousssse.”

  “I won,” Koyasan sobbed, pleading even though she knew it was useless. “I beat the spirits. I found Maiko’s soul.”

  “Yessss,” the spirits replied. “But you broke the ssssilenccce. You mussst be quiet around the dead. You mussst ressspect the sssssilenccccccce.”

  Something icy and jagged scraped the back of Koyasan’s neck. She spun away from it, slapping out. But there was nothing there when she looked.

  “This isn’t fair!” Koyasan shouted, angry tears in her eyes.

  “Fair?' the spirits snorted with contempt. “What do the living know about fairnessss? You have a body, flesssh, life. You have other humanssss to play with and the whole world to explore. Ssssso many people to mix with and thingssss to experiencccce. We have nothing, excccept death, each other, thisss graveyard... and your sssisssster’ssss ssssoul... and now you!”

  The spirits laughed cruelly, and again something scratched Koyasan’s neck. This time she didn’t react. She was too busy thinking. The spirits were bitter. They sounded angry because they were bored and imprisoned here. Maybe that was something she could use. But how...?

  “What will you do with me?” Koyasan asked, playing for time.

  “Kill you, of coursssse,” the spirits sneered.

  “Torture her firsssst,” came a voice from somewhere outside the dome.

  “Naturally,” the closer spirits said.

  “We want ssssome of her too,” a third voice chimed.

  “There will be enough for everyone,” the spirits within the dome snapped.

  “No, there won’t,” Koyasan said, seeing her chance.

  The spirits went quiet.

  “It will be daylight soon,” Koyasan pressed on. “You can’t keep me here when the sun rises. You’ll have to kill me before that. There won’t be time for you to torture me.”

  “Nonsssensssse,” the spirits hissed. "It issss alwayssss dark here. The ssssun can’t bother usssss in thissss placccce. We can take all the time we pleassssse.”

  “I’ll fight,” Koyasan growled. “You’ll have to kill me.”

  “You can’t fight ussss,” the spirits snarled. “Maybe sssshe can/’ a spirit outside the dome chipped in. “Ssssshe beat the three we ssssent againsssst her. Perhapsssss...”

  The spirits began arguing among themselves in muted mumbles. Koyasan stood stilly shivering, trying to listen to what they were saying. But their voices were too low. She thought about grabbing Maiko’s soul and running, but she’d never make it. At least, if the spirits were talking to her, there was a chance she could convince them to let her go. But if she angered them, they’d fall on her in a furious huddle and rip her to pieces before she could blink.

  Finally, the shapes stopped flickering and the arguments ceased.

  “You are a clever, courageousssss girl,” the spirits said. “You entertained usss tonight. And there’sss no denying you are of more interessst to ussss than your sssisssster.”

  “Essspecccially asss ssssshe doesssn’t have a body,” a spirit outside the dome shouted. “If we’d kept her body, like I ssssaid...”

  “Sssssilenccce!” the spirits closest to Koyasan roared. When there was no response, they addressed Koyasan again, angrily this time. “We will do a deal. You came here to ssssave your sssisssster. If you agree to our termsss, we will sssend her ssssoul back to her body.”

  “You’ll let her go?” Koyasan gasped.

  “Yessss. You have our word and the dead cannot lie.”

  “What will I have to do in return?” Koyasan asked suspiciously.

  The spirits chuckled. “Sssstay here, of courssssse. With ussss. To be tortured and killed in our own good time.”

  “No!” Koyasan moaned. “There must be some other way, something else that I can...”

  “No,” the spirits snapped. “Sssswap yoursssself for your sssisssster, now, or we kill you both. Choossssssssse!” the spirits crowed, and then everything went silent.

  NO

  Koyasan had no real choice. The spirits had her where they wanted her. If she said no to their offer, they’d kill her and let Maiko’s soul perish when the sun rose. Koyasan couldn’t save herself. The spirits would slaughter her no matter what she did. If she rejected their deal and fought, the best she could hope for was a quick, painless death. But that would mean letting Maiko die too. It would be better if she agreed to their terms and let them torture her. That way, at least Maiko would live. Better one die horribly and one live than both perish.

  Koyasan opened her mouth to agree to the spirits’ terms ... then closed it without saying a word.

  There was no need to rush her decision. She had a few minutes to play with. She’d learnt tonight that you should never abandon hope. Her situation had looked bleak each time she’d faced a spirit, and her initial instinct had been to surrender quickly to them. But by delaying and employing her wits, she’d survived.

  “Yes,” the inner voice remarked drily, “but those were individual spirits. You can’t fight or trick this many. You’re finished.”

  “Not necessarily,” Koyasan replied silently. “These spirits were human once. You can always bargain with humans. Everybody wants a better deal in life — why should it be any different in death? If I can offer them something more attractive than my torture and murder...”

  “Like what?” the voice sneered.

  Koyasan didn’t respond. She was remembering the bitterness in the spirits’ voices when they complained about her being alive, all the people she could mix with, the many things she, as one of the living, could experience. These spirits were confined to the graveyard. Nothing ever happened here. They had nobody to interact with, nothing to break the boredom.

  Children came in the daytime, but the spirits could only watch them enviously as they played and enjoyed themselves. And at night they were alone here, nothing new to experience or do, prisoners of eternity. Koyasan could see how hatred had grown and spread here, why they wanted to torture and kill her. They weren’t evil by nature — they just wanted to do something different for once, to relieve the misery and boredom.

  They thought killing was their only option. Everybody in the village feared and avoided the spirits. There was nothing they could do with Koyasan except murder her, so that was what they’d made up their minds to do. But they were wrong. If Koyasan could conquer her fear, and think of the spirits as lonely souls rather than malicious agents of destruction, maybe they could come to an arrangement by which all of them would benefit.

  It was hard to overcome the beliefs of a lifetime. Koyasan had always been terrified of the spirits. She’d been raised to think of them as wholly evil, beyond approach or compromise. But she’d undergone a transformation tonight. The world no longer looked as simple as it had the day before. Maybe the dead were like the living, neither entirely good nor entirely evil by nature, instead moulded by how they’d lived and how other people treated them.

  Koyasan gathered her courage, took a deep, steadying breath, then said, very softly, “No.”

  The spirits didn’t have physical eyes, but she nevertheless had the sensation of thousands of eyelids blinking at the exact same time.

  “What?” the spirits said, too astonished to make their voices sound ominous and threatening.

  “I
won’t swap.”

  “But you have to!” the spirits protested. “We’ll kill you both if you don’t.”

  “I don’t think you’ll kill either of us,” Koyasan said. “Not when you hear what I have to offer instead of our deaths.”

  “More deathssss?” the spirits asked eagerly. “Will you go back and trick a lot of otherssss into coming here, to be killed in your placccce?”

  “No,” Koyasan snorted.

  “Then what?” the spirits grumbled.

  “If you let us go,” Koyasan said, “I’ll promise to come back here one night every week... and play with you.”

  There was a long silence.

  “Isss thissss a joke?” the spirits finally asked.

  “No.”

  “You think we want to play with you?” They sounded offended. “We are powerful, wicked ssspiritssss. We are the dead who have been denied the pleasssuressss of the next world. We exisssst to torment, torture and dessstroy.”

  “No, you don’t,” Koyasan said. “You exist because you don’t have any other choice. You act wickedly because people don’t understand you and treat you like evil monsters. I’m sure some of you were wicked in life, but not all of you. You can’t have been. I bet most of you were normal people and it was just bad luck that you ended up stuck here in this graveyard. Right?”

  The spirits didn’t answer. She could tell her words had troubled them.

  “You’re lonely and bored,” Koyasan said quietly, confidence coming with understanding and sympathy. “You’ve known each other so long, you probably don’t have anything left to talk about. You get glimpses of the world outside, and I’m sure you want to know more about it, how it’s changed, what people are like, what’s happened to the places you used to live and the people you once knew.”