by Fuyumi Ono
“Hey, Shitsu-san, don’t you think maybe it’d be a good idea if we went back?” When Kiwa regarded her with a sour expression, she added, “Even discarding most of the luggage, it’d probably be the safest course.”
“Do that, Shushou, and the two of us would have to walk the rest of the way.”
“Most everybody else is already walking. It’s hardly impossible.”
“But not something I could do. Surely you understand that much.”
Chapter 25
[4-2] Even when Kiwa stopped at noon, he pitched a small tent and spread out a ground tarp. Wheat flour was kneaded into dough, pan-fried over a fire (using a bisque), and served with soup and tea and fruit.
Shushou couldn’t stomach the meal. This wasn’t the kind of food that people traveling in the Yellow Sea should be eating. Come nighttime, Kiwa thought nothing of lighting another fire to cook rice.
“Maybe we should hold off on the fire,” Shushou said, stopping what she was doing.
But Kiwa only responded with a surprised expression. “Without a fire, we won’t be able to eat anything.
“Didn’t the goushi say not to light any fires back when crossed those fallen trees?”
“We’ve traveled well beyond that point.”
Now Shushou was the one taken aback. There was a youma down this road, dangerous enough that the goushi were literally going out of their way to avoid it. That’s why Kinhaku said to keep a low profile, to not light fires and not slaughter any livestock. Because any youma in the vicinity would sense a human presence, see the fires, and smell the blood.
All the more so since they might have passed within a stone’s throw of the creature.
“They didn’t mean that only fires back there were dangerous. They’re a risk everywhere.”
“Fires are a risk?”
“That’s why the goushi only make small fires and put them out as quickly as possible.”
“And so will we, as soon as possible.”
“But in a place like this—”
Kiwa had halted the wagon beneath a tree alongside the road. The tent covering the wagon was fully exposed to the broad expanse around them. Nothing shaded the light of the fire. Like the goushi, they’d fenced in the fire with a screen of branches but clearly didn’t understand why.
The care Gankyuu took in that regard was obvious without explanation. The canopy of the trees masked the presence of human and kijuu and fires, especially from the eyes of flying youma. When the concealing canopy was high above, boughs could be pulled down to form an overhanging lean-to.
Likewise, the screen around the campfire concealed the flames as much as possible. No matter how many branches were stuck around a fire, they’d have no effect if it was stuck out in the open.
“Shitsu-san, the branches surrounding the campfire—”
“Oh, that,” interrupted Kiwa. “You’ve seen those before, haven’t you, Shushou? That corpse hunter does the same thing. A windbreak, I imagine. Or maybe a warding spell. Those corpse hunters do strange things. I have to wonder if it actually amounts to anything.”
Shushou couldn’t believe her ears. He’d trailed after the goushi for weeks, slavishly aping their actions without grasping why they did what they did or what they were trying to achieve. It was as if safety could be found in the mere ritual of copying people who knew more than he did.
“Shitsu-san, please put out that fire.”
“Shushou?”
“The koushu don’t light fires when it’s dangerous. Where there are man-made fires, youma know there are men. A fire is like a bulls-eye to them.”
Kiwa’s eyes opened wide. His mouth popped open like a fish. He cried out, “Extinguish the fires!”
His attendants looked back at him with blank faces. He raised his voice and ordered them to put out the campfires. As the flames winked out, uneasy murmurs filled the dark campsite.
A number of people came up to Kiwa. They weren’t in his retinue but had chosen to follow his party on the Shouzan.
“Shitsu-san, is it wise to keep the campsite this dark?”
“We haven’t finished cooking.”
“I understand your qualms but please put up with it for the time being. Youma are known to target fires.”
Reassured by Kiwa’s explanation, Shushou pointed into the forest. “Beneath a big tree should be okay. Better one with thick foliage and low-lying branches.”
“You must be joking,” Kiwa said, shaking like he’d just had the fright of his life. “Youma are attracted to fire like moths to a flame, are they not?”
“Yes. That’s why you build a small fire beneath a tree and enclose it so it can’t be seen.”
“You think a few boughs are going to block all the light coming from a fire?”
“But—”
“You can see light through the branches of a tree, can’t you? Don’t youma have keen night vision? No, no. Fires are completely out of the question!”
“Not being able to see the area around you is no less dangerous. On a moonless night like tonight, you can keep a fire at safe distance from where you’re sleeping as long as it’s well-concealed and burning low.”
“If you can see your surroundings, then couldn’t whatever’s in your surroundings see a fire?”
“That’s true, but—”
“Wouldn’t you be inviting a youma attack right under your nose?”
“That why a fire at a safe distance from where you’re sleeping—”
“No. That is a risk I simply cannot tolerate.”
Shushou tried her best to explain but now Kiwa had the idea lodged in his head that youma targeted fire and couldn’t shake it loose. He had the ears to hear and wouldn’t listen to a thing.
“Unbelievable,” Shushou sulked to herself. “Like talking to a stump.” She approached one of Kiwa’s attendants and asked to borrow a goat. “I’m not going to steal it or anything. I need it in place of a bed.”
She hurried to a proper-looking tree, ducked beneath the branches and tied the goat to a bush.
“Miss—”
Turning to the person calling out to her, Shushou found several of the people accompanying Kiwa on the Shouzan standing there.
“Traveling with that corpse hunter, you learned the safest way to bed down for the night, didn’t you?”
“I’m not sure what I’ve learned—”
“You’ve been closer to him than the rest of us. At least share with us what you’ve observed.”
“Well, sleep beneath a tree, the leafier the better. Conceal yourselves with bushes like these, or rocks, or fallen trees. A hollow in the earth with do in a pinch.”
“Of course.”
“White tents are easy to spot. In most cases, you should do without. If the branches are tall and long, use a rope to bend them down around you. Or else cut down the boughs and cover yourself with them like a blanket.
“That makes sense.”
“Stick close to trees that emit a strong aroma. And keeping a fire going isn’t a bad idea.”
“But a fire—”
“I’m not talking about a roaring bonfire. Build a hearth and kindle a fire at a good distance but still in sight. Gankyuu cuts down pine boughs and places them over the fire, though I don’t know how to keep a fire smoldering like that without going out.”
“So a fire is better.”
“Fires are always dangerous. But on a night like tonight, doing without is more so. You can’t see any youma that get close. The darker it is, the further away the fire should be. That gives you a margin of safety while remaining visible. Youma have good night vision so the right kind of extra light makes it harder for them to make out details. But you’ll still want to sleep with the horses and kijuu. Animals have keener senses than humans. They’ll react first if a youma gets close. That’ll be the alarm that wakes you up.”
“Yeah, figures,” her audience agreed.
Shushou felt a sudden sense of unease. They were hanging on her every word. Gan
kyuu said they wouldn’t but that wasn’t true. Average folk here really did value what the koushu knew. But should she be the one sharing that knowledge?
They eagerly let her have her say, yet getting the attention she wanted left her feeling conflicted. Shushou hadn’t grown up in the Yellow Sea like the koushu. Her knowledge came from watching Gankyuu, listening to him, and reading between the lines. And here she was prattling on like a know-it-all.
“Um—” Shushou hastily amended her remarks. “I couldn’t possible know as much about the Yellow Sea as the koushu. Don’t treat anything I say like I’m some sort of expert.”
“That’s okay. Thanks.”
“No problem,” Shushou answered with a relieved smile. She watched them leave and threw her arms around the neck of the goat. “Well, tonight it’s just going to be you and me.”
Except the goat had evidently taken a disliking to her and tried to jerk free instead. Trying to calm it down, the light of a fire grew visible through the trees. Soon followed by the sound of running feet and angry shouts and men arguing, the hiss of water cast on hot embers and feet stomping out flames. She watched dumbfounded as darkness again filled the forest.
“Amazing. The only person Shitsu-san will listen to is himself.”
Chapter 26
[4-3] Shushou gave up on the irascible goat, burrowed beneath the bushes, and tried to sleep. It’d be a lie to say she wasn’t disheartened and ill at ease. Unleashed by the quiet, dark night around her, unwelcome thoughts bubbled up in her head and wouldn’t let her rest.
Rather than abandon three handcarts and a horse-drawn wagon heavily laden with supplies, Kiwa had chosen to travel down this dangerous road where he’d been warned youma lurked. The sheer amount of luggage alone set her nerves on edge. It simply wasn’t appropriate for traveling in the Yellow Sea.
She’d come with Kiwa on the spur of the moment because she couldn’t stand looking Gankyuu in the face any longer. But the only thing she could definitely say about Kiwa’s knowledge of the Yellow Sea was that the louder he talked, the less he knew.
He shouldn’t have taken another step without getting a thorough briefing from the goushi.
On the other hand, the second he found out that “fire is dangerous,” he set about dousing the fires before anybody could get a word in edgewise.
Chodai’s question popped into her head: Did your professors only give you the answers?
Wasn’t saying “fire is dangerous” only giving him the answer? She wasn’t exactly crystal clear herself about what kind of fires were dangerous and in what situations. Sometimes tending a fire at a safe distance was necessary. Sometimes any fire at all was a bad idea. Until now, she’d relied on Gankyuu to make these fine distinctions.
Knowing “fires are dangerous” was like knowing the answer to the question, not why that answer was the right one.
I need to get a thorough explanation of all the ins and outs of stuff like this.
But was that even possible? Having grown up in the Yellow Sea, the koushu learned its ways through long experience. Without those deep reservoirs of experience to draw on, would the true meaning of that knowledge ever sink in?
I may be harboring second thoughts here—
There was no may about it. She had to squarely face that unpleasant fact. Being with Kiwa wasn’t where she was supposed to be. Here wasn’t where she was supposed to be. She felt completely out of place.
That shushi’s attitude is rubbing off on me. Except her anger and indignation towards Gankyuu still sat heavy on her heart. And it’s not like he’s going to come and apologize.
She wanted to believe that he didn’t rush to stop her because the road ahead wasn’t that big a risk. He had his money. At the very least, he could have made a token apology, gone through the motions of looking out for her best interests. Or maybe, just maybe, the road ahead wasn’t dangerous enough for him to bother running after her.
That’s not true. I was the one who fired him. Why should he give a damn about me now? That’s the kind of man he is.
This whole thing was so exasperating. And to make matters worse, Rikou wasn’t coming either. Despite following her all the way to the Yellow Sea.
I hate this. I’m sulking like a little kid. That’s what annoyed her the most.
Shushou finally fell asleep. But not for long. She awoke in the middle of the night, momentarily confused as to why she was awake at all.
She was groggy with drowsiness and her mind was muddled. She turned her attention to the goat. She should be able to make out its white coat in the dark. She couldn’t see it. It was sleeping behind the tree or on the other side of the bush. Sure this was nothing to be alarmed about, she reached for the halter rope.
Shushou had rested her head against the trunk, using the thick mat of roots as a pillow, with her feet stretched out beneath the bushes. The halter rope was tied around the tree right next to her head. She gave it a light yank. Feeling no response, she tugged again. The slack reeled in without any resistance.
This isn’t right, she thought, then noticed that the rope was wet. Wet from what? she wondered. Before she could puzzle out a reason, she was holding the unattached end of the rope in her hand.
The goat— She was wide awake in a flash. The rope draped over her head was torn in two.
The goat’s not here. A shiver ran through her. The hand pulling on the rope was sticky and damp.
She barely managed to stifle the shriek rising to her lips. She wanted to fling the rope aside and clamber to her feet. Summoning all of her inner strength, she managed to hold on. Gripping the rope in her trembling hand, she held her breath and pricked up her ears.
I can’t move, she told herself. I can’t make a sound. She couldn’t stop her eyes from searching the darkness or her breath from growing ragged in her throat. She breathed in and out as quietly as possible. Her heartbeat thundered so loudly in her ears she couldn’t hear anything else. Though it wasn’t like a shrieking commotion would come flooding in if she could only still her racing heart.
It is close by? Or rather—
She sharpened her senses but couldn’t hear anything other than the sound of her breathing and beating heart. She could vaguely make out the outlines of the trunk, the undulating mat of knobby roots, the shrubs and bushes within reach of her outstretched hand—and there was nothing there.
Where did it wander off to?
The thought had barely crossed her mind when something wet splashed across her cheek. Like a drop of water. One, then two. The drops struck her cheek and ran down her face. Splashed onto her forehead and ran toward her eyes.
It must be raining—it was coming from—above—
In the tree. Her eyes were focused on the roots. The forking branches of the tree did not extend into her field of view. Raising her eyes, the tree’s canopy covered her like an indistinct shadow.
The drops continued, bringing with them a raw and rusty smell. She could no longer ignore what must be right before her eyes. Her heart in her throat, she looked up. She didn’t move her body, only held her breath and tipped her head back.
A blob of white was caught in the branches above her head. Next to it squatted a big black silhouette.
A spasm-like shriek rose up from the pit of her stomach. Her chest convulsed. Her throat burned. Her mouth made no sound. Not because she’d successfully swallowed the scream but because she’d momentarily been struck dumb.
Her body went numb. Her chest throbbed. The white blob stretched apart and tore in two. More drops pattered down.
It’s going to notice me. If she kept standing there it was bound to notice her. She should run away while it was consumed with consuming the goat. It only had to lower its gaze the tiniest amount to see her.
I’ve got to flee first.
But how to run away without making any noise? That was the last thing worth worrying about. The beating of her heart, the grinding of her teeth, should have given her away in the first place.
Except—I can’t move. Not even her little finger. I really was a fool. The regrets crowded into her thoughts. Gankyuu—save me—
As if in answer to her prayers, a man cried out, “Hey, the horses!”
The branch creaked, the thing over her head shifted its position. More voices hollered back and forth. With a grotesque splatter and a reeking smell, the white blob fell to the ground next to Shushou’s feet.
The branch creaked again, bent like a bow, and sprang back. Followed by the neighing of horses and the hustle and bustle of people on the move. Shushou trained her eyes on the treetops. The branch stopped shaking. The black shadow was gone.
Chapter 27
[4-4] One of Kiwa’s men awoke to find that the horse tethered next to him was gone. Worried it had run off, he looked around and spotted the horse lying in the tall grass not far off. He ran over and discovered the animal’s hindquarters. The rest of the horse was nowhere in sight.
His alarmed shouts brought the others running. Unable to bear the suffocating darkness, somebody struck up a fire. Here and there among the company, horses and men had disappeared while leaving the rest behind.
They lit torches, drew their weapons, and sought out survivors. They found a girl and the remains of a goat beneath a tree. For a moment, they thought she was another victim. Then with a shriek of relief she realized she’d been saved.
The search continued until dawn, turning up four corpses torn to pieces and a number of dismembered livestock, and no sign of the creature that had caused the carnage.
“Shushou, are you all right?” Kiwa hugged her close.
She daubed at her face with a damp rag. “I’m alive. I’m fine.”
“But—”
“Let me go, please. There’s blood all over my hair and clothing. I need to wash it off.”
Kiwa started to object again, but instead, he had three stout women from his retinue accompany her to the stream.
The sun rose over the green campsite. The road shone like a winding white ribbon, so bright and cheerful, as if the land was spinning an elaborate lie about its true nature.
