Sharp-Ear's back brushed the bloody soil and he rolled. A stray stone cracked against his elbow, numbing the lower half of his arm. Nagao slipped from his grasp as Sharp-Ear's forward momentum carried him out of the clearing and down into a small, stagnant pool at the bottom of a trench.
Dazed, the fox-man sank the fingers on his good hand into the mud and forced himself to his feet. Up over the lip of the trench, he heard the hoots and howls of blood-maddened akki. More explosions boomed and more soldiers screamed.
He prodded his numb arm and nearly fainted when the white-hot pain shot up through his brain.
"Stupid," he growled at himself. All he needed right now was to pass out because of a broken arm.
Sharp-Ear shook his head to clear it and listened to the carnage above. Half the akki were dead. The other half were in a killing frenzy, a sound that Sharp-Ear hoped to never experience firsthand again.
"Forgive me, Captain Nagao," he said solemnly. "It looks as if I shall desert you after all."
Painfully, Sharp-Ear struggled to the other end of the trench. He gingerly scaled up and out, keeping a careful eye on the entrance to the clearing.
The village must be warned, he thought. Silver-Foot, Pearl-Ear, Lady Silk-Eyes, they all needed to know what happened here. What they truly were about to face. A growing army of goblins and bandits backed by a kami with a cannon in its chest.
Sharp-Ear got to his feet and started to run as fast as his broken arm permitted.
*****
Lady Pearl-Ear heard the footsteps outside and rose to her feet. She was one of the only people awake inside the crowded storehouse, and she carefully made her way across the tangle of bodies on the floor. She reached the doorway just as it opened.
Sharp-Ear, Silver-Foot, and Lady Silk-Eyes stood outside. From their expressions, the sling on Sharp-Ear's arm, and the palpable feeling of tension in the air, Pearl-Ear knew something had gone horribly wrong.
"Wake your charges," the elder whispered. "It's not safe here after all."
"What happened?"
Silver-Foot's tone was grimmer than his expression. "The goblin horde is larger than we expected. Much larger. They are coming."
Pearl-Ear shook her head, unwilling to accept the news. "But the yabusame-"
"All dead," Sharp-Ear said. "Or soon to be dead. We rode out and conquered two hundred goblins. There were more than that still waiting, plus a powerful kami. We routed and then were routed." "Captain Nagao?"
Sharp-Ear just shook his head. "I did what I could. I barely escaped myself."
"You must get the princess and her friends away from here," Lady Silk-Eyes said. "It would not do to have Michiko captured or killed, especially not here. Beyond what such a loss would do to us all, the Daimyo would take it even worse."
Pearl-Ear closed her eyes, her mind awash in a flurry of thoughts. "Back to Eiganjo?"
"Anywhere but here," Silver-Foot said. "The kitsune can fight or melt into the forest if need be. But without the riders or reinforcements, I can no longer guarantee the princess's safety."
Pearl-Ear glanced at Sharp-Ear, then fell to one knee before Lady Silk-Eyes. "We gave our word to Nagao. For his sake-"
"Nagao is gone," the elder said. "And we must put our trust in the spirit vision. Seek you the snakes."
"No," Choryu said. He stepped up to the doorway, alert and concerned. "The snakes are worse than the akki. We should go north to the Academy, and go quickly."
Sharp-Ear slowly turned and stared at the wizard. Pearl-Ear was grateful that her brother had captured such a perfect expression of scorn and disbelief so that she didn't have to bother.
"Hello, young wizard," he said evenly. "I'm eager to finish the conversation we started in the tower. You should be less eager for it. Stand aside and let the adults talk."
Choryu unabashedly held Sharp-Ear's steady gaze. Then the young wizard nodded and withdrew, backing away from the doorway until he was shrouded in shadows.
"You need a healing charm for that arm," Silver-Foot said to Sharp-Ear. "And I will send three kitsune samurai with you into the forest. That's all I can spare, but it will make a difference." He read Pearl-Ear's expression and added, "Everywhere is dangerous for Michiko now, Lady Pearl-Ear. Whether she goes back to the tower, on to the Academy, or deeper into the woods, she runs the same risk."
"Trust in the spirits," Lady Silk-Eyes repeated. "I know you will make the right decision. Fare well, Lady Pearl-Ear."
The elder and Captain Silver-Foot bowed to Pearl-Ear and then went into the storehouse, gently waking the kitsune villagers.
"I don't like this," Pearl-Ear said.
"There's nothing to like," Sharp-Ear replied. "But I trust Silver-Foot's warriors and our own fieldcraft to get us through the dangerous bits. The elder briefed me on the safest route to orochi-bito country. With the akki on their way here, we should be able to skirt them and head southeast without any trouble."
"And what of our village? Our family and friends?"
"That is a matter for another day. We must collect the children and go now."
Pearl-Ear bristled. "That is not your decision to make."
"Of course it is. You left me in charge of Michiko while you were away from the tower. You have not returned, and I have not ceded my responsibility back to you yet. I say we go."
Pearl-Ear's hand lashed out and caught Sharp-Ear by the scruff of the neck. She hauled him up to her face.
"You are still playing games, brother. I believe you let Michiko leave the tower, just to see what would happen. I won't let you risk her life again for personal amusement."
Sharp-Ear leveled his eyes at Pearl-Ear and deliberately plucked her hand off his neck.
"Lady Silk-Eyes said to seek the snakes, sister. I intend to do so, and if Michiko-hime wishes, I will accompany her. What will you do?"
Pearl-Ear stared hard into her brother's eyes, searching for any of the tell-tale signs he was hiding something. For the first time in a long time, her brother was completely in earnest." "Go with Silver-Foot," she said. "Brief his warriors on the route we shall take. I will collect Michiko and the others."
Sharp-Ear bowed his head. "Thank you, sister."
"For what?"
"For trusting me."
"I don't trust you, Sharp-Ear. On this occasion, however, I believe you are correct."
Sharp-Ear took a step, then stopped. "What will you tell the princess?"
"The truth. For a change. I will tell her that the village is no longer safe and that we have decided to follow the elder's advice."
Sharp-Ear smiled sadly. "No matter what the snakes may tell us."
"Or do to us. Quickly now. The sooner we're away, the less time I'll have to change my mind."
Sharp-Ear squeezed her hand and padded off into the storehouse after Silver-Foot.
Pearl-Ear watched him go, grateful that she had been able to conceal her own deep misgivings. Once more, the portents from the spirit world were in conflict. The elder's vision showed both the Daimyo's tower and the orochi's bed as possible destinations for Michiko. Was this a sign of her father's great desire to have her back? Were the patron spirits of Towabara eager for their prized daughter's return? Or were the kami themselves in conflict, unable to decide on the proper course of action?
Pearl-Ear tied her robe and silently approached the corner where Michiko and Riko slept. Choryu stood, silent and sullen, watching from alongside the doorway.
The spirits may be wavering, but Lady Pearl-Ear had to be strong. Michiko was not safe, not here, not in the tower, perhaps not anywhere. It was time to find out why.
CHAPTER 16
The small party slipped out of the kitsune village quietly, without incident. Silver-Foot had provided three kitsune samurai that he claimed were the equal of an entire company of human retainers. They were brothers, he explained, and they had been training together with swords for fifty years. Now, at the end of their adolescence, they were both well disciplined and at their physical p
eak.
The brothers seemed mature, but lighthearted and full of energy. They were called Dawn-Tail, Blade-Tail, and Frost-Tail, though even Lady Pearl-Ear had trouble telling them apart. It helped that one marched up front with Sharp-Ear, one stayed in the middle with Michiko, and one brought up the rear. Pearl-Ear began to think of them according to these positions, Dawn-Tail up front, Blade-Tail in the middle, and Frost-Tail at the back.
Michiko and Riko were concerned for the villagers, but once they accepted the situation they became eager to reach the snakefolk as quickly as possible. Choryu was less sanguine. The water wizard still looked as if he were marching toward his own certain doom, and he muttered complaints with each misstep, each pang of thirst, and each rest stop. Pearl-Ear watched him closely, as his eyes rarely left Michiko and he seemed on the verge of running off at any moment.
After several hours, Sharp-Ear and the samurai finally relaxed. They remained vigilant, but once clear of the akki horde they were able to spread themselves out and go at a much brisker pace. The brothers questioned Sharp-Ear about the battle in the forest, and he answered them in short, terse sentences.
Her brother's face clouded when Dawn-Tail asked about the fireball-shooting kami. He tossed his head and avoided Dawn-Tail's concern, but he also chanted a quick prayer of good luck for the village as they marched.
As the light of day waned, the forest became thicker and harder to navigate. The deeper they went, the more trees and less light there was. Decades of storms and kitsune colonization had thinned out the edges of the forest far more than she realized. It had been years since she had ventured into truly wild country, and despite the danger and the colossal burdens her mind carried, something deep inside Pearl-Ear responded to her surroundings.
Her sandals chafed and she felt oppressively warm in them. By the time they made their first camp for the night, she had packed them away and removed her outer layer of clothing. Barefoot, arms exposed, and dressed only in a knee-length shift, Pearl-Ear's body began to pick up on subtle changes in air temperature, soil consistency, and even the weather that lay ahead. How had she lasted so long in Towabara, where the landscape was all dry dust and dead ruins?
They dined on jerked meat and dried fruit. The samurai insisted that there be no campfire, and everyone but Choryu agreed. The wizard kept more and more to himself, eating alone, walking alone, and even dining alone despite repeated invitations from the girls.
"How far have we come?" Michiko asked.
The kitsune brothers looked at each other and shrugged.
"We measure distances differently in the deep woods," Sharp-Ear said. "Here, a journey is not a matter of miles, but of time."
"It took us all day to cover this much flat ground," Frost-Tail said. He seemed to be the oldest of the brothers, but Pearl-Ear would not place any of them more than a few years apart. "Tomorrow, we will climb hills and scramble over massive cedar roots. It will take all day, though we will not go as far in one direction."
"Hex you all," Choryu said. "At least tell her how much longer we'll be in this leafy green hell."
Sharp-Ear growled, but his tone was more questioning than angry. He nodded to the brothers, who had all turned to face him. To Lady Pearl-Ear, it seemed they were waiting for Sharp-Ear to act, like soldiers watching their captain.
"We have walked for almost a full day," Sharp-Ear said at last. "We have perhaps another three days to go."
"If you're not willing," Blade-Tail said, "we could leave you here."
"We could bind you and leave you helpless," Dawn-Tail added. "That'd be fair, wouldn't it?"
"And if you don't want to wait for something to come along and eat you," Frost-Tail added, "we could cut your hamstrings so that the blood and your cries of agony would bring a predator more quickly."
Sharp-Ear nodded again. "The more bile you vent, wizard," he said, "the more attractive that option becomes."
Choryu's eyes sparked blue. "Are you foxes threatening me?"
Frost-Tail stood and crossed his arms. "Yes," he said. "Yes we are. You can sulk in silence, stay behind, or we can render you speechless. But we're not interested in your opinion."
Sharp-Ear strode up to Choryu. He waved his hands around, indicating the entire group behind him. "We are assisting the princess." He pointed at the lone figure of Choryu in front of him. "You are little more than luggage.
"Pay attention, student, for this is a most vital lesson: You used up all my forbearance when you stranded me in the tower. We all know you don't want to be here and that you still want to pursue your ridiculous goal of researching the Kami War out of existence. That plan is gone, dried up and blown away." He dusted his hands together in front of Choryu's face. "Gone for good. Now, as Frost-Tail says: Be silent, or be gone."
Choryu stared angrily at the foxes for a moment. Then he said. "I have made grave errors in judgment. I admit that. I have overestimated myself. I admit that, too. For this, I humbly apologize.
"But I am right about this ill-advised jaunt into snake country. I am right and you are wrong. She's not safe here, none of us is safe here. Your elder's vision must have some other interpretation."
Dawn-Tail coughed. "Now he insults Lady Silk-Eyes." He stood next to Frost-Tail while behind them, Blade-Tail also rose.
"I've done no such thing. I'm only trying-"
"Choryu, "Michiko said. "Apologize and finish your meal."
The wizard evaluated the three kitsune samurai, then dropped his chin to his chest. "Excuse me, noble warriors," he muttered. "It seems my judgment has not yet improved."
Michiko nodded to the kitsune brothers. "And you would do well to remember that Choryu is with me. I will take it hard if you continue to bait and threaten my friends."
Pearl-Ear smiled inwardly, pleased. At least Michiko understood the gravity of their predicament. It was also gratifying to have someone else be the adult for a change when it came to dealing with young male kitsune.
They finished their supper in silence and the kitsune brothers worked out their sentry shifts. Pearl-Ear watched and waited for Michiko, Riko and Choryu to fall asleep, and then she herself closed her eyes.
Three more days before we're even in orochi territory, she thought. And no guarantee of the reception we'll receive once we get there.
Lady Pearl-Ear said a quick prayer to the patron kami of the cedars and drifted off to sleep.
*****
The second day was much as Frost-Tail described it: a physically demanding slog through the dense woods with frequent vertical climbs. There was not enough energy for bickering over dinner that night, and everyone slept soundly.
The third day brought dryer, more level ground, but it also came with clouds of buzzing gnats. They didn't sting, but they flew into open mouths, noses, and eyes with alarming frequency. A mid-morning shower cleared the bugs from the air, and when it was over the sun warmed the trees so much that steam rose from the bark.
In the gnat-free sunlight, Sharp-Ear's mood visibly improved. He sang softly to himself as he hiked and fairly bounced from step to step. Michiko broadened her stride to catch up to Sharp-Ear, with Blade-Tail keeping pace beside her.
She tugged on Sharp-Ear's sleeve as they walked. "Sensei," she said. "How did Lady Silk-Eyes become elder?"
"By being older… elder-er than everyone else." Sharp-Ear continued his jaunty gait as he spoke. "You don't get to be old by being a fool. The longer you live, the more you learn. We kitsune live long, but the elder has lived loo-ooong. She has learned quite a bit more than any of us… perhaps more than all of us put together."
"And when she… steps down, who chooses the elder?"
"My money's on Lady Pearl-Ear. If you ask her, she's already right about everything and we should just leave it in her capable hands. But to answer your question, the village holds a meeting to decide. Anyone who wants the job can stand for it. Qualified candidates get a chance to make their case. Unqualified candidates are usually laughed down." He turned and winked. "M
ind you, I'm speaking from a position of some authority here. Maturity and wisdom are hard to fake, and my people are expert at spotting fakers."
"That's mostly because we're all such fakers ourselves," Frost-Tail called from the rear.
Michiko laughed. "And why is that, sensei? In Towabara, we are taught to treasure the truth. At Minamo, Riko and Choryu learn to think dispassionately in order to keep their opinions from clouding the facts. This should be an obstacle in communication between our tribes, yet the kitsune are trusted allies of us humans."
Sharp-Ear did not look at Michiko, but he shrugged. "I am just an archery tutor," he said. "You should direct all civics questions to your actual sensei."
"Don't drag me into this," Pearl-Ear called. "Answer her yourself."
Sharp-Ear craned his head and winked at his sister. "Remember you said that." He turned to Michiko and said, "Governments always lie, Princess. It's part of how to govern. Your father is a noble man, a stalwart and straightforward one. But even he cannot tell everyone the entire truth all the time. Take his battle plans, for example. Wars are won largely by deceiving the enemy into thinking your strengths don't exist and your weaknesses are more important than they are. If he told everyone in the tower what he told his generals, he wouldn't ever win a single battle."
"I see," said Michiko. "But there is a difference between a secret and a lie."
"Very true. And your father knows that. So do the masters at Minamo. But a lie is often the best way to keep a secret. It's like the walls outside the Daimyo's tower-sort of a first line of defense. Without it, your tribe is much more vulnerable."
"But if people know you protect your secrets with lies, won't they work out the lie and the secret it protects?"
"Good question. We're entering into advanced territory here. Luckily, I am an expert.
"The best way to keep a secret is to let it out. Don't conceal it, but rather flood the environment with conflicting stories. If the Daimyo is planning an attack to the north, he spreads the word. He also spreads the word that the attack will be to the south, east, and west. One of these has to be true, but among the chorus of lies, it's impossible to tell which. You can make your goals well known, as long as you also release a host of false ones so that your true intentions are lost in the competing voices."
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