He resisted the urge to look back and make sure Rin was safe. He had to trust that she could take care of herself, and she had Hikaru with her anyway. Beyond the doorway was another long hall. There were no tricks here, just a pair of double doors, which led into Akio’s audience hall. Akio’s stink permeated everything and mixed in was the faintness thread of Akane’s scent, spiked with fear.
Shin burst through the double doors, teeth bared and prepared to tear Akio’s throat out himself. If he killed him first, he could save Akane. Akio was seated in his usual place, sipping sake with casual indifference, as if his palace wasn’t under attack at this very moment. He did not turn to Shin as he made his dramatic entrance. Wrapped around his hoof was a chain, and at the end, a white wolf, her head drooping and defeated.
Akane.
Shin ran toward Akio, snarling, but before he could get more than a few feet, fire burned him from the inside. It brought him to the ground and he convulsed in pain. Akane, on the chain, looked up and whimpered. Akio yanked the chain, and it pulled her off her feet and left her sprawling on the ground where she lay motionless as if dead.
Akio stood up and approached Shin. Pain throbbed through Shin at every step. This was only a taste of what Akio would do to him. He’d endured much worse. Akio’s favorite past time was psychological torture. Akio loomed over Shin, a smile on his face.
“You thought you could escape me?” He laughed, throwing his head back. “I should have known when you let her go you would betray me.”
“It’s not betrayal if I was never loyal to you,” Shin croaked.
The pain increased by tenfold, blinding him, dulling all his senses. Stars danced in front of his eyes. He was nothing but pain, all of it radiating outward from his collar.
“You’re losing your touch, Akio, that tickled,” Shin taunted, his voice husky from the pain he couldn’t quite mask.
He was rewarded with another shot of pain pinging through his entire body.
“Learn when you’re beat and stay down, dog. You failed.” Akio gloated.
Shin hadn’t come this far just to bow down and just let him torture him. He licked his lips and tasted blood. He must have bit his tongue. With effort, Shin stood up and lifted his chin in defiance to Akio, challenging him to do it again. Whatever torture he wanted to put him through, he’d endure it all to save her. He just had to wait for the dragon. He’d end this.
“Is that how you want to play it?” Akio turned over to Akane. Her body convulsed as the same pain he’d inflicted on Shin tore her apart.
Shin saw nothing at all, he was nothing but a beast of reaction. He launched himself toward Akio again, but before he could attack, he was knocked back onto the ground by Akio’s blow, and then pinned to the ground, frozen in place, forced to watch Akane’s cry of agony. It tore into his heart, shredding him into a thousand pieces.
“Stop,” Shin groaned.
Akio’s laughter bounced off the ceiling, cruel and mocking.
“Stop,” Shin said louder as he crawled closer to Akane. “Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you. Just leave her alone.”
Akio turned to him for the first time. “You love her, do you? You’re more a fool than I thought. I’m not done punishing you. Not until your job is complete. Come with me.”
Akio yanked on the chain around Akane’s collar and dragged her out of the room. He had no choice but to follow. They left the audience chamber and went down a hallway. For everyone else, the palace changed. But Akio’s power was tied into the palace itself and he bent it to his whim. They entered a strange room, the likes of which Shin had never seen before. There was no ceiling, but high walls and columns surrounded it on all sides.
Akio tilted his head upward, toward the sky. “Ah, here he comes now.”
The ground beneath Shin’s feet shook. A roar ripped through the sky as the dragon arrived, dark clouds heavy with rain cloaking his body as he twisted in the sky.
Shin stared upward toward his friend and then toward Akane, who was watching him with wide, fear-filled eyes. This had been Akio’s plan all along. It was likely why he let Shin escape for as long as he did. The dragon and Akio’s feud ended today, one way or another. Shin couldn’t disobey Akio’s command. He would have to fight the dragon. But he wasn’t going to kill his friend either. The only way out of this was death.
The dragon drew closer but hovered in the air, just above where the roof should have been.
“You came to retrieve your dog?” Akio taunted him.
“I came to get repayment for all your gifts, Akio,” the dragon replied. The priestess wasn’t with him. He must have left her behind. It was probably for the best. Shin didn’t want her to become another casualty. He hoped the dragon and her were happy together. It was too bad he wouldn’t be able to retake his place as dragon’s general.
Akio laughed. “You think you can defeat me, weak as you are?”
“It won’t take much to destroy you.” The dragon dove toward Akio, who smiled as he approached.
With a wave of his hoof, the ceiling came down, trapping the dragon inside. They were plunged into darkness. It took only a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the dark. Then compelled by Akio’s command, Shin lunged in front of Akio to block the dragon’s attack. The dragon reared back and flew toward the ceiling.
“Shin, what are you doing?”
“I’m sorry,” Shin said as he growled and clawed at the dragon.
The dragon ran from him, keeping to the ceiling just out of reach.
“What has gotten into you?” The dragon growled as he darted out of Shin’s reach.
Akio’s laughter echoed all around them, followed by rumbling as the ceiling was lowered, forcing the dragon downward and closer to them. Unable to retreat any longer, the dragon transformed back into his humanoid form. He landed on the ground in front of Shin, a blade of ice in his hand.
“I don’t want to fight you,” he said to Shin.
If he had the power, he would have apologized to his friend. But Akio’s command burned through him, unable to be disobeyed. He launched into the air and lunged for the dragon. He blocked his attack, sending Shin backward.
Over and over they clashed together. The dragon defending, and Shin attacking, not holding back.
“Kill me. It’s the only way to stop this,” Shin growled.
The dragon looked at him with sorrow in his eyes. They both knew it was true. When the dragon came for him this time, he didn’t hold back. He thrust forward, and the ice pierced Shin in the chest. He collapsed to the ground.
25
Shin fell in slow motion and time froze for Akane as her heart shattered into a thousand pieces. The wolf inside her roared. She lurched forward, pulling the chain taut. Akio attempted to yank her back, but the force of her rage snapped it and she rushed toward the dragon. He stood over Shin’s body, his blood still dripping from the dragon’s blade. Akane slammed into him, knocking him off his feet and pressed her paws to his chest as he stared up at her wide-eyed.
“You killed him,” she snarled.
“He did it to save you,” he snapped back, grief making his voice thick.
Her jaws circled the dragon’s neck. It wasn’t a good enough excuse, nothing he said could have soothed the beast within. “Give me one reason not to kill you,” she growled.
“I’m not the one you want revenge from, it’s him.” He nodded behind him toward Akio. “He’s the one who pitted us against one another.”
The rational part of her knew that was the truth. But the wolf in her believed only what her eyes saw. Akane hesitated, torn between two thoughts. And rising up from the murky depths of her conflicted psyche was one thought, Shin wouldn’t want this.
Akio laughed and clapped his hands together. “I may have lost one mutt, but I’ve gained a loyal one at least it seems.”
“Help me get revenge,” the dragon said, his eyes beseeching.
It was then her decision was made. Akane spun to face Akio, and sprung t
oward him, fueled by her pent up grief and rage. She channeled it all into raw power. Blindsided by her speed, Akio only had enough time to lift his arm up in a lame defensive move. She latched onto him, pulling him backward and onto the ground. The ground rumbled as he came crashing down. Akio’s eyes were wide with shock, only for a moment, however. He held out his hoof, and raw energy coalesced. He twisted around and slammed it into Akane, and the force was like an explosion, sending her flying through the air before she crashed back down on the ground in a heap. Stunned, she lay on the ground in a daze, unable to move.
The room echoed with thunder as Akio got back to his feet. “I suppose I’ll have to finish this myself,” he said, facing the dragon who’d gotten back up as well.
The air vibrated with energy, and along the ceiling rain clouds formed, before bursting apart in sheets of rain which blinded Akane to everything else. Water pooled on the floor and soaked her clothes and hair. And yet she couldn’t rise from her lying position. This was all her fault. First Tomoe and now Shin. Why was it those she loved were doomed to die? If only she had trusted him sooner, done something to intervene, he would still be here. She squeezed her eyes shut tight, trying to fight the tears that spilled despite her best efforts to hold them back.
Then a cold nose pressed against her cheek. Akane cracked an eye open and saw a glowing white figure looming over her. Blood stained his white coat, but the gash in his chest had started to heal and was no longer bleeding. He licked away her tears. In a rush she grabbed onto the scruff of his neck, burying her face in it. Words were tangled up in her throat. He was alive? This wasn’t a dream, was it?
The room shook as lightning flashed across the room. In that brief flash, Akane saw over Shin’s shoulder as Akio reached for something in his pocket. He tossed whatever it was down his throat and then his aura changed, expanding outward, filling up the space and his size doubled, so that his head pressed against the ceiling and his width blocked most her view. The dragon thrust at Akio with a sword, but he caught it by the blade and yanked it from the dragon’s hand, tossing it behind him. It skidded a few feet from them, and Shin stared at the blade for a moment before his eyes slid over to Akio and the dragon.
“While you’ve slept for centuries, I’ve been gathering power. Now I will have what is rightfully mine,” Akio crowed as he shot a blast of his power at the dragon, who narrowly rolled out of the way.
The guardian seemed in no rush and he chased after the dragon, lazily sending him skittering across the room. There was no escape. Shin transformed into his human visage and reached for the discarded weapon.
Akane grabbed his hand to stop him.
Shin met her gaze, holding it for a moment. There were so many things she wanted and needed to say. Don’t go, I almost lost you once. The words were on the tip of her tongue.
Shin gently removed her hand from his before walking over to pick up the sword off the ground. Akane watched him go, her heart in her throat. Distracted by chasing the dragon, Akio did not notice Shin come up behind him until the hilt of the dragon’s blade was sunk deep into his back. Akio turned, eyes wide with shock as he looked at Shin, who removed the blade with a wet pop. There seemed to be a question on Akio’s lips that was never uttered. Because at the same time, the dragon transformed once more into his serpentine body. He swung his tail, knocking Akio off his feet and flat on his back, blood pooling around him. Shin approached, blade in hand.
For a heartbeat everything stood still. Shin, splattered in blood and gore, stood over Akio. His eyes were dark, feral, terrifying, but also achingly sad. He didn’t enjoy killing, she knew that, but it had to be done. With one merciful swipe, he separated Akio’s head from his shoulders.
The sword slid from Shin’s hands and he knelt down on the ground. The dragon resumed his humanoid form and placed his hand on Shin’s shoulder. She held her breath waiting for him, wondering if he would snap, lose control of his wolf in the same way she had once been disconnected from the core of herself. And then he turned toward her, and all that remained was grief. She rushed toward him and gathered him up into her arms, knowing the pain that tore him apart.
He clung to her back, holding onto her as if she would keep him from sinking.
“It’s over now,” she soothed, pushing his hair back away from his face.
He looked at her, eyes large as he searched her face. “Is it?”
And she knew then that it would never truly be over. The scars Akio had inflicted on his soul would always remain. But more than anyone, she knew what it meant to live with those haunting memories.
“You’re free, and I’m here. That’s all that matters.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through this.” His eyes searched hers while he clung to her as if she’d disappear any second.
She’d been a fool to push him away. He’d been willing to die for her. She kissed him in response. And they were melded together so tightly it was impossible to say where one stopped and the other started. She was home in his arms, this was where she belonged.
“I hate to ruin this touching moment, but we’ve got a problem,” the dragon said as he pointed to the ceiling which was dropping pieces of debris down upon their heads.
A nearby column tipped over and would have crushed them, had Shin not pulled her out of the way at the last moment.
“The palace is falling apart now that the guardian is dead. We have to get out of here!” Shin shouted to the dragon who was on the other side of the fallen column.
He nodded and headed for a nearby door, but as Shin and Akane motioned to follow the same way, more chunks of ceiling fell down blocking their path.
“This way,” Shin tugged on her hand, pulling her the opposite way of the dragon, back in the direction they’d come from, toward the guardian’s audience hall.
When they entered the audience hall, the ground started to shake. On the far side of the room was another door and that’s where they ran for. Just as they crossed the threshold, there was a loud cracking sound. Akane turned just as the floor split in half, and the dais where Akio had once sat cracked in two, pillows and saucers spilling down into it. The servants were long gone, they’d likely already fled for their own safety. On two legs they were too slow to outrun the destruction falling down around them. Shin’s bushy brown hair was dusted with white plaster.
“We’ll have to shift,” Shin said, looking at her with brows furrowed.
She wished she could kiss him for that. But now wasn’t the time.
“I’ll be fine, don’t worry,” she said as she transformed into her wolf form. The ground gave another tremor and urged them forward. Down another hallway, they ran into three different yokai, all running in different directions. No one knew which way to go now that Akio’s magic was receding.
“Follow me,” Shin growled at them.
A few did, others went their own way. One yokai that ignored Shin, turned a corner and moments later they heard him scream. Akane looked over her shoulder and saw the jagged broken end of a stairway that had split and opened up into another pit.
“Don’t look back,” Shin warned. And Akane turned her gaze forward. There was nothing they could do for them now.
Their path led them into a garden, untouched by the destruction which was sweeping the rest of the palace. White petals scattered on the ground like fresh snow, and even more drifting down in a flurry. The air here hummed with energy.
“This place was the anchor of his power,” Shin explained. “This will be the last place to fall.” He turned in a slow circle, there were several pathways down which they could go. But he seemed hesitant. She’d never seen him uncertain before, and she tried to squash her fear at that thought.
She pressed close to Shin as the ground started to buck and bend again. It felt as if the entire place would flip over itself.
“This way.” He nodded his head toward a nearby door.
As they passed through more tangled passageways, Shin led with confidence. But after severa
l minutes, they returned back to the garden once again.
“Why are we here again?” one of the yokai who’d been following them asked.
Shin paced in circles. “The magic is drawing in on itself, it’s bringing everything back here.”
“How do we escape?” Akane asked, panic rising in her chest. She pushed it down, she had to trust.
“We try a different route,” he said, with a note of uncertainty in his voice.
Shin rushed forward and chased after him, upstairs and then down again, they seemed to go on forever, but surely they’d be near the exit now. But after several minutes of searching they arrived once again at the tree.
The space had shrunk. She was certain of it. The walls were closing in.
“This is ridiculous,” said one of the yokai.
“Be patient, there has to be a way out,” Shin warned.
But they didn’t heed his advice and rushed through the same doorway they’d just exited from. A few seconds later they heard a blood-curdling scream.
The remaining yokai shared terrified looks, but no one else tried to run away.
Akane’s breathing came quick and fierce, her heart racing. What happened if the entire palace imploded?
Shin paced in circles, and then thinking out loud he said, “This tree was the original forest guardian, Akio stole its power to become what he is. Now that he’s dead, the tree is regaining its power and it’s bringing everything into itself.”
Akane looked at the tree. When she stared it, she swore she almost heard a song floating on the wind, a melody which was drawing her in, it made her want to close her eyes, lay down and sleep...
Shin nipped at her neck. “Don’t get too close to it. If you do it will pull you in and absorb your power with it.”
She shook her head and looked away. That answered what happened if the tree imploded.
“Let’s try this, we’ll go across the rooftops,” Shin said. The walls had started to crumble, making them easier to scale. In a few jumps, they were on the rooftops. In the distance she could see the edge of the palace, and the forest beyond. But, no matter how far they ran, they couldn’t get any closer.
Okami: A Little Red Riding Hood Retelling Page 18
