by A. L. Knorr
Aimi's shadow fell over me. Silhouetted against the sun, she dropped my clothing on my stomach and stood back. Her hands went to her hips. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," I said. "I'm more than okay." I got up, dusted myself off, and began to dress.
"That was terrifying," Aimi said, matter-of-factly. "When you disappeared, I didn't know what to think. I can't disappear like that. At least, as far as I know."
"I didn't know that I could, either."
"How did you do it?"
"I didn't. The Æther did it." I pulled my shirt down and looked at Aimi. "What you always said about us being creatures of faith, that the Æther would give us what we needed in the moment that we needed it, you were right. As a flesh and blood bird, there would be nothing I could have done about those Oni, but in spirit form," I smiled, "they aren't so terrifying."
She smiled back. "Not to you. You're a Hanta. But for a human—"
We both looked down at Raiden's corpse. I frowned. "If they open the doors, even unknowingly—"
"They are defenseless," Aimi finished my thought. She looked up at me. "What did you do with them?"
"I trapped them deep underground."
Her face brightened. "Of course! No oxygen, no Æther! They'll be impotent down there." She paused. "Forever?"
I frowned. "I guess as long as they have no oxygen, they have no strength."
"Let's hope no one decides to dig for oil here, then."
"Somehow, I don't think there's any danger of that," I smiled. I didn’t know how many miles down I took them, but I knew without a doubt it was farther than any human would ever have cause to dig.
"Yeah. Oh, by the way…" She walked over to a stone sitting at the edge of the cliff and bent down to move it. She retrieved an envelope and handed it to me. "This is addressed to you."
Chapter 27
Akiko,
I was born in Nagasaki in 1862 to a proud samurai name and inheritance. Not long after the Satsuma rebellion, I was set upon by two ronin. I defeated one, but the other escaped. Years later, my home was invaded by three men. I believe one of those men to be the ronin who evaded me. My wife was killed and I was gravely injured. She had been pregnant with our first child. My katana and wakizashi were stolen, along with everything of value in my home. Everything was taken from me, even the honor of a good death. I vowed that night not to rest until my swords were recovered, and I had ended the ronin's lives who had ended mine. When I met you, I was convinced you were a sign from the gods that I should continue to pursue justice for my beloved dead and for myself. Vengeance is powerful enough to make a man forget who he is and what life is for.
When you return home, you will find the key under the sill of the basement window and you’ll need to visit the lawyer to sign for my property. Everything we have there is all I have left, and it is yours. I have left his information for you. Blessings.
Daichi
Chapter 28
"Are you sure you don't want to come with me?" Aimi asked, turning to face me once we'd reached the train station.
I smiled and shook my head. "Thank you. I have to go back to Canada." I paused, recognizing the powerful urge that was compelling me to return home, to my friends, even if it might be to say goodbye. "I have family there that I need to see. Are you sure you don't want to come with me?"
Aimi laughed. "I have a bit of a mess to sort out here now that Toshi is gone." She clasped my hands with hers. "But you have his mobile number, which is now mine, and my current address so you call me if you need anything. When I figure out what I'm doing from here, I'll contact you."
"Let's not lose track of one another again, okay?" I pulled her into a hug.
"I wish I could travel the Æther, like you," Aimi said into my hair. "It would be a lot easier to see each other whenever we wish."
"Yeah, but isn't it amazing how transportation has changed since we were girls?"
Aimi laughed. "You can say that again. Our parents would never believe what the world looks like now."
We said goodbye, but without tears. Time stretched out before us, seemingly endless. We would be together again soon. Even if soon was ten years from now. I got on the train at Furano and got off in Tottori.
I felt conspicuous carrying two samurai swords through the street, wrapped in Daichi's white robe. I definitely got my share of curious glances.
Yuudai looked visibly relieved when he let me into his apartment. He waited for me to put down my burden and then pulled me into a hug.
"Tell me what happened," he said, guiding me to one of the chairs near the balcony.
The events at the cliffside poured out of me: Daichi's seppuku, how my tamashī was freed, only to be snatched by Raiden. Yuudai's eyes grew round, but he didn't interrupt me. When I told him Toshi and Aimi were there, his jaw dropped.
Tears began to spill down my cheeks as I explained that I had always thought Aimi had betrayed me, but instead she had sacrificed her own tamashī so that Toshi could stay alive and honor his vow to protect me. Once the tears started, they didn't stop, and even when I was finished with the story, I couldn't stop weeping.
Yuudai held me as I wept for Toshi, for the lost years, for Daichi, for misjudging my sister for so long. When I began to sniff and hiccup, Yuudai handed me a tissue and said, "You know what makes me feel better when I'm sad?"
I looked up at him through bleary eyes. "Flying?"
He smiled and nodded. "Want to?"
I nodded and sniffed. "Yes, I do."
We phased into ospreys and took to the air, climbing up high over Tottori. My Hanta vision returned and those same pillars of spinning light were everywhere in my vision. They were wispy and varying levels of brightness, but the sheer quantity of them made my brain stutter. As we soared over the city, I observed that each column of light was coming out the top of every human head below us, and reaching up high into the sky.
Inside each column were two thin strands, spiraling around each other in a rotating double-helix. One strand was pure white, and the other was a dark gray. While some threads spiraled around one another in a clockwise direction, others spun counter clockwise. The ones spinning to the right were bright, lighter columns, some of them so bright that the dark thread was difficult to see. The double-helixes that were rotating to the left appeared darker, smokier, and the gray threads were heavier, dimming the light of the white strands.
Yuudai and I flew out over the sand dunes and the columns of light dwindled to almost none, as there were so few humans, just a few camps and vehicles dotted the sand. Out over the ocean, there were no columns save for the ones threading upward from fishing boats and ferries. We dipped and climbed and surfed pockets of air wafting up from the ocean, and savored the freshness of the ocean breezes.
When we'd had our fill, we turned back to Tottori and made our way home. The white columns grew thick again as we winged our way over the busy urban center. We flew through the columns of light and in places they were so thick there was nothing but swirling threads of white and gray all around us. Returning to Yuudai’s apartment, we entered through the open window and I hopped to the bathroom where I’d stashed my clothes.
"What did you think?" Yuudai asked as I came walking out of his bathroom, tugging my shirt down and raking my fingers through my hair. He’d changed in the bedroom and was standing at the open window leaning an elbow on the sill. "Pretty cool, right?"
"Amazing," I said. "Are those their spirits?" I joined him at the window and we looked out over the city.
"Their connection to the Æther."
"The white thread is good, and the gray is evil?"
"Yes, in a very simplified way. I prefer to think of the white thread as love, and the gray one as fear." We crossed the park and made our way toward downtown Tottori. The heat of the day had just passed, and the dinner hour was drawing near.
"And the spinning…"
Yuudai let me think it through.
"When they spin clockwise, it’s the love strand th
at is thick and strong, and dominates the connection. When they spin counterclockwise, the gray thread is thicker and it makes the whole column darker. Am I right?"
"Very clever," he said.
"So, this is Hanta vision," I marveled.
"You would be able to see a possession from how the dark strand changes the column, it looks totally different." The mouth-watering smell of fried vegetables and rice drifted up to us and on the air and made both of us groan. Yuudai looked down at me. "Dinner?
I grinned. "Absolutely."
Epilogue
I descended into the back yard of the house under the cover of darkness and phased back into human. The key was exactly where Daichi had said it would be, under the windowsill of the basement window next to the steps leading up to our back door. I didn't bother to untie the silk robe and put it on. There was no one about at this time of night and I would be inside in a moment.
Bare feet on grass, and pale skin reflecting the moonlight, I unlocked the door with steady fingers. Letting myself into the empty house, I was taken off guard by a stab of loneliness. Daichi and I had been together for so long, and even though all I wanted was to be free of him, it was going to take some time adjusting to life without him.
I walked through to the front door and picked up the pile of mail sitting just under the mail slot. I smiled to see the package pickup notice from the local post office. My backpack, the sword, and my passport had arrived.
I took a hot shower, put on my pajama shorts and tank top, and crawled into bed. I slipped into a deep sleep and didn't wake until late the next morning. It took me several minutes to remember that Daichi would not be here, he'd never be in my life ever again. Birds singing outside my window roused me and as I padded into the empty kitchen, sun slanted into the windows and threw squares of light onto the floor.
I luxuriated in the moment of deciding what to do first for myself. Should I make breakfast at home, or treat myself? One peek in the fridge answered my question, because there was nothing but a couple of rotting limes and a take-out box that smelled like rotting fish. I chucked the bad food into the garbage and went back to my room to dress. Grabbing some cash from under the telephone in the foyer, I pulled on a pair of sneakers and left the house.
As I walked to the post office, I felt the opening of gaping questions in my mind. What did I do now? Did I stay in Saltford and make a life here? Did I want to sell the house and go back to Japan, or perhaps take up the Hanta life and dedicate myself to hunting? Make up for all the lost years when I was no help whatsoever to mankind?
I thought of Yuudai and his invitation to hunt with him. My stomach did a little flip of excitement at the idea of it.
I took the steps into the small post office of our community and went inside. Exchanging the notice for my package, I made my way back home so I could charge my phone. Leaving my phone plugged in and dumping my backpack on my bed, I grabbed the copy of Brave New World left unfinished on my bedside table and left the house again.
On my way to Flagg's Cafe, I had to close my eyes and breathe out the gratitude that was steadily building inside me. The day was warm and full of the sounds of life. I was not beholden or responsible to anyone in this moment, and while I knew that would change, and I welcomed it, the moment I was living in right here, right now was no one's but mine.
I knew then and there that I had to tell Saxony, Georjayna, and Targa the truth about my identity. The girls didn't know what they had meant to me in the few short years that I had known them. They were as much my family as Aimi was, and the thought of continuing on with the lies Daichi had spun around us made my stomach sour.
Flagg's Cafe was bustling with people and smelled of eggs and bacon. I ordered a breakfast sandwich and a coffee and found myself a small table outside under an umbrella.
I felt like the richest woman in the world.
"Thank you so much," I said with so much genuine authenticity that the red-headed boy who delivered my food blinked at me.
"You're welcome," he said. "Nice day for brunch outside. Enjoy."
"I will, thank you again." I ate my salty breakfast slowly, savoring every bite. When the meal was finished, I pulled my frothy coffee close and opened my book. It was pure heaven. I allowed time to slip away without marking it.
I read the texts that I had missed while I'd been so focused on my mission. As I was reading, a text from Georjayna popped up.
Georjayna: I'm back! Just got in last night. I'm dragging my ass today. How are you guys? I have so much to tell you! Like. Seriously.
I chewed my lip and thought that as much as I wanted to see them, to talk to them, and hear about their summer vacations, I needed a few more days to myself. I wanted to think through what was next for me, and if I was really honest, I just wanted to luxuriate in my new-found freedom a little longer.
I texted back: I'll be back on Friday. Are you all around next weekend? Sorry I've been so MIA. It's been... I blinked, searching for the right words. There was no way I could even find an adjective to describe my summer adequately. Uh... where do I start...
Saxony: I'm here! Me too. Nuttiest. Summer. Ever. Targa? You around?
Targa: I'm around. Can't wait to see you guys. I missed your faces. Summer was mind-blowing. Still can't believe everything that's happened. I def have news.
Saxony: Sleep over? Georjie, your place?
Georjayna: Yup, come on over. Saturday afternoon, anytime. Just shoot me a text. I'll get stuff for a wiener roast. Bring your bathing suits.
Me: Sounds good.
Targa: I'll be there.
I shut off my phone. So there it was. In a matter of a week, we would all be together, and I would spill my entire story to my best friends. They weren't going to know what hit them.
<<<<>>>>
Keep reading for the BONUS short story: GOING HOME
An old bookstore, a mysterious cat, and a small casket. What could possibly go wrong?
If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.
Nikola Tesla
Prologue
Saltford, New Year’s Eve 1998
The night was cold and sharp, and the stars winked down from a black velvet sky, almost snapping with clarity. The main custodian of St. Joseph's Hospital for nearly twenty years had just reached into the pocket of his parka for the keys to his truck when the sound of footsteps pounding behind him made him turn.
"Amin, wait!" A red-faced nurse, out of breath and with a hand over her heart, reached him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Steady on, Irene," said Amin, grasping her by the elbow, his bushy salt-and-pepper brows drawing together with concern. Irene was not a young woman anymore and her girth had increased over the twelve years she and Amin had worked together. She wouldn’t be moving this fast without good reason. "Everything okay?"
Irene and Amin were two of only a handful of staff members at the hospital who called each other by their first names and paid no heed to the hierarchy that segregated most of the staff. It was the reason Irene had been sent to fetch Amin, and not some other nurse.
Irene shook her head, panting, her brow creased with worry. "I'm sorry, I know you're on your way home and it's New Year’s Eve, but we have a situation we could use your help with."
"Of course." Amin waited while the nurse took a few more breaths to calm herself.
"We've got young woman in the ER who is in labor. She doesn't speak any English. We think her language might be Arabic, but it’s difficult to tell. You speak Arabic, right?"
Amin frowned. "My parents did, but I've forgotten most of it."
"That's more than anyone else here can say. Would you please come and see if you can translate?"
Amin nodded and the two ran back to the hospital's rear entrance while Irene caught Amin up on some of the details. "A young couple heard sounds of distress coming from their back alley. They discovered her hiding in some brush there."
"Hiding?" Amin e
choed, his brow furrowing.
"That's what they said," Irene huffed as they reached the door. Amin opened the doors and let her pass first. "They said it was all they could do to get her into their van. The only reason they got her here is because her water broke and she couldn't resist them any longer."
"Is she in her right mind?" Amin's heart had begun to pound, but not from the jog across the parking lot.
They donned paper booties and made their way down the hall toward the ER. Irene lowered her voice. "She's jumpier than a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. But her anxiety is only part of it. Her ankles and hands are swollen," Irene said. "We suspect she's pre-eclamptic."
Amin was a janitor, not a doctor, but he'd been working in the hospital for long enough to know exactly what that meant. His stomach dropped. If the young woman was pre-eclamptic this late in the game, there was very little that could be done to help her. The focus would be on saving the baby. Amin also knew that the young woman had not yet been properly admitted; if she had been, Irene wouldn't be allowed to tell him any of this.
"Is she homeless?"
Irene blew out a breath and shook her head, her cheeks ballooning. "You'll be able to answer that for all of us." They pushed their way into the ER and Amin came to a standstill.
The woman lying on the bed whipped her head toward them and gasped, cringing away from the door. Even with sweat beading her brow, she was a striking woman. She had a long neck and large dark eyes. Her swollen fingers were visible, wrapped over her belly. Expensive looking rings with large, colored stones graced her fingers, her puffy flesh pushing out on either side of the bands. It was likely the rings would have to be cut off. Diamond studs sparkled from her earlobes. Amin doubted the jewelry was fake. The woman reminded Amin of a sculpture he'd seen in a history textbook once called Nefertiti Bust. Her cheekbones were painfully high and her caramel skin was flawless save for wrinkles of pain and worry on her brow. Her dark hair was tied back in a bun at the nape of her neck, but damp flyaways had escaped and framed her face. Her lips were red and looked petal soft. She didn't appear to be a day over twenty. A soft black cloak of fine wool swaddled her pregnant form. Whatever shoes she'd had on had been removed. Amin could see the thickness of her swollen ankles above the elastic of the paper booties on her feet.
