by Kate Grove
She didn’t mind getting to the castle soon, though. It was very chilly, and she was sure she’d be freezing her butt off if Katsuo wasn’t directly behind her, shielding her from the worst of the chilly air. She could only hope he wouldn’t end up catching a cold.
Ciara couldn’t wait to get home.
By the time they’d arrived at Shirotatsu castle, snow was falling in big flakes, and most of the roads were already covered white. Ciara sneezed as they made their way through the castle gates, but she had no time to deal with the cold because Ayaka ran up to them, worried. She was wearing a warm overcoat, looking like a doll.
“Daddy! Shiara!”
Katsuo was just helping Ciara down from the horse when Ayaka barreled into his legs.
“Ooof, careful, Ayaka,” he warned. “I don’t want to drop Ciara.”
“Sorry,” the little girl said, drawing back. Katsuo set Ciara on her feet, and they both turned to the little girl.
“Have you looked after the castle, Ayaka?” Ciara asked, smiling at her. She sniffled.
“Yes! Everything is in order!” she reported before turning to Katsuo with a wide grin on her face. “I’ve missed you!”
“We missed you, too!” Katsuo bent down to hug his little girl.
Takeru was just arriving, having given Ayaka a head start.
“I’ve cleaned the guest house,” he said. “You might want to consider some allies, too, now that you’ve doubled your territories, brother. Congratulations on that, by the way.”
“Much appreciated,” Katsuo replied.
Ciara suppressed a sneeze, which didn’t slip his notice. He set Ayaka down and put a hand on Ciara’s back.
“Let’s go inside before we catch a cold.”
She sent him a grateful glance, and Ayaka started to take off her overcoat. “Here, you can have this, Shiara.”
“Oh, no, no! Keep it. It’s too small for me, but thank you,” Ciara said, quickly putting the coat back on the little girl. “I’m fine.”
“If you’re sure?” Ayaka hesitated for a moment before snuggling in the warmth of her clothes. She turned to Katsuo. “Daddy, will we eat dinner together?”
“Is it that time already?” Katsuo looked up at the sky. The dark clouds made it difficult to gauge the time.
“Well, we still have time before that,” Takeru replied. “But it is a fair question from Ayaka.”
“Sure. But let us warm up first,” Katsuo said.
“I’ll make sure the onsen is empty, brother.”
“My thanks.” Katsuo’s last word were drowned out by a huge sneeze.
“Sorry,” Ciara sniffled. “I couldn’t—” Another sneeze. “Dang it.”
“Let’s go.” Katsuo shepherded his little family into the castle.
69
As Ayaka ran ahead, dragging Ciara along, they chatted between themselves. Takeru used this opportunity to talk to his brother.
“As per your instructions, I’ve pulled back everyone from the field,” he reported. “What happened? I couldn’t help but notice someone’s missing.”
Katsuo narrowed his eyes.
“Taiki deserted us. He had joined forces with Juro. Actually, no, that’s not accurate.” Katsuo’s face darkened as he recalled the conversation in the tower room. “He’s been on his side all along.”
“Masaka1!” Takeru yelled in surprise. Ciara glanced back at them. It only took one glimpse at Katsuo’s face for her to guess the topic at hand. She sent them a sad look before turning back to Ayaka, keeping her attention away from the talk.
“There’s no way to know for sure how much damage he did,” Katsuo continued.
“Surely you didn’t gather our spies here in one place to…” Takeru couldn’t even finish the thought out loud.
“Of course not. We do need damage control, though. Can you assist me with that?”
“It’d be my pleasure, brother. Thank you for your trust.”
“Silly.” Katsuo ruffled his little brother’s hair.
“Hey!” he protested. His ponytail was all messed up, and he had to unbind his hair before tying it up again. It was still tangled, though.
“Get Rui to help you.”
“That woman?”
“I’ve made Taiki look into her, so one of the spies should have info regarding her. Double check. If everything works out fine, bring her in. She might be useful.”
“Understood,” Takeru replied, already thinking up a solution. He hesitated for a moment, before continuing. “Actually, she came to me the other day, saying she had some information regarding the mole. I might as well ask her about it.”
“Aaah, this is heavenly!” Ciara sighed in content as she submerged herself in the warm water.
“I thought you said witches don’t believe in heaven,” she heard Katsuo’s voice from the side.
“Where did you come from?” Ciara shrieked, disappearing up to her chin in the water. She crossed her arms in front of her body. As futile gesture as it was, it seemed to reassure her.
Katsuo was sitting on a flat rock, leaning his head back and just enjoying the hot spring. Snow was falling, but the water was so hot that it melted before it reached the pool. Fog covered the surface, making it hard to see.
“I’ve been here since before you got here.”
“Pervert,” Ciara mumbled, looking away. Katsuo chuckled.
“You worry about the most peculiar things. It’s not like we haven’t seen each other naked before.”
Ciara was thankful for the warm water because she could blame her blush on the high temperature. She remained silent.
“Come on, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” Katsuo said, looking straight at her. Ciara gazed back into his golden eyes and was suddenly reminded of the sight in the tower room.
His eyes back then looked like molten gold. He had fangs, claws, and there was a strange energy surrounding him. At the onsen, he looked calm, but she could still feel a curious aura around him. It drew her closer, and she slowly made her way over to him.
“Your eyes are gold.”
He looked surprised then blinked. His eyes returned to their normal, dark brown color.
“You don’t have to hide it. I like it,” Ciara was quick to reassure him. “Is this something to do with what you said? With the youkai stuff?”
Katsuo nodded.
“Will you tell me about it?” Ciara asked tentatively. It seemed like a touchy subject for him. Katsuo seemed to carefully consider his answer, but she was patient. She sat down next to him, bringing her legs to her chest, and looked up at him curiously.
“You told me, because you’re a witch, you have special abilities,” he started. “It’s similar for me. Because I’m part youkai, I have some special powers, too. I’ve often heard Westerners refer to them as demons or spirits,” Katsuo explained. “There are different classes of youkai; however, the most powerful and intelligent lot of them can take on a human form. And they retain their special powers even in that form.”
“Does this mean one of your ancestors was a youkai?” Ciara’s eyes were big.
“My great-grandfather was a full-blooded youkai, yes. For some incomprehensible reason, he fell in love with a human woman.” He thought back to what little information Yuki had told him in the past. “It rarely happens, or so I’ve heard. Youkai are extremely powerful beings and live for a very long time. And most of them despise mortals. They’d rather not take part in humans’ affairs.”
Ciara looked at him, contemplating.
“But you want to keep this a secret.”
“I have no other choice. I am more human than youkai, and a daimyō at that. I don’t want to give my enemies any openings. If word got out, everyone’s life in this household would be in danger. Humans fear everything that’s different.”
“Or stuff they don’t understand,” Ciara interjected.
“Exactly,” Katsuo nodded. “So you know.”
Ciara sighed.
“That’s why
I don’t advertise being a witch. It’s been hard enough living with this eye color,” she confessed as she looked up at him.
“Funnily enough, I’ve never thought it strange that you had purple eyes,” Katsuo admitted. He reached out to stroke Ciara’s face.
“You probably thought it was just a normal thing for Westerners, huh?”
“Who knows?” Katsuo said, leaning closer. He touched his forehead against hers. “I’m just happy I’ve found you.”
“Me too,” Ciara replied with a smile. “Even though I suspect neither of us was too fond of the idea of living under one roof at the beginning.”
“Can you stop speaking, please? I’m trying to enjoy the moment here.”
She quickly kissed him on the lips.
“I bet you are.”
1 No way!
Epilogue
Night had fallen, and the head priest was just about to sit down to share his dinner with the two miko who had worked with him at the shrine on the side of a rarely travelled road.
It was a small sanctuary for those who had suffered from the constant war and wanted a place to rest and recuperate before they continued their journey. The shrine was dedicated to a lesser known, local shintō deity who protected travelers.
Their evening respite was interrupted by a loud bang as the door to the shrine was kicked in. Two figures stood in the dark outside, one bending over in pain. The priest immediately stood up and approached the strangers with caution.
“We need your help,” was all the man on the left said. He was supporting his companion.
“What happened?”
“He was shot by a Westerner’s pistol,” he replied. “Can you help?”
“Bring him in,” the priest replied as he turned around and directed the two priestesses to prepare a futon and to bring medicine and equipment. Thankfully, he had had experience treating wounds, even the kinds caused by these new weapons the Westerners had brought with them.
The two strangers were suspicious, but he didn’t judge them. After all, it was his mission to help anyone in need, no matter their background. The injured man looked like a samurai while his companion’s attire reminded the priest of the rumored shinobi.
By the time he finally got the bullet out of the samurai’s wound, a windstorm had arrived, flinging the wooden shutters on the windows. The two miko went around to secure all windows and the door. Soon, the rain’s quick pitter-patter could be heard. It was as if they were under rapid gunfire.
Sweat trickled down the priest’s forehead as he prepared to use his holy powers to close the wound on the samurai’s side. But as soon as his hand hovered over the injury and he let the power flow through his fingertips, electricity burned him. He quickly withdrew his hand, his expression grave.
“What is it?” The samurai’s companion asked. A small shadow moved on his shoulder, and the priest only realized just now that they were accompanied by a cat. Not just any cat, but a two-tailed one. He gulped, thinking over his options.
Thunder rumbled in the background as if warning him. The fact that his holy powers didn’t work on the samurai meant he had a significant amount of monster blood in his veins. The two-tails was another sign his own life and the lives of his priestesses were in jeopardy. Lightning flashed and illuminated the entire room for a moment. The sharp, grey eyes of the shinobi scrutinized him closely.
“Mayu, bring some bandages,” the priest directed the miko, and she hurried off right away. He turned to the shinobi. “We need to stop the bleeding then bandage him. Can you help me with that?”
The stranger nodded, waiting in silence. The priest couldn’t help but think that he was being evaluated and his life was hanging on a thin thread. He wouldn’t turn someone away who was in need, but he didn’t want to risk the lives of everyone here, either.
Soon, they had managed to stop the bleeding and wrap the wound, and the priest and miko had retreated into another room. Their dinner had long gone cold.
Meanwhile, the samurai’s eyes flickered open in the other room.
“Taiki?”
“I’m here. How are you feeling, Juro-dono?”
“Been better.” He coughed. “Damn. That little bitch did something unexpected.”
“The bullet has been extracted. Your wound should heal soon.”
“How are the preparations coming along?” he asked, reaching for his haori and pulling it close. His hand disappeared into a pocket.
“I hid the mirror before we left. It’s in a safe place,” Taiki replied dutifully.
“Bring it here.”
“Understood.” The ninja didn’t comment, but Juro could see the question in his eyes.
“We don’t have much time left until the solar eclipse. If we miss this chance, it will set my plans back for years.” Finally, his hands found the item he’d been looking for. His fingers closed around the cold, smooth surface of the egg-shaped jewel hidden inside his pocket. A smirk appeared on his face. “And we can’t have that.”
I hope you enjoyed the journey to a fantastical 16th century Japan in Sword and Mirror. If you did, I would appreciate it if you could leave a review.
Book 2, Smoke and Jewel will be out on Leap Day! Pre-order here: https://books2read.com/u/m2reOk
Youkai Treasures series:
Sword and Mirror
Katsuo’s side story | Ciara’s side story
Smoke and Jewel
http://kategrove.net
Katsuo’s side story can be found at most online retailers, and you can
sign up for my newsletter to receive Ciara’s side story for free:
http://kategrove.net/freebookciara
If you liked Sword and Mirror and would like to support me, here is the link to advanced chapters of Smoke and Jewel. Yes, you can read as I write. Yes, this means you can read it before anyone else: https://www.patreon.com/kategrovewriter
Find me on
Author’s Note
I’m not going to tell you the story of my life but rather, the story of this book. It started in 2017, as I was trying to decide which story to write during National Novel Writing Month and of course a new idea popped into my head. There’s this advice you’ve probably heard if you’ve ever ventured near writers: ‘write what you know’. To which my usual reaction was: ‘Okay, but hey, I like fantasy. It’s not like I can actually travel to another world and experience it, I have to use my imagination’.
Then it clicked. At that time, I was re-watching an old favorite. Japan. I love Japan. I’ve studied Japan. Hopefully, that means I know enough of Japan to write about it! And so the avalanche had been, once again, started by that very same anime which had put me on the road to acquire a BA in Japanese language and culture.
There are about 60000-70000 words of Sword and Mirror which will never, ever see the light of day. By November 2018, I had a new outline, and ready to rewrite. Yes, I’ve started all over from scratch. It seemed easier than to edit what I had.
And I don’t regret. It is better, shinier, and more coherent, thanks to all the work, rewrites and test-runs.
I wanted to write a fantasy with romance, an adventure of a lifetime, and a mystery to solve, with a healthy dose of humor. I can only hope you’ve found it your liking. It gave me a headache just thinking what I should call it, but romantic fantasy is what describes it best.
There will be more books. Not sure how many, but this series is definitely going to be longer than a trilogy. I’m working on Book 2 at the moment, Smoke and Jewel, and I’ve decided to publish it on Leap Day, because I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
(Pre-order here: https://books2read.com/u/m2reOk )
I’m happy with how Sword and Mirror turned out and I sincerely hope that you enjoyed reading it, and maybe, just maybe I’ve managed to take you away to a faraway land, full of fun adventures and a little bit of romance for a few hours.
Thank you.
br />
