Emperor of the Fireflies Read online

  Kurika’s eyes flashed and Sakami shrank back behind Honou. “Dependent? He doesn’t even know where I am. He has enough in his life to keep him distracted for a day or two. So here I am, ready to take back what is rightfully mine. Stand aside and let me pass.”

  “I can’t do that,” Inari said quietly.

  “What will it take to change your mind, I wonder? That castle up on the mountainside… the mortals there must be precious to you, as they’ve rebuilt your shrine within its walls.” Kurika pointed to the roofs of Kurozuro Castle towering above them beyond the forest trees. “How much are those lives worth, Inari?”

  Something snapped in Sakami’s mind. He was threatening something she knew was very dear to her, even if she couldn’t yet articulate what it was. “No!” she cried, forgetting Inari’s warning. “Don’t hurt them.”

  “And here’s one of your little servants, skulking in the undergrowth.” Kurika turned to stare at her and she felt the heat of his gaze searing her.

  Transfixed, unable to flee, Sakami looked into his burning eyes and saw for a brief moment the confusion and dislocation simmering deep below his fury.

  This is my mountain, my home – why did you take it away from me, Inari?

  The sense of frustrated longing was so strong that it almost overwhelmed her.

  “Perhaps I’ll start with this little one.” Kurika reached out one strong-muscled arm toward her, black-taloned fingers extended. “Shall I drain the life force from her?”

  Sakami woke up as the fierce heat of his body enveloped her. Her two spirit tails flickered into life, and a sudden rush of energy pulsed through her body. She heard herself growl at Kurika, baring her teeth.

  What am I doing? I haven’t a chance against him. He’s so powerful –

  But the outstretched hand froze. The expected attack never came as Sakami saw the dragon tattoo on Kurika’s left breast glow suddenly with a dark radiance. The fire kami gave a low, shuddering gasp and fell back a pace. The other hand rose to clutch at the tattoo as Kurika gritted his teeth in a grimace of pain.

  “So your master’s called you,” Inari observed. “And you’re powerless to ignore his command.”

  Kurika threw back his head and let out a roar of frustration. Another pulse of fiery light emanated from between his tight-clenched fingers and he dropped to one knee, breathing hard.

  “Damn you. May you rot in the darkness of Yomi – for all eternity,” Sakami heard him whisper between hoarse gasps. Does he mean Inari? Or is he cursing his master? As she watched him writhe, fighting the summons with all his strength, she almost felt a pang of sympathy for him. The glow emanating from the tattoo grew brighter until Kurika gave a hiss of steamy breath and leapt into the air.

  Sakami stifled a cry, thinking that – in his agony – he had thrown himself over the edge of the cliff. Then she saw the shikigami change back in one convulsive movement into his dragon form and streak away following the coastline, leaving nothing behind him but a faint shimmering trail of smoke and sparks.

  ***

  Inari let out a sigh and sank to the ground, the light around her dispersing. Sakami hurried to her side and nuzzled up against her.

  “Will you be all right now, Lady Inari?”

  “Yes.” Inari slowly raised her head and Sakami saw that the soft luster of her eyes had dulled, as if the encounter with Kurika had drained all her strength. “But we must be on our guard. Kurika’s growing more rebellious and his mortal master may soon lose control of him completely. We must be ready for that day.”

  “But how?” Honou asked. “He’s really strong. And very angry.”

  “What was that strange mark on his breast?” Sakami wanted to know.

  “That was the Slave seal his master the onmyōji put on him. When the master summons him, he is forced to obey. The longer he delays, the greater the pain inflicted by the Slave seal.”

  “How cruel.” Sakami heard herself saying, unable to forget the look of agony in Kurika’s smoldering eyes as he fought to escape his master’s control.

  “He burned your village; he doesn’t deserve your sympathy!” Honou burst out.

  “He burned my village?” Was that why I was so afraid of him? Sakami shook her head from side to side, trying to unlock her memory.

  “What are you doing?” Honou was regarding her quizzically. “Have you got a flea?”

  “I want to shake my memories free.”

  “Sakami, Honou, go to the shrine in the castle, and make sure that all is well there with the guardian foxes. Kurika will be back – and he will target you, my kitsune, first.” She stroked Sakami’s head and Sakami, overcome by a rush of pleasure, could do nothing but rub up against her, thrilling to her touch. “I’m so sorry, my little ones, that I’ve placed you in such danger. But gathered together, you’ll be much stronger if he attacks.” She let out another sigh. “This comes at the worst possible time for us, just as the rice harvest is ripening. . . Promise me that you’ll stay safe in the castle shrine until I return.”

  Sakami nodded. And Honou nudged his sharp muzzle against Inari’s hand, seeking a caress from her soft hands too.

  ***

  “So the bond between your house and the sea is broken?”

  The smoky voice, simmering with heat, startled Hotaru. Looking round, he saw that Kurika, his fire shikigami, had materialized in his chamber.

  “It was a worthless bond, anyway. You have me now. And I’m more powerful than any of the dragons of the sea.”

  “You flatter yourself.” Hotaru gazed at Kurika, who, although in human form, was still radiating a faint fiery shimmer. “Where have you been?”

  “Obeying your orders.” Was that a glimmer of rebellion in his flame-flecked eyes? “You told me to keep away until the festival was over.”

  “You were not only away, you were very far away.” Hotaru was beginning to realize that he would have to find a way to control Kurika more effectively; the shikigami was beginning to act as willfully as he had when he first set him free.

  “Inari was here.” Kurika’s voice hardened with hatred and the room suddenly grew darker. Hotaru sensed a crackle of fiery energy emanating from the shikigami’s mortal form and a shiver of fear stirred deep inside him. Am I losing control? He steeled himself, knowing he would have to re-assert his power over his volatile creature. If he didn’t show him who was master, matters could swiftly get out of hand again. “So I followed her.”

  “That was wrong of you.” Hotaru adjusted the spare pair of spectacles he had been obliged to wear; his favorite pair had been washed away when Lord Kaito pushed him into the sea. “Above all, you must not draw attention to yourself.”

  “I haven’t forgiven the wrong Inari did me. I never will.” His shikigami’s voice grew harsh with resentment. “She condemned me to a living death. Years without number in agony, pinned through the body by that cursed sword, imprisoned beneath her shrine on my own mountain.”

  “And, as I promised when I released you, I will restore your mountain to you. Don’t spoil everything by acting too hastily.” Hotaru watched the ominous flicker of dark flame in the shikigami’s eyes. Kurika was dangerous; keeping him in check was a constant drain on his own powers.

  “You have your wish. You’ve ousted your brother and been named emperor.” Was Kurika mocking him? “Now I want my reward.”

  “How little you’ve learned about mortal men, Kurika. We haven’t even returned to the capital yet. My brother’s supporters won’t take too kindly to his decision to step down in my favor. I may have to fight all the way to the Phoenix Throne.”

  Emperor of the Fireflies

  Part I

  Chapter 1

  “Slow down, Kaito!”

  Kai heard Masao calling to him as he streaked through the sea, exulting in his new-found freedom. He ignored him and pressed on through the dark waves.

  “Where are you heading?”

  The inky night sky was lightening as they swam onward, fading through luminou
s cobalt blue to a cloudy gray. It would soon be dawn.

  “We’ve been following the coast all night.”

  Kai slowed at last and gazed across at the distant coastline.

  Have my instincts brought me home?

  He thought he could just make out the indistinct outline of a cone-topped mountain, veiled in mist, and looming high beyond the cliff tops.

  “Is that Mount Sakuranbo?” A shimmering white-scaled reptilian head rose above the waves. Kai blinked, still astounded to hear Masao’s voice issuing from the Ebb Dragon’s powerful jaws.

  “I think it is.” His desperate desire to find Sakami again had brought him straight back to Kurozuro Castle, his home… and the goddess Inari’s shrine.

  Inari promised me. She promised me that Sakami’s memories would be restored if I destroyed the Tide Jewels. I have to make sure that Sakami’s all right.

  “Be careful. If Lord Toshiro and the Akatobi fleet are still occupying the beach…”

  “If,” Kai repeated, hearing the uncertainty in the young Kite lord’s voice. “What do you mean?”

  “Flood’s wave won’t have just caused damage at the monastery; it must have smashed against the whole coastline.”

  Kai nodded; the thought had occurred to him too but he had pushed it to the back of his mind. I need to know what’s happened to the castle. To Takeru…and to Mother.

  He struck out toward the cove. A wave washed over him, dragging him back. He shook the water from his whiskered head and set out again. This time it felt as if a strong current were tugging him back.

  “What’s this? Why can’t I –?” He flailed and struggled, determined to break free of the powerful pull of the undertow.

  “What’s wrong?” Masao’s voice carried to him faintly through the splash and gurgle of the waters.

  “Can’t – swim ashore.” Kai turned toward Mount Sakuranbo once more and channeled all his strength into another attempt. He strained to force his long, supple dragon body toward land – but it was as if he was trying to swim through thick, churning mud; for all his frantic efforts, he made no progress at all. Frustration overwhelmed him and he threw back his head and a great cry of fury tore from deep inside him. “What’s happening? What’s gone wrong?”

  “Let me try.” Masao set out toward the distant shore leaving a wake of spray. A few seconds later Kai saw a tremor spasm through the foam-white dragon’s body, almost as if he had encountered an invisible barrier and been repulsed. Ebb’s tail lashed the waves, smacking down and sending spatters of sea water fountaining into the air.

  “Ah!” Kai heard him cry out in uncomprehending rage. “Why can’t I – ugh, damn it all to hell!”

  As stubbornly as Kai labored toward land – and home – the more relentlessly the current tugged him back out to sea. Feeling every muscle in his new dragon form stretched to its limit, he called to Masao, “Something’s forcing me back.”

  “Me too,” came back the strained reply, Masao’s strong voice breathless with the same struggle.

  “Now what do we do?” Kai lay back, floating on the gentle tide. “How do we change back?”

  “The seal.” Masao had raised his left arm out of the water and was examining its white scales minutely, even down to the three talons where his fingers had been. “Where’s the Sacrifice seal?”

  “I can’t see it anywhere,” Kai said. And the possibility that there might no longer be any way to change back began to sink in.

  Inari hasn’t abandoned us, has she?

  He reared up out of the water and called out her name. “Inari! Lady Inari!”

  His voice echoed back to him, the uncomprehending bellow of a monstrous creature in pain.

  “But I did exactly as you asked,” Kai cried. “I gave the Tide Jewels back to the sea. So what’s gone wrong? What’s happened to me?” He looked down at the shimmer of sea-blue scales on his transfigured body and lashed his tail hard against the waves. “Did you lie to me?” All his pent-up anger and confusion came pouring out unchecked; he forgot that he was addressing a goddess and opened his dragon maw wide to roar his frustration aloud, raging like a storm wind across the bay. “Why can’t I go home?”

  The waves began to froth at the sound of his fury, surging higher as they rolled in toward the shore.

  “Am I trapped out here forever?” All Kai wanted was to be back on land. He had left so much unfinished. He needed to be sure that his young squire Susumu had escaped the Kites’ clutches. He needed to make certain that his injured brother Takeru had not suffered another relapse. And above all, he longed to see Sakami. “You tricked me, Lady Inari.” Down came his tail again, sending another surge of water roaring toward the shore. “You told me it would save Sakami. Now I can’t even get close to the land.”

  “Stop, Kaito!” A woman’s voice, clear and commanding, rang out across the raging waves. A gleam of soft light illumined the top of the cliffs, high above the sea caves where the rocky promontory projected far out into the bay. “Do you want to cause another flood?”

  He looked up and saw a white-robed woman gazing down at him, her eyes dark and forbidding against her translucent skin. The strands of her long black hair stirred like fronds of waterweed in the turbulent breeze off the sea. Lady Inari, the rice goddess, the one who had begged him to destroy the Tide Jewels.

  “Why am I trapped in this dragon body? And why can’t I come any closer to land?” His voice shook and he couldn’t control it. “I don’t even know who – or what – I am any more. Help me!”

  She came floating toward him along the bleak spur of headland that jutted out into the sea.

  “Kaito,” she said and her somber expression sent a chill through him, “you did as I asked. And for that I thank you. You set the souls of my dearest Lord Kurozuro and Lord Akatobi free when you threw the Tide Jewels back into the sea. But it seems that the blood-bond I forged between your two clans and the Tide Dragons was not broken when the jewels dissolved.”

  “Why not?” Kai tried to steady his voice but her words only confirmed his worst suspicions.

  “You’ve taken their place. You’re both now inextricably linked to the flow and ebb of the tide.”

  “Inextricably linked?” Masao echoed and Kai heard the tremor of uncertainty in the Kite lord’s question. So Masao was as confused and angry as he. “Do we control the tides? Or do the tides control us?”

  “When you jumped into the sea, you activated the Sacrifice bond through the seals tattooed into your skin. Like your forebears, you have become one with the Tide Dragons, and can only return to the land in mortal form when the tide rises – or falls.”

  “So I can only go ashore at high tide?” Kai was struggling to make sense of this information.

  “And I at low tide?” Masao asked. “We can never go ashore together?”

  “And as the tide turns,” said Inari, “you’ll be drawn back into the waves and become one with your bonded Tide Dragon again.”

  “But without the Tide Jewels, how can we ever be set free?” Kai raised one dragon claw imploringly to the goddess. “Can’t you help us, Lady Inari?”

  A strange smile twisted her lips. “Don’t you remember, Kaito? My duty is to protect the rice harvest. As Tide Dragons, you pose a threat to my crops.”

  “But when you were Empress Himiko, you were the one who created the Tide Jewels,” Kai began, determined not to let the goddess drift away, leaving them to their fate.

  She turned on him, a cold light burning in her eyes. “There will be no more Tide Jewels. You’ve seen the havoc they create. Just imagine if they fell into the hands of a power-crazed emperor what he might force you to do against your will: drown thousands of people and animals, flood the rice fields, and create years of famine and hardship for Cipangu and her enemies alike. Just like before.”

  “So, no more Tide Jewels,” Masao said, “but there must be some other way to set us free?” Kai sensed that he was trying to make sense of what had happened to them. “Or are we nothin
g but unnecessary second sons, sacrificed to the sea to uphold the honor of our clans?”

  “If you really loved Lord Kurozuro when you were empress,” Kai burst out, unable to hold back any longer, “then why inflict the curse on us? There must be some way to break it.”

  “There are people on land waiting for us. People who need us,” Masao added, equally vehemently. “The new emperor, Hotaru, used the Tide Jewels to depose his brother and seize power. He’s dangerous.”

  “And he’s the one who set Kurika free,” Kai said, remembering that Inari had once fought Kurika and bound him beneath Sakuranbo Mountain. “If he has the skill to control Kurika, it won’t be long before he discovers a way to control us too.”

  “Do you think I’m not aware of that fact?” And Inari turned away again, as if she had nothing more to say to them.

  “Kurika is just as much of a threat to your rice fields as we are.” Kai was desperate to keep her attention. “If you set us free, we will help you destroy him.”

  She paused. “You, Kaito?” She gave a small, dry laugh. “What possible use would you be? Kurika is far stronger than you.” Her barely concealed derision chilled him. If she wasn’t even prepared to consider the possibility, who else could they turn to?

  “The sacred sword.” Masao’s voice came from further away. The tide was going out, and Kai realized that Flood was slowly moving further away from the shore with it. “The katana you used to imprison Kurika beneath the mountain.”

  “Shattered into a thousand fragments,” she said over her shoulder with a little shrug of resignation.

  “I know a master swordsmith,” Masao cried out. “His name is Kinkiyo. If we collect the scattered fragments, he could re-forge the blade.”

  “If you can find them. . .” Her parting words floated back to them like the solitary cry of a seabird.

  “Don’t go, Lady Inari!” But Kai’s plea was born on the sea breeze to an empty cliff top; the goddess had vanished. “Did she agree?” he asked. Now that she had gone, he suddenly felt exhausted, all fight fast seeping from him. “Masao?”