She thought,I’m free.
And later, the clouds pressed down, glowing faintly, and she thought back to that one night under the stars, the tips of trees, the rising of the moon. Remembered falling stars that came from dark recesses of the cloud, a blanket hanging heavily above their heads, rain and fate entwined; remembered the reflections on the water, small, shimmering things, that rose up in unison to meet the real falling lights in the air above, and the starry water that always seemed, in those few moments, to be made of glass. It felt as though the world and every living creature on it was taking pause, a small scrape of time to halt their hard-fought lives and stand or sit or lie down facing that black sky, their eyes turned up to heaven, to see what the lights might have to say.
In the darkness, she felt a soft hand on her own. Sen was watching her, and he had tears in his eyes too.
“You’re gonna come back,” he whispered. “Right? You’re gonna come back.”
“’Course I am. You know I’ll come back.”
“You better.” He tried for a grin, gave her a knuckle to the shoulder, and took her hand again. “You better.”
All lay quiet, and motionless but for the breeze, and it was as if they were the only two things that existed, her and Sen, in all the world.
She said, “I will.”
But as she saddled her horse the next morning, the hills lay chill with mist and fog, and the Hassho’s voice came to her again.
This curse was not meant for you.It will consume you. It will spread into your heart and make you a monster, and then, child, it will take you too.
The only way to stop it is to die.
She saw the shadowy giants, the pilgrims of death, walking the skiesabove the world. Each night, they shifted, spoke in murmured voices at the bounds of her perception, like far-off thunder, floating at the edge of sight.
She could see the ghost, the demon, every time she closed her eyes. She was afraid to sleep again. She was going to the wells, that was the destination. She would soon be there, but who knew what she’d find?
She saw other ghosts, too, flicking past, just like the giant gods, but these were smaller, shades of a little boy and girl she could just make out, but never reach. The image of a bridge lay heavy on her mind.
The sisters were ready. The horses were prepared.
Sen had come to watch them go.
With fast mounts and fewer numbers, the Jibashiri could make it to the temple by sundown, but Tokuon and the rest of the army would need another day at least. If the fighting began before that, there was no telling how long they’d last.
They better hurry, Rui thought. And, with a flash of sadness:Once again I’m going away.When can I stop leaving places, and start returning?
She glanced back to find Sen watching in his colors of purple and indigo over white. He’d never looked so proud, she thought, nor so beautiful.
She left with a horrible feeling that she’d never see him again.
PARTFOUR
Moonlight
CHAPTERTHIRTY-NINE
Kai
Shoho Year 4
Midwinter
Kai slammed her fist on the table, shouting just like the others. It was no use. With news of the Musha’in, Akiyo, gathering her forces at the edge of Yamano province to their northeast, they were trapped here, within the twin temples of the Onji banks, whether they liked it or not.
The town of Oda, they heard, was the first to fall. Paddies flooded, the small-temple burned. Akiyo’s mountain-wolves had made their mark. Even Tokuon’s retainers were attacked – his muster at Kiseda had not gone unnoticed.
Still, Kai argued. They’ll come. They will come. But when? That was the question none could answer. The Keishi would be on them in a matter of days – whether from the east, or west, or both together. They had no choice but to prepare for a siege.
Reports claimed a sharp-eyed Keishi general named Kaga Makoto had called his vassals to the north; they were gaining power every day. The Mountain monks, led by Ryaku’in, had ceased their infighting and now turned their arms in favor of the royal city.Ryaku’in, she thought.Curse him.
