“Well that was…interesting.” I stared at the ruined punching bag again before glancing at Raiden. “Are you sure you have control of him? He’s awfullybossy.”
Raiden rolled his eyes. “Trust me, Katsu just likes to sound like he’s in charge. He isn’t powerful enough to take over my body completely, though heispowerful enough to resist my commands if he doesn’t want to carry them out.” Sighing, he sat down on the ground again. “That’s the thing about being a shaman—you have to be in harmony with your spirit in order to operate at max potential. If the two of you can’t fully become one, then you’re going to have problems harnessing your spirit’s abilities, and your spirit is going to have a hard time controlling your body.” He glanced at me, admiration in his eyes. “You didn’t back down when he was trying to intimidateyou.”
My skin tingled beneath Raiden’s warm regard and I forced myself to break his gaze. Glancing down at my bracelet, I changed the subject. “I didn’t merge with myfuri. It just touched me and healed me. Does that mean my magic is different fromyours?”
“I don’t really know. I’ve never seen ayokaishaman perform magic. None of us have.” He shrugged. “Even Mamoru, with all his years of wisdom, doesn’t know much aboutit.”
“That’s not exactly making me feel better,” I said as I sat down in front of him, the charm box between us. “But I’ll try it anyway.” It wasn’t like I had room to be picky. My mom was missing, and I needed to learn how to use my powers if I was going to rescue her from an evilshaman.
I reached for the box, but before I could take a charm, Raiden grabbed my hand. “Take a breath,” he said. “Focus on what you’re doing. Drive the fear from your mind. The last thing you need is for theyokaito sense that you’reafraid.”
He squeezed my hand, a gesture that I was sure was meant to be comforting. But the motion sent sparks skipping up the inside of my arm, and I was suddenly aware of how small my hand was in his. While his fingers were long and somewhat elegant, like a pianist’s, calluses brushed against my skin, and there was hidden strength in them. A strength that had allowed him to grip that wooden sword and smash it clear through that punching bag. Absolutely nothing like my own delicate hands…and under normal circumstances, I might have been intimidated. Instead, I found myself wanting to squeeze his hand back, to lift it and run my fingers along the ridges andtendons.
Flustered, I snatched my hand away from his. A hurt look flickered in Raiden’s eyes again, but then they hardened, and he leaned back. Giving me myspace.
Knowing I was never going to be able to concentrate if I kept looking at him, I closed my eyes and drew in a long breath to calm myself. Unfortunately, Raiden’s incense-and-hot-guy scent filled my nose, and the butterflies in my stomach went haywireagain.
Get a grip, Aika!I scolded myself.You don’t have time to be mooning over a guy when your mom’s being held hostage by a psychoshaman!
The thought of my mom suffering in some dark prison, alone and afraid, was like a cold bucket of water being dumped on my head. Determination filled me as I forced all thoughts from my head and focused on breathing. In, two, three…out, two, three…in, two,three…
It took a minute, but finally the emotions swirling in my gut began to drain away with each breath, loosening the tightness in my chest and shoulders. With no worrisome thoughts or fears chasing themselves around in my head, it was easy to let go of that emotion, to smooth my frazzled nerves and center myself. As I did, I became aware of mykiinside me, a warm, glowing ball of energy that had tiny trickles of energy bleeding off it. Those trickles flowed through channels in my body like a nervous system all their own. I was all too familiar with how this worked—I channeled mykiall the time when I was performingreikihealings.
Did yokai power flow through these channels as well?I wondered as I grabbed hold of the energy and studied it.Was this how I harnessedyoki?
There was only one way to findout.
I opened my eyes, rock steady now. Raiden blinked as I reached for the box. Part of me wondered what he saw that surprised him, but I didn’t ask. My fingers closed around a tiny wooden carving of a fox, worn smooth and glossy by time and skin oil. Like the yen coin, the fox flared brightly in my hand, and this time I felt its power ripple across my flesh. For a second, I could have sworn something furry rubbed against my arm. But that had to be myimagination…
“Maji,”I commanded, using the same word Raiden had used to summon Katsu. I latched onto that trickle of power and tugged on it mentally as I said the words, summoning itforth.
Sapphire light burst from the fox charm like a firecracker that swirled overhead in a vortex of blue fire. Scorching hot flames licked the moisture from my face and hands. Raiden stumbled backward in shock, but I realized I wasn’t scared of the fire. Sure, it was hot, and it could burn me to a crisp, but for some reason, I knew itwouldn’t.
At least notyet.
Raising my chin, I stared straight into the vortex of flame. Glowing yellow eyes blinked at me from within the swirling sapphire flame as it solidified into a seven-foot-tall fox with luxurious crimson fur and nine long, bushy tails waving behindit.
“Akyuubi!” Raiden exclaimed, his apprehension lost as excitement took over. “I’ve always wanted to meetone!”
Thekyuubiturned its nose up at Raiden, pointedly turning away from him. It regarded me thoughtfully. “It has been a long time since a shaman has dared to summon me,” she hissed in Japanese, exposing long, white canines. “Who are you to commandme?”
A large part of me wanted to shrink back from theyokai’syellow gaze and beg her forgiveness before she ripped my throat out with her teeth. But something else inside me, something ancient and primal, forced me to stand firm. I would not backdown.
“I am Aika of the Fujiwara Clan,” I replied, gathering my power around me. It flowed freely from the center of my chest, enveloping me in a golden glow, and thekyuubi’seyes widened. “Isummoned you by the power of thischarm.”
Theyokaigrowled at the sight of the fox charm dangling in my fingers. She jerked forward, as if she was going to lunge at me, then stopped. Part of me wanted to flinch, but I ignored her threat, meeting her gaze squarely. “I cannot kill you while you wield that charm, or I myself will perish,” she spat. “But that does not mean I will agree to do your bidding. You are notworthy.”
I bristled at that. “What do you mean, I’m not worthy? I summoned you, didn’tI?”
Thekyuubilaughed. “Any shaman can do that. But you are a weakling, untested, not like the shaman who bound me.” Her gaze turned sinister. “I eatweaklings.”
“Aika,” Raiden murmured, putting a hand on my shoulder. I wasn’t sure when he’d sidled up to me, but the worry in his voice concerned me. “Just let it go. There are othercharms.”
He was right. And yet, as I looked into theyokai’seyes, I was seized by the need to dominate. To show it who was boss. Shrugging off Raiden’s hand, I took a step forward. “Give me a test,” I challenged her. “I’ll prove to you that I’mworthy.”
“Is that so, little shaman?” thekyuubimocked, her face twisting into a feral smile. “And what happens when you fail? What happensthen?”
“I won’tfail.”
