I rinsed my left hand one more time, then stepped away from the fountain so I could shake my hands off and dry them. Raiden nodded in approval, and I bit back a sigh of relief. I was afraid I’d done the steps out of order, as I hadn’t visited a shrine in ages. Not since I was a littlegirl.
“So,” I said as we began to ascend the stone steps leading to the shrine entrance. “Is there a reason we’re visiting the shrine instead of driving to thebeach?”
“Because driving in morning rush hour is for schmucks,” Shota declared. His eyes lit up as he lifted his head toward the twin lion-dogs guarding the shrine. “Why bother when you can shrine-travel?”
“Shrine-travel?” I echoed, looking at him as if he’d lost his mind. “What on earth are you talkingabout?”
“AllShintoshrines and Buddhist temples are connected to theReikaiin some way or another,” he explained, his eyes lighting up. “Shamans can ride the spiritual currents of theReikaithat pass between temples and shrines to get from one place toanother.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “So you’re saying the shrines are likeportals?”
“Pretty much. Cool, ain’t it?” Shota grinned as we stepped under the eaves of the shrine. The doors were open, and there were torches flickering inside, illuminating thehaiden, or worship hall, with its rows of benches that faced thehondenthat housed the shrine’skami.
I thought we were going to go inside, but Shota and Raiden headed straight for thesuzu—a gigantic brass bell that hung from the eaves of the shrine and had a long, thick rope attached to it that trailed to theground.
“We use the bell to get thekami’sattention and access theReikai,” Raiden explained at my questioning look. “Since we’re traveling as one, we have to hold hands.” He offered me his righthand.
Nodding, I gripped Raiden’s hand, hoping he didn’t notice my palm was growing damp with nerves. “Is it possible to get stuck between shrines?” I asked. “Like, end up in theReikaibyaccident?”
Raiden frowned. “I’ve never heard of that happening. Now hush,” he said, lowering his voice. “Shota needs toconcentrate.”
We fell silent as Shota bowed twice in front of the shrine, then grabbed the rope and gave it a mighty tug. The bell gonged once, then twice as Shota tugged it again, a deep, melodious sound that vibrated in my chest and swept away the anxiety lingeringthere.
I half-expected Shota to let the bell go so he could clap—which was traditional when making a wish using the shrine bell—but instead he grabbed Raiden’s hand. I gasped as a flash of blinding light engulfed us and lifted my free hand to shield my eyes. Suddenly we were flying through the air at what seemed like the speed of light, and the bright light was shifting and twisting all around us in a dizzying kaleidoscope of colors. I felt like I was trapped in a tie-dye spin, and my stomach pitched withnausea.
A second later, blackness slammed down around us, and we came to an abrupt stop. Reeling, I clutched Raiden’s arm for balance, and maybe also to reassure myself that he was stillhere.
“It’s okay,” Raiden said, pulling me closer to him. His voice was close enough to my ear that his warm breath brushed across my cheek, and magically, the knots in my stomach vanished. “Your vision will clear in asecond.”
He was right. Gradually, the blackness faded away, replaced by a gorgeous view of the beach.Ocean Beach,I realized as I caught sight of the Sutro Baths ruins down below. We were standing on one of the grassy swells of land leading down to the Baths—a popular tourist hotspot in San Francisco. A salty ocean breeze whipped around us, tugging at my still-damp hair, and I instinctively leaned into Raiden’s warmth as the chill nipped at mycheeks.
“Hey,” Shota said from behind Raiden. My cheeks flamed, and I hastily stepped out of Raiden’s arms to see him watching us, his expression carefully blank. “Let’s get down to the shore so we can call up this seaturtle.”
He turned on his heel before I could answer, heading for the path that zigzagged down to the beach. My heart clenched, and suddenly I felt conflicted, as if I was being disloyal to Shota by clinging to Raiden. But how did that make any sense? Shota had pushed me away earlier. For whatever reason, he’d put up aboundary.
Pushing the thought away, I glanced around to see if there were any other people around. That was when I saw the tiny stone shrine tucked into the rocks behindus.
“So that’s how we got here,” I murmured, crouching down to study it. “Can I shrine-travel using these things too? I don’t see any bell toring.”
“No,” Raiden said. “We can’t use the mini shrines to traveltoplaces, unless they’re specially built for that purpose. We can only use them as a destination point.” I looked up at him and noticed there was a hint of pink in his cheeks that immediately made me feel better about my own flaming face. “We should get down to the coast before the tourists arrive.” He offered me hishand.
I hesitated for a split second before taking it. Thatzingof electricity shot up my arm again, and from the way Raiden's grip tightened around my hand as he pulled me up, I knew he felt it too. For a moment, I thought he’d pull me closer again, but he let my hand go the moment I was on my feet, turning away before I could see the look in hiseyes.
“Come on. Let’sgo.”
Biting back a sigh, I followed him down the dirt path. We caught up quickly enough to Shota, who was now scampering down the path like a happy puppy who’d been let off his leash. He glanced back at us once to make sure we were following before continuing hisdescent.
“Shota has been dreaming of meeting Ryujinever since we were teenagers,” Raiden said by way of explanation. “He found that charm when he was fifteen and has carried it with him everywhere since. He probably knows more about underseakamiandyokaithan anyone else in the world. I hope he doesn’t start fan-boying all over Ryujin when we meethim.”
Raiden’s lips twitched into a reluctant grin. “I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if he asks Ryujin for an autograph. Too bad you can’t really sign with paper and ink underwater.” A curious expression crossed his face. “Unless maybe they have a way of writing on thingsunderwater?”
“Stone tablets?” I suggested as we finally reached the surf. “Sounds like a hefty autograph to carry to thesurface.”
“I can hear you guys, you know,” Shota grumbled, leading us past the Baths and toward a group of caves off to the right while Raiden and I snickered. “Let’s go over here, where no one can see us. While it would be pretty cool if we ended up on the national news for summoning a giant sea turtle, I don’t really want to piss offMamoru.”
“Umm, yeah.” I was keen on keeping as low a profile as possible. We followed Shota onto a narrow path that clung to the side of the cliff and edged our way around it for a good half mile. Finally, when we were far enough from the beach that we were no longer near shallow water, Shota brought us to a stop at a small landing wide enough for the three of us to stand together and gestured toward thewaves.
“All right, Aika, it’s show time,” Shota said, his voice alight with excitement. He dug out theUmigamecharm from his pocket and handed it to me. His fingers briefly closed around mine in a reassuring squeeze, giving me another case of the warm fuzzies. “Do yourthing.”
