“So what’s the big deal about Amabie?” I asked Raiden in a low voice, leaning in close enough so only he couldhear.
“Legend has it that she appeared on the coast of a small, struggling town during the Edo period and predicted six years of good harvest,” Raiden said as we were led down a hall that forked off to the left. This one was different from the last, and I felt like we’d stepped into a latticework of blue coral that stretched up all around us like a living gazebo. “She told the townsfolk that if disease spread, to show a picture of her to the afflicted, and they would becured.”
“And did they have a six-yearharvest?”
Raiden nodded. “They were one of the wealthiest towns in the country for those next six years. So wealthy, in fact, that they drew the attention of the emperor himself. No one died of sickness during those years, at least until the original painting of Amabie, painted by the town potter, was burned by a vindictive competitor who was jealous of the potter’s success. The town succumbed to sickness not long after that, and over half the people were wiped out before they abandoned it to start over somewhere else. It’s a ghost town now,” Raiden saidsadly.
“That’s terrible,” I murmured, filled with sadness for the townsfolk and their fate. How awful must it be to have such wealth and prosperity, only to have it taken from you because of one man’sjealousy?
“The human who did that is burning in hell now,” Amabie said, her melodious voice turning dark with anger. She stopped in front of a pair of huge double doors and turned to look back at us, a fierce grin on her face. “As do all who cross aningyo. Our curses are verypowerful.”
The three of us exchanged nervous looks as Amabie threw the doors open. “Father,” she sang cheerfully, sailing into the room as if she hadn’t half-threatened us a second ago. “We havevisitors!”
“Not now,”Ryujin snapped, waving a clawed hand. “I’m on thephone.”
The three of us stopped short at the sight of him—he was gigantic, at least thirty feet long, and his upper body towered over us a good fifteen feet in the air. His sinuous form was covered in scales of every color blue I could think of, and even a few I’d never seen. They shimmered in the light filtering in through the translucent glass skylight above. His yellow, reptilian eyes crackled with annoyance as he held an enormous conch shell to hisear.
“Uhh…is he talking into that thing?” I whispered toRaiden.
“It looks like it, doesn’t it?” he whispered back, his eyes glued to Ryujin. His face had gone white, and his expression was numb, as if shock had turned him to stone. I couldn’t blame him—I’d seen some strange things in the last twenty-four hours, but a gigantic undersea dragon definitely took thecake.
“Tell International Oil they can take that ridiculous counter-offer and shove it up their asses,” Ryujin snarled, exposing yellow fangs that were the size of Raiden’s arm, and three times as thick. “Two-hundred million is my finaloffer.”
Amabie flicked her tails in annoyance. “He’ll be off the phone soon,” she told us, as if it were normal for a thirty-foot-tall dragon to have phone conversations using a conch shell. “My father’s a day trader, so he’s always got his ear glued to that stupid conchshell.”
“A day trader?” Raiden asked, sounding as incredulous as I felt. “Your father is in the stockmarket?”
Amabie flashed another one of her fanged smiles. “He specializes in hostile takeovers. Specifically, he goes after corporations that pollute theoceans.”
“Look, I don’t give a damn about how much they’ve improved their safeguards or what they’re being valued at,” the dragon snarled, leaning backward as he slashed angrily at the air like he was attacking the person on the other end of the phone. “The last time they put a boat in the bay, they spilled oil all over it.” His voice turned soft and deadly, which was even worse than when he’d been yelling. “And don’t think I don’t know about how that reactor is still leaking into the bay. I don’t give a damn what the scientists say about it; I can prove it.” His voice got even quieter. “And I have this friend in themedia…”
A self-satisfied smile spread across his face, exposing far too many teeth. “Why yes, I do think my offer is quite generous, given the circumstances. I’ll have the contracts sent over. And tell them to stop dumping those barrels of chemicals in the bay. My people are getting tired of filmingthem.”
Ryujin put the conch shell down on an enormous rock shelf sticking out of the wall and blew a disgusted sigh out of his nostrils. “What is it you want, daughter?” he asked, turning his great head toward us. “You know better than to walk in…” He trailed off, his eyes widening with surprise as he finally noticed us. “And who are these?” he demanded, lowering his neck so that his head hovered right in front of us. It was a lot bigger up close than it had been fifteen feet up, and I resisted the temptation to step away even though my knees were knockingtogether.
“They’re shamans, visiting from the surface,” Amabie said, swishing one of her tails toward us in introduction. We immediately sank into low bows. “They say they’ve come seeking yourcounsel.”
“It has been a long time since a shaman has dared visit my domain,” Ryujin rumbled. A rush of bubbles rippled over us as he spoke, and I flinched. “Rise, humans,” he commanded imperiously. My spine immediately jerked upright, as if of its own accord, and from the way the guys started next to me, I knew they’d done the same. A shiver crawled down my spine at the power in Ryujin’s voice—could he control us with hiswords?
His yellow gaze swept over us again, assessing, then lingered on me. “Ayokaishaman,” he said, his voice lightening with wonder. “It has been even longer since I have last seen one of your kind. Where did you comefrom?”
“Umm. San Francisco.” I shifted nervously as I spoke. Ryujin was eyeing me as if I were an exciting new treasure he’d found, and I wasn’t sure I liked it. “How do you know I’m ayokaishaman?”
Ryujin snorted, spraying us with bubbles again. “Your aura, of course. You should know yourkiwould be different from theirs.” His eyes narrowed as he looked at Raiden and Shota, who were standing so still they didn’t even look like they were breathing. “Why doesn’t she know this?” he demanded ofthem.
Raiden finally seemed to unfreeze, and he stepped forward, angling his body so that he was between me and the giant sea dragon. “She’s only just found out she’s a shaman, Ryujin-sama,” he said, his tone respectful but firm. It seemed that, unlike the rest of us, he’d found his balls again—there was no trace of fear in him. “Her mother wasn’t one, and her father has been dead since she was a child, so she knows verylittle.”
“And yet you brought her down here?” Ryujin sounded surprised. “Why would you risk putting such a rare shaman in a dangerous situation likethis?”
Raiden stiffened, and I pushed in front of him before he said something foolish. “Ryujin-sama,” I said, bowing low again. “We knew the journey was dangerous, but there was nothing Raiden could have done to stop me from coming. My mother has gone missing, and I fear that Kai has taken her. We need your help to get herback.”
“Kai?” The dragon drew himself upright. “I’d heard he recently escaped, but why would he…” He stopped, his eyes gleaming with understanding. “Of course. He is trying to draw you out. That is why he took yourmother.”
“For what reason?” Shota asked, speaking for the first time since we’d entered the room. He seemed to have regained himself and was buzzing with excitement all over again. “Why does Kai want Aika-san so much, Ryujin-sama?”
Ryujin gave us all an annoyed look, shaking his huge head. “I suppose the three of you are still too young to have been told the full story of Kai,” he said. He waved a huge claw, and three giant cushions appeared on the floor. “Sit, and I will tell you the story of Kai. Or rather,” he said, his voice deepening like ominous thunder, “I will tell you the story of Kai, Haruki, Kaga, and Fumiko, and how their choices led to the downfall ofshamankind.”
11
