Haruki.The name rippled across my skin, causing the hairs on my arms to stand at attention. I felt a tug in the center of my chest and found myself looking at Raiden. His entire body had gone still, and I knew the name had inspired a similar reaction in him. Did he know who Ryujin was talkingabout?
“What do you mean, the downfall of shamankind?” I asked Ryujin. “The shamans are still here, aren’t they?” I swept a hand to indicate the three of us. “We’re proof ofthat.”
Ryujin shook his head. “You are the scattered remains of what was once a great empire,” he said, his deep voice tinged with sadness. “Shamans were the spiritual leaders of Japan, often even more important than the clan chieftains they ruled alongside. A few became political leaders as well, such as Himiko, the Queen of Yamatai.” His yellow eyes flickered. “It was Kai who ended herline.”
“Really?” Raiden leaned forward, looking very interested. “I thought it was Haruki who killedher.”
“Few know the true tale of what transpired between Haruki, Fumiko, Kaga, and Kai,” Ryujin rumbled. “Now are you going to keep asking questions, or are you going to let me tell thestory?”
Raiden’s cheeks reddened. “My apologies, Ryujin-sama,” he said, bowing. “Pleaseproceed.”
Ryujin settled down, satisfied. “Nearly two thousand years ago, Japan, which was known as Wa at the time, was ruled by Clan Yamatai. Wa enjoyed several decades of peace and prosperity under the rule of Himiko, Yamatai’s clan leader and Wa’s esteemed empress. Her beauty was legendary, her power absolute, and she was Amaterasu’s favored child. Or at least, that is what the storiessay.”
Ryujin’s wide mouth curved into a fanged smile that made me shiver.“What the stories do not tell you is that there were three more clans: Earth, Fire, and Lightning. They did not like the Yamatai, and each believed that they were the rightful rulers of Wa. They were the only ones that had not fully submitted to Yamatai’sauthority.”
“Let me guess,” I said when Ryujin paused to take a breath, or maybe just for dramatic effect.“The three clans were spirit shamans too?” Mamoru had already mentioned that Himiko was ayokaishaman, so that seemed prettyobvious.
“Yes,” Ryujin said, sounding pleased at my deduction. “Originally, there were seven shaman clans. They ruled different territories, and there was constant fighting between them as some sought to rule all of Wa. But one clan, the water clan, broke away from the mold, from the sacred teachings these shamans had clung to for hundreds of years. Instead of calling uponyureito do their bidding, they began to useyokai. This set them apart from the other clans, and gave them the advantage they needed to conquer Wa and claim it as theirempire.”
Raiden and Shota exchanged looks of surprise. “I always thought it was five clans,” Shota said. “This is so fascinating, Ryujin-sama!”
“I am pleased you are enjoying the history lesson,” Ryujin said, a little dryly. “Most of the other clans ended up picking sides, and were swallowed up by either the Yamatai Clan or one of the three elemental clans, depending on whether or not they were willing to learn the ways of theyokaishaman, or if they were purists, like the other clans were. The Saitos believed that the Yamatai were abominations, and that their use ofyokaispirits would bring the wrath of the gods. That was nonsense, of course, as we would have stripped the Yamatai of their power long before things ever came to a head,” he added with a scoff. “But the Saitos were set in their ways, and they feuded with the Yamatai for a longtime.”
“So what changed?” I asked. “Who extended the first olivebranch?”
“Queen Himiko did,” Ryujin said. “She offered her daughter, Fumiko, to whichever of the clan chieftains could prove their worth. Whichever man won her would rule over Wa at Fumiko’s side, and the other two would become advisors and join their clans with theothers.”
“I’m sensing there’s a ‘but’ coming up,” Shota said as my stomachtensed.
“A very big ‘but.’” Ryujin nodded. “Haruki, Kai, and Kaga competed fiercely for Fumiko’s hand. It is said that she cared for them all dearly, but in the end, chose Haruki. The two had known each other since they were children, and she considered Haruki to be the best choice to rule at herside.”
Raiden, Shota, and I exchanged uneasy glances. “Is this the part where you tell us that Kai didn’t take well tothis?”
“He did not,” Ryujin rumbled, his tone turning dark. “In the middle of the night, someone slit Kaga’s throat in his bed. The next morning, Haruki and Kai both accused each other of the deed, and challenged each other to a duel. Fumiko begged them to stop, but neither would back down. The two fought on an empty plain, with many witnesses present. Kai fought valiantly, but he was no match for Haruki. The lightning shaman was older, and far moreexperienced.”
Ryujin paused again, and I was surprised to find there was a lump in my throat. Tears stung at my eyes, and my heart was an aching pit. I didn’t know why, but I felt very strongly about these ghosts from the past, ghosts I had never met. Glancing at Raiden, I noticed that his entire body had gone rigid, his eyes glued to Ryujin. It was clear to me that the story was important to himsomehow.
“As you may or may not know, wekamiare fickle creatures. Sometimes we stand back and watch, and other times we like to stick our noses into the business of the children we have created. It just so happens that Amatsu Mikaboshi, the god of primordial chaos, had been watching this conflict for some weeks and carefully whispering in Kai’s ear while he was sleeping. He chose this moment, when Kai was about to be defeated, to whisper in his ear again and make him an offer. He told Kai that he would lend him his power, if, in exchange, Kai allowed him to become his avatar.” Ryujin’s voice turned into a growl. “It was the greatest mistake Kai had evermade.”
A dark chill ran down my spine. “Did Kai win theduel?”
“Oh yes,” Ryujin hissed. “With Amatsu’s power at his fingertips, he was far more powerful than Haruki. He easily overcame the Saito Clan Chieftain and was about to deliver the killing blow. But before he could, Fumiko ran onto the field, begging him to stop. She threw herself on top of Haruki, and Kai accidentally killed themboth.”
“How awful,” Shota murmured, and I had to agree. I couldn’t even imagine what Kai must have felt at the moment Fumiko had thrown herself in front of Haruki. To know that you were responsible for the death of the person you lovedmost…
“Kai was crushed by Fumiko’s death. He gathered her body up and tried to call her spirit back, but before he could, Haruki’s spirit grabbed her and took her away with him to the afterlife. Enraged, Kai swore vengeance upon both the Yamatai and the lightning clan. Then he gave himself over to Amatsu’s dark power. Amatsu took control of the earth clan, mercilessly slaughtering anyone who dared oppose him, and prepared to mount an attack against theYamatai.”
“That must be why there are so few shamans today,” Shota murmured. “They all gotpurged.”
“Not all. Fortunately for your kind, several dissenters from the earth clan escaped, and they ran to Himiko’s court to tell her what had transpired. Himiko gathered her forces and went to confront Kai. She saw immediately that he had been corrupted by Amatsu’s power and tried to exorcise the dark god from him. But Amatsu was too powerful, and he would not be denied. The two clans ended up in a horrific battle, and Himiko called upon Amaterasu for help. Together, the shaman queen and the sun goddess managed to bind Kai and Amatsu into a heavily warded box. But before they did, the chaos god put a terrible curse on Himiko, and all of herline.”
A horrible feeling churned in my gut, and I found that I was leaning forward at the edge of my pillow. “What was thecurse?”
“Amatsu knew that so long as the line ofyokaishamans continued, he would never truly be able to take power. He put a curse on Himiko to ensure that she would never again be able to bear children, which effectively ended her line, as Fumiko was her only heir. It was a powerful curse that not even Amaterasu herself could undo, and it led to the eventual downfall of the Yamatai Clan.” Ryujin sighed heavily. “It was a great loss for all ofWa.”
“So Aika isn’t descended from Himiko, then?” Raiden asked sharply. “She isn’t from the Yamatailine?”
“Oh, undoubtedly her clan descends from Yamatai, but it would have been one of the other shaman clans that were absorbed and taught the ways of theyokaishaman,” Ryujin said. “But no, Aika does not have Himiko’s blood running through her veins. Amatsu’s curse made thatimpossible.”
