“Why don’t you want me to kill it?”he asked in his normal voice, though he still spokeJapanese.
“I…” I didn’t know, I realized, dismayed. I should have wanted to kill it. It was a monster, after all, and it had invaded my home. But some instinct had moved me to defend the creature. “We need to question it,” I insisted. “Find out what it’s doinghere.”
The flames rushed back into Raiden’s eyes.“No questioning. Kill itnow.”
“No!” I yanked Raiden’s arm, and the spear flew out of his hand, embedding itself into the wall across the room. “We need to check on my mother.Please.”
“Relax, Katsu,”Raiden murmured, and the flames died away.“Sorry about that,”he said gruffly, lowering his arm.“Katsu’s a bossy spirit. He used to be adaimyo.”
“I amstilla daimyo,”that deep, guttural voice thundered.“Even in death.”The flaming aura separated from Raiden, coalescing into the form of a Japanese man in his thirties sporting a thin mustache. He wore a badasskabutohelmet with golden antlers and plates of metal that curled back from the sides of his head in a kind of bowl, and a full suit of samurai armor. Awakizashiandkatanawere strapped to his waist, and though the handles and scabbards were of fine make, and fancy-looking, I knew the weapons were more than just forshow.
“Yes, we know,”Raiden said, with barely concealed impatience. He stepped past me, heading down the hall. “Which room is your mom’s?” he asked me, switching toEnglish.
“The one at the end of the hall.” I pointed with an unsteady finger. Fear seized my throat as we approached my mom’s room—the door was closed, something she almost never did. Had the toadyokai—theogama—killed her? Would we open the door to see her slashed open by that wickednaginata? Oh God. Bile coated my tongue, and I swallowed it back down. But it came right back up again as I heard pained moans coming from theroom.
“Mom!” I shoved past Raiden as he slowly opened the door. “Mom, what’s wrong?” She was thrashing around in the bed, the sheets tangled around her thin limbs. I grabbed her hand, squeezing it hard, the sweat from her palm soaking into my skin. I reached for herki, then winced—her spiritual energy was throbbing, like a live wire, and scorching hot. I tried to send a flow of healing energy into her, but it was instantly repelled, and I recoiled as it slammed back intome.
“What the hell?” I stared at my hands, which were smoking faintly. That hadneverhappened to mebefore.
“She’s hallucinating,” Raiden said tightly. “Theogamamust have hit her with its smoke, and she reacted more strongly to it. Do you have anymatchain thehouse?”
“Of course we do,” I said. What self-respecting Japanese household didn’t have green tea? “Do you think it’llhelp?”
“It’ll help drive the toxins out of her more quickly,” Raiden said, scowling at my mom. “Does your mother have any kind of illness? The hallucinogenic effects don’t usually last thislong.”
“She has cancer,” I said shortly, stepping away. “Stay with her while I go get thetea.”
I ran downstairs and grabbed the canister ofmatchapowder from the closet. There was a Japanese tea set in one of the cupboards, and I grabbed the whisk and the tea bowl, not bothering with the other stuff—there was no time for ceremony. I plunked a regular old kettle onto the stove, filled it with water, and had it whistling in no time flat. Fast as I could, I poured the boiling water into the pot, added the tea, and whisked it together until it was frothy andthick.
On my way back up the stairs, I glanced toward the toad, still unconscious on the floor. Rage filled me, and suddenly I was tempted to pick up the spear Raiden had left on the ground and stab theogamawith it. What if that smoke had somehow accelerated my mother’s condition? What if she died? My hands trembled with outrage, and some green tea sloshed over myfingers.
“Oww!” I hissed as the hot liquid scalded me. Taking a deep breath, I wrenched my thoughts away from the toad and continued down the hall. There was no point in dwelling on the past. And besides, I did want to question the creature, if it was even possible. Could theogamaspeak human words? I seemed to remember from the old tales that someyokaispoke, while othersdidn’t.
Guess I’ll find out soonenough.
“Good, you’re back,” Raiden said when I stepped inside. My mother was still shaking, but I noticed it was a little less. “Let’s get her todrink.”
Raiden slid his arms beneath my mother, pulling her up into a sitting position. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her hands fisted, and she moaned inpain.
“Come on, Fujiwara-san,”he murmured soothingly into her ear as he eased her jaw open a bit.“You can do this. Bestrong.”
Tears pricked at my eyes as I gently poured some of the rapidly cooling tea into her mouth. Most of it dribbled straight out of the corners of her mouth, but her throat bobbed, so I knew she swallowed some. I tried again, and this time she got more of itdown.
My mom was one of the strongest people I knew. She’d raised me on her own, in one of the most expensive cities in the world, and prided herself on her independence. It hurt me, like a knife to the gut, every time she was brought low like this, because I knew it tore at her, too. She hated being so feeble, so bedridden, even though she hid it behind cheerful smiles and reassurances not to worry about her. To live my ownlife.
But how could I, when my mom’s life was slipping away, day byday?
I managed to get half the bowl of tea down my mom’s throat, and to my relief, the tremors began to lessen. She sagged against Raiden’s chest with a sigh, and I dabbed some of the green tea from herchin.
“How is it that you weren’t affected by the smoke?” I asked, my tone just this side ofaccusatory.
“Protective charm,” Raiden said. “I would have given you one if I’d had extras, but since I had to fight off theogama…” He shrugged a shoulder. “I figured I needed itmore.”
“Aika?” My mom’s eyes opened, saving me from having to respond. Her voice was a little thick, probably from the remnants of the toxin, but her eyes were clear. “What’s goingon?”
“Mom.” I gripped her hand again. “How are youfeeling?”
“A little woozy, but all right.” She sat up a little straighter, and her eyes widened as she seemed to realize there was a man holding onto her. Tilting her delicate chin back, she looked up at Raiden. “And who is this young man?” she asked, sounding both surprised andpleased.
