Page 12 of Son of Shadows

Just as he expected, Keiko nodded and called upon her own magic. She narrowed her gaze at Masaru’s arrow and made it vanish, one particle at a time.

“You can’t do that, Masaru,” Keiko scolded him. “She’s still a deity, and we’re supposed to protect them.”

“I don’t need my reputation or honor restored. I was happy living as a blackened ronin. Maybe it’s time I return to it.” Masaru started to load another arrow into his bow.

“Masaru!” Keiko clapped her hands together and disarmed him before he could do anything foolish. The bow and arrow flew into her hand at lightning speed. She shook the bow in his direction. “Do better!”

Six arrows shot up from the quiver on Masaru’s back as if standing at attention. He narrowed his white eyes on her. “You’re tempting fate, kitsune.”

“Get him, Keiko,” Haruki urged. “Teach him manners!”

Keiko sneered at her. “My lady, you need to stop talking.”

“She needs to never sing again.” Masaru yanked his horse away from them.

Ryuichi almost felt bad for Masaru. At one time, he’d been Keiko’s partner. Until he joined Ryukage and others who’d turned against their kami masters.

It was only his loyalty to Ryuichi’s mother that had pulled Masaru from the darkness, back to the right side of things. Even so, he still carried a lot of those darker traits within him.

Haruki preened. “The Ryukage misses me. I know he’ll give me your head as a present if I ask, Masaru.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” Ryuichi’s shadow moved to ride beside his aunt. “In my dealings with my father, he didn’t strike me as the sentimental type. More the slaughter-my-underlings kind of being. And you were definitely an underling to him.”

Her nostrils flared with anger. “How dare you! I am a goddess!”

Let her have her delusions. They’re harmless, Ryuichi projected his thoughts to his shadow. This wasn’t something he did often, because it made him more vulnerable to manipulation. But in the spirit realm, he figured he should try and bond with his shadow.

Maybe it would help him discover a way they could reunite again.

“Don’t be so sure,” Ryuichi-kage argued out loud.

“Sure about what?” Haruki asked.

Ryuichi-kage laughed as he nudged his horse forward.

Ryuichi let out a sigh of exhaustion. This was going to be a hard journey if they kept arguing the whole way and he had to constantly play peacemaker. Personally, he’d rather be in charge of a herd of angry toddlers.

At least then he’d be able to bribe them for good behavior with rice cakes.

This group?

Only bloodshed placated most of them, and for a select few, he was a little afraid the blood they might want was his.

This is my life.

Sadly, not the one he’d dreamed of living.

As far back as he could remember, Ryuichi wanted to be a warrior. Even so, he wondered from time to time what it would have been like had he been born some wealthy merchant’s son.

To have multiple servants bring him all the finest drinks from across Japan.

A snap of his fingers, and he could eat like an emperor. Be doted on by everyone around him and treated like a real pampered lord.

You could have had that glamorous life with your father. The Ryukage had offered his son everything and more. Of course, the servants would have been yōkai. That could have been even more fun. There was nothing more exciting than yōkai waiting on you, especially when they had to cater to you.

All he would have had to do was betray the world.

And all his friends.