Page 62 of Son of Shadows

Ryuichi shook his head. “No, thank you.”

Satoru knocked the drink back and grinned, then raised his hand and made his black drinking gourd vanish in a bright flash of light.

A shiver went down Ryuichi’s spine. Seeing that creature’s face as soon as he woke up this morning had made him want to jump overboard.

He kept trying to convince himself that Satoru might not be a shinigami. Maybe he was just so scary and weird that people assumed he was one.

There was only one way to find out for sure, and that was to ask Lord Inumagami. He seemed to be unafraid of Satoru, so perhaps Ryuichi’s theory was right. Perhaps everything on this boat wasn’t as it appeared to be.

Ryuichi found Inumagami on the other end of the ship. The yōkai pup sniffed the air, then came over to Ryuichi, putting his head next to Ryuichi’s hand. He knew what he had to do. He sat down and scratched the little lord behind his ears. Inumagami’s tail wagged happily.

“So what’s the deal with Satoru?” he asked. “Is he really a shinigami?”

Inumagami checked behind him to make sure no one was watching or listening to them. The crew seemed to be distracted by a game of cards, and Satoru now had his attention on the sea, as if he was keeping a lookout for danger.

After all, Orochi was still out there with his army. Who knew if he would show up, ready to drink their blood?

Inumagami saw that no one noticed them. He moved closer so he could whisper.

“They say Satoru was once human. One day, he and his friends decided they would enter the realm of the gods. So they waited outside a shrine, watching for seven days and nights.”

Ryuichi was already riveted by this story. He couldn’t believe that Satoru was once like him. A human who made mistakes.

“On the seventh night, they saw the local kami appear,” the little lord continued. “She collected her offering and then jumped back through the gate.”

Ryuichi nodded. He understood better than anyone that the gods could travel freely between the worlds, and yōkai could slip through at great personal risk to others. His mother, Haruka, was the one with the power to select who was safe enough to go between the realms.

That’s why she was so important. She kept the truly dangerous monsters away from the human world and sent her inari after those who took advantage of humans whenever she allowed them access. Even the gods were afraid of her, because if she chose to deny them entry through the torii, there was nothing they could do.

The fact that he had inherited those powers was what made Ryuichi such a target.

“I take it they got in?” he asked Inumagami.

Inumagami pushed his head under Ryuichi’s hand to let him know that he wanted Ryuichi to continue scratching his canine ears. “They did. Somehow the humans were able to slip through in the short time the kami opened her gate to collect her gifts. No one knows how they did it. But the story goes that when the other gods found out that she’d been unaware of the deceptive humans and had allowed them into their world, they stripped the kami of her standing. And the humans were sacrificed as punishment. All but one.”

Ryuichi glanced over at the creature at the helm. “Satoru?”

“Yes. For his crime, he was turned into a shinigami and cursed to wander the realm, searching for his companions, who he’ll never find. It’s why he asks you to drink with him. So he can finally have a companion in this world.”

“That sounds so sad.”

Inumagami cocked his head to stare at him. “Don’t be naive, young warrior. Drinking with Satoru will turn you into a shinigami too. For us yōkai, it’ll obliterate our sense of self. We’re creatures of spirit, and to take on another form would destroy us. While humans can survive the metamorphosis, it keeps them trapped forever in the spirit world. They’re no longer human. Each year that passes, they become a more twisted version of themselves, hungry for souls.”

Now Ryuichi fully understood Inumagami had saved his life.

Inumagami glanced back at Satoru. “I mean, it’s still all rumors, mind you. But I wouldn’t bet my eternity on it. The shinigami are mysterious creatures, even by yōkai standards. It’s best not to get involved with them.”

Always avoid death. Best advice Koichi had given him. Don’t knock on doors you don’t want answered. Second-best piece of advice.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Ryuichi pulled his knees to his chest and rested his chin on them.

There was still so much he didn’t understand about this world. As soon as he felt like he was making any sense of it, something new appeared, and that caused him to question everything again.

If only he could find his footing in this ever-shifting landscape.

He stared out at the wide blue ocean that was so much clearer than the waters he was used to. It was beautiful, reflecting the sunlight.

There was something about it that beckoned him. But the one thing he had learned here was that whenever something reached out and wanted you to plunge in, it was lethal.