Page 76 of Son of Shadows

“Look, logistically, it won’t work. Trust me.”

“Maybe Haruki could use her powers, then. She hasn’t been helpful at all since we were captured.”

Koichi scratched his head. The shadow boy had a point. Maybe, without her heart, Haruki had also lost her magic.

Before he could think that through, Haru saw that he and Ryuichi-kage were chatting, not working, so naturally the menacing wolf came over to harass them. “What are you two doing?”

“Nothing. Just having a conversation.”

Haru seemed offended by that very idea. “And who gave you permission to talk? I better see a barrel in your hands soon, or I’ll order someone to rip your yapping lips off.”

That tone set fire to the samurai inside him. Haru was lucky he’d disarmed Koichi; otherwise, it would have been a fight.

Still, there was nothing Koichi could do except put himself back to work with a huff.

Once Haru had moved on, Ryuichi-kage nudged Koichi. “Be right back.”

Then he vanished.

“What are you doing?” Koichi was nervous. What if this desperate shadow kid put his murderous plan into motion right now? “Ryuichi-kage?!”

No answer.

One of Haru’s crew members shoved Koichi, shouting, “Get back to work!”

Koichi growled in his throat as he grabbed a barrel that seemed even heavier than the others. As soon as he tried to move it, he found out why.

Ryuichi-kage reappeared in front of him, his hands covered in something dusty. “I looked inside to see Haru’s product. It’s some kind of powder.”

“A powder, eh?” Koichi went to open the barrel Ryuichi-kage had just inspected, but then hesitated. Haru was close enough to catch him in the act. Koichi really did like his lips and wanted to keep them.

And then there was a commotion at the top of the cave.

All the yōkai abandoned their barrels and left their posts to go see what was happening. Koichi and Ryuichi-kage wanted to know, too, so they followed the crew.

“What’s the shinigami doing here?” Koichi heard Haru say as he pushed his way past the growing crowd.

Koichi flinched when he saw a dark figure, towering above them all. He didn’t say a single word, but he had a penetrating stare that made his samurai instincts ignite.

This creature seemed much more ominous than Haru.

“Aren’t you supposed to be up top?” the wolf barked at the mysterious stranger. “Back to your boat, now!”

Haru’s yōkai helper tugged on Haru’s shirt hem. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”

Haru glared at him. “I wouldn’t be so sure. Why is he here?”

The helper shrugged. “He just does that. He likes to wander.”

With Haru and the crew preoccupied, Koichi realized this was the perfect opportunity to break open a barrel. As quietly as he could, he went back down to the bottom of the cave and pried the top off one of the barrels. When he looked inside, he froze.

It was full of gunpowder.

Somehow Haru had smuggled gunpowder into the spirit world.

This wasn’t the answer to everything. In fact, this would only escalate the violence.

Just what was Haru planning? He couldn’t imagine why anyone would need this much gunpowder. Did Haru intend to blow up the spirit world and everyone in it?