Page 77 of Son of Shadows

Koichi wanted answers.

And Haru’s head on a platter.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Ryuichi leaned on his sword and wiped at the sweat on his brow. He’d tried every trick Koichi and Katsu had taught him. He still couldn’t best the massive oni he was fighting.

The only thing Ryuichi had going for him was that his opponent was starting to exhaust himself. He could barely lift his club at this point.

At least part of their plan was working.

Yumi took one last shot with her bow, hitting the enemy right between the eyes.

Yamaguchi shook his head, then fell to his knees. “No . . . must squash . . .”

He collapsed and hit the ground so hard it knocked Ryuichi off his feet. The oni’s head fell back into the dirt, and when he spoke, his words were slurred. “Give me a few minutes. I want to close my eyes for just a little bit.”

Ryuichi exchanged a curious look with Yumi. Had they just won?

Really?

He was afraid to even hope it was true.

Katsu looked as exhausted as Ryuichi felt. He stepped back and lowered his sword, his breathing heavy.

Yamaguchi was gasping for air underneath the sheer weight of his armor. They had been battling for what seemed like an eternity. Granted, it was only a few hours, but still.

It felt like an epic war that should be counted among the heroes of old. A legend that should be written about and sang through the ages.

All that being said, Ryuichi had no idea how those ancient warriors were able to fight for seven days and nights. He hadn’t been able to do it for one, taking shifts, and he was at his breaking point.

Even with a kitsune like Masaru to give him extra strength and power.

“You know what?” Yamaguchi let out a long sigh. “A truce sounds good. I could go for a truce right about now.”

Lord Hayasaka clicked his tongue. “Looks like they’re finally finished. Onward we go!”

As they gathered together and walked past the half-dead oni, Katsu politely bowed to Yamaguchi. “Thank you for your hard work.”

The oni stayed sprawled out on the ground. “Don’t . . . mention it.”

Yamaguchi had done his job of guarding the Ryukage. That was a given and there was no dishonor in his defeat. He had never met such a big and stubborn brute in all his life.

Not even Koichi.

Hanzō had come close though.

Ryuichi shuddered to think what would have happened to him had Katsu, Masaru, and Yumi not been there. A single strike from Yamaguchi’s massive club and they would have had to scrape him off the ground. If it wasn’t for all of them taking turns, he’d never have been able to survive such a beastly foe.

The inhabitants of the spirit world continued to impress him every day.

Once they made it through the narrow tunnel that had been guarded by the oni, the space widened again, revealing the heart of the island. It was a valley trapped between impossibly steep cliffs, with dark, foreboding clouds hovering above. At its center lay an expansive estate, which had been partly carved out of the surrounding cliffsides. The pagoda was solid black granite with a single golden spire that jutted into the sky. Ryuichi had never seen anything like it.

But why had Ryukage fled to this place?

That was now the biggest mystery, and soon it would be solved.

Ryuichi and the others followed the trail, unsure of what they would find along the way. At the end of this road, there would, of course, be the Ryukage, but what was he up to in this isolated part of the realm, far away from civilization and the vultures seeking his throne?