Page 97 of Son of Shadows

“Orochi?” he asked, knowing this had to be his foe.

The dragon came closer. Then closer still.

“This is the Son of Shadows? Pathetic,” he said. “How can a weakling like you have the power to control the gate?”

Ryuichi was shaking and trying not to show it. “How can something as ugly as you be a World Eater?”

Rising up as if he’d slapped him, Orochi roared and flicked its eight tails. “Who are you to question me?”

“Mahōtsukai Ryuichi.”

That made Orochi laugh.

But Ryuichi would not be shamed. He had the blood of gods in his veins. His father was one of the greatest warriors ever born.

“Laugh all you want. I found my father and brought him back here to defeat you with a whole army. We won’t stop fighting until you’re beaten.”

The ground beneath Ryuichi shook hard. One second, he was in the cave, and in the next, Ryuichi was back on the battlefield, being strangled by one of Orochi’s tails. He fought against the hold, but his arms were also clamped down.

As a last-ditch effort, he bit Orochi’s scaly hide.

His attack was so unexpected that his enemy yelped and let go.

Ryuichi hit the ground hard, then rolled and sprang to his feet. He ran across the field, which was crawling with Orochi’s soldiers, toward his friends.

He didn’t get far before the dragon had him again.

“Let me go!” Ryuichi screamed, but he could barely get the words out.

“Open the gate!”

“Never.”

Orochi’s largest head reared up to strike, his jaws expanding like he intended to swallow Ryuichi whole.

Ryuichi tried to wiggle out of Orochi’s grasp, writhing around like mad. He was prepared to fight to the end.

But before Orochi could make a move, a flurry of razor-sharp arrows flew into the beast, striking him in the chest. Gasping, Ryuichi turned to see his father riding toward them, bow drawn as he fired more arrows into Orochi’s body. Ryukage continued his assault as Shima, in his crow form, flew toward the beast and plucked Ryuichi out of his grip with his quick-moving talons.

Once they got some distance from Orochi, Shima said to Ryuichi, “Your father warned me if I didn’t save you, he’d skin me alive.”

Ryuichi was relieved to be free, but as he looked down at the chaos below, his heart sank. “My father needs help.”

“He does not.”

Ryuichi squeezed Shima’s ankle as hard as he could. “Yes, he does. Look!”

Shima surveyed the battlefield and cursed. “You’re right.” And yet he headed farther away from Ryukage and the heart of the action.

“What are you doing?”

“My orders were to get you to safety. I’m just following them,” Shima replied.

Ryuichi refused to let his father fight this battle without him. Even though obeying an order was a sign of disrespect, he couldn’t let Ryukage take the brunt of Orochi’s wrath.

Not when they had plans to start over.

“Shima! You have to take me to him. Now!”