Still tickled, Marrow darted off after Kiku. Toshi waited for a moment, fought back the laugh he felt building in his own throat, and then followed. He’d have to remember the nezumi latrine treatment the next time someone annoyed him. That was, in fact, a good one. But that wasn’t the only reason he’d decided to let Kiku have the last word.
The hyozan was all but over, its two founders openly declared against each other. The future of the group and everyone in it now depended on Kiku and Marrow, though they did not have the slightest idea what that meant or what impact it would have. And the reason they had no idea was because Toshi hadn’t told them, would never tell them, and would in fact keep them ignorant for as long as he could. Because if they knew, Marrow and Kiku both would surely turn and tear him to pieces before he took another step.
Toshi unsheathed his jitte, spun it around his index finger, and then jogged to catch up to the others.
CHAPTER 7
Outside Minamo Academy once more, Toshi stood with his allies. Behind him, the borrowed battle-moth still burbled happily, securely lashed to its tree. Kiku and Marrow both faced Toshi, listening closely as he spoke.
“And that’s it,” he said. “If we can get in and get out quietly, we don’t have to worry about Hidetsugu and his yamabushi. Once we’ve got the disk, we can leave. I can dissolve the hyozan oath from anywhere once we’re done here. But we need it in place until we’re done, in case Hidetsugu finds us.”
Marrow looked in annoyance at the glorious moth. “I still don’t see why you don’t just go in there and carry the thing off yourself. You brought it here alone, didn’t you?”
Toshi nodded. “I did. But that particular avenue is closed. My myojin doesn’t want this thing in her domain.”
“Then why doesn’t she leave it here?” Kiku had been especially sharp and penetrating with her questions during Toshi’s little briefing. She was also supporting Marrow whenever possible, which Toshi guessed was a way to force more information out of him.
“Because she wants it to exist. She just doesn’t want it to exist in her territory. If we leave it here, something bad will happen to it. Someone will eat it or break it or try to use it, and that’s not what Night’s Reach wants. She likes things as they are right now, and she’s tasked me with keeping them that way.”
Buoyed by Kiku’s support, Marrow was still skeptical. “And you expect us to fight off the ogre and his yamabushi if things don’t go according to plan?”
“I expect the hyozan oath to keep Hidetsugu in check. He can’t attack us without endangering himself. As for the yamabushi … yes, I do expect you to fight if it comes to that. There may also be the odd oni to contend with, but I don’t think-”
Marrow’s fur stood up straight. “Oni?”
“One in particular. Hidetsugu sort of put his dog on my trail, so it’s possible it’ll come running as soon as I show up.” He turned to Kiku. “That’s your main job, by the way. If anything with four legs and horns shows up, I expect to see a bouquet of flowers in its eye sockets before it comes anywhere near me.”
“But I still don’t-”
“Hush, vermin.” Kiku strode forward past Marrow, her eyes hard. “The more Toshi tells us about this job, the more I’m convinced he’s not telling it all. The job is to grab the disk, get away, and break up the gang. If we have to fight along the way, we fight.” She beckoned the ratman closer, and they stood shoulder-to-shoulder facing Toshi.
“Let’s do it,” Kiku said.
“Okay,” Toshi said. “But there’s one more detail I haven’t mentioned yet ….”
Captain Nagao was even less pleased to see Toshi the second time around. He drew his short sword and stalked over to the new arrival with Silver-Foot close behind.
“See?” Toshi held up his hands in playful surrender. “Told you I’d be back.”
It was broad daylight, so most of the survivors were awake to see Toshi arrive, but the windowless room was as gloomy and the mood as bleak as it had been in the dead of night.
Nagao glared at Toshi, clenching his blade tight. “Are you going to help this time, friend, or just talk?”
Toshi shrugged. “I can start helping right now.” Behind him, his foot was still immersed in the shadowed corner of the room. With his hands up as they were, it was an easy task to reach out, grab Nagao by the shoulders, and haul the heavier man backward into the darkness.
Off-guard and overbalanced, Nagao grunted as he tumbled into the black expanses. Toshi held fast to Nagao’s shoulders, concentrating on his chosen destination. It was far easier to travel alone, but it helped when he knew where he was going.
After a breathless lurch through the void, Toshi and Nagao erupted from the base of a stout cedar tree. Toshi recovered first, but Nagao was breathless as he clutched the dirt, trying to locate his sword by touch. He winced with each breath and clutched at his chest. Toshi saw blood seeping through a ragged bandage under the officer’s chest plate. He realized Nagao wasn’t just disoriented by the trip and the sudden change of scenery; he was also recovering from a serious wound.
They were in a lush, healthy forest of evergreens, the smell of moss and damp wood thick in the air. The sky was clear and sunlit, but the thick canopy of boughs and needles allowed only thin river of light to reach the ground.
“This is Jukai,” Nagao said. He had found his sword and now struggled to his feet. “This is where the kitsune led by Lady Silk-Eyes came after the goblins attacked their village. Where we were before we went to Minamo.”
“And it’s probably just the way you left it,” Toshi said. “The kitsune villagers are still living wild and loving it. You’ll recognize more than a few familiar faces.”
Nagao had completely recovered by now and he had regained most of his bluster. “Take me back to the academy,” he said. “I’m the last one to be rescued, not the first.”
“You’re the leader,” Toshi said. “I had to take you first so you can convince the others. You’ll have to do it fast, though, because I don’t know how much time we’ll have.”
Nagao hesitated. “Who is in charge here?”
“Hm? Oh, I don’t know. There’s a trio of old foxes everyone seems to listen to. And Princess Michiko is here, along with her kitsune minders. Oh, and that big dog is here, too.”
The captain considered this. “And all are safe?”
“So far. They’ve been here for weeks with no troubles. I don’t think even the kami have bothered them.”
Nagao sheathed his sword. “Take me back at once,” he said. “And then start bringing the others here as quickly as you can.”
Toshi cocked his head, his voice cutting. “I need you to tell me that. Listen, soldier, that was always the plan,” he said. “If you’re done making conditions, how about we go to work?”
Ferrying the survivors from Minamo to the forest took longer than Toshi had hoped, but at least it went smoothly. Once Nagao convinced Silver-Foot that Toshi could do what he’d promised, the rest of the survivors were only too willing to trust the stranger.
Toshi could only take three people with him at once when he started, but soon he was bringing seven or eight at a time. It was strenuous work, but it was like running long distances-once he’d established a pace and a rhythm, it was just as easy to keep going as it was to stop and rest.
He said a silent prayer of thanks to his myojin for keeping Hidetsugu and the oni off his back while he worked. Between the ogre’s nose and Toshi’s connection to the oni dog, he had expected them to pounce within moments of showing up. He guessed that they hadn’t because he never stayed in Minamo for long. Once the captains had the survivors lined up and ready to go, all Toshi had to do was show up and collect them.
Kiku stood quietly behind Toshi, never addressing or acknowledging the survivors, even when they tried to thank her for rescuing them. She was focused on the room’s only door and the hallway outside it. If a challenge came, it would come from there.