CHAPTER 25
"Choose."
They found Michiko's trail just before the ground shuddered, rolling underfoot like a ship on rough water.
They rode out the quake and then stood together, facing a single point at their feet. Michiko's trail started here, clear and strong, as if she had stepped straight from the sky to this patch of hilly, forested ground.
The kitsune said nothing. The brothers whined a bit in anticipation. Pearl-Ear growled, and Sharp-Ear responded. The ochimusha's scent was here, too.
She lifted her head and listened. Riko and Choryu were close behind, but she doubted her ability to keep the pack in check, even if she had the interest.
Pearl-Ear growled again, and the foxes all lit out at once, tearing through the rolling meadows as they followed Michiko's trail. In this, Pearl-Ear matched the speed and stamina of the males, even outdistancing them by a few strides.
She was the first to see the cave, and once more her intellect overrode her instinct. They must not charge in and try to battle Toshi in close quarters. She wanted to punish the ochimusha for what he had put them through, but Michiko was the real reason for their journeys. As always, she came first.
Pearl-Ear waved the others down. Through a soft series of grunts and gestures, she sent Dawn-Tail and Blade-Tail around either side of the cave to search for another access point. If they could get in behind the thug, they could take him down in the blink of an eye. More important, she didn't want to leave him an escape route by committing all their efforts to the front.
The brothers soon signaled her from the far side of the cave. There was no way out save the main entrance. Pearl-Ear waved them back to her and hunkered down with Sharp-Ear and Frost-Tail while she waited.
"We give him one chance," she said. "He's desperate, but he's not stupid. He'll try to bargain his way out."
Frost-Tail growled.
"Of course not. We just want to get him away from Michiko. I will get him talking. I will agree to his demands. And when we see an opening, we split them apart. I'll take Michiko away. You all subdue the ochimusha."
"What about" Sharp-Ear's question trailed off as Choryu and Riko came bustling through the woods. "What about those two?"
"They are Michiko's friends. They will come with me."
The student wizards lumbered up. Pearl-Ear had a soft spot in her heart for each of them on Michiko's behalf, but compared to the light- and fleet-footed kitsune, Choryu and Riko were a handicap.
"Is she in there?" Choryu said. He was red-faced and out of breath, his white-blonde hair plastered to his skull.
Sharp-Ear nodded. "First we must get her away from Toshi."
"Then let us do so, now." His face looked panicked as well as flushed. "There are orochi-bito coming up quickly behind us. We cannot let her fall into their hands again."
"That will not happen," Pearl-Ear said. "We will move as soon as the others return." She raised a finger to keep Choryu quiet as Dawn-Tail and Blade-Tail crept in.
"Lady Pearl-Ear lures them out," Frost-Tail told them. "We get in between them and take the ochimusha. Lady Pearl-Ear and you wizards go for Michiko."
The scouts nodded. Sharp-Ear took hold of his sister's hand and squeezed. She returned the gesture, then jerked her head toward the cave. The three brothers and Sharp-Ear quickly positioned themselves around the cave entrance, far enough away to be concealed but close enough to rush in.
"Choryu," she spoke sharply to cut through the wizard's glassy stare. "Are you up to this?"
The young man's jaw tightened. "After all my mistakes," he said, "I'm ready to do this right."
"Riko?"
"I am ready, Lady Pearl-Ear, but I will hang back. Without my bow, I will just get in your way."
"Very well. Say nothing, do nothing, until I say." The wizards nodded. Pearl-Ear scanned the area outside the cave, spotting each hidden kitsune in turn. Then, Pearl-Ear rose and cupped a hand next to her mouth.
"Ochimusha! Send Michiko out now. We will not ask again."
She thought she heard Michiko's voice, but there was no way to be sure. Her people often played games with travelers, mimicking their own voices. She would not be drawn in by a ruse.
Toshi's voice rolled out of the cave, as smooth and as full of bluster as ever. "Is that you, Lady Pearl-Ear of the kitsune?"
"You know it is," she replied. "You have our thanks for taking Michiko away from the orochi-bito. For that we will not kill you on sight. But if you do not surrender her, now, we shall forget that kindness."
"A pleasant fantasy, but highly unlikely," Toshi said. His banter took on a slightly strained edge. Perhaps his wild journey had affected him as much as theirs affected her.
"But here's what I will do. I'm going to sit in here and fold hay for a while. Michiko has agreed to help me. If you're still alive when we're done, I'll bring her out. How does that sound?"
"It sounds like you're stalling. Let me hear Michiko unharmed and we'll see about waiting." She coughed lightly, drawing Sharp-Ear's and the samurai's attention. She held up four fingers, one for each of them, and stabbed them into her open palm. Each of her fellow kitsune nodded, ready to go on her signal.
"Lady Pearl-Ear," Riko whispered. "The orochi-bito."
"I hear them." The snakes were very close now, their rampant hissing audible on the wind.
"We have to get her out now," Choryu said.
"Settle down, wizard. You're going to put her in more danger, not less."
On a nearby ridge, the first orochi-bito appeared through the trees. Its tongue flashed in and out, and then it turned toward Toshi's cave.
"They're here," Choryu said.
"Quiet." Pearl-Ear's attention was on Sharp-Ear and the brothers. She stole a glance at the hilltop, where more orochi were slithering into view.
The wizard stood. "Go, go now!" Energy flared from his eyes. Thick streams of water formed and circulated around his arms. "For the princess!"
Pearl-Ear hit him in the side of the head with her closed fist. Choryu groaned, staggered, and collapsed.
Nearby, a reptile screamed. Pearl-Ear saw Frost-Tail with a dead orochi in his grip. In the brush, among the trees, and near the cave, fox grappled with snake and all dissolved into confusion.
"Riko," Pearl-Ear said. "You can stay here with Choryu, or you can come with me. But I am going to rescue Michiko." She stood and let out a high-pitched cry from the back of her throat.
Riko glanced at Choryu's unconscious body, then rose to stand beside Pearl-Ear. Together, the two women charged for the cave.
Toshi heard the sounds of snakes battling foxes. He looked back at the Myojin of Night's Reach. Mochi was probably right-she was a source of great power among Numai and he'd probably been tapping into her reserves his whole life.
Unlike the moon kami, however, she was classy enough not to mention it or demand restitution.
Outside, a kitsune snarled in pain. Mochi clasped his hands behind his back and began to rock back and forth on his feet.
"They're dying out there," Mochi said. "One thug and a pile of razor birds won't be enough and you know it."
Michiko tried once more to step past Mochi, but the little blue kami blocked her exit. "You're not going out there. Not until your protector there admits he needs our help."
Michiko turned her pleading eyes to Toshi. "Don't just stand there," she said. "We need to act, to get out there, even if it's only to run again."
"Ask us for help," Mochi said. "And we'll help. Don't do it for the foxes, or the princess, or even the word. Do it for yourself. Ask the kami for her blessing. Accept her, and me, as your patrons. You will be protected."
"I'm not taking anything from you," Toshi said. "You smile too much."
"From her alone, then. Power can take many forms, Toshi. Pray for a blessing that will aid you now, and for the rest of your life. What does a man in your position need? What makes your life worth living? She can give it to you. She can give you anything. All you have to do is ask."