Dragon Sword and Wind Child (24 page)

Saya remained silent. She was ready now to accept Lady Iwa's words with an open heart. When she uttered a formal farewell, the old woman nodded. “You're so young to be our one and only priestess. That grieves me, yet I cannot take your place. You must go. Surely there must be some meaning in your very youth.”

Saya left the inner chamber and went into the great hall. There she saw Lord Akitsu, clad in black armor, and with him Chihaya, likewise dressed as a warrior. She felt herself recoil at the sight. It was as if she were looking at Prince Tsukishiro on the night she had first met him. When she examined Chihaya more closely, however, she realized that he wore a far from splendid iron helmet and his black-lacquered armor was studded with crude rivets. He looked bored, showing no sign of youthful excitement. Still her first impression continued to plague her, plunging her into an odd mood.

“Saya,” Lord Akitsu said solemnly. “Give him the Dragon Sword.”

She stepped forward, still puzzled by the sudden awe she felt toward Chihaya. “Your armor looks so heavy,” she teased him, trying to conceal her confusion.

“Mmm,” he nodded, making no attempt to impress anybody. “But this sword is light,” he added as he took it from her hands. “That's a help.”

Saya saw the surprise on Lord Akitsu's face as she stood beside him. The Dragon Sword was a long, heavy broadsword. She sighed and thought,
When it comes down to it, I'm the one who drew Chihaya into
this war. No matter how much I wish I hadn't, it's my own fault.

Several hundred soldiers had already gathered and stood in organized ranks before the entrance. Black-helmeted, they carried shields emblazoned with whirlpools in bright and varied colors, and each held a new bow or spear. As Lord Akitsu passed through the gate they gave a great cheer, greeting their general with a twanging of bowstrings and a beating of shields. Applause rose, too, from the crowd of people who were to remain behind from where they had gathered beyond the soldiers. Saya attempted to slip through after Lord Akitsu but was so startled to be greeted with a similar uproar that she almost stopped in her tracks. Whether she liked it or not, she realized that she had no choice but to accept her station. She was the Priestess of her people. Garbed in red, she must live for each one of them on behalf of the Goddess. Just as their general, Lord Akitsu, belonged to them and not to himself. And in return, they would, without exception, throw down their lives for her sake. She was overwhelmed at being thrust so suddenly into this position. Realizing that she was not even a tenth as prepared as she had thought, she feared for the future.

Under Lord Akitsu's command, the company split into groups when the sun had set and rowed out in small boats onto the dark sea. The other lords and commanders parted from them, heading back to their homelands to raise troops. The greatest rising of the people of Darkness had quietly begun.

THREE DAYS LATER
, Lord Akitsu and his soldiers were heading toward the pastures, concealing themselves in the shadow of the mountains.

“Saya!” Chihaya exclaimed in wonder just after they had crossed the mountain pass. “There are horses. A whole herd galloping.”

Saya could see nothing. Before them lay only an unbroken line of low hills and quiet meadows beneath the darkening sky.

“Yes. A herd of rare and magnificent horses,” said Lord Akitsu, despite the fact that he could not see them. “Would you like one?” “Yes,” Chihaya answered simply.

“This place is under the direct jurisdiction of the Palace of Light and usually so well guarded it would be beyond our grasp. Now, however, they're so preoccupied with rebuilding the palace that the guards are thinly spread. We'll split into two groups and attack the barracks, you understand?”

Saya tugged at Chihaya's sleeve. “Listen, don't even think of becoming one of those horses. This is important.”

Chihaya nodded. “There were many horses in the palace stables but I never possessed one. It wouldn't do to confuse a trained warhorse.”

Lord Akitsu asked Chihaya tensely, “You seem to be able to communicate with animals. Can you call that herd of horses to you?”

“I couldn't call them all at once.”

“There must be a leader. If he came, the rest would follow.”

“That I could do.”

“Good.” Lord Akitsu continued without pause, “First we must destroy the shrine mirror. While one group attacks the barracks, throwing our foes into confusion, the other group will skirt the wood and hit the shrine. Then this land will once again be ours. As long as the mirror remains intact, we might as well be face-to-face with the immortal Children of Light.”

Next he looked at Saya. “I leave the work of pacification in your hands.”

Startled, Saya stammered, “But—but what should I do?”

“Invoke the aid of the Goddess, just as you do to still the Dragon Sword. I've no intention of throwing the two of you into battle. I'll leave some stalwart men to protect you. Move cautiously and don't leave Chihaya's side.”

Under his rapid directions, the warriors moved as one, then split up and disappeared into the shadows. Saya caught sight of Masaki among the “stalwart men” and, for the first time, felt somewhat relieved. His amiable young face, even in this place, seemed unchanged. But still she could not suppress her shivering or the goose bumps on her skin. Perhaps because she looked so pitiful, Masaki looked at her and came over to whisper, “Be easy, my lady. Victory is certain. All you have to do is to remain calm.”

Battle cries rose as flaming arrows arced through the air, and the barrack's thatched roofs burst into flame. The battle had been joined. The sharp clash of metal on metal and the tumult of voices rose from the ground like a stagnant mist. Saya's group, which was positioned in the rear guard behind those attacking the shrine, immediately began to move forward. Saya could no longer see Lord Akitsu and his men, who had rushed into the barracks brandishing their weapons. She could not take her eyes from Chihaya's sword, but it was impossible to tell if the occasional gleam of red in the hilt stones was a glow from within or merely a reflection of the flames of destruction.

Chihaya suddenly laughed aloud. Saya raised her head in surprise, for not only did he rarely laugh, but their present circumstances were anything but amusing. “What's so funny?”

“I've never seen such a horse! He's fearless.”

His face, which glowed faintly in the flickering light of the flames, was animated and filled with eagerness. He turned to the frowning Saya, saying, “He's the leader of the herd. A magnificent horse. I wish I could show him to you, Saya. He's as black as coal. And on his forehead is a single star—like the morning star.”

Listening to him, she thought for an instant that she could see a fleet-footed black horse with a star on its forehead, a proud, spirited young stallion roaming across the pastures. But she quickly pushed the image from her mind.

“Well, it's nice to be so carefree when everyone else is fighting for their lives!” she snapped. At that moment she saw fingers of flame rise from behind the trees in front of her, making their pointed black silhouettes stand out in stark relief. The shrine had fallen.

She struggled to fight down a dizziness and something that rose within her like a frightened bird. For Saya, the desecration of the grove, the defilement of the sacred precinct of the mirror, was still almost physically painful. For an instant she felt the awful gaze of Princess Teruhi fixed upon her where she cowered in the shadow of the trees with Chihaya by her side.

Perhaps her anxiety communicated itself directly to the Sword for, as if he had only just become aware of her, Chihaya suddenly asked, “What is it, Saya? The Sword moans.”

“The mirror has been broken.” The words rushed from her as though she were delirious. “Something—something's coming!”

What it was she had no idea, but it was palpable. She felt it rise from the midst of the darkness, radiating menace. Gradually it took shape— like a swarm of bees forming a cloud, like a lump of fat congealing. They must escape, now, a voice within Saya urged insistently.

“Hurry! Run! We must get away from here!”

The guards looked at her in consternation. “But it's dangerous to move. Stray arrows are still flying. It's all right. Just wait a little longer.”

Their soothing words, however, could not quell her panic.

“It's no good. You must flee! Or something terrible will happen!” But she herself did not have the courage to turn her back on it, and in the end could only stand rooted to the spot, staring. Seeing it with her own eyes would in no way diminish her fear, but she could not bear the thought of being pursued by something unknown. At any moment it would materialize, ripping up the cedar trees in its path. And then, as though it could read her mind, it appeared with an appalling noise, smashing and rending as it came. She heard the men surrounding her gasp.

It had taken the form of a creature the size of a small hill. It had the body of a giant bear on the rampage, and when it stood on its hind legs its face reached the tops of the trees. Its crescent-moon-shaped claws were much longer than any bear's, and a thick, hairless reptilian tail stretched out behind it, the scales gleaming in the starlight. Its face, wreathed in spines, was yet strangely human, a flat apelike visage hideous to look upon. The enormous monster came straight toward them, stamping its heavy feet and raking at the branches.

Gazing up at it, Saya could only gasp in horror. What her eyes beheld was not a thing of this world, and before it any human cry for mercy seemed meaningless.

For a long moment they stood frozen to the spot, and then Masaki, coming to his senses, yelled, “Stand fast! In the name of our lord, stand fast and protect the Princess.”

The soldiers, startled by his voice, fitted arrows to their bows or held their spears ready. But Saya knew too well the uselessness of their resistance.

“Run! Run now!”

Whose voice it was she did not know, but the resolute urgency of that cry resounded strangely. She heard it as though unrelated to herself, but then suddenly someone grabbed her arm and hauled her roughly away. As she opened her mouth to protest angrily at this treatment, she almost collided with the glossy flank of a jet-black horse. Right in front of her, snorting and prancing, was a fierce stallion with a streaming mane.

Before she knew it, Chihaya had pulled her up in front of him onto its bare back. Then, feeling the horse's muscles moving rhythmically beneath her, she realized that they were flying across the dark meadow. The wind took her breath away and she buried her face in the horse's mane with the absurd thought that he was more like a shooting star than the morning star.

The monster pursued them. This was the only reason Saya managed to ride bareback on the speeding stallion without tumbling to the ground. Whether it was after her or Chihaya she could not tell, but it had eyes only for them and seemed filled with a malicious desire to harm them. As she clung to the horse's mane, in her mind, she was running on her own two legs.
Flee! Flee! Flee for our lives!

But the creature was also fast. Its enormous form rushed toward them as though it were swimming through space. Rocks and trees were no more than level ground to its huge crushing feet. It came closer and closer even as she watched, and when the legs of the gasping stallion finally began to falter, it stretched out its long, curved claws almost daintily toward their backs.

The stallion gave a piercing scream and the threesome that had been melded together were scattered in different directions like seeds scattering from a pod. As the horse tumbled head over heels, Saya felt herself thrown through the air and hurled onto a grassy slope; then she rolled for what seemed like ages. But when she finally raised her head, she saw she had not been thrown very far at all. Chihaya was sitting up only a few paces from her. And the creature was but a stone's throw away. Its nightmarish black form seemed about to engulf them.

Draw the Sword! Kill it before it kills us!

It was not a conscious thought, but she knew she must have wished it, for the shining Sword was unsheathed with such speed that she could not believe Chihaya had done it. Then it flew straight as an arrow toward the shadow towering like a mountain above them. Saya gazed up and saw the blade grow longer, twisting and thickening, engraving the image of the Dragon upon her mind. Its eyes gleamed bright crimson against the creature's murky blackness. Then the keenly honed blade moved like flashing light, slashing the monster's head and shoulders to tatters, until suddenly the creature lost its form and melted thickly into darkness. The Sword flashed once again, rising into the air, and raced toward Chihaya as if seeking its next target. Saya shut her eyes.

When she opened them again and looked fearfully about her, however, she saw that the night had once again returned to darkness, and Chihaya stood alone, trying to sheath the Sword with awkward movements. Drenched with sweat as though she had been doused with water and shaking in every limb, Saya was only now aware of how terrified she had been. Unable to stand, she began to crawl toward Chihaya, but he checked her in an unexpectedly low voice.

“You'd better not come too close.”

Only then did she notice the bloody wounds that ran from his shoulders down his back. The trail of the creature's merciless claws was apparent even in the starlight, as though Chihaya's flesh had been gouged with a sickle. Looking at Saya's pale, frozen face, he said, “It's nothing to worry about. Renewal will soon begin. The deeper the wound, the faster it begins.”

“Renewal? You mean the return to youth?”

“Yes. The wounds will disappear. It's best to leave them alone.”

Chihaya spoke as though it were nothing. But Saya, witnessing immortality for the first time, felt as bewildered as if she had come into contact with yet another monster, although one less fearsome. So this was how the Children of Light defied the passage of time and maintained a flawless, youthful form. In this way they rejected the natural flow of life and turned their backs on the road that all others followed to the Goddess.