Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
As his soldiers blasted the portal to the human realm with a cascade of firebombs, Orochi stood back, his stomach rumbling with hunger.
Nothing could break through the gate. After unleashing all the magic they had, Orochi’s yōkai warriors hadn’t even made a dent.
His brothers were growing restless, their thirst for human blood intensifying.
“How much longer, Brother? I’m feeling weak,” Venom said to Orochi.
“This isn’t working. We need that child,” said Earth, growling loudly.
Orochi couldn’t agree more.
But so far his spies had failed him. No one had been able to locate Ryuichi. The closest they’d come was finding the kitsune who’d raised him, but she’d refused to tell them anything. Then somehow she managed to escape.
Why couldn’t something go right? Especially now, when he was so close to having everything he ever wanted.
Venom hissed in his face. “Why aren’t you saying something? I’m starving.”
“Quit your whining,” Orochi sneered. “I’m trying to think of how we find Ryukage’s sorry excuse for a son.”
Venom craned his neck backward, his other brothers shifting away to give him room.
Then he lunged forward, attempting to bite Orochi.
But it was a seriously unwise thing to do.
Orochi headbutted Venom so hard it knocked him out.
His head collapsed onto the ground, while their brothers inhaled sharply.
“Take note,” he warned the others. “Or else it’ll be you next.”
“Master?”
Orochi heard a tiny, annoying voice and glared down at the small rodent-looking yōkai who was speaking to him. “What is it?” he roared.
“Forgive me, sir. We have word from our spies that the boy was spotted.”
Orochi hissed with pleasure. “At last. Where are they?”
“I’m not entirely sure, but the message we received said they are moving now to take him and bring him to you.”
This was the best news he’d heard in a long time. It was almost enough to make him want to smile.
It was time for Ryuichi to help him, then die.
* * *
“Put your back into it, you dogs!” Haru was in high spirits as the crew carried barrels of the product. They had swung around the back into a secret grotto underneath the island, as planned. It was a beautiful little alcove, free from any suspicious eyes.
“We have to finish unloading. There’s a fight topside, which is giving us cover. I don’t know how long they’ll keep it up. It’s already been a day.”
Koichi was more than interested. A fight? Were they underneath a battleground? Was this part of some lord’s power play while the Ryukage was missing in action?
He was more than curious about what was happening. It would take his mind off his aching body. Haru had ordered the massive barge to be emptied, and the product barrels distributed all over the cave network, which seemed to stretch on for miles. The barrels were as heavy as a pregnant oni.
Never in his life had he ever worked this hard.
Ryuichi-kage had no problem keeping up with the other yōkai, loading and unloading the heavy barrels.
In fact, he seemed to be enjoying it. Koichi’s back, however, would never be the same.
Unlike the shadow, he was merely human—a ridiculously handsome and skilled human, but human nonetheless.
After carrying another barrel and putting it in the cavern, Koichi sat down on some rocks.
Was it comfortable? No.
But he didn’t have a lot of options.
Koichi hoped none of the yōkai would bother him or tell Haru, but he was willing to pay the price if they did. He was extremely tired. He closed his eyes to rest for a moment, his mind slowly going blank.
“Hello, Koichi.”
Koichi eye’s popped open in surprise. Haruki was standing in front of him, with her hair let down so it rested on both her shoulders.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“What does it look like? I’m taking a break.”
“That so? And what would Haru think about that?”
He stared her down. “You wouldn’t dare.”
Ever since her confession on the boat, Haruki had been acting like nothing had happened. He had to admit—her ability to slip back into her regular devious persona without her heart was impressive.
Honestly, it scared him a bit. He couldn’t help but wonder if Haruki might slip even deeper into despair and hatred, now that she was literally heartless. Still, he held that part of her with him. Maybe there was a way to put her heart back where it belonged, if things got worse.
“I have something for you.” Haruki handed over Koichi’s favorite thing in the whole world—a gourd filled to the brim.
He pulled the top off and it made a delightful popping sound.
Finally. The world was making sense again. All his suffering. All his worries—they were there to make him ready for this very moment.
Life was good.
Then he drank some and spat it all out after the first taste. “That’s horrible! What is this nastiness?”
Haruki laughed. “Water. You looked thirsty.” She opened an ornate fan and waved it briskly in front of her face, then sat down next to him. “So, it looks like we’re in a bit of a dangerous predicament.”
“You don’t say?” Koichi said before reluctantly drinking more water.
“Actually, you are truly the one in dire straits. Haru said I didn’t have to lug those awful barrels.
That it wouldn’t befit me as a goddess, and I happen to agree.
” She leaned back and nodded at Ryuichi-kage, who was carrying two barrels, one under each arm.
“And the shadow—he is much stronger than I gave him credit for.”
“You’re right. I’m the lone human out here. Just a man with a few more years on him, if he’s lucky.”
“Only a few?”
Koichi shrugged. “I don’t know if you noticed, but the series of bad events I’ve had lately are driving to one conclusion: I’m running out of what little time I have.”
For some reason, Haruki looked sad by this revelation. “Don’t say that.”
He could feel her heart beating in the pouch beneath his shirt. It almost seemed like it started pumping faster the moment he reminded her that he wasn’t immortal.
Haruki noticed him place his hand on the pouch and stood up. Then she created some distance between them. “If I get too close to my heart, I start to feel pain again.” She appeared embarrassed. “Forget I mentioned anything.”
Koichi pantomimed putting the thought in his hand and throwing it onto the cave floor. “Done. I remember nothing.”
He was surprised to see her get upset over his limited lifespan.
Kami lived for so long that he assumed they would eventually stop caring about people, especially mortals.
Then again, other people’s feelings always confused Koichi and made him feel uncomfortable.
That was why he’d never let anyone get too close to him.
Koichi’s thoughts quickly drifted to Ryuichi and his shadow.
They were apart, like Haruki and her heart.
But their pain would be far worse if he wasn’t able to bring them back together again.
Haruki still had no idea about how high the stakes were, and if she did, Koichi wasn’t sure if it would make any difference to her.
It was so difficult to predict how unpredictable her mood would be.
But keeping this secret felt dishonest. Haruki always knew when someone lied, and yet she hadn’t confronted him about this. Maybe secrets were different than lies somehow.
Suddenly, a roar rang out that sent Koichi to his feet. Haru stormed through the caves, cursing and screaming for everyone to keep working.
“And if I see anyone being lazy, I’ll chew their arms off!” he threatened.
“But sir, if you do that, how will the crew carry the barrels?” A hapless yōkai helper was panicking at Haru’s side.
“Point taken. I’ll chew their legs, then.”
“But sir . . .”
Koichi turned to Haruki. “That’s my cue to go. Just promise me something.”
“That depends on what it is.”
“Promise that you’ll take your heart back one day. I’m sure it misses you.”
Haruki reached out and touched his hand, her fingers lingering on his. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words never came out.
Koichi wasn’t sure what to say either, but he was a little relieved by her reaction. There was still kindness in her, even without her heart. Perhaps he didn’t have to worry so much about her.
Which was good because Koichi had more pressing matters to consider.
Escape.
As Koichi went back to work, he kept his eyes trained on his big brute captor. Sadly, Haru had taken no chances. He understood his yōkai crew weren’t loyal. Conscription tended to kill allegiances.
Since they were abducted, Koichi had already considered at least twenty different plans on how to foil Haru. Unfortunately, when he plotted each of them in his mind, they all ended with him being eaten by yōkai, so he wasn’t eager to try.
He’d have to bide his time until he found some kind of vulnerability or breach.
Haru couldn’t stay alert forever. Eventually, he’d make a mistake, and then Koichi would strike. He’d sneak out, steal a boat, find Ryuichi, and all their problems would be over.
Except then he’d have to contend with the Ryukage.
But I’ll cross that bridge later.
Koichi walked through the caves, searching for Ryuichi-kage.
He wanted to check on him and see how he was doing.
Yes, the shadow appeared to be healthy enough to do Haru’s dirty work, but appearances could be deceiving.
He saw him setting down two barrels, one next to the other, and breathing heavily.
“Hey, botchan, how are you feeling?”
The shadow scowled at him. “Angry.”
“So I see.” For some reason, Ryuichi-kage was irate, even though a little while ago he seemed almost joyful. “What’s wrong?”
“Are you stupid?”
“Yes, last time I checked.”
Ryuichi-kage crossed his arms in front of his chest. “The longer we’re stuck here, the more likely it is that I’m going to disappear and Ryuichi will lose his soul.”
“I know. It’s bad. But you seemed fine just a few minutes ago.”
“That’s all an act.”
“An act?”
Ryuichi-kage leaned closer and whispered, “It’s part of my escape plan.”
Yes! Koichi thanked all the gods. Maybe his strategy was better than what he’d come up with. “Really?”
“I’ve been getting close to Haru’s crew, making them trust me. You know, so they won’t suspect that I’d betray them.”
Koichi couldn’t wait to hear more. “That’s very smart. So what happens now?”
“We wait until dark.”
Koichi nodded. “Of course. That makes sense. The best time for doing something sneaky.”
“Then, while they’re asleep . . .” Ryuichi-kage looked around to make sure no one could overhear them.
Koichi was even more excited. “Yes?”
Ryuichi-kage’s eyes widened as he quickly told his plan. “We kill them all. One by one.”
Was he kidding? Koichi’s hopes fell apart in front of him. All the hope and faith he’d had disappeared in a flash.
“No. Terrible plan. Just awful.”
“Why?” Ryuichi-kage appeared as devastated as Koichi felt. “If everyone is dead, they can’t stop us from leaving or follow us to where we’re going.”
Apparently, the shadow didn’t realize the high odds of one of the yōkai screaming and waking the others. Then they’d be outnumbered and slaughtered, for sure. But Koichi didn’t want Ryuichi-kage to feel bad for trying.
“Look, logistically, it won’t work. Trust me.”
“Maybe Haruki could use her powers, then. She hasn’t been helpful at all since we were captured.”
Koichi scratched his head. The shadow boy had a point. Maybe, without her heart, Haruki had also lost her magic.
Before he could think that through, Haru saw that he and Ryuichi-kage were chatting, not working, so naturally the menacing wolf came over to harass them. “What are you two doing?”
“Nothing. Just having a conversation.”
Haru seemed offended by that very idea. “And who gave you permission to talk? I better see a barrel in your hands soon, or I’ll order someone to rip your yapping lips off.”
That tone set fire to the samurai inside him. Haru was lucky he’d disarmed Koichi; otherwise, it would have been a fight.
Still, there was nothing Koichi could do except put himself back to work with a huff.
Once Haru had moved on, Ryuichi-kage nudged Koichi. “Be right back.”
Then he vanished.
“What are you doing?” Koichi was nervous. What if this desperate shadow kid put his murderous plan into motion right now? “Ryuichi-kage?!”
No answer.
One of Haru’s crew members shoved Koichi, shouting, “Get back to work!”
Koichi growled in his throat as he grabbed a barrel that seemed even heavier than the others. As soon as he tried to move it, he found out why.
Ryuichi-kage reappeared in front of him, his hands covered in something dusty. “I looked inside to see Haru’s product. It’s some kind of powder.”
“A powder, eh?” Koichi went to open the barrel Ryuichi-kage had just inspected, but then hesitated. Haru was close enough to catch him in the act. Koichi really did like his lips and wanted to keep them.
And then there was a commotion at the top of the cave.
All the yōkai abandoned their barrels and left their posts to go see what was happening. Koichi and Ryuichi-kage wanted to know, too, so they followed the crew.
“What’s the shinigami doing here?” Koichi heard Haru say as he pushed his way past the growing crowd.
Koichi flinched when he saw a dark figure, towering above them all. He didn’t say a single word, but he had a penetrating stare that made his samurai instincts ignite.
This creature seemed much more ominous than Haru.
“Aren’t you supposed to be up top?” the wolf barked at the mysterious stranger. “Back to your boat, now!”
Haru’s yōkai helper tugged on Haru’s shirt hem. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”
Haru glared at him. “I wouldn’t be so sure. Why is he here?”
The helper shrugged. “He just does that. He likes to wander.”
With Haru and the crew preoccupied, Koichi realized this was the perfect opportunity to break open a barrel. As quietly as he could, he went back down to the bottom of the cave and pried the top off one of the barrels. When he looked inside, he froze.
It was full of gunpowder.
Somehow Haru had smuggled gunpowder into the spirit world.
This wasn’t the answer to everything. In fact, this would only escalate the violence.
Just what was Haru planning? He couldn’t imagine why anyone would need this much gunpowder. Did Haru intend to blow up the spirit world and everyone in it?
Koichi wanted answers.
And Haru’s head on a platter.