Traveling wearies me. This was true even before my recent--indisposition. I don't like the accidental contact with other people, for one thing, and seeing sights for the sake of checking them off the list of life seems to me a futile and puerile occupation. Just the mechanics of travel, the constant vibration, the drone of machinery, the need to be at Point X in a certain amount of time in order to take one's place in an ant-like line of people trying to get to point Y--it's all a bore. Of course I understand how non-Japanese this may appear. Your saying so only confirms that you think in stereotypes. It should be clear to you by now that, to the extent anyone is "typical", those "typical" likes and dislikes do not apply to me. You can hear what I choose to tell you, or you can leave me alone. I'd much prefer the latter. No? Then let me tell this my own way. As I was saying, traveling wearies me. I was surprised, therefore, by my own feeling of urgency as we embarked for Aomori. =================================== =================================== Wings of Fate Chapter 19 - North to Horror Mountain Written by Lirazel Created by John Evans and Ardweden =================================== =================================== "Where, specifically, are we going?" We had just passed Lake Towada. Akari was lamenting that we had no time to turn off and see the foliage, and Kenchi had just finished reminding her that the peak season had already passed and we didn't want to compete with bus-loads of tourists, anyway. From what I could tell, we were in the gorge that runs from the lake to the little town of Yakeyama. Akari kept exclaiming at the scenery, and Kenchi must have said, "Wouldn't Shuukou just love this?" at least as often as she said, "Oooo, look at the cliffs over *there*!" It was sickening--like traveling with a honeymoon couple. I admit that the cool mountain air, scented with pine, that came through the open window was pleasant. So was the sound of numerous waterfalls, when my companions would shut up long enough for me to hear them. I'm not insensitive to nature; I just don't enjoy it in the company of other people. It was partly with the goal of stemming the stream of inane commentary that I asked the question: "Where, specifically, are we going?" Silence fell. I imagined the exchange of glances in the front seat. Then Kenchi spoke, with an edge in his voice. "To Aomori, Soshi. You know that." "Very well. We are here. Now what?" Akari was honestly startled. "What do you mean, we're here?" We've got another hour at least--" "He means, we are in Aomori Prefecture." Kenchi paused for a moment. "I've always assumed Judou meant Aomori City, but now that I think of it, there's very few places in the city itself where a clan of tengu could be expected to be comfortable." "Precisely." I settled back in my seat, preparing to ride in superior silence while Kenchi and Akari tried to figure out from the road-maps where a group of tengu was likely to settle in a large, mountainous, and mostly uninhabited area. I will admit, Kenchi's next remark surprised me. "As it happens, friends, I have already given this matter my attention." Kenchi's voice had all the smoothness of his most winning behavior. I sat up again, and prepared to listen *very* carefully. I don't trust Kenchi when he's being smooth. I much prefer him anxious and off-guard. "While you two were assuming that I was off enjoying a little 'side quest'," he was smirking now, I could hear it, "I was actually at an all-night Internet cafÈ, researching useful facts about Aomori. Spotted it while we were shopping." "And?" said Akari. "I think we should be heading to the Shimokita Hanto peninsula." "Why?" I demanded. I was rapidly reviewing everything I knew about Shimokita Hanto. There was one really obvious reason why it must have appealed to Kenchi, but I wanted to hear it from him. "One. It's the wildest part of the area. More likely to attract the tengu." "Wilder than this?" Akari clearly was gesturing to the world outside the window. I interrupted before they could get further into it. "Chances are, the tengu were here well before the people. But, given the fact that they may have something to do with keeping things wild, I accept your reasoning. There are stories of tengu on Shimokita, and I know of no other place in Aomori where they are considered inhabitants. Go on." "Two. Even if the tengu aren't there, it's past the main tourist season, so we'll have less trouble spotting our enemies. We can hole up in one of the ryokan at the local hot springs and wait in relative safety for Judou and Shuukou to catch up." "There are plenty of hot springs all over this area, and the tourist season is over in general, until the skiing starts." I was sure that Kenchi was going to answer me angrily, and waited until I could tell by his in-drawn breath that he was about to speak. "However, given the less crowded conditions I mentioned before, it will be easier to spot an approaching adversary in someplace like Shimokita." Akari, of course, was pleased that Kenchi and I seemed to be in agreement. "We can leave a message on Judou's answering machine once we get set up," she said. "On the other hand," I said, "We, also, will stand out clearly against such a relatively sparse backdrop." I expected Kenchi to resume his protest, but he seemed to have anticipated my remark. "Which brings me to my third point. We *want* to be someplace where it is easy for the tengu to find us. Remember, Judou said they knew who we were. Even if they are not actually living on Shimokata, it will be easier for them to find us there than in a city." "But that's the opposite of your second point!" said Akari, before I could speak. "First you want us to go there because it will be easier to hide, and then you want to go there because it will be easier to be found!" I could tell Kenchi was surprised at this. He must have been subtly exercising his powers of persuasion against Akari. If she was beginning to be able to resist them... It was an interesting thought. Perhaps the pressure we were all under was forcing a bit of development there. But as Kenchi and Akari began to argue, I interrupted again. "Kenchi, are there no other reasons you want to tell me regarding why we should go to Shimokata Hanto?" I loaded as much "meaning" into my voice as I could. Kenchi fell abruptly silent. "You should have guessed that I, of all people, would know what goes on at the temple there. I mean, how many years have I studied these things?" "Kenchi, you're blushing!" Akari was both astonished and amused. Which was better than having her frightened, I suppose. I began to feel, however, that perhaps the changes in Akari would make her less easy for me to manipulate as well. She *should* have been concerned by my tone. Instead, she was treating it as a joke. Kenchi stepped on the accelerator. It is interesting how mood can be indicated by the way one drives. He answered Akari in a low, tense voice. "There's a sulfurous volcanic area, with a lake, near the top of this mountain there. And a temple on the side of the lake, where the temple workers seem to be able to get advice from the ancestors." "And what is the major common feature of those temple workers?" I made my voice stern. I was not going to have Kenchi thinking he could manipulate me! "Ummm... They're blind women." "Thank you." I was genuinely angry. "I suppose you thought that knowing they were blind would make me feel better, somehow. Feel like less of a cripple. Maybe I should consider having a sex change and joining them, is that it?" Kenchi was silent. What could he say, really? I was right. He'd had some romantic illusion in his head, about how I would have some kind of mountain-top revelation, and suddenly become a noble, accepting person, as is commonplace in certain kinds of sentimental fiction. What I didn't anticipate was Akari's reaction. She actually reached back and touched me on the shoulder! I was startled; I pulled away sharply. There was that pity again. It made me angrier than ever. Was I never going to be able to express myself without getting a "Poor Soshi" response? With some care, I brought my voice under control, making it extra-gentle. "Well, as long as we are clear on everyone's goals and motives, let me assure you both that I am very aware of the rites practiced at Entsu-ji Temple on Mount Osorezen, and I agree. We should go there. We may learn something." Kenchi was so relieved that he actually gave a little giggle. Akari, on the other hand, gasped. "WHAT did you call this place?" "Entsu-ji Temple on Mount Osorezen. Horror Mountain. It's been called that for centuries." ****************************************************** After some discussion over the map, Kenchi and Akari agreed that we would head for the ferry terminal and book passage to a town called Sai, on the western coast of Shimokata. We would need to stay the night in Aomori; this also would give us an opportunity to pick up warmer clothes. The warm weather we had enjoyed thus far was ending, and the wind off the northern ocean was sure to be cold. Naturally, neither of my companions had thought of this during our recent sojourn to the south; naturally, I *had* thought of it. Kenchi parked Judou's car at the ferry terminal, where we could leave it for a week without notice. Or so we thought. I will admit, it did not occur to me to put a ward on the car once we were not in it. Perhaps that was a lapse; but I believe that we probably were spotted some time earlier, and what happened later was only the natural ending to the unnatural peace we had experienced for the last three days. At the time, it seemed particularly clever to leave the car at the ferry; since we did not have to buy tickets until we were actually boarding, and since we were not in a hotel lot, there seemed to be no way that the car could be connected to ourselves. On that point, we may have been right. We checked into a room at the Port Authority hotel, so as to be on the spot for an early start. I will admit to some grudging admiration of the way Kenchi could simply ask for a room for three unrelated people without causing comment from desk clerks, bell-boys, or even the accidental guests around us. I mentioned this as we got settled, and heard the old Kenchi grin in his voice as he replied. "As far as the people in the lobby are concerned, Mr. and Mrs. Hashibara registered with their three-year-old boy!" Akari giggled. I made no comment; such juvenile behavior was all of a piece with Kenchi's fancy cars and other luxuries. "Hiding in plain view" he called it. Still, it was an impressive feat of persuasion. There must have been at least ten people in that room. I protected the room; for good measure, I protected the rooms on either side as far as I could, so that anyone able to notice my work would still be confused as to our exact location. The effort left me weak. We then went to a local shopping district, and Akari and Kenchi procured a pair of those dreadful, pseudo-fleece jackets that seem to be all the rage. Meanwhile, I sat in the food area, sipping tea and recovering my strength. "Why don't you buy a jacket too, Soshi? Look how soft and warm they are!" Akari was feeling extra bubbly, I suppose. She thrust the thing over my hands. I pushed it away, and I must have made a sour face, because her voice grew cold. "You don't have to be like that!" "In fact, I do." I replied. I did not intend to tell her more, but Kenchi filled in the gap. "Hermetic work--real magic, not the kind we have--requires the worker to avoid manmade materials, particularly in clothing." I was surprised at his knowledge. I was also surprised by the lack of a sneer in his voice as he said it. Kenchi has always relied on his manipulative abilities, and has often scoffed at my studies. I decided to acknowledge his statement. "That is correct." "You mean, I might be able to--to do more, if I only wore silk and cotton?" I frowned, sensing that Akari had been about to suggest she would be able to increase her powers and heal my sight. "I'd be willing to try it, for a while at least." "There's a great deal more to it than simply dressing correctly," I began. "First, the body must be purified, then the mind must be attuned to the forces you wish to command. Not unlike what we ourselves--" "--should be talking about someplace else," said Kenchi. "Oh. Later then, Soshi." As we made our way back to the hotel, I was thinking rapidly along the lines Kenchi and Akari had suggested. There might indeed by an increase in her powers, in all our powers, if we were willing to subject ourselves to discipline. I would have to convince the others to try it. This might require more consideration than I normally gave to my associates. Or, perhaps, a center of power such as awaited us in Osorezen would be sufficient to trigger a higher level of power. Absorbed in these thoughts, I barely noticed the conversation of the others as we neared the ferry terminus. I think I first began to pay attention to them again as Kenchi spoke. "--at that smoke!" "Wow, it's just pouring out of the parking garage! I hope no one is hurt." I stopped dead in the street. Now I could smell it; the stench of burning paint and plastic and gasoline. No flesh. I would have noticed flesh. What I also sensed that my companions couldn't was the power fueling the fire. "It's our car." Akari's arm jerked in astonishment. Kenchi just said, "Dammit. I thought so." Akari must have given him a look, because he said in an aggrieved tone, "Well, naturally it would be our car. I mean, who else parking at the ferry terminal is going to have the enemies we have?" His voice took on the tone one uses when a joke has gone sour. "Well, at least Judou and I are even--one pair of wheels apiece." "But I thought you had it protected!" There was that tone of fear and aggravation in Akari's voice again. "No. No, I'm afraid I didn't." I could sense them both looking at me, as if something else, some expression of distress or anguish should now emerge from me. I took care to keep my tone bland and light. "I shall have to apologize to Judou." =================================== =================================== We discussed asking for a different room, but decided that such a request would draw too much attention to us. After all, what reason could we give? "Excuse us, sir, but our vehicle having been firebombed by Mysterious Forces, we would feel safer in a different room?" It was bad enough checking in as a family with a child, the hotel record would be sure to show a move. Instead, we drew watches for the night. I had the middle watch; but before and after I slept little and poorly. I could feel the power center of the mountain to the north-east. In the map within my mind, it glowed bright red, and I could sense its energy beating on me clear across the bay. In the morning, Kenchi checked his voicemail. On it, he found a message >from Judou, saying they had reached our former motel and were about a day behind us. He advised us to meet them at the very hotel we had selected--not a surprising choice, if our deductions as to where we were heading was correct. For obvious reasons, however, we did not stay. We had escaped our pursuers twice; it was foolish to hope we could do so three times. Kenchi left a message on Judou's machine, telling him where we were going. The sense of radiant energy ahead of us that I had experienced during the night only grew stronger as we boarded the very modern ferry and began skimming across the water. The ferry was low-built and sleek, rolling very little as it cut through each wave. Outside, it had been cold, with a dank, salty mist in the air; in here, it seemed that everyone was smoking. The air soon became quite warm. As we moved out past the breakwater and swung into Mutsu Bay, I felt the energy source shift in my mind until I could tell it was straight ahead. No, I couldn't see it. Awareness has nothing to do with sight. Kenchi and Akari were silent. I think we were all listening to the conversations going on around us. From them, I gathered that the passengers were about evenly split between locals who had come into Aomori for various reasons--dentist, shopping, seeing a family member off on the train--and tourists visiting the peninsula to see the lake and the temple, and to visit the hot springs at the foot of the mountain on the north. There were also a few passengers for Hokkaido. The talk swirled around us. This one's daughter needed an orthodontist. That one's son was preparing for college entrance exams. A baby was admired. I leaned back in my seat, and began to listen idly to the conversation going on over my shoulder. Two men were discussing the different small hotels available at the hot springs. Again, the conversation was trivial. The staff at this ryokan included a particularly attractive chambermaid; but another one was renowned for its cuisine. A third was noted for its garden, and for the way the owner would conduct a tea ceremony for favored guests. I was nearly dozing, when I heard the word 'tengu". "Whatever you do, don't stay *there*. You'd think the tengu on their sign was running that place." I thought I alone heard it, till Kenchi leaned over and muttered to me, "Well, that was almost too easy." "Sssh." Akari's warning could have been merely a breath, it was so low. The men were still speaking. "Yes, I know it's the oldest ryokan at the springs. Drop in to see the garden by all means." "But what's so bad about it? My business associate, who comes here often, says he never stays anyplace else." "Well, maybe the chambermaid we had was just having a bad week--but the whole time we were there, she never once put anything away in the same place twice. One day, the futon would be rolled up in a corner. The next day, it was properly in the closet. The third day, when she made it up, she laid the pillow on the corner and tucked the blankets in diagonally." "No!" "Yes! And the place is *very* cluttered. Nothing exactly messy, mind you, but every room has little ornaments on wall shelves, mirrors in odd places--none of that simplicity and harmony one looks for in a ryokan." "Well, that doesn't sound very pleasant. How much is the place with the good cooking likely to be?" As their talk drifted into other channels, I thought of the clutter of figurines in Judou's house and snorted with amusement. Beside me, Akari began to giggle under her breath. I could feel Kenchi on the other side, shaking with suppressed laughter. So--if you couldn't tell a tengu by the long nose, you should be able to recognize one by taking a look at his dÈcor! Kenchi finally got up and went over to the snack bar in the center of the ferry, returning with sodas for the three of us. "To clutter!" he said, softly. =================================== =================================== The ride across the bay took about an hour. Kenchi and Akari began their commentary on the scenery, but it was raining, and apparently all there was to see was gray on gray. As time passed, and the intensity of the sensation I was experiencing grew, Akari became very quiet. She was not sleeping; I could feel the tension in her. "Akari? Do you feel something?" Normally, I would never ask such a question, but my hope that the increased energy from the mountain might be available to us led me to inquire. "I don't know," she said quietly. "There's something ahead of us that's--I don't know--very strong. It doesn't seem to be anything in particular. Not something I could call good, or evil, or even awake. I--it's making my hands..." She touched my hand with hers, and it was as though an electric spark had jumped between them. Not in the way your pitiful mind obviously imagines! This was--power. More like real static electricity than anything else, tingling, sparkling, jittering between us. I reached over and tapped Kenchi's wrist. "You feeling that?" "Gods!" A few heads must have turned, because he said, loudly, "Sorry, you startled me." Then, more quietly, "What *is* it?" "I suspect it is the presence of power in the mountain." "Can we, do you think we can--use it?" "I think we need to assess it carefully. With so much energy, it may be difficult for us to control." Akari muttered, "I'm thinking it might even be difficult to walk!" "Another point is that, with this much "background" noise, unless we do something very foolish indeed, it will be difficult to spot us." Kenchi seemed to be concentrating. "I'm feeling it, too. Like an itch in a place you can't scratch, only outside." =================================== =================================== The ferry stopped at three villages before Sai, where we had planned to get off. Fortunately, these were short stops, with short intervals in between. The boat moved from the southern shore of the peninsula to the western shore, and we all felt the locus of energy appear to shift location as we moved around it. Instead of being straight ahead, it was now to our right. Finally, at about one in the afternoon, we reached Sai, a small town on the west coast. Shimokata Hanto is nearly square, and Mt. Osorezen is nearly in the middle. Fortunately, it was just the end of the tourist season, and the local rental car agency had not yet sent most of their fleet back to Aomori for the winter. The air was cold and wet, but refreshing after the stuffiness of the ferry. It was not actively raining now, but a heavy mist was in the air, and water was dropping from every eave and roof-corner. The sound made it somewhat easier for me to define the shape of my surroundings. We walked up a narrow, uneven street to the car-rental agency; I could feel old stones under my feet. Kenchi and Akari got into a rather heated discussion over the rental car; he wanted a leather-upholstered Lexus, while she wanted something less conspicuous. Kenchi pointed out (with some justice) that having an inconspicuous car had not saved the vehicle at Aomori, while Akari pointed out (with equal justice) that we might have been stopped much earlier, as our collaborators had been, if we were still in his flashy monster. The fact of eventual credit card bills did more to reduce Kenchi's zeal than Akari's arguments had done, and kept me from intervening. They settled on a large but boring Camry wagon that could, potentially, hold us all. We got in the car and headed for the Yamen hot springs. Our road lay inland, at first, and then around the base of the mountain to the north and east, finally ending almost directly north of the mountain. At first, therefore, we were heading straight east towards the mountain, and then made a very wide curve, with the mountain always to our right. As we drove, the rain began to lift. I expected to hear Akari and Kenchi begin their commentary on the scenery again, but they had other things on their minds--as did I. Have you ever had to sit perfectly still, in uncomfortable clothing, for a long period of time, with your hands perfectly still in front of you? That will give you a small idea of the discomfort we experienced. It felt to me as though my skin were too tight for my body, or as though I had suddenly been filled with bees, walking about inside my skin. While nothing was stinging me, yet, I felt as though they--or something--would come boiling forth at any moment. My soul was irritated at being in my body. My hands were unhappy at having to be attached to my arms. How Kenchi managed to keep driving, I have no idea. His powers of concentration may be more formidable than I had previously believed. What's that? You say Kenchi is dead, but you have offered no believable proof. I am confident he is alive. These drugs and restraints, they will not kill us. Shall I continue, or are you done? Very well. Fortunately the pressure began to decrease, as we emerged >from where the morning sun would lay the shadow of the mountain and began to head North. Otherwise, I think we all should have gone mad. When we got to the outskirts of Yamen, the--sensations--were merely at the level I had felt on the boat. The road turned abruptly to the south, and then I did hear Kenchi and Akari gasp in unison. Akari spoke. "Soshi, we are looking straight up the mountain. I can see the temple at the top, just below the summit. There's a valley up there. It's as if the temple was standing in the gap between two peaks, keeping back whatever is between them. It's really beautiful, but--well, I know you don't feel these things, but it gives me the creeps." "I have seen pictures. What about you, Kenchi, does it give you 'the creeps'?" "This whole experience rather falls into that category, don't you think, chaps?" said Kenchi, attempting a touch of his old, smooth manner. "I suggest we divert our eyes from the awe-inspiring scene above us and concentrate on looking for Tengu Inn, or whatever this place is called." I felt the road dip down as we headed into the little valley that housed Yamen village. Clearly, there were several different thermal springs at the Yamen onsen. Little inns were packed along the main road, and down every side street Akari reported more of the swinging signs. The streets were not too crowded, but in the peak season this place must have been full of bathers in cotton robes, strolling back and forth from the springs themselves. "This could take a while," muttered Kenchi, as he steered the car down a narrow lane. "Nonsense," I said briskly. "Drive out to very last ryokan on the south side of town, closest to the mountain." "You think they'd be that obvious?" "Hanging out a sign with a tengu on it is pretty darn obvious by itself," said Akari. "I think that's very clever, Soshi." I was nearly right, too. The Tengu Ryokan was the next-to-last inn. As we pulled into the parking lot, Kenchi said, "This is just too weird. We're the only car here. Don't the staff drive?" "Perhaps they live in. Let's not start thinking in Western horror-movie clichÈs here, all right?" Akari had that tense sound in her voice again, indicating that she *was* thinking in just such terms. Benighted strangers arrive at moldy old hotel. Mysterious doings turn their hair white by morning. Et cetera. "Perhaps we shall be greeted by a withered crone, saying 'You are expected' in sinister tones," I said in my most sarcastic voice. We carried our few light bags up to the door, and Kenchi rang the bell dangling outside. For a moment, all was still. Then the door before us opened slowly, and a thin, elderly voice spoke from somewhere near the floor. "You are expected." One thing I noticed immediately; when one finds out that clichÈs are true, the effect can make one shiver and laugh at the same time. =================================== =================================== In silence, the old woman led us down a long corridor, then into a corridor at right angles to it, and showed us to separate rooms. These were true, old-style Japanese ryokan rooms, with tatami on the floor. At any other time, I would have enjoyed it. I will admit, at any other time, I would have been wondering how I could afford it. My first task was to try and seal the room. I need not have bothered; the place was as tightly guarded as a bank vault. The sealing had several features new to me, and I was bending my mind to commit them to memory, when a light tap on the wall in front of me startled me out of concentration. A tap on the wall? Of course, this would be the sliding wall, leading to the porch overlooking the garden. A reassuring feeling came to me; without even knowing the layout of the room, I could move confidently to that wall and turn it into a door. Truly, though I live in a Western room at home, I feel most myself in a Japanese surrounding. I stepped to the wall, and called softly, "Who is there?" I laid my hand on the rice-paper and lattice, and felt for the latch. "It's me and Akari," Kenchi replied. "Can you come out?" I moved my hand and the wall slid with it. A rich, lush air came rolling towards me, much warmer than the air outside. I smelled pine, which was to be expected, but also many other growing things. The inn garden appeared to include a hot spring or some other heat source. A deep breath confirmed the former; there was a faint tang of sulfur on that air. "Over here, young man." A deep voice, strange to me, spoke from my left. I stepped out onto what I knew would be there--a deep porch, running the length of this corridor or courtyard--and turned to face the voice's source. "Let me--" I heard Akari say. "Nonsense," the voice replied, "he is perfectly capable." I walked forward without hesitation. I will admit, without *outward* hesitation. It took some willpower to avoid sliding my feet along or taking smaller- than-normal steps, but I have never been lacking in will. I was also listening carefully. When I could hear breathing close in front of me, I stopped. "Not bad." The voice was almost directly below me, and I stepped back rather abruptly. In front of me, Kenchi and Akari giggled nervously. "You need to listen to a wider range before you, that's all. Prepare yourself!" A rustle of wings and I felt claws on my shoulder and feathers on my cheek. "Since you clearly would never stoop to me, I will come up where I can get a good look at you." Akari giggled again. I decided to interject a note of formality into the proceedings. After all, we had not journeyed here to become a source of jests. "Pardon me, sir; I do not know who it is I have the honor of addressing?" "You are addressing Kurasuno Amano, leader of the Aomori Tengu, and, alas, the father of the one you call Judou. As for pardon, that remains to be seen, but will depend in part on how you comport yourselves here." I was silent. I clearly could not bow without inconveniencing our host, and what was I to say? I felt the claws moving down my shoulder to my arm, and put my hand on my hip so that the bird could perch more comfortably. I could tell that he was leaning forward, peering into my face. "Hmmm. Interesting. You group of young fools have caused us quite a lot of trouble, you know." The tone of the bird's voice was not distressed, however, and I began to have some hope as to the way this interview was going. "Leaving aside the question of my baka son, for a moment, was it really necessary to attract the attention of so many outsiders? And all because *you*, young fellow--" Here a beak rapped my head, and it was all I could do to keep from crying out. "--you had to see if there was a quicker way to power than the ones that are legitimately open to your kind." "But sir-- Kurasuno-san--we all--I mean, all of us agreed--I mean it wasn't just Soshi." I had never heard Kenchi so awkward. Then again, he rarely had to apologize, just manipulated his way out of any uncomfortable situation. "That's true, Kurasuno-san. We all agreed to the research." Akari's voice was shaking, but whether with rage or fear or laughter, I could not tell. "Yes, but this one--" here he rapped me on the head again--"this one knew that the basis of your 'research' was secrets taken from the tengu. And then you decide to force our hand and travel up here without waiting for our reply. Humph." He hopped from my shoulder back to the floor. And then, it seems, he changed to his true form. When next he spoke, his voice was much closer to my ear. "Let me enlighten you about something, children. We tengu possess power by virtue of what we are, more than what we know. We are one with the land we inhabit, and our secrets are based on our nature, which is the land's nature. You manthings, on the other hand, are split. You have yin and yang, a knowledge that comes from within you and a knowledge that must be learned. The type of power you have sought usually requires years of study--but you have attempted to pass over the difficult parts through the use of forces you do not understand. "In fact, foolish ones, if the five of you had not managed to acquire a sixth, I doubt very much whether we would be having this conversation. Many of my kin are still inclined to leave you to your fate at the hands of others of your kind who also seek power. You are in the position of a small child with a bag of candy walking past a gang of bullying older children. You have no idea how to defend what you have. Why should the tengu trouble themselves to help you?" Again we were silent. There really was no answer. The tengu did not relish the idea of exposing their existence to outsiders. There was no clear reason why they should help us; in fact, their interest was against it. Our host sighed. "But you have acquired a sixth partner--a being with powers of yet another sort, though limited now by time, distance, and the changes of the world. And there happens to be an ancient prophecy in these parts about-- Well, my kin have agreed to wait until those at the temple have said their say. We will consider the matter of pardon afterwards." Just then, a wild cawing erupted all about us. The being before us spoke again; "Well, well. It seems that your newest associate has decided to fly ahead. I must make sure she is properly received." I heard the rush of his wings as he flew off over the garden. Akari and Kenchi moved over to me as soon as he was gone. "What 'new associate'? What is he talking about?" Anxious Akari. Some things are reassuringly constant. "Must be this "Macha" character Judou met up with," said Kenchi, "but how on earth could she be flying in?" We did not have long to wait. A louder rushing noise filled the air. Kenchi exclaimed, "Gods, that thing is *huge*," and Akari grabbed my arm. I barely noticed. As with the approach to Mount Osorezen, I became aware of a source of power, directly before me. A strangely familiar power. "Ah, my chosen warrior!" The voice was female but low, deeper than that of many men. "It was good of you to wait for me. Shall we begin?" And I remembered... =================================== =================================== Pain. Pain on a level so high as to be deadly of itself, and accompanied by such injuries as would kill me anyway. I had literally to force my own skin away from my body to escape those flames. There was nothing left but to die as quickly as possible, to end the pain. A voice, a touch, through the pain. A voice that was part of the pain, a touch that regretted the pain even as it soothed. The voice of Death, the touch of Death, even as it restored me to life. I had remembered the flames. I had forgotten the pain. Her voice brought it all back, the voice I had heard in the forest, speaking of old wars and new revenge. She had healed me, sufficiently for my friends--compared to her, they were friends indeed--to save me. She had marked me as her own. She expected me to serve her. "What do you want?" I said, even though I knew. "Nothing too difficult for you to give." Her voice was everything mocking and dangerous. "You are my warrior. You shall fight, and I shall feed. I lack the power I once had; you shall restore it, as I have restored you. And you can begin by destroying these disgusting tengu! It pleases me to think that Judou, who now thinks me his friend, should arrive home to ruin." "And if I refuse?" My voice sounded thin and powerless, even to me. "Why should you refuse? These creatures have no power, compared with what will be yours if you fight with me. I swore to help Judou reach this place, and he has reached it. Now we can destroy it, and leave for more interesting battles." "I refuse." "So!" She was honestly taken aback by this. "Perhaps I was mistaken in my selection. Do you not realize that you are my creature? I restored you to life. You owe me whatever I ask in return, and you will pay it." "Not true. I did not ask for your help. I made no claim on you. It was your choice, and I am free of it." "That... is so." I heard, for the first time, a somber note in her voice, as though she finally recognized a truth greater than her own demand on me. "But, if you can choose, so can I--to retract my former choice, and my action." And her attack began. I will not speak of what she did. Not with ten needles. It went on for what felt like a very long time, but was probably a matter of moments. I resisted her with all my strength, with every stratagem for blocking and delaying. I sealed myself behind unbreakable barriers; she broke them as though they were the magical equivalent of matchsticks. I made the surface of my mind as though it were a smooth and polished globe of diamond, and she shattered it like coal. I felt the core of my personality being ripped and shredded, and in desperation I was about to try and draw on the power in the mountain when another voice said, "CEASE!" =================================== =================================== Kenchi told me, later, that to them it appeared as though this giant black bird, three times larger than the tengu, had landed at the edge of the garden. It cawed a few times, and I began shouting at it. It cawed some more, and I began to tremble. Then I fell to my knees and put my hands to my head. The bird stretched out its wings, and Akari began to whimper; "No, no." Then Kurasuno-san had returned and shouted, "CEASE", and suddenly, where the great bird had been standing was a short, black- haired woman with rather scruffy clothing and a very singular expression on her face. "Oh well. It was worth a try." Her voice was just as low, but the power in it was muted. "Why did you let me get so close, old man?" I got shakily to my feet, accepting Akari's help for once. "Why were you so foolish as to try, Macha?" It almost sounded like the continuation of a discussion between friends. "You know you are weakened. You can take no power from this mountain, and the places where you have strength are far away. Did you really think, even if you had conquered this child, you would defeat us?" "You haven't answered my question, old man. Why did you let me even get this close?" "Perhaps to see what your "warrior" would do." There was a brief pause. I was still panting. I stilled myself, and stood clear of Akari. "I trust you left my son and his friend in good health?" "Your son, whose wrongs against me I do not forget, is well. His companion is suffering from the effects of the mountain. I said I would fly ahead and get help." I could hear the grin in her voice. "I'll go," said Kenchi. He left on the run, heading for the car. Macha called after him, "You'll find them along the road." =================================== =================================== Omake! It felt to me as though my skin were too tight for my body, or as though I had suddenly been filled with bees, walking about inside my skin. While nothing was stinging me, yet, I felt as though they--or something- -would come boiling forth at any moment. My soul was irritated at being in my body. My hands were unhappy at having to be attached to my arms. Kenchi spoke, "Righteous acid, dude." *************************************************** "Pardon me, sir; I do not know who it is I have the honor of addressing?" "You are addressing Kurasuno Amano, leader of the Aomori Tengu, and, alas, the father of the one you call Judou. As for pardon, that remains to be seen, but will depend in part on how you comport yourselves here." I was silent. I clearly could not bow without inconveniencing our host, and what was I to say? The bird on my shoulder cleared its throat. "So... Got any dead rats on you?" =================================== =================================== Author's Notes: Amazing what a small trip to the library can do, isn't it? Many of the "scenic" parts of this episode were supported by *The Japan Handbook*, by J.D. Bisignani, published in 1998 by Moon Publications, Inc. You-all get to figure out what parts I made up. Mount Osorezen (which was named "spirit mountain" by the Ainu and "horror mountain" by the Japanese) really does have a temple named Entsu-ji, staffed with blind priestesses who will contact the ancestors for you. The Yamen onsen is real. And Ravi says this was *not* the main reason why he and others selected Aomori as a destination! Hmmm, maybe there's something behind all this? ^_^; Many thanks to Ravi, who has a particularly stormy brain, and who pre- read, along with Sharnya and Phoebe. Feel free to call on me for the raft of ideas I didn't use.