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  “Hear me now! Feed from my hate! Let lust for blood blast through the realms.

  M-mother from the Realm of Slaughter. We open now your lair!”

  The Dokufu priestess rammed the dagger into her own heart. All around her, the air suddenly turned jet black. Power seethed and crackled as a great gate suddenly tore open the ground.

  Atop the rock outcrop, the last of the Dokufu were cut down. The thorn barrier burned, consuming the last of the smaller spiders. The Kumo looked about themselves in joyous shock as the battle suddenly came to an end.

  The terrible ashen rain had stopped. Clouds began to fade, and daylight shone across the gorge. The Kumo cheered – green spiders waved their long legs. Kimiko held the baby and looked about herself in joy.

  A blood red light suddenly blasted up out of the gorge. The air shuddered to an ear-splitting roar.

  The cliff face trembled. Rocks shook and fell as something immense slowly crawled up into the world. Sura ran to the edge of the cliff and leaned across over a boulder, staring down into the gorge.

  “Oh that’s not good…”

  The spider queen had emerged out of a gate from the Realm of Slaughter. The gate slammed shut, leaving the immense monster standing in the gorge, shaking itself free from the earth.

  The spider queen was utterly immense – larger than a house, plated over with huge slabs of blood-shot crystal. The earth shook as the creature moved – rock shattered underneath its claws.

  A wave of pure evil radiated from the queen – a sickening haze of hatred, blood-lust and loathing. The titanic spider reared, rocks falling from its crystal-armoured shell. It saw the mortals at the top of the little rock outcrop, and roared.

  The monster began to haul itself up the rocks. The Kumo scattered, fleeing wildly. Sura raced in to stab the spider’s immense foot with her spear as it whipped a first vast limb up and over the edge of the precipice. But the armour was far thicker than her spear blade. The spider ignored her and heaved itself up, its head appearing over the edge of the cliff, fangs reaching for its prey.

  As the spider queen reared over the edge of the rocks, Tonbo attacked with his tetsubo, roaring as he slammed the iron staff against the titan’s foreleg. The weapon barely chipped the rock. With one flick of her leg, the vast spider hurtled Tonbo aside, sending him crashing and skidding through the rocks. Chiri and Kuno were sent flying by another violent sweep of the monster’s claws.

  Chiri crashed hard into the ground, her magical power exhausted. The rat ducked as the colossal spider crashed yet more boulders towards them. A massive fountain of web shot overhead, spreading out to trap half of the fleeing Kumo spiders in a tangle of strands.

  Daitanishi flew into Chiri’s hands. Sura leapt across a rock and hunkered down to join them. They sheltered together as a boulder shattered against the rocks nearby.

  Chiri held her little earth elemental on her palm.

  “Please – Daitanishi san, I have no energy to summon help. As you love me, please find your friends!”

  The little rock bowed to Chiri, scowled at the ground, then plunged straight down into the solid rock, vanishing from view.

  The spider queen had mounted the top of the rock outcrop. The titan loomed overhead, shoving enemies aside. Still cradling the baby, Kimiko sheltered in the boulders beside Tonbo, with Sura’s ornate barrel of ‘emergency reserve’ brandy sitting beside them. They were right in the path of the oncoming queen.

  A swarm of little rock elementals suddenly burst up out of the ground. All had determined, ferocious expressions. With Daitanishi at their head, the diminutive creatures pelted the spider queen, cracking and ricocheting from her eyes. Daitanishi managed to chip the crystal armour. The enraged queen reared backward, swiping her feet at the flying rocks in rage. Behind massive fangs, her mouth opened in a deafening roar.

  Tonbo seized Sura’s emergency brandy reserve and hurtled it at the monster’s head. The barrel lodged between the giant’s fangs, sticking tight.

  Sura fearlessly plunged forward. She levelled her spear at the barrel, and shouted to the fire elemental in the blade.

  “Go!”

  The fire elemental shot out of the spear, crashing into the barrel. Brandy exploded all over the spider queen’s head and eyes, wreathing her in flame.

  Tonbo, Chiri and Kuno all levelled their weapons at the queen. Fire elementals leapt out of their weapons, slamming into the blazing spider. The crystal armour of the queen’s head suddenly cracked, a split splintering clean between her massive eyes.

  Kimiko ran at the gigantic spider. She leapt and caught hold of one of the monster’s legs, climbing up onto her back. Sailing out a long heavy cord of silk, Kimiko flung it at the boulders nearby.

  Sano Moko raced forward. She caught the line of silk and leapt. The rope swung her in an arc, crashing her against the spider queen’s lower back.

  Kimiko and Sano Moko clung on as the queen lurched and shook herself, trying to beat out the brandy flames. Moko fought her way onto the monster’s head. The samurai stood astride the narrow crack in the behemoth's armour, reversed her flaming naginata blade, and rammed it down with all the wild strength at her command. Her kiai shout thundered from rocks and boulders. Crystal armour cracked as the blade plunged down and the naginata speared into the titanic spider’s brain.

  The spider queen reeled, blundering sidewards and spilling the last four brandy barrels down into the gorge. Kimiko leapt clear, landing deftly on all eight legs and running swiftly aside. Sano Moko fell, only to be caught in a web held by two of the Kumo.

  The queen stiffened. The legs on one side of her body suddenly collapsed and the immense monster slid sideways over the cliff, spilling downwards to crash to the bottom of the gorge. Brandy barrels caught fire, and the vast, broken creature burned as its flesh caught like kindling.

  The gorge erupted with massive flames. Tonbo at her side, Sura wearily limped to the edge of the cliff and looked mournfully down at the vast, blazing corpse below.

  “Sacred black cherry brandy. Two hundred years old…”

  Sura gave a sigh.

  “I told you it was good stuff…”

  Chapter 7

  A fine new day dawned in the spider village, flooding the forest with light.

  The horrific Dokufu shrine had been set ablaze, and the wealth of plundered food shared out amongst the Kumo villagers. Many were already at work planting flowering trees and clearing all memory of the sinister Dokufu.

  The village had been decked out with silks and flowers. Small, everyday, resolutely normal spiders sat in some of the bushes. A group of green, dainty female Kumo spiders sat happily beneath a tree, chattering and weaving silks. In the streets, Kumo villagers in human form had dressed themselves in bright, beautiful clothing – robes stolen from them by the Dokufu long before.

  They were free. The Kumo were happy at long last.

  Kimiko was once again in her human form. She cradled the baby in her arms, sitting with the Spirit Hunters and Sano Moko on the porch of the inn. They relaxed, drinking tea and looking out over the forest. With the terrible Dokufu spiders gone, the forest was wholesome once more. There were even birds landing in the trees.

  The other travellers had all been freed. Sitting in a state of bemusement, they accepted tea and rice balls from passing villagers.

  All of the rescued guests had been gifted with silk. Spiders were weaving a fine new suikan for Sura, replacing the robes ruined by the ashen rain back at the gorge. Armour was being repaired with fine new silken cords. Even Chiri was being gifted with splendid new clothes. Despite all she’d done for them, the generosity of the Kumo still made Chiri blush.

  Breakfast was brought out from the inn: wholesome fare, and plenty of it. Kumo villagers came to sit and share the meal. All were now aware that Sura had something of a helpless aversion to spiders, and so they kept to their humanoid form.

  The villagers and Kimiko all bowed to Sano Moko and the Spirit Hunters. Kimiko then spoke, gratitu
de shining from her heart.

  “Honoured guests – how can we ever thank you enough? We are free from slavery – we have our lives once more.” The Kimiko and the villagers bowed again. “Always, you will be honoured by the Kumo clans. May the great web bless you and keep you safe.”

  Sano Moko bowed formally in return.

  “We are honoured to have been able to help you, Kimiko san.”

  The group sat drinking tea and enjoying the morning light, while Kimiko lovingly nursed the baby. Gently stroking his face, she looked down at him in peace.

  “So little Saburo is my sister’s child....” Kimiko kissed the baby’s fine, dark hair. “With your permission, I shall adopt him in my husband’s name. Saburo shall be raised by our people in love and honour.”

  Tonbo nodded. He seemed at peace with the decision.

  “You will be a worthy mother to him, Kimiko san. You faced your enemies with great courage.” The samurai looked to the villagers nearby. “You will make an admirable head woman to your people.”

  Kimiko looked to Tonbo. Her voice filled with sadness.

  “I do not wish to steal him from you, Tonbo san.”

  “He is more yours than mine, Kimiko san. He has an honourable samurai name of his own to uphold. He has a loving home.” Tonbo gently bowed to her. “But with your permission, we will visit you from time to time and help you to raise him. And when he is of age, I will see that he is educated well.” The samurai gazed upon the baby with great satisfaction.

  “He will be a great credit to the Kumo.”

  Kimiko held the baby, utterly at peace.

  “Thank you, Tonbo san. Little Saburo gives us all hope.”

  Kitsune Sura had been sitting slightly apart from the others, eating rolled omelette at a steady rate and pretending to ignore the entire rigmarole about the baby. But now she saw the child in Kimiko’s arms, and knew that soon they would be moving on, leaving the baby behind. The fox grew misty eyed, and turned away so that the others would not see. Finally she heaved a helpless sigh, shoved her plate aside, excused herself, and walked off into the village to try and shake the blues away.

  At the porch outside of Kimiko’s hut, Sura sat herself down. Newly dug fields were filled with happy crows, who picked through the fresh-turned soil looking for tasty bugs.

  Sura sat for a while, trying to paint new fu papers to replenish her supply. But she could not concentrate, and the whole project seemed empty. The fox sighed again and looked off towards the fields, nursing a horrible sense of loss.

  After a while, Kimiko quietly arrived carrying the baby. She laid the sleeping child down in his bed, then carried it over and placed it at Sura’s side. Kimiko bowed to Sura and smiled, indicating that Sura could watch over the baby for a while. Sura nodded agreement. Kimiko tiptoed softly aside.

  Sura sat and made an effort to paint, but her ears quirked as she heard the baby making soft little noises in his sleep. The fox finally set her work aside and edged over to peer down at the child.

  The baby was awake. He saw Sura, and was immediately all smiles. With a guilty look left and right to make certain she was unobserved, Sura bent down and quietly scooped up the baby. She held him in her arms, smiling at him, letting his tiny hands grip her finger. The baby looked back at her in delight.

  Sura held him against her heart, snuggling into him, and made a sad little sound.

  Sura opened one eye as she felt a presence and saw Chiri sitting quietly beside her, benevolently watching. The fox blushed, then tried to bluff her way out.

  “Well he’s ours! I don’t like people running off with my stuff!” A tear ran down Sura’s face. She quickly wiped it off, then turned her face away.

  Chiri put a gentle arm about her shoulders.

  “We cannot take him with us, Sura san.”

  Sura mournfully hung her head. “I know that. This is his real home. And they love him. And they need him.” Chiri handed her a paper, and the fox blew her nose. “And I need a kid like I need to be eaten by a giant spider queen!”

  Chiri and Sura sat together on the porch, looking out over the village of the spider folk. The Kumo seemed at peace, and their beautiful weaving glittered in the sun. The two friends watched them for a long while, Sura keeping the baby in her arms. She saw two giant green spiders sitting under a tree across the way, both producing silk. The fox felt herself shudder.

  “Spiders. Uck!”

  Chiri gave a gentle smile.

  “They are very beautiful. And they are happy. And I believe they shall greatly enrich the world. I am glad we could help them.”

  Kuno came quietly strolling by. He saw Sura with the baby and gave a gentle, knowing smile.

  Sura loftily arched her brows.

  “Yes?”

  Kuno innocently waved a hand.

  “It seems that you have finally came to terms with babies, Sura san.”

  The fox straightened her back, adopting a lofty air.

  “Well of course. Surely you realise that I am a sage?” Sura gave a sniff. “A superior mind is not driven by base prejudice. A superior mind is able to take each thing in creation at its own value. A superior mind…”

  The baby shimmered, transforming into a fat green baby-sized spider. He cuddled happily into Sura, gripping her with all eight legs and clacking his little fangs. Sura froze – eyes wide. Her fur rose on end.

  The fox gave a great, helpless wail.

  Villagers heard the racket and all turned, wondering at the commotion.

  Out in the fields, dozens of terrified crows took flight. Wings beating fast, they all flew away, vanishing off into the trees.

  1 With a myriad of regional terms for distances – often modified for tax purposes – the ‘pace’ is a more useful general measurement. One pace is c. 90 centimetres. Two paces make 1 ‘ken’. C. 1800 ken = 1 ri.