The Open Road Page 7

  “Do I smell weird to you?”

  Chiri cleared her throat. “I – ah…” The rat blushed. “I believe it is honey.”

  Sura cocked one eyebrow. She leaded over and sniffed at Kuno.

  “You too?”

  The samurai tried to ignore her. Beside him, Chiri took a deep breath and tried to fight off the hiccups.

  The mansion gate suddenly burst open. Sano Moko came racing out onto the path, hand in hand with the crane spirit. The two Sano samurai came whooping merrily just behind. They embraced, looked at each other in delight, then took off towards the village at high speed.

  Tonbo dabbled his hands clean in the stream.

  “There they go.” He cracked his neck and reached for his club. “What now?”

  The fox took up her spear.

  “Excellent! Right – so now that the ghosts are happily occupied, maybe we can get a proper look at this mansion. Simple!”

  Sura was eager to be off and away. Kuno and rubbed wearily at his eyes.

  “I am forever thankful that I cannot even imagine what it is like inside your head.”

  They team gathered up their weapons, spell papers and equipment. With the whole valley still and silent all about them, they walked carefully on into the Lodge of Doves.

  Chapter 5

  Beyond the mansion’s gates was an overgrown, eerie garden. An ornamental pond had become rank with water weeds, and flowering shrubs had grown into tangled, looming trees. Long grass hid the path that led over towards the old, tiled hall.

  Sura swirled her spear, then swept two fingers along the shaft, springing shimmering spell-light into the blade.

  “One Tao, one sight, one world, one mind.

  Let the hidden souls come forth.

  Let ghosts appear to mortal eyes…”

  She scanned her spear back and forth, carefully sweeping the way ahead. But no ghosts shimmered into view. No spirits could be seen lurking in the shadows. Tonbo waited for the all-clear. Once Sura was satisfied, the big man walked carefully forward, leading the others over towards the main hall.

  Beyond the first line of overgrown bushes, there was a wide stretch of gravel-covered yard all dotted with weeds. The hall’s broad porch extended far out over the gravel, sheltering four life sized stone statues. Sura scanned the statues and found a trace of magic lingering in the stone, but nothing dangerous seemed to be lurking. She moved in and inspected the statues from head to toe.

  The granite statues were of two human women, and two human men – all of them fair and wreathed with flowers. Each of the figures wore a silver medallion that bore a Sanskrit symbol.

  Chiri looked sadly at the medallions.

  “Laughter, revelry, gaiety and love…”

  The shrine was all but forgotten – a home to sighing weeds. Chiri shivered, then quietly bowed her head and prayed.

  Sura made a slow circle of the area, scanning the empty building with her spear. After a long and careful search, she returned thoughtfully to the others.

  “Right. They’ve definitely gone. I’d say they’ll stay inside their victims well after midnight, right into the hour of the ox. That’s how late we apparently stayed up to party. Once they’re done, then the ghosts have to return back here.”

  Kuno stood and looked up at the four statues.

  “So this is them.”

  Chiri felt sad. The weeds, the rocks and the silence made her feel hollow.

  “Poor people.”

  “They are thieves.” Kuno’s voice was stern. “They are stealing moments of life from other people, Chiri san.”

  “Yes.” The rat’s long hair stirred in the breeze. She gazed up at the statues again, and laid her hand upon the cold, dead stone.

  “I find it sad.”

  It was still only a few hours past dawn. Tonbo rested on his weapon and looked about the compound.

  “What should we do? We seem to have time on hand.”

  “I’ll get busy.” Sura was already assessing the area with a sharp, professional eye. “I’ll lay out a couple of different shield grids. We should post the elementals as sentries – set up a lookout…” The fox cast about herself for the best vantage points. “Right. Let’s get moving. Work first – then let’s put the kettle on.”

  The long, quiet day was made tense by anticipation. Sura set out her spell papers and carefully engineered traps, then busied herself investigating the rest of the mansion. But the buildings were empty – all cold and overgrown. The entire rear half of the estate was buried beneath half a mountainside of rock.

  Tonbo made a carefully concealed campfire. The team ate lunch in the ruins, keeping a watchful eye out for returning ghosts, but all seemed quiet. Time wore heavily on their hands. Sura snoozed for a while: Kuno practiced lightning-fast draws of his sword. Chiri made rice balls and bean cakes to see them through the late night guard. But the faded colours of the once cheerful buildings left a hollow in their hearts.

  With night, the mountains stood out as great ghostly shapes against the stars. Chiri sat upon the crest of the roof, gazing off towards the lake. From there she could see the mountains, the forests and groves of cherry trees. The waterfall shimmered, the sound of its ebb and flow merging with the rustle of forest leaves. The Nezumi woman’s long hair stirred slightly in the breeze as she gazed quietly off into the night. In the grounds below her, Sura and Kuno were on watch for ghosts, hiding carefully behind a gnarled old tree. Sura kept one eye upon a little bell hanging about her wrist – a bell that would tremor if any of her warding spells detected incoming spirits. She was speaking with Kuno, while he kept a sharp watch upon the gate. The two of them were in yet another of their little arguments – but all was well.

  Tonbo climbed up a tree and onto the roof, moving with surprising softness for so huge a man. He came forward along the roof ridge, armour rattling, and settled at Chiri’s side. He set his long iron tetsubo at his side and pushed his helmet back to hang between his shoulders. He sat with Chiri and joined her in gazing at the waterfall.

  “You are sad, Chiri san.”

  “Yes.” Chiri kept her eyes upon the falls. “I was wondering, what it would be like to find true love, and then to lose it.”

  Tonbo leaned on his tetsubo. He thought quietly for a while, and then nodded.

  “Better than losing it without ever finding it.”

  The rat felt the night breeze stir against her skin.

  “Do you think about it much? Love, I mean.”

  “Yes.”

  Sura was down below, making a joke at Kuno’s expense. Kuno wrinkled his nose, but chose to react with dignity. Tonbo and Chiri watched them both together.

  Tonbo nodded.

  “I think love is a treasure only found by worthy souls. Love is sacred, because it celebrates the good within ourselves.” He folded armoured hands about his tetsubo. “Like any sacred thing, it must be done carefully, and with absolute commitment.”

  Chiri watched Kuno from above.

  “Kuno san would say that love cannot compare to a samurai’s duty.”

  “Kuno is wrong.” Tonbo watched over his friends. “A samurai’s duty is merely love. What is self sacrifice, if it is not a gift of the self to another person?”

  The big man seemed at peace.

  “True love makes us into better people.”

  Down below in the courtyard, Sura had dug into her rations. She had a single rice ball left. She broke it in two and gave half to Kuno, who thanked her.

  Chiri watched him, and gave a sigh.

  “Will I ever find love, Tonbo san?”

  “You will find it, Chiri san. When the both of you are ready.”

  “Have you found love, Tonbo san?”

  The samurai watched Sura from afar. Huge and patient, Tonbo turned back to watch the waterfall.

  “When we are both ready, it will be there.”

  Tonbo left Chiri with a rice ball and some tea. Clanking softly in the gloom, he moved off to keep watch over the courtyard
wall.

  Midnight came and passed. Down in the courtyard, Sura kept a careful guard upon the outer wall, changing position from time to time, scanning with senses long attuned to finding trouble. Her tail waved slowly behind her, measuring the constant, careful flow of her thoughts.

  Kuno sat in a beam of moonlight, kneeling formally beside the cherry tree. His soul felt deeply troubled: his body had behaved in an unseemly manner while it had been possessed. Although the blame was not his, there were great emotional depths here than a true artist could explore.

  He had purified the area, sweeping it clean, and had then clapped his hands and prayed formally to the kami. After a long meditation, he finally felt ready to begin his work. The samurai brought forth a fresh sheet of paper, an ink stone and a brush. He gathered his thoughts for a moment, and then began to write a poem with great dramatic sweeps of his brush.

  When he had finished, he held up the paper and sternly gazed at the results. He gave a sharp nod of satisfaction.

  Sura came up beside him, keeping an eye upon the gate. Kuno cleared his throat, and then began a dramatic reading of his latest work.

  “I feel a great shame.

  Shame shame shame – really deep shame.

  Deep deep deep… Shame shame.”

  Sura winced, then pulled her nose. She sat down and tried to offer some constructive literary criticism.

  “Mmmmmmm… Yes, I’m hearing the shame…”

  Kuno swatted proudly at the paper.

  “I repeated it. It’s called ‘literary resonance’.”

  The fox winced, but tried to keep a straight face. “Yes – yes, I see where you’re going…”

  The samurai had expected a far more enthusiastic response. He looked at the fox and shook his head.

  “Your ear may not be properly attuned to the deepest subtleties of real poetry.” He held out the poem and looked approvingly at his calligraphy. “I’m thinking of calling it…. ‘Shame’.”

  Sura eyed Kuno with an air of sympathy.

  “You really do need some rest.”

  The man loftily straightened his armour. “Poetry is a serious business! Concise expression elevates the soul!”

  “But why not keep it simple?” Sura waved a hand. “What are we doing? Five-seven-five?” She counted syllables on her fingers.

  “Two koku inn tab.

  I got boned by ghosts again.

  This isn’t my day!”

  The fox happily tucked her heels in against her rump. “Hey – this is kinda fun!”

  “Kuno is real cute

  Wish the guy would lighten up

  Still, he’s pretty cool.”

  Kuno folded up his arms. “That is not poetry.”

  “You’re right. Poetry should rhyme!” Sura rubbed her hands together in thought.

  “There was a young Kuno from Kufu,

  Who wound up in a weird ghostly bufu!

  When…”

  Bifuuko and Daitanishi suddenly came whirring in over the outer wall, zooming past Sura and racing up to join Chiri on the roof. Sura’s little wrist bell quivered softly, ringing the alarm. Chiri stuck her face over the edge of the roof and hissed out a warning.

  “They’re coming!”

  Tonbo vaulted down to the ground as Kuno, Sura and Chiri all scrambled get ready for action. Sura took cover behind the cherry tree, while the others all dropped into the shadows.

  A night wind blew softly through the grass.

  Something stirred out in the night. Four faint, sparkling wisps came looping happily straight in through the mansion’s gate. The shapes had a vague human form – two male and two female. They twined lovingly about each other then split apart, swirling back together in a joyous dance.

  Clearly it had been quite a night.

  The four ghosts headed towards the statues on the porch. As they passed beneath the eaves, they went straight past spell papers hidden on the pillars. Sura blew on her hand and whipped two fingers forward to activate the spell.

  “Shields!”

  Magical walls sprung up beneath the eaves, trapping the ghosts inside a cube of light. The Spirit Hunters dashed out of hiding, ringing in the box of shimmering shields.

  The ghosts flung themselves against the glowing shields, recoiling helplessly away. All four crashed against the floor and ceiling, irritably trying to find an exit. But they were perfectly sealed inside a container of glittering light.

  Sura planted her spear, put a fist on one hip and looked extremely satisfied.

  Suddenly a ghost turned and lashed out at one of the rotted ceiling beams inside the shield. The wooden beam cracked and swung down, pounding against one of the pillars and knocking it aside. Sura’s spell paper was jarred clear out of alignment. A tiny gap opened in the shield, and all four ghosts sped out into the open air.

  Sura’s tail drooped.

  “Oh bugger!”

  The ghosts flashed off into the darkness and vanished. The Spirit Hunters tried to follow them out into the open. They scanned the eaves of the building, then suddenly Kuno spotted something flicking through the trees.

  “I see them! Over here! Look out!”

  “It’s alright! Just hold them back!”

  Sura waved everybody back. Since there was no point in hiding, she swirled her spear and swept her fingers down the shaft, springing magic into the blade.

  “Spirit Lance!”

  Chiri summoned a water elemental, bringing it wheeling up out of the pond.

  “Dearest playmates, heed my call.

  Club of Earth! Sword of Air! Water natagama!”

  Bifuuko plunged into Kuno’s sword, while Daitanishi merged with Tonbo’s mighty tetsubo. The water elemental leapt inside one of Chiri’s natagama, and the weapons all shimmered with living, coloured light.

  The ghosts lunged forward – saw the glowing weapons, and sheered quickly away. Sura strode forward to an open patch of ground, spun her spear and made a pattern of cuts through the air, leaving a glowing Tao symbol shimmering in the dark. She slashed her spear downward, slicing open a path into another realm.

  “Spirits of the gentle dead!

  Go now to your proper home.

  Return to restful paradise

  And from this world be gone!”

  A calm, soothing light shone out through the gateway between worlds. Sura swished four fu papers through the glowing Tao symbol. The papers glowed with intense white light. She threw them towards the ghosts, and the papers flashed like arrows as they flew.

  “Tao seal!”

  The papers split into four paths, heading to box in the ghosts. The ghosts immediately plunged into the structure of the old mansion, and the papers spattered uselessly against the walls. Sura chased forward, and completely lost all sight of the ghosts.

  “Damn those things!”

  Kuno whirled, trying to watch the flanks. “Why aren’t your spells stopping them?”

  “Well no one told me the little bastards could dodge!”

  Chiri jumped at shadows, trying to keep her natagama up on guard.

  “Oh no. I’m going to be possessed again!

  “Shhhh! I have it under control!” Sura ran sideways, scanning at the eaves. “The fox is quick, the fox is wise! Everybody trust the fox!”

  Back under the porch, the first shield spell flickered and died. Pale light shimmered beneath the eaves and underneath the floorboards as the ghosts circled and flashed from place to place. Something flickered through the grass. Sura backed up against the other Spirit Hunters, her spear held en garde out towards the dark.

  They put themselves back to back, watching out for attack. The ghosts looped and swerved, speeding towards the Spirit Hunters. Sura kept her friends tight against her back as she circled, drawing a line of light about them with her spear. The night flashed with spell power.

  “Tao eternal, safe from harm.

  Close this wall to spirit forms!”

  The shimmering circle became a sphere that completely surrounded t
he Spirit Hunters. The ghosts were already charging. They struck against the sphere and ricocheted wildly away, coming back and back to lash out at the glowing barrier. They then tried coming up through the ground and down from above, only to be hurtled back every time. Tonbo had been crouching, ready for action, but now he cautiously stood and looked about himself, nodding in laconic approval.

  “Hmph. Good spell.”

  Sura was concentrating, spear planted and one hand raised. She channelled power into the sphere, staggering slightly every time the ghosts slammed into the attack.

  “Dunno how long I can keep it up! They keep draining the shield.” Sura flicked a glance towards the gates. “OK – let’s see if we can get out of the gate. They might be weaker outside.” She began to lead a shuffle over towards the main gate. “Back to back and watch out!”

  The ghosts battered against the shield-sphere, sending up great showers of sparks. The Spirit Hunters moved awkwardly in a group, stepping towards the gates in unison. Kuno ducked as the ghosts crashed and slammed against the spell barrier right beside his face.

  “Surely they cannot keep this up for long?”

  Chiri winced, upset by the escalating violence.

  “They are lovers. Lovers do not readily lose their passion.

  Ghosts raced ahead to the gate, knocking over the pillars and blocking the way out. But the old avalanche had half shattered the walls a hundred yards back towards the cliff. Tonbo guided Sura towards the gap in the wall, steering her slowly. The fox shook her head, her hand shaking as she tried to keep up the terrible stream of power.

  The ghosts came back in yet another storm of attacks. Sura let the enchantment on her spear fade, trying to muster her resources for the shield. Tonbo caught her as she swayed, propping her up as the team tried to head for safety.