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  Sura shook sweat from her eyes, roared, and flung a new blaze of power into the sphere. The ghosts recoiled backward, stung by the blast. But Tonbo dragged her on, calling to the others as he steered them on towards the broken wall.

  “She can’t keep it up. We have to make her stop!”

  Kuno ducked away from another savage attack by the ghosts. “What? Why?”

  Chiri brought up the rear. She looked back over her shoulder.

  “Magic, Kuno san. It saps the body’s ki. If she goes too far, she might die!”

  Staggering and exhausted, Sura lifted up her head.

  “I won’t…. abandon you! I can keep the sphere safe.” Sura kept on shuffling towards the gap in the wall. “We’re safe outside the mansion. Without bodies, they have… have no way through.”

  The fours ghosts hovered overhead, then suddenly sped over to the old mansion house. They swirled over the four statues and each plunged down and merged into the stone. There was a crack and creak – and the eyes of the statues suddenly lit with a horrible green glow.

  The first statue slowly turned its head, rock groaning. The others followed suit. Slowly they stepped down from their dais. The statues flexed their massive arms and legs, then began to stalk forwards through the weeds. They flung wreckage and dead bushes aside as they tracked towards their prey. One statue seized hold of a baulk of wood and flung it towards the Spirit Hunters. The timber struck a stone and bounced, narrowly shearing past the sphere of magic.

  The statues lurched onwards. Tonbo pushed Sura into Chiri’s arms. The huge man seized his tetsubo. Before Chiri could call out, the huge man had plunged out of the sphere. His kiai shout was utterly deafening as he leapt high, the massive tetsubo swinging. It smashed the arm clean off a statue. The stone monster turned, whipping out its other fist like a granite club. Tonbo ducked, slammed the butt of his iron staff against the statue, then made a huge swing that shattered the monster’s leg. The other statues closed in, trying to slam Tonbo between themselves and crush him.

  Tonbo dropped to one knee, tetsubo held to brace between the statues. The stone monsters crashed forwards, finger scraping sparks from his helmet, slowly driving him down.

  Kuno plunged out of the sphere of magic and tried to slam a statue off its feet. The statue whirled, a blow of its arm sending the man flying. An instant later, Tonbo’s huge club crashed down onto the statue’s head shattering chunks out of the monster’s face.

  One statue had fallen. Another had lost an arm and most of its head, and blundered sightlessly aide. Tonbo roared, tetsubo levelled, shoving the other statues back, sending them staggering. But behind him, the damaged statues reformed, glowing as rock and gravel rose from the ground and blended into them, healing their damage. Chiri called out a warning to Kuno. Even with Bifuuko’s power, his sword failed to bite against the stone. But he severed a statue’s limb as it reformed, making the monster blunder towards him in rage.

  Kuno and Tonbo tried to keep the statues back and away from the sphere. Chiri caught Sura as the fox fell. The rat looked out at the statues – now horrible in their snatching, grasping rage. Chiri turned from one stone face to another, feeling more and more sorrow rising in her heart. She left Sura propped against a rock, and suddenly plunged out of the magical sphere.

  “Stop it! Stop! Stop!”

  The little rat raced forward and flung herself between the statues and her friends. She fearlessly knelt and bowed before the four effigies, pure white fur gleaming in the night.

  “Honoured lovers – please! Please allow me to speak with you.”

  The statues ceased their fighting. They looked to one another, seeming suddenly ashamed as they saw the two samurai protecting Sura. The fox finally let her spell fail.

  Chiri knelt before the statues, speaking sadly – speaking respectfully.

  “Honoured lovers. Please forgive me, but I must speak. It is only out of great concern for you.” The beautiful rat sat with her hair cascading down around her. Bifuuko and Daitanishi emerged from their respective weapons, and swirled down to perch beside her.

  “Your deaths were unfair. Your passing was a tragedy. I believe it is noble that your love for one another has transcended even death. I honour you most highly.” Chiri looked up from stone face to stone face. “I know that you long to experience the pleasures of corporeal life together. And I know that you feel you do no real harm to the travellers that you possess. But your moments in the flesh together are merely stolen joy. This is kidnapping! You are thieving pieces of life – and the theft will slowly tarnish what you have together. By clinging to one aspect of your love, you threaten to damage and destroy the whole.

  “Love cannot be nurtured with violence and dishonour.”

  All four statues were frozen in place. The beautiful white rat looked each one in the eyes.

  “True love does not end with life. If you will consent to enter the realm of honoured spirits together, hand in hand, I will pray daily that you will be incarnated as lives that can share together once again. To our prayers will be added those of all who will use this pass again. All those who made this shrine to honour you. You may dwell together in love, untarnished in the spirit realms, until the gods place you together in the world again.

  Chiri bowed.

  “Now you may possess me if you wish. Please do as your hearts direct.”

  There was a long moment of silence.

  The statues moved back slowly, looking to one another. One by one, they began to walk back towards the mansion. The last one paused before Chiri. The statue bent down, reaching out to gently caress her upturned face.

  It removed the silver medallion from about its neck – the Sanskrit symbol for love. The statue softly placed it into Chiri’s hand.

  The statues all moved together to stand in a circle, holding hands. They froze in place as the ghosts suddenly emerged up out of the cold stone.

  The four ghosts swirled – graceful, and finally at peace. They hovered thankfully before the Spirit Hunters – then all joined together, spinning and swooping through the air. Plunging down they swept through the rift into the Realm of Honoured Dead.

  The rift closed behind them, leaving the gardens in darkness.

  The ancient mansion stood in peace and quiet beneath the springtime stars. Weary, drained and full of love, Sura raised herself up and met Chiri’s eyes.

  “Well done, reibai. Well done.”

  Dawn lit the mountainsides with glorious bands of pink and gold. With the first sunlight crossing the mountains to light the surface of Mirror Lake, the Spirit Hunters made their weary way back towards the village. Tonbo had a helping arm about Sura, helping the drained, exhausted fox slowly back along the path. Chiri and Kuno walked beside them. They paused at a turn in the road where the lake could at last be seen, and Kuno hung the silver gift from the statues about Chiri’s slender neck.

  As they approached the village, Ishigi foot soldiers came running from their guard posts and goggled in disbelief. A messenger went racing into Lord Ishigi’s mansion with the news. An Ishigi samurai came running out, gawked at the Spirit Hunters, then called the news out to oncoming swarms on men.

  “The ghosts are gone! The Spirit Hunters are here! The ghosts are gone!”

  Riders galloped off towards the Lodge of Doves. They eventually returned, amazed, bringing the news back to the village. Lord Ishigi himself came forth from the mansion, hastily belting his robes. The four Spirit Hunters bowed, and the old rogue laughed. With great joy, he brought forth a tray arrayed with ten large, gleaming golden coins. Sura gave them into Chiri’s care, and the little rat stared as she weighed them jouncing in her hand.

  After bidding Lord Ishigi farewell, the four friends walked for a while along the shores of Mirror Lake. The odd little breakfast bar was open, and so they ate a decent, hearty breakfast. Sura recovered bit by bit, feeling tired but oddly peaceful.

  The group walked slowly back towards the inn. They paused at the edge of the garden, and lo
oked out over the scene. The lake showed a flawless reflection of the sky, and the cherry trees had come into full bloom. It was all wonderfully peaceful.

  Sura patted Tonbo’s ironclad arm and gave a sigh.

  “Ten koku! The inn bill is going to consume two. The rest – paper for Chiri’s plays. Food and drink for the road…” The fox gave a nod. “What would you like, Tonbo chan?”

  “Three days of peace and quiet. And a massage.”

  The fox held aloft one finger.

  “Good! I will personally walk all over you.”

  Tonbo nodded. It seemed fair.

  Kuno looked towards the lake and stretched.

  “Spare sandals. And I would like a nice hot bath.” The samurai looked over at the village. “Perhaps at a far, far quieter inn.”

  Chiri paused for a moment in thought. She gently stroked Bifuuko and Daitanishi.

  “An afternoon spent with friends.”

  The group strolled onward, heading slowly towards the inn. Kuno delighted in the light sparkling across the lake – the cool serenity of the mountains, and the glorious cherry flowers. He turned and looked contentedly back towards the village.

  “I for one am glad that we came here.” He rested his hand upon his sword. “We learn a little. That is why we travel. It is the Warriors Path. Each of us learns a little more with every passing day.”

  Sura pulled back her hair and nodded wisely.

  “We do indeed!” She nodded off towards the steam. “Even if the lessons can be embarrassing.”

  Over at the stream, Sano Moko and the crane spirit were frenziedly washing out their mouths. The two Sano samurai were on the opposite bank, doing just the same. All four looked at one another in mortification.

  Sano Moko looked up to see Sura hastening from the inn. The samurai woman glared daggers at the fox. Sura gave Moko a knowing smile, and waved a special farewell.

  Sano Moko could only return their greeting as Sura, Chiri, Tonbo and Kuno bowed to her. The Spirit Hunters set off upon their journey – off on the open road once more.

  Sano Moko and her group arose from the banks of the stream. A smirking maid came bustling up and presented a little wooden tray.

  “Madam! The fox priestess has taken the largest bottle of our cherry wine, and has charged it to your bill.” She gave a polite, low bow. “Here is the reckoning.”

  The tray held an extensive bill. There were also two little origami figures: a fox cocking its leg upon a folded paper crane.

  Sano Moko shook her head and seethed…

  Fifth Encounter:

  Honour’s Sacrifice

  Chapter 1

  A baking hot summer had come to the western hills, bringing the scent of pine resin and scorched dust. Valley floors sweltered in the still air, thick with humidity from countless paddy fields. Dirt roads shimmered with the heat. A few field-bound oxen lowed as they waded streams, but the rest of the world seemed flattened by the sun.

  On the higher hill slopes, some clever travellers had found a place where the breeze still stirred. The air rang to the music of huge cicadas – the insects whirring and burring out their drowsy song. Butterflies danced – the bright light shone, and the world was far too sleepy for any haste or rush.

  Half way up a hillside, beneath a stand of vast old pines, sat the ruins of an ancient temple. The roof had half fallen, yet beams and timbers remained. Climbing wisteria covered the pillars, spreading a roof of green leaves and gentle purple blossoms.

  Seated in the shade, Kitsune Sura was hard at work. Chiri sat opposite, carefully helping Sura create new fu spell papers. Chiri carefully sized and cut slips of paper, slicing them from fine stiff yellow sheets, then passed them back and forth through incense smoke. Sura then stamped the papers with a seal inked in red, and stacked them neatly to one side. Daitanishi the earth elemental settled himself on top as a handy paperweight.

  While Chiri helpfully steeped Sura’s calligraphy brush in incense smoke, the fox deftly prepared her ink. She took an earthen mortar, and swiftly poured in small measures of lotus sap, locot sap and powdered indigo. She whipped a hand into her sleeve and found a Buddhist tract she had thieved from a temple and set it on fire, burning it down into black sooty ash. Crumbling the ash into the mortar, she added sacred sakē from a carefully horded vial, and rapidly ground everything together with a small clay pestle.

  Sura produced three dried bamboo leaves from somewhere in her hand, and touched them to the incense. The leaves instantly flashed into eye-searing flame. She hurtled the leaves into the mortar, and the ink instantly caught fire.

  The fox clapped her hands together, then whipped two fingers above the flames, sparking a potent spell into the fluid. She clapped a small mirror over the mortar, spun it nimbly upside down and slid the mirror aside to allow the ink to dribble into a little green jade bowl. Job done, the fox wiped her brow and set the bowl of ink aside.

  Chiri had watched the deft juggling of mirror, bowl, flame and ink. She was decidedly impressed.

  “Sura san! Your motions when handling your tools, the flames, the sacred text… It is all quite breathtaking!” The beautiful rat put her hands against her heart. “So those are all a set part of the magic?”

  “Naaah – I just like doing it!” The fox swiftly dabbled her brush. “The sakē and the spell are all that matters! But if you don’t put the soot in, the ink looks too blue.”

  “Ah – I see.”

  Sura began painting symbols upon the first paper strip, working her brush with verve and flair. “Well – why bother doing something if you can’t make it fun!” She finished the intricate twist and flow of symbols. “Right! That’s number one!”

  Sura blew upon her upraised fingers, swished them through the air three times, and then ran them above the surface of the finished paper, concentrating hard. Spell power flashed, and the paper took on a sudden glow. She breathed a sigh and set the paper aside, now definitely running with sweat.

  The spells were clearly costing an effort. Bifuuko clung in the wisteria up above, fanning her wings to helpfully provide a little breeze. The gesture was deeply appreciated.

  Sura worked onward in deep concentration, painting and then charging spell papers one by one. Working her way through the entire stack, she washed out her brush and bowls, and at last put everything aside.

  “Done! We are replenished.” Burning through fu papers was all a part of the job: they also only lasted for a few months before they needed to be replaced. “Thank you very much for your assistance.”

  “You are most welcome.”

  They left the papers carefully pegged on a clothes line so that the ink could dry. Sura and Chiri climbed up onto their feet, with the two little elementals drifting softly in the air beside them. They headed out of the sheltered ruin and down to the small steam nearby. Huge stands of bamboo grew on the slopes across the stream, and the tall plants whispered as a breeze stirred softly though their leaves. Kuno and Tonbo were down in the cool, soft spaces by the stream enjoying their time of rest. Chiri walked gratefully down towards them, settling herself quietly in the shade.

  Sura found herself a spot close to Tonbo, and sat with her back to a great, cool rock. She gave a grateful sigh.

  A cicada landed on a bamboo just beside her. The fox looked at the creature in absolute delight, forever in love with the world.

  Tonbo carefully consulted a series of maps, familiarising himself with different roads ahead. Beside him, the group’s canteens all trailed in the stream to keep them cool.

  A few yards further away, Kuno knelt sternly by the water. He practiced his iaijutsu, drawing his sword from the scabbard and making careful, precise cuts, critiquing his own movements in his mind before repeating the motions again.

  The dry bamboo leaves on the ground made a wonderful soft place to lie down and enjoy the summer breeze.

  Sura rolled onto her back. The fox looked up at the cicadas in the bamboo, flexing her black furred toes in delight. She gave a yawn full
of pointy white fangs.

  “I’ve always loved cicadas.”

  “They always make me sleepy.” The little white rat stretched out in the leaves. “This is a good idea, Sura san. Rest through the afternoon, and wake before first light so we can travel.”

  “Thank you, thank you.” The fox stretched deliciously in the leaves. “One of my best inspirations.”

  Tonbo did not look up from his maps.

  “Hmph. Provided Sura actually wakes up.”

  “Easy!” The fox waved one hand lazily in the air. “I hereby order you to wake me at the appropriate time.”

  Kuno continued with his practice, his expression stern and his face a study in concentration. The man settled himself – seeming totally relaxed – then suddenly streaked his sword out of its scabbard. He cut once, twice, three times – paused with his sword in a graceful horizontal block – then sank down, protected behind his blade. He rose, the blade flashing down in a final cut, stopping precisely a hand’s breadth above the ground.

  The sword glittered as Kuno spun it about its axis, struck it behind the guard with his fist, and then flipped the sword about and slid it back into its sheath.

  Suddenly he turned and drew the blade in one blinding flash. He cut through a stalk of bamboo, cutting three times through the shaft as the bamboo paused then fell. His final stroke split the bamboo lengthwise, slicing in clean in two.

  Chiri watched Kuno at his practice, shy admiration shining in her eyes.

  “Kuno san has a most impressive style. He practices his iai draw so diligently!” The rat glanced over towards Tonbo. “Is Tonbo san trained in such accomplishments?

  Sura lolled against her rock and called happily over to Tonbo.

  “Hey, Tonbo! Iai!”

  The huge man did not look up. He punched his fist out beside him and cracked a huge bamboo stalk. The stalk sagged and slowly keeled over sideways, crashing to the ground. Tonbo continued reading his maps, carefully turning over a page.