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  I almost laughed. “If that were the case, then his death would not have been such an issue, would it? You could have simply replaced one of your kind with another, and continued the deception for years to come. He was not such an old man. No, Mistress Aiko. I want you to tell me how this came about.”

  She looked away. “That is pointless. If you are going to slay me, do it now. You might even get out of the valley alive, if you move quickly. It’s not as if you will believe what I tell you.”

  “While it is true that I cannot promise to believe you, I will promise on what remains of my honor to listen.”

  She took a long breath and closed her eyes before she began to speak. “This valley was our home,” she said. “Long before the men came. They came with priests and warriors and they pushed us out. They killed many of us, and the rest were pushed to the fringes as the valley was remade for their needs. Our kind existed on the margins after that, stealing scraps when we could, staying out of sight in the vain hope that the men would forget we were there. No such luck. One day I was being chased by the warriors and my strength gave out. I collapsed beside the manor house in what is now Lord Yasunori’s garden, not twenty paces from where he sat.”

  “Why was he out there, if there was no garden?”

  “He was grieving. He had only been here a few days; I think he just meant to put himself in seclusion for a time after the death of his wife. I expected him to summon a servant to finish me off, but as he looked at me his expression barely changed. He was so sad. I don’t know if that affected his judgment, but he took pity on me. He had a servant bring me food and water, and I remained there until the warriors gave up the chase and I was strong enough to leave.”

  “That was my uncle,” Tadanobu said. “He would not grieve one death while ordering another.”

  Mistress Aiko covered her face with her sleeve. “I should have left well enough alone, I know, but I wanted to repay his kindness. I took the form of a human woman and entered the manor as a servant, but he wasn’t fooled. I think he would have slain me then, but in my desperation I was able to read his heart, and I changed again.”

  “Let me guess,” I said, “Lady Michiko?”

  “He was furious. He knew what I was,” she said, “but he couldn’t bring himself to slay the image of his dead wife… nor to give her up again. He had meant to appoint a deputy, but now he returned to Court just long enough to settle his affairs and retired to this estate.”

  “And you became my late aunt for him,” Tadanobu said, sounding a little disgusted.

  “You mustn’t think so poorly of him. It was that way at first,” she admitted. “And for some time thereafter. He mostly wanted to talk to me, just to talk, and for me to listen, as Lady Michiko. But there came a time when it was no longer necessary. I returned to my first disguise, the one you see now. It turned out I was very good at organizing and running a household. I was useful to him, even after his grief had eased, and he chose to remain.”

  “What happened to the farmers of the valley?” Kenji asked.

  “Priest, it may surprise you to know that most of the original farmers are still here,” she said. “But being human, many have died over the years and not all with issue. Replacing them became a problem, especially as the estate’s production grew and the need for workers increased.”

  “Enryaku-ji?” I asked.

  She sighed. “Just so. They didn’t dare interfere directly; Lord Yasunori still had too many connections at Court, but they did make it… difficult, for new families to come here. That was when Lord Yasunori and I together conceived the idea of letting more of my kind assume the farmer’s roles. The life of a peasant farmer is not such a grand thing, but I can tell you from experience that it is far better than being starved and hunted. More and more creatures like me joined us, and Lord Yasunori sent his warriors back to the Capital.”

  “You still could have replaced him after he died,” I pointed out.

  She smiled a sad smile. “No, we couldn’t. We have lived in this valley all our lives, far from the Court and nobility. There is no one here who could play that role and convince anyone who needed convincing. I was only Lady Michiko for awhile because he wanted me to be.”

  “Certainly an unusual arrangement all around,” I said, “but one that seems to work. Your fields are in very good order.”

  “It has worked up until now,” Mistress Aiko said. “But our Master’s death changed everything. I know we cannot be allowed to continue, and even if we could, we cannot keep Enryaku-ji out without Lord Yasunori’s protection. I think we all expected this, so do what you think you must with me; the rest of us will return to the forests.”

  “You could have returned to the forests already,” Tadanobu said. “Why remain and put yourself at risk?”

  Mistress Aiko bowed to him. “Risk is not really my nature,” she said, “but I thought Lord Yasunori’s heir deserved an explanation.”

  I smiled. “Don’t be too quick to surrender. There may be another option.”

  All three looked at me very curiously then.

  “What do you propose?” asked Tadanobu.

  “Do you have any human men here at all who are literate?” I asked Mistress Aiko.

  “Some can do tallies, but read and write? I’m—I’m afraid not. Only a few of my kind do, including myself.”

  “Then you will have to act for him, when such things are required. For now I just need the name of a human male who lives here. Preferably one not too old, who might live for a while yet? And could possibly be counterfeited later if needed?”

  She looked startled, but after a moment her frown turned into one of concentration. “Let me think… ah, there’s Kinmori. He’s only about twenty-five and in good health. He’s one of our overseers. Why?”

  “Because, officially, he’s going to be my deputy steward. Though perhaps it will be best not to tell him. He might get greedy.”

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  The warrior monk was waiting for us as we emerged from the valley path. Except for a monkish white cowl he wore instead of a helmet he looked like any other bushi, in a tight-fitting hitatare under black armor laced with red cords and a long tachi at his side. I breathed a little easier. I had long since given up the idea that Mt. Hiei was on a warlike footing, but I’d been wrong before. Even so, the situation was bad enough as it was.

  He had the girl named Kasumi clutched in one thick arm, and with the other he pressed a dagger against her throat. Kasumi looked more puzzled than fearful. Tadanobu set an arrow to his bowstring, but I told him to hold.

  “You there,” the monk said, pointing the dagger briefly at me, “you will surrender to me what you found in the woods or I will kill this girl.”

  I snorted in derision. “What makes you think I care what happens to a peasant girl?”

  He laughed then. It wasn’t a pleasant laugh. “Lord Yamada, we know you at Enryaku-ji. Your reputation is dubious at best, but you are not known to be cruel.”

  “As opposed to yourself?” Kenji asked mildly.

  “Silence, you worthless hedge priest,” the man said. “I was speaking to Lord Yamada.”

  “I gather you plan to kill us all whether Lord Yamada surrenders the object or not,” Tadanobu said, scowling. “You will not find that easy to accomplish.”

  The monk laughed again. “Kill you? Why should I? You will have no proof, and I am merely one nameless sohei. Accuse me, and the Temple will simply deny my existence. Persist, and my brothers will rise to defend their rights with force, if necessary. The Court will not risk that for your sake or twenty better.”

  I shrugged. “I suppose we have no choice.” I took out the chestnut and tossed it to the monk, who loosened his grip just long enough to catch it. “Now let her go,” I said.

  He stared at the chestnut. “What is this?!”

  “I would think that would be obvious. It’s a chestnut.”

  “Do you take me for a fool?”

  I smiled then. “Honestl
y, monk, have you lost anything that would lead us to Enryaku-ji? Were those fools you killed carrying anything that would lead anyone to the Temple? When I practically shouted in the woods that I’d found proof, did you even stop for a moment to consider that I might be lying?”

  From the stunned look on the man’s face, it was obvious he had not.

  “Monk, I said what I said to lure you out, so that I would know who was responsible, and obviously it worked. As for you being a fool, that matter is already settled.”

  “Don’t goad me, Lord Yamada. My brothers wait in ambush even as we speak. A word from me and you all die.”

  I sighed. “Oh, honestly…. If that were the case all you had to do was wait for us on the road, ambush us in force and kill us, and that would be that. Why take a hostage? Obviously, because there are three of us, all armed and alert, and you are alone, monk. You hired those men to attack anyone traveling to the estate, and you killed the thugs who survived our fight when they became inconvenient. Now I am certain that Enryaku-ji’s sohei are not in the field and in force. Under orders or not, you’re acting by yourself.”

  He scowled. “So? You still have no proof. This changes nothing!”

  I smiled then. “You still do not understand me. For the Temple’s martial state I don’t need proof, just information, which my own eyes and ears indicated and your presence has just confirmed. As for your second point, I disagree. Whatever your rationale, you set to the work with far too much enthusiasm. I think there should be an accounting. Don’t you? You’re only making matters worse for yourself by threatening this innocent girl. You definitely should let her go. Now.”

  He shifted his grip. “Such talk. I will not release my hostage, and I promise you I will kill her if you follow me.”

  “I fancy that you’ll kill her even if we don’t,” Tadanobu said.

  He laughed again. “Perhaps you are right. In which case your choice is whether her blood will be on my hands or yours. Which do you prefer?”

  The monk was looking at us. He should have been looking at Kasumi. She still looked puzzled, only now she appeared to be annoyed as well. The change started about then.

  “Kasumi,” I said, speaking directly to the girl, “This is a bad man. He wants to hurt you. Do you understand?”

  “A bad man,” she repeated.

  “You met another bad man before, didn’t you, here at the entrance to the valley? I think you did.”

  She concentrated. “I remember. A bad man. He tried to hurt me.”

  “I know she’s simple,” the monk said, “but is it really a kindness to explain her situation to her?”

  “Oh, I think she understands her situation perfectly. It is you, Sir Monk, who aren’t clear on the matter, so for your own sake I’m going to tell you one more time—let her go.”

  “No! I—”

  Whatever he was going to say was left unfinished. He screamed and dropped his dagger, clutching at his wrist which was already dripping blood. Tadanobu drew his bow to shoot him then, but he did not have a clear target. Kasumi’s long, thick hair rose behind her, spread wide, and covered the monk, the strands wrapping around him like so many black snakes. At the end of each strand was what looked like a hooked spike of black iron that whipped back and thrust forward, impaling the monk wherever they struck, whether he wore armor in that spot or not.

  “Ah—” was all he managed before three heavy barbed strands struck through his open mouth and emerged, covered with blood and gobbets of flesh, from the back of his head. Kasumi’s hair whipped about her as if driven by the force of a thunderstorm, and all the barbs, thousands by now, struck the monk at once, running him through. Then they withdrew, and as they were all that was holding the body up at that point, the remains of the warrior monk crashed to the ground. His blood seeped into the darkness of Kasumi’s hair and disappeared like water into sand.

  “A very bad man,” Kasumi said, her face now a twisted parody of a human woman’s and her voice as terrible as that of any other monster. I thought Tadanobu was going to turn his bow on her, but for a moment he was too stunned to do anything, and I asserted control of the moment before it slipped away.

  “Yes, Kasumi-chan. But he’s gone now. You’re safe. Everything is all right.”

  She smiled at me, and then she was Kasumi again, and her long hair was back where it belonged, draping her chest and shoulders and back. She picked up a fallen ribbon and tied her hair back as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

  “Now we know what happened to Kintaro,” Tadanobu said. He slowly lowered his bow but kept it at the ready.

  I nodded. “Given the odd circumstances of Kintaro’s death and the… unusual, aspects of Kasumi’s appearance, I strongly suspected her true nature. Kasumi is a harionna, a barbed-hair demon, but like most of the other inhabitants of this estate, not a typical one. Since, as seems certain, Kintaro was in league with our late friend here, he arrived at the entrance to the estate completely unharmed. Unfortunately for him, he then spied the lovely Kasumi and thought he would start abusing his authority right away. That was a mistake.”

  Kasumi didn’t seem to be paying us much attention. “I need to dig now,” she said. “Mistress Aiko depends on me.”

  “That’s fine, Kasumi-chan. We’re leaving now, so this is good-bye. When you do go back to the house, tell Mistress Aiko that I said this time please remove the bad man before anyone else finds him. All right?”

  She bowed. “I’ll remember. I’ll tell her. Good-bye.”

  We set off down the road, relatively certain that we would not be attacked on our way back to the Capital. We hadn’t gone too far before Kenji spoke up.

  “Lord Yamada, this is insane!”

  “Which part?” I asked.

  “While I understand that you have a little more experience with her kind than I do, are you really going to trust the running of your estate to a fox?”

  I smiled. “Why not? Lord Yasunori did for over thirty years, and it worked out well. More to the point, I do trust a fox—I trust a fox to do what is in the fox’s interest. Lord Yasunori and Mistress Aiko created a haven here for herself and creatures like her. This way, she gets to keep it.”

  “At least until the temple intervenes,” Kenji said.

  “They won’t. While you two were preparing to leave, I also instructed Mistress Aiko to make a yearly donation of the bulk of the steward’s portion to Eryaku-ji.”

  For a moment Kenji and Tadanobu just stared at me.

  “Lord Yamada, have you lost your mind? After all that has happened, how could you reward the temple for its crimes?!” Tadanobu asked bitterly.

  Kenji just shook his head. “I asked you once if you were tired of being poor,” he said. “The answer to that is ‘apparently not.’”

  I smiled then. “Have sense, both of you—Enryaku-ji doesn’t want control of the estate, they want the income. You said it yourself, Kenji—even without a physical threat, how long could I have held onto the stewardship against the temple’s political influence? A year? Perhaps two? Sooner or later my commission would have been rescinded, and what do you think would have happened to Mistress Aiko and Kasumi-chan then? Tadanobu, would your uncle have approved?”

  Tadanobu opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. He finally managed a wry smile. “No. He would not have. Nor would I.”

  “This way your uncle’s legacy is preserved, and I receive a regular stipend for perhaps many years to come. A much smaller one, to be sure, but it is more than I had. Besides, I rather like the idea of kitsune and youkai and those other charming monsters living in peace right under the temple’s nose.”

  “There is that,” Kenji said. “And yet I was so looking forward to having a rich friend. Still, and Mistress Aiko aside, what makes you think you can trust the temple to leave well enough alone?”

  “As with Mistress Aiko—I trust them to do what best serves their interest. They have what they want.”

  “Exactly the same as the fox,�
� Tadanobu said, smiling.

  “Not exactly the same,” I said, considering the matter. “The fox deserves it.”

  Copyright © 2011 by Richard Parks