Destiny's Child (Kitsune series Book 3) (39 page)

I cut loose with the firestorm of Hysane energies I’d absorbed, bleeding my aura out so that I popped out of the ghost realm.  This didn’t get me out of the monster-ghost.  Its chaotic blaze of spectral energy occupied both sides of the veil, tattering under my attack, but reforming just as fast, its attention fixed firmly on me.  Without a planet’s soul to possess, he’d chosen me to focus on.  I think he sensed that if it took me over, he could find where I’d stashed his previous meal.

I smiled coldly, opening my arms to embrace him.  “Come on in, you phantom bastard.  Let’s see you get past my shadow.”

Oh, yes.  I am so very, very empty. 
The darkness inside me vibrated with hunger, a shadow filling my mind, a cold need seeping throughout my body. 

The entity rushed in, hitting me from all sides.  I shook, battered, nerve endings on fire as ghostly energy crawled over me. 

My shadow self laughed, unleashing bands of darkness that tangled in the ghost-fire.  The black coils scooped the monster-ghost, dragging in more and more until in funneled out of the world, into my inner shadows.  Fold after fold of darkness wrapped the invading ghost, stripping away his strength, consuming him whole.  Toward the end, the monster-ghost realized that he was trapped in a black whirlpool.  He struggled to withdraw, thrashing, casting off spectral embers of himself, but he continued to sink as those embers cooled into nothingness. 

The last of the battle occurred in darkness as the ghost light failed.  Outside of the ghost realm, I had no auras to illuminate the scene.  I might as well have been swallowed along with the monster-ghost. 

More, more, more…

My knees buckled and crashed to the rock floor.  I caught myself with my hands.  “No, we’re done here.”

No! 
The shadow I wore in place of clothes stiffened with petulance. 
Want more!

“There is no more.  We’re done.”

A greenish light appeared—a floating ball that bobbled over Wocky’s palm as he approached.  The light stained Argent’s white fur, and soured Tukka’s teal blue hide.  The fu dog’s eyes were lavender lanterns.

I want them, too.

“No, Tukka and Argent are friends, and Wocky would probably give you indigestion.”

I want.

I put a growl in my voice.  “Behave.”

Why.

“Because monsters don’t eat their friends.  Friends feed you love.  Eat your friends, and the loving ends, a sad fact of life.”

Yes, Mistress.  Sorry.

“Don’t be sorry.  I’m proud of you.  You did good, kid.”

A flutter of vibration rippled through my inner darkness. 
Thank you, Mistress.

“It’s Grace.  You can call me Grace.”

Yes, Mistress.

It’s over already?
Tukka asked.

I felt a sudden queasiness.  Unseen, alien dimensions collapsed inside me in a place the monster-ghost never managed to reach.  Folded space became unfolded.  Golden light sprang from my body, creating a firestorm just under the cavern roof, as the soul of this world returned to her place.  A woman’s face formed in the light.  Her eyes narrowed as she studied me.  The force of her attention created a heavy mental silence—a silence she broke,
I won’t thank you for what you have done…

I shrugged. 
Bitch
.

She went on
:
But I will reward you—with a warning
.

Wocky laughed and nudged Tukka in the side.  “Warnings can’t buy chocolate, eh, fu dog?”

Tukka’s head jerked toward the demon, and his jaws snapped shut on empty air as Wocky hopped out of range.

I arched an eyebrow.  “A warning of what?”

Honor is often trumped by necessity.

“Which means what?” I asked.

You’ll figure it out
.  With that, the planetary lifeforce rose into the cavern roof.  She turned the rock into a heavy vein of gold in her wake.  As the last of the golden light vanished, the gloom rushed in, relieved only by the weird green light of Wocky’s floating ball, Argent’s luminous silver fur, and Tukka’s lavender eyes.

Tukka came and stood next to me.  I used him to climb onto my feet.  Argent swung his head under me, lifting me onto Tukka’s back.  I sprawled there, wearily hanging on as Tukka carried me away. 
We go home now
, he said.

“Fine by me,” Wocky said.

You not invited
, Tukka said. 

“I’ve never let such a little thing stop me,” Wocky said.  “Besides, I suspect a last twist is coming in Grace’s plot.”

I muttered, “Oh, there are a lot of twists coming.  I’ll soon have one for you.”

“Really?  I can’t wait.”  The demon stomped along behind Tukka.  Argent hurried up beside Tukka.  Nobody wanted the necessary evil of Wocky’s company, but I needed him to hang around until the little matter of the demon brand was settled.  For that, I had an appointment for Inari. 

“Tukka?” I said.

Eh?

“Take me to Shaun’s.”

Fenn won’t like that, but Tukka do it.

“Trouble in paradise?” Wocky’s voice dripped with mock sympathy.  “How sad.”

We
crossed over
together.  Our auras appeared, as gravity slacked and a tingle passed through.  Flecked with orange, my aura was otherwise a muddy chocolate color only Tukka could have appreciated. 

Argent looked at me and winced. 
Your aura in badly damaged
. 

A trade off for the strength I’d needed.  “Tell me something I don’t know.”

It could kill you,
Argent said.

Tukka not let that happen.

I heard clacking as Wocky loosened the folds of his wings.  “Give yourself to me, Grace.  My black flame can replace your aura.  You won’t be a natural demon, but will come close enough to survive.”

Death is better
, Argent said,
cleaner
.

Tukka growled at them, and did something I didn’t quite follow at first.  Argent and Wocky vanished.  The cavern vanished.  We were suddenly in a swarm of ghosts, but these weren’t humanoid.  Like the ghosts of dolphins, they fluked past us, swimming in air, their sleek bodies radiating a celestial blue glow that cheered me.  The only difference they had from Earth’s dolphins seemed to be a third eye, and a couple tentacles attached to their lower bodies.  They circled several times before losing interest and zipping off for parts unknown.

We were in another ghost realm, one that didn’t belong to the Hysane world.  Tukka shifted us several more times.  Some of the new landscapes were strangely beautiful, others simply strange.  Eventually, we crossed to a ghost realm I recognized.  I saw the dojo where Shaun taught martial arts.  Overhead, Chinese lanterns swung in the wind.  We made a final
cross over
.  Gravity and the natural winter-drab colors sprang to greet us.  The sun sat near zenith; it was somewhat close to noon.  I slid off of Tukka’s back, relieved to no longer see my damaged aura.  As I tottered toward the dojo’s wrap-around deck, Tukka started to follow.  I lifted a hand.  “No, I need you to go get Cassie.  Fast.  You can’t help me by staying.”

Demon might come.  Might force you to accept his offer.

“I’m betting Inari will find me first.”

Betting your life.

“Michiko will look after me.”

Tukka not see her.  Maybe ghost girl is asleep.

Michiko faded in, wearing low-rider jeans, a crop-top, and sandals—making no allowance for the season.  Her dark eyes were grave as she studied me.  “Oh, my, what have you done to yourself?”

“Long story.”  I reached the stairs up to the deck and sat on them, leaning back on my elbows.  “Go, Tukka, hurry.”

Tukka run like wind.

“I hope so.”

He
crossed back
to the ghost realm, and I was alone with Michiko.  I looked her in the eyes.  “We’re friends, right?”

Michiko put her fists on her hips.  “Best friends forever.”

“If things go really bad for me, I need you to do something.”

“Sure, what?”

I smiled a crooked smile as I filled her in on my latest master plan.

Michiko’s eyes widened in disbelief.  “Damn!  Talk about screwing with your karma.”

“If you don’t want to do it, I understand.”

Michiko’s eyes went even harder, blazing bright emerald.  “No, I’ve got this.  You came to the right person.  Give me a minute and to get ready.”  She faded out, moving invisibly on the errand I’d set her.

My fingers were numb, my feet, too.  My breath was growing more and more strenuous.  My heart pounded in distress.  A preternatural kind of toxic shock was taking effect.  I’d been through something like this once before.  That didn’t make it less scary.  Inside my head, my other selves were still, silent, and intensely focused.  I hoped we’d all have some kind of a future together.  

Time would tell.

I smelled fresh turned earth, the scent of hey, and berries fermenting on the branch.  The dry and pale winter grass in the backyard blazed into a bright, lush green, visibly growing several more inches.  A white storm of cabbage butterflies swirled past me in a joyous dance.

Inari’s here
.

THIRTY-NINE

The right to survive is the right
to kill.

For this purpose we all have

a predator buried deep within.

                                                          —Journal entry

                                     
           Grace Kenyon

Inari was dressed differently this time.  Her soft robes were still there, but lacquered, bamboo armor overlaid them, tied in place with leather thongs.  Her face was concealed by a theatrical mask, a white fox face with red highlighting around the eye holes.  Crossed and stashed in the front of her jade sash were two dainty hand sickles for cutting grain.  More than just an earth spirit, she was now the embodiment of a goddess of the harvest.

That added confirmation to my suspicions.  She’d not told me the secret I wanted from her, insisting on waiting for the outcome of events.  Had I died trying to cleanse the Hysane world of spiritual poisoning, she’d have had no need to share such knowledge. 
Frugal and Zen
.  I kind of admired that.  I didn’t, however, believe that she’d been helpless against the monster-ghost—needing me to step in.  She’d expressed concern about my choice of destinies.  I think she’d been halfway hoping I’d get myself killed, solving everything.  Certainly, there was no warm welcome in her eyes now.

She stopped in front of me, her two pony-sized silver foxes at her side.  They were dressed for war as well; rounded armor plates linked together were tied onto their backs.  Little curls of orange-red foxfire fluttered at their ankles.  I noticed their paws didn’t quite touch the ground.  They looked at me hungrily, the way predators study prey.

“You seem to be in some difficulty,” Inari said.

“I have great expectations of recovering,” I said.

“Yes, well, is that really for the best?”

“You owe me a secret,” I said.

“That is true, but it can do you no good since I am here to harvest you.”

“Tell me anyway.  I earned it.  How does one remove a demon brand?”

She knelt, bringing her head level to my own so I didn’t have to strain looking up.  She said, “I have no ill will towards you.  If it will ease your passing, I will tell you what you want to know.”

I clutched my stomach through a series of spasms. 

Inari waited, acting as if my pain were a fascinating thing.  When the attack passed, she used a silk kerchief to blot sweat from my forehead.  “It is unfortunate you turned a deaf ear to my offer of turning you into a celestial fox.  This moment might have been avoided.”

Yeah, and now you’re forced to kill me, aren’t you?
  I remembered what the Hysane world’s soul had said:
Honor is often trumped by necessity
.
 
Inari thought my death was necessary
. 
She’d probably sleep quite well with me on the way to the morgue.

I said, “Just tell me, already.”  The demon mark on my back was burning.  Wocky was homing in on me.  Time was running out.