Beyond the Werefox Whistle - Part 2 - The Cursed One and the Guardian - Chapter 2 - The Sorcerer and His Familiars

 

Beyond the Werefox Whistle 

Written by Uehashi Nahoko

Illustrated by Yumiko Shirai

Part 2: The Cursed One and the Guardian

Chapter 2: The Sorcerer and His Familiars

That night, Kuna returned to his estate. He rested for a short while, then headed to the storehouse at the back of his estate. The storehouse had no floor but bare ground. The strong smell of fresh earth hung in the air as Kuna entered.

The storehouse was completely dark. Kuna made no attempt to light the space. He extended his hand in darkness toward a set of loose clothes hanging from a wooden peg on one wall. He covered himself from head to toe in the clothing. The fabric wafted the scent of incense to his nose.

There was a small cage built into the wall. Three mice were inside. Kuna placed his hand into the cage and seized one while the others squeaked and fled in a panic. He killed the mouse in his hand quickly, then brought its body to his chest. Every movement was smooth and precise. Kuna didn’t hesitate for even a moment. It had been several decades since he’d last suffered a twinge of remorse for slaughtering a living thing.

Kuna had trained as a sorcerer under his father. The first time he’d had to kill a mouse, he’d wept for most of the day. His father had made him do it over and over again until he’d stopped crying as a response. Now that he was an adult, he tried not to think about the harm he caused.

“Nature is red in tooth and claw,” his father had told him. “All creatures that can kill can also be killed. Insects and mice are consumed by larger creatures. Wolves eat foxes. Humans eat everything—wolves, foxes, bears. Size doesn’t matter past a certain point.

“Creatures of Awai do not fit this pattern. They do not kill and cannot be killed by other Awai creatures. But they can be bound to our will and die in our world. Our gods and are ancestors were granted this power. In this way, we see that nature is always red in tooth and claw. What matters is not a creature’s size, but its power. Our power makes us cruel, but it also makes us strong.”

Sorcery was ancient. His father had told Kuna that it dated from a time before these lands were unified under any ruler. Kuna’s family had not worshiped gods, which were considered relatively unimportant in those days. They had given offerings to the spirit foxes of Awai instead. Spirit foxes were thought to be the gods’ messengers. The story was that the foxes could intercede for people and grant the land prosperity and peace.

Kuna’s lips twitched upward in amusement as he considered this old tale. He couldn’t conceive of such an easygoing world. The cruelty of nature was his reality, both past and present.

It was clear that at some point, one of Kuna’s ancestors had ceased worshiping spirit foxes and had come to control them—at least one of them. A sorcerer who bound a spirit beast to their will gained immense power as a result.

Binding a spirit fox—a messenger of the true gods—was also a mistake. The world had changed when sorcerers came into their power, and not for the better. Kuna’s father had been frank and honest about this.

“There is no point in cursing the stupidity of our ancestors,” Kuna’s father had said. “If I were to abandon sorcery, I would not be respected for it. Other sorcerers would take advantage of my weakness and kill me. All we can do is walk the path of our ancestors and try to find joy in day-to-day things.”

Later, Kuna understood his father’s words firsthand. He’d fought a sorceress from Haruna who was distantly related to him. She’d tried to give up sorcery, and because of that, all the other local sorcerers had targeted her. In the end, she hadn’t been able to defend herself. Giving up sorcery was always a losing proposition.

Kuna reflected that being born a sorcerer was a curse. A powerful curse that there was no point in trying to break. There could be no resisting it. He’d long since decided that it was better to work with what he’d been given than to try to be something he wasn’t. All creatures that can kill can also be killed. Everything lived, everything died. That was all there was to it.

***

Kuna bent down and scooped cold mud into his hand. He smeared it all over his face, leaving only his nose, eyes and mouth uncovered. He sat on the ground, spreading his loose clothing comfortably around him. He pulled out the mouse’s corpse, which was still warm, and held it before his eyes. Taking the mouse’s body in both hands, he raised his arms as if he were trying to embrace the heavens.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground and covered in mud with his arms held high, Kuna resembled a tree sapling seeking sunlight in the darkness. He felt himself slipping into the dark world as his fingers twitched around the mouse. His sorcerous power churned in his gut, painful and slow. He sighed, then took a deep and painful breath and held it. He made a spreading gesture with his hands as he pushed the dark power around the mouse’s body outward.

Come, come, let your hatred and resentment seep into the ground…

Kuna remained physically in the storehouse, but his spirit was touching the dark world where sorcerous power came from. The mouse’s corpse was consumed in darkness and vanished.

Colored threads of light distorted Kuna’s vision. Many of them were tangled. Kuna separated out several threads of light and rolled them into neat balls that glowed with spiritual energy. He put the balls in his pocket, then stood up.

Kuna’s eyes slipped closed as he chanted a spell. He took three steps forward, two steps to the right, and one step back as he went through the complex motions the spell required. With every step he took, the quality of the dark energy spreading around him changed. It would be pointless to open his eyes; the dark world could not be seen with ordinary eyes. He could sense it: a shadowed place that separated the normal world from the world of spirits.

Kuna stopped moving when the spell was complete. He stood tall right in the center of the storehouse. If anyone entered the storehouse now, they wouldn’t see him there. He was in the world of darkness, which was nestled in the gap between Awai and the real world. The shadows of the trees of Awai made moving patterns on his face. Mist pooled around his feet.

Kuna took out three whistles from his pocket. They were werefox whistles made from clay mixed with the fur of a spirit fox. He raised one werefox whistle above his head, then slashed it downward diagonally through the air. There was no sound—not in the gap between worlds.

But the spirit foxes in Awai could hear it.

Kuna blew all three werefox whistles in the same way and waited for his familiars to respond. He closed his eyes, meditating to pass the time.

The air around Kuna shimmered as his familiars responded to his summons. Three spirit foxes appeared out of nowhere, their eyes glowing like coals. Their fur glimmered in the hazy light like the sheen of sunlight on water at sunset. They bowed low before their master, then jumped in the air and somersaulted. By the time they landed, all three were in their human forms. This way, they would be able to speak human languages and communicate with their master more easily.

“Tamao, Nobi, Kageya,” Kuna said.

“We greet you, master,” Tamao said.

Tamao’s human form was a bewitchingly beautiful woman. Nobi looked like a clean-shaven teenage boy. Kageya looked like a nervous middle-aged man whose eyes were always on the move.

Nobi was panting, unlike the others. He had been in Haruna when he’d been summoned. He’d had to slip through barriers and protective magics in order to reach this place. He looked up at his master and didn’t see a man with a muddy face in incense-stained robes, but a shining flame that was fully human-sized.

Nobi had served this master for as long as he could remember, but he had never once seen his face. He didn’t even know his name.

“Nobi.”

“Yes, master?”

“You have been embedded in Lord Harumochi’s estate for five years. Usually you’ve been able to tell me about his plans before he implements them, but you’ve missed something. Something critical.”

Nobi paled. “What did I miss, master?”

“Do you truly not know?”

Nobi nodded.

Kuna stared intently at Nobi, then shook his head.

“I see. Well then, if you’ve missed it, I’ll have to start looking myself. Tamao, Kageya.”

“Yes, master!”

“Leave your current posts. You shall be infiltrating Lord Harumochi’s estate and working with Nobi for the immediate future.” Kuna told his familiars about what had happened at the High King’s castle that day. He also told them about his discussion with Lord Moritada.

“Lord Harumochi asked for more time to settle his affairs before he declares a new heir. His eldest son recently died, and he has no direct heir to inherit. He will have to adopt someone, but it’s likely that there won’t be any talk of an adoption for the next two weeks. I think that him asking for time means that he has some kind of nefarious idea to cheat our lord out of his rightful inheritance.” Kuna let some of his worry and agitation seep into his voice. “The problem is that we don’t know what he’s planning.”

Kuna muttered darkly to himself under his breath. He removed the three balls of light he’d made previously and handed them out to his familiars. “Eat these and grow stronger. "

As soon as Nobi licked the ball, his whole body felt burning hot. It tasted vaguely sweet, but also not really like food. Consuming it made Nobi’s exhaustion melt away. He felt fresh and rested, not like he’d just wrestled with Haruna’s barrier magic. He sighed in relief. It had been a long time since their master had given them orbs of spiritual power. Nobi wasn’t entirely sure why, but from some things that the master and the other familiars had said, it seemed to be getting harder for the master to enter the dark world and summon them.

“Good, good… if you three succeed, I’ll give you each two spirit orbs as a reward.”

Then the master’s flame flashed. “Now go!” he said in a voice that cut like a whip.

Kuna’s familiars transformed back into spirit foxes in the blink of an eye, then vanished from the dark world like mist and dream.

***

The forest in the dark world was a gloomy place. The trees themselves were hazy, concealed by shadows so thick that even the spirit foxes couldn’t see through them. Mist covered the ground, making the air humid and sticky. It was hard to breathe here. The scent of green grass and leaves should have been pleasant, but they were so strong that they were overwhelming.

In the dim light, one dead hollow tree stood far above the others. There were several holes at the base of the tree. Vines of ivy wrapped around the holes and clung to the tree, hanging down from its branches. Pale flowers bloomed on the ivy.

The three spirit foxes gathered at the base of the hollow tree. This was their home while they were in the dark world. They greeted one another, then discussed what they’d learned while they were exploring the world. They spoke in the language of spirit foxes, which no one else could understand.

Lord Harumochi’s castle is afire with rumors about a handsome warrior who signed up to serve in the castle guard.

There is an estate deep in Yona Forest. Supplies are delivered every month, but no one ever comes in or out. It has been that way for many years.

Kageya’s golden eyes met Nobi’s. You speak of Morikage Estate. I know of it. The son of one of Lord Harumochi’s trusted vassals went insane. Lord Harumochi confined them there and forbade them to leave.

Nobi remembered that estate well; he’d fled there while being chased by hounds. Sayo had saved him near Morikage Estate. He remembered the boy who’d been confined there, too.

Ever since Nobi’s first visit to Morikage Estate, Nobi had sensed that the house and the surrounding forest were heavily fortified both spiritually and militarily, but he’d never told his master about it. His master hadn’t asked, and Nobi didn’t want to tell him.

But now Nobi knew his master’s preoccupations. He guessed that Lord Harumochi’s new heir was the boy confined inside Morikage Estate. A hidden heir, a secret weapon—concealed from the world not because he was insane, but because he was vulnerable.

Orders from a master were absolute for familiars. Disobedience meant death. Nobi knew that, but he treaded the fine line between disobedience and selective honesty whenever he kept information about Morikage Estate to himself. The boy had been kind to him. He’d made medicine to help treat Nobi’s wounds.

You’re quieter than usual, Nobi, Tamao said in the language of spirit foxes. Have you investigated that estate? What do you know about it?

Nobi shook his head. I know of it, but I haven’t investigated it.

Tamao frowned at him in puzzlement.

I also heard about the estate through rumors, Kageya said. I went to see the truth for myself. I have no doubt that Harumochi has a hidden treasure there. It is well-defended. There is a spiritual barrier there that has few gaps, all small. It is fortified against attacks by humans as well. I was not able to get inside. I wasn’t even able to see anything past the barrier magic.

Tamao nodded in understanding. Then let’s go together and take a look.

Nobi closed his eyes for a moment. He’d protected the secrets of Morikage Estate through lies of omission up until now, but he couldn’t keep doing that. Soon, Kageya and Tamao would know what he knew. He followed after Tamao and Kageya with dejected steps.

Tamao entered a hole at the base of the hollow tree, trailed closely by Kageya and more distantly by Nobi. Their fur brushed the ivy winding around the tree trunk and through its hollow places. A moment later, all three foxes changed into floating blue flames that slid along the ivy and out of the hollow. They passed through the door of the dark world and re-entered the living world.

On the other side of the hollow that the spirit foxes passed through was a tall cherry tree in bloom. The spirit foxes flew down the trunk all the way to the ground.

***

Kuna considered what his familiars had told him. He tried not to let his terror show on his face.

He had learned that there was a boy hidden inside Morikage Estate.

Kuna faced Nobi and shouted in a voice like thunder: “Nobi! You should have known about all of this long ago! Why didn’t you tell me?!”

Nobi shook from head to toe. He bowed his head low, then said, “All I had heard was rumors before. I’m sorry, master!”

Kuna clenched his fist so hard that veins swelled in his hand. Kuna slammed an angry fist into Nobi’s head. Nobi’s forehead hit the ground with a dull thud.

Pain made Nobi nearly black out, but he didn’t make a sound. Being punished by his master felt awful. Not just the physical punishment, which was bad enough. He felt like he’d been cut off—isolated from everything he knew or understood. White-hot agony spread through his body as he struggled to move. He felt like there were needles piercing his heart.

Nobi didn’t know where this pain came from. He stumbled to his feet, barely conscious, and held back sorrowful tears.

The master calmed himself. His flame shook, but Nobi no longer felt anger radiating from him.

The master’s attention moved to Kageya. “You saw the estate with your own eyes?”

“We did, master,” Kageya said.

“You said it has spiritual protection. What kind? How strong?”

“There were signs placed at the four corners of the estate hanging from bamboo poles. Those signs have sigils painted on them that seem to be part of a protective spell.”

The master nodded. “I see, I see. Sigils attached to bamboo poles… Hmm…”

The master pondered something for a while. Then he returned his attention to Kageya. “Did you discover any weaknesses or gaps in the spiritual barrier you saw?”

Kageya smiled. “One or two very small ones. It looked like a child was sneaking in and out, master. The boy probably slipped out through a gap in the rotten fence when he was a child so that he could play outside. It stands to reason that he’s the one the barrier is protecting. No one else would have been able to make even a small hole in the barrier.”

Kageya leaned forward in anticipation. “In spirit fox form, I can sneak through those gaps easily. Shall I kill the boy for you, master?”

Nobi held his breath and waited for the master’s answer.

“No. I won’t kill him now,” the master said quietly. “That would be short-sighted. Before I do anything, I need to be sure of Lord Harumochi’s response. If we can find a way kill the boy without repercussions, Lord Harumochi will never recover from the loss.”