Beyond the Werefox Whistle
Written by Uehashi Nahoko
Illustrated by Yumiko Shirai
Part 2: The Cursed One and the Guardian
Chapter 5: The Fields Burn
Trimming back the hedges let more light into Sayo’s hut. She surveyed her work with more than a fair bit of satisfaction. The clean spring air filtered through the windows. Sayo peeked outside and saw new green sprouts in the fallow fields surrounding her hut.
For the past few days, Sayo had worked exceptionally hard on the hut, hoping to forget many of the strange things that had happened to her recently. She wanted to go back to living like she always had.
The villagers were busy, much like she was. There was no time to rest in spring. They had to burn away the old growth and dead grass in the fields, mix the fertile ashes into the soil and plant new seeds. They also had to spin thread, weave cloth, and ply other trades to make a living.
Thankfully, Dairou and Suzu had sent Sayo home with a lot of dried rice. She chopped up some greens and mixed them with the rice to make a hearty meal. Eating it made her feel like she was enveloped in spring, as if the season were giving her a hug.
But Sayo was still alone. Whenever she looked at the hearth where here grandmother used to sit, she remembered that. She hadn’t felt so lonely since the week after her grandmother’s death. The loneliness wasn’t a gnawing feeling—it wasn’t increasing or getting worse—but it made her tingle all over. She always felt like something was missing. Something critical. She couldn’t shake that feeling no matter now hard she tried.
One clear and windless day, Sayo toiled alone in the small vegetable plot outside her hut. She was going to burn the old growth away today so that she could plant new seeds. She set fire to the plot and was careful to not let the fire spread. The rising smoke drifted into the sky and away.
Sayo inhaled a deep breath of smoky air.
Burning her small plot didn’t take long. On her hands and knees as she kneaded ashes in to the soil, Sayo reflected that the soil could not be renewed each year without burning the old growth away. The same was true of her. The dead and tangled grass in her mind was the oppressive weight of her past memories. She had to burn those away if she ever wanted to plant anything new and see it thrive.
***
On the night that Lord Harumochi had come to Umegae Estate, Sayo had lied. She hadn’t gone to the bathroom as she’d claimed. She had concealed herself in a grove of plum trees and had waited for Lord Harumochi to leave. She was hoping to get another glimpse of Lord Harumochi’s thoughts about her mother.
The thoughts that Sayo had overheard from Harumochi had frightened her.
Lord Harumochi had passed by her slowly. His horse was weighed down by him and his armor. Sayo had seen thoughts of sorcery, curses, spirit foxes and death, all tangled together into a complicated knot of emotion. Just as she was about close off her listening gift in horror, Sayo heard a name.
♢ Koharumaru. ♢
Sayo wasn’t completely sure—the thought was incomplete—but Koharumaru had something to do with her mother.
Lord Harumochi had also thought about her. He’d thought about keeping her safe, but he’d also thought about using her—training her as a sorceress.
Sayo had frozen still. She’d watched Lord Harumochi go until the forest shadows swallowed him up.
After Lord Harumochi was gone, Sayo had wanted nothing but to run away as far as possible. There were dark and terrifying secrets here. She’d felt no desire to know them. She’d just wanted to go home.
Returning home, later that night, Sayo had sat by the hearth and wrapped herself in familiar bedding. She’d been so tired, but it had taken her a long time to fall asleep.
***
The thin smoke from Sayo’s recently burned plot of land flew away like transparent bird. Clear sunlight shone on her face as she worked. Birds chirped merrily in the trees.
Sayo took a deep breath. She was glad to be home. She’d fled back here as fast as she possibly could, but she wasn’t terrified anymore. Many terrifying things had happened in the past, but that was the past, not the present. She was here now at the end of a long string of events. In that way, she was just like everyone else. No one knew everything about their past, and that was all right. She could ask about anything she didn’t understand, but she didn’t have to ask about or know everything.
Sayo was glad that she’d spent some time alone to think things through. She was able to see her own thoughts and desires more clearly, like water in a pond that was muddy before the spring rains but clear after a storm. She slapped her hands together and looked up at the sky.
I’ll go and ask Dairou why Harumochi was thinking about me, my mother, and Koharumaru, Sayo thought. She didn’t want to be afraid, but there were things that she wanted to know about her mother, herself, and Koharumaru. She felt like if she learned that, the tangled mess of thoughts and emotions about her past would burn away, leaving room for new growth and hope for the future. She didn’t want to feel lost or lonely anymore.
Sayo decided to walk to Umegae Estate the next morning. It was far away, but she thought that if she left her hut at dawn she would be able to reach it by dusk. She glanced toward Yona Village and saw smoke drifting into the sky.
Koharumaru must be fifteen by now, Sayo thought. What is he like now? Did he master the sword like he wanted?
It would be nice to see Koharumaru again and talk about all the things they’d missed in each other’s lives over the past few years. Sayo wasn’t sure that meeting him again would be possible, but she’d like to try just the same. Her memories of the year they’d played together were fond ones. She’d risked a lot sneaking in and out of Morikage Estate at night.
She remembered that Koharumaru had called her brave.
Meeting Koharumaru was one of the most unusual events of her whole life. At the time, all she’d seen was another lonely child to play with. Apparently, there was another connection between them… but what was it? She didn’t know, but she thought that if she could be brave, she might find a way to meet her friend again.
After she made her decision to return to Umegae Estate for answers, Sayo felt refreshed and energetic like a young bird taking its first flight in a clear sky. She smiled to herself and hummed as she returned to her chores.
***
Sayo finished sowing new seeds in her vegetable plot in a rush. She left her hut the next morning while it was still dark. She had packed only a rice ball and a bamboo water bottle.
Since she was traveling alone, she would be better off taking the main road instead of the side road that Kumokage had traveled with her on his back. During her dream of Umegae Estate, she’d noticed that Hinobe Road passed right by the estate.
Hinobe Road was an important thoroughfare that connected Yuuji Castle to the rest of Haruna. Because it was important, it was wide, well-maintained and much traveled. It was inconceivable that Sayo would be attacked if she walked along it during the day.
It was a fine day for travel. Sayo walked down the mountain path with a spring in her step. Sunshine spilled over her shoulders as she left the mountain trail and took her first steps on Hinobe Road.
Hinobe Road was crowded, even at this time of day. It wasn’t even market day, but there were people on either side of the road. It was like they were waiting for something.
As Sayo entered the crowd of people, she heard someone shout, “Oh, here they come!”
Some of the other people on the road started whispering to each other.
Sayo couldn’t see, but she heard hoofbeats. She wove through the crowd as the sound grew louder. A mounted troop of warriors from the castle kicked up dust on the road. People moved out of their way, shifting to the sides of Hinobe Road so that they wouldn’t be trampled.
“Who is that one? I’ve never seen him before,” one of the women asked.
“Me neither,” another woman said.
“Didn’t you hear? That’s Lord Harumochi’s heir! He’s kept him hidden for years!” a different woman said.
Surprised titters broke out through the crowd.
Sayo frowned. No… is Koharumaru here now? Why?
The warrior leading the cavalry force carried a flag. They were coming from the direction of Yona Forest and Morikage Estate. Yuuji Castle was in this direction. Sayo guessed that Koharumaru was going to the castle.
As the warriors passed by, Sayo glimpsed a teenage boy riding a beautiful white horse. It was unmistakably Koharumaru. His dark eyes were the same, though his eyebrows had thickened and his cheekbones were higher than she remembered. He looked at her….
“Koharumaru!” Sayo called out to him, but the warriors didn’t pause. Some of the men guarding Koharumaru glared down at her. They left her behind without a second glance as if she were a piece of garbage caught in a bush.
Koharumaru would never treat her like that. Did that mean the boy she’d seen wasn’t Koharumaru? She stood standing by the side of the road in a daze as she considered what she’d seen.
There had been no recognition in Koharumaru’s eyes.
The boy had looked like Koharumaru. Three years had passed since Sayo had last seen him, but she would recognize him anywhere. On the surface, he looked just as bright and lively as he’d been back when they’d played together in the evenings.
But the sense she got from looking into his eyes was… wrong. Wrong like the doors leading to the dark world. She had to think that the boy she’d seen on the road only looked like Koharumaru—he wasn’t actually her friend. There was an odd buzzing in her head that was almost painful as he passed her by.
The warriors had almost all passed her when Sayo saw another familiar face among the riders. It was Dairou, riding Hayate.
Dairou also noticed Sayo. His eyes widened in surprise.
The touch of Dairou’s thoughts reached Sayo’s mind. ♢ Oh my goodness, Sayo, why are you here? Don’t get involved with us! Get out of here as soon as you can! ♢
Pressure from Dairou’s mental communication made her forehead hurt.
The last horse in the line of cavalry passed by. A young man on a chestnut stallion turned toward Sayo with a curious expression that shifted into a smile. His eyes were brightly lit by the sun; it was impossible to tell their color. He was dressed as a servant, very lean and tall. Sayo felt strange emotions from him—regret, anticipation—but the moment she looked up at him, he was gone. He felt familiar to her. Her eyes followed him as he rode away.
Before Sayo could call out again, the crowd around her started to move. She had to move along with it or risk getting hurt by the crush of people.
Sayo tried to follow after the mounted warriors, but she quickly realized that this would be a pointless endeavor. She was on foot; horses moved too fast. She would never be able to keep up.
As Sayo despaired, she realized why the young man she’d seen was familiar. He was the same young man who’d saved her from being attacked by bandits on New Years’ Eve! She should have recognized him right away. But who was he? Why had he smiled at her? Why did he feel regret? She usually had no trouble reading others’ thoughts, but there was a mist over the his thoughts. It was like he was trying to hide them from her.
Confused and saddened, Sayo watched the cavalry force leave her behind.
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