Beyond the Werefox Whistle
Written by Uehashi Nahoko
Illustrated by Yumiko Shirai
Part 4: Breaking the Curse
Chapter 3: Transformation
Sayo awoke to the clinking sound of dishes. Morning light streamed in through paper screens. Sayo didn’t know where she was or when she’d gotten here. She sprang to her feet, instantly wide awake.
Sayo dashed into the hallway, searching for Nobi. Maids watched her pass with perplexed expressions. “Where is Lord Harumochi?” Sayo asked one of the maids.
“He and his party already left,” the maid said. “He asked us to let you sleep. Your stay here is paid for, so don’t worry, miss.”
Sayo stood there in a daze.
The maid bowed to her, then got back to work.
Sayo rubbed her forehead. The last thing she remembered was sitting in the inn’s garden with Nobi. What had happened after that? Where had Nobi gone? The thought that Nobi had been found and killed by his master made her feel cold all the way through.
She took a deep breath, then bit her lip to steady herself. She returned to the room she’d awakened in to gather her things and get ready to leave.
Sayo didn’t know what to do, but she knew that she couldn’t keep still. She asked some of the people inside which way the High King’s castle was. She used their directions to orient herself and then ran as fast as she could. The city passed by in a blur of speed.
The High King’s castle was large, so Sayo didn’t spend too long unsure of where she was headed. The first problem she encountered was just outside the castle. It was surrounded by a deep moat, and she saw no gate.
Sayo caught her breath, leaning against a willow tree that grew close to the moat.
“You there!” a woman called out to her. “Wait a moment.”
Sayo turned toward the sound of the voice, startled.
Tamao stood in the shadow of a willow tree in her human form. “You don’t have to look so scared,” Tamao said.
Sayo froze.
Tamao yanked Sayo further into the shade of the trees so that they wouldn’t be seen. Her hands moved from Sayo’s arm to wrap loosely around her neck—threatening, but not painful.
“I saw that you managed to seal away Kageya’s powers,” Tamao said. “That’s a neat trick. I half-expected you to try something like that on me.” Her eyes narrowed. “My master sent me to find you, you see.”
Sayo remained mute and still for a few moments, still shocked by this turn of events. She shoved down her own helplessness, then said, “Well, you found me. What do you want?”
“My master wants to kill you,” Tamao said, tightening her hands around Sayo’s throat briefly, “but he wants to know a few things first. Who are you? Why did you close the door to the dark world? Are there others like you?” Tamao’s eyes narrowed to slits, changing shape to become fox eyes for a split second.
“If you keep threatening me, I’ll bite my tongue off and die without telling you anything,” Sayo said.
“Suit yourself, if that’s what you want to do,” Tamao said. She glared at Sayo. “But I’m pretty sure you don’t want to die, and I want information. So let’s make a deal.”
“A deal?” Sayo asked.
“Well, really you’d be making a deal with my master through me,” Tamao said.
Sayo frowned.
“Do you know where Nobi is right now?” Tamao asked quietly. “I do.”
Sayo’s eyes went wide.
“Nobi went into the High King’s receiving hall with Lord Harumochi. He was disguised as Dairou.”
Sayo gasped. Why would Nobi do that? Had he left her behind on purpose? Had he put her to sleep so that she wouldn’t be able to follow him? Her shoulders shook from anxiety. She looked away from Tamao as her eyes filled with tears.
“You seem to underestimate spirit foxes,” Tamao said testily. “It’s like you humans think we can’t have minds of our own and can only follow the will of our master. That’s not true. Ever since I was dragged into this world, all I’ve done is learn how to survive.” Tamao looked away from Sayo, then whispered, “I saved Nobi, you know. If I hadn’t hidden his betrayal from the master and Kageya, he’d be dead already. And so would you.”
Sayo gaped.
Tamao grinned. “At least you don’t hate us. You just don’t understand. You don’t get that if I hadn’t saved Nobi, both you and him would be in the ground by now. If you want to save Nobi now, you’ll have to find our master.”
“Huh?” Sayo asked.
“The master can conceal himself from us,” Tamao said. “We cannot seek him out in the human world or find our werefox whistles, because they’re hidden from familiars. But you can.” Tamao tapped her foot. “Yesterday, I was summoned to Lord Moritada’s estate in Yuki—specifically, to the forest behind that estate. All I know now is that he is no longer there. He used a door to the dark world to travel to this place.”
Tamao was no longer smiling as she said, “The spell our master uses to conceal himself has an alarm attached to it. If I were to attempt to seek him out, he would know immediately and kill me. The same is true for all of his familiars.” Her eyes narrowed again, flashing with anger. “Nobi isn’t the only one who hates being a familiar. I want to be free to live my own life, too. I hate being used by others.” She growled low in her throat. “So I will tell you who my master is, and you will seek him out. I can get you into the castle—you’ll never get in there yourself, since you’re just a commoner. So. What do you think?”
Tamao was still holding Sayo around the neck. Sayo pushed her away. “Fine. I want to go to the castle if that’s where Nobi is. But what do I do when I find your master? Will he have his werefox whistles on him? If I steal them and give them to you, he wouldn’t be able to kill Nobi, right?” The longer she spoke, the more enthused Sayo felt about Tamao’s plan.
When Tamao said nothing, Sayo paused. “It’s impossible, isn’t it?” she asked. “I have no idea what a werefox whistle looks like, never mind how to steal one. Do you know how to get them?” Sayo asked.
Tamao laughed at her.
Sayo tilted her head in confusion.
No wonder Nobi likes this one, Tamao thought. Their hearts are the same: too honest and straightforward.
Tamao settled her hands on her hips. “You have sorcerous powers, don’t you? Use them. Fortunately, I’ve got a great excuse to get you to my master. He wants me to capture you and bring you to him. Are you ready for that?” Tamao asked. “C’mon. If you go along with me now, I’ll owe you a favor later. Though if my master kills you, I won’t be able to make good on that. Try to be careful, yeah?”
***
The High King’s castle was a magnificent stone edifice that rose above all the other city structures. A moat surrounded it on all sides. As Sayo followed Tamao, she noticed green spaces and parks all around the castle.
Lord Harumochi and his son Koharumaru had been summoned for an audience with the High King that day. The Yuuji family’s succession woes were well-known, so many other nobles also attended court that day to watch the proceedings, accompanied by their sons and senior vassals.
Entertainers and performers were lined up at the rear gate on the east side. They’d been hired to perform a celebratory dance after the High King’s audience ended. Many dancers had been hired, all wearing bright red masks embroidered with gold thread. Some of the women sipped tea and snacks while other dancers got into costume or sneaked off to a wooded area to relieve themselves.
Two dancers emerged from a clump of trees, whispering to one another. They were called over by another dancer. “Your masks are torn,” the dancer said.
The two dancers, both women, touched their masks in dismay. “So they are! What should we do?”
Sayo was hiding in the trees. Tamao was posing as the dancer who’d called out to these two women. Sayo didn’t think the women’s masks were torn at all.
Tamao carefully removed the women’s masks and capes, leaving the women in ordinary day-clothes. “It’s such a lovely day, don’t you think?” Tamao asked. “Not a cloud in the sky. This kind of weather makes me so, so tired…”
Tamao blew on her hands toward the two women. The women dropped to the ground like stones, fast asleep.
“You take that one,” Tamao said to Sayo, pointing to one woman. “I’ll take the other.”
Sayo and Tamao pulled the sleeping women into the trees. Tamao stripped them of their costumes all the way down to their undergarments. “Put these on,” Tamao said, tossing Sayo a bundle of clothes. “Don’t forget the mask.”
Tamao shook herself. An instant later, she was a perfect physical replica of the unconscious woman in front of her.
After Tamao and Sayo donned their disguises, Tamao led Sayo into the crowd of entertainers and headed toward the castle’s rear gate. Tamao said a few words to a gate guard. She, Sayo and the other entertainers were directed to pass through the gate and wait in the garden on the other side.
Sayo kept close to Tamao, feeling incredibly nervous. Tamao was leading her to the sorcerer. The sorcerer might harm her, or even kill her. She was terrified, though more for Nobi than for herself.
Sayo no longer wanted to run away. She needed to know what Nobi was planning and why.
Tamao and Sayo walked up a wide path lined with polished stones. Pine trees grew along the sides of the path. In the distance, Sayo saw a picturesque pond. The pond was called Blue Sky Pond; it was famous for its clear blue water. The High King had caused it to be made by a mountain stream he’d diverted to this garden. The pond’s water was so clear that the white sand lining the bottom was visible. Golden carp swam lazily in the pond. Birds nested in the pine trees above the water, including species that Sayo had never seen before.
Beyond the pond, two tall bell towers rose over the landscape. The castle had four bell towers, one at each corner, but the castle was so vast that only two were visible from here.
Sayo and Tamao waited near the pond for a short time, and then they were let inside another gate with the rest of the dancers. The inside of the castle was a maze; Sayo quickly became lost. More pine trees lined their path. In the middle distance, a large building with a roof made with intricate scrollwork loomed over them. The roof extended so far past the building’s walls that it looked like two outstretched arms.
This grand building was the High King’s audience chamber. The sliding doors were wide open, as were several windows. Sayo peeked inside and saw all the nobles gathered around the edges of the hall. The two figures kneeling before the raised dais where the High King would sit when he arrived were Harumochi and Koharumaru.
Tamao said that Nobi is disguised as Dairou… where is he? Sayo wondered.
Palace attendants and servants were seated at the back of the receiving hall. Sayo spotted Nobi (as Dairou) sitting there. She still had no idea what Nobi was planning to do.
Sayo frowned as she looked out at the crowd. Was Nobi’s master here somewhere as well? Would she be able to sense him, as she’d managed to sense something strange about Tamao? It was possible that the sorcerer, being human, would be able to evade her unusual senses.
“I can’t find him,” Sayo whispered to Tamao.
Tamao snorted. “Be patient. If he uses sorcery, you should be able to spot him.”
The rhythmic beating of drums echoed around the hall as the dancers prepared for their performance. Some of the performers entered the hall through a back way and laid out a red-and-white carpet. Flautists lined up along one wall with their instruments in their hands. The musicians played a celebratory song.
“The High King is coming,” Tamao said in Sayo’s ear. “The ceremony is about to start.”
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