other. Her role in bringing Renkavana to Shin Bungo could not be denied, however. Tonight she was a grown-up.
Sitting between Kazusa and Namito was a young woman who bowed low to Ren as he took his place. Namito introduced her as his sister Aoi. She raised her head and smiled shyly at him, almost taking Ren’s breath away. He guessed this was what Masuyo might have looked like when she was young — slender, elegant, with porcelain skin, thick straight black hair and wide-set, sapphire eyes. She was a beauty, and her brother acted as if he knew her value. Kazusa rolled her eyes as Ren stared at her sister. She was used to — and unimpressed by — the reaction of men when they met Aoi.
‘Why don’t we be seated?’ Masuyo suggested, smiling as she watched Ren watching Aoi.
They sank onto the cushions, the men sitting cross-legged, the women with their legs folded to one side. He could all but see the magic crackling the air in this reality, otherwise he could almost have convinced himself he was in his own world, in some high-priced Japanese restaurant.
‘ Itadaki-masu ,’ Namito said. I gratefully receive . The others around the table repeated the mealtime salutation before reaching for the food.
‘Who would have thought,’ Masuyo announced, reaching for her soup, ‘that I would sit down to dine with Youkai in my lifetime.’
‘You must forgive my Obaasan her manners,’ Namito said to Ren. ‘She is old and quite overwhelmed to meet one of your kind.’
‘I’m delighted to meet her too,’ Ren said, smiling at the old woman, who was watching him like he’d sprouted horns and a tail. ‘But, truly, Namito, I am not Youkai. How could I be? Kazusa tells me they are all dead here.’
Namito nodded, picking up his chopsticks. ‘You came through the rifuto stones, wagakimi. Youkai , even from another realm, are still Youkai . That’s why the Tanabe were so anxious to be rid of you before anybody discovered your arrival.’
‘It’s why they wanted to kill you,’ Kazusa informed him cheerfully.
‘Manners, little sister,’ Aoi chided softly.
Ren turned to Namito for an explanation. He shrugged. ‘My sister speaks true. The Konketsu and all who support them will go to great lengths to prevent you opening a rift back to your own reality.’
‘Why?’ Ren asked. He was hoping, given the trouble his presence seemed to be causing, that they would be glad to be rid of him.
‘The Konketsu fear that Youkai from other realms will see what the Empresses have done here … and seek vengeance.’
Ren was silent for a moment, slurping his noodles to give him time to think. It was obvious they knew how to open rifts. All he needed to do was find out how they did it and he was home, preferably before anyone in the reality he’d just left realised Darragh was still there and tried to make his brother pay for Ren’s alleged crimes.
There was that not-so-minor problem of the looming autumn equinox too. If he didn’t find a way out of here, return to his own reality, collect Darragh and then make it back to the Druid reality before Lughnasadh , it wouldn’t matter anyway.
Perhaps he should stop denying he was Faerie to these people. Did it matter if they thought he was? While it would get him killed among the Tanabe, apparently, here among the Ikushima, it seemed to be worth a great deal.
‘Do you travel often to other realms?’ Ren asked, as casually as he could manage. What are the chances somebody here in this room can open a rift? Maybe Granny Masuyo is a great wizard? Or the shy and delightful Aoi?
‘Not any longer,’ Namito explained. ‘Not since the Empresses forbade it.’
‘Kazusa mentioned the Empresses earlier,’ Ren said carefully. ‘You’re not that fond of them, I take it?’
‘It would be treason not to be loyal to the Empresses,’ Namito said stiffly. ‘Kazusa was speaking out of turn if she implied otherwise.’
Touched a nerve, there, didn’t I? He glanced at Kazusa who
Sitting between Kazusa and Namito was a young woman who bowed low to Ren as he took his place. Namito introduced her as his sister Aoi. She raised her head and smiled shyly at him, almost taking Ren’s breath away. He guessed this was what Masuyo might have looked like when she was young — slender, elegant, with porcelain skin, thick straight black hair and wide-set, sapphire eyes. She was a beauty, and her brother acted as if he knew her value. Kazusa rolled her eyes as Ren stared at her sister. She was used to — and unimpressed by — the reaction of men when they met Aoi.
‘Why don’t we be seated?’ Masuyo suggested, smiling as she watched Ren watching Aoi.
They sank onto the cushions, the men sitting cross-legged, the women with their legs folded to one side. He could all but see the magic crackling the air in this reality, otherwise he could almost have convinced himself he was in his own world, in some high-priced Japanese restaurant.
‘ Itadaki-masu ,’ Namito said. I gratefully receive . The others around the table repeated the mealtime salutation before reaching for the food.
‘Who would have thought,’ Masuyo announced, reaching for her soup, ‘that I would sit down to dine with Youkai in my lifetime.’
‘You must forgive my Obaasan her manners,’ Namito said to Ren. ‘She is old and quite overwhelmed to meet one of your kind.’
‘I’m delighted to meet her too,’ Ren said, smiling at the old woman, who was watching him like he’d sprouted horns and a tail. ‘But, truly, Namito, I am not Youkai. How could I be? Kazusa tells me they are all dead here.’
Namito nodded, picking up his chopsticks. ‘You came through the rifuto stones, wagakimi. Youkai , even from another realm, are still Youkai . That’s why the Tanabe were so anxious to be rid of you before anybody discovered your arrival.’
‘It’s why they wanted to kill you,’ Kazusa informed him cheerfully.
‘Manners, little sister,’ Aoi chided softly.
Ren turned to Namito for an explanation. He shrugged. ‘My sister speaks true. The Konketsu and all who support them will go to great lengths to prevent you opening a rift back to your own reality.’
‘Why?’ Ren asked. He was hoping, given the trouble his presence seemed to be causing, that they would be glad to be rid of him.
‘The Konketsu fear that Youkai from other realms will see what the Empresses have done here … and seek vengeance.’
Ren was silent for a moment, slurping his noodles to give him time to think. It was obvious they knew how to open rifts. All he needed to do was find out how they did it and he was home, preferably before anyone in the reality he’d just left realised Darragh was still there and tried to make his brother pay for Ren’s alleged crimes.
There was that not-so-minor problem of the looming autumn equinox too. If he didn’t find a way out of here, return to his own reality, collect Darragh and then make it back to the Druid reality before Lughnasadh , it wouldn’t matter anyway.
Perhaps he should stop denying he was Faerie to these people. Did it matter if they thought he was? While it would get him killed among the Tanabe, apparently, here among the Ikushima, it seemed to be worth a great deal.
‘Do you travel often to other realms?’ Ren asked, as casually as he could manage. What are the chances somebody here in this room can open a rift? Maybe Granny Masuyo is a great wizard? Or the shy and delightful Aoi?
‘Not any longer,’ Namito explained. ‘Not since the Empresses forbade it.’
‘Kazusa mentioned the Empresses earlier,’ Ren said carefully. ‘You’re not that fond of them, I take it?’
‘It would be treason not to be loyal to the Empresses,’ Namito said stiffly. ‘Kazusa was speaking out of turn if she implied otherwise.’
Touched a nerve, there, didn’t I? He glanced at Kazusa who
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