Read Online The Twelve Kingdoms: Shadow of the Moon by Fuyumi Ono - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Fuyumi Ono
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did it come to this?
At any rate, she could not believe that this was her fate. The day before yesterday she left home just like on any other day. "Later," she had said to her mother. The day had begun like always, it should have ended like always. Where had everything gone wrong?
She probably shouldn't have approached those villagers. She should have been more patient and stayed there by the cliffs. She should have stuck it out with those who brought her here--or for that matter, not gone anywhere with them in the first place.
But she didn't exactly have a whole wide range of choices open to her. Keiki told her she was coming with him whether she liked it or not. Then they were pursued by those monsters. She'd done what she had to do to protect herself.
It was like she'd been lured into some kind of trap. On that perfectly ordinary morning the snare had already been set. In the hours that followed the noose had drawn closed. By the time she'd noticed that anything was amiss it was too late, there was no way out.
I've got to get out of here.
Youko checked her growing desire to spring into action right then and there. There was no room for failure. If she blew her chance at a clean getaway she could not imagine how they'd make her pay. She had to pick the moment and get herself the hell out of here.
Thoughts and ideas were spinning around like crazy inside her head to a degree she'd never experienced before in her life.
"Um . . . how long will it take to get to the county seat?"
"By wagon, about half a day."
Youko raised her head. The sky was the kind of clean blue you see after a hurricane. The sun was directly above. She'd have to make a break for it before the sun set. She had no idea what the county seat would be like, but no doubt escaping it would be a lot harder than this horse cart.
"What about my things?"
The man looked suspiciously at Youko. "Everything a kaikyaku brings gets turned in. Them's the rules."
"The sword, too?"
The man again flashed her a distrusting look. She took it as a warning. "What you asking for?"
"Because it's important to me."
She lightly clasped her hands behind her back. "The man who caught me, he wanted it real bad. It's such a relief to know it didn't get stolen."
The man sniffed. "Useless crap. We'll hand it over like we're supposed to."
"Yeah, it's just an ornament, but it's got to be worth a lot of money."
The man looked into her face, then opened the cloth sack on his knees. The jeweled sword buried within gleamed and sparkled.
"This is an ornament?"
"That's right."
Being this close to the sword made her feel that much better. But Youko focused instead on the man. He put his hand on the hilt. Go ahead, she urged him, try and pull it out. That man back in the field, he hadn't been able to. Keiki said that only she could wield the sword. Perhaps it was true that no one besides her could, but she wanted to be sure.
He put all his effort into it. The hilt didn't budge from the scabbard even a fraction of an inch.
"Please, give it back to me."
He laughed to scorn at Youko's request. "Like I told you, it gets turned over to the authorities. Besides, it won't do you much good, what with your head chopped off. No matter how much you want to look, you can't see much with your eyes shut."
Youko bit her lip. If not for these ropes, the sword would be hers. Perhaps Jouyuu could help her out, she thought. But as much as she tried the cords would not give. Not even Jouyuu could give her supernatural powers.
Glancing about for some way to cut the rope and get hold of the sword, a flash of gold in the passing terrain caught her eye.
The horse cart turned onto a mountain road. There amongst the rows of trees neatly arrayed in the dark forest she recognized a familiar color. She opened her eyes wider. At the same time Jouyuu sent his presence crawling across her skin.
There was a person in the forest. A person with long golden hair, a pale face, wearing a robe that resembled a
At any rate, she could not believe that this was her fate. The day before yesterday she left home just like on any other day. "Later," she had said to her mother. The day had begun like always, it should have ended like always. Where had everything gone wrong?
She probably shouldn't have approached those villagers. She should have been more patient and stayed there by the cliffs. She should have stuck it out with those who brought her here--or for that matter, not gone anywhere with them in the first place.
But she didn't exactly have a whole wide range of choices open to her. Keiki told her she was coming with him whether she liked it or not. Then they were pursued by those monsters. She'd done what she had to do to protect herself.
It was like she'd been lured into some kind of trap. On that perfectly ordinary morning the snare had already been set. In the hours that followed the noose had drawn closed. By the time she'd noticed that anything was amiss it was too late, there was no way out.
I've got to get out of here.
Youko checked her growing desire to spring into action right then and there. There was no room for failure. If she blew her chance at a clean getaway she could not imagine how they'd make her pay. She had to pick the moment and get herself the hell out of here.
Thoughts and ideas were spinning around like crazy inside her head to a degree she'd never experienced before in her life.
"Um . . . how long will it take to get to the county seat?"
"By wagon, about half a day."
Youko raised her head. The sky was the kind of clean blue you see after a hurricane. The sun was directly above. She'd have to make a break for it before the sun set. She had no idea what the county seat would be like, but no doubt escaping it would be a lot harder than this horse cart.
"What about my things?"
The man looked suspiciously at Youko. "Everything a kaikyaku brings gets turned in. Them's the rules."
"The sword, too?"
The man again flashed her a distrusting look. She took it as a warning. "What you asking for?"
"Because it's important to me."
She lightly clasped her hands behind her back. "The man who caught me, he wanted it real bad. It's such a relief to know it didn't get stolen."
The man sniffed. "Useless crap. We'll hand it over like we're supposed to."
"Yeah, it's just an ornament, but it's got to be worth a lot of money."
The man looked into her face, then opened the cloth sack on his knees. The jeweled sword buried within gleamed and sparkled.
"This is an ornament?"
"That's right."
Being this close to the sword made her feel that much better. But Youko focused instead on the man. He put his hand on the hilt. Go ahead, she urged him, try and pull it out. That man back in the field, he hadn't been able to. Keiki said that only she could wield the sword. Perhaps it was true that no one besides her could, but she wanted to be sure.
He put all his effort into it. The hilt didn't budge from the scabbard even a fraction of an inch.
"Please, give it back to me."
He laughed to scorn at Youko's request. "Like I told you, it gets turned over to the authorities. Besides, it won't do you much good, what with your head chopped off. No matter how much you want to look, you can't see much with your eyes shut."
Youko bit her lip. If not for these ropes, the sword would be hers. Perhaps Jouyuu could help her out, she thought. But as much as she tried the cords would not give. Not even Jouyuu could give her supernatural powers.
Glancing about for some way to cut the rope and get hold of the sword, a flash of gold in the passing terrain caught her eye.
The horse cart turned onto a mountain road. There amongst the rows of trees neatly arrayed in the dark forest she recognized a familiar color. She opened her eyes wider. At the same time Jouyuu sent his presence crawling across her skin.
There was a person in the forest. A person with long golden hair, a pale face, wearing a robe that resembled a
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