BLURB:
Demon
hunter Akakiba keeps many secrets from his human companion. The fact
he's a werefox isn't the worst one.
In
feudal Japan, magic is dying. As a demon hunter, Akakiba finds this
problematic. The evil he's been trained to destroy is disappearing
and, along with it, the shape-shifting abilities of the clan he left
behind. With his only companion, a determined young human named Yuki,
Akakiba traverses the country slaying demons and performing odd jobs.
But
when an army of demon-possessed humans masses to exterminate his
clan, Akakiba must put aside old feuds and protect his family–-all
while hiding an important secret from Yuki. Will they find a way to
defeat the demon possessed before it's too late? With magic
dwindling, will it matter either way?
Sometime
later, the boy woke.
“I’m
hungry,” he said shyly. “Are we there yet?”
“Do
you want a rice cake, um, you?” Yuki blinked. “Uh, you never gave
us your name.”
“I’m
Taro, because I’m the firstborn in my family,” he explained as if
they couldn’t figure out that a person named “eldest son” was
likely to be the eldest son.
After
discovering Taro’s name, they also discovered that once he was
finished being awed into silence, it was very difficult to get him to
stop talking.
“Why
is your name Akakiba?” Taro asked. “Is it a warrior name?”
“No.
It’s the name I was born with.”
“Why
would your parents pick that name?”
“My
father is named Kiba, the fang. My mother is Akahana, the red rose.
They compromised with Akakiba, the red fang.”
“Oh.
Do you always wear your swords?”
“Yes.”
“Even
when you sleep?”
“Yes.”
“Even
when you take a bath?”
“No.”
There
was an all-too-brief moment of silence before Taro asked another
question. “Why is it the Fox clan and not the Dragon clan? Foxes
don’t fight demons, dragons do.”
Yuki
intervened, perhaps sensing Akakiba’s growing impatience. “Foxes
fight demons too. Don’t you know the legend?”
“There’s
no legend with fighting foxes,” Taro asserted.
“Is
that so? Then I can’t tell you about it since it doesn’t
exist...”
“Tell
me!”
Yuki’s
voice softened as he began. “A long time ago, when foxes were more
than mere animals and possessed great powers, it wasn’t rare for
them to take our likeness and live among us unseen. It so happened
that a fox disguised as a beautiful lady fell in love with a strong
and honorable samurai. They married and lived happily for a time.
“One
day, a dog wandered into their garden and started chasing the fox
lady. So afraid was she that she turned back into a fox and leaped to
safety on top of a wall. Having witnessed the scene, the samurai
begged her not to leave, swearing to love her forever even if she
were a fox. She heard truth in his voice and returned to him. They
had many children and lived happily for a time longer.
“In
those days, demons were strong and cruel, and they despised foxes for
their willingness to side with humanity against them. One such demon
descended upon their home and killed the samurai before the fox
lady’s eyes. In her anguish, she took up her husband’s sword and
slew the monster.
“The
fox lady’s sorrow was, however, too great to bear; a wasting
sickness took her, and she was soon on her deathbed. Sensing her
death approaching, she told her children that they were to become
slayers of demons, for nothing else would allow her to rest in peace.
Her children obeyed and founded the Fox clan to honor their mother.
Ever since, the Fox clan’s warriors have been fighting demons
wherever they can be found.”
Akakiba
glanced at his friend with surprise. “I didn’t know you knew the
legend.”
“I
didn’t know it before. Someone in the village told the story during
the festival. You should have told me. It’s interesting.”
Akakiba
heard the unspoken reproach: You never tell me anything. But why
should he? There was no need to speak of his clan. He himself hadn’t
dealt with them in years, not since he rebelled, left the clan house,
and found Yuki.
Taro
spoke up. “But how did the fox lady know how to use a sword?”
Akakiba
and Yuki sighed in unison. The road would be a long one.
“Hindsight
is such a wonderful thing, isn’t it?”
Sanae
was glaring. “Brother, that’s no way to behave with a guest! Jien
is an honorable man, and I need no protection from him. I would also
say you have no right to pretend to care about my virtue after
abandoning me for three years! Honestly! What’s the matter with
you?”
It
wasn’t his habit to defend himself, but in this case, it seemed
important to tell the entire truth. “Jien’s about as honorable as
a snake! When we first met he told me he’d been wounded by a demon
and beseeched me to carry him over the hill to a village where he
might get treatment. I later learned that, in truth, he’d been
caught spying on bathing girls. Their guardian had beaten him up and
thrown him out of the village so he couldn’t get treatment there!”
“It
was an accident,” Jien said. “I got lost, and hearing voices,
tried to follow them. That’s how I plunged headfirst into the hot
springs. And that old woman was as frightful as any demon I’ve ever
seen!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR
Bio and Links:
Anna
Frost is a Canadian girl who spends winters writing and dreaming of
summer. An overdose of Japanese culture and media has led her to
write fantasy inspired by Japanese mythology. In a shocking break
with literary tradition, Anna does not live with cats. Instead she
lives with chinchillas, which can be just as demanding and evil as
cats.
Author
links:
Buy
links:
Smashwords:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/247839
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Definitely Samurai!
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for hosting my book. :)
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-Anna Frost
I need some good reads for this summer while I hang at river.
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