Free Samurai Son by M. H. Bonham Page B

stretch out and roam in the dense pine forests.
    “What a backwater place.”   Jiro’s mocking tone cut through her reverie.
    Her eyes narrowed on her half brother.   “I think it’s a beautiful island.   I would love to explore it.”
    Jiro snorted in derision.   “What’s so beautiful about it?   There’s nothing here.”
    Nothing?   Kasumi could see where Jiro, who had grown up on Kyotori, would think this a terribly boring place.   There were no palaces, apartments, taverns, bathhouses, or brothels.   The small harbor held only a handful of docks with a few small fishing boats tied to them.   The junk they had sailed on was the largest merchant vessel there.   The forest expanded out from the coast and went on for what had to be miles.   She had seen the mountains and the terraced rice fields loom above the forest in the distance from the junk before it entered the harbor, and she longed to see its unparalleled beauty.   Keiko had told her how beautiful Tsuitori was, but she didn’t imagine it would be this lovely.   The island reminded her of Neko-shima and the forests within.
    The harbor town was little more than a row of shops and some warehouses for goods.   The junk’s sailors ignored the two samurai and busied themselves with unloading their cargo.
    “I think it’s wonderful,” Kasumi said.   Her mood had greatly improved.   “I can’t wait to get to the Kuan Yin temple.   I bet it is in the forests.”
    “You do that,” Jiro said.   “I’ll see what little food is around this place.”
    Kasumi didn’t bother with a response and set out to find the Kuan Yin temple.   She’d find Jiro when it was time to visit the daimyo and speak with Ikumi.   He would have to be there as a representative from Naotaka.   Rather than look for a hotel or tavern, Kasumi thought it would be better to find the temple and leave the small offering she carried with her.
    After questioning two peasants where the temple was, she found herself walking down a small cart path that led to Yutsui, the main village on the island.   It was also closest to the daimyo’s residence, which made it all that more desirable to visit.   The temple, it seemed, was just outside of Yutsui, so she followed the cart path through the coniferous forest.
    The cart path seemed well traveled, but it was late in the day and the shadows were long.   She passed by a few farmers with ox carts full of bags of rice, heading to the port, but beyond that, the road seemed deserted.   Kasumi wasn’t particularly worried about being waylaid by bandits as it was obvious by her two swords and bearing that she was a samurai.   And if the bandits didn’t respect her station, they would respect her teeth and claws when she tore them apart.   Even so, she carefully listened and kept watch.
    She snuffed the air for the scents of the forest and was rewarded with the heady pine fragrance.   She could feel a purr in her throat as she walked.   The island made her long for home and the thick pines there.   Perhaps after she finished her errand, the Guardian would have her come home for a while.   She was tired of Kyotori and the city of the Imperial Island.
    She walked for a while on the road as the shadows deepened.   After a while, she began to wonder if she had taken the correct path; after all, she expected more traffic on a road leading from the main village to the harbor.   She looked ahead but could see little besides the trees and the path winding its way deep into the forest.
    It was then she caught a whiff of oni.   Kasumi halted and snuffed the air, trying to catch the demon’s location.   She looked around but could see nothing but shadows and dark pine trunks.   Suddenly the quiet, blissful forest became foreboding.   Again, the stench of oni touched her senses, and she spun around, her katana drawn.
    Nothing presented itself.
    The air was stagnant here; no wind crossed her path.   She looked for anything that