Necrosis (The Omens of Gaia Book 1) Read online

  “Yes: there is a gathering of warriors from the tribes in the west who plot to overthrow the goddess. But surely the rebels will not succeed! Ozora no Kyuden is impenetrable. All the ways are guarded by her strongest yokai! As you well know, my lord.”

  The Necrow smiled eerily. “Of course. The men of other tribes gather for war. But this one, of course, is composed of only the most faithful followers of the goddess…”

  The hanshi clasped their hands in supplication, their eyes round and glimmering with fear. “Great lord, we well know that the yokai are wiser than men. They are the guardians of the deepest secrets of the world! We seek only to emulate and understand them, to discover the hidden dimension of life, so that we may die like them, enlightened!”

  “We know if we only hold to faith, Amaterasu will grant us immortality in the next life, to serve her faithfully until the end of the world!”

  “Please do not judge us all as rotten fruit, merely from the single blasphemer who came from our midst! We would have killed him in the cradle, had we known what an evildoer he’d grow up to be!”

  Keren felt her guts clench. Akar, please don’t torment them anymore. Haven’t you asked enough?

  Yes, though it is interesting to observe their reactions to these inquiries.

  The Necrow casually waved the men’s words aside. “It is as you say. No harm will come to this village while I am here. Now, we desire to be left in peace, and enjoy the end of the day in rest.”

  The hanshi bowed once more. “Of course, great lord. As you say…”

  Akar remained in the temple while Keren went out to explore the village. She tried to enjoy the view of the Sakura blossoms in the fading afternoon, but was continually distracted by the odd looks the villagers threw her way. Apparently, wearing one of their robes didn’t help her fit in at all. She’d even gone to the trouble of putting her hair up before going outside! Perhaps the position of heart-bearer wasn’t as illustrious as it sounded…

  Keren looked up at the temple, and thought of Xiramin. How far she’d come in so short a time! There really wasn’t all that much distance between one place and what felt like the other side of the world.

  Keren recalled how she’d spoken to the shopkeeper about what she thought of their gods, before he told her the gods did not exist. What reasonable person would believe that unseen spirits swam through the upper air, watching? Who could believe that great spiritual forces were out to get you if you didn’t worship them properly? Who believed there was anything on this earth besides Man and his dumb cousins, the animals?

  Keren had seen the yokai. She had even seen the kami – the pain in her chest would not let her forget that. And yet, she still had trouble believing in these peoples’ gods. It certainly did not help that those in Shinrin gave a different account of them than the elders here. And what was a god, really, if it could be destroyed? If she and Akar really made it to the top of the mountains, it was doubtful that what they would find would be what anyone had expected.

  Keren wandered along the narrow streets to the rear of the village, overshadowed by the looming mountains. Great trails of moss and vine clung to the storm-gray cliffs, wet with mist, hanging over the houses like a bower. At the very back of the village was a garden, planted with the kinds of flowers that only bloomed at night. There Keren saw a girl about her age seated on one of the stone benches, alone, staring into a rippling pond where dark-scaled fishes swam. She wore a robe patterned with blue flowers, and her eyes were sad.

  The girl looked up at Keren’s approach, her brow furrowed. “Who are you? How does a foreigner like you wander through the village of Reihai unmolested?”

  Keren was taken aback by such bluntness. “My name’s Keren, of Herayon. I was given permission to enter your village because I am accompanying a – ah – yokai.”

  The girl shrank back, her haughty manner instantly replaced with trepidation. “You are a heart-bearer? I am not worthy to speak to you.”

  Keren blinked in bafflement. “Well, people call me a heart-bearer, but I don’t even know what that is!”

  “It is the title of those who devote their lives to a yokai. They follow them and offer up their heart energies whenever the monster wishes to feed. Some heart-bearers live for years, meditating in the mountains and learning the yokai’s ways, slowly wasting away as the creature consumes them. Some die a swift death, and learn nothing. Heart-bearers are revered among our people, but I would be thankful if you were not one of them.”

  “That’s disgusting! I would never choose to be like that. No – I accompany Akar as a companion. There’s no heart-eating involved.”

  “That is strange. I have never heard of a person and a yokai being friends.” The girl peered closely at Keren, as if she was also disgusted by this idea.

  “It, ah, wasn’t my choice, at first,” Keren stammered. “It’s…complicated.”

  She arched one brow coyly. “I’m sure it is.”

  Keren rubbed one foot against the other ankle nervously. It was difficult making conversation with this girl. On the other hand, she might have a different view of events than what the hanshi had described. “Um – may I ask what your name is?”

  “It’s Tsune,” the girl said reluctantly.

  “Tsune, I find it peculiar that your people worship the yokai, considering how terrifying they are. I know; I was assaulted by them in the forest. I don’t see how anyone could live with them in peace!”

  The girl nodded. “It is so. My betrothed realized the folly of fawning on the will of such creatures. He was of the same mind as the border tribes. But the hanshi would not listen to him, and the others laughed him out of the village. He is determined to prove the righteousness of his cause. Because of his determination, he was the first to assault the stronghold of Ozora no Kyuden and succeed!”

  Keren gaped at her. “You – you knew the man who attacked the goddess?!”

  “His name is Irumi, and he is my betrothed. The hanshi will tell you that he failed, but I am not so quick to doubt. I know not if he is alive or dead, or if the yokai queen has stolen his soul. But I heard as well as anyone the tumult that shook the heavens two weeks ago, when he reached the summit. Whatever Irumi has done, he has shaken the foundations of the yokai’s arrogance. When they raided our village to see if we were complicit in his actions, I saw the fear in their eyes.”

  Perhaps it is too late, then, if Akar meant to glean some secret from the yokai’s queen, Keren thought.

  Tsune saw the dismay on her face, and frowned. “What is it?”

  “I – I was just wondering if it was worth it,” Keren said, “If your betrothed did not succeed, and now – now you and your kin must suffer more than ever!”

  “You do not understand what we go through here. In Reihai, human life is considered sacred only because it is pleasing to the gods. Amaterasu’s decrees are to be accepted without question, despite whether they are fair or unfair, solely because it is the way of the world and the destiny of mankind to obey her.

  “It is said this land was shared with us as a reward for our obedience. Those who refuse to obey, and revoke the ancient contract, forfeit their hearts and their lives. They are either cast out or eaten. And we call this a noble way to live – to be the playthings of a divinity that neither cares for nor understands the sufferings of mankind! Irumi would pay any price to free his people from such abominable servitude!”

  Keren quailed before this vehement speech. She was not accustomed to the idea of gods as things that one should rebel against. What was Amaterasu, really? The queen of the yokai did not seem to hold to the Herayon concept of divinity. Then again, Keren had never seen her. No one had. Who was to say that the powers of Heaven were not acting through the yokai, which commanded and constrained sinful Man? Then again, Keren thought, the yokai she had seen in the forest looked nothing like the agents of divinity…though there was one creature that might have.

  “But then, why do you continue to live here when the rules of the
contract are so unfair?” Keren asked. “Why can’t those like you and your beloved just pick up and go; make a new life elsewhere?”

  “Where would you suggest we go? To the barren and desolate nations of the east or north? They would not take us, and we could not live in peace with them. This land is our home, and if the gods do us injustice by it, then we will defend it with everything we have!”

  “Can’t your elders see the errors of their ways? Why do they continue to appease the yokai?”

  “They obey because they are afraid. And because Amaterasu has promised that all men who serve her faithfully in this life will be raised to an immortal post beside her in the next. Cowards, all of them! My Irumi is brave; he would risk all that he has in order to purchase the freedom of his people. He would tear even a goddess from her throne, if it meant his loved ones no longer had to live in fear!”

  Blasphemy though this seemed, Keren felt her heart surge with sympathy. “Those in Shinrin said we must pray to the kami for guidance. Surely, if they were creatures of good, they would be on our side?”

  Tsune nodded. “Aye. But the kami will not give their aid so long as we sit idly by, and not do what we can to rob the enemy of the upper hand! There have been rumors of others who wish to follow Irumi’s example; rumors that honorable men now gather on the highlands to oppose the yokai’s rule! But our village will not be among them. What the sages of Reihai always ignore is the teaching that a man must prove himself first, before he earns the kami’s blessing.”

  That was something Keren agreed with wholeheartedly. She bowed to the other girl. “That is very true, and I wish you the best of fortune! My companion and I journey to the highlands tomorrow. I do not know what we will find there, but I hope your warrior has found the strength to overcome.”

  Tsune rose and bowed in return. “I thank you, stranger, though you come from a distant land, and this fight is not your own. If you do see Irumi, could you perhaps give him tidings of – could you remind him of my devotion?”

  “Of course! What about you? Are you safe here, being betrothed to…well, a traitor?”

  “The hanshi will question me once you’ve gone. It was bad enough when they found out what Irumi did. The only thing that saved me was that our engagement was recent, and I swore I’d never spoken to him about his treasonous plot. Else the hanshi – and my own family, I suspect – would have simply given me to the next yokai that came along.”

  Keren’s heart went cold. She knew well the dread of being exiled by one’s kin; in Herayon, such punishment hung over the heads of all who contemplated serious wrongdoing. Betrayal of the tribe’s religious loyalties was the worst crime of all. Tsune was a brave woman indeed, to stand by her man in the face of such a threat. Even should he return triumphant, he would no longer be welcome in the village of his birth.

  Keren left the garden as darkness crept over Reihai. The blood-red lanterns of the temple burned like beacons, symbols of a religion that filled her heart with doubt.

  Akar spent the night in the temple, as befitted an honored yokai guest. He knelt on the cushions the hanshi had occupied, seeking that state of meditation which holy men seemed to achieve so easily. The Necrow knew the state of mind such prayer was meant to invoke, and yet found it impossible to imitate. So he sat motionless, waiting for the dawn, eyes closed but not in sleep.

  All around, as if through shadows, he saw the village sprawled over the foot of the mountain. He saw the great waterfalls, distantly glimmering as they tumbled over the cliffs. It was curious that the waters on the surface of this land had the same effervescence as those beneath the earth. He could see them far below: great reservoirs and currents of light that fed and illuminated everything above.

  Curious…Akar had sensed the doubt in Keren’s mind ever since the first villagers had related their tales. Apparently it was easier for some humans to believe in unusual states of death, but not unusual states of life. It would have been humorous, had the Necrow had a sense of humor.

  Akar experimented with twitching his lips upward in the semblance of a smile, but the action aroused no emotion. Perhaps he was merely a doll, as the girl had supposed? But then, as far as he knew, dolls did not have memories from before they were created.

  Faintly, he could smell the clouds of incense wafting through the temple. The hanshi had claimed the scent was pleasing to the yokai. He supposed they hoped it would appease him as well.

  There was a rustle of wings in the rafters. Akar had no need to look up; he merely re-oriented his inner sight in the direction of the sound. A web of life hovered over one of the beams. Its center was fixed in a wooden vessel, with rays emanating from it in delicately twisting strands. These strands manipulated the matter they imbued, re-arranging it on command. The web was restless, ever-changing.

  This was quite unlike the flow of energy through humans and animals, which was largely inert and changed only very slowly. Akar wondered vaguely whether the same results could be observed in a very young animal, or perhaps a pregnant woman. Surely the results would look similar in a Necrow that was in the process of regenerating itself, drawing threads of energy from surrounding life in order to repair its injured vessel.

  Curious, he extended his inner sense and plucked at one of the wriggling threads.

  There was a loud squawk, and a frantic rustling like dried leaves. A large gecko with the wings of a dragonfly tumbled out of the rafters, its pudgy limbs flailing, trying to free itself from his ghostly grip. Akar released the web, and watched as the creature splattered onto the floor. Hmm. Keren might not appreciate that…or the elders, if the creature’s fluids left too much of a mess.

  The yokai righted itself, popping its joints back into place, ruffling its veiny wings in offense. “Insolent damned spirit!! Thou mockest me with thy intrusive groping! How darest you molest one of the gecko lords basking in their place of worship? Apologize immediately!”

  “No apology is needed. You have been seated there for several minutes, watching. It is considered rude to approach without introducing oneself. You were given what was duly deserved.”

  “Insolence! This one was merely cautious to approach thee, damned spirit! It is well known what dreaded power the agents of death wield, though they walk the earth no more than once a millennium! May the kami take you!” Eyes bulging, it popped its long tongue out as it hissed at the Necrow.

  “Have you come with anything of substance to say? If not, it is suggested that you flee rather than babble any longer.”

  The gecko puffed itself up, actually growing larger as it sought to convey its self-importance. Akar could see now that it bore a tiny mask on its chest, painted with archaic symbols. The mask comprised the solid, unchanging center of the web.

  The gecko’s transparent wings spread wide like vast sails on either side of its body. “The wise gecko-folk know why the damned spirit comes! We have warned our queen, the one who is worshipped as a goddess by men! She alone knows the secrets of death. She alone can put your spirit to rest!”

  “So, you have come only to gloat. That is of no interest to me. I care not if your queen lies in wait with a trap; the Necrow cannot be killed without consent, and we too know how to manipulate the energies of life.”

  “Bwahaha! So confident, so proud! Just as that hunter was, when he swooped into her lair! We look forward to your demise, damned spirit. My kind shall feed upon your corpse while the queen devours your soul! Gloat we shall, for we always have our way! Farewell, dead man, until that day!” The gecko spread its insect-wings and took flight, beating furiously up and out the window.

  Akar did not molest it as it left. He did not see any point in responding to personal insults. Only time would serve to prove the yokai wrong. Clearly, they did not understand what they were dealing with…

  CHAPTER 12

  GODDESS OF THE SUN

  A warm wind whispered through the throne hall of Ozora no Kyuden, stirring the fairy-lamps which illuminated the darkness with pools of ghostly lig
ht. The great pillars stood watch over the scene, the jeweled eyes of the beasts glinting forbiddingly. The silver throne beckoned to Irumi, its regal branches spread wide with promise. It was that throne his people were meant to inherit. Only its current occupant stood in his way.

  Amaterasu tossed her beautiful head, her dark eyes laughing. “Keenly have I awaited your coming, hero. Your grand entrance has not been a disappointment to me!”

  Irumi shook himself, trying to clear the distraction of her from his mind. With unsteady hands he lifted his father’s bow and pulled an arrow from the quiver.

  “Come now, surely you do not seek to slay me yet; not before you have even introduced yourself?” the goddess cooed.

  The archer hesitated, then said: “I am called Irumi, from the village of Reihai.”

  “Ah, a noble line indeed! I see now where your courage comes from.” Amaterasu smiled mockingly. She gestured around, taking in the eerie lamps, the silver throne, the vast columns reaching upward into darkness. “Wouldn’t you like to inquire, Irumi of Reihai, why this hall is named the Court of Seven Virtues?”

  Irumi did not answer. He nocked the arrow to the string and drew, aiming for the center of the woman’s breast. But Irumi did not fire; not yet. Whatever he had expected to find, surely it had not been this. Why had he come here to slay such a lovely woman? It was difficult to remember…

  “This court is named for the seven Sacred Beasts. You see their likenesses there, on the pillars. You fear them, don’t you? Most men do. But they are not as fearsome as they seem. They are merely wardens of virtue, after all. And virtue is an easy thing to come by.” Amaterasu rose gracefully from the throne, her flowered silks swirling in an unseen wind. She sauntered slowly forward, untroubled by the weapon Irumi trained on her.