The Twelve Kingdoms: Shadow of the Moon

and not only it, if you are to escape."
    "Not only it?" So there were more coming after her, the same as in the red dawn of her dreams. "I . . . can't. That Jouyuu or Hinman or whatever it is, where did it go?"
    Keiki didn't answer. He stared up at the sky. "They come."

Chapter 7
    I n the moment she looked to see for herself, behind her, she heard that strange cry. The sword was thrust into her hand. It didn't register at first. She turned towards the cry and saw the great wingspan of the bird as it circled and fell towards them.
    She shouted in fear, realizing at once that there was no place to run. The bird was descending faster than she could flee. The sword was useless. She had no idea what to do with it. Confront this beast with it? It was an absurd thought. There was no way to protect herself.
    The bird's fat-clawed appendages filled her vision. She wanted to shut her eyes but couldn't.
    A shock of white light flashed in front of her, followed by a violent, hard sound like two stones crashing together. A heavy talon, gleaming like the blade of an axe, stopped right before her face. She had checked its motion with the sword, half-drawn from its scabbard, held out in front of her and braced with both hands.
    She had no time to ask herself how she had done it.
    Her hand, as if of its own accord, drew out the rest of the blade. In the same motion she swung at the bird's feet. A warm spray of bright red blood showered down on her.
    In dumb surprise she could only think, I am not doing this. Her hands and feet reacted of their own accord, hacking at the limbs of the Kochou as it wheeled above them in confusion.
    More blood rained down, drenching her. The warm liquid ran down her face and neck, soaked under the collar of her shirt. She shuddered with revulsion. She--her legs, rather--retreated, dodging the eruptions.
    The monster climbed into the sky, righted itself and plunged towards her. She slashed at the wings. With every move she felt the cold tendrils rippling through her.
    It's that thing, the Jouyuu.
    Its wings shredded, the bird shrieked and crashed into the ground. In a glance Youko took in the scene. The Jouyuu was doing this, she knew, was jerking her arms and legs around like a marionette's.
    The giant bird writhed in agony, pounded its wings against the ground and clawed towards her. Without a moment's hesitation she attacked. Dodging its assaults she hacked away at the body. She soon was covered in bloody gore. All that registered were the loathsome repercussions in her hands as each blow parted flesh and bone.
    She groaned in disgust but could not stop herself. She ignored the spewing blood and drove the sword deep into the bird's wing, yanked it out, severing a good part of the wing. She turned on her heels, face to face with the animal's screeching, frothing head.
    "Please, stop!"
    The great bird flapped its wounded wing but was unable to lift its body off the ground. Youko ducked around the beating wing and stabbed at the bird's torso. She shut her eyes to what she was doing but felt the soft resistance in her arms as the blade sank through fat and tissue. She pulled it free, spun, and swung at the bird's neck.
    The animal's spine stopped the sword's forward motion. She pulled the sword free, splattering herself with flesh and fluid, swung again and severed the head cleanly from the body.
    Only after she had wiped the sword clean with the bird's still quivering feathers did the control of her own body fully return to her.
    She wailed in anguish and threw the sword as far from her as she could.

    Youko leaned over the edge of the breakwater and vomited. Sobbing, she slid down between the concrete arms of the tetrapod and splashed into the sea. It was the middle of February. The water was cold enough to cut her in two. But her only desire was to wash the bloody filth from her face.
    By the time she had returned to her senses she was shivering so badly she could do little more than crawl up the embankment to the breakwater. Back on solid ground she burst into tears. She wept with fear and revulsion, wept until her voice was hoarse, until there were no tears left inside to come out.
    "Are you all right?" Keiki asked.
    "Am I what?"
    There was no color in the man's expression. He said, "That was not the only one. More are coming."
    "And?" Her body was numb. His warning stirred in her nothing. Looking up at his face she now felt no fear of him at all.
    "They are strong, they are relentless. If I am to