The Wings of Dreams

nonsense and pick up the pace.”
    “And if I’m being totally serious?”
    “Then quit thinking such serious nonsense. Try walking without making a fuss.”
    About what? Shushou was about to counter, when the goushi at the head of the line called back to them.
    “Hey!”
    Shushou raised her head. A tree had fallen over at the crest of a steep slope, blocking the path.
    The people and kijuu would move it out of the way. It was a scene Shushou was used to by now. She felt the inevitable spark of irritation at this obstacle to their progress, and regretted the burden placed upon the kijuu and horses. But at the same time, observing them hard at work lifted her spirits.
    Gankyuu, along with Kinhaku and the goushi, ran up the tree. Behind them, several people noticed what was happening and hurried back down the hill, probably to inform Shitsu Kiwa. Gankyuu and the others gestured at the tree and pointed at forest on the left as they discussed the situation. Looking more closely, Shushou could make out a narrow path winding through the woods.
    “What are they talking about?” Shushou mostly asked herself.
    Rikou cocked his head to the side. “No idea.”
    Gankyuu indicated the forest again, then looked up at the sky, his face clouded with concern. Shushou reflexively looked up as well. The sun was by now slanting toward the west. The time of day was closer to dusk than noon.
    The ad hoc committee finally came to an agreement and Gankyuu returned.
    “What’s the matter?” Shushou asked.
    Gankyuu took the reins of the haku and started toward “We’re camping out here tonight.”
    “But it’s still—” Shushou indicated the sky.
    “The road ahead is impassable. We’ll have to detour through the forest. Except there isn’t a well-defined road. We’ll camp here and forge a path first thing in the morning.”
    “Why? Can’t you remove that tree the same way as all the other ones?”
    “There’s a youma up ahead. A big one.”
    “Eh?”
    “That tree was left there by previous goushi. It’s new. Probably this winter. Trees were felled from both the left and right.”
    Taking another look, the path was indeed blocked on both sides, the trunks not shattered or uprooted but showing the handiwork of axes.
    “That’s the sign of a youma we can’t handle, the kind of youma that should be avoided rather than confronted.”

Chapter 22
    [3-6] “ S o the way ahead really is impassable.”
    A flurry of activity erupted as a number of people, starting with Shitsu Kiwa, rushed forward. The koushu had already stepped away from the road and were setting up camp a little ways into the forest.
    As usual, it was Kinhaku who nodded. “ Don’t even try. That’s what those trees are saying. The kind of thing we’re not about to second guess.”
    “But—”
    “Then what are we supposed to do?” said Ren Chodai, stepping into the conversation. Shushou was a tad surprised to see Chodai asking a koushu for an opinion about anything.
    “The signal left by our colleagues is clear. We’ll leave the road and detour through the forest.”
    “How long will this take? How safe is it?”
    “Safer than going straight. Maintaining a brisk pace, we should be through this part of the forest in a day. It’ll be rough going until we get back to the road. I expect they also left a sign telling us where the detour ends.”
    “Any chance of us getting lost in all this wilderness?”
    “I can’t say there isn’t. So we’ll take all the necessary preparations.”
    “Meaning this youma or whatever is the kind of adversary that makes the risk worth it.”
    “We don’t actually know what’s out there, except it’s enough of a threat that the road was blocked to keep us out of its territory.”
    “I see.”
    “There is one additional request I’d like to make.”
    Chodai raised his brows. “What’s that?”
    “Ask those traveling with your party to take cover in the forest too. Don’t light any fires tonight and especially don’t cook any fish or meat. Definitely don’t slaughter any fowl or sheep. If possible, eat stale rice and make as little sound as possible. Space yourselves out of earshot of each other. Even then, you can’t be too careful.”
    Chodai didn’t look happy with these conditions but nodded. “I can’t promise anything but I’ll take it under advisement.” He turned on his heels, walked back to the road and down the hill.
    Watching him leave, Shitsu Kiwa sniffed before facing Kinhaku with