The Wings of Dreams

face without a speck of human emotion.
    He was at least half human. The thick neck and bulging shoulders and long, burly arms. Scales covered the lower half of his body down to a pair of clawed bird’s feet. Behind him the tail of snake thumped against the ground.
    Shushou screamed. She instinctively raised her hand, then reached down and grabbed a handful of dirt and flung it at the face of the harpy. After that, a stone. She scooted backwards while hurling whatever she could lay her hands on.
    She clambered to her feet and ran. The harpy caught her by the hair. She writhed desperately and managed to shake herself free and sprint away—right into the boulder.
    She pushed herself off the boulder and dodged around it. The harpy jumped clean over Shushou and the rock. She tried to run but the thing had a hold of her head and dragged her back, lifting her feet right off the ground.
    A big, vertical slab of stone was right in front of her.
    At first, Shushou was sure the scream was her own. The stone charged forward. Her thoughts froze. She thrust out her hands. In the same instance a sharp blow sent her head reeling. She fell hard on her behind. But all she felt in that moment was blank amazement.

    Another scream rent the air. The ground shook beneath her. She scooted against the boulder as a pale object tumbled out of the sky.
    It took a long moment to realize what had happened.
    The pale object was a well-muscled forearm, severed at the elbow. The same arm that had been holding her by the head. The youma had tried to swing her like a club against the charging stone but lost its arm first.
    She raised her eyes. The harpy had its back to her. The creature writhed and swayed, its lashing tail smacking Shushou like a whip.
    The harpy shrieked again. This time Shushou knew it didn’t come from her. A bellow, a shout of anger that could well be taken as human. It crouched over, waving its remaining arm. The tip of a blade jutted out of its back. The blade appeared to grow out of the skin.
    At the same time, somebody darted in from the side and dragged her to safety. She glanced up to see Rikou looking down at her.
    “Ah—”
    She’d barely savored the relief when the tail thudded against the boulder next to them, followed by the harpy’s body slamming into the face of the rock, bouncing off and crashing to the ground.
    “Hey!” The silhouette standing at the foot of the fallen youma called out to her. “You alive?”
    Shushou tried to answer but couldn’t speak. She nodded.
    “Heaven help me, but you really are the luckiest girl ever.”
    She wouldn’t disagree, so nodded again.
    “What’s the matter? Something wrong with your legs?”
    He shook the sword, like flicking off dew, and tucked it into the scabbard.
    “I really am the stupidest girl ever.”
    Gankyuu only raised his brows.
    “I was so frightened—”
    Words failed her. The rest came out as a sob. She hugged her knees and buried her face in her arms. Heavy footsteps plodded up to her. Gankyuu reached down, grabbed her by the back of her collar, and hauled her to her feet.
    “Stand up. We’re getting out of here.”
    Very much like a wayward kitten, Shushou couldn’t help thinking. Her eyes opened wide.
    “Gankyuu! Your leg!”
    “Yeah,” Gankyuu said with a chagrined smile. “I screwed up. That thing took a piece out of me with one of its talons.”

Chapter 36
    [5-5]  S hushou couldn’t keep her voice from quavering. “A-are you okay?”
    Gankyuu braced himself against the boulder. “Couldn’t say that I was with a straight face.”
    He sank to the ground. His muddy-looking leggings were torn above the knee. The dark, damp stain in the fabric needed no explanation. Shushou noticed that he cradled his right leg when he sat down.
    She knelt beside him. Looking closer, the torn leggings revealed a ragged gash in his thigh. Rikou crouched down next to her.
    “Gankyuu—”
    “Stop it. That tone of voice is making me depressed.”
    Gankyuu ran his hand down his sprawled-out leg. The way he suddenly stopped betrayed how painful the wound must be to the touch.
    Rikou turned to Shushou. “Shushou, remove his chaps and cut off the leggings.”
    Rikou ran over to a nearby rocky outcropping. Shushou bent over Gankyuu’s leg. She took off the chaps. They were heavy and wet, as if soaked through with rain. She tried to roll up the leggings but they clung too tight around his calves. She tried ripping open the seam but the fabric was too