The Wings of Dreams

against Gankyuu’s shoulder. Gankyuu stroked the smooth curve of his neck. Bathed in the soft green light, the haku’s coat cast off a glossy sheen.
    “Are you one of the koushu no tami ?” He asked the question in the same soft voice, with no note of reproach.
    Gankyuu nodded. “Greatly appreciated. Did you rescue the haku?”
    “It was tied with a black rope, so I assumed the owner was on the run from a youma. I see you are wounded.”
    “Ah, that.” Using the sword as a cane, Gankyuu let go of the haku and slumped to the ground. “As you can see, you saved our necks as well.”
    “Um,” Shushou said. She pointed at the feasting youma. “Isn’t that a youma? Should we just stand here chatting? Or is that your kijuu?”
    The boy shook his head. “Not a kijuu. Call it an acquaintance.”
    “A youma is your acquaintance?”
    “Well, more or less.”
    As they talked, Shushou got a better up-close look at him. He wasn’t much older than herself.
    He asked her, “Are you a koushu too?”
    Gankyuu said, “ No is the best answer to that question.”
    “I don’t suppose you could help us out here? We’d be really, really grateful.”
    “Sure,” he said without any prevarication. “With all the bloodshed, we should get moving.” He reached down to Gankyuu. “That leg of yours, you should saddle up. I’ll show you to a safe place.”
    As he pulled Gankyuu to his feet, a gap opened up in the shawl wrapped around his shoulders, Shushou gaped at the sight of the antique armor beneath, yet finely made and in good condition. The string of gems hanging across his right shoulder to his left side sparkled with a clean, clear light, casting off a rainbow of colors as he moved. Stranger still, this beautiful jewelry didn’t appear at all ornamental.
    A shawl woven with gems—
    Shushou raised her eyes and examined the side of the boy’s face with wide eyes as he helped him into the saddle.
    Gankyuu extended his hand and then stopped, the look on his face little different than Shushou’s.

Chapter 41
    [6-3]  S hushou posed the question to herself over and over: You can’t possibly be— She couldn’t bring herself to say the words aloud.
    Gankyuu rode on the haku. The boy walked alongside him holding the reins. Shushou reached out and hesitantly took his free hand. He only glanced over his shoulder, didn’t shake her off, but clasped her hand with his, a warm and gentle grip.
    He looked like an ordinary young man, though the way he carried himself hinted of the warrior within. He strode through the forest without the slightest wariness or concern. At first, Shushou was sure he was headed for the koushu village. Instead he returned to the hill where Gankyuu had abandoned the haku.
    Winding around the hill and pressing through a thicket at its base, they came upon a narrow creek and followed it upstream. The sun was setting when they entered a rocky area and made their way to a spring bubbling out of the rocks. A copse of gnarled pine trees clung to the adjacent boulders.

    The spring was a step down from the stone table. The boughs of the pine trees almost completely closed out the sky above.
    He tied the haku to a stake wedged into a crevice in the rock and turned his attention to a hearth beneath a small ledge of stone.
    What an ideal place, Shushou thought. He must come here often. He moved about with a natural sense of familiarity. Her mind astir, she watched as he built a fire from the pine needles and dead branches he’d gathered along the way.
    Being wise to such a safe haven indicated his deep knowledge of the Yellow Sea. Except not only knowing of such of place, but visiting it often, wasn’t the kind of thing the typical guardian did.
    I don’t believe it. You can’t possibly be— She still couldn’t give voice to her question from before.
    In the dusky grove, beneath the pine trees, the twilight came all the quicker to the spring. The pleasant breezes stilled. Shushou at last commanded herself to move. Petting and reassuring the haku, she removed the saddle and travel packs, brought it to the spring to drink, then opened the feed bag and spilled some out on the ground.
    “I’m so relieved.” She wrapped her arms around the haku’s neck as it bent down to eat. She really was grateful it was safe. She hugged the warm haku and said so over and over in her heart. Hot tears stung the corner of her eyes. She rubbed her face against the haku’s fur.
    She glanced over her shoulder to see