Entering the courtyard was like walking through a silent waterfall. Once past the gate, we stood on solid ground, breathing without benefit of the talismans. Our clothes, belongings, and hair were instantly dry. Surei began rearranging her sleeves.
We entered the palace itself. The walls had a stunning mother-of-pearl sheen to them. The ceiling above was an almost transparent green, so the sunshine leaking through had the quality of light seen through a brilliant gemstone. It was breathtaking.
With a flash of light, the dragon changed to a large, genial-faced, red-haired man dressed in Chinese robes and wearing jade ornaments.
We stood in an antechamber where a seahorse guard holding a naginata stood in each of the four corners. From there we followed the Dragon King into a long room with a brightly colored seashell and coral-encrusted throne at the far end. As he sat down, he smiled down at us. “We don’t get many visitors down here, particularly from the surface.”
He motioned us forward, and Surei and I advanced until we stood directly before him. He clapped his hands and servants brought out some pillows and set them in front of us. He motioned for us to sit down.
There was a feminine giggle from an arch behind the throne, and several faces peeked out around the corner. Without looking, the Dragon King waved behind him and, still smiling, said, “These are my daughters. Come welcome our guests, girls.”
He leaned forward as if sharing something in confidence. “The girls are excited to meet someone new. Especially someone as handsome as Yoshi. We don’t get many live ones here, and most of those are rather cold fish.” He sat back, slapping his knee and laughing uproariously.
Five girls came gliding through the arch and quickly surrounded us, standing all around and looking down at me. I reddened at the attention, especially when one of them started running her hands through my hair and the others began feeling my clothing and squeezing the muscles of my arms.
The style of dress favored in the court of the Dragon King was very different from what I was accustomed to. The girls were clothed in a style that I had seen only in a few old Chinese paintings. Their shoulder-less gowns were tight across their chests, barely covering their breasts. The light, gauzy, silk robes they wore as mantles did little to cover them further, giving me a good view of their fair, unblemished skin. The girls must have been unaware of how much the robes revealed since they kept leaning over to inspect various aspects of my clothes, providing an even better view.
Surei bowed to the Dragon King. In her best high-born noble accent, she said, “Your majesty, it is a signal honor to meet you. We have been—”
The Dragon King leaned forward in his throne, put his hand on his knee and asked Surei, “Why did you decide on a female this time around?”
“—looking forward—what? Female?” Surei looked flustered. “I … I don’t know what you mean.”
The Dragon King waved his hand airily and sat back. “Never mind, it’s not important. Tell me, what brings you and Yoshi here?”
Surei glanced over at me. I was still surrounded by the Dragon King’s lovely daughters. I would have been more aggressive about freeing myself from them, but we were guests here, and I didn’t want to give offense. So, I just sat there and suffered under their attentions.
Surei hissed at me, “Yoshi!” I didn’t hear her over the murmuring of the five girls. She walked over, reached between two of the girls, grabbed me by the shoulder and hauled me to my feet, saying sharply, “YOSHI!”
The girls stepped away from me, and Surei and I stood before the Dragon King. He chuckled at us. After another motion of his hand, the girls left, giggling and waving farewell to me as they passed back through the arch. I watched them go with some regret.
Surei told the Dragon King, “Through a series of curious incidents, we came into possession of Yata-no-Kagami.”
At the mention of Amaterasu’s mirror, the Dragon King lost his aura of distracted amusement for the first time and leaned forward, watching her intently.
“We were compelled to look in the mirror once we discovered what it was. When we did so, we were shown visions of Abé no Seimei visiting you here in your palace. We were hoping you could help us understand the meaning of the visions.”
The Dragon King rubbed his chin with his hand. “Abé no Seimei, hunh?” He looked carefullt at Surei. “He is your grandfather?”
Surei looked surprised for a moment, “Great-great-something-grandfather, actually.”
The Dragon King nodded his head. “How is Kuzu-no-ha?” he asked.
“She is fine—” Surei began answering, then caught herself. “How did you know—”
The Dragon King smiled again. “It’s her family. I have sensed powerful magic being used lately. I would have been astonished if she weren’t involved somehow.”
He looked at me, closely inspecting the naginata in my hand for the first time. “You are descended from Minamoto no Yoshiiye?”
Surprised at his question, I said, “I am.”
My answer seemed to confirm some supposition of his own. When he spoke to Surei again, he was much more matter-of-fact. “I may be able to help you. You are seeking the solution to a difficult problem, am I correct?” She nodded. “Show me your magic,” he said.
She stared at him for a moment. “My magic?”
He nodded in a serious manner. “Your magic. You are an onmyouji, else you would not be here, and Amaterasu would not allow you to obtain the mirror unless she had some purpose for you. So, let’s see your magic.”
Surei hesitated for a long moment, then she stepped forward into the center of the room. Reaching into her bag, she removed a brush and a small jar of ink. She carefully drew a large five-pointed star on the floor, overlapping the lines so they made a pentagon in the center of the figure.
The Dragon King nodded his approval as he watched her. “The seiman.” he murmured as she finished the star.
Surei placed a candle inside a holder at each point of the star, then retrieved a striker from her bag and lit them. She came back to the Dragon King.
“Do you have some paper?” she asked. He made a signal and a servant silently glided in carrying several sheets of rice-paper. Surei looked them over, feeling each one, before deciding on a thick bluish-white sheet.
Going back over to the seiman, she made several intricate folds to the paper. With her ceremonial black tantou, she cut the paper across the folds and replaced the knife in its sheath. When she unfolded the paper, it was in the shape of a small doll.
Surei stood facing the seiman and began chanting. Just as when she attempted Akiko’s exorcism, my perceptions changed. I saw the Dragon King and his palace for what they really were. He was an immensely old and powerful being whose essence was as deep, as wide, and as unknowable as the lake that was his domain. His palace was a wellspring of water magic.
On two previous occasions, I had noticed the strong connection between Surei and myself. This time, I didn’t just see it, I could feel it, the way Surei could. Her emotions were as clear to me as my own feelings. If I closed my eyes, I could still locate her and read her state of mind. I could sense her uneasiness and the gnawing doubts of her capabilities.
As she chanted, a smoky mist began forming in the seiman. At first, it was no more than a hint of darkness at the center of the star, but soon, the shapeless black mass blocked the light from the candles.
Surei changed the chant, and the dark material began to assume a recognizable form. About half as tall as a man, there was a hint of arms and legs and perhaps a large oversized head. Our connection let me feel Surei’s focus as she attempted to shape the amorphous stuff to her desire. Her concentration was so total nothing else existed for her except the magic and her will.
The material coalesced into an almost-monkey shape, then wavered. Surei stumbled in her chant. I could feel panic welling up in her mind. She thrust it down and continued with the ritual, but the monkey began to slump and lose its shape. Surei tried to put more power into it, but she didn’t have enough. The dark stuff in the center of the star started roiling and trembling. With no warning, it flew apart like a piece of fog scattered in the morning breeze.
The candles at the points of the star snuffed out and the magic recoiled back onto Surei. Linked to her as I was, I felt a flash of agony like my brain was on fire. I shouted in torment and gripped my head with both hands as the pain flowed through our connection and stabbed through my mind. Dark spots flashed across my vision. The pain drove Surei to her knees.
I slowly regained my ability to see. When I looked over at Surei, she was just getting up from the floor. With the end of the incantation, I lost most of the sense of our connection, but a ghost of feeling remained, and I knew Surei was despondent and bitterly disappointed.
The Dragon King watched Surei with compassion in his eyes. Softly, he said, “So, your reach exceeds your power. Still, you have excellent concentration and good skill. Another ten years or so of regular practice and your power will have increased to the point where this sort of thing will be far easier.”
Ten years? We don’t have ten years!
I didn’t need a mystical connection to realize the effect this judgment would have on Surei. The Dragon King had been our last hope.
I could see Surei’s shoulders begin to sag. It wasn’t right. I knew she had power. I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving without demonstrating her real skill for the Dragon King. “Wait!” I shouted.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Both of them looked at me, Surei with her mouth open in surprise, the Dragon King with an air of curiosity.
“She has power. I have seen it. Is she not the Dancer of the Scarlet Hyacinth? Has there ever been a dancer with her skill and craft? Never.” I turned to Surei. “Show him,” I said.
Surei demurred. “Yoshi,” she said, “dancing isn’t—”
“Your magic dance had great power. Much more than that monkey. Show him!” I reached into my robe and pulled out my flute. “I will provide the music. Dance. Dance for us, Dancer of the Scarlet Hyacinth.”
Surei looked at the Dragon King. He smiled and nodded, then signaled his daughters to come back in. They seated themselves around the throne.
She shook her head but stripped down to her kosode and hakama, then put the pale pink underrobe back on. Taking the beginning stance for the dance, she looked my way and nodded.
I began the flute accompaniment with an instrumental solo to set the mood for her dance. For Surei to dance her best, I would have to play beyond myself, better than I ever had before. Except for one time. There had been a particular night, years before. I remembered…
It had been a perfect evening. Surei and I came out to the foothills to watch the full moon set over the city. The cry of the cuckoos echoed, haunting in the warm summer air. “Play something for me, Yoshi,” she asked. I took the flute she had given me and began to play. I poured out my feelings for her and my appreciation of the beauty surrounding us. I let them suffuse the melody from the flute. It perfectly expressed the emotions that filled me. It seemed I played all night—I had so much to tell her. I hoped she would understand. When I finally finished playing, the moon had set and Surei was crying.
I closed my eyes and let the feelings from that night fill my thoughts. I tried to recall the essence of the evening, remind myself of the emotions of that young man, and imprint it all on my consciousness. When I thought I had it, I raised the flute to my lips.
From the first note, I could tell it was not I who was playing, it was that young man so many years before. He once more put his heart and his soul into the music, and the flute responded.
When I finished the introductory solo, I opened my eyes. Surei had tears running down her cheeks. The Dragon King’s daughters wept and the Dragon King himself had a gleam in his eyes.
Surei didn’t let her crying interfere with her dance. She straightened and took a deep breath. I felt the tingling of magic. The connection between Surei and I reappeared, a mystic tie that linked us more intimately than any physical bond. Suddenly, she seemed to glow, drawing every eye to her. The Dragon King sat up and looked at her intently.
She began to move, a slow step with Abé no Seimei’s tantou in her right hand sweeping towards the floor. Her loose hair responded to a twist of her head and fell over her face. She brought her left hand up gracefully, taking another step. As her eyes followed the hand up, her hair fell away. So beautiful.
The dance continued. Every gesture was fraught with meaning, every step precise, graceful. The tingling of magic grew stronger. The glow intensified, forming a nimbus of light around her, growing stronger as she danced.
I increased the tempo of my playing, making it louder, more dramatic. Traces of power trailed from her fingers and the blade of the tantou like ribbons of light. She spun and pointed to the corner of the room. Another Surei danced there, the two of them moving in perfect concert, like a reflection in a mirror. Each one glowed more brightly as they danced.
In my astonishment, I dropped a few notes. It took me a moment to regain my composure and begin playing properly again. I snuck a quick look at the Dragon King. He sat back on his throne with a lazy, self-satisfied smile. His daughters watched raptly. Suddenly confident of the success of our mission, I threw myself even more deeply into my playing.
The light trailing the hands and tantous of the two Sureis now resembled two rivers of power. Once again in perfect unison, the two figures gestured to a spot halfway between them. Then, they were three. Positioned at the points of a symmetric triangle, the three figures whirled and pirouetted about a common center in an impossibly intricate dance.
I could feel Surei’s power. In fact, it was almost as if I could touch it myself, if I were to pull here—
The power rushed through me. I no longer worried about missing a note. The music soared, my playing reaching undreamed-of heights. I could play anything. If only I had a drummer…
I felt my thoughts divide. Next to me stood a drummer—me. We played together, two musicians guided by one mind. I never had any skill with the drum, but I played it perfectly, better than any performer appearing before the imperial court. I could not fail. Our music grew louder, stronger, uncontrolled.
The three dancers threw themselves into their dance, wildly moving through their steps, trailing multicolored bands of power behind them. The entire palace resembled some fantastic landscape seen through a giant kaleidoscope. Their performance echoed a temple dance, yet was unlike any dance I had ever seen. They spun like dervishes and leapt in a frenzy, flying to incredible heights in the air. They passed each other so closely it seemed impossible they not strike each other with the tantou flying madly in their hands. Yet, they continued, unscathed. The ribbons of power grew brighter until they resembled the Northern Lights. I had to squint against the glare.
Suddenly, the three dancers froze in position on the floor. Guided by Surei’s unspoken thought, I ceased playing.
With a flicker, the extra players vanished leaving just Surei and me. She stood. I felt a curious emptiness as if I had lost something precious.
The Dragon King leapt to his feet. “Amazing! You could perform before the Jade Emperor himself and not be found lacking. You do indeed have powerful magic.”
Surei was still breathing hard from the exertions of the dance, but her face glowed with happiness and triumph.
The Dragon King turned to the nearest of his daughters, “Go get the item Seimei left. She will be a worthy bearer and wield its power wisely.”
Surei frowned and shook her head. “But that was just a dance. It doesn’t help me do magic. I can’t be an onmyouji leaping around like this.”
The Dragon King laughed. “Humans have a very limited understanding of power, but it is really quite simple. You take the available chi, the magic power, and then you shape it according to your will. That’s all.
“We all have some power inside us. The onmyouji generally use whatever chi they carry within themselves and then shape it with their chants. Daoist sorcerers draw power from the world, powerful spirits, and minor kami, and control it with both words and dance. Temple dancers make themselves conduits for chi. They call on great kami for power and allow the kami themselves to shape it.”
He sat back on the throne and looked at Surei intently. “You have not been working with power long enough to carry much chi within you. So, while you could shape your monkey, you couldn’t sustain it. You have great talent for attracting kami—your dance calls to the gods themselves. When you danced, you connected with a great kami. In this particular case, Ame-no-Uzume herself, the goddess of the dance. But like a temple dancer, you do not control the result. You will need to learn to do that.”
“The fascinating part is how you and Yoshi interacted. You were able to share your power with him. It is something I have never seen before.” He shook his head. “You have always been a source of surprises. How did you manage to forge that connection?”
Surei told him the story of the oath.
“A tie like that is very risky. I wouldn’t have recommended it. You do realize it is permanent and not limited to a single lifetime, don’t you?”
“What?” Surei squeaked.
I stared at her in horror.
“You had no idea at all what you were doing, did you?” He shook his head. “Oh well, too late now. I can’t tell you how to use it—you will have to discover that yourself. But I imagine knowing Yoshi can draw on the power will help. And remember, in the dance, the more power you draw, the more control you cede to the kami. Be careful who you call on—a human cannot hope to control a genuinely powerful kami.”
One of the dragon princesses came into the room carrying a small, slender box. She bowed and presented it to her father.
The Dragon King of the Lake stood and walked to where Surei was standing. In a formal tone, he said, “Sugawara no Sureiko, I have fulfilled my promise to Abé no Seimei to keep this safe until its rightful bearer should come and claim it. Having demonstrated your suitability, I surrender it into your care. Do you accept it?”
Surei looked frightened for a moment, but in a steady voice she said, “I do.”
He held the box out to her.
Surei took the lid off. Inside the box was a matched pair of fans. She picked one up and opened it. It was adorned with a spectacular painting of the sun rising out of the sea. Off to one side was some strange lettering written in gold ink. She stared at it for a bit, and then returned it to the box. The Dragon King replaced the lid and handed her the box with a bow.
Surei returned his bow, much more deeply. “Thank you.” She stared at the box. “What am I supposed to do with these? What do they do? Why did Amaterasu send us here?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t know,” the Dragon King said, cheerfully. “Seimei asked me to hold the thing and how to recognize the bearer, but he never said what it was for. As for Amaterasu, it’s been hundreds of years since I have talked to her.” He said to himself, “I really should drop by and see her sometime soon.”
Surei stared down at the fan case. “I had a vision of two members of the imperial family. They were in a beautiful walled garden of sakura and ume. They exchanged poems about the beauties around them. At night, they retired to their exquisite manor house and made love. A disturbance started outside the walls, but they paid it no attention. Rude, armed intruders pulled down the walls and invaded their paradise, engaging in brutal combat and burning the garden to the ground. At the end, the pair stood in the midst of a barren wasteland, their beautiful garments torn and singed, they themselves covered in blood and gore.” She looked up and stared at the Dragon King. Her grip on the box was so tight I could see her knuckles turning white. “What does that mean? Am I supposed to stop it somehow?”
“Perhaps. Perhaps you are supposed to make it happen,” the Dragon King said, still smiling. “I don’t know.”
Surei gave a violent shake of her head. “Amaterasu wouldn’t want the kind of destruction I saw. The members of the imperial family are her children. She wouldn’t want that kind of suffering for them.”
“Sometimes people have to suffer through unpleasant things to avoid even more unpleasant things.” He sat heavily on his throne. “Amaterasu wants what is best for her people, which is not necessarily what is best for the nobility in Heian-Kyou.”
“The nobility currently living in Kyoto are not what is best for Japan,” I said, agreeing a little more strongly than I had intended to.
Surei’s gaze returned to the fan case. “But I have no idea what she wants.”
“Mortals are difficult creatures. It is always easier to encourage one who is already doing what you want than to try to get him to do something different.” He shrugged. “Do what you need to do. And please come back to visit sometime. The girls and I loved the dance.”
I cleared my throat. “Your Majesty, I had something I wanted to ask you.”
He cocked his head to the side. “Oh? And what is that?”
“I have a problem with a mujina who has threatened Surei and me. Normally, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, but, to be frank, I am completely overmatched here. He is much stronger and faster than I am. It is only due to a series of coincidences and some incredible luck I have managed to survive our last three encounters. I am certain he will succeed in killing me at our next meeting.”
He smiled. “Clearly you will need some magical aid.” He indicated Surei, “I am sure she will be able to come up with something to help you. Remember, he with the heart of a tiger shall be victorious in a hundred battles.”
Surei stared at him, her forehead wrinkling in thought. After a moment, she slowly nodded her head. “Yes, I think I may be able to do something,” she said.
She continued. “You said I need to learn to control the power. I have no scrolls to tell me how. I was never taught those secrets.”
“Basic Daoist sorcery,” the Dragon King said. “I am sure you will find it simple. I can show you the basics in just a short time. I have some scrolls explaining it and some spells. Come with me to my study, and I will give them to you.”
Surei and the Dragon King exited the room leaving me alone with the five dragon princesses. They started giggling and smiling at me. I searched my memory for tales that would give me some clue as to how to properly behave around them, but all I could come up with was stories that involved marrying them. The story of Urashima Taro, the Fisher Lad, came to mind. That detailed the consequences of marrying one of the daughters of the Dragon King and then trying to return to land.
The five of them descended on me.