Reprisal's Lair Read online

  Lynn Francis

  Reprisal's Lair

  Book 2 of the Blood Samurai

  Copyright © Lynn Francis, 2018

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

  This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

  Lynn Francis asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

  Lynn Francis has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

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  First edition

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  Contents

  Free Short Story

  Author's Note

  起死回生

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 21

  Epilogue

  Book 3 Blade of Retribution

  Sutoku's Story

  The Kitsune Wife

  Free Short Story

  Visit www.lynnfrancis.com for your free copy of The Kitsune Wife, a Blood Samurai short story prequel. You can also learn how to be a beta reader in exchange for free copies of upcoming works as well as to learn of new promotions and events.

  Author's Note

  If you are one of the readers who have had to wait just over a year for this sequel: thank you for your patience and I am sorry!

  Riku has always been asking for more. Making a whole lot of noise in my head in fact! I wasn’t ready. I still think that! But the problem with that way of thinking is that you are never ready.

  I could go back and rewrite Winds of Retribution. There is always that temptation.

  To paint a more detailed picture, more Yokai, more history, or just more more more!

  But then I would never write anything new. And in truth very little anything else. Because knowing that it would never be finished makes any new project a rather daunting task to start.

  Instead I forced myself from the land of research and allowing everything to play out safely within the confines of my head and made the jump to committing once again to paper.

  I have continued with the English tradition of first names first, except in the case of the onmyōji, or the official astrologer to the emperor Abe no Tanetadai and the nine tailed fox, Tamamo no Mae. I admit for no other reason than I like the way it sounds! I did the same with The Kitsune Trap.

  Again, all mistakes are my own! Some of them inadvertently and some with full brandishing of my right to create a fiction world.

  Some of the major impositions include that of the term Hanyo and the fact that Takiyasha is there at all. The term hanyo is not one Riku or anyone else would have used. So although those who love Yokai may have heard it being branded about in recent years, it is a creation of Rumiko Takahashi (again, English style version of her name). In fact, you could give her credit for the entire sub genre of Yokai human children having inherited any powers from their parents. Thank you hyakumonogatari.com for the background to that. Although there are stories that Abe no Seimei ( who lived from 921 A.D. – October 31, 1005 A.D ) was also a fox spirit sent to be raised by humans. So maybe she can not take all the credit!

  And I have played slightly with the timeline to be able to use Takiyasha-hime in this story. She would have died around the year 1000. And despite her legend, in reality following the death of her father, she fled and spent the remainder of her days as a devoted nun helping the poor. I tried to make her character a little complicated and I hope to have done her justice.

  起死回生

  起死回生

  Kishi Kaisei “Wake from death and return to life.”

  - Japanese proverb

  Prologue

  The union was felt throughout the natural and supernatural world. It was both beginning and end.

  Kodama that had been sleeping for centuries, so long that they believed their existence to be that of the beating heart of their tree, opened their eyes as they were startled into realizing their own separate existence. Others that had been at play with the leaves felt themselves shrink back into the protective barrier of their tree, trying to unfeel the ominous punch that the unnatural wind had given them.

  Mt. Aso heaved and erupted, covering the land in molten lava and blocking out the sun in the sky.

  Nani, a particularly evil Tsuchigumo among a group that prided themselves on their black souls, felt a shiver of anticipation run down her abdomen and each of her limbs. Chiding herself on her assumed self imposed exile from the land of men, she began her preparations to return.

  Oni in the depths of Hell erupted and their Lord Enma shifted in discomfort.

  A tsunami tore apart several villages.

  And two Kitsune freeze as the chill that strikes their heart freezes their blood, refusing to allow movement to the rest of their limbs.

  The one known as Inoue allows herself the indulgence of falling to her knees and and throwing her head back to howl in the agony.

  And a giant toad with a woman standing astride it’s back appears in front of the castle of Lord Ishikawa.

  Although beautiful her smile was ominous. “You will be requiring my help” she declared as she strode into the courtyard to meet with the Lord of the castle. She only hoped Ishikawa still lived if everything was to continue to plan.

  Chapter 1

  Riku opened his eyes to see twisted bodies all around him. The metallic taste of blood flooded his mouth and consumed his nostrils. He realized with horror he liked it.

  “More” shrieked a voice in the back of his head. One that threatened to overwhelm him.

  “Yes ” it whispered and he felt it just as much as he heard it. He could feel a presence curling throughout his brain, sending tendrils of consciousness out, it touched the core of who he was and it made him want to scream with the agony.

  “Stop fighting this” the voice inside his head hissed. “You did so well. You are still here. I never expected you to be here with me right now. This pain can stop, just switch with me. Come to this place, this place is dark and cool, but there is no pain. No more pain for you.”

  Riku tried to remember what had happened to him.

  The devastating loss of Akemi. The revelation that he was Hanyo. The ceremony to make him stronger and immortal. The one that would allow him to help Lord Ishikawa end the corruption that was destroying Jap
an.

  The belief they would be unstoppable.

  And now these blackouts.

  Each time he would wake up with the taste of blood in his mouth and several dead bodies around him. And each time that he swam up from the blackness he had to experience all over again the remembering of the previous 3 months. The crushing and relentless pulling and ripping apart of the very fabric of his being.

  “It was shorter this time” a voice that was familiar said.

  Lord Ishikawa stood there with several samurai and a woman that Riku had never seen before. Unlike the samurai, she was the only to show no fear.

  The black presence in his brain swirled and roared in his head. Riku clutched at his temples and was aware that the other men in the room shrank back. Even Lord Ishikawa’s aura went from relaxed to high alert.

  Only the woman remained unafraid. Instead her aura blazed into a warning, but not an offensive attack.

  Riku stared at her, his head threatening to implode.

  “This is the first time he has had a second attack so soon after finishing one. We should leave Princess.” Lord Ishikawa said.

  “I think not” the woman responded. “This is something he will learn to control. And that is why I am here.”

  She moved forward and Riku felt a growl escape from his throat. He felt the now familiar desire to rip everything apart vibrate through him.

  “Hush now you half rabid thing.” The woman squatted in front of him and looked him straight in the eyes.

  “I am Takiyasha-hime. Daughter of the great Taira no Masakado. I have business with that demon you have in your head. Once upon a time someone offered me help to achieve my goals. And now I will offer you the same. It requires that you trust that I can help. But I can assure you without my help things will only get worse and never better.”

  “Let me speak with her” roared the black presence in his mind.

  Riku glared at her. If the evil mass within him wanted to talk to her, then she could not be good. At the same time, how did it become this. He was going to find Akemi when she returned if he had to tear apart the country to do it. And in the process he planned to sew it up again in a way that brought peace. But now there was only the struggle of anger and war and the blood. So much blood.

  “I don’t trust you” was the only thing he could get out through his gritted teeth.

  The woman let out a laugh and clapped her hands together. “Oh wakai kitsune, how delightful you are. And of course you should not trust me at all. Not even a little!!!!”

  She then leaned in an grinned at him. “But my wakai kitsune, you have no other choice. And really. Do you seriously think it can get worse than where you are right now? Honestly?”

  Riku gazed into her eyes and realized that although he saw madness, he also saw truth. And he did not know which of the two bothered him more. He grunted and gave a slight nod of his head.

  She reached forward and began to whisper.

  Riku could not follow what she said but when her hands touched his temples he felt a current shoot through his body that danced on the edge where pleasure met pain. He felt every cell of his body was being touched and stroked and set on fire. And yet the fire felt cleansing. A pleasurable pain. One that offered sanction from guilt. He could feel himself practically purring. And then ripped himself away.

  “Witch” he spat.

  “Oh yes, and more than that” said Takiyasha-hime. “You still did not allow me to speak with our mutual friend. That is disappointing. But I think you will find that unlike you I protect myself before consorting with demons. The barrier should help you control it as well.”

  She stood and returned to where Lord Ishikawa stood.

  “Takiyasha-hime, allow me to show you to your rooms now. It has been an exhausting day and I am sure a bath before we speak further would be desirable.”

  “Of course, and do not worry my Lord. I think you will find that the young man in your employ will be ready to talk soon.”

  Lord Ishikawa raised his eyebrow. “He has yet to be more than his episodes until this point.”

  Takiyasha-hime smiled back. “He will not succumb to the rage any more”

  Chapter 2

  Haruhisa’s heart fluttered within his chest as he saw Shinji approach with a young samurai.

  “He did it, he has him.” He had not realized until that moment just how apprehensive he had been since Shinji left just a few months ago. Since then he had devoted his time to reading about kitsune and hanyo, discreetly visiting temples under his order’s care and inspecting the libraries. What he had found was scant and what little there was had been disturbing.

  He managed to refrain from hurrying down the path that led from the temple but his enthusiasm was dampened as soon as he saw the slump of the shoulders of the two as they approached. Tentatively he held out hope that it was just that the journey had been tough. But he feared that the young samurai accompanying him was not Riku after all.

  He sent the young acolyte that was working in the garden away to ensure the conversation would be private. He had gone out of his way to ensure only the men he trusted the most would be left in the temple, but this young man had arrived just yesterday.

  When the men entered his suspicion was confirmed. The look in Shinji’s eyes said it all.

  “You do not have Riku” Haruhisa said.

  Shinji shook his head before clearing up the confusion. “This is Kazuki Nagatoki. He is a member of the Kitsune path. And he is willing to do what we must do. We have lost Riku to his father. I don’t even know if we can beat him. But I would ask for your help in trying.”

  Haruhisa felt himself sag. “How bad is it?” he asked in a quiet voice.

  Shinji straightened himself before answering. “It is bad. He has joined with Lord Ishikawa, but not before losing control and destroying Lord Nobuyuki’s entire garrison and any of Lord Miyamoto’s men who tried to help.”

  Haruhisa could not help the little noise that escaped his throat. “He had already begun to unleash his powers? Even without his father guiding him to them?”

  Before Shinji could answer a fierce wind blew through the temple gate and knocked the three men down.

  “Shinji Ishikawa” a voiced roared. “I know you are in there! Show yourself!”

  Chapter 3

  Riku could feel the power rumbling through his veins. And yet it no longer overwhelmed him. It tried. He could feel it calling to him, begging him to give in and allow the full power of what it could give him to flow.

  “We could be unstoppable” the power hissed.

  “No one would ever dare to hurt us again.”

  “These betrayals, you allow them because you are weak.”

  Before he would feel so engulfed by these taunts that they would swallow him whole. Now however they merely annoyed him.

  “No, be honest with yourself” he thought. “You still fear what is possible.” And it was true, thinking about sharing his brain with that creature started a fear so primal that it began in his bowels before working its way up like an icy stab in his heart.

  And yet, he tried to bury this when it came. The demon in his head came through in his body when the fear came too great. Since the witch had done something to his head it seemed to be under control, but he feared for how long it would continue to be.

  “I’ve hurt people, maybe even killed them, and for what?” Riku wondered as he walked towards Lord ishikawa’s chambers.

  “You never had any control.” The voice came again. “Always a pawn, tossed from temple to samurai in training and now here at Lord Ishikawa you have allowed a woman to tamper with your very being. Is this what you intended when you fled the temple? To continue down a path of cowardice?”

  Riku willed the voice to shut up and to his surprise he found a wall slammed down in his mind. He could feel pressure upon it, testing it, but for now the wall held true. With it his fear decreased.