Gloria Oliver Read Online Free

shorter of his two swords before whipping it out of its sheath and slicing through the skiff’s mooring line in one smooth motion.
    “If you try to leave this craft, I will cut you in half before you can hit the water.”
    Toshi would have laughed at the irony if he hadn’t thought the samurai would cut him down for it. His body felt so numb and slow, he doubted he could even save himself if the boat suddenly tipped over, let alone try to escape. He felt the samurai’s green gaze staring at him again. He tried his best not to let his own gaze cross its path.
    “Take the oar and row us out toward the middle of the bay.” The samurai waved his hand to the back of the boat.
    He crawled where he’d been told to and stared at the long, angled oar waiting there. Watching to make sure his hands got around the oar, since he couldn’t feel them, he wove it back and forth to get the craft moving.
    As the small boat inched away from the docks to deeper water, he glanced back at the city that had for so long been his home. His gaze grew moist as he stared at the dark mass, no hint showing in the darkness of the bustle and life that had made it so dear to him over the years. And now he was being torn from it.
    The fog grew in intensity. It cut off his view of the city. In a way, it made it seem as if the city had never existed.
    After a time, the skiff picked up speed. Toshi became ever more grateful for the work the demon had given him, as it loosened the numbness from his body. The heat of the work was exhilarating compared to the unearthly coldness that had gripped him before. He stared at the samurai’s armored back, seeing nothing but fog and sea beyond. When he was feeling more like himself, he worked up the courage to speak.
    “Sir, might I ask where we are going?”
    The samurai didn’t react to his question, but remained fixed, facing the prow of the boat.
    Toshi continued rowing and didn’t speak again. He still had no idea as to their destination when his arms began to tire.
    “Stop here.” The samurai made a chopping motion with his hand.
    He stopped rowing, staring at the samurai in surprise, able to see nothing but the swirling fog around them. Keeping his gaze locked on the samurai, he waited to see what he would be asked to do next. An unwanted chill cut through him as he tried his best not to guess at what it might be.
    His attention was drawn to the water as bubbles formed on its surface. The bubbles grew to a writhing mass, a soft glow coming from beneath them. The fog slithered away as if afraid of what was happening in the water. Toshi watched the spot of light beneath the bubbles get larger and brighter.
    His knuckles turned white as he gripped his oar in apprehension. The knocking of his heart in his chest was the only sound he could hear as an eerily glowing rod broke through the surface of the frothing sea.
    The rod rose higher. A crossbeam broke the surface beneath it, long strands of seaweed strung across its length. A tattered square sail followed, a gold-colored replica of the crest he had seen on the samurai’s armor on it.
    While terror welled within at the sight rising before him, he found his gaze inexorably drawn to the samurai. The warrior slowly turned to face him and stared at him with his burning green eyes.
    Toshi shook his head in helpless denial as the samurai stood up and pointed toward the still-rising ship.
    “No! This is not my karma,” he declared. “I won’t go to a cursed ship!”
    The samurai stared at him impassively, the green light issuing from the demon-mask’s eyes brighter than it had been before. “Row.”
    He shook his head again, forgetting whom he was denying while in the grip of his welling fear. He let go of the boat’s oar as if it had burned him. His gaze darted around, looking for a way to escape, and he saw his only option was to dive into the sea.
    He turned, determined to leave the boat. Something solid struck the back of his leg at the knee, folding