By the shores of a secluded lake, Kagome tied her horse. Peering up the rocky slopes that lay beyond, she could just see the temple from here. The golden top of the pagoda crested above the trees. Its wide eaves swept out like wingtips, their keen points sparking in the late afternoon sun. At the

Clothed once again in red hakama and white haori, Kagome made her way through the castle gates. It was early morning yet. Against the soft, thawing ground, her horse’s hooves made only a whisper of sound. On the way out of town, she encountered an army marching up the road. At their advance, the townsfolk

Kagome froze. In that bitter, breathless moment, she thought she might just die after all. Then the moment passed. She thawed from her frozen shock. Balling her hands into fists in her sleeves, Kagome clenched her jaw and glanced aside. “Well,” she muttered, low and fierce, “good for him.” Head cocked to one side, Hirokin

The last few days had been sunny and unseasonably warm. Whether this signaled another short winter or a false spring remained to be seen. But for now the residents of Tatsumi enjoyed the reprieve regardless. The thick blankets of snow covering the castle grounds had grown patchy and frayed, leaving great swathes of bare earth