Gloria Oliver Read Online Free PDF Page A

fifteen, but he would be sixteen—a man—soon enough. What difference did a few months make? Especially to demons!
    He stared at his teacup, stung by the geisha’s silent laughter. Unhappy about this, he said the first thing that came to mind in an effort to distract her.
    “Why do you wear a mask?” He noted with satisfaction that the geisha lowered her sleeve away from her mouth.
    “I wear it out of politeness,” she said. “You see, I have no wish to make you afraid of me. My features are less handsome than I would desire and don’t complement my profession very well at this time.”
    “Then, you and your lord look just like the crew?” The question had left his lips before he’d given it proper consideration.
    “Yes, we do,” she answered. “Asaka-sama thought it would be less of a shock to you if we minimized our current states in your presence.”
    Asaka-sama, or Lord Asaka—the honorific said it all. Asaka was their master, and he looked just like the rest. A small chill crawled down Toshi’s back. He tensed as he gathered the courage to ask the only thing he really wanted to know.
    “Why am I here?”
    Miko’s masked face turned away from him, the bells in her hair ringing softly as she moved. “Lord Asaka needs a navigator, one who can read the more detailed maps of the gaijin.” She turned to face him again. “It’s partially because of the knowledge we lack that we have come to be as we are. It is our hope that with you we’ll now be able to complete what we must. To follow the way and regain our honor.”
    He stared at the geisha. He had no reason to disbelieve her, though who could honestly ever trust a demon. Yet, this couldn’t be all they wanted from him. And since when did demons follow Bushido—the samurai code of conduct?
    “You mustn’t judge Asaka-sama harshly, Toshi-san. I know all of this is a major change for you,” she said, “but Asaka-sama wouldn’t have done it had our need not been so great. You’ll be safe with us. No harm shall come to you.”
    He turned away to hide his expression of confused suspicion, his hand rising subconsciously to brush back his mussed hair. He never felt the leather band that held his hair in a ponytail loosen and fall on the floor. His long black hair spilled over his shoulders. Only too vividly, his mind recalled the demon mask with its glowing green eyes and the deep voice booming from behind it. He recalled his first view of the crew, and that white skull with the menacing red glowing eyes staring at him. That he would be safe and unharmed here was not something he was in any way willing to believe.
    He gazed at nothing, a shiver moving through him, as he remembered the implied threat he thought he’d seen in that one crewman’s red eyes.
    “Let me fix that for you,” Miko said.
    He heard the rustle of silk as the geisha stood up and moved behind him. He saw her reach for the fallen leather band. As her skeletal hand rose, it finally dawned on him what she meant to do. With frightened eyes, he jerked away before she could touch his hair.
    “No!”
    He turned on the geisha in a half-crouch, waiting for her to try to come after him. Instead, he found her sitting perfectly still, her hand half-raised in the air.
    “What’s wrong?” Miko leaned forward. He scooted away from her. “I was only going to tie your hair. I wasn’t going to hurt you.”
    He watched her suspiciously, even as she harmlessly held out the leather band for him to see.
    “No, that’s all right, thank you,” he said quickly. “I would prefer to do it myself.”
    Miko turned her head to stare at him at a curious angle. To his amazement, she suddenly bowed before him, her forehead touching the floor.
    “Please forgive my thoughtlessness, Chizuson-san. I had forgotten that all you’ve had from us so far was the paralyzing touch. I had not meant to frighten you.”
    He felt foolish, seeing her apologizing to him. He was just a peasant boy; she was a geisha