Koyasan Read Online Free PDF Page B

lingered around the monuments and trees. No animals moved or made noise, not even owls or crickets. Nothing living ever disturbed the peace of the graveyard at night.
    But Koyasan couldn’t see any spirits either. That should have given her reason to be hopeful, except Itako had told her it would be like this.
    “They expect you to come. When they stole Maiko’s soul and called your name, they made a secret pact with you. If you honour that pact, and behave according to the rules which govern the dead as well as the living, they must behave in a certain way.
    “The spirits will not show themselves until you’ve faced three of them individually. If you lose to any of those three, all of the dead can attack you as they please. But if you defeat the three they send against you, they must wait. And, if you act carefully, they cannot come against you at all.”
    Although Koyasan couldn’t see the spirits, she knew they were there, hiding behind the tombs or slithering through the branches of the trees, peering at her, willing her to cross the bridge, drooling at the thought of getting their ghostly hands on a second young girl.
    As she stood before the bridge, desperately seeking the courage to advance, Koyasan dug a clove of garlic out of her pocket and raised it to her mouth.
    She often nibbled when nervous. It helped calm her. But tonight she stopped, regarded the clove silently, then returned it to her pocket.
    “No,” she said softly. “That won’t help. The longer I wait, the less time I’ll have to find Maiko.” “You’ll never find her,” said the part of Koyasan which thought she was crazy to even try. “Go home. Eat your garlic. Stay away from here.”
    Koyasan ignored the voice, but it wasn’t easy. She rocked forwards and backwards on the balls of her feet, staring into the darkness. She remembered the last time she’d tried to cross, the headache and sickness. If it had been that difficult in the day, how much harder would it be at night?
    “Well,” Koyasan told herself trying but failing to chuckle, “there’s only one way to find out.”
    Shutting out the fear, Koyasan walked on to the bridge. She immediately felt a pain in her head, and the bread she’d eaten at the waterfall tried to force its way up her throat.
    Gritting her teeth, fighting off both the pain and the acidic remains of the bread, she walked forward quickly, breathing rapidly around her teeth, eyes wide with fear and disbelief. She hadn’t truly expected to do this. Up until a few seconds ago, Koyasan thought she’d lose her nerve and run away when it was time to act. She was astonished to find herself actually doing what she’d planned to do. Astonished... and dismayed. She wished now she’d said goodbye to her parents and friends because she doubted she’d ever see them again.
    Across the bridge she marched* hands curled into fists, head pounding, stomach quivering, teeth clattering. She didn’t feel like she was walking across a bridge. She felt like she was crossing a tightrope. Only it wasn’t the drop she feared, but arrival on the other side.
    And then, in a rush, she was off the bridge, standing on the drooping blades of grass in the graveyard which she had feared all of her short life.
    The pain and sickness disappeared as suddenly as they’d come. For a second, Koyasan was filled with a sense of wonder and achievement. She felt like punching the air and shouting with delight.
    But then the first spirit appeared out of nowhere and hurled itself at her, howling with vicious, demonic delight.

THE SNOW BEAST
     
    THE SPIRIT WAS man-shaped, but taller and broader than any man Koyasan had ever seen. It was white-skinned, a shiny, glistening white. It had a blank, roughly etched face, just a hint of eyes, nose and ears. But its mouth was fully formed and larger than it should be, full of long, sharp, icy white teeth — like stalactites.
    For a confused second, Koyasan stared at the spirit. It reminded her of