Returning to the World of the Inugami

Shadō, the Inugami

I have left The Inugami for too long and now on the opening of a new year, I am determined to complete the first rough draft in the next two weeks. I wisely allowed familial and vocational responsibilities to interrupt my writing schedule, but it is time to return to the adventures of Shadō and Kelly and their quick descent into tragedy as two different worlds come into conflict.

For my new readers, The Inugami is the second story in The Shrine War braided novel. The first section, named after the title of the work, is completed and a truncated version has been published in Fred Patten's wonderful anthology, The Dogs of War. In my mind, I wrestle with the third and final part of the work, Incident at a Japanese Inn.

What follows is a rough draft and may be radically different from the finished project. Please forgive errors and typos. It is, after all, a rough draft. Needless to say, all rights are reserved.

That afternoon, Kelly returned to her apartment to find Shadō practicing with her sheathed sword in the living room. Shadō had moved the furniture back against the walls and had dressed herself in the clothing that was in the buried box of her former master. 

Shadō had bound her chest with a large strip of cloth. Dimly, Kelly remembered it was called a sarashi worn by Japanese swordfighters of both sexes. The only other articles of clothing was a floor-length skirt with slits up both sides almost to the waist and a heavy sash that served as a belt. A slit in the back of the skirt allowed the Inugami’s white-furred tail to move freely. Kelly watched with growing respect as Shadō practiced her elaborate kata, an elaborate series of movements, making the sheathed katana hiss through the air.

Shadō made three elaborate moves before sliding the sheathed sword into her belt then turned to face Kelly and bowed low. “Welcome home, master,” Shadō said. “How may I serve?” 

Kelly shook her head. “You are not my servant,” she said firmly. “We are equals.” 

The Inugami looked up, her eyes betraying her emotion. “In the world of the onmyōji order must be maintained: student and teacher, servant and master. Without order, there is chaos and in chaos there is only destruction. I am no longer hidden and my presence is felt in the worlds seen and unseen. We will have visitors and some will come to challenge.” 

Kelly swallowed and placed her backpack on the dining table next to the ancient book of the Daoist sorcerers. It lay open to the page describing the paces of Yu, a shamanic dance that paced the nine stars of the Big Dipper to capture its supernatural strength.

“The world has changed, Shadō,” Kelly said. “The onmyōji belong to the past. They must stay there.” 

Shadō sighed with obvious consternation. “You see an Inugami before you. You are aware of the presence of kitsune.” The Inugami came and knelt before Kelly. “The world has not changed. A part of it has simply been hidden and now it bursts forth. Soon you will see other marvels and some will not be friendly. You must prepare.”