Koyasan by Darren Shan Read Free Book Online Page B

way. When she pushed through them, she found herself in a domed clearing. It was a large circle, devoid of trees and bushes, but covered high overhead by the leaves and branches of the surrounding trees, which formed a canopy over the clearing, blocking out the sky, stars and moon.
    It should have been pitch black in the dome, but Koyasan was actually able to see better than ever. Because at the centre, hovering close above the ground, was a ball of pulsing, glorious light. It was maybe the size and shape of a pumpkin, filled with every sort of colour Koyasan had ever seen and many she hadn’t.
    It could be nothing other than Maiko’s dislocated soul.
    Koyasan started forward in great excitement... then stopped. Itako had told her she must face three spirits before she could rescue Maiko’s soul. Yet here she was, the soul glowing ahead of her, nothing between Koyasan and her goal. Had Itako been mistaken? Had Koyasan only needed to defeat two of the evil spirits?
    It seemed unlikely. Itako had been right about everything else. This wasn’t as straightforward as it appeared.
    Taking a step back, Koyasan began to circle the dome, preparing herself for an attack. She caught a glimpse of movement close to her right, but it was only the skeletal mouse. It had followed her to the dome and was now mincing along after her. Maybe it thought she had cheese to give it.
    As Koyasan smiled at the thought of the mouse trying to eat cheese - the bits trickling through its bones as soon as it gulped a mouthful down - the ground ahead of Maiko’s soul trembled and growled. Koyasan thought it was the start of an earthquake. But then the crust of the earth split and something sharp and triangular thrust upwards, and Koyasan knew this was no earth tremor, but the entrance of the third and final spirit.
    She watched with amazement as the spirit grew into being. It was massive, far bigger than either of the others. It grew to twice the size of a man... three times... five... only stopping when the top of its head brushed against the roof of the dome.
    And what a head it was! The spirit’s body was man- shaped, but the head was a huge upside-down pyramid, accounting for maybe two-thirds of its height. It was the colour of clay. It sat on the neck of the spirit, the tip of the pyramid buried in the flesh of the creature’s upper torso. Like the colourfully dressed spirit* it had no eyes or mouth. Yet Koyasan was certain it somehow saw her.
    The spirit stood in front of Maiko’s soul* blocking Koyasan’s view. Its arms were crossed over its chest, and Koyasan could sense it secretly grinning at her. She waited for it to move, but it held its position, its massive head steady on its shoulders, as though standing to attention.
    Koyasan edged to her left* to see how the spirit would react. It moved when she did, keeping itself between Koyasan and Maiko’s soul. Koyasan went faster and the spirit moved more quickly too. She took a step towards it — the spirit did nothing. Another step — no reaction. Another... and she saw the head tilt ever so slightly forward.
    Koyasan leapt back quickly and the spirit’s head straightened. She understood now how this spirit worked. Unlike the others, it wouldn’t chase her. It was content to stand here and block her path to Maiko’s soul. If she came too close, it would lean forward and let its head crash down on top of her, squashing her flat.
    It appeared that Koyasan had met her match. There was no way a tiny girl like her could defeat a behemoth like this. It didn’t have any weak points. If there’d been more time, and she had the proper tools, perhaps she could dig a tunnel and burrow beneath it. But night was drawing on and she had only her hands to dig with.
    If she’d met this spirit before facing the others, Koyasan would probably have given up hope and either slunk away, defeated, or tried to dart around it — which would have resulted in the spirit crushing her. But she’d grown as the