Tale of the Warrior Geisha by Margaret Dilloway Read Free Book Online

answer, but her breath was knocked out of her. She waited for her diaphragm to recover. She swallowed, her throat dry and lumpy. The world moved about as though she was still astride Yuki. Where was that horse? Had she run off? No, she felt vibrations as Yuki returned.
    The sky spread out above her like a coverlet. Tomoe blinked. Funny how she had never noticed these scudding white clouds. They reminded her of eggs dropped into hot broth. Yuki came and nudged her face, wetting it with horse saliva. Tomoe wiped it off, reaching up to cup Yuki’s chin and stare into the horse’s doleful brown eyes. She blew into the horse’s nostrils. Yuki threw back her head and whinnied.
    Her brother Kanehira reached her first. His face was red, furious. He panted. “Are you all right?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œGood.” Kanehira held out his hand to help her sit up. Then, out of nowhere, he drew back his hand and slapped her soundly across her cheek.
    â€œAi!”
She clapped her hand to it, her neck aching from the impact.
    â€œThat’s for shooting at us!” Kanehira knotted his hands into fists. “You want us to die before we get to a real battlefield?”
    She scrambled to her feet and shoved her brother as hard as she could. He fell onto his bottom. “If I’d really wanted shoot you, you’d be dead.” She spat at him.
“Baka-tare.”
    Yoshinaka caught up next. He glowered. His recent growth had made him taller than even Kaneto, though his body had not filled out to match. Nobody in Miyako would call him handsome: with his lean face, no ladies would flutter their eyelashes at him, but he had a strong jaw and a well-shaped nose and lips that were quite full for a boy. Tomoe thought he looked more masculine than was popular. “Stop it. Both of you.”
    Wada galloped up, holding the fired arrows. He got off the horse and held one out. “I couldn’t get Tomoe’s. It was stuck in the tree branch.” He clucked. “You are crazy, Tomoe.”
    Yoshinaka grinned and touched the top of his head. “I felt it whoosh through my hair.” He was the only one who wasn’t annoyed. “Hell, I’d trust Tomoe to hit a dragonfly between the eyes from the back of her horse.”
    She blushed again, then turned away, disgusted with herself. She did not need Yoshinaka’s approval. He was only her little brother. Little foster brother.
    â€œThere’s no need to hit a dragonfly.” Kanehira brushed off dirt from his clothes.
    Wada went to Tomoe and touched her cheek with his fingertips, the handprint she still felt. “Who did that to you?”
    She stepped back, aware of the sudden jealous glare from Yoshinaka. She did not want trouble. “I’m fine.”
    Yoshinaka stepped forward, and now it was he who touched her face softly, his roughened fingers stroking down toward her jaw. She shivered pleasantly and he smiled, letting his hand rest briefly on her neck. “
Ai
, Tomoe. Your face is swelling. Let’s go to the creek and get some cool water for you.”
    But Wada was in Yoshinaka’s face. He threw down the
naginata
. “I don’t care who your family is, you cannot hit a woman. Especially not this one.”
    â€œYoshinaka didn’t hit me,” Tomoe protested, but Wada ignored her.
    â€œYou have no claim to her,” Yoshinaka’s newly deep voice grumbled.
    â€œI’ve more claim than you.” Wada pushed at Yoshinaka’s chest.
    Yoshinaka smiled, and his eyes lit with a strange kind of enraged excitement that sent a burst of fear through Tomoe. Like he enjoyed being violent. Like he wasn’t the Yoshinaka she knew anymore. “First hit, eh? Good. I’ve wanted to smash in your pretty face for a long time. Your ancestors will be weeping by the time I’m done.”
    â€œAll talk. Just like the rest of your family.” Wada tore off his outer kimono.
    â€œStop!”