Ballad of the Mountain Fox

제 25 장: The Shaman's Nocturne

The blood-red evening light was fading to black by the time I finally left the troupe and headed off to the shaman's hut in the forest.  I could smell the place before I saw it—it was the smell of parchment and cooked rice and freshly-churned earth.  I passed the garden, mostly filled with cabbage, radishes, and the few remaining cucumbers of the season, and headed up the path to the front door.  The cooling corpses of six rabbits greeted me—I snagged one off the rack where it had been hanging and took a bite from the leg.

The shaman's face turned as white as the paper he was reading when I stepped inside.  Perhaps it was the blood dripping down my chin and onto the floor, or the fact that I didn't bother disguising my golden-yellow fox eyes as something more human.  Whatever the reason, it gave me some satisfaction that my presence unsettled him.  Still, he didn't seem scared enough, in my opinion, so I lifted the invisibility charm on my tails and bared my fangs for added effect.

The shaman now looked ready to faint, which was a more acceptable reaction, as long as he didn't actually carry through with it.

Since I was in no mood for pleasantries, I marched over and cleared the dinner dishes, pens, and scraps of paper from his desk with one foot and then sat down on the floor across from him, ripping another chunk of meat from my newly-acquired meal.  It took the man quite some time to finally find his voice and greet me.

"M-m-moon Sun," he acknowledged with a flickering smile.

"You lied to me," I said flatly, spitting out a chunk of rabbit fur.  "I detest liars."

Confusion flittered across his face, and I narrowed my eyes, trying to discern if it was genuine or just an act.  "I don't...don't understand," he finally managed to say with a nervous gulp.

I leaned forward and slammed my elbow down on the table, making the man jump.  Then, ever-so-gently, I put my chin in my hand and gave him a bloody smile.

"You're still trying to get rid of me," I told him.  "I don't know how you did it, but you somehow managed to involve me in this curse."  I narrowed my eyes.  "Lift it.  Now."

"I don't know how!" the shaman protested, scooting back and raising his hands.  "I didn't add you into the curse, I swear it.  All I did was seek out the key words of the spell so you could counteract it, as you wished.  I had no idea you were involved."

My false smile slipped back into a snarl.  "That's ridiculous.  You're the only one who wants to get rid of me and who actually has the potential to do so."

"I..." the shaman suddenly paused and his gaze grew unfocused.  I drummed my claws on the table while I waited for him to answer.

"I think I know who might have cast the spell," the shaman finally told me.  But he shot me a panicked look before blurting, "But you must promise not to kill the person if I tell you!"

I felt my hackles raise but forced myself to remain calm.

"I promise," I spat.  A fleck of rabbit blood landed on the shaman's cheek, and he did his best to ignore it.

"And...you can't kill me, either," he added timidly.

"I'll spare you this time," I told him.  "But I make no such promise for the future."

Figuring that was good enough for the moment, the man took a breath and nodded.

"Her name is Han Yuri.  She comes from a town just outside Hanyang—perhaps the very one your cursed nobleman comes from."

"And why do you think she's the one who cast the curse?" I asked, gnawing around a bone.

The shaman grimaced but continued.  "She visited me a few weeks ago for some rare herbs, and noticed the rabbit infestation in my garden.  When she asked about it, I...well."