Dragon Sword and Wind Child Read Free

faded black clothes, almost too short for him, with fur leg guards, leather sandals, and a hat of braided sedge. Around his neck hung a handsome necklace of red stones that belied the condition of his clothes. Saya had never seen anyone like him.
    Holding the dripping belt in one hand, he stood up and looked straight at her. His face under a thatch of unkempt hair, which looked like it had never been combed, resembled that of a saucy, stubborn puppy. He stared boldly at Saya where she stood in the middle of the river, her skirt still bunched in her hand, as at a rare and interesting sight. Then, with what Saya thought extreme impudence, he laughed and said, “Is this your belt? If you want it, come and get it.” With the belt still in his hand, he sprang across the stepping-stones and clambered up the right-hand bank. Furious, Saya strode through the water, stepped onto the bank, and ran after him.
    â€œGive it back! What do you think you’re doing?” Saya reached out to grab him by the shoulder, but the boy in black was faster, whirling out of reach to face her. He was not in the least disturbed by her anger and even seemed to think it was funny. Having dealt with many unruly boys in the past, she recognized in him a formidable opponent.
    At that moment, however, three men, obviously the boy’s companions, came into view. Saya faltered and drew back. They might be thieves or kidnappers. She fought back a scream as various frightening possibilities raced through her mind. There was something about them that was completely alien to the world she knew. But the men made no move to accost her. The three of them, wearing the same black clothes and fur leg guards as the boy, merely stood silently staring at her. To her frightened eyes there appeared to be not three but five or ten of them. Their large stature and cool composure certainly suggested the assurance of greater numbers. She could have fled back to her friends but, to her own surprise, she turned once more to the boy and held out her hand. “Give it back, please,” she said. “That belt is mine.”
    The boy gazed coolly into her face for a moment. Then a highpitched fragile voice came from behind him. “Give it back, Torihiko.”
    Startled, Saya looked up. It was not one of his three companions feigning a woman’s voice. Rather, among them stood a small, whitehaired old woman leaning on a staff. She was so tiny that Saya had not seen her at first. The boy called Torihiko smiled with unexpected meekness and offered the belt to Saya.
    What an odd group of people, she thought.
    She could not help but stare at them as she took her belt. Although all three men seemed huge, on closer inspection only the one standing in the middle was truly gigantic. His companions were not that much bigger than the village men. It was their air of power that made them stand out. They wore their hair bound in loops by their ears, in accordance with common custom. But their beards were thick, their skin, deeply tanned, and their eyes shone with an unearthly light. One wore a black leather patch over one eye, and this, coupled with the bright gleam in the other, made him appear particularly forbidding. The second was younger and slimmer, but his eyes, too, gleamed dangerously. The man in the middle surpassed ordinary men in girth and height and had arms as thick as young tree trunks, but, of the three, he looked the kindest.
    The old woman, in contrast, was about the height of a five-yearold, giving her the appearance of a wizened child. Her staff was at least twice her height, and her head and eyes seemed too large for her spare frame. A halo of white hair like thistledown made her head appear even bigger than it was. In this company, the boy seemed almost normal. But why were they just standing there staring at her, as if they had been waiting for her all this time?
    The old woman suddenly blinked, froglike, and spoke. “Excuse me, but is it