A Winter of Ghosts (The Waking Series) by Christopher Golden Thomas Randall

Author:Christopher Golden, Thomas Randall
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Daring Greatly Corporation
Published: 2013-01-20T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Kara knew she had to breathe, to calm down and sort out her thoughts, but she felt out of control in a way she never had before. The mystery of the ghosts gnawed at her, even as she was torn in two directions, needing to talk to Ren, but wanting to be searching Takigami Mountain for Hachiro. Miho had put voice to her own feelings: with no way to stop Yuki-Onna, they were all pretty much dead soon. Now, nothing mattered except finding Hachiro. If they were going to die, she wanted to see him first, at least to say goodbye.

But she rode in silence in the back seat of her father's car, because she knew one thing above all . . . if Hachiro was still alive, the only way to save him would be to also save herself. Just because none of the ancient stories revealed a way to destroy Yuki-Onna that did not meant it was impossible.

So, torn as she was, she tried to breathe, to stay calm and tell herself that this was exactly what she needed to be doing for Hachiro right now.

"I don't understand who this man is supposed to be," she said. "'Cloud wanderer?' What does that mean?"

Miss Aritomo had ridden with them, while Miho and Sakura had gone with Mr. Yamato in his car, which her father now followed, driving a curving road into the hills outside of Miyazu City.

Yuuka turned sideways in her seat to look back at Kara. "An 'unsui' is a kind of monk. It means 'cloud and water wanderer.' Normally it is applied to novice monks, often those who are on a pilgrimage, searching from monastery to monastery for a master to teach them. But Kubo is often called the Unsui, because he has been wandering for his entire life in search of the master he believes will teach him true purity of spirit, but has never found such a teacher."

Kara listened in amazement, contemplating such a life.

"He must be so lonely."

Her father glanced back at her, concern etched into his face, and then looked at Miss Aritomo.

"How did you and Mr. Yamato find this man if he is always wandering?" he asked.

Miss Aritomo smiled. "He is at least eighty years old. No one seems to know exactly how old. Though Kubo is still the Unsui in the minds of the local people, and possibly in his own mind as well, he does not wander far these days. He has a small house in the hills. He grows his own vegetables and likes to fish. You might have seen him yourselves. He is constantly riding his bicycle around Miyazu City, still wandering a little every day, but never so distant that he cannot sleep in his own bed at night. It seems he will never find the master he sought."

"And you know him?" Kara asked.

Miss Aritomo shook her head. "No. Mr. Yamato's grandfather played with him as a boy. Whenever The Unsui would wander through Miyazu City, he would stop at the Yamatos for tea and then be on his way, off to the far corners of Japan.

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