Chapter 46: 45. A Grand Enterance

It was only a short drive in the rented car from the dome to their destination, which Paul had to admit, was probably just as well. Not only because it was hard on the nerves, but the Herald’s robes were stifling.

That said, he thought, Inari’s had to be about ten times worse. He wasn’t sure how many layers she was wearing, but it had to be quite a few… and even if they were all thin silk, it would still be sweltering.

Paul sighed… really, it wasn’t that bad. He knew what his mind was doing, distracting him from what was really worrying him by magnifying petty discomforts and concerns. It was the same as a being irritated by the stones under the bedroll, when he could get his brains blown out at any minute.

Although, at least in most of the places he’d been before, he’d had some idea who the enemy was.

Which was the crux of the problem here… they were going to appeal to the Emperor for help, and Paul wasn’t at all sure if the Emperor wasn’t the one providing official sanction for the ‘monster hunters’. In which case, they would be seriously screwed.

Of course, he had back-up plans, even his back-up plans had contingency plans… almost all of which started with; ‘Run!’…

Paul sighed, fully aware that his brain was spinning in circles like a hamster in a wheel.

He glanced sidelong at Inari, who was sitting there, serene and calm, with her eyes closed.

“Hey, Inari...if you know any mantras for calming the nerves, care to share them?”

Inari opened one eye and looked at him.

“What makes you think I’m calm?”

Paul looked at her in surprise, mouth open… and Inari giggled. Paul shut his mouth with a click and glared at her.

“Oh, very funny.. you had me there for a moment. Seriously though...”

Inari sighed.

“I’m not sure if it will help you, but I’ll share it. I contemplate the Divine spark within me, and my connection to the universe. Through that I get a sense of the order of things, that I am exactly where I need to be, and that events will unfold as they are meant to. Also… I am beside you Paul, doing what is right. Why should I not be at peace?”

Paul thought about that a moment. He was here, fighting for a just cause, beside the woman he… Paul’s thoughts stuttered at that moment. Because he realised that, yes, dammit, he did love her. It wasn’t the same way he loved Kate, which had been like a raging forest fire in a tornado… but still…

Paul’s lips twisted into a rueful grin.

“Actually Inari, yes that does help. In more ways than one.”

Inari looked like she’d like to ask him what he meant, but at that moment they arrived. Ash parked the car and they disembarked. They were in the small, unremarkable Constitutional Memorial park, which aside from being empty at this time of night and easily accessible, was also the closest public space to the Three Palaces Sanctuaries. It even had a clock tower that afforded a direct view across 300 metres of open garden, water filled moat and busy highway between the two points.

Also important, from a somewhat more mystical perspective, was the fact that it was within a literal stones throw of the Geodetic point of origin of Japan, the geographical centre point of Japan, which apparently was the meeting point of several major ‘dragon paths’ aka chi energy tracks, or mana charged water ways. At least, it used to be. Paul hoped they were at least still conductive. Because when Inari ‘charged up’ drawing energy from the Sakura mana battery to exert her full Divine Presence, there would be some spill over.

Paul had calculated that the spillage would be conducted away, grounded, by the dragon tracks… otherwise it would be the equivalent of detonating a large EMP bomb in the middle of Tokyo, right next to The National Diet building and a half dozen rather important ministry buildings, including the National Police agency and Japan’s equivalent of the CIA.

The consequences of getting it wrong and ‘nuking’ all those important computer systems had Paul second-guessing himself.

The clock tower was, as he’d seen on the computer, three tall slabs of concrete and marble supporting a triangular clock case. The slabs formed three spires above the clock itself, but one side faced towards the Imperial grounds. The difficulty was getting up there.

Fortuitously, the answer was Inari. They walked the short path down to the small faux Greek mausoleum-like structure, with its large bronze plaque bearing the chrysanthemum emblem of Nippon.

Paul used the chalk he brought with him to draw a circle, as Ash worked on the seals, carefully laying each one out in salt, then going over Paul’s circle. Inari added Yellow binding and warding talismans at the cardinal points, then carefully stepped into the centre.

Paul asked.

“Are we ready?”

Inari nodded. As Ash began to chant, in Gaelic but apparently the words didn’t actually matter except as a mnemonic and focus, Inari touched her fingers to the Sakura branch forged of steel, that had been absorbing mana created by the ‘bomb’ generator for the past two days.. and began to draw forth the power.

Inari’s feet slowly left the ground, as she tilted her head back. Raw golden energy spiralled around her, sinking into her like star stuff into a black hole, feeding her ‘pearl’ of Divinity within her. Her body began to transform, shaped by the power. Her skin, already pale, turned almost translucent, her hair faded, loosing it’s colour starting at the roots and sweeping down to the tips until it was all pale golden blonde, the colour of ripe rice plants ready to harvest.

Inari glowed from within, as if she was made of stained glass and contained a small sun. She seemed taller, finer somehow.. her eyes were the vivid green of growing things, of sunlight seen through leaves, as she looked down and smiled at Paul.

Inari floated down, until her feet touched the ground as lightly as a feather falling. The inner glow from her subsided, as she drew in her power a little, and she sighed.

“Ahhh… I had almost forgotten what this feels like, it has been so long.”

Paul couldn’t help contrasting how she seemed now, to when he had first met her. Technically, she’d still been a goddess back then, one creating the appearance of a mortal shell for his sake. She’d seemed splendid then.. but now she was magnificently radiant. Her former-self was a small, shrunken and withered shadow of this force of nature incarnate before him. He half expected green shoots to come bursting out of the tarmac wherever her feet touched, she seemed that vividly, powerfully alive!

Paul shook his head, and nodded towards the small whisk broom leaning against a bench.

“Safe to break the circle now Inari?”

“Yes, safe enough. I’ve tempered my power so it shouldn’t cause problems.”

Paul nodded and opened the protective circle, then checked his cell phone. It still worked. He gave Inari a nod.

“Ok, we’re good. I’ve even got signal still. Well done.”

Inari smiled.

“This Kami can still learn a few new tricks. So, now we wait until Kiko signals us?”

“Yup, shouldn’t be more than a couple of minutes. I think we should wait by the clock tower. If that’s ok.”

“Of course, I can carry us both up easily, casting the spell won’t take more than few seconds”

Paul turned to Ash.

“Ok, you know the plan, wait for us at the coach park by the main gate… if all goes well, we’ll bail using that, if not we’ll use the bikes stashed at the Sakuradamon gate, and ride hell for leather for the dome.”

“I’ll be waiting so I will, and may the luck of the gods be with you… both of you.”

Paul retrieved his satchel… and he couldn’t help but think how appropriate it was to call it a messenger bag now, from the trunk of the rental, and joined Inari under the clock tower. He took out the kitsune mask he’d be wearing, and slipped it on, although pushed up away from his face for the moment. He also took out and stored in the capacious sleeves of his robes the necessary components for the spell that would carry them over the walls and moat of the Imperial Palace.

That done, there was nothing left but to wait for Kiko’s call, as she spied on the proceedings, just another miko among a dozen or more, all with the appropriate passes and authorisations.

Neither Paul nor Inari spoke a word as they stood… Paul because suddenly he found himself unable to imagine speaking to what was undeniably a Goddess standing next to him. After a few moments silence, that seemed to stretch into a small eternity, Inari moved slightly, reaching out to take Paul’s hand.

Paul looked at her… and to his surprise he saw her nervousness. He smiled at her, seeing the Inari he knew was there still… and gently squeezed her hand.

“Hey, Inari… it’ll be ok.”

Inari smiled gratefully, and nodded.

Inwardly Paul chuckled… no matter how she looked, Goddess of the first rank, kitsune or just human, Inari was still Inari.

Paul’s phone buzzed, and he hurriedly picked up.

“Narrator.”

“Observer. You have six minutes until the prayer to Inari and invocation is finished, on my mark… mark!”

“Acknowledged. Now get out of there quietly. Meet you back at the rooms.”

“Understood. Good luck.”

Paul hung up, and nodded at Inari, who opened her arms.

“Come My Herald… step into my embrace and let me carry you away to the heavens.”

Paul felt the last of his hesitancy and tension swept away as he laughed.

“Inari, for a first rank Goddess, you’re a goofball!”

Inari grinned as Paul held onto her, and they levitated upwards to settle on the small triangular top of the clock enclosure. The presence of railings, as Paul had surmised, indicated that it was designed to serve as a platform, and it did indeed hold their weight.

Inari held up one hand, sighting the roof tops of the Imperial shrine with forefinger and thumb. She nodded.

“Not that I didn’t trust your judgement Paul-san, but I needed to see for myself as well. It is within my grasp. Pass me the Golden powder.”

Paul passed Inari the small ziplock baggy of powdered yellow chalk, saffron and ground up citrine crystals. She carefully poured the contents into the hollow of her palm, and closed her eyes, focusing. The yellow powder began to glow as it was infused with magic, and then Inari opened her eyes, and blew.

The glowing golden powder expanded outwards, forming a cloud in front of them, one that seemed to be solid, and almost cartoon like. It was roughly tear drop shaped, with the small end pointing towards the clock tower. Inari made few small passes with her hand and the cloud rearranged itself, flattening out into a platform on top and growing a set of steps at the back that came down to meet the railings.

Inari lightly hopped up onto the railings and confidently strode onto the cloud. Paul hesitated… it was, after all, a cloud…

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“Come My Herald… have a little faith in your Goddess!”

“If I go splat on the ground, you’d better bring me back Inari… although you’d probably best plan on sitting on cushions for a week because you bet I’m gonna spank your behind until it glows for getting me killed.”

Inari giggled.

“I promise, it’s quite safe! Both the cloud and my behind!”

Paul huffed slightly, and carefully climbed up onto the rails, and taking Inari’s hand, he stepped onto the cloud. It was firm, just slightly springy underfoot, like hard rubber over concrete… and not at all cloud like.

“Time Paul-san?”

Paul didn’t need to check his watch, but did anyway.

“Three minutes, Inari.”

Inari nodded, and lifted her arm to point at the rooftops of the shrine. The cloud started forward at a stately pace.

“Once we cross the moat I’ll drop the concealing spell, so they may witness our approach. Mask down Paul-san!”

Paul blinked, and tugged down his mask, settling it in place. Although he didn’t feel any different, the mask would create the illusion of him being a silver haired kitsune, loosely similar to Rin in appearance. It would even appear to move as his face moved, giving him believable expressions. Paul wasn’t sure how it managed it, but it even conveyed his emotional state to the illusionary ears and tail.

At some point, he thought, we’re are going to make a killing selling these to the furry market…

“Time to produce your attendants Inari?”

“Just the first dozen, there’s not the room for all of them.”

Paul nodded, and took out the box he had hidden in his sleeve. Opening that, he took out a bundle of the origami fox faces that Kiko had spent most of the day before yesterday folding. The first bundle was tied together in red string, denoting the courtiers folded from red and gold paper.

Paul passed the bundle to Inari, who held it in one hand, tugging the string free with the other as she breathed over them. The small slips of folded paper fell away from her hand, spinning across the cloud, expanding and becoming individual kitsune dressed in a courtier’s robes of scarlet and cloth of gold.

They weren’t real, of course, more like carefully programmed robots that would respond within parameters. Mostly they were there for show.

As they crossed the boundary of the moat, Inari made a small ‘tossing away’ gesture, and like that, people could see them… Paul resisted the temptation to turn around and see the reactions of the pedestrians, but he could see the flickering of camera flashes as people took out their phones to snap a picture.

As they started to descend towards the temple courtyard, Paul could see the dignitaries clustered in front of the priests...and surrounded by serious faced men in black suits. For a second he feared that somehow, the monster hunters had managed to somehow get wind of their plan, but then sanity reasserted itself over justifiable paranoia and he realised these were just the usual bodyguards.

Paul recognised the unremarkable looking, slightly round-faced man of about forty who stepped forward, and clearly ordered the security people to lower their weapons. It appeared that the Emperor probably wasn’t in charge of the monster hunters after all.

“I think it’s time for the rest of my attendants my Herald.”

“As you wish Inari-sama.”

Inari gestured as the cloud slowed, and a set of steps formed at the front and to either side. Paul placed the remaining bundles of origami foxes to either side, and at Inari’s gesture with her finger tips, they undid, and her legion of nine dozen soldiers sprang forth, marching down the steps to form an honour guard. Admittedly, an honour guard that was all of five feet tall…

It was with something of a mental blink of surprise that Paul realised that apart from Inari, he was the tallest person there… and he hadn’t even noticed when Inari had grown. Oh well, he thought, I guess since she’s the goddess, it’s fitting her Herald is the next tallest.

Paul drew a deep breath as the last of the guards formed up, and he waited a beat, before making his stately way down the forward steps, to where the Emperor stood, flanked by his Imperial courtiers Paul thought, catching sight of Inari’s court forming up behind him out of the corner of his eye.

Paul bowed, a full court bow to the proper 45 degree angle.

“The Goddess Inari Okami extends her greetings to His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, and makes it known that she wishes his continued good health and prosperity.”

Paul had fully expected that there would be some confusion. After all, it was highly unlikely they had protocol in place just in case some Deity happened to drop by. At the very least he’d expected to be addressing the Emperor through either a Minister or perhaps a priest…

He did not expect the Emperor to address him directly. Although perhaps in retrospect, Paul thought after a brief moment, he should have. The Emperor was the head of the Shinto religion in much the same way as the British Queen was head of the Church of England.

“His Imperial Majesty thanks the Goddess Inari Okami for her well wishes, and inquires in turn as to her health.”

Paul hesitated… realising there was at least three possible interpretations of the intent behind that.

“Ah… the Goddess Inari Okami is very well. If this one, her humble servant and Herald may venture a personal observation, the Goddess Inari Okami is in much better health than she has been in quite some time.”

“Ah..so. That is good to hear. We had thought her beyond recovery.”

“Hm. It is upon that matter that The Goddess wishes a private discussion with His Majesty, if that is acceptable?”

“Of course… one moment while I may allay my Ministers fears that I am about to ascend to the Celestial Court prematurely.”

Paul nodded as he did his level best not to laugh. He’d caught the twinkle in the Emperor’s eyes as he spoke.

The Emperor withdrew and conversed quietly with the gaggle of Ministers and so on, who, after few moments, lined up, bowed and started to file away to one side of the courtyard. In the meantime a carpet was laid over the cobble stones by a set of grey suited young men. Similarly attired individuals, whom Paul assumed were Imperial Staff, brought out a small table and a set of four chairs. These were placed in a loose semi circle, two either side.

Paul frowned slightly at that, evidently the Emperor intended to include someone else in the discussion. He looked up, and noticed that Prime Minster was standing off slightly to one side of the Emperor, and not filing away like the rest of them. Glancing back over his shoulder Paul met Inari’s gaze, and raised an eyebrow. Inari nodded slightly.

Paul looked back towards the Emperor as he came up, with the Prime Minister a respectful few paces behind him.

“With respect to the Goddess Inari Okami, I would wish to include in our discussion the head of my Government as well.”

“The Goddess understands and permits this. One man may be considered mistaken when he speaks of what he has heard, whereas two men who agree on what was said, especially if they are known not to agree often, will be believed implicitly. Or so it is said..”

The Emperor almost looked surprised, a fractional and quickly suppressed tightening of the small muscles around his eyes gave him away. Inwardly Paul smiled.

“Ah.. the Kamakura Period philosopher Xiao Jian, yes?”

“Indeed.”

Paul was pretty sure it wasn’t his knowledge of an obscure and little known philosopher from a thousand years ago that had caused the Emperor to be surprised. Nor his knowledge that the Emperor also had read his works and written a paper on them… But more probably his understanding of the dynamic between the Imperial Family and the Government.

With a slight bow, Paul withdrew, and walked to the foot of the stairs down from Inari’s cloud. As she descended Paul held out his hand, and Inari rested her hand on his. He could feel the faint electric tingle of magic emanating from her as she maintained the spells.

“How goes it?”

“I persist. How is it with you?”

“The usual, politics. The Government do not trust the Emperor by himself, so the Prime Minister is sitting in.”

“Should I enspell him?”

“Not unless you can constrain him to tell only the truth.”

“Hoi, I’m not up to major miracles yet!”

Paul snorted in laughter.

“Ok, point. I suppose at that, it would rely on him even knowing what that is first.. and I somehow doubt anyone who’s been in politics as long as him would have even the faintest notion.”

“Cynical my Herald, but probably true.”

Paul shrugged.

“Well, whatever else, he’ll be useful so we shouldn’t complain.”

“Useful?”

“You’ll see Inari...I think the Emperor has his measure as well. So if he’s there, he’s there because the Emperor can think of a use for him too.”

Paul glanced over his shoulder and then looked back at Inari with a smile.

“And it looks like I’ve given His Majesty long enough to have a word or two with ‘honest Abe’ so let’s go do this thing, shall we?”

“Lead on my Herald… I am fascinated to learn what it is I have to say to them both.”

Paul snorted in laughter, looking apologetic but amused.

“Sorry Inari, do feel free to jump in at any time. I know I get caught up in these sorts of games. So do give my ankle a swift kick if you must to remind me to let you handle it.”

“Oh I will, if I need to.”

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