“I am Tamao, kami of this place. I protect you and ensure your prosperity.â€

Tamao’s eyes were enthralling, lightning dancing across his lips as he spoke. There seemed to a lights within the jewels of his skin, flickering as he moved, reflecting from the gold and silver running between. His gaze never left Akiko’s face, but his body shifted constantly.

“There is great pollution within my domain. It must be purified.â€

The movements of Tamao’s body answered to a rhythm that Akiko could still feel pulsing in her veins and resonating in her bones. She was still, now, but even the ground under her was responding to it, the earth shifting, the grains sliding over each other beneath her in a dance she could feel even through her vestments.

“People have chosen to oppose me. They hate me and seek to drive me out.â€

Akiko could see Shiraishi beyond Tamao. The priest was kneeling, her eyes fixed on Akiko, her body still. Heightened colour and the fluttering of her throat as she breathed rapidly gave her tension away, however.

“They will use whatever tools they have to drive you from the shrine, and then me from my domain.â€

Tamao’s words were inside Akiko’s mind, the meaning perfectly clear, but the sound that she could hear speaking them was her own voice. Dizziness swept over her as she recognised the sound, and then, as she concentrated, the feeling of her mouth moving, air vibrating in her throat, her tongue and lips shaping words. All without her intervention. All beyond her control.

“If I am driven away, there will be nothing and no-one to fight the corruption. The spirits of kegare will have free rein.â€

For a moment, Akiko felt trapped in her body, panic welling up within her as she tried to move her fingers, even the slightest amount, and found that she couldn’t, even as her voice continued to calmly relate Tamao’s words. And then her attention was caught by Tamao’s eyes again, as the kami leaned in close.

“Pollution will overwhelm the area, and people will fight one another over the ruins.â€

Tamao’s eyes glowed golden, the light like the flame of a lamp, its gentle motion soothing Akiko’s fear. She could smell pine trees, and the wet earth after rain, and in the still air she yet felt a gentle breeze playing with her hair. The panic passed, and Akiko let her awareness float on the river of Tamao’s control, going where he led without resistance.

“You must purify my land. You must preserve the shrine.â€

There was a deep throbbing from behind Akiko, a pulsing heat, from the direction of the iwakura. For a moment, she smelled sulphur and the brittle edge of burning rocks, but then the breeze blew it away, replacing it once more with the scent of trees.

“This is your duty. Spirit Child, Bright Child, serve your kami.â€

And Tamao was gone. Across the shattered remains of the table, Akiko could see Shiraishi, trembling slightly as she watched Akiko. There was a weight still around Akiko’s neck, and she reached up, her fingers brushing a necklace.