Wakou

The Mongols invaded Japan for the first time in 1274. In the aftermath of the bloody invasion, survivors attempt to overcome their horror and grief to cobble together a strategy to live, to thrive. Wakou is a story of such people. It is also a story about medieval Japan society, religion, and traditions, including the very real presence of demons, both terrifying and protective. Wakou is Japanese for pirate, and pirating is the strategy our protagonists have chosen for their lives.

Rin is one such survivor. She has lived in the woods and combs the beach of her home island, Tsushima, since the Mongols murdered her parents and burnt their home to the ground.

She is not alone...Rin has gained a protective demon: Moritaka. To others' eyes, Moritaka is a young girl much like Rin. Rin calls her Sameko, or "Little Shark" because of her grey skin and her sharp little teeth. Make Sameko angry, however, or threaten Rin in any way, and Moritaka emerges in his true form: he's huge. He's blue. He is strong, so strong.

And a deadly danger to any who stand in his way.

Rin rediscovers her uncle, Zamakitsune, and is invited to join him and the crew he has assembled: they will be pirates!

Sameko's eyes light up and she licks her narrow lips. This is going to be fun.