Chapter 22
Rachel Gooding trudged along a steep incline of the Kumano Kodo, an ancient pilgrimage trail that wound through the quiet mountains of Japan’s Kii Peninsula.
Crumbling stone deities beside the path displayed the Shinto origins of the route. Under Shinto, the Emperor of Japan was considered a god, a descendant of the goddess Amaterasu.
Moss-covered stones formed makeshift stairs on the mountainsides, while decades of use smoothed the wooden bridges. It was a place for contemplation and spiritual renewal.
Rachel didn’t know how she came to be here. She was alone except for a young woman up ahead standing at the edge of a fast-rushing stream. The woman wore a flowery Japanese kimono. As Rachel neared, she saw that the woman was weeping bitterly. No one dressed so beautifully sh
