The Flames of Dragons (25 page)

The dragon touched Balear’s hand with a clawed finger. “Likewise,” he said, “but your time as a Dragoon is nearly up. And Balear, your transformation won’t be like Iren’s.”

Balear smiled sadly. “I know. I’ve known all this time. We may have more willpower than Maantecs, but human bodies still aren’t designed to handle this kind of magic. I can already feel it. The energy’s done something to me inside. I’m not walking away from this one.”

“You knew?” Ariok asked. “Yet you still . . .”

“It’s what I had to do, as Lodia’s champion.”

The edges of Ariok’s scaly mouth crinkled. “And you called me a crazy bastard.”

The dragon faded. The armor around Balear disappeared. His wings pulled back into his skin, and he dropped to the sand. He lay on his back, unable to stand, unable to move. He coughed, and the red spurt told him the truth.

Hana rushed over to him. “Balear!” She cradled him in her arms. “Why, Balear?”

He smiled. “Because I couldn’t choose. You and Kataile were both worth saving.”

“Balear . . .”

“Enough. Listen to me, Hana. Don’t be a slave. You’re better than that. Don’t go back to Melwar. Help us stop him.”

“You don’t understand—”

“You’re right. I don’t. I’ve never met him. Maybe he is every bit as powerful as you say. But still, I’m fighting him. I’m sure Iren and Rondel and Minawë will too. Even if we’re outmatched, we’ll still fight, because that’s what’s best for this world.”

Hana gripped him tighter. “Why would you fight for this world?” she cried. “You know what it produces. You saw what Amroth did to Ziorsecth. You saw what your own people did to each other in the civil war. What kind of world is that, that you would die for it?”

“A world that has people like you,” Balear said. “You’re reason enough to fight for it. Hana, I never gave up on you. I’ve loved you ever since we first crossed Lodia together. I never told you, but I promised myself I would give you something for journeying with me and Iren last year. I promised I would give you faith. Did I?”

Hana cried. Not a few tears like when Balear had lost his arm, but long, wet, wracking sobs. She clutched Balear and pressed her head into his chest. “I love you,” she said. “I love you. I’m sorry, Balear.”

They were the last words he heard as darkness took him.

Dirio Cyneric paced the audience room in Kataile’s city hall. He avoided looking at Feidl’s mural of the city at dawn. That was Kataile as it should be. It wouldn’t look like that much longer, not with five thousand Maantecs bearing down on it.

Damn! He could shoot a bow. He could thrust a spear. He could do something besides sit here while everyone else got butchered.

The other mayors waited in the room with him, but none of them walked around. They all sat against the far wall. They didn’t speak. They didn’t move. They had given up. They were all just waiting for the end.

Forget them. Dirio stalked to the door. “I’m going,” he said. He grasped the handle and pulled.

The door almost smacked him in the face. Riac burst through, and Dirio barely had time to scramble aside.

“Lady Orianna!” Riac shouted. “Lady Orianna!”

Everyone in the room stood. “What news?” Elyssa demanded.

“It’s the Left army! They’re withdrawing!”

Dirio grabbed the man by both shoulders. “What did you say? Did the combined armies push them back?”

“No! General Platarch did it. He fought the Left’s leader all by himself. He was amazing! He flew in the air!”

Dirio grinned. That Balear . . . Dirio had always known the man was something special.

“Let’s go congratulate him,” Dirio said.

Riac’s face fell. “About that . . .”

“Out with it,” Elyssa barked. “Where’s Balear?”

Before Riac could say anything, another man burst through the doors. He was young; “man” might not be the right term for him. It took a moment for Dirio to recognize him as Pito, the teenaged squad leader.

The boy looked on the verge of passing out. Sweat poured from him, and his chest heaved. “Captain!” he panted. “I’m glad I caught up to you. I saw it on my way up the steps. There’s something coming!”

Riac frowned. “What did you see? What’s coming?”

“A ship! It just entered the bay.”

“Ships come and go all the time,” Elyssa spat. “We have bigger issues right now, child.”

Pito quailed beneath the mayor’s gaze, but he somehow found the courage to say, “Not like this one, ma’am. It doesn’t look like any Lodian or Tacumsahen ship I’ve ever seen. And there’s something weird about it. I think it’s a Left ship.”

Dirio cursed. So the army had been a diversion. It would draw their attention, and meanwhile a special Maantec unit would land inside their defenses at the harbor. A ship couldn’t hold that many soldiers, but even a few hundred would prove devastating. With Balear out fighting Hana, they had no mage to counter them.

That was where Dirio belonged then. “Show me to the docks,” he commanded Pito. “Riac, you’re coming too.”

Even though Dirio wasn’t their mayor, neither soldier questioned him. The trio launched from the room without another word.

They charged through the city. As they ran, Dirio snagged a bow and quiver from the training square by the fountain. He also called to any archers he saw to join him at the docks. Their only hope was to sink that ship before it arrived.

Even before he reached the pier, Dirio could tell Pito had been right about the ship. It wasn’t at all like the human vessels Dirio had seen in Kataile. It was much too large, and its two sails were a different design. They must be magical, because there was no way such an enormous ship could move with just them.

Dirio ran to the pier’s end and drew an arrow. Barrels of pitch lined the dock, and he dipped his arrow into one of them. Riac grabbed a torch and lit it. Dirio in turn ignited his arrow. The other archers who had joined him did the same.

The incoming ship stood no chance. One good shot would catch the vessel alight. With the training Kataile’s men had received from Riac and Balear, they would sink it long before it could reach them.

The ship’s condition would make the job even easier. Now that it was closer, Dirio saw that it was barely holding together. Sections of hull were loose, and a chunk of railing had broken off.

Dirio pulled back his arrow, but something stayed his hand. The way the vessel moved made no sense. Its sails were slack, yet it slid through the water. Ropes from the ship’s bow came forward and down into the bay. It was as though something else tugged the ship along.

A great burst of water shot up from the sea. Dirio fell back on his rump; he’d never seen a geyser like that before. His arrow shot by accident, and it spluttered as it fell into the bay not ten feet from the dock.

Riac laughed despite the tense situation. “Never seen a whale before, miner?”

“A whale?”

“Giant creature of the deep. It’s what’s pulling that thing.”

Dirio stood. What on Raa was this ship? Shredded to pieces and towed by an animal? No one would use such a vessel for an assault.

“Hold!” Dirio shouted. If he was wrong about this, everyone in Kataile was going to die. Yet he couldn’t bring himself to sink the ship. Whatever had put it in such a dire state, the people aboard it must be even worse off.

“Bows away,” he ordered. “Swords and spears out. We’ll see what they want first. If they show any sign of hostility, cut them down before they can get into the city.”

The crippled vessel inched its way deeper into the harbor. The whale guided it with precision. Dirio had no idea how intelligent whales were, but he doubted one could direct a ship like that on its own.

When the vessel came within what Dirio hoped was shouting range, he called out, “Hail! Who docks at the Port of Kataile?”

A man’s face popped up over the bow. Dirio recognized the tan hair and blue eyes at once. He would never forget the person who’d saved his life twice.

“Ahoy!” Iren Saitosan shouted. He waved his arm in a wide arc, but then he reached back and grabbed his head. “Ow! What was that for?”

An old woman’s face joined Iren’s. “All this time away, and the best you can think of to say when we arrive is ‘ahoy?’”

Dirio laughed. “It’s all right, Rondel. I wouldn’t expect anything more.”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” Iren asked.

“Knock it off, both of you,” a female voice said from the water. Dirio had no idea where it had come from. He looked down and noticed the whale was gone. In its place was a young-looking woman with long green hair bobbing in the surf.

The Kodama swam over to the dock and climbed up. With a vigorous shaking, she flung water off her body. “Thanks for not shooting us,” she said. “I hoped that water spout would convince you we meant no harm.”

Only one Kodama had escaped her race’s curse. “That was you, Minawë?” Dirio asked. “You were the whale?”

“I’m not in a hurry to be one again, either,” Minawë said. “My days hauling ships around had better be over.”

Dirio didn’t know if she was joking or not. He suspected not.

Iren and Rondel leapt over the side of the ship and landed on the dock. Despite the forty foot drop, both made it without injury or even apparent effort. They joined Dirio and Minawë. Dirio motioned for the soldiers to put away their weapons.

“It’s great to see you!” Iren said. “How have you been? Why are you in Kataile? Ow! Will you stop that?”

Rondel had smacked him upside the head again. “Save the greetings for later,” she spat. She faced Dirio. Lightning Sight filled her eyes. “The Maantecs are invading Lodia. They’re landing at Ceere. You need to be ready.”

“You’re a little late,” Dirio said. “They’ve already come.”

Rondel cocked an eyebrow. “This city looks in surprisingly good condition for a Maantec attack.”

Dirio smirked. “That’s the best part. I just heard the news. Five thousand Maantecs descended on us with Hana at their head. They would have torn this city apart were it not for Balear.”

Iren grasped Dirio by the lapel. A few soldiers near him reached for their weapons, but Dirio waved them off.

“Balear did?” Iren demanded. “How? Where is he? What happened?”

Dirio gestured at Riac. “Actually, Riac here was just delivering the message when we heard about your ship. Captain, what’s the situation?”

Riac gulped. “General Platarch fought the Lefts’ leader on the beach past the plateau. When I came to City Hall, the Left army was pulling back north. But General Platarch hasn’t returned. He and the Lefts’ leader are still on the beach, or at least they were when I came to tell you.”

Dirio blanched. He wouldn’t believe it.

Iren looked equally pale. “Your name’s Riac, right? You have to take me there.”

Riac had no reason to trust the man in front of him. They’d never met. But something in Iren’s expression must have convinced him.

“Come,” he said. “I’ll show you.”

*   *   *

Of all the people Iren had expected to meet at Kataile’s docks, Dirio had been last on his list. The miner was supposed to be in charge of Veliaf far to the north. What was he doing here?

There was no time to question it now. As they ran through Kataile’s streets, all Iren could think of was Balear.

Last year the pair of them had sparred in Akaku Forest. Iren knew what the man could do, and he had the utmost respect for him.

Unfortunately, Iren had dueled Hana too. As skilled as Balear was, Hana far surpassed him. There wasn’t a chance the Lodian could have defeated her.

They dashed up the beach. Ahead, Iren saw a mound rising from the sand. As they approached, he saw that the mound was made by two people.

Hana stood as Iren, Rondel, Minawë, Dirio, and Riac arrived. Balear lay on his back, unmoving.

“Balear!” Iren shouted. The man made no response.

Hana stared blankly at Iren. Her face looked haunted, with puffy red eyes and deep tear lines down her cheeks. She didn’t seem at all surprised that Iren and the others had somehow found a way to Lodia. “That won’t work,” she murmured. “He’s dead.”

Iren drew the Muryozaki. “How could you?” he demanded.

The female Maantec shook her head. “I didn’t,” she said. “He did it to himself. He became the Dragoon.”

Iren had nothing to say to that. He was too shocked. He had become the Dragoon almost two years ago, so he knew what the transformation was like, how near-to-impossible it was. The idea that Balear could do it boggled the mind.

“We were fighting,” Hana continued. “I cornered him, trapped him in sand. He broke free, but he used too much magic. I thought he’d lost control. He almost turned into Ariok, but at the last second he overcame the Sky Dragon. He was amazing. He could have killed me in an instant, but instead he spared my life.”

Rondel’s hand was on her dagger, but she kept it in its sheath. “And what will you do now?” she asked.

Hana gazed down at the fallen Balear. She sniffled, but she didn’t cry. She had no more tears to give. “I don’t know yet,” she said. “I’ve sent Shogun Melwar’s army back to him, but I can’t return with them. Balear shattered the Enryokiri and sank the Rock Topaz far out at sea.”

Iren’s eyes narrowed. “You can conceal the Enryokiri underground. This is some ploy, isn’t it?”

When Hana’s eyes met his, Iren regretted speaking. Hana could lie and manipulate without difficulty, but this time she’d spoken the truth. “If you want to kill me, Iren Saitosan, then go ahead and do it,” she said. “I’ve failed the shogun. My life is forfeit.”

Iren glanced from Hana to Balear and back again. He gripped the Muryozaki’s hilt. Hana had killed Balear. Even if she hadn’t struck the lethal blow, her presence had forced Balear to use the Dragoon. Iren himself had barely survived that transformation. Balear must have known it would be fatal.

Rondel let go of her weapon. Iren rocked back in surprise. Of all people, Rondel should have struck first. She lived by Okthora’s Law. Hana had led an army to this place, slain hundreds of innocent people, and murdered Balear. How could Rondel let all that go?

“Twenty-five years ago,” Rondel said, “I made a mistake, one of many. I tossed you aside. If I could have that moment again, I would make a different choice.” Without waiting for a response, she turned and headed for Kataile.

Iren couldn’t help but watch the old woman. What was going on with her? She seemed like a different person even from their time on the ship.

“Why don’t you come with us?” Minawë offered. “We can stop Melwar together.”

“Is that sentiment, Kodama?” Hana asked. A hint of a sneer found its way into her voice.

Minawë didn’t rise to the challenge. “It’s recognition,” she said. “You’re strong, even without the Enryokiri. We could use your help.”

Hana shook her head. “Even now, I can’t betray the shogun. I’ve lived too long in his shadow. Maybe someday I’ll find another path, but for now, I need some time alone.”

She put her back to them and started to walk away. Iren’s hand tightened and loosened around the Muryozaki’s hilt. This was his last chance to avenge his friend.

Hana glanced over her shoulder. “Shogun Melwar is in Ceere. He intends to rebuild Haldessa Castle and use it as his base. If you want to stop him, that’s where you should look.”