The Flames of Dragons (3 page)

It was Iren who broke the silence. “I can’t defeat her, can I?”

Divinion shook his head. “Not as you are now.”

“What should I do?”

“Reconcile with her. She is not your enemy.”

Iren scowled. “She murdered my parents. I can’t forgive that.”

“Then Melwar has already won.”

“Melwar?” Iren asked. “What does he have to do with this?”

“Are you that blind?” The dragon rounded on him. “Do you think his ambitions are over just because you decided not to be his puppet emperor? He will move forward with or without you. Together you and Rondel could stop him. Instead, you’re wasting your time trying to kill each other.”

“In that case, what about you?” Iren demanded. “If you feel so strongly that I shouldn’t fight Rondel, why help me train to defeat her?”

The anger in Divinion’s face fell away, and a deep sadness replaced it. “Because I don’t want you to die,” he said. “You are the only hope for this world. If Rondel kills you, there won’t be another like you. Melwar will conquer Raa.”

Iren dropped his eyes. “You don’t have to say it like that. There would be other Holy Dragon Knights.”

“Not like you. You are Iren Saito’s son and the last of his clan. You became the Dragoon. You have magic beyond what most Maantecs can imagine. Even if by some miracle I found another like you, I could never train that person to match Melwar in time to stop him. So yes, I disagree with your pursuit of revenge. I think it’s foolish and short-sighted and puts the world at risk. But if my aid means you’ll survive and ultimately refocus on Melwar, then I will bury my misgivings and help you. The sooner you put your revenge to rest, the better for Raa.”

The dragon snarled deep in his throat. “We’re wasting time. Our training method isn’t working. I will give some thought to what we should do next. Until tomorrow.”

He flicked his wings to their widest shape. With a single flap he was airborne.

Floating in midair, Divinion fixed his piercing gaze on Iren one last time. Iren met the dragon’s eyes a moment, but then he could look upon the god no longer.

Divinion flapped his wings again and flew high into the sky. As he vanished into the night, he called out the words he told Iren at the end of all their sessions. They echoed out of the past:

“Commit to what’s most important.”

Iren knew what Divinion wanted him to answer, but the Holy Dragon didn’t understand. He didn’t know what it was like to have those he trusted most betray him. He couldn’t comprehend how it felt to know that his teacher had killed his mother and father, that his allies had manipulated him, and that his best friend had chosen his parents’ murderer over him.

The seaside vanished, and Iren was back in the cave. The Muryozaki still rested in his lap. Iren sheathed it, then felt along the cavern floor until he found the straw padding he used for a bed.

“What’s most important?” he asked the cave, the same question he asked it every night.

Just like every other night, as he fell asleep, Iren told himself he knew the answer.

Revenge.

They should have come back by now.

Prince Narunë stared out from the southern border of Aokigahara Rainforest. He wiped the sweat from his face, not that the action did any lasting good. More just dripped in his eyes.

But he needed them clear. He couldn’t afford to miss even the smallest sign.

A month had passed since Minawë and Rondel had left the forest and entered enemy territory. Shikari wasn’t that big. With the speeds those two could travel, they should have needed only a couple days to cross it and reach Hiabi. At most, they should have been gone a week.

They should have come back by now.

Narunë studied Shikari’s cracked, karst topography, his position putting him inches away from death. The tip of his nose almost broke the final band of leaves between the rainforest and the bleak land beyond. If he took even a single step forward, he would leave the forest. In that moment, the curse Iren Saito had cast on Narunë’s people would claim his life.

He had no choice. He had to be this close in order to see anything. Aokigahara had dense plants at every level. In most places visibility was only a few feet.

At least Shikari wasn’t like that. As long as Narunë could see past the rainforest’s boundary, he could observe miles of territory. Shikari was desolate, a sharp land of craggy peaks, deep crevasses, and scrubby plants. A trio of people approaching would be visible for miles.

That made it all the more frustrating that no such trio had yet appeared.

They should have come back by now.

Narunë had long pictured their reunion in his mind. They would run up to him, and his niece would hug him the way she had when they’d parted.

There were other Kodamas along the border watching for Minawë and her friends, but Narunë hoped he saw them first. He wanted to meet this Maantec boy Minawë had traveled across a continent to find.

Today would be the day they returned. He was sure of it. Nothing had happened to them. Rondel Thara was the most powerful Maantec in a thousand years, and Minawë was stronger still. She didn’t know it, but she’d already surpassed her father Otunë.

As the day wore on though, Minawë and Rondel didn’t appear. When Shikari darkened with sunset, Narunë gave up his vigil for the day. He stalked deeper into the rainforest and rejoined his companions to set up camp.

The group looked as wild as the forest. Their green hair matched the jungle’s leaves, and their leather clothes matched its bark. Tattoos of rainforest animals adorned every exposed inch of skin. None wore swords, but each carried a bow on his back and a machete at his hip.

They were Narunë’s finest scouts. He’d hand-picked them to accompany Minawë and Rondel to Shikari, and they’d all sworn they wouldn’t leave until the journeying pair returned.

For the first week they’d been excited. They’d told fanciful stories and placed bets as to what might be happening in Shikari.

That enthusiasm had vanished in recent days. Now, as Narunë and his squad passed around supper bowls, there was no conversation. The Kodamas ate in brooding silence. Narunë could guess what they were thinking. Oath or no oath, how much longer were they going to stay out here, waiting for people who might be dead?

Narunë was halfway through his stew when a rustling behind him made him pause. He tensed, immediately on alert. Things in the jungle didn’t make noise without reason, not if they enjoyed living. The air was still and heavy. Not a trace of wind passed through the forest floor that could have made the sound.

The Kodaman prince glanced around at his companions. They were all as focused as he was. Narunë stood and faced the sound, but he could see nothing. Between the dense brush, the darkness of evening, and the campfire that had ruined his night vision, he was blind.

Fortunately, there was more than one way to see in the forest, at least for Narunë. He placed his palm against a nearby tree and connected his magic to it, feeling the forest around him through its roots.

He only needed to touch the tree’s smooth bark a few seconds before he figured out what had made the sound. He laughed aloud, a bellowing cry that made him wink his right eye when he did it.

“Minawë!” he shouted. “Rondel! You’re back! We’re over here!”

A rustling of leaves followed, and then a high-pitched female voice whined, “Make me sit in a cave for a month, then drag me back to the forest after dark. Honestly, children these days have no respect for their parents at all. I’m going to trip over a root and break my neck.”

Narunë laughed again. That voice could only belong to Rondel. Better still, her complaining meant she was in a good mood.

But as Rondel emerged into the circle of firelight, Narunë’s laughter died. The silver-haired Maantec glared at the Kodaman prince with cold eyes that sparked with Lightning Sight.

Behind Rondel came Minawë. When Narunë saw his niece’s face, any lingering joy he might have felt at their reunion fled. Her emerald eyes bore just as frosty an expression as Rondel’s. Even though a month had passed since she’d seen her uncle, she didn’t say a word to him. She kept her gaze fixed on Rondel.

Rondel walked up to Narunë. With her diminutive frame, the crone had to bend her neck back to look him in the face. “It’s been a long time,” she said. Her voice was friendly, but the blue sparks leaping across her irises told Narunë the tone was false. “I’m sure a lot’s happened to you since we left. Walk with me, and let’s swap stories. Minawë, we’ll be right back. Why don’t you stay here and warm yourself? It looks like they’re just sitting down to eat. You must be starving. I’m sure they’ll share with you.”

Narunë caught the hint. “That’s a good idea, Minawë. We’ll catch up when Rondel and I return. Boys, make sure my niece is well fed. She is your queen after all. Give her your utmost care and attention.” He stressed the last word.

Minawë cocked an eyebrow, but she shrugged and sat down in the fire ring. She refilled Narunë’s own bowl and ate like it was the first food she’d seen in days.

Rondel gestured to her left. Narunë let her guide him away from camp.

They’d walked in silence about ten minutes before Rondel said, “This should be far enough.”

“Did she follow us?”

Rondel’s Lightning Sight flashed. “I don’t see anyone else, and all the animals within earshot are native.”

Narunë nodded. “So what happened? A month is far too long to spend in Shikari.”

“It was necessary,” Rondel said. “The mission went as expected.”

Narunë pressed his thumb and index finger into the bridge of his nose. “I’d dared to hope that it wouldn’t,” he admitted. “Minawë believed so much in that young man. I wanted to think he would come back with you.”

“Melwar has twisted Iren beyond recognition. He’s become a demon obsessed with revenge.”

“Did you kill him?”

Rondel’s wrinkled fists clenched. “I had him in my grasp, but Minawë intervened and saved his life. He escaped.”

“So what will you do now?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’ll carry out Okthora’s Law. Evil must be annihilated. If Iren isn’t slain, he’ll corrupt Divinion and throw all of Raa into chaos. I’m going back to Shikari to find him. Iren Saitosan must die, just like his father.”

Narunë folded his muscular arms. “How does Minawë feel about that?”

Rondel sat on a fallen log. She shook her head. “I’m sure you know. I originally recruited her to deal with the Stone Dragon Knight. That was before I knew what Melwar had planned for Iren. Had I known that, I never would have brought her along.”

“She cares for him.”

“Not that the boy deserves it. After Minawë went to the trouble of saving him, the fool turned his back on her. He up and left, saying he would kill her if she interfered in his revenge.”

“Is that why you were so late in returning?”

Rondel nodded. “Minawë thought Iren would change his mind. She thought he was just speaking out of anger, and that he’d come to his senses. We waited for a month, but he never showed.”

“Why come back at all then? Had you waited, he might have returned, and even if he didn’t, you would already be in Shikari. The trail will have gone cold by now. How will you find him again?”

Rondel looked up at him. There was an expression on her face he’d never seen from her. It was pleading. “There’s something I need you to do for me.”

Narunë pressed his fingers into his nose again. “Why do I get the feeling whatever it is will be unpleasant?”

Rondel grinned. “Oh, it’s not that bad. It’s—”

She cut off. Her smile disappeared. Her eyes swiveled across the jungle.

“You did better than I expected,” Rondel said. “Black cat on a black night. That was smart.”

A low vibration came from the forest. Narunë tensed. He knew that sound.

Then he saw them. A pair of yellow eyes gleamed through the brush.

The jaguar stalked up to them, teeth bared. It snarled, but it didn’t pounce. Instead, it reared up on its hind legs. As it did, those legs changed shape, lengthening and melting into brown leather with green embroidered leaves. The yellow eyes morphed into emerald ones, and the hair on the cat’s head changed to the same color.

Minawë stood before her mother and uncle. Though she was now a Kodama instead of a cat, she looked as close to lunging as she had before the change.

“Don’t think you can wander off,” Minawë growled. “Either of you.”

Narunë held up both hands. “Hold on, don’t lump me in with a troublemaker like Rondel!”

Minawë wasn’t in a joking mood. Her eyes fixed on her uncle. “You knew she wanted to escape. That’s why you told your men to keep such a close eye on me.”

Narunë gave his most innocent smile. “You’re their queen. There are a lot of dangerous things in this jungle. I wanted them to protect you.”

“Don’t lie to me. This jungle won’t hurt me. If you want to protect me, then don’t let Rondel out of your sight.”

“Why not?”

“Because I won’t let her escape. Iren’s beyond my reach, but Rondel isn’t. If they want to kill each other, eventually they’ll have to meet. I plan to be there when they do.”

Narunë frowned, his mouth a thin line. So that was the game.

“Let’s head back to camp,” he said, “and don’t worry about Rondel. I’ll make sure she comes back to Sorengaral with us.”

Rondel flashed him an aggravated expression. She opened her mouth, surely to spit some nasty comment, but Narunë stopped her with a look.

Minawë eyed the two elders for a moment. At last she nodded curtly. “Fine,” she said. “I’ll walk behind you two on the way back to make sure you don’t try anything.”

Narunë shrugged and motioned for Rondel to take the lead. After a few steps though, he came level with her. Without turning his head he murmured, low enough that Minawë couldn’t hear, “Give me until Sorengaral. She’s my niece. I can convince her to stay there. Then you can disappear without her following you.”

Rondel kept her body position unchanged as she replied, “I’m counting on you. I saw how Minawë reacted when Iren turned from her. She had an opportunity to stop him, and she let it slip away. I can’t risk her interfering.”

“Why?” Narunë asked. “Are you afraid Iren will attack her?”

“No,” Rondel whispered, “I’m afraid I will.”