The Dragon Knight and the Light

by D. C. Clemens

  Nuan’s hand of lightning lowered bit by bit. When her fingernails grazed his chest, she slapped the rest of her hand on Yukata’s chest. The boy’s eyes opened wide and his head jerked upward. As Nuan helped him sit up, her prince coughed, gagged, and panted.

  “We’re not doing that again!” said Nuan.

  “I doubt we have to,” said Ghevont.

  “What do you mean?” I asked. “I thought you needed another spore cluster?”

  “To be sure, but once I sensed the boy-, er, the prince, about to faint, I took the opportunity to seize the last cluster. The imperial prince should now be free of desiccation spores, though I’ll check again in a moment.”

  Running up to embrace her recovering nephew, Ikumi said, “Wouldn’t that be wonderful!? And with Nuan’s help we can cure everyone!”

  “Ah, I wouldn’t be so sure.”

  “What do you mean now?” I asked.

  “I mean that the nismerdon crystal will not likely have enough prana to cure more than two people, and that’s assuming someone does not have more spores than the boy did.”

  “Just two?” said Ikumi.

  “Unless we can find more nismerdon prana to entrap, I estimate two to be the maximum.”

  “We’ll have to inform the emperor of everything,” said Nuan. “No more secrets.”

  “You’re right,” I said. “I commend your instinct to trust us this far, Lady Nuan.”

  “I trusted the prince. We yet have weeks to wait to see if he was right to trust you, and within the hour it will be the emperor who will determine if he trusts you to attempt this procedure on anyone else.”

  “All I request is that Princess Ikumi and Prince Ashina tell their side of the story.” I stepped up to Yukata, who had stopped coughing, and offered him the backside of my hand. “I trust you’ll give us a good word, Your Grace?”

  He took my hand and kissed it. “I’ll be sure to put in every shared word I know on your behalf, Princess Astor.”

  “At least consider placing us in your finest dungeons,” said Gerard.

  Another sweep by Ghevont’s staff confirmed that no appreciable trace of the spores inhabited his being. It’s possible there were spores too small to be detected by Ghevont’s spell, but instead of being worried about his future, I was happier that the present Yukata came through for us. The relief granted me the chance to get a big bite to eat.

  It was late in the evening when three armored soldiers told me the emperor needed to speak with me in the war room. I was escorted across the palace and into a windowless, circular chamber filled with large tables, detailed maps, scrolls, and the light of runes and lit braziers. Standing by the widest table was the emperor with his two ever present defenders. However, once I entered the room, he ordered everyone to leave.

  When both iron doors closed behind me, Hynjun, hands behind his back, said, “I underestimated my sister’s willingness to seek help from outsiders.”

  “Desperate times and all that, my lord.”

  “And I assume that’s your answer as to why you wasted no time in involving yourself in my affairs.”

  “Yes. I did not fly halfway around the world to sit idle while the Advent run rampant. If I believe them to have influence in your empire, then I will do what I can to purge it. I do not know whether the desiccation in your family is the work of the cult, but I think it will be best on our consciences if we do everything in our power to remove it.”

  “Do not dare presume what will or will not be easier on my conscience.”

  “Exactly the reason I did not seek out your permission. Forgive me for the transgression, truly, but I risked what I risked because I fear our enemy more than I fear you. I also did not fear losing your son to my scholar’s procedure.”

  “However confident you may have been in his abilities, his life will be forfeit if my son suffers any mortal blow associated with the operation. Your scholar will also be sequestered from the rest of your group until I determine that my son is free of such danger. In this way I know you will not interfere with my ruling.”

  “And what will you do once you determine Master Rathmore abetted more than harmed?”

  “Then all you’ve done is hand me nigh impossible choices. Master Rathmore says he can only perform the procedure twice more, correct? Assuming my youngest son is cured, that still leaves five others in my family with the disease.”

  “Two more is his limit with the current nismerdon prana he has stored. I’m willing to bet my life that there is plenty of nismerdon prana available in Jegeru right now. All the more reason to begin mobilizing your armies and to seek reinforcements from beyond your borders. Send word to the Warriors Guild. Tell them Alslana will hire the best warriors in Efios.”

  “If anyone is to hire the guild in my lands, it will be with my coin and my word.”

  “Fair enough, my lord, but my point still stands. I’m certain you do not want to only put the lives of your own warriors in danger.”

  “You’re still contemplating too far into the future, Princess Astor. We shall have to wait on my son’s condition before I order anything based on your suggestions. If he comes out well, then I will consider your recommendations. Until then, please refrain from attempting any more transgressions.”

  Not one hundred percent truthful, I said, “You have my word.”

  “Extend that word to your companions as well. Don’t force me to make unpleasant choices. Your blood may give you more latitude than most outsiders, but it is not endless.”

  “As you wish. Now, if I may ask, what are the latest reports concerning Jegeru?”

  He glanced at some papers lying on the table. His eyes had eased in their sternness when they met mine again. “It’s the lack of reports that concern me. I’ve lost contact with much of my Jegeru connections. The little that trickles through only confirms a situation you’ve already appraised me of. All other reports are observations from afar. It looks as if approximately half of Jegeru’s forces defending the Iunt border have left their posts, and their naval vessels don’t seem to be receiving any unifying orders. Confusion appears widespread.”

  “And refugees?”

  “I take them in if they make it to my ships or across the border, but it appears most refugees are sailing to Shia. As a consequence, anything more proactive on my part would force my men to occupy Jegeru lands, something I won’t do unless I do it in mass.”

  “Understandable, if frustrating.”

  “My father always said no rational ruler is ever free of frustration.”

  “Or suspicions.”

  “Is there something you wish to say, Princess Astor? Do you mistrust me?”

  “No, actually. If the Advent are responsible for infecting your family, then it tells me they have not been successful in manipulating you more directly. Granted, there may still be someone close to you giving the Advent information, but the fact I’m alive must mean their sway is low.”

  “So you carry suspicions about everyone else.”

  “I have to. Our enemy has spent decades pervading nations and organizations. They must have targeted my mother years before they attacked, knowing she could summon Mytariss’ holy power without being a great warrior herself. And so cultists invaded my kingdom and her biggest rival. Long ago the Advent decided to use Jegeru as their nismerdon feeding grounds, so there’s no question they’ve infiltrated her biggest rival as well. It’s only a matter of who and how. I recommend being wary of any voice that makes light of the danger Jegeru’s turmoil poses.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind, princess. You may go.”

  “Can I make a request before I leave?”

  “What is it?”

  “My friends and I do not find loafing in the guest hall productive. With your permission, I would like for us to have access to a sparring room for at least two hours a day.”

  “I’ll see what accommodations I can make. Will there be anything else?”

  Bowing, I said, “No, my lord. Thank you.”
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  Ghevont had already been removed from his room by the time I returned to the guest hall. I would have asked Ikumi or even the prince where they were keeping him, but I did not see them over the next few days. As long as they did not deprive him of books or scrolls, I believed he would not mind being isolated from everyone for a while.

  Some of the fretfulness that came from waiting to see what happened with the prince came out in sweat during the training sessions we were granted. The emperor allowed us to use a sparring room for an hour either after breakfast or lunch. My group, which excluded Ghevont and included the riders, did our utmost to take advantage of the courtesy. The time limit forced us to train fast and hard. I was glad to get my muscles sore so I could briefly think of something else every time I moved.

  One evening, as I rested my tender muscles in a chair in Gerard’s room, someone knocked on the door. Gerard opened it to reveal a happy Ikumi.

  After she and I hugged, the Wregor princess said, “I bring good news.”

  “About the prince?”

  “No, although he’s looking healthier every day. It’s about Master Eberwolf. My brother has just learned that the Tawahori Warriors Guild received a message from the dragon knight!”

  Copying her little jump, I exclaimed, “Thank the gods! What else did you learn? What did the message say?”

  “Something about being in Yong-Yin and to not expect him to be in Tawahori for some weeks.”

  “Oh, I see…” I felt my teeth of my lower lip. “Then your brother has weeks to prepare for his coming. Do you know what he plans to do?”

  “I know he’s heartened to see Yukata dashing to and fro without running out of breath so quickly. I also know he’s instructed his eldest and his wife to return to the palace. I suspect he’s preparing to have one or both of them go through the procedure. You’d have to speak with him to learn any other of his impending plans.”

  “I mean to.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Mercer

  The same village healer who watched over the first rescued victim of the slaver attack was the same one to give me an alchemic potion to numb the pain in my jaw. There wasn’t much of it and it numbed more than my jaw, so I only sipped it before going to sleep. The rest of the time I had to grin and bear it, minus the “grin” part. Kiku helped me eat solid food by shredding fruits and meats into small pieces I could swallow without chewing, but I otherwise drank more than ate over the next few days.

  I started to believe that one of the side effects of the numbing concoction was hallucinating someone murmuring in my brain as I tried falling asleep, but the more I listened, the more I realized that voice was coming from outside of my head. The voice was a woman’s, a woman named Kiku Du.

  Exploiting the fact that my jaw was not so sore in the morning, I asked Kiku, “Do you talk to yourself?”

  She stopped stoking the fire with a stick that held a piece of rabbit meat. A playfully wicked smile grew on her lips. “You caught me. Sorry, I can’t help myself. Master says I have so much personality that I had to make another one inside my head.”

  “Charming. This other personality of yours won’t be a problem, will she?”

  “How did you know she’s a she?”

  “It was more of a hope. Talking to a man in your head may have been too crazy for my tastes.”

  “Ah, well, she’s a sweetheart, so no problems from her. Besides, it’s more like she’s another part of me, not someone else entirely. She’s like my younger self, but better.”

  “Better?”

  “Yeah, better. Like more innocent? I don’t know. I think she’s cute.”

  “Does she have a name or something?”

  “I just call her ‘Little One.’ Don’t you ever talk to yourself?”

  Laying my head back down, I answered, “I keep that sort of thing to myself.”

  The end of this same day was when we reached sight of the Siti Bin River. Rather than rest by the shore, we took advantage of the perfect weather and pushed forward. Kiku summoned her beast and we rode him in cool water that no spell could make calmer or quieter. Without torchlight, trees, or much in the way of clouds, the stars and half-moon shown themselves quite spectacularly against the black sky. It was one of those nights where the distant blue world of Recloria could be seen without the aid of a glass contraption. The same went for a purplish band of stars going up the middle of the sky, the Ara Solymus.

  Kiku explained that the Fadraeesa’s belief system involved the worship of the celestial realm. They would see outlines of their gods in the twinkling points in the sky. It was these gods that gave them access to strange hexes that supposedly enhanced their senses and unlocked the ability to summon the spirits of their dead ancestors to intangibly aid them in battle. I was not familiar with anything relating to gods written in the sky, but I knew enough to appreciate the view.

  While not as pristine as the first night, the next few days of unspoiled weather and lack of distractions permitted us to travel well over a hundred miles a day. Following the river westward also had us going a bit south, but it didn’t become a drastic slant until the beginning of the third day, when the main river drained to a large lake two hundred miles farther down the map. We stayed on the western route, though this shallower branch of water only continued for half a day longer. Regardless, we made good time.

  The new land we walked on belonged to Shia, a middling kingdom not too dissimilar from Yong-Yin, if a tad more single-minded. They used to belong to the Yong-Ying collective, but a civil war split them apart shortly after the War of Dragon Fire. Kiku said she was born in this land, though she would not tell me which town. I assumed her Little One was born in this land as well, no doubt to help her cope with her destitute past.

  Except for a handful of minor lakes and rivers, around six hundred miles of Shia had to be crossed by land. My aching jaw forced us to tread slowly, but after days of sitting on Akachii the Fat, I welcomed being able to use my legs again, so walking over two dozen miles a day was still a reachable goal. Indeed, we only stopped to eat and sleep out in the open during the first two days in Shia territory. An uninvited change in the weather on the third afternoon compelled us to seek shelter.

  After an hour being drenched in hard rain, the road we roughly followed led us to a large town. A big wooden wall protected the older districts that lied on top of a hill. Not interested in anything too cheap, I passed a couple of smaller inns and entered a larger, sturdier establishment. It appeared to be a popular haunt to escape the nasty weather, for the place was half full despite the traditional supper hour being numerous clock tocks away.

  Kiku ordered a whole roasted chicken, which she kindly chopped into tattered pieces for me to eat whole. As I ate, a man in leather armor came near the wall my table stood against and nailed a piece of paper on one of the notice boards in the inn. The poster was of an artist’s rendition of a middle-aged man with a curly mustache.

  Unable to read the Shia lettering, I asked Kiku, “Is that a criminal?”

  Once she read the notice, she said, “Sort of.”

  “Anyone we have to look out for?”

  “Doubt it. It’s an escaped slave.”

  “They have slaves here?”

  “Yes, though they can earn their freedom if they fulfill their contracts. It’s an oft abused system, of course.”

  “But who are they making slaves of?”

  “The Igseti-Ky, one of the original tribes living in these lands. They weren’t always slaves, but after a rat plague killed half of Shia’s people hundreds of years ago, the kingdom needed healthy bodies to work their lands. The slave system stayed in place even after Shia recovered her numbers. I don’t know enough history to tell you the details, but I know the civil war had something to do with the slaves.”

  “Then the slaves is why Shia has no Warriors Guild?”

  “Hmm, I never thought about it, but I guess you’re right. The guild doesn’t approve of slaves, so yeah, Shia would not
like the guild around.”

  A runaway slave would not stick to civilization, so I did not have to worry about getting involved in the poster man’s life after we hit the road again the next day.

  Something related to the rat plague came up again a week later when two young men in a tavern sought help in finding a rat’s nest. And not just any rat’s nest, a Pukam rat’s nest. These were the giant forest rats thought responsible for spreading the plague that led to the slavery of a whole tribe.

  Pukam rats were the size of the average house cat, making the felines more liable to being prey rather than their predators. The pests liked to came down from the northern forest every now and again to eat the crops the slaves toiled over, and the only real way to combat them was using trained dogs to sniff them out and for human hunters to kill every single one in sight. I was only interested in hunting bigger game, so I declined the men’s offer to aid in their hunt.

  Two days after that and we crossed into an undulating land filled with tree laden hills and narrow rivers snaking within the gorges. When a road could not circumvent the ravines, bridges were assembled over the crevices. The greatest bridge in the area was a five hundred yard long stone structure that led to the second largest city in Shia, a forty thousand person town called Manvi. It was here that trade from and to Siti Bin happened to converge.

  From what I could see, a stone wall defended the northern districts of the city, but the southern side had the steepness of the gorge to protect it, though a handful of watchtowers still overlooked the region. Having a little more room on the eastern side, a smaller, thinner wall and larger watchtowers rose up in the available space. At the moment, I could only assume a wall was present to the west of the city.

  The gray and white Manvi Bridge was a solidly erected piece of architecture supported by six massive pillars that touched the river bottom over three hundred feet down. At eighty feet wide, only eidolons of legendary size would have trouble walking across it. Currently, as the sun fell behind the city skyline, the bridge had no trouble supporting dozens and dozens of non-legendary people.