Stepping up to me, Satiko asked, “You are Princess Astor?”
I bowed and answered, “Yes. A pleasure to mee-” A hard slap reddened my left cheek when my head leveled out from its bow. Considering how much the pain stunned me, I knew her hand had to have been propelled by prana.
In a shouting kind of whisper, she said, “Your blood does not give you the right to decide what is best for my children!”
“Mother!” said Yukata. “She and her friend helped me! I’m better!”
“And that fact is the only reason she and her friends are not in our dungeons at this very moment, but hindsight is no excuse for the danger she exposed you to. No, the young princess needs reminding that she cannot always expect her reckless actions to be pardoned because of her name and blood.”
My opening mouth prepared to defend its master, but intuition told me that someone angry enough to slap someone else was seldom receptive to rationality. Consequently, in the interest of abridging and cooling the conversation, I said, “I’d feel the same way if a stranger risked the welfare of my sisters without apprising me beforehand. I know that resentment would suppress all other emotions for some time.”
Perhaps she anticipated a more childish response from me, for she stayed silent for a heated moment. Realizing she was obligated to at least act as self-possessed as the youth in front of her, the vehemence in Satiko’s eyes mellowed to a haughty glare. I’m certain I heard her internal monologue wishing for us to be alone. Without another sound, Satiko turned around and directed her youngest up the stairs, taking his retainers with her.
The man in black and gold remained behind. Offering me a small bow, he said, “Forgive her, Princess Astor. I’ve never known my mother to inhibit her emotions when it comes to her children.”
“It’s quite all right, Prince Ashina. I imagine being helpless against the desiccation disease these past months has also rattled her composure and sense of security.”
“No doubt it has.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
“I admit I wasn’t so understanding when I first heard what you did. It honestly took hearing and seeing my brother healthy for the first time in months to remove all my reservations. If your special healing method is truly a way to cure the disease, then my mother will soon treat you as one of her own.”
“I look forward to the day. May I ask how you’ve fared with the disease?”
“I’m perhaps the least affected by it. It’s why I can still go out at sea and command my ships without too much fear of a severe relapse.”
“And your mother was at sea with you?”
“Not with me, but yes, she was out overseeing coastal defenses. She claims her objective is to keep complacency at a minimum, but it’s really an excuse to leave the stuffiness of the palace and let down her hair. However, the desiccation hits her hard when it comes, so I don’t approve of her latest outings.”
Coming up beside me, Clarissa said, “It doesn’t seem like the empress cares much for someone else’s approval.”
“You’d be right about that, Lady…”
“Oh, uh, it’s Lorraine. Clarissa Lorraine, Your Highness. So, Odet, does your cheek hurt? It’s still red.”
“There’s only a tingle. There are those here with worse afflictions.” Back to the prince, I asked, “Will you and your mother be the ones to undergo the procedure?”
“Considering my position, both of my parents will insist that I be cured next. That will leave your scholar with only one more chance at treating someone, correct?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“There will likely be a long discussion on who will receive that final treatment. I don’t want to be a part of it. It could be choosing who lives and who dies.”
“Not if we counter the Advent swiftly. In Jegeru we can surely collect more nismerdon prana to help your family.”
Changing his unruffled expression to a brooding one, his hand slipped under his helmet to scratch his cheek. “Acting swiftly is looking more and more difficult to achieve.”
“Why is that?”
“There are signs that several Chiszir tribes are amassing along the border. Not too unusual in and of itself. They often like to raid our territory to test for weaknesses, but our scouts are reporting larger than average numbers.”
“Sounds like more Advent meddling,” said Gerard.
“It wouldn’t take much meddling to induce the Chiszir to attack my people, even after all the times we’ve repelled them. So you see our problem. The Chiszir will undoubtedly make the most out of our softer defenses if we pull too many soldiers from our border. Wregor could find itself in a two-front war.”
“All the more reason to begin persuading other kingdoms to align with our cause,” I said. “The more men that join us, the less strain it will be on your own manpower.”
“My father may not consider bringing in different groups of outsiders as a solution.”
“And what does the future of this empire think? Does he believe the Advent threat is a matter of wait and see?”
“I believe action should be taken, Princess Astor, but we must remain sensible. Would you leave yourself open to one enemy to attack another? Do you trust kingdoms you only have a distant connection with to fight alongside your people?”
“All valid points against a traditional enemy, but ours is not. There hasn’t been an enemy like the Advent since the dragon war. And like that war, it will require cooperation between different nations to end this once and for all. Make no mistake, Prince Ashina, war has come to your doorstep from beyond this realm. Please make your father understand that. Sometimes older generations have a harder time imagining beyond their life experience.”
“Someday we’ll fall into that trap as well. Until then, I’ll do my best to convey your earnest desire to take action. I especially see no harm in contacting other Efios kingdoms to learn how difficult it will be to pull their soldiers away from their borders. We won’t be the only ones worried about diluting our defenses. I imagine the dragon knight may stand a better chance at uniting foreign banners together.”
“I agree, and he’ll be here in a few weeks, but two royal valkrean families will have to do for now. Besides, I don’t think your father wants to appear subservient to a single outsider’s wishes, even if that outsider is a dragon knight. The emperor should be the one to spur action if he wants to maintain his image as the most powerful man in Efios.”
A boisterous chuckle left the prince. “Now that might be your strongest point yet. My father and grandfather have sacrificed much to merely maintain the appearance of control.”
“As have my ancestors. The Alslana Empire nearly collapsed on itself for the sake of keeping up appearances, and mainly for people who could not care less about staying under our banner, no less. The point is, whatever you can say to your father, say it.”
“It’ll be the least I can do if your scholar’s procedure releases me from the desiccation’s grip. Speaking of which, no one has yet to tell me exactly what this procedure involves. It’s not too harrowing, I hope.”
“It’s not the most pleasant experience from what I’ve seen, but your brother handled it well, so only brace yourself for some odd discomfort and queasiness.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, thank you. I need to get going, but it’s been an honor to meet with a fellow royal valkrean. I believe we can bring more balance to the world if we worked together more often.”
“It would certainly make us better prepared to counter attacks from other realms. Good luck with the procedure, Prince Ashina.”
He left after a parting bow.
According to Ikumi, the elder prince underwent the scholar’s procedure the next afternoon. Two days later and his prospects appeared to equal his brother’s. Ikumi was thrilled with the results, but knowing Ghevont could only perform on one other person tempered a full-fledged celebration. I was also afraid that expending all of the nismerdon prana on another procedure would leave
us blind to any enemies that may bear the nismerdon power. I prayed that the remaining desiccation victims could hold out long enough for us to find a tidy solution, no matter how unlikely that was looking.
Four days after Wuhen’s procedure, I got the chance to speak with him again. As I finished eating my dinner, the armored prince entered the guest banquet hall, helmet under his arm. Everyone stood up from their seats in respect. He talked a little with a couple of palace visitors, but it became clear that my part of the table was his destination.
Coming up to me, he said, “Princess Astor, I hope you’ve satisfied your appetite.”
“That will depend on what kind of news you’ve brought me.”
“It’s news I’d rather not discuss openly. Please, follow me to a sitting room. Your friends can finish their meals. This won’t take long.”
There were several nearby rooms to choose from. He picked one occupied by an older couple, who left when he requested privacy. A mirrored wall helped to reflect the light that came from two small fireplaces.
Taking our seats, I asked, “What’s this about?”
“Jegeru. We’ve just received word that Prince Mochimoto Tokkosho has arrived in Nattu.”
“A Jegeru prince, huh? And what and where is Nattu?”
“A rocky island about two hundred miles northwest of Watawara. As we each have a fort there, it’s often used as a neutral meeting place between our two nations.”
“I see. So, what has the prince said?”
“Nothing as of yet. There hasn’t even been an official announcement that has confirmed the prince’s whereabouts. It’s only because of our spies that we know a boy fitting Mochimoto’s description has made it to Koubeng Fortress.”
“But then it’s possible he’s not the prince at all.”
“There are many possibilities that could explain Jegeru’s hesitance to give away a royal’s location, which is why Father wants me to head there and uncover the truth myself. If it is the prince, then it will be the first Jegeru royal confirmed to be alive. We have to find out what he knows, especially if he turns out to be the last of his line. The emperor has allowed me to take you along if you wish it.”
“He’ll allow me to leave?”
A smirk formed on the left half of his mouth. “I think your presence makes the emperor nervous. Seeing what you risked to help my brother, he knows you have the capacity to take drastic measures to attain your ambitious goal, measures that may force him to rein in a royal valkrean and cause an incident that will span oceans. He has enough problems.”
“Well, I don’t want to be the cause of your father’s consternations, so I will accept your offer to meet the Jegeru prince. I assume I can take my companions along as well?”
“Yes, even the scholar. As I understand it, we’ll need his staff to sense any nismerdon prana we may encounter on the island. Can’t have us falling into a trap too easily.”
“When do we leave?”
“As soon as you and your friends equip themselves with whatever they need. I’ll inform the guards to escort you outside once you’re ready.”
Excited about doing anything outside of the palace, and with permission, I forgot to bow to my host before exiting the room. I had to turn around and bow through the open door. The prince responded with an amused nod.
My group felt as much enthusiasm as I did when I told them we were finally leaving the palace confines. And while Prince Ashina was presumably ordered not to let us roam too far out of his sights, I had a feeling the emperor would prefer it if we went our own way. Getting back into our former attire did not take long, and being escorted outside the palace grounds took even less time. Including the prince and Ghevont, a squadron of twenty-two griffins and their riders waited for us. Our own riders were still not given lenience, so they had to be passengers as well.
Flying east meant flying toward the incoming night. Assuming uninterrupted flights, I expected for us to reach Nattu as the night surrendered her throne to the morning sun. Patches of sprinkling rain and strong gusts slowed us down a couple hours after we lifted off the ground, though nothing that hindered us by more than a few minutes in the grand scheme of things.
Sometime around midnight, we traded for fresh griffins on one of those large wooden platforms. It was during the exchange that I got to speak with Ghevont.
“Were you treated well in your isolation?”
“Well? Hmm, I won’t exactly describe it as so, but I can say their conduct towards me was not unwell. Nothing to ruffle anyone’s feathers over.”
“Oh, then I suppose that’s fine. And what’s the state of the nismerdon crystal?”
“There’s not much prana left. Unless it’s particularly strong, I doubt I could sense nismerdon prana beyond a few dozen yards.”
“Curing Wuhen took its toll, then? Can you really cure another person of the desiccation?”
“I believe so. Er, as long as the case is not too severe. I would like to examine the rest of those afflicted so I can determine who has the least number of spores, but my request has not yet been granted.”
“We wouldn’t have to be so frugal if we could get more nismerdon prana,” said Clarissa. “How hard would that be, anyway? Wouldn’t we need to absorb the prana from a living giant, or one of the Advent?”
“Or one of their active spells. I’m confident the absorption process itself won’t be too challenging for me, but yes, restraining a nismerdon or cultist will be the perilous part.”
“And unless we have a considerable advantage, I’m not sure it’s worth the risk,” said Gerard. “Killing the Advent and their monsters should always be our top priority.”
“It’s not really up to us,” I said, watching as our escort brought out fresh griffins from below deck. “It will purely depend on the opportunities we’re dealt and whether we can create our own. So let’s focus on this opportunity for now.”
Going by how fast many of them wanted to go, I think our new griffins had not been taken out to fly in some time. At least my whiptail appeared to be well taken care of during her confinement. Her feathers were so soft and glossy. To my disappointment, their flying dash eventually wore on them after an hour, putting us at a more practical speed the rest of the way.
A rectangular, gray island two or three miles long came within sight at the fringes of dawn. Made from the same rock as the island were unspectacular fortresses erected at each end of Nattu. We headed for the center of the six-sided western fort. Wuhen, now sitting in the open courtyard filled with six stone tables, spoke to some soldiers and proceeded to eat the bowls and plates of breakfast put down in front of him. My group and most of the riders sat down to eat with him. Being a princess, I sat to his right.
“What’s the plan, Prince Ashina?” I asked.
After taking a sip out of his mug, he answered, “I’ve sent a messenger to our neighbor letting them know that Wregor’s heir and an Alslana princess needs to speak with Jegeru’s prince.”
“Not being discreet, I see.”
“There’s no need. Their response to my bluntness will be enough to inform my next actions. They could draw this out by denying their prince’s absence, but I’m prepared to play any game of theirs until the evening. However, I hope announcing your presence will convince them that Wregor is not interested in harming their prince. It’s likely they haven’t declared their prince’s whereabouts because they don’t know who to trust, but if there’s anyone they can trust, it will be the princess who was traveling with the dragon knight.”
“So that’s why I’m really here.”
“There can be more than one reason, and I honestly thought you would have figured it out before now.”
“Ah, well, I’ll think better after a nap.”
“My people will give you and anyone else a room to rest your mind. I may do the same if there isn’t a quick answer from Jegeru.”
I did not actually feel all that tired, but I still took Wuhen’s offer to limit my future yawns once I s
tifled my stomach’s growling with some food. As expected from recently occupied military barracks, my accommodations were not remarkable and they smelled, um, sweaty. The human odor must have been appealing to the vampire, for she fidgeted more than usual. A tempting odor was better than a bothersome sun, so she lingered inside. With nothing to read, Ghevont joined me in my search for a little sleep.
I returned from what felt like a short reprieve when Gerard nudged me awake. A nod at Clarissa had her opening the door.
Taking a step inside, Wuhen said, “We’ve received confirmation that Prince Tokkosho is indeed being held in Koubeng. He was not in Watawara when the attack occurred, so he escaped the fate of many in his home city. Regrettably, the fortress commander claims the boy is not fit enough to speak. Whatever struck him, they expect he’ll succumb to it in the coming days. That’s evidently their reason for keeping his presence a secret.”
“So we’re too late to help him? Can your healers take a look? Or Ghevont?”
“A messenger is already on his way with an offer of aid.”
“Good, good. Did Jegeru’s commander give you any other information?”
“He implied he’s too isolated from the mainland to know what’s happening there, but Prince Tokkosho did not come alone. Among his group were three noble children, including a younger cousin. If the prince dies, then it may be this cousin who is next in line to the throne. However, he needs another few months for his age to cross into double-digits, and until reliable news from the mainland reaches us, no one will recognize his rule just yet.”
“Maybe not, but if he and the others he came with can talk, then they can tell us some reliable information about what’s happening on the mainland. We should request to speak with them.”
“The commander would have already mentioned anything noteworthy.”
“Unless he doesn’t believe what he’s heard, or wants to keep more secrets. Either way, there’s no harm in requesting it. Any little bit of information we can gather will be useful.”
“Very well, I’ll send the request. I’ll return with their reply.”
I could not find my sleep again, so I took my turn watching over the others who entered their dream realm. Ghevont, who had not been awoken by Wuhen’s interruption, seemed particularly peaceful in his slumber. Clarissa, to help lessen the alluring human aroma, covered herself in three blankets. A weak flame spell from a rider helped to burn off some of the human scent on them.
The Dragon Knight and the Light Page 26
