We reached the first platform. I leaped up the rocky slope, my feet scrambling across the wet soil. The ground shook with every roar the dragon made.
I recognized Huan’s helmet from the walls. He was making his way to the top of the tower.
“One of them will kill the other.”
“What else we can do?” Khine asked. “By the time you get up there, it will be too late.”
I scanned the perimeter. Soldiers were streaming in from both sides of the wall, heading for the tower. Eikaro, what by all the gods are you doing? He knew what they did to dragons here. To land on the tower itself and then stay there…
Madness. That was my only explanation. The dragons here were mad, untameable, and all because of the corrupted soul that served as the rider. That was what Dai Kaggawa had called it once. But Eikaro’s soul was alone inside the beast. I had seen the corrupted thing switch into his human body before it plummeted to its death. Could it have left a part of it inside of him?
I caught sight of a horn laid out near the wall ramparts and sped up towards the bridge. The last of the soldiers had slipped into the tower, but I didn’t know if more would come. I passed the tower, heading straight for the horn.
Two short blasts, one long blast—the signal for an impending attack from the enemy’s army; Huan used to think that military protocol made for fine conversation when out drinking with women. As soon as the last trumpet blared through the wind, I was gone.
Khine met me at the bridge. I turned around, hoping the soldiers would be thrown into panic. The result was even better; the horn blasts startled the dragon to flight. We went to take cover in the bushes just as his enormous shadow swept past us.
“He almost killed us in Kyo-orashi,” I said, watching the silent dragon disappear into the sky. “Something is going on with him.” I heard horses. Huan rode past us towards the ridge, along with several soldiers. He was followed by Warlord Ojika, who was flanked by two people in robes.
As soon as the last hoofbeats faded into the distance, I returned to the path. Khine drew his sword. “I’m not looking forward to facing that thing again if I can help it.”
“That thing has a name,” I said.
“If he’s forgotten it, there’s not much we can do. He’ll kill his father and brother or they’ll kill him.”
“They want to tame him. Those two looked like mages. Lord Huan told me the last time I was here that they’ve been trying to tame dragons by using the mages to pull the corrupted souls out of their bodies, but the process has failed each time because the hosts are killed by the riders. Maybe they know there is one soul left inside this dragon—maybe that’s why they want him so badly.”
“Or maybe they don’t know, and their process will kill him anyway. Why is Ojika Anyu so obsessed with taming dragons in the first place? I understand the symbolism that riding a dragon has to your nation, but they’re in the middle of a war he started.”
“My father would have ordered him to.”
“But why?”
I paused. “I believe my father had been dabbling with the agan,” I finally said. “And I believe the original plan was for him to use a dragon to ride to the skies and close that rift himself.”
“But he’s dead.”
I turned away, wondering. My father had pretended to agree with what Sume Kaggawa had proposed before he switched plans at the last moment. Did she know he didn’t want to die out here? Was the plan to draw Yuebek to Jin-Sayeng hers, too? I didn’t even know if she was still alive; Dai Kaggawa seemed unaware that his aunt had spoken to Yeshin, and my father had all but made it look like he wasn’t doing anything about the west for years. It was like trying to make out an image drenched in mud. I focused on leading us into the woods. The horses had crashed into the bushes without care, leaving a trail of broken twigs and crushed leaves. Further on, we encountered a layer of packed snow.
“Did Eikaro look thin to you?” I asked.
“I was a little preoccupied with trying to keep away from those snapping jaws the last time we met,” Khine said with a grimace.
“He looked thin. He wasn’t sure if the dragon’s body would even accept his soul.” I gazed up at the sky, where the first stars of the night were starting to shine through the clouds. I thought I heard another roar—one that sounded frail, and exhausted. I shivered. “Perhaps it’s already consumed him.”
In all the years since I had first met them, the Anyu brothers were inseparable.
They looked alike at first glance, but it was easy to forget they were twins once you got to know them better. Eikaro was soft-spoken, thoughtful, and always a step behind his brother. A spare, he had called himself once, and the recollection of the last few years made it difficult to deny that he had been raised as such. He didn’t seem to have a single thought that wasn’t an echo of his brother’s.
Huan was louder, brash, unquestionably the heir. He was good-natured when it suited him, but he overlooked his brother as elder brothers tended to, never mind he was only older by a few minutes. I had no inkling that the past few months would weigh as heavily on his mind as they had. An error on my part—in my mind, Eikaro was still alive. In Huan’s, he was dead. Against that backdrop, my revelation held no weight. One way or another, this dragon took his brother away from him.
“He’s tried to be strong these past few weeks,” I said. “He had to be. It’s the way we were raised. To uphold your duties first before personal interests. But we’re not made of steel, no matter how much we want to believe it. The cracks will show, eventually.”
“As I see it, the fault lies with their father,” Khine said. “Why do you think Huan didn’t arrest me when he saw me working for Dai? He’s had it with his father.”
“Is that how he found you?”
“I encountered his patrol while accompanying some of Dai’s soldiers. I was grateful he decided not to stick his sword into me before asking questions.”
“I hope he grants his brother the same courtesy.” I glanced around the wilderness. I wasn’t keen on the idea of tramping about further without a clear guide. The frenzied rush from earlier was replaced by a cold, impending sense of doom. I felt Khine’s hand on my shoulder. Wordlessly, I turned to him, dropping my head against the crook of his neck and allowing myself to breathe in his scent. I felt him smooth the hair from my face.
The dragon roared in the distance.
“We never catch a break,” Khine said with a slight grin. “I can see fire.” He pointed in the distance.
“Good enough for me,” I replied.
The snow reflected what little light there was, which helped us pick our way along the trail. I noticed that the roaring had grown soft, even as we got closer. I could also detect the sound of conversation, without a trace of the panicked screaming from earlier.
We came upon a low hill, fringed with trees, a few of which had already been set ablaze. Khine pointed at the rocks, and we started climbing in an effort to avoid the main trail. Moss and heather cushioned our knees as we gained ground. I parted the brush as we neared the ledge and was greeted by a quick blast, a gasp of air.
The dragon was bound. Loops of chain around his limbs stretched his body between the trees, preventing him from taking more than two steps at a time. His shoulder bled freely around a broken spear, wedged between his scales. Eikaro, I mouthed, hoping to catch a glimpse of his thoughts.
The dragon gurgled helplessly, beating wings into the air. A soldier approached and he snapped as he tried to take flight. The trees bent with his effort, but he didn’t seem strong enough to break them.
“Leave it there,” Warlord Ojika’s voice called. “It’ll tire itself out eventually.”
“Must it be this dragon, Father?” Huan said, appearing beside him. There was a look of distaste on his face.
“We haven’t come close to capturing one of this size before,” Ojika said. “The others we’ve tried the procedure on were too weak.”
“This dragon… and my brother…
”
“This dragon is the first untainted one we’ve seen in decades. If we tame it, then at least your brother’s death wouldn’t have been in vain. Are you going to pout this whole time, Huan?”
“No, sir.”
“Because you’re not a child anymore. Stop acting like one. Whatever misgivings you have—deal with it.” He placed a hand on Huan’s shoulder. The other patted his cheek. “I’ll ride the bloody thing, and maybe we’ll be able to turn this war around because clearly your efforts haven’t been enough. Is that clear?”
“Sir,” Huan grumbled.
“I didn’t hear you.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Ojika and the soldier walked off, leaving Huan alone. He was staring at the dragon, his face shadowed. I noticed his whole shoulder was drenched in blood, though he wasn’t holding it in a way that made me think he was injured. It must have been the dragon’s, or another man’s. He unstrapped his cloak, letting it drop to the ground. He took another step towards the dragon.
The dragon lunged at him, teeth snapping.
“It can’t be you,” Huan wheezed.
The dragon opened his jaws. No flame blast—there wasn’t enough air for that. The fire simply curled around his fangs, climbing over his bloody snout.
“My brother was my right hand,” Huan continued in a low voice. “My shield. In all my life, I have never considered I would someday rule this region without him. And you took that away from me, you son of a bitch. From us. From his daughter, who will now never know her father.”
The dragon roared.
“Lord Huan!” I called.
His face clenched, and his eyes darted towards the darkness. “My queen,” he said, his expression softening. He walked towards the edge of the cliff.
“You need to believe me,” I said.
“It’s too much,” Huan replied. “How could my brother be inside that thing?”
“After what you saw down there today, why would you even question it? He was a mage. He did it to preserve his life.”
“My queen…”
“He was too injured. He believed there was no way he would’ve been able to make it off the ridge alive. So he switched with the dragon. A spell of some sort. I saw it with my own eyes.”
Huan gazed back at me, realizing I was serious. He swallowed. “You spoke with him, you said. Why can’t I hear him myself?”
“Something about our souls touching during the first switch,” I said. “I was right beside him when he did it. But now—I can’t hear him now, either. Lord Huan… I think your brother may be in trouble.”
Huan looked like a man at the verge of madness.
“If you love your brother as you say you do…” Khine began.
Huan’s face tightened. “It is not a matter of love, Lamang. What Iga told us down there. The blood of innocents… on top of this…” He turned to me, his jaw quivering. “Your father has done too much to this land, Beloved Queen. We need to put an end to it all.”
“We are doing that,” I said. “But killing this dragon won’t bring your brother as he was back.”
He didn’t reply.
“Lord Huan,” Khine said. “You’re exhausted. The dragon isn’t going anywhere. Perhaps you should rest. When does your father plan to carry out the procedure?”
“This dawn,” Huan managed to croak out. “Most of the soldiers are heading back to the city. You should, too.”
“I’m not leaving him alone with you like this,” I said.
“I appreciate it, Beloved Queen. Believe me.” Huan turned away and climbed back to the top of the hill. I saw the dragon lunge at him a second time, but he reeled away, refusing even to meet his eyes. I think he was afraid he would see Eikaro’s familiar gaze in them.
After Huan had disappeared, I approached the dragon. He swung his head towards me, his swollen tongue flicking past his fangs. From this close, he was a sorry sight—blood dripped with his every motion, and his scales were dull and chipped. “My friend,” I said, holding my hands out. “Eikaro…”
The dragon didn’t attack, but he didn’t answer, either. I saw him droop his head.
“Eikaro, you need to let me know if you’re still there.” I took another step. “Let me help you.”
Eikaro suddenly swept his tail around, barrelling towards me. The chains rattled with the motion.
He stopped a hair’s breadth away, so close he could easily grab me with his teeth if he wanted to. His tail stopped, too, bent in the soil like a coiled whip, a snake about to pounce. Carefully, I placed my hand on his nose, feeling the hot blood pulsing under my skin.
He gave a low groan.
I reached for the spear on his shoulder. His eyes snapped open, but he kept his claws to the ground and his teeth away from me as I attempted to pull it out. It wouldn’t budge.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. I walked back to Khine, who looked pale. “Is there any way you can treat his wounds?”
He glanced at the dragon. “Tali, I’m not sure I want to get close to him ever again. I don’t even like it when you do. You still can’t talk to him?”
I shook my head.
“But the fact that he didn’t try to tear you apart…” He swallowed, giving a nervous laugh.
“He isn’t mad, Khine,” I said. “It’s the corrupted soul that causes the madness, and I know there isn’t one inside of him. Look at him. There’s light in his eyes.”
Khine glanced at the dragon. He didn’t look like he believed me.
“I’ve seen the mad dragons. They look nothing like these. If he’s mad, none of us would’ve survived the arena at Kyo-orashi. But we did. He left as soon as he found an opening. We fight him, so he fights back, just like any wild animal. Look.” I turned back to Eikaro, holding my hand out again. I heard Khine swear as the dragon lumbered closer.
Eikaro nudged me with his muzzle, a gurgle running through him. His scales quivered. I stroked the side of his face before leaning over to press my head against his. He closed his eyes.
“Gods,” Khine breathed.
The silence inside my head was deafening. Had we lost our connection somehow? Was Eikaro still trying to talk, and I simply couldn’t hear? The dragon now gazed back, yellow eyes gleaming, and I suddenly felt as if he was begging for something. A thought occurred to me.
“Are you trapped in there?” I asked.
He looked confused.
“Eikaro, hear me out. Why can’t you speak? Did something happen? Are you still in there?”
Slowly, as if he was focusing all his energies into the one, small act, he nodded. Such a human movement looked odd on a wild beast.
“Tali,” Khine broke in. “The soldiers.”
“I’ll be back,” I promised the dragon. As we dropped to the ledge, I heard him croon after me, a long, lonely sound. It made the hair on my arms stand on end.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
THE DRAGONRIDERS OF JIN-SAYENG
We found shelter in a small cave not too far away. Khine swiped fire from one of the blazing trees and we spent the rest of the night busying ourselves with the campfire. There wasn’t much else we could do in the dark. Khine insisted he would keep watch, that he was used to staying up and I could sleep until there was enough light to move around again, but I couldn’t really fall asleep. My thoughts circled around what we had discovered in the dragon-tower earlier that day. I could still hear the sound of the small skulls rolling along the floor, couldn’t get the image of my father beating Eikaro out of my head. Beat him bloody against the wall were Eikaro’s words. Why did I dismiss it as a mere quirk of Yeshin’s? I was so used to his ruthlessness that Eikaro’s story seemed like a passing thought.
Not that his own father was any better. This is the beat of the land, didn’t you know, Talyien aren dar Orenar? Dragonlord, Bitch Queen—you would know this better than anyone. I reached for my father’s letter, pressing my thumb against the thin paper, yellowed with time. I felt the desire to burn it in the fire then and there.
I opened it instead.
My Dearest Daughter,
You always were stubborn. It was both my greatest joy and my greatest sorrow. You don’t bow easily—I know, because I wouldn’t. I suppose I carry much of the blame for this, but that is all in the past.
I showed you my memory of Sume Kaggawa’s proposal because it is a momentous occasion in history: the moment that assured Oren-yaro victory once and for all. We won then, my child. It will take years for it to come to fruition, but Jin-Sayeng will finally belong to us, all because a woman thought she could twist my grief for her own. Penance cannot give your brothers back to us. Penance cannot raise the dead.
By now, I’ll be dead, and if everyone did their jobs as they were supposed to, the tensions in the west should have reached a tipping point. Dai Kaggawa should be at war with Ojika Anyu. Such men, who wear their hearts on their sleeves, are always so useful. Haven’t I warned you against such carelessness all your life? Dai Kaggawa wants power, Ojika Anyu wants power, and this war they are waging to control the Sougen is everything.
And by now, you should be married to Prince Yuebek. You now hold the key to everything. Implore him to ride west to subdue the war and win the love of the people. Defeat Kaggawa and have him executed—the brat never did know his place. Speak with Ojika Anyu. I have doubts about the man’s competence, but surely by now he would know how to tame the dragons. I’ve supplied him with more than enough mages and time.
Listen carefully, Talyien…
I read the rest. The unease turned cold on my fingertips, turned to anger, and then something that went beyond—a sinking feeling of devastation, one I wanted to fight against from the bottom of my heart. My father, the egotistical madman, had wanted nothing but absolute dominance over the land. He had pretended to be concerned for its sake, but here was proof that power was all that mattered to him. The worst part was that he had succeeded so far.
No—the worst part was that I was surprised. I could question my father’s love for me, but for the longest time his love for Jin-Sayeng was a certainty as real as the sky. Now, I held the proof that I was wrong about that, too.
The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng Page 44
