by Amy Sumida
“Sin-Eater,” I mused. “Like those witches who could consume a person's sin for them?”
“More like a dragon who consumes an evil person entirely,” Zhayu smiled wide, revealing a set of sharp teeth.
“My mistake,” I stared at his teeth and swallowed hard.
“You're very pretty,” he said casually. “I hadn't expected that of a half-human woman.”
“Thank you?” I scrunched up my face at him and he burst into laughter.
Beside me, Iku-Turso stared at his king in wide-eyed wonder.
“A lack of guile is so charming,” Zhayu sat forward and peered at me. “We dragons have a forthright manner and we appreciate it in others but the other fey are rarely so honest with us.”
“I wonder why that is, Sin-Eater,” I said dryly and Zhayu gave another short huff of a laugh.
“Your Majesty,” Iku interrupted. “I need to apprise you of the situation with King Uisdean.”
“There is a situation? Hasn't he only just arrived?” Zhayu set suddenly sober eyes on Iku.
“The Princess was meant to be joined by her Guard but the breathing spells laid upon them by King Uisdean's casters seem to have failed,” Iku-Turso explained. “They all had to resurface and leave the Princess undefended.”
“Will Uisdean not share his Guard with her?”
“Uisdean may have coordinated the failed spells in an attempt to make the Princess vulnerable,” Iku said carefully. “We don't know anything for certain but Princess Seren says that before she was crowned, King Uisdean set the Sluagh upon her.”
“Twice,” I added. “And he had my mother murdered.”
Zhayu's beautiful eyes went wide.
“I have offered to stand in for the Princess' Guard,” Iku went on.
“Hold,” Zhayu lifted a hand and looked back to me. “Your uncle sent the Sluagh to kill you and you lived?”
“Yes,” I nodded. “I had some assistance.”
“No doubt,” he said dryly. “Is that assistance currently stuck on the unseelie shore?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” I nodded. “He's probably going mad trying to find a way down to me.”
“Someone has been sent to ascertain the wellbeing of Princess Seren's Guard?” Zhayu asked Iku but if was more of a statement than a question.
“I believe so, Sire,” Iku nodded. “But I will verify it shortly.”
“Do so now,” Zhayu waved him off. “I will see to the Princess' safety while you're gone.”
“Yes, Your majesty,” Iku got up immediately and went to the door.
My head jerked to follow him. Outside that door was tons of water. Wouldn't it come rushing in as soon as he opened it? Iku-Turso hit a panel on the gold wall beside the door and the disc rolled into the wall. Before him was a wall of water, inexplicably restrained, which he dived into. I was still gaping at the display when the door slid back into place.
“You're so delightfully dazzled by my court,” Zhayu observed. “I find myself desiring to present it to you.”
“I would love that,” I grinned back at him. “I got a glimpse on the way here but not nearly enough to satisfy my curiosity.”
“Well, curiosity can be dangerous, especially in a dragon court,” he sighed dramatically. “So I suppose I am compelled to be your guide,” he gave me a wink and stood.
Then he opened his mouth and that strange echoing sound came out, much more strident without the buffer of water. The sea poured back into the room and I had to stop myself from holding my breath again as water surged over my head. It was a little hard to remember to do anything though, what with the dragon king disrobing. I found myself staring at his naked, perfectly formed body but the awkwardness only lasted a moment.
Because that body began to shift.
It lengthened and thickened, Zhayu's head widening as his eyes slipped forward and his mustache extended into whiskers. It was a dizzying, stomach-clenching display that I couldn't look away from. Scales, in the same shade as his eyes, formed over his skin and a long tail with an oddly bushy froth on the end took shape behind him. His legs and arms stretched, claws lengthening to lethal sharpness, and a single horn protruded from his forehead. His dragon head settled into shape and a mane of spikes grew down his back. When the transformation was finished, Zhayu swam in a circle before me, undulating his aquatic body like an exotic dancer.
“Am I not magnificent?” His voice was back to the deep, echoing baritone.
“Yes,” I agreed readily. “And so modest too.”
His laugh rumbled through the room.
“Princess, you've already made this one of the best days I've experienced in years,” he brought his face closer and his wine-colored whiskers twitched out, brushing my arms. “I do hope you'll survive the Court of the Nine Sons.”
“Gee, thanks,” I grimaced. “Me too.”
He laughed again and swam over to the door. One claw reached out and flicked the panel Iku had touched earlier. The door slid open to reveal Iku-Turso conveniently waiting for us on the other side.
“Your Majesty,” he bowed. “Lewis has returned from the surface. All of Princess Seren's Guard have made it safely to shore.”
“Wonderful,” Zhayu said as I felt my limbs go weak with relief. I knew they were immortal but that didn't mean they couldn't die and it's hard to reason with worry.
“I also have a message for you, Princess,” Iku said. “It's from Lord Tiernan. He says that they will be journeying back to Castle Unseelie where he will have the casters lay new spells.”
“He's going to try again?” I asked.
“Lewis promised to have an aspidochelone sent for him in two days,” Iku nodded. “But perhaps you shall not be here so long.”
“Oh, we're keeping her at least that long,” Zhayu said decisively and I shared a shocked look with Iku.
Damn it, I'd thought having Zhayu's esteem would be a benefit but perhaps it was just the opposite.
“Come along, Iku-Turso,” Zhayu went on. “I'm showing the Princess our home.”
“Wonderful, Sire,” Iku moved aside so Zhayu could exit.
Zhayu's sleek form rippled out of the room but then his head peeped back in, whiskers swirling around it like ribbons. “Are you ready to ride the dragon, Princess Seren?”
“Isn't that what they call using heroin?” I mused but both Zhayu and Iku looked at me strangely. So I let it go. “You're offering me a ride? On your back?”
“I doubt your swimming capabilities are a match for mine,” he smiled and I got a good look into the dragon's maw. If I never do so again, it will be too soon.
“Your back is rather... pointy,” I gestured to the spikes running down to his shoulders.
“Just climb on beneath the last point,” he angled his head to nod to a space on his back. “Be sure to grip my horn tight.”
“Yeah, I've heard that before,” I muttered as I swam out into the hall, where all traffic had stopped in deference to the king. “Men and their horns,” I shook my head as I slipped onto his back.
There was actually a perfect spot for me to sit. The bottom horn of his mane was the shortest. It curved up and away from me, making it a prime handhold. I wrapped both of my hands around it securely.
“Your Majesty,” Iku went to float before Zhayu's face. “King Uisdean is asking when the meeting will be and the other sons are gathering.”
“Let them wait,” Zhayu huffed and pushed by Iku.
I gave a screech and gripped his horn tighter as we shot through the coral tunnels. He twisted and turned through the maze of shafts; up, down, left, right. I lost my bearings completely and just focused on holding the horn. I had a fleeting thought that allowing Zhayu to give me the grand tour was probably contrary to my purpose there and could very well lead to dragon fighting. But then we burst from the tunnel, out into open space, and I lost all coherent thought.
“This is the Garden of Dragon Dreams,” Zhayu called over his shoulder, smacking me in the face with one of his whiskers
. “It's my favorite place in all of Fairy.”
“I can see why,” I gaped around me as Zhayu took us to the very center of the garden.
In front of us was a wall of windows the height of a skyscraper. The glass panes filled the irregular openings between branches of coral, giving a glimpse of the ocean beyond. I could see the towering coral columns, twinkling like a city at night, and the shadows of water fey, like soaring birds among them. This amazing view was bracketed by jewel-encrusted walls which reflected the light of glowing fish and fairy lanterns, in sparkling rainbows all over the cavernous chamber.
Even as large as it was, the room was full of fey and fish. It looked as if Zhayu wasn't the only one who held this room in such high regard. The edges were reserved for socializing while the center seemed to be a place to dance. Couples swam around us in aquatic maneuvers that were breathtaking to behold. Fins, tails, and hair flowed among brightly colored fabric and across shimmering scales.
And through it all swam dragons; lots and lots of dragons.
No one seemed to mind us hovering in the center of all of this activity but then who would dare reproach one of the dragon kings? I slid down Zhayu's side to tread water beside his face and stare around me at the multitude of dragons.
There were dragons of every size, color, and shape. Some were little, about my size, and some, like Zhayu, were the size of an 18-wheeler. There were short and thick dragons with scales and long, slim dragons with shimmering skin and whiskers. Some even had the features of other creatures, like the shell of a turtle or the tail of a lion. And they all delighted in swimming up and down the massive space, weaving easily through the dancing couples as they gloried in simply being alive and being dragon royalty.
Where the walls weren't encrusted with jewels, they were covered in underwater plant life. I had no idea there were so many different types of sea plants. Not just seaweed but actual plants. There were bushy plants and frilly ones, flowering plants and berry-laden bushes. Among the plants were sea creatures who resembled flora; translucent anemones the size of oak trees and feathery crinoids as bright as any wildflower. It really was a garden.
Below us, the sandy floor was divided into geometric plots, with even more plants within them, stretching their long fronds up towards us. Among the intricate shaped planters were massive statues of dragons; nine of them to be exact. That's when it occurred to me that there were far more than nine dragons swimming about and I'd been told that every dragon born was considered royalty.
“Why is it called the Court of the Nine Sons when there are much more than nine dragons in it?” I asked Zhayu.
“You're so charming,” Zhayu laughed. “It's named after the original nine dragons who founded our court. I am one of the nine. See there,” he pointed down to a statue painted in his colors, “there I am.”
“Well then, I'm doubly honored to meet you,” I nodded to him. “Or should I say nonuply honored? But that sounds weird, doesn't it? Perhaps my honor is multiplied nine-fold?”
“I like nonuply,” Zhayu laughed. “It's a silly sounding word. I shall endeavor to use it at the most serious of moments and see if anyone will laugh.”
“Doubtful, Sire,” Iku smirked.
“Yes, indeed,” Zhayu gave me a dragon grimace. “So few laugh at my jokes. And I am a most humorous dragon.”
“Absolutely,” I chuckled. “You can count on me to laugh, Your Majesty.”
“I expect you will,” he smiled wide.
Then a commotion from below us caught my attention. A little dragon was tumbling in a tight ball with a larger dragon. There were distinctly belligerent sounds coming from the dragonball and the water around it was turning pink with blood. The dragons separated suddenly and posed ferociously, then struck out at each other again. Snapping and snarling, they went at each other like murder was on their minds. Claws shot out and slashes appeared to leak more blood into the water. I looked to Iku and Zhayu but they hadn't even noticed the fight. They were both staring around them peacefully.
A snapping sound pulled my eyes back to the combat and I saw the smaller dragon opening his jaws to release the neck of the larger. The defeated dragon fell a few feet and then hung in the water limply. I gaped at the corpse as a unit of mermen swam up and hauled the dead dragon away. Dear Danu, Tiernan had been right; this court was utterly barbaric. It made me wonder about Iku-Turso's protests on being assassins. Maybe they didn't get paid to kill but they obviously didn't have a problem doing it for free.
“Brother,” a black dragon swam up to us. “You're late for the meeting. They- who is this?” He abruptly changed topics and stared at me with massive black eyes the size of soup terrines.
“This is Her Royal Highness, Ambassador Seren Firethorn of the Twilight Court,” Zhayu took great pleasure in announcing.
“The new Twilight Princess?” The ebony dragon undulated closer. “The fire starter?”
“Yep, that's me,” I smiled.
“Suanmi will be intrigued,” the dragon said to Zhayu, ignoring me completely.
“And you are?” I angled my face over into his. I could be obnoxious when ignored.
“Who am I?” He huffed indignantly. “Who am I? I am the Great Yazi, Warrior King of the Court of the Nine Sons.”
“Ah yes, of course; that Yazi. I should have recognized you immediately,” I nodded and Zhayu chuckled.
“Is she making making a jest at my expense?” Yazi asked Zhayu in a horrified tone.
“Surely not,” Zhayu offered. “The Princess has expressed her desire to live.”
“Yes. Right,” Yazi peered at me. “You're supposed to be half-human.”
“Yes, I am.”
“Yes, you're supposed to be or yes, you definitely are?” Yazi narrowed his eyes on me.
“I am definitely half human,” I tried my best not to laugh. “I suppose.”
Yazi frowned and processed for a moment before continuing, “You're not so ugly for a human.”
“Well, you're not so bright for a dragon,” I said dryly and both Iku and Zhayu went still.
“What did you just say?” Yazi growled, his dark whiskers fluffing out from his face like the hair on a hissing cat.
“You know,” I waved a hand toward his body. “Your coloring. You're so dark, as opposed to all the others,” I indicated the multicolored multitude around us.
“Oh,” Yazi blew a stream of water from his ample nostrils, sending me flailing back. “Yes, it serves me well when I hunt.”
“Yes, indeed,” Zhayu's dragon lips were twitching.
“Enough of this pointless jibber-jabber,” Yazi declared. “The others are waiting.” He swirled about and swam off.
As soon as he was out of the garden, Zhayu and Iku burst into laughter.
“Jibber-jabber?” I asked them with a lifted brow and they laughed harder.
“My dear Princess,” Zhayu declared. “You have a sharp wit, worthy of any dragon queen.”
“Thank you,” I said sincerely.
“And as loathe as I am to admit it,” Zhayu sighed. “You spoke the truth where Yazi is concerned. He's not the brightest of dragons, neither in appearance or intellect.”
Iku and I remained pointedly silent.
“But he always speaks the truth. I suppose the rest of the tour must wait,” Zhayu went on. “One dragon to fight would be fun but I'd rather not have to take on all of the sons at once.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” I agreed, noting the word rather.
“Climb on, Princess Seren,” he nodded towards his back. “We should make haste.”
Chapter Ten
The first face I saw when I entered the meeting room was Uisdean's. It was drawn into angry lines and the look he gave me was one of barely restrained rage. I gave him a narrow-eyed stare back. Terribly sorry, I've ruined your diabolical plans to murder me, Evil Uncle Uisdean!
Around Uisdean were thirteen dragons, including Yazi. Suffice it to say it was a large meeting room. But at the center of it was a h
uman sized table with human sized chairs, which was where Uisdean was seated. His Guard was behind him, attempting to stand at attention in the water.
“Thank you for joining us, Zhayu,” a dragon who had a lion body, said snidely.
Yes, a lion body. As I mentioned earlier in the garden, there were all sorts of unusual dragons and it had thrown me a little bit. I had a certain image of dragons and in my head they were divided into two classes; Western dragons with wings and Asian dragons without. When I came to Fairy, my access to information on the fey expanded and I learned that Western dragons were land-based and tended to be more stocky. They always had four legs and usually an assortment of horns in addition to their wings. Asian dragons stuck to the sea and were sleeker than their Western cousins. The number of their limbs varied but they generally had trailing whiskers and sometimes horns or even antlers. But a lion body? On an underwater dragon? That was just weird.
There was actually another dragon who had the body of a turtle with a dragon's head. That was very odd looking as well but at least a turtle belonged beneath the sea. The lion fur, although pretty, just didn't look right waving about in the water. But then again, this was Fairy and there were quite a lot of things living beneath the sea which didn't seem to belong there.
“I wanted to show the Princess our garden,” Zhayu made it a statement, not an apology. “Shall we?”
Zhayu waved to a length of silk screens very similar to the ones he'd emerged from earlier, except these were made of steel blue silk. There was an identical set of screens on the opposite side of the room. The dragons divided into two groups and each group swam behind a set of screens. I looked to Iku questioningly.
“Changing screens,” he said simply.
“Why didn't Zhayu use his changing screen when he shifted back into a dragon earlier?”
“He changed in front of you?” Iku asked in a horrified voice.
“Yes exactly,” I grimaced. “It wasn't something I'd ever want to see again.”
“That's strange behavior indeed for King Zhayu. He's normally very reserved,” Iku mused. “Hmm, well, I've found it healthy to not ponder the actions of dragons too long. Let's just take our seats,” he swam me over to some chairs at the other end of the table from where Uisdean sat and we slid into the seats.
