by Paul Heisel
There were eight dragons that lived here, each from different clans and the different provinces. They were loyal to his father, given by their respective clans in exchange for peace and prosperity. They would respect his position as Warlord as well and the fact that he was the Emperor's son. Still, he touched the ancient katana sheathed at his side, ready to use it if he needed to. Not that it would do him much good. Even though he was a skilled swordsman, dragons were too big to kill with one blow. And that's all he would be allowed, one strike, after that, he was sure he would be incinerated, frozen, melted by acid, stunned by lightning or splattered against the rock walls of the cave.
The first hollowed out cave that he came to was empty and unused. The refuse, bones and the like, were many years old. He wondered why this dragon lair was empty. The next lair looked to be in use, but no dragon was in residence. He reflected again that it wasn’t well known that the dragons were selected by their clans to serve the Emperor in exchange for peace between humans and the great beasts. Most commoners thought the Emperor had a magical hold over the dragons, which wasn’t true. For their service, no humans bothered the dragons and their territory, all of this under the Emperor’s orders, and in return they didn’t bother human settlements. The dragons were of different races, so the caves were a compromise for accommodation. Some dragons preferred water, swamps, or the snow of the far north, but those conditions were difficult to replicate at the palace year round. Each dragon wore a metallic collar imbued with strong magic, completing their bond to the Emperor. The dragons were loyal, subservient, and would be so until they died or were replaced by another from their clan. Most of the dragons had been here for hundreds of years, as they were long lived beasts. Among the dragon clans it was considered a great honor to serve the Emperor, as it ensured peace between the races.
The next enormous cave was occupied. It was a blue dragon, asleep and breathing out snorts of frost. The oblong skull was the size of a wagon, the blue scales shining as the torchlight hit it. The stubby horns along the snout and brow didn't look sharp, but they were substantial and rigid. One milky white eye opened and stared at Yuki, then blinked shut. The air, chilled, was a bit fresher than before. He hadn’t seen any of the dragonmasters, the humans who helped to care for the dragons, and it caused him a pang of worry. Why was it so quiet? With new energy and curiosity, Yuki trudged ahead. Additional fresh air came, and he knew he was close to the entrance to the outside world. Yuki thrust the torch ahead, took a different passageway that would take him to the other lairs. Still, no dragonmasters. He hurried now, hoping to find one of them so he could ask them where Sli was located. The next five lairs he inspected were empty, no dragons, yet each had evidence of a dragon residing there. It made him wonder, where had the dragons gone? Was there to be a meeting of the Most Favoreds? Was he summoning the heads of the families to Daiwer-dar? Or had his father sent them out on errands, which wasn't uncommon, but he questioned all of them leaving at the same time, except for the blue of course. He wondered, was Sli gone as well?
The dull clank of heavy chains rattled from a rocky corridor and the sudden noise made Yuki jump. He moved toward the sounds, coming closer to a large underground chamber. This was not one of the living areas, not a lair. This was a cave set aside to subdue malcontents. It did happen from time to time that a dragon rebelled and had to be punished, killed in the extreme circumstance for disobeying the Emperor. That hadn't happened in a thousand years. As he approached, he knew there was a dragon chained here and he knew it was Sli. He heard the great beast shift and he could hear it straining against the chains.
“I can hear you,” a deep voice said.
Yuki entered. The rocks on both ceiling and wall were worn flat, the dragons put in here had spent so much time flailing about and knocking their bodies against the stone that it had been worn smooth. Stalactites had long been broken off, yet moisture continued to drip from the truncated cones. New ones were trying to form. The smell here was dreadful, as bad as any rotting body. Sli was in the middle of the cave, immobilized by huge rusty chains. In front of Sli was a decomposing deer carcass, food? Flies covered the deer and buzzed in the air, fresh blood slicked the stone floor. Yuki came closer, moving with quiet steps. Why was Sli captive? Why was he being punished? Fresh wounds to the dragon’s neck showed dried blood. It looked as if Sli had been stabbed several times, not to kill, but to injure or subdue. What had happened?
“Sli,” Yuki called.
The low rumbling noise coming from the immobilized dragon shook the chamber, the low tone made the whole area quake. “There is nothing more you can do to me that your father hasn’t already done,” the dragon spoke. “Death would be better. Nothing is left, I wish for death.”
“What are you talking about?”
Sli strained against the thick steel chains, but he was weak, the manacles digging deep into his legs and neck. His folded wings flopped. The additional chains clipped to his wings rattled dully, then the weakened dragon crashed to the ground. The cave shook and dust filled the air. “What is this sick torture?” the dragon boomed. “I have no blood left! It has been drained from me! What else can you want?”
Yuki stood to the side of the dragon, not sure what was going on. He didn’t understand why his father had imprisoned Sli. Dragons were the most noble, faithful creatures the Emperor had. For the Emperor to treat him this way, Sli must have done something terrible. Yuki drew in a breath, still cognizant of the stench of the rotting deer, and stared directly at the dragon. “I am the Warlord of Pyndira,” he spoke with a firmness only the Warlord had. “You will answer my questions.”
Sli cast a bloodshot eye at the Warlord. It blinked. “Why should I?”
The Warlord of Pyndira unsheathed his katana without a sound. It was a silvery blade that had seen more battles than any other sword in Pyndira. It had the blood of thousands on it. It had an edge keen enough for a thousand more. Yuki was sure it had never slain a dragon. There was a first time for everything.
“Why should I?” Sli repeated.
“Because I can grant your wish, if it’s death you so desperately seek.”
#
The dragonmasters finally found Yuki, though surprised at him being there, didn’t question why the Emperor’s son was in the dragon caves. They followed his orders graciously and without question, cleaning up the mess where Sli had been held captive. Yuki exited through the front of the cave and made the long walk around the hills to the palace grounds. The greater distance gave him time to think. This was the first time he had ever questioned his father’s wisdom, and it made him pause. What had transpired between Sli and his father was astonishing, and in the context of future relations with the dragons, he knew there would be repercussions. His father, with no explanation or reason, had put Sli in chains and had drained his blood. So much had been collected it had left the dragon near death. Yuki knew dragon blood was a rare commodity and he knew the only use for it was magical inks to mark Furies. It concerned him, as the Imperial Dragons had never been used as a source of this blood. In recent times, the dragon clans would offer the blood of a dying dragon to the Emperor as an offering, a gift, instead of the terrible dragon hunts that used to take place in ancient times. This was a brutal attack, and Yuki wondered, what would be so important to require him to have drained all the blood from Sli? He thought of different ways to approach this matter with his father, but couldn’t find any angle that wouldn't cause additional problems. There had to be a good reason he had treated Sli in this manner. But he couldn't see it.
Back in the palace, his two Furies found him and escorted him to his chambers, the looks they gave him clearly said they weren’t amused by his sudden disappearance. Before he shut the door, he asked for servants to bring him hot water to bathe and for them to set out new clothes for him. Most of the blood had dried and with vigorous washing the stains would come out of his palace uniform. If not, there would be hell to pay. He didn’t feel like taking a stroll to the bathing
chambers, most likely he would encounter the regular sycophants who were allowed to frequent the palace and he didn’t feel like socializing. When he was Emperor, things would change and he would enforce his set of court rules. He wasn’t sure how many nobles lived off his father's kindness or indifference, but it was too many.
While he bathed, he contemplated the conversation with Sli, going over the details he told him about Feln. It was uncharacteristic for a dragon to say anything overwhelmingly positive about a human, but he couldn’t put aside what Sli said about Feln. He said that Feln was an outstanding human, having wisdom beyond his years, and was a noble, honest person. The tale he retold about Feln’s travels was fantastic, and had it not been a dragon, Yuki would have only believed half of what he heard. What made Yuki more curious was what Feln left out, what he hadn’t told Sli. One day he would have to find out the remainder.
Dry and in his casual palace clothes, the Warlord of Pyndira sat in a comfortable chair and browsed through a book on dragons. He had a rather large library in his room, but he rarely had time to read as much as he wanted. The book told of the different dragon races, their strengths, weaknesses, and preferences for habitats. There was a section on their young coming up, but before he could turn the page there was a knock at the door.
“Enter,” he said, putting the tome aside.
A cloaked woman came inside, shutting the door behind. It was Qia, as he expected, coming to visit him for the evening. She was one of his Furies, protectors, who were constantly with him. Qia was a classic beauty in his estimation, a woman with shoulder-length dirty blonde hair, pale healthy skin, well defined eyebrows, perfectly symmetrical face, high cheekbones, and full lips. The slenderness of her body was deceiving, she had wonderful curves pleasing to both the eyes and to the touch. She floated across the floor with grace and stood before him, leaned in, and gave him a kiss on the lips. Their affair, kept in secret for the last two years, made his heart ache. His father didn’t approve of him falling in love with a Fury. His father likened it to him falling in love with the family dog. Despite his father’s attempts to get him interested in numerous women who came to court seeking a match, he remained attached and loyal to Qia. One day they would be together, and he would find a way to take her as his wife. The worse thing that could happen would be his father arranging a marriage, which Yuki feared was coming soon. If there was political strife, one way to solidify an alliance was to marry a noble woman integral to the family.
“Interesting day?” Qia asked as she sat down and put her feet up on his thighs.
“Understatement,” he answered as he removed her slippers, dropped them to the ground, and proceeded to rub her feet. “Is this the way to your heart? Through your feet?” She laughed and it sounded wonderful to him. The troubles of the day washed away. This was why he loved her, because with one laugh she could put him at ease.
“Why were you in the dragon caves?” she asked.
“Talking with Sli, the dragon who found the Most Favored of Safun. My father sent six of the eight dragons away, all but the blue, and took Sli prisoner. He then had his blood drained, nearly to the point of death.”
“I saw the dragons take wing. I thought maybe there was a meeting. Why would he let the blue dragon remain?”
“I don’t know,” Yuki said. “I figure he sent the other dragons away because he didn’t want them to know what he was doing to Sli. Draining the blood of the Imperial Dragons will not be welcome news at any of the clans. I fear my father may have seriously damaged relations with the dragons, and for what? Dragon blood? I still don’t know why he would do this to Sli. It was as if Sli was being punished.”
Qia pulled up her sleeve, revealing part of an orange tattoo. “Probably for marks. That’s the only use I can think of for dragon’s blood. They convert it into inks. Maybe they ran out and needed some - perhaps an emergency?”
“I was thinking the same thing. What would be worth the risk? If the dragons hear of this, they could break off relations with the Emperor. That would not be good.”
“Maybe there is a ransom to be paid.”
“No, I would know about any ransom. Maybe it’s related to the group of Furies we’re considering. Yan is on his way to Salt Island again. He goes there about once a month to see what inventory the Koluns have. I think Yan just likes to go there so he can drink the Koluns dry and chase women.”
“They removed quite a bit of wealth from the treasury for transport. Tsin and Ktan managed the loading of the wagons; they told me in passing that a fortune was being transported to Salt Island – Yan said it was a down payment. Now that I think about it, in one of the wagons was a massive block of ice. He said barrels were put within the ice to keep their contents cool.”
Yuki pushed her feet away and stood up. “The dragon blood. To keep it fresher. Tsin can keep it cold along the way with his magic. How many wagons did they load in total?”
“Four,” she answered definitively. “A small army is accompanying Yan in transit to Salt Island though, that should tell you the amount of wealth he is taking with him.”
“How many Furies is my father purchasing? Four wagons? That should be dozens of Furies.”
“I couldn’t tell you how many he's buying. We need more Furies here,” she said. “It would liven up the place.”
“More Furies won’t do that,” Yuki said. “My father likes it dull. It's always been dull.”
“We’ll find out soon enough,” she spoke, standing up as well. “It won’t take long for Yan to return with the Furies and we'll know. So, what should we do about the dragon? Do we need to do anything?”
He enjoyed her eagerness to help him, and the fact that she cared about the dragons was endearing. She had a warm heart. “I took care of it with liberal negotiating,” Yuki answered. “My father won’t like it and I don’t know how to speak to my father about it, though. The treatment of Sli was brutal. All Sli did was do what my father asked – find the Most Favored of Safun. Sli was expecting a reward for his service, but what he received was humiliating. You know, all he wanted was to return to his clan for a visit. My father denied him that and had him drained of his blood.”
“You’ll find a way to talk to him. You’re good at finding common ground. Besides, he's your father.”
“I hope I find that common ground you speak of,” he said.
Qia leaned in and kissed him again, letting her lips linger on his. “I have to go.”
“I know. I’ll be here if you need me.”
“Don’t tease me,” she said. Her face flushed. “I can’t endure not being able to express myself.”
“One day. I promise.”
“I know.” Qia put on her slippers and sauntered away, walking slowly toward the door. She turned and flashed him a radiant smile, one that melted his heart. As the door closed, he sat back in his chair. Soon they would be together, he just didn’t know when it would happen. He longed for and loathed that day, as he knew for them to be together his father would have to be dead. Sure, they could carry on their affair in secret for years on end, but how satisfying would that be? Sneaking around and stealing kisses from each other was not the relationship he wanted. He wanted Qia to be a part of his life, whether he was the Warlord or the Emperor of Pyndira.
Tomorrow he would find a way to get answers from his father, and he thought the direct manner would be best. He would speak to him about Feln’s integrity and his belief Feln had nothing to do with the events in Emesia. Sli had no reason to lie, and Feln had no reason to lie to the dragon. What disturbed him, though, was Sli confirming that Chang’s assassination was by Furies. That caused him worry. If they couldn’t trust the marks, their belts, and the ancient magic that bound the Furies, they could be in for a rude awakening. Control was the reason the marks were forced upon the Furies centuries ago, and to think this could be compromised made him wonder about the stability of Pyndira. Maybe his father would have insight when they spoke tomorrow. At least he would be able to put al
l of this behind for now, as he was sure these matters would come back over time. Already he could predict what would happen. Hiru would continue to blame Feln, a formal request would be made for compensation and/or justice, and whatever resulted in this would fall back to him as Warlord for a final decision. What would happen with Sli was less predictable. What he hoped for was Sli forgiving his father’s error in judgment. He also hoped Sli would honor their agreement.
Chapter 7 - Xialao
Wasting no time once it became dark, Feln experimented that evening with ways to escape the manor unnoticed. He blinked and went out on the grounds, invisible despite the bright lights that burned in the evenings. He walked through the landscaped trees and shrubs, taking care not to make any noise but it was difficult. The outdoor air was still warm from the day, and he could hear the Imperial soldiers over the compound’s wall. They made camps, even lit fires to cook their dinner. Feln climbed the stone wall, still invisible, and came to a rest on the top. The cap of the wall was at an angle, making for poor footing. To his right and left were ornamental spikes spaced evenly at one foot intervals. These he used to steady his feet.
The camps spread out logically to encompass the area surrounding the manor. Guards stood on the perimeter and a dozen yards from the wall, each staring at the compound. There were soldiers by the fires, talking and eating. Feln was certain he could slip by them unnoticed, flee into the city, and find assistance to get him to Safun. He slipped down from the wall, careful, but still making noise. He doubted the soldiers could hear anything happening in the compound, so he didn't worry. He became visible and started walking back to the manor.
