The northwestern edge of the Wregor Sea eventually gleamed in the distance. We only had to follow its coastline for a couple of late morning hours before a large port city burgeoned into view. The city I presumed to be Tawahori was divided into eight major districts by thick stone walls, each one a miniature city of their own. A large temple pagoda roughly marked the center of their respective district, though smaller ones existed as well. A taller, thinner wall surrounded the land-facing side of the city.
All these walls had me thinking just as many guarded gates existed. Not trusting Odet’s royal papers would be believed or taken seriously so far from home, I steered Aranath closer to the city’s perimeter to get the attention of those below. Aranath’s lunging shadow and bellowing snarls grabbed that attention easily enough. I did not want to give guardsmen the time to muster and attack us, so I quickly put us down near the main western gate, but not so near that bowmen and casters at the top of the wall could fire upon us.
Most that had been walking on the road fled to the gate or the hills, but a few people’s awestruck minds or paralyzing fear planted their feet on the ground, their juddering eyes reflecting the sunlight like wet mirrors. The brigandine guards by the gate urged people to seek cover inside the city walls. Two sentinels on horseback tried to flank the dragon, and while they kept their distance, they were in the best position to spot the riders, which one did when I made eye contact with him.
Holding this eye contact as best I could, I freed myself from the saddle and dropped to the ground. Walking up to the flabbergasted horseman, I said, “You there! Do you speak the shared tongue?”
The wide eyes of the twenty-something looked behind me, watching as more people dismounted the summoned fable. My focus then went to the second horseman, this one at least a decade older and gripping a bident. His black horse tentatively trotted toward me, and when the bident’s two prongs came too close for comfort, Aranath released a growling hiss, forcing the horse to stop.
“Do you speak the shared tongue?” I asked a man whose yellowish-brown helmet budded a red ribbon at its pointed top.
“I-I-” He cleared his throat. “I speak it well.”
“Good. I wish to speak with Chun Miyake, guild master of the Warriors Guild here. I also need an escort of your men to accompany me so you may confirm to others that I am who I say I am. Is this acceptable? Or shall I find someone else with a higher rank?”
“Uh, n-no! That is, that won’t be necessary, er, master dragon knight. Ekese!” More words came out in the form of his native tongue.
Ekese did not have to go far to encounter others of his ilk. I saw him reach three other horsemen farther up the road. He spoke to them and pointed at us. To demonstrate the dragon’s civilized nature, Odet stayed by Aranath and rubbed his head and neck. I couldn’t hear it, but a low hum coming from Aranath rumbled the ground.
“There were rumors from the guild that you’d come,” said the bident wielder. “No one but the children would believe it, or wanted to believe it. Why have the dragons returned?”
“They haven’t. Only this one. Do the rumors mention the reason?”
“They say you are hunting beings of the corrupted realm.”
“That’s not quite right. You haven’t heard of the Advent here?”
“Uh, the name is not familiar to me. Ah! My name is Jing of the Feng clan.”
“I am Mercer of the Eberwolf clan.”
The other horsemen, with their beasts dragging their hoofs, scuttled up to us. Aranath and I looked up when we noticed the shadows of soaring griffins. Sensing I had the proper amount of witnesses and alacrity, I dismissed Aranath and instructed the guards to guide us to the guild house. Horses were offered to us on reaching the gate, where iron rods thicker than a man hung in an overhead crevice, ready to be dropped at a moment’s notice.
Everything moved so quickly that part of the city’s populace still buzzed with the word a dragon had been seen outside the walls. Our horses cantered through the nervous energy and narrow streets as we followed the vanguard into the next district. Soon we raced beyond the tension and simply received confused looks from people wondering why their city guards were escorting outsiders.
We crossed an inner gate and headed to one of the central districts. This area had larger homes and less hurried streets. Then, not far from a market square and a collection of blacksmiths, the horses ahead of us slowed in front of a long brick wall with iron spikes at the top. A dry moat fifteen feet wide and fifteen feet deep divided it from the stone street. Reconnecting part of the street to an unwalled section of the barrier was a bridge wide enough for three carriages to pass through.
Our group used the bridge to enter a spacious courtyard where thirty or so men and women either trained against themselves or straw men. Three rectangular structures of red timber surrounded the courtyard. A small three story pagoda rose in the center of the building opposite the gate. Those that trained stopped doing so when they noted the guardsmen. Several of them formed a broken line to stop our horses from going any deeper.
“What’s this about?” asked a defiant woman, her steel helm covering all but her eyes and nose. She spoke the shared tongue much smoother than Jing.
I pushed my horse closer to the front and dismounted to get her attention. “If he’s here, please inform Chun Miyake that a dragon knight seeks an audience with him.”
“A dragon knight? Here? Who?”
“Right in front of you, madam. Is your guild master here?”
The woman searched among the horsemen for more answers.
Taking it upon himself, Jing said, “He speaks the truth, guildswoman. We all saw the magnificently terrible beast drop from the sky not five moments ago. Were you not the ones who received his message?”
“Aye, I suppose we did.” Back to me, she said, “The guild master is here.”
“Take us to him. Jing, you and your men stay by the gate. I don’t want anyone to enter while I’m here. Can you do that?”
“Er, yes. As you wish, dragon knight.”
“You can’t close the guild,” said the guildswoman.
“It should only be for a few minutes. I need to secure the safety of myself and my companions in a land unfamiliar to us. Please, lead us to your master.”
Giving me an askew glance, she said, “Very well. Follow me. Yejun, Seon, assist me in guiding our visitors inside.”
The rest of the guildsmen swiveled their heads to read one another’s tangled expressions as we walked past them. Our target was the pagoda, its two large doors already open. It exposed a largely bare interior and bundle of reedy wooden columns in the center of the room, all a dark red color. Leaves and flowers painted from a dark gold daubed the ceiling. We climbed the slim stairway to get to the second story.
Five heavy table-desk things occupied the second story chamber. Natural light filtered through the many small triangular windows ringing the rounded wall. Sitting or standing alongside the table-desks were six variously armed and armored warriors, all turning to look at the group of new arrivals. Motioning us to wait by the stairs, the guildswoman stepped up to a broad man wearing a white mantle over his leather lamellar armor. A skinny white beard smoothly traced down his stern face and rested on his chest. His head of white hair burst forth from his head and settled on his shoulders.
Bowing to the seated elder, she said, “Forgive me for interrupting, guild master, but the dragon knight has arrived and desires to speak with you. The city guard have confirmed his identity, and he has ordered them to secure the gate until his business here is done.”
Looking behind his subordinate, the elder rested his elbow on the desk and rubbed his chin, studying us for a long moment. Finally, using a voice that sounded orotund and disembodied, he said, “Thank you, Sadako. Stand aside… Which one of you is the dragon knight?”
I stepped up and bowed. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Master Miyake. I am Mercer Eberwolf.”
“Your message said you were young, yet I
still expected more.”
“And I am as disappointed in that as anyone.”
“What I mean, Master Eberwolf, is that I am well versed in the history of dragon knights. So, I am aware summoning a dragon and riding one long enough to traverse seas and continents is not something that can be done by mere youths.”
“You’re right, yet here I am.”
“Yet here you are. You’re here for the Advent, yes?”
“Yes.”
“We haven’t had the same problems with them as others have, at least not for a long time. Even then I have to assume you’re referring to the Drorazen Order, or, in the emperor’s tongue, the Hoic-Dro. It took some digging to make the connection.”
“What’s Drorazen?” asked Ghevont.
“An ancient name. I do not know who it’s supposed to belong to. I do know the name came from the far north, closer to where your message says you discovered the Advent base.”
“And why do you believe the Advent and Drorazen Order are the same group?”
“They too sought to raise an unknown god from the dead, though it seems it isn’t a god they raised. It was remarkable enough reading a dragon knight has returned to Orda, but that he seeks an enemy said to be eradicated by dragons long before humans learned magic is quite another level of the unexpected.”
“Nismerdons,” I said. “There’s at least one of them out there recovering its strength. I can use my dragon to search large swaths of land, but we need allies to do more than find out where they’re hiding.”
He sighed through his nose. “Allies might be difficult to come by.” Taking a quick glance around the room, he said, “I need a private word with our guests, brothers and sisters.”
Until he asked this favor, his compatriots had not moved in the slightest. Now they reluctantly made their way down the staircase.
Going nearer his desk, I asked, “Why would allies be difficult to come by?”
The guild master’s shoulders lowered and he settled deeper in his large chair. “For the same reason they always are—war, distrust, and politics. Our emperor is a propagator of all three. I should tell you, not long after news spread of your message, this guild house and others in the empire received a missive from the capital. It instructed us that, should the dragon knight appear, to inform him Emperor Ashina has requested his presence in the capital.”
“I’m not here to get involved in politics.”
“Then become a hermit. It’s what I should have done. Do you know what remarkable event just happened in this very room?”
I rose an eyebrow and skimmed the room. “No.”
“My men left us alone.”
“But you ordered them to,” said Ghevont.
“Yes, you’d think it’s enough for the guild master of this godsdamn place to order something and have it be done, but I fear it’s not always so. You see, the emperor does not regard the Warriors Guild with benevolent eyes. To him it’s an institution that takes away good warriors from his armies and who take oaths that don’t promise to die for him. It’s all I and my fellow guild masters can do to remain relevant. For now, enough nobles understand getting rid of the guild outright would be detrimental to the empire’s standing in the world. The guild may not be what it once was, but we do still give the semblance of civility.”
“And what does that have to do with your orders in this room?” I asked.
“Because some in this place are here to play politics. They hope to overhear me say something that would condemn me, put me away! Then they’ll take my place and comply with the emperor’s aspirations. Me asking to be alone with foreigners would normally be overruled. On the surface they’d be concerned for my safety, but I know it’s really to listen in and keep me in line! You might be an outsider, but more than that, you are a dragon knight. Not only were they too awed to challenge me, their excuse for my safety would insult you, and no one wishes to insult a dragon knight when he can still be useful for their own purposes.”
Chun rose from his chair, revealing a stocky build that gave him the appearance of being shorter than a height that reached my own. “So, dragon knight, your mere presence here has already empowered my position, and what the good emperor fears more than anything is any institution or outsider gaining prominence within his domain. Many guildsmen will likely answer your call for aid against your enemy, but learning a host of warriors are under the command of a foreigner inside his borders might elicit an excessive response from my sovereign.”
“Then you advise I straighten all this out with the emperor first?”
The guild master, hands behind his back, walked to a window and stared into the courtyard. “I only advise that you be aware that rallying an army here, whatever its noble purpose, could be construed as an insurrection by those looking to eliminate all opposition, perceived or otherwise.”
“All right, forgetting politics for a moment, have you and your men even found or heard of anything that might be the Advent?”
“As I said before, they haven’t bothered Wregor for a long time. Unfortunately, war has siphoned much of my ability to gather more current information.”
“What war?” asked Gerard.
“The incessant war the empire wages against the eastern nations. It’s not all-out conflict, for the emperor, like his father before him, believes in chipping away at his rivals using mercenaries and pirates to assail coastlines and ports. He knows he can outlast them with such a strategy. Then in ten years his sons will be able to invade without real resistance. On top of that, the eastern wars keep the guilds busy. We have to uphold our oaths and protect the peasants caught between armies ravaging crops, seeking free labor, and taking a young woman’s honor against her will.”
“I empathize with your position, guild master,” said Odet. “To keep the guild alive here with such pressures from every side is a testament to your leadership.”
“Hmm, that sounds like the hollow words of too many nobles I’ve met.”
“So you mistrust my praise? Is it not true?”
“True or not, I prefer action to compliments meant to cajole me.”
“I’d accept her cajoling, guild master,” I said. “This is Odet Astor, first princess of Alslana.”
Flattening the end of his beard, he said, “A princess of Alslana? Now I’m certain the emperor will overreact to Wregor warriors joining your cause.”
“Even if we hire your services, not merely solicit them?” asked Odet.
“How you attain our services will matter little to him.”
“Do you believe he would assist the Advent if they offered to help him expand his own power?”
“I fear that’s something I cannot answer without knowing him more personally. Based on what he’s done, I could envision him allying himself with the corrupted realm itself if it meant fortifying his position. At the same time, he’s a shrewd, wary man. He wouldn’t accept anyone’s support if he foresaw a power struggle. Perhaps you should decide for yourself whether he’s the kind of man who’s willing to bargain with your enemy.”
“It seems it may have to come down to that,” I said. “What about the nations at war with Wregor? In your eyes, who’s the most desperate to fend off the empire?”
“Desperate, eh? Well, Yong-Yin lies farthest away from Wregor’s strongest armies and ships. They also have several major trade partners that keep the gold flowing, so that leaves either Shia or Jegeru. Let’s see… Shia is the smallest, but they do have one major advantage that has kept the emperor from ordering a full invasion—a strategic position. Shia rests directly east of the Quill Strait, a passage narrow enough to be blocked by only a few ships. With Yong-Yin as a close neighbor and ally, Shia could cease all southern trade to Wregor within a day.”
“That leaves Jegeru.”
“Indeed. Pukam Forest isolates Jegeru from Shia and everyone else who shares their affliction. Their naval capacities become leaner and leaner with every passing season, so they’ve gone to strengthening their forts
and armies.”
“And that’s how Wregor bleeds them,” said Odet. “If Jegeru keeps diverting resources and manpower away from their cities and into their armies-”
“Yes, the cracks in their society and economy will eventually show. A perilous position to find one’s kingdom in. Weaken your army and an empire expands by force. Strengthen it and the empire will merely wait until you collapse under the pile of your own swords. It doesn’t take a seer to see this outcome, so perhaps Jegeru’s leadership might be more susceptible than others to fall for the promises of a mad sect.”
“And they have both Pukam and Riko to hide such a cult.”
“Riko? Ah, your maps of this region must be influenced by Wregor’s cartographers. Yes, most trees south of the Jins Mountains grow in the Eperwist Forest, but the Iunt River separates Eperwist from Jegeru’s share of the woods, which many here call Riko’s Forest. ‘Many’ does not include Wregor’s official view on the matter. Since Eperwist is their own, then so are any adjacent trees, which means those trees are Eperwist as well, natural barriers be damned.”
“Thanks for rectifying that. What of the guilds in Jegeru or Shia?”
“Shia has no guild house, and while I do have brethren in Jegeru, they are often busy with Wregor’s bandits, and that doesn’t include those hired to defend the nobility. Hmph, we sound too much like common sell swords now, don’t we?”
“Most mercenaries or guardsmen don’t make oaths to the gods,” said Odet.
“The only reason we still exist at all. Regardless, if you desire to check with the main house in Watawara, Mei Abo is the guild master there. Her already shallow pool of warriors have migrated to the army in the last decade, so keep your expectations low. Still, it might be that word of a dragon knight has spurred more candidates to apply. We’ve already seen such an increase here. Ah, so even before your arrival you’ve empowered this place.”
“Is there anything more you can share with us?”
He looked back out the window, then he bowed his head and closed his eyes. “Advent promises or not, I think we both understand the emperor’s invitation is a risky business in its own right.”
The Dragon Knight's Soul Page 25
