Dragon-Ridden

by White, T. A.

  “I still think it makes more sense to know what you are up to so we don’t end up doing the same thing,” she argued.

  He picked up a strand of her hair and rubbed it between his fingers, watching the way the light flickered on it with a completely absorbed expression.

  “Ryu,” Tate said frustrated. She tugged her hair from his fingers. She didn’t know what his fixation was with her hair, but it was beginning to make her mad.

  “Don’t worry. We won’t cover the same ground.”

  “You seem very certain of that,” she said combatively.

  “Yes. I am.”

  He didn’t say anything else. Just waited for her to accept that this was the way things would be. She hated when he did that. No matter how hard someone kicked and struggled they always ended up doing what he wanted. It wasn’t fair.

  Seeing the fight run out of her, Ryu nodded and turned to Umi. He knelt on the floor and took her hands in his as he murmured in her language, the words a melody that trickled over the senses. Jealousy panged as Umi gazed down at him as if he were her hero come to rescue her. In a way, he was. Not many would go to the lengths he was going to ensure she had the help she needed to complete her task.

  What was their relationship? It must be rather strong for the amount of trouble he was going through for her. Tate stared at them a little wistfully. It must be nice to have someone come riding to the rescue. She wondered if she had had that in her other life. But, as always when she tried to remember, her mind slid off the blank wall where her memories should have been.

  She shrugged the melancholy away and watched Ryu finish his conversation. He strode out of the room with a last look at Tate who remained seated on the bed with her arms crossed protectively in front of her chest.

  The door closed quietly behind him. Now that Ryu was gone it felt awkward. She hadn’t realized how much of a buffer he provided.

  There was a certain weighted consideration in the air as the three looked Tate over. She met their regard straight on, keeping her shoulders square and head held high. She had nothing to prove. They’d come to her, not the other way around.

  “I don’t suppose any of you know where this underground market is?” Tate asked arching an eyebrow when nobody seemed inclined to speak.

  “We do.” Kadien was coolly reserved from his post by the window. “We were there last night.”

  “Get any results?”

  “It did not go well.” From his tone, Tate could tell that was an understatement.

  “They tried to kidnap Umi didn’t they?” she asked with a smirk.

  “Yes.”

  “How did you know?” Tempest’s question was hostile, and Tate could see the wheels turning in his head. It wouldn’t be long before he accused her of being responsible.

  She raised her hand to forestall the next words out of his mouth. “It’s not hard. You all dress like the highest rung of society, and you two hover around her like she’s a prized possession. Even a criminal with nothing between his ears would know she’s worth money to the right people.”

  “We’re bodyguards,” Tempest snapped. “We can’t do our job if we’re not close to the body we’re guarding.”

  “That would be true in most situations,” Tate conceded. “However, you walked into the criminal underbelly of the city and practically shouted ‘big score here. Kidnap and never worry about money again.’ When you’re trying to gather information in a place like that the point is to blend in. Not stand out like a shiny new toy. Going in like you did attracted the wrong kind of attention and scared off anybody who would have helped.”

  Tate sighed. She never had to explain things like this to Jost’s crew. They usually explained them to her. Now that she was on the other side, she realized how tedious that must have been.

  “We’re not complete idiots,” Tempest snapped. “We dressed down.”

  Working with nobility was going to be difficult, she could already tell.

  “I seriously doubt it. Besides it’s not just your clothes, it’s your posture and the way you act.”

  “I do not understand,” Umi said softly.

  Tate sighed. The way they held themselves was probably so deeply ingrained they didn’t even realize it. It’d be simpler to demonstrate.

  She whipped her pillow at Umi. Kadien moved smoothly to intercept. One moment the pillow was flying towards Umi, the next it was in two pieces on the ground, feathers drifting through the air.

  Kadien crouched in front of her protectively with his katana drawn and his eyes focused coldly on Tate. Tempest held his katana to Tate’s throat, the steel cold against the skin.

  She didn’t move. Her point had been made. Maybe a little too well.

  “I see,” Kadien said grimly. He straightened and sheathed his sword. He motioned Tempest back.

  “I don’t,” Tempest protested. Though reluctant he withdrew his katana and retreated to the door.

  “Normal people wouldn’t have reacted like that,” Tate explained. “Your entire focus is on her. You move like bodyguards, you observe like bodyguards. By simply being here you’re saying ‘this is my guardee.’ Umi isn’t any better. See the way she’s sitting.”

  They all turned to Umi. The attention unnerved her and she sat up even straighter.

  “Now look at the way I sit.”

  Tate, by contrast, lounged back on the bed, not quite lying down, but definitely slouched and comfortable.

  “People in the Lower sit like this.” Tate gestured at herself. “Not that.” She pointed at Umi. “We’re in an informal setting right now. Yet she acts as if she has a poker jammed down her dress. Most people recline or hunch over when in a chair. She sits like a queen. The pickpockets and robbers especially are trained to spot marks and you guys are top of the line, juicy meat to them.”

  “What do you suggest we do?” Umi asked quietly.

  “I don’t suppose you’d let me or one of your guards go to the underground and search for you?”

  Tate hadn’t even finished her question before Umi was shaking her head. Determination shone on her face. “I cannot. My family’s honor demands that I be there for the search even if it places me in danger.”

  “Honor doesn’t mean much if you’re dead,” Tate pointed out.

  “It does to us,” Umi said, quietly determined. She was like the ocean relentless against the shore. “Honor is the very foundation of our lives. Without it we would cease to be.”

  That was a little melodramatic.

  In this they would have to agree to disagree. For Tate, risking your life needlessly was not honor. Getting the object back and saving her family regardless of how you had to do it, would be much more honorable. She had a feeling she wouldn’t be able to convince Umi of that though.

  “Which is more important? Your honor? Or the object?” Tate asked.

  Umi’s body was still as she considered Tate’s question. Silently, Tate urged her to make the right choice. To stay behind and make Tate’s job infinitely easier.

  “I cannot. I must participate in the search. Too much is riding on this to do otherwise.”

  Damn.

  Umi’s voice was stiff and formal as she answered Tate’s question. Her bearing was as rigid as stone. Just as cold and implacable too.

  “Fine,” Tate said after studying Umi.

  The woman’s resolve was noble if nothing else. Tate respected will in a way she didn’t honor.

  She’d never had much use for ideas like honor and nobility, but a part of her admired those who did. “If you want my help you’ll do as I say when we’re down there even if you think it’s beneath you. Same goes for your guards. If we’re attacked because you’re too proud to blend in, I won’t lift a hand to help you and will think of my safety first. Do you understand?”

  Tempest moved restlessly. When Tate glanced at him he had a sneer on his face. It was clear that he thought her little better than a mercenary. That was fine as long as he did what he was told. If not, well, they�
��d see just how mercenary she could be.

  “I understand,” Umi said meeting Tate’s eyes squarely.

  “My lady,” Tempest protested, looking startled at her answer. “We can’t trust her. She just said she would let us die.”

  “That’s enough,” Umi said frost studding her words.

  “But-“

  “It is my battle,” she suddenly shouted. “Mine. This is my mission. I would not expect, nor want, a stranger to trade their life or freedom for mine. If this is what she needs to help us, we will give it to her.”

  Running out of stream she wilted in her chair panting. If Tate hadn’t just seen the fish wife, she wouldn’t have believed the very proper woman in front of her capable of such fierceness. From the way Tempest gaped at her, he wouldn’t have believed it either. He blinked rapidly.

  “Maiko, that is enough. This path is the one our lady has chosen. We will follow her wishes to the end.” Kadien’s voice was calm and reasonable compared to Umi’s. It also left no room for argument. Tempest’s mouth shut with a click and he hunched in looking like a puppy soundly scolded by his master. “If you cannot do this, withdraw. I am sure Raito will be happy for your help.

  “No! Please. I will do as our lady wants.” Tempest looked devastated at the threat of being cut from the hunt. He looked as young as Trent, just a scared kid rebelling for the sake of rebelling.

  “What must we do?” Umi asked turning to Tate.

  Tate studied Umi wondering if she was as stalwart as she was projecting. Kadien and Tempest seemed loyal but loyalty could be bought. Not many well off ladies would be able to brave the seedy underbelly, especially after a prior kidnapping attempt.

  Tate grinned. Maybe she and Umi would get along after all.

  “First we’ll work on getting you clothes that will make it a little easier to blend in. Then we’ll take it from there.”

  An hour later, Umi was dressed very similar to Tate, in a loose long sleeved shirt and pants that fit perfectly. To Tate’s surprise the boys had found clothes that were worn enough to fit in with Aurelia’s criminal citizens but not so ragged as to make people think they were beggars.

  Kadien wore a simple brown tunic the sleeves falling just shy of his wrists. The fabric had been worn smooth by time and the color faded over the years. His pants were made of a sturdier material but were equally as drab.

  Tempest had chosen a too big shirt that dwarfed his slim build with a belt pulling the extra fabric in at his waist. It made him look about five years younger. Not many would suspect him of being a bodyguard as long as his actions didn’t give him away.

  The modified clothes didn’t help as much as Tate had hoped. Though designed to fit in with the market’s customers, it would be difficult for them to pass as lower city folk.

  As Tate had feared, Umi and the boys wouldn’t fool anybody.

  For one thing, Umi’s back was still rigidly straight with her head held regally as she looked to Tate for guidance. Umi could balance a stack books on her head with how perfect her posture was. Kadien looked like a warrior, his body held in a constant state of readiness.

  Tate frowned. They wouldn’t last ten minutes before somebody would either try to take their valuables or carry Umi off for ransom.

  “Umi, slouch more. Kadien and Tempest quit standing like you’re preparing for an attack.”

  “Slouch?” Umi questioned a confused look on her face.

  “Yes, slouch. You know, have bad posture.” Tate demonstrated by rounding her back and hunching her shoulders.

  Umi tried and ended up with her shoulders around her ears and her torso bent forward awkwardly. Tate burst out laughing. She looked like a child playing monsters and hunters. While amusing, it wasn’t the look Tate wanted.

  “Copy me,” Tate said. She shifted most of her weight to one leg and stuck her hip out cockily and relaxed her shoulders. Her arms hung loosely at her sides but not with the stiff formality Umi had projected.

  Umi nodded, carefully observing the way Tate stood. She arranged her arms and legs to mirror Tate, trying to project the same easy confidence, but without the regal perfection of before.

  Tate judged her mildly successful.

  She still stood too straight with a stiffness most people lacked. Though her innate ability to project authority would be right at home, she lacked the deceptive relaxation most of those same criminals adapted.

  Oh well. They’d work on it.

  Tate looked at Kadien and Tempest, expecting to have to correct them as well. To her surprise the two looked back with sullen expressions that would be right at home on the streets. Tempest was better at adapting the persona of an angry youth, which wasn’t too surprising given his lack of formality compared to the other two. While Kadien couldn’t quite sell the expression, he did manage to pull off a badass vibe that would make most criminals think twice before attacking.

  Now that their attitudes matched their clothes, mostly, it was time to do something about the two most distinguishing features. Their hair and eyes.

  A hat or bandana would hide their hair’s length and color. Their eyes remained the problem.

  “I don’t suppose you know of a way to hide your eye color,” Tate asked doubtfully. Given all the things she didn’t know about the magic, it was highly possible they had a way to hide their eyes.

  There was a lot of eye flicking as Tempest and Kadien looked at each other and then Umi for guidance. Tate’s eyes narrowed. Seems like there was a way, but would they use it was the question now.

  Umi looked like she was considering something as silence filled the room. Tate kept her thoughts to herself. Either they trusted her to help them or they didn’t. She’d already told them what would happen if they didn’t make this work.

  Umi’s lips tightened and she nodded as if she’d come to a decision. “We have a way to change our eye color.”

  “They need to look like a human’s,” Tate said wanting to be clear. “Simply changing the black to another color won’t work. They need to look ordinary, something people won’t remember if asked later.”

  Umi nodded, her face serious as she considered Tate’s words. “What color do you think would work best?”

  Tate studied the three. She wanted something that wouldn’t stand out. With their light golden tans, brown would probably be best. Yes, that would work.

  Once the decision was made it was a matter of minutes before the three stood before her with their hair covered and their eyes an ordinary muddy brown. Tate grinned as she looked at the three shifty characters in front of her. There were still a few adjustments to be made, but on first glance they would pass for ordinary Aurelian citizens. Fooling the first glance was all they really needed. If someone accepts what is in front of them, they rarely take the time to take a look at the cracks in the mirage.

  Perhaps they could do this after all.

  Chapter Seven

  Two hours later, Tate peered down at the path leading to the underground market with a deep sense of unease. When Ryu had called it the underground market, Tate hadn’t realized he meant it was literally underground. She’d thought he simply meant it was one of those moving markets that often popped up in random warehouses to keep the Provost Marshal from discovering them and breaking up the fun.

  Had she known they’d be going underground, she’d have made more of an effort to escape earlier. It was still an option. She could simply wait until their backs were turned and then leave them to it. Nothing was stopping her. Her shoulders slumped. She’d given her word, Saviors take it, and there was still the inconvenience of her conscious.

  The market’s entrance was located on the side of town that butted up against the black cliffs. Its stairs were next to an ordinary building that had been kept up. To normal passer bys the entrance would simply look like they led to the house’s basement. Tate had made the mistake of assuming that was the case earlier. She’d been happy in her assumption until Umi had assured her this was how they got to the market.r />
  Tate scrunched up her nose. It was just so dark and brought back memories of another underground chamber. Tate contemplated just walking away. Who cared about honor? She’d just avoid mirrors for a while until the sting went away.

  Her dragon uncurled and looked down with equal distaste at the dark hole the stairs disappeared into. It was no happier about this course of action than her. Being underground in such cramped quarters went against its basic need for open spaces and unlimited sky overhead.

  “Tate?” Umi’s voice held a question and the other two gave her slightly impatient looks.

  Tate paused in the act of turning. All three looked at her expectantly. She grimaced and shifted nervously.

  “I asked if you wanted to go down first,” Umi said when it was apparent that Tate wasn’t going to answer.

  “Oh. No, I’ll follow you,” Tate gave them a reassuring smile. Her lips felt slightly numb with the effort. “You know where you’re going after all.”

  She wiped damp palms on her pants before following the others down smooth stone steps, feeling like the ceiling would come crashing down at any moment. She edged closer to the other three. She could do this. It wasn’t as if she was afraid of being underground. She knew some of this inexplicable dread came from that other half of her. Determined not to let it influence her, Tate steeled herself against this weakness.

  An old door barred their path. With an intricate moon carved onto its surface, it was the last threshold before they entered what was formerly known as the catacombs. It opened easily under Kadien’s hand. He’d taken the lead of the little group with Umi sandwiched between him and Tempest. Tate brought up the rear.

  Around Umi was a little bubble of space neither of her guards ventured into. Not even their new wardrobe could make them anything but what they were. Bodyguards protecting their employer. Tate cocked her head. Perhaps they could work with that.

  Crime lords had been known to employ their own men to provide protection. After all, who knew better what could happen to the lone wolf then men who made it their job to foster the violence and greed.