The shadow had been toying with them. Leena never realized it until this instant, watching the dead descend upon her home. Watching them slink jerkily over the docks, swarming like insects toward the city with utterly vacant expressions, crawling over one another to get there first. Everything before had been games to the shadow—enough to taunt the riders, enough to scare them. No more than a glimpse of his true power. But this time, Leena realized as she hovered in disbelief over the horde, the shadow wasn't playing. Her eyes focused on the horizon and the new cloud of phantoms pulsing there, moving slow and steadily toward her—a mist Leena had no way to stop. There was no doubt in her mind that the shadow was using his full force. He meant to end the world. And all Leena could do was stall him and hope the spirit would make her move soon.
Tempest screeched at the undead, shaking Leena from her shock.
"Let's go," she whispered fiercely to her dragon. Together, they swooped down over the bodies.
Now! Leena thought.
Tempest roared, shooting a river of cascading water over the writhing mass. The wave hit them hard, sending the bodies back toward the sea, flipping them over one another until they rolled away from the bridge connecting the port to the rest of Da'astiku.
More!
Another wave washed over the corpses. And another. The bodies floundered like fish on land, flopping in the ceaseless onslaught, unable to break through Tempest's powerful blows.
Leena was holding them—for now. But one glance up was enough to tell her that this trick wouldn't last for very long. The second fog was almost upon her. And this time there were no more spirit-woven bodies to fill.
Thinking quickly, Leena pulled Tempest away after one last blast of cold liquid. The undead took advantage of the momentary break, turning immediately around and crawling toward the city once more. They reemerged from the sea unblocked, but Leena ignored them. Those corpses were harmless—the mist was much more concerning.
Flying to the next level of the city, Leena ordered Tempest to send a wave of water down the streets. And next came an icy blast full of crystal shards and freezing air, transforming the path into a deadly slide. They repeated the process on and on, until the entire lower level of Da'astiku was encased in slippery ice. Moving back toward the docks where the phantom-filled bodies continued to gather, they sent a wave of water into the crowd, dispersing it one last time before the mist descended.
Black filled the sky.
Everywhere Leena looked, the ebony was inescapable.
And it moved continually closer.
Surrounded her.
Enshrouding her.
There was nowhere to send it, no way to destroy it.
Tempest flew higher, escaping the smoky tendrils that reached out to grab Leena, trying to paralyze her, trying to make rider and dragon useless in this fight.
There was only one thing to do.
One thing Leena prayed might work.
Kill.
At her command, ice shards as sharp as knives spewed from Tempest's mouth, raining down over the bodies below. They landed true, spraying red blood over the city streets. Writhing bodies fell. They went still. Dancing between ebony wisps, Leena and Tempest continued their spree until the docks were covered in motionless bodies, barely visible through the fog.
They waited.
Watched.
Leena held her breath, hoping this would work.
And then a single sight sent white-hot hope into her chest.
A puff of black disappeared into one of the motionless bodies. The corpse reanimated, crawling once more for the city. Over and over, the process repeated. The mist condensed as the phantoms were sucked into the bodies littering the streets, bringing them back to life.
After that, Leena and Tempest fell into a pattern. They killed the undead, careful to strike fatal blows while also leaving the body as whole as possible so it could be refilled by a different phantom. On and on the fighting went, killing a corpse just to watch it come back to life. And in the distance, the mist still pulsed. The ebony never disappeared again. It grew. And grew. The undead made their way slowly up the city streets, slipping on the ice, regaining ground, slipping again, crawling ever so slowly toward her people. Leena couldn't stop them, she could only slow them, killing one after another, helpless as the phantoms continued their relentless approach.
She was exhausted.
She would never give up.
But the battle crept higher with Leena fighting alone against a thousand foes, losing more and more ground. Until finally, her heart fell. From below, she heard the terrified cries of her people. Sparing only a moment, she glanced over her shoulder. The silver levels of the city were packed as tightly as possible. Bodies were pressed shoulder-to-shoulder, merchant next to noble, unmarked next to guard, filling the streets to capacity. Children cried as their mothers tried to shield their eyes. Men stood before their families, willing to sacrifice themselves if it gave their loved ones even one more second of life. Guards were stationed at the bridge, eyes full of fear as they watched the enemy approach, but they didn't run. They held their ground. They were ready to die in the line of duty.
"Raise the bridge!" Leena shouted to the guards.
They complied without hesitation, spinning the pulley that lifted the metal platform, cutting the corpses off from entering the next plateau. But that wouldn't stop the mist. Nothing would. And with her people resting so compactly, the phantoms would massacre them in seconds. The ebony would dissolve quickly, wiping out everyone and everything she had ever known in a matter of moments.
And there was nothing Leena could do to prevent it.
"Kill what you can!" she yelled.
The guards did. Arrows filled the air below her, landing true. But they saved only seconds. The mist stalled for barely a moment as phantoms brought the fallen back to life, and then it continued to press forward. The undead reached the bridge and tried to cross it, unaware that the other side had been lifted away. One by one they fell, dropping hundreds of feet to the rocks below, destroyed.
The mist didn't follow the bodies down the fissure.
It floated over the crevice, growing in size, creeping closer.
Leena watched in horror.
Her time had run out.
The first guard fell silently, twitching as the ebony touched his face. The second went down with a scream, dropping in a seizure as the life was pulled from him. By the time the third and fourth fell, the first two guards had already been reanimated, and they were crawling forward, reaching for the living, trying to steal the warmth for themselves.
Where was the spirit?
Leena reached with her mind, desperately searching for Jinji, for the spirit, for the other riders, for any sign that the end was near.
All she felt through the dragon bond was horror.
The riders were watching the world collapse, and they were unable to stop it.
"Help!" her people cried.
Leena fought, blowing ice and water into the mist, into the corpses, doing anything she could. But without the other riders, without Jinji, Leena had reached her point of uselessness. There was nothing left she could do on her own to stop the massacre.
Despair coiled.
Hopelessness threatened.
Then a bright ray of golden sun pierced through the mist, landing on Leena, surrounding her in a halo of light. She paused and glanced up, feeling outside of herself, separate from the world and the carnage taking place on the streets beneath her.
The sky was blue.
The sun brightened.
And on all sides, the ebony began to dissipate.
Leena held her breath, unable to believe her eyes. The phantoms were disappearing. The corpses dropped to the ground one by one, as lifeless as they were supposed to be. The fog recoiled, rolling back toward the sea, disappearing beneath the water. Da'astiku began to sparkle as the light landed on metal roofs, reflecting stars. The ice in the streets melted, flooding back toward the docks a
nd washing the blood away with it. Silence permeated the air.
And then an uproarious cheer surrounded Leena, cocooning her in a joy purer than any she had felt before. The people were cheering. Before she realized it, tears slipped down her cheeks. And then Tempest joined in the cry, roaring into the cloudless sky and filling it with snowflakes that rained down gently over the Ourthuri. Pure, just like their happiness. Children reached for the white specks, laughing as the cold flakes landed on their skin, marveling at a sight they had never seen in such a warm kingdom. Leena reached for her stomach, remembering her own child who rested there, another innocent she had saved.
But though the streets danced and buzzed with bliss, with her hand against her womb, Leena remembered her work wasn't over. Not yet.
And she had to find Tam.
Scanning the crowd, Leena searched for the guard who had spoken to her before—the only one brave enough to do so. He had taken Tam from her rooms on that day weeks ago. He would know where Tam was now.
"Princess!"
Leena spun Tempest around at the sound of that familiar voice, unable to believe her luck.
"Tam!" she shouted as she landed and jumped from Tempest's back, running into her friend's arms. He held her close, lifting her toes off the ground with his enthusiasm.
"I thought I'd killed you," he murmured.
Leena stepped back, gripping his shoulders, hating herself for the tears wetting his eyes. "Tam…"
He shook his head. "I thought you'd died."
Leena smiled her most dazzling smile. "Because of you, I'm finally living. You helped me escape. You helped me free myself from my father. Without you, I never would have found my dragon or my destiny." Leena trailed off as she finally took Tam's entire appearance in, realizing he wasn't wearing the uniform of the guard any longer. He was in plain clothes. Her eyes dropped frantically to his wrists, but his tattoos were still intact—he wasn't unmarked. "Tam, what happened after I left? What did my father do to you?"
"Nothing, Princess." He sighed. "He never found out what happened in your rooms. He believed you had snuck out during the changing of your guards. He doesn't know I was ever there."
"Then why weren't you fighting with us today?" she asked, confused.
"I asked to leave," he told her solemnly.
Leena gasped. "Why?"
Tam licked his lips, breathing in deeply. "I had no reason to fight any longer. After watching what happened to Mikza, to you. After believing you had died. I couldn't spend my life protecting the king any longer. I was going mad, so I asked to be discharged, and because of my noble heritage, the request was granted. I came home in shame and was kicked out of my family for a second time. I've been working in the merchant levels, trying to make enough money to travel to one of the farther isles where I can forget everything I witnessed here."
Panic seized her. "You can't go!" Leena cried. "I need you."
"For what, Princess?"
At that very moment, Leena realized all of the eyes on the two of them, watching them and watching her dragon. But the gazes weren't suspicious. They were filled with admiration and with hope, marveling at Leena and Tempest, watching with wonder.
She leaned into Tam, speaking low. "I must find the other riders, but I'll be back Tam, as soon as I can. And when I return, my father won't be able to hide from me any longer. I'm going to face him, and I'm going to win, but I want more than that. I want change. I want a new Ourthuro, ruled with love and not with hate. I want the dreams Mikza and I spoke of to become a reality. I want the potential I see in these people all around us to be realized. And I can't do it alone."
"What can I do, Princess?" he asked dismally, voice brimming with dejection.
"You can bring the people together in my absence. You can plant the seeds of revolution. I know there are others out there who see things the way we do, who are tired of living in fear under a king who shows no mercy. And after today, I have more faith than ever before that they will follow me, follow us, if we just show them the way. Talk to people. Spread the word. Prepare them for my return. We need the merchants and the nobles and the guards to be united, as many sympathizers as possible from all walks of life."
"How much time do I have?"
Leena breathed deep, tasting the lingering sense of joy and hope still filling the air around them. "I want this victory fresh in everyone's mind. We can't wait long or else their courage will falter. My father will pull the leashes tight once more, and we must act before he does. I'll give you a week. And when I come back, I will have the support of the other dragon riders with me."
"A week?" he asked, confirming, chewing his lip in thought. And then Tam grinned, filling his boyish face with life just the way Leena remembered it. She had given him something new to live for, something new to dream. "The king has proven his cowardice today, and you have proven your courage. I've heard talks before of people plotting rebellion. I know there are those who have been planning their whole lives for an opportunity just like this. A week is all the time we need."
Leena opened her mouth to agree, but at that exact moment, a wave of despair punched her gut, a sorrow so all-encompassing that she stumbled, legs growing week as the desolation washed over her.
Tam caught her.
"Princess?"
But Leena shook her head, finding Tempest's eye. The sadness was pouring through the dragon bond, a river washing over them both.
"I must go," she said, standing, running toward Tempest.
"Is everything all right?" Tam called, worried.
Leena looked over her shoulder, finding his concerned brown eyes. "One week."
And then she took off, listening to the cheers that erupted in her wake, unable to believe as her name lifted up over the crowd, called out with awe and veneration. Smiling at the newfound hope brimming with that sound, Leena focused on the other riders as she left Da'astiku behind, knowing for certain she would return soon.
Through the dragon bond, she reached out, trying to locate the other riders, trying to discover the cause of the misery blackening her heart. Jasper and Bran were in flight. Leena felt the joy and concern mixing in their hearts, pouring freely through the bond. It was the same strange mix of celebration and confusion filling her thoughts.
Which left only one.
Rhen? Leena shouted through the connection.
Immediately, a door slammed shut in the corner of her mind.
The despair disappeared. The sadness blinked out of existence. But that only served to confirm her suspicions. Rhen was in mourning. But it was so much more than that. He was broken. His soul was dying. And there could only be one reason why.
Jinji.
"Find them," Leena whispered fiercely to Tempest.
But deep in her heart, she already knew it was too late.
FOUR
When the ivory peaks of the Gates slipped into view, Leena tried to prepare herself for the worst. But as she crested the mountaintop, a scream tore free, ripping its way up from deep in the base of her throat, purely instinctual, and she couldn't hold it back.
Jinji was dead.
A pool of bright ruby blood stood starkly out against the white rock. And resting undeniably in the center of that gruesome frame was Jinji, cradled tightly to Rhen's chest, unmoving. Next to them both was a lifeless Janu.
"No!" Leena cried as Tempest landed.
Rhen glanced up, finding her gaze through blurry, strained eyes. He was lost. Completely and utterly lost. Drowning in Jinji's blood.
Leena's heart shattered into a million fractured pieces.
Without thinking, she leapt from Tempest's back and ran to them, falling beside him and clutching one of Jinji's limp hands. Her friend's palm was cold, clammy. Her skin had already turned ashen. Leena couldn't see her friend's eyes, but she knew they were vacant and hollow.
Jinji was gone.
Grief tore through Leena.
She trembled. How? When? Why?
"What…" she whispered, then tra
iled off, voice gone.
Rhen shook his head. There were no words.
Staring into his bleak expression, Leena remembered what she'd seen only that morning—the vial, the canteen, the elixir Rhen had slipped into Jinji's drink. He blamed himself. The guilt was written all over his face, surpassed only by his despair.
"Rhen," she murmured, fusing as much empathy as she could into those words. But rather than comfort him, her voice crushed him.
Rhen fell over Jinji's body, hugging her as though his touch could bring her back to life. Sobs filled the air around him, deep moans that came from a barren place. Leena wanted to cover her ears, to block out the cries, but she was stuck, watching in horror, unable to move.
There was no way to help him.
No way to help either of them.
Tears fell freely from Leena's eyes as she realized that she had lost two friends today. Not just the woman who had saved her life in more ways than Leena could count. But also the man who had proven to her that honor and love did exist in this world—that they hadn't died with Mikza. And as that thought struck, so did the memories.
Leena closed her eyes, shutting them tight, trying to fight the wave.
But it came unrelentingly upon her.
The bloody limb in her hand was no longer a woman's. Behind closed lids, the scene changed. Leena was no longer at the top of the Gates, surrounded by her fellow riders, surrounded by acceptance. She was alone in the golden palace, surrounded by fear, watching the spear enter Mikza's heart, watching him fall lifeless to the ground, watching a halo of blood surround him. His deep umber eyes met hers, and she held his tender gaze, unable to look away, helpless as the life slowly faded from his expression, melting into nothing. Gone. Never coming back.
So much love ripped away in an instant.
So many dreams utterly destroyed.
Too much.
Too many.
And now more.
Leena's head shook back and forth, ticking with denial.
Hadn't she suffered enough? Hadn't they all suffered enough?
Leena's Story - The Complete Novellas (A Dance of Dragons Book 4) Page 19
