Her eyes darted over the landscape. At last she spied the form of a man walking away from the cave. He must have left just a few seconds ago, because he was only a hundred feet from her.
“Iren!”
The man stopped. “I didn’t want to wake you,” he said without turning around.
That voice, at once familiar and foreign, took Minawë aback. She choked up as she asked, “Does this mean you’re going back to Melwar?”
He didn’t answer right away. Minawë’s breath caught in her throat. The only reason Iren could have for not answering was if that answer were yes.
She wouldn’t allow it. She couldn’t allow it. She reached for the Chloryoblaka, but in her haste, she’d left it in the cavern. If she went to get it, Iren would be gone by the time she returned.
Iren looked at the sky. Minawë found herself following his gaze. The stars here were different than those she had seen from the canopy of Ziorsecth. They made her realize how far she had come since leaving her forest home.
At great length Iren lowered his eyes and, to Minawë’s relief, faced her. “No,” he said, “Hana admitted to Rondel’s accusation about the Karyozaki. I risked my life to seal away Feng. The world was free of him, and Melwar brought him back just to fulfill his outdated wish for Maantec dominance. I can’t return to him, knowing that.”
“Then that means you’re coming back with us!” The words sounded desperate even to her. “You only came out here for some fresh air.”
Iren shook his head. “I can’t go with you. Rondel would never allow it. Right now she’s helpless. I doubt she has enough magic to cast Lightning Sight, let alone hit me with a spell like what she used today. Give her a few days, though, and she’ll have enough magic to challenge me again.”
Minawë’s heart beat faster. She could barely breathe. “Where will you go?” she asked. “We’re in the middle of nowhere.”
“I don’t know yet. All I know is that, for the moment, I need to be alone.”
“But why?” Minawë cried. “Why do you need to be alone? We’re your friends, Iren! We came all the way across Raa to bring you home.”
“Maybe you did,” Iren said, “but Rondel didn’t. You heard her today. She came knowing she would kill me. That was always the purpose of your journey. You just helped her get here. It’s hard to swallow, I know, but she used you.”
His cynical tone cut deeper than a sword. Minawë wanted to lash out at him, to scream, to tell him he was being a moron, but she couldn’t speak. She stood frozen to the ground.
“I trusted Amroth,” Iren continued, “and he used me to gain power. I trusted Rondel, and she murdered my parents. I trusted Melwar and Hana, and they planned to turn me into a puppet emperor. I’ve tried over and over again to trust others, and every time, I’m betrayed. That’s why I’m better off alone.” He put his back to her and started walking again.
Minawë’s fists shook with rage. This time she found her voice. “What about me?” she demanded. “How have I betrayed you?”
Iren stopped again. “Where did you fight today?” he asked.
“The same place as you,” she snapped.
“Then you should understand. When I moved to attack Rondel, you shielded her with your own body.”
“Because I don’t want either of you to die! Because I love you both!”
Iren whipped around. Minawë thought she’d broken through to him, but then he lowered his head and shook it. “You can’t love us both,” he said, “and it’s pointless for you not to want one of us to die.”
He looked Minawë in the eye. Even in the dark, she could see the determination on his face. “I am going to kill Rondel,” he declared. “She murdered my parents. I won’t forgive her for that. I wasn’t strong enough today, but I’ll keep training until I am.”
“So you’ll choose revenge?” Minawë asked. “I told you before that revenge can’t make you happy. It can’t make anyone happy.”
“You think I care about happiness? My happiness vanished eighteen years ago when Rondel took away my parents.”
“I tried to stop you today. What if I do that again?”
Iren looked her up and down. “I don’t know if you’ll believe me or not, but I do still care for you. That’s why I’m walking away tonight. I could have killed Rondel while she was helpless. I held back on your account. But I will fight her again; that’s a promise. If you get in my way when that day comes, I’ll kill you as well.”
Minawë felt lightheaded. She knew what she had to say next. “If that’s how you feel,” she told him, “then you’ve turned into the very person you despise so much. If you kill Rondel, you’ll do to me what she did to you. Is that what you want? For me to wind up like you? I’d have to kill you then! And when I did, surely someone would mourn your loss. Balear, perhaps? He would come after me. The cycle will never stop.”
“So stop it. When I kill Rondel, let me go.”
“How can I do that? She’s—”
“Your mother?” Iren finished. “Exactly.”
Hot tears flooded Minawë’s eyes. This wasn’t the Iren who had rescued her from the Quodivar. This wasn’t the Iren who had become the Dragoon to protect everyone from Feng. That Iren was gone.
She should kill him. It horrified her that the thought came so readily, yet she knew it was the right thing to do. If she let him live, he would become more dangerous even than Iren Saito.
Iren put his back to Minawë once more. This was her only chance. He wouldn’t expect an attack. There was no way he had recovered from his fight with Rondel. Granted, Minawë wasn’t in perfect condition herself, but she could manage it. She wouldn’t need the Chloryoblaka. She could channel magic into the ground, make a vine sprout beneath Iren, and pierce him with poison needles before he knew what was happening.
She could do it. She should do it. Mother would have done it. Both of her mothers would have done it.
As Iren walked away, Minawë stayed where she was. She watched him shrink. Finally he vanished into the night.
Minawë fell to her knees and wept.
* * *
From the cavern entrance, Rondel saw Iren disappear. She saw her daughter collapse. Her lips pursed.
Any lingering doubts she might have had were gone. Evil must be annihilated. It had escaped her this time, but next time it would not. She and Iren would fight again. When they did, Iren Saitosan would die.
Thank you for reading The Hearts of Dragons. Keep reading for a sneak peak at The Flames of Dragons, the third and final book in the Dragoon Saga, coming 2016!
Twilight Meeting
They should have come back by now.
Prince Narunë stared out from the southern border of Aokigahara Rainforest. He wiped the sweat from his face, not that the action did any lasting good. More just dripped in his eyes.
But he needed them clear. He couldn’t afford to miss even the smallest sign.
A month had passed since Minawë and Rondel had left the forest and entered enemy territory. Shikari wasn’t that big. With the speeds those two could travel, they should have needed only a couple days to cross it and reach Hiabi. At most, they should have been gone a week.
They should have come back by now.
Narunë studied Shikari’s cracked, karst topography, his position putting him inches away from death. The tip of his nose almost broke the final band of leaves between the rainforest and the bleak land beyond. If he took even a single step forward, he would leave the forest. In that moment, the curse Iren Saito had cast on Narunë’s people would claim his life.
He had no choice. He had to be this close in order to see anything. Aokigahara had dense plants at every level. In most places visibility was only a few feet.
At least Shikari wasn’t like that. As long as Narunë could see past the rainforest’s boundary, he could observe miles of territory. Shikari was desolate, a sharp land of craggy peaks, deep crevasses, and scrubby plants. A trio of people approaching would be visible for miles.
<
br /> That made it all the more frustrating that no such trio had yet appeared.
They should have come back by now.
Narunë had long pictured their reunion in his mind. They would run up to him, and his niece would hug him the way she had when they’d parted.
There were other Kodamas along the border watching for Minawë and her friends, but Narunë hoped he saw them first. He wanted to meet this Maantec boy Minawë had traveled across a continent to find.
Today would be the day they returned. He was sure of it. Nothing had happened to them. Rondel Thara was the most powerful Maantec in a thousand years, and Minawë was stronger still. She didn’t know it, but she’d already surpassed her father Otunë.
As the day wore on though, Minawë and Rondel didn’t appear. When Shikari darkened with sunset, Narunë gave up his vigil for the day. He stalked deeper into the rainforest and rejoined his companions to set up camp.
The group looked as wild as the forest. Their green hair matched the jungle’s leaves, and their leather clothes matched its bark. Tattoos of rainforest animals adorned every exposed inch of skin. None wore swords, but each carried a bow on his back and a machete at his hip.
They were Narunë’s finest scouts. He’d hand-picked them to accompany Minawë and Rondel to Shikari, and they’d all sworn they wouldn’t leave until the journeying pair returned.
For the first week they’d been excited. They’d told fanciful stories and placed bets as to what might be happening in Shikari.
That enthusiasm had vanished in recent days. Now, as Narunë and his squad passed around supper bowls, there was no conversation. The Kodamas ate in brooding silence. Narunë could guess what they were thinking. Oath or no oath, how much longer were they going to stay out here, waiting for people who might be dead?
Narunë was halfway through his stew when a rustling behind him made him pause. He tensed, immediately on alert. Things in the jungle didn’t make noise without reason, not if they enjoyed living. The air was still and heavy. Not a trace of wind passed through the forest floor that could have made the sound.
The Kodaman prince glanced around at his companions. They were all as focused as he was. Narunë stood and faced the sound, but he could see nothing. Between the dense brush, the darkness of evening, and the campfire that had ruined his night vision, he was blind.
Fortunately, there was more than one way to see in the forest, at least for Narunë. He placed his palm against a nearby tree and connected his magic to it, feeling the forest around him through its roots.
He only needed to touch the tree’s smooth bark a few seconds before he figured out what had made the sound. He laughed aloud, a bellowing cry that made him wink his right eye when he did it.
“Minawë!” he shouted. “Rondel! You’re back! We’re over here!”
A rustling of leaves followed, and then a high-pitched female voice whined, “Make me sit in a cave for a month, then drag me back to the forest after dark. Honestly, children these days have no respect for their parents at all. I’m going to trip over a root and break my neck.”
Narunë laughed again. That voice could only belong to Rondel. Better still, her complaining meant she was in a good mood.
But as Rondel emerged into the circle of firelight, Narunë’s laughter died. The silver-haired Maantec glared at the Kodaman prince with cold eyes that sparked with Lightning Sight.
Behind Rondel came Minawë. When Narunë saw his niece’s face, any lingering joy he might have felt at their reunion fled. Her emerald eyes bore just as frosty an expression as Rondel’s. Even though a month had passed since she’d seen her uncle, she didn’t say a word to him. She kept her gaze fixed on Rondel.
Rondel walked up to Narunë. With her diminutive frame, the crone had to bend her neck back to look him in the face. “It’s been a long time,” she said. Her voice was friendly, but the blue sparks leaping across her irises told Narunë the tone was false. “I’m sure a lot’s happened to you since we left. Walk with me, and let’s swap stories. Minawë, we’ll be right back. Why don’t you stay here and warm yourself? It looks like they’re just sitting down to eat. You must be starving. I’m sure they’ll share with you.”
Narunë caught the hint. “That’s a good idea, Minawë. We’ll catch up when Rondel and I return. Boys, make sure my niece is well fed. She is your queen after all. Give her your utmost care and attention.” He stressed the last word.
Minawë cocked an eyebrow, but she shrugged and sat down in the fire ring. She refilled Narunë’s own bowl and ate like it was the first food she’d seen in days.
Rondel gestured to her left. Narunë let her guide him away from camp.
They’d walked in silence about ten minutes before Rondel said, “This should be far enough.”
“Did she follow us?”
Rondel’s Lightning Sight flashed. “I don’t see anyone else, and all the animals within earshot are native.”
Narunë nodded. “So what happened? A month is far too long to spend in Shikari.”
“It was necessary,” Rondel said. “The mission went as expected.”
Narunë pressed his thumb and index finger into the bridge of his nose. “I’d dared to hope that it wouldn’t,” he admitted. “Minawë believed so much in that young man. I wanted to think he would come back with you.”
“Melwar has twisted Iren beyond recognition. He’s become a demon obsessed with revenge.”
“Did you kill him?”
Rondel’s wrinkled fists clenched. “I had him in my grasp, but Minawë intervened and saved his life. He escaped.”
“So what will you do now?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’ll carry out Okthora’s Law. Evil must be annihilated. If Iren isn’t slain, he’ll corrupt Divinion and throw all of Raa into chaos. I’m going back to Shikari to find him. Iren Saitosan must die, just like his father.”
Narunë folded his muscular arms. “How does Minawë feel about that?”
Rondel sat on a fallen log. She shook her head. “I’m sure you know. I originally recruited her to deal with the Stone Dragon Knight. That was before I knew what Melwar had planned for Iren. Had I known that, I never would have brought her along.”
“She cares for him.”
“Not that the boy deserves it. After Minawë went to the trouble of saving him, the fool turned his back on her. He up and left, saying he would kill her if she interfered in his revenge.”
“Is that why you were so late in returning?”
Rondel nodded. “Minawë thought Iren would change his mind. She thought he was just speaking out of anger, and that he’d come to his senses. We waited for a month, but he never showed.”
“Why come back at all then? Had you waited, he might have returned, and even if he didn’t, you would already be in Shikari. The trail will have gone cold by now. How will you find him again?”
Rondel looked up at him. There was an expression on her face he’d never seen from her. It was pleading. “There’s something I need you to do for me.”
Narunë pressed his fingers into his nose again. “Why do I get the feeling whatever it is will be unpleasant?”
Rondel grinned. “Oh, it’s not that bad. It’s—”
She cut off. Her smile disappeared. Her eyes swiveled across the jungle.
“You did better than I expected,” Rondel said. “Black cat on a black night. That was smart.”
A low vibration came from the forest. Narunë tensed. He knew that sound.
Then he saw them. A pair of yellow eyes gleamed through the brush.
The jaguar stalked up to them, teeth bared. It snarled, but it didn’t pounce. Instead, it reared up on its hind legs. As it did, those legs changed shape, lengthening and melting into brown leather with green embroidered leaves. The yellow eyes morphed into emerald ones, and the hair on the cat’s head changed to the same color.
Minawë stood before her mother and uncle. Though she was now a Kodama instead of a cat, she looked as close to lunging as s
he had before the change.
“Don’t think you can wander off,” Minawë growled. “Either of you.”
Narunë held up both hands. “Hold on, don’t lump me in with a troublemaker like Rondel!”
Minawë wasn’t in a joking mood. Her eyes fixed on her uncle. “You knew she wanted to escape. That’s why you told your men to keep such a close eye on me.”
Narunë gave his most innocent smile. “You’re their queen. There are a lot of dangerous things in this jungle. I wanted them to protect you.”
“Don’t lie to me. This jungle won’t hurt me. If you want to protect me, then don’t let Rondel out of your sight.”
“Why not?”
“Because I won’t let her escape. Iren’s beyond my reach, but Rondel isn’t. If they want to kill each other, eventually they’ll have to meet. I plan to be there when they do.”
Narunë frowned, his mouth a thin line. So that was the game.
“Let’s head back to camp,” he said, “and don’t worry about Rondel. I’ll make sure she comes back to Sorengaral with us.”
Rondel flashed him an aggravated expression. She opened her mouth, surely to spit some nasty comment, but Narunë stopped her with a look.
Minawë eyed the two elders for a moment. At last she nodded curtly. “Fine,” she said. “I’ll walk behind you two on the way back to make sure you don’t try anything.”
Narunë shrugged and motioned for Rondel to take the lead. After a few steps though, he came level with her. Without turning his head he murmured, low enough that Minawë couldn’t hear, “Give me until Sorengaral. She’s my niece. I can convince her to stay there. Then you can disappear without her following you.”
Rondel kept her body position unchanged as she replied, “I’m counting on you. I saw how Minawë reacted when Iren turned away from her. She had an opportunity to stop him, and she let it slip away. I can’t risk her interfering.”
“Why?” Narunë asked. “Are you afraid Iren will attack her?”
“No,” Rondel whispered, “I’m afraid I will.
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