The Flames of Dragons

by Josh VanBrakle

  The man’s brow furrowed at her request, but he held out his hands. Chiyo took them in hers. A month of farm work had calloused them, yet beneath that was a softness, an innocence wounded but not destroyed.

  “You’re a good person,” Chiyo said.

  “If you knew me, you wouldn’t say that.”

  “It’s because I know you that I can say it. You say you want to avenge your parents, but I feel in your hands something different. That isn’t the reason you’ve come this far. You have a gentle heart. It doesn’t want to fight.”

  Katsu yanked away his hands like Chiyo had stabbed them. His eyes were huge.

  “What is it?” Chiyo asked. “Did I say something wrong?”

  Katsu held taut for several seconds before he gradually relaxed. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Long ago, someone I cared about a lot said something similar to me. I never thought I’d hear those words again, especially not here in Shikari.”

  Chiyo made up her mind. “Katsu, please stay. We need you. Goro and I have a hard time keeping the farm going. We struggle every year just to feed ourselves and pay our tribute to Hiabi. Thanks to your help, we could have our best harvest in centuries.”

  “What about Goro?” Katsu asked. “What about Melwar?”

  Chiyo winced, as much from the mention of Lord Melwar’s name as her husband’s. The lack of honorific showed how Katsu thought about the noble. He considered Lord Melwar an equal. He really was a ronin, someone of incredible status and power.

  She wouldn’t hesitate though. What she’d told him was true. They did need his help. But more important, Chiyo sensed, in a way she couldn’t express, that Katsu needed their help too.

  “Let me handle Goro,” she said. “I was weak this morning, but not anymore. I’ll make sure he understands. It’s best if you don’t come for dinner tonight, but be around for breakfast tomorrow. I’ll straighten it out by then.”

  Katsu was motionless a moment. Then he stepped back and bowed so low his eyes faced the ground.

  Chiyo blushed. “A highborn shouldn’t bow to a farmer’s wife.”

  The man straightened. “I’m a ronin,” he said, like it was as basic an admission as saying he was male. “I’ll bow to anyone who earns my respect.”

  Chiyo smiled. She had made the right choice. There was something broken inside this man. Maybe together, they could fix it.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Leverage

  Elyssa Orianna, mayor of Kataile, sat on her padded silver throne doing something she almost never did: tap her foot.

  The nerve of that man! He was late. He was just like his father.

  A loud, echoing knock came at the door. Elyssa knew it must be him. Any of her guards or couriers would have given a tentative strike. This person had no such reluctance. He walked his course straight ahead, without shame.

  “Come in,” Elyssa said, forcing down her emotions. No matter who he might look or act like, Balear was Balear.

  The one-armed man entered the chamber. Elyssa motioned for her guards to exit.

  The last time she’d asked them for privacy with Balear, they’d looked on the edge of defiance. Today none of them hesitated.

  “Shut the door,” Elyssa commanded when she and Balear were alone. She had to be in charge of him. Balear understood order, discipline, and rank. Elyssa needed to establish where each of them sat in relation to the other.

  Balear did as instructed. That was a good start.

  “I’ve heard a curious rumor,” Elyssa said. She leaned back in her throne. “I understand you broke the fountain on the third level.”

  The former general shrugged. If he had any regrets about his action, he kept them hidden. That was like Balio too. “The Auryozaki isn’t a delicate weapon,” he said, as though that were all the explanation warranted.

  “I trust you intend to pay for the damage.”

  The corners of Balear’s mouth tightened. “Not at all,” he replied.

  Of course he didn’t. There was no way a wandering traitor could replace a broken fountain. This just meant Elyssa could get more work out of him in retribution. He had walked right into her trap. She put a hand to her chest in mock surprise. “What?” she asked. “Are you suggesting the town should bear the cost for your irresponsible actions?”

  The general’s face grew stern. “No,” he said, “I’m saying it should be left as it is.”

  His seriousness took Elyssa aback. “But it cannot stay that way,” she countered. “We’re a tourist town. We survive by being clean and beautiful.”

  Balear’s expression did not relent. “All the more reason to leave it. It’ll be a good reminder. Far worse destruction will befall Kataile if another city attacks. If your people are so angered by that small blemish, then it should encourage them not to let any more happen.”

  Elyssa’s eyebrow twitched. She had no response to that.

  “If that’s all, Lady Orianna,” Balear said, “I’m missing a training session.”

  Elyssa chewed her lip. Balear was like Balio in several ways, but this sternness was different. Balio was always relaxed. He was the rare man who could cross lines, equally comfortable wining and dining with Kataile’s elite as he was belting out bawdy tunes in a portside tavern.

  Balear wasn’t that man. If people listened to him, it was through the sheer force of his presence. He could do what no man—not even Balio—had ever done to Elyssa.

  He could intimidate her.

  Those indomitable blue eyes were still on her. She couldn’t bear them, but neither could she let him have the advantage. There was only one way to take back the initiative.

  She smiled. “Actually, there is one more thing,” she said. “I thought you might want to hear more about how I knew Balio.”

  That got his attention. Balear’s shoulders slackened. His eyes lost their fire.

  Elyssa kept up her warm expression, but inside her grin was more devious. Every man had a weakness she could exploit. For some it was money. For others it was sex. For Balear it was knowledge of his father.

  “Tell me,” Balear said.

  “I trust you know your father served as a bodyguard aboard Lodian ships. Even though Ceere was closer to his home, Kataile was his port of choice. Do you know why?”

  Balear shook his head. Elyssa forced herself not to smirk. “It was because of me. If he boarded in Kataile, he would get to see me.”

  The soldier’s lone hand clenched. “Are you telling me my father had an affair?”

  The challenge in his voice made Elyssa flinch. “Nothing like that,” she stammered, off balance again despite herself. “We were friends. Much to my disappointment, that’s all we ever were.”

  Balear’s hand relaxed. “I should get back to the men. Farewell.”

  Elyssa frowned. So even knowledge of his father wasn’t an effective tool.

  It was time to up the stakes. She hadn’t wanted to use this weapon so soon, but it might be the only way to rein in Balear before he swept control of her city out from under her.

  “One moment, Balear,” Elyssa said. “Your father and I might only have been friends, but I was closest to him among all the learned class in Kataile. The last time I saw him alive, he asked me for a favor. You see, your father never learned to read or write. That day, he wanted me to record his thoughts on a scroll, a scroll that was to be read only by his son.”

  Balear went limp. His arm trembled. “I was a toddler when my father left. Why would he leave a scroll for me?”

  “When you read it, you’ll understand.”

  “Where is it?” Balear asked. He seemed to choke on the words. “Is it here?”

  She had him. “I wouldn’t risk it being left in the open,” Elyssa said. “I keep it under lock and key. I’ll tell you what. I plan on visiting you tomorrow during your training session. I want to observe it. If I like what I see, perhaps I’ll show you the scroll.”

  Balear cocked an eyebrow. “And if you don’t like what you see?”

  Ely
ssa gave him her most mysterious smile, one honed over two decades of politics. “Then I’ll show it to everyone.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Hana!

  The next day Balear returned to the square on Kataile’s third level. Ahead of him the fountain was still smashed, but aside from that, everything about this place felt different from two days ago. All one hundred and ten officers had shown up and given Balear their utmost attention, even Pito.

  Their path forward was simple. Balear, Riac, and Dirio couldn’t teach a thousand men by themselves, so instead they would teach the teachers. The trio would work with the officers to hone their skills with various weapons and formations. The officers in turn would instruct their squads and companies.

  All around Balear the officers drilled, sweat heavy on their brows and uniforms even though the afternoon was cold. They were breathing hard, yet no one showed any sign of backing off in his efforts.

  No one, that was, except Balear himself. His thoughts kept returning to what Elyssa had said. His father had left a message just for him? The way Elyssa had described it, it must have been written after Dad had left Tropos for good.

  What had he written, and why would Elyssa threaten Balear with its public release? Balio Platarch was one of Lodia’s heroes, especially in Kataile. Countless merchants lived and prospered today only because he had saved them from pirates. What in that scroll could be so damning that it would override that legacy?

  Balear shook away the question. He needed to focus. Whatever the scroll said, the message would be meaningless if Kataile fell.

  Balear scanned the officers, looking for someone who needed help. As he did, he spied Riac. The veteran circled among the men, correcting errors and offering words of encouragement.

  Balear smiled to himself. He’d had a stroke of luck in finding that one. Riac was more motivated than any of them, and he could speak to the Katailans with a familiarity that Balear could never have.

  As he continued to look over the assembly, Balear’s smile shifted into a grimace. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed an auburn-haired woman walking down the steps from the fourth level to the square. Even before he saw her face, he could tell by her precise walk who she was.

  “Lady Orianna,” he said when she arrived, “I’m glad you could make it. Welcome to our training session. It’s going well.”

  “Indeed,” the mayor replied. She looked over the men. “I can’t tell if you’ve inspired their loyalty, or if they’re just curious what stunt you might pull next.”

  “As long as they train with everything they have, I don’t really care about their reasons.”

  The pair watched the officers in silence for some time. At length Elyssa murmured, “Now that you have them motivated, what comes next? You can’t win this war with a few drills.”

  Balear hesitated. The image of a scroll flashed before his eyes. Elyssa had him at her mercy. He had to keep her happy.

  But more important, he had to protect Lodia. He couldn’t do that by lying to Elyssa, so he said, “You can’t win this war.”

  The mayor reacted as well as Balear had expected. She whipped to face him, her eyes sharper than the Auryozaki. “What?” she snapped.

  Balear forced himself to stay calm. Elyssa might not like it, but she would respond to logic, and Balear had reasoned it through after his first day with Kataile’s officers. “No matter how much your soldiers train, they’re only a thousand men,” he said. “With a force that small you can’t conquer even one city, let alone all of them. Also, if you sent your forces on a campaign, you would leave Kataile defenseless. Another city could sweep in and conquer you.”

  “Then what do you want me to do, oh great general? Sit here and wait for them to come to us?”

  The corners of Balear’s mouth rose. “That’s exactly what I propose.”

  “How is cowering here supposed to win us the war?”

  Balear shook his head. “I just told you, you can’t win the war. If you want to sit on Lodia’s throne someday, your only chance lies in a peaceful solution. You need to convince the other mayors to hold the Succession Council.”

  “That seems far-fetched, considering I don’t have any communication with them.”

  “True, but if I’m right, that won’t matter. For now, we need to—”

  Balear cut off. It couldn’t have been.

  “Balear?” Elyssa said. “Balear!” She waved her hand in front of his face.

  He ignored her, his attention on a group of civilians rushing along the square’s periphery. They were headed down to the docks. A merchant ship was leaving for Tacumsah this afternoon, and the last longboats out to it were due to depart soon. The people rushing were probably last-minute boarders.

  And in the middle of that group had been a young woman with sleek black hair.

  Balear had only seen her face for a second, but that had been enough. That face haunted his dreams.

  It belonged to Hana.

  The memories flooded back. Hana. The woman who had rescued Balear and Iren in Orcsthia, the woman who had hidden her Stone Dragon Knight powers at the cost of Balear’s arm, the woman who had cried over him minutes before abandoning him for his best friend, was here in Kataile.

  Balear barely noticed Elyssa’s hard gaze on him. The soldiers kept practicing, but he no longer paid them any mind either. All his focus was on the Maantec hiding in plain sight among the crowd.

  He had to talk to her. He stepped toward the throng.

  “Where are you going?” Elyssa snapped. “We’re not finished here.”

  Balear looked at the mayor, then back at the group of merchants. In that brief moment, Hana had disappeared.

  Had he really seen her? Maybe it was an illusion, a trick of his imagination. There were so many questions he wanted to ask her. He could have just seen someone who looked like her.

  He couldn’t take that chance. If the woman Balear had seen was Hana, then she must be headed for that ship to Tacumsah. She could be on it in moments. The merchants had already left the square and started down the stairs toward the docks. They traveled at a run now, racing to avoid missing their ride. There was no time to delay.

  “I have to go,” he said.

  Elyssa surely made some remark, but Balear didn’t hear her. He was already racing to catch up with the merchants.

  Balear chased them down Kataile’s steep steps into the port district. The tang of fresh fish assaulted his nostrils. Short, wooden shacks dotted the area seemingly at random, turning the whole port into a maze.

  The crowds were dense here. Balear couldn’t even pick out the merchants anymore, let alone one person among them.

  He wouldn’t give up. “Hana!” he shouted. If she heard him call her name, maybe she would turn her head in response. “Hana!”

  His shout had the opposite effect. Balear already stood out thanks to his missing arm and the seven-foot-long sword on his back. Half the people in earshot turned to regard him.

  It didn’t stop him. He charged through the crowd, parting it like a ship through water. “Hana!” he cried as he ran. “It’s Balear! Hana, wait!”

  A whistle sounded from the bay. Balear cursed. It was a ship’s call, signaling to other vessels that it was leaving port. Balear reached the docks just in time to see two longboats rowing hard toward a caravel two hundred feet out.

  “Hana!” he cried one last time, though he knew it was futile. The people on the longboats couldn’t hear him over the water, and they were too far away for Balear to identify anyone.

  All the same, he waited at the dock until the longboats reached the ship. Then, as it turned toward open ocean, Balear trudged his way back to the square.

  Elyssa was waiting for him where he’d left her. Her foot clicked against the stone as she tapped it repeatedly.

  “What on Raa were you thinking?” she demanded.

  The one-armed general looked over his shoulder toward the ocean. The ship was a dot from this distance. “Nothing,” he fina
lly said. “A ghost from the past. I was imagining things. Let’s get back to work. What were we discussing again?”

  * * *

  Hana Akiyama stood at the Sparkling Dawn’s stern as the caravel left the Bay of Kataile. Her hands gripped the rail so hard she left divots in the wood.

  Balear had been right there, shouting her name. It had taken every shred of willpower she possessed not to turn around.

  She couldn’t let herself see him. When she returned to Shogun Melwar’s side, he would ask her if she had seen the Sky Dragon Knight in her journey. This way she could tell him the truth. No, she hadn’t.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  The Things Trees Know

  Minawë and Lyubo had tracked their quarry since dawn. They had yet to lay eyes on it, but Lyubo insisted they were getting close.

  “These tracks couldn’t have been made more than an hour ago,” he said, gesturing at the spots in the mud. “They’re close together too, which means he’s moving slowly. We’ll catch him before we have to get back to the group.”

  Minawë hoped so. Everyone was counting on them.

  She wiped her brow. Midafternoon in the rainforest was a poor time to be active. The humidity clung to her skin, and her leather outfit gripped her in all sorts of uncomfortable ways.

  “Hold up,” Lyubo said. “Let’s take a break.”

  “And let him get farther ahead?”

  “He isn’t on the run. Besides, determination’s no good if it gets you killed. You’ll dehydrate tracking all day. You need to drink up.”

  Minawë lifted her water skin, but Lyubo put out a hand. “That’s for emergencies,” he said. “Here in the wild, you rely on the forest as much as you can. Check these out.”

  He walked to a nearby tangle of vines each as thick as Minawë’s forearm. “These will be our water supply,” he said.

  Minawë cocked an eyebrow.