Lyubo slowly released pressure. The jaguar stayed where it was. When Lyubo had gained his feet and stepped back, the big cat stood. It reared back so its front feet left the ground. It stood of a height with Lyubo. The fur melted into skin and leather clothing.
“What do you want?” Minawë asked, her Kodaman form restored.
Lyubo held both hands before him, palms out. “I told you already. I just want to talk.”
“Don’t expect me to listen. I’m going to Shikari. I’m going to kill Hana.”
“I thought you’d decided to stay and help your fellow Kodamas. I thought you’d decided to forget the Maantecs.”
“That was before I saw Sorengaral,” Minawë said. “I can’t forget them now. I can’t forget her. She’s taken away everything important to me.”
“Can you even win against her?” Lyubo asked. “You fought her in Shikari before, and it ended in a draw.”
“That won’t happen again. Iren and Mother’s fight distracted me back then. This time, Hana will get my full attention.” Her eyes flashed, and she bared her teeth. “And when my jaws close around her throat, she’ll finally know what it feels like to be prey.”
Lyubo stepped back. Minawë might look like a Kodama, but part of that jaguar was still in her. If he didn’t play this carefully, she might yet attack him.
Before he could speak, though, he saw Minawë’s eyes focus on something over his shoulder. He turned just in time to see two people break through the undergrowth toward them.
He breathed a sigh of relief. He might not be able to stop Minawë alone, but with Lord Narunë and Rondel here, surely they could convince her to stay.
Rondel spoke first. “Where do you think you’re going, Minawë?” she asked. She spoke casually, as though curious which fruit trees Minawë was off to pick from.
Minawë didn’t relax. “Don’t try to stop me, Mother. I know you’d rather I stay here, but I’m going back to Shikari. I’ll kill Hana for what she’s done.”
Rondel cocked an eyebrow. “What has she done?”
Lyubo didn’t understand why the old woman was so nonchalant. Minawë was on the edge, and Rondel’s unfeeling attitude would only push the queen further. What did this Maantec hope to accomplish?
“What has she done?” Minawë roared. “She destroyed Sorengaral! She killed dozens of Kodamas!”
“True,” Rondel admitted, “yet your anger is misdirected. Why did she do those things? Have you stopped to ask yourself that question?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re angry at the wrong person,” Rondel said. “Getting angry at Hana is like getting angry at my rondel. She’s just a weapon. Melwar is the one wielding her.”
Minawë had already started to rebuke her mother, but she stopped short. Lyubo was caught equally off guard. Was it possible Hana wasn’t responsible for her actions?
No, it wasn’t, and Minawë came to the same conclusion. “Even if Melwar ordered her,” she spat, “Hana could have refused. Besides, what about Palentos? She impaled him and left him to die!”
“Because he tried to stab her in the back.”
“She was stealing the Karyozaki!”
“On Melwar’s orders.”
Minawë threw up her hands. “Why are you protecting her? Did you forget that she almost killed you? Or that she gave an Oni the Karyozaki so he could exterminate my people? Oh, and let’s not forget how she manipulated Iren so she could kidnap him, take him to Melwar, and turn him against his friends!”
“Again, all on Melwar’s command,” Rondel said. “You’re missing the point. Evil must be annihilated. I agree with your desire for justice. What concerns me is that you’re succumbing to the allure of revenge.”
Rondel may as well have punched Minawë. The queen reeled. Her eyes dropped to the forest floor.
Lord Narunë spoke for the first time, “There’s a teaching among the Kodamas. Revenge can’t make you happy. If you fail, you’ll either die or suffer for the rest of your life. If you succeed, you’ll be left with nothing, a void in your soul that you can’t fill.”
“I know that,” Minawë said. “Mother—Aletas—told it to me.”
“And she was right to caution you,” Rondel replied. “Look at Iren. He let his desire for revenge consume him. Don’t let it do the same to you.”
The old woman paused. When she spoke again, her voice was quiet, as though she were speaking to herself, “Otherwise you might make a decision you’ll regret. You might kill the wrong person.”
Lyubo frowned. What did that mean? It must be significant, judging by the look of realization on Minawë’s face.
But that comprehension didn’t translate into a change of opinion. Minawë’s expression hardened. “Hana’s a mass-murderer,” she said. “Even if she acted under Melwar’s orders, that doesn’t make her innocent.”
“Doesn’t it?” Rondel asked. “Melwar has a way of manipulating people. It’s been his greatest weapon ever since we were children. I’m not convinced Hana is evil. She’s no hero, but she isn’t a villain either.”
Rondel sounded so certain, but Lyubo had his doubts. “What makes you think that?” he asked.
The old Maantec’s baleful stare made Lyubo wish he’d kept his mouth shut. “The attack on Sorengaral,” she answered. “The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that Hana never wanted to go there, and that once she was there, that she didn’t want to hurt anyone.”
This time even Lord Narunë scoffed. “I find that hard to believe.”
Rondel’s harsh look passed to the Kodaman prince. Lyubo loosed a breath to have her eyes off him. “Consider Kenwë’s description of what happened,” Rondel said. “Hana arrived and demanded the Karyozaki. When your people refused, she knocked over trees. It was a mighty stunt that showed her power, but in truth it was harmless. Only after the Kodamas attacked her did she fight back, and as soon as she had the Karyozaki, she left. Do you get it? Her goal was to obtain the Karyozaki. That must have been what Melwar ordered her to do.”
Rondel’s eyes fell on each of the Kodamas. “I know this is hard for you all to accept, but consider the alternative. Had Hana wanted to wipe out the Aokigaharan Kodamas, this was her opportunity. They were gathered in one place. She knew the only one who could stop her—you, Minawë—was miles away. They were helpless.”
This was the chance Lyubo had been looking for. He jumped in on the old woman, “That’s why we need you here, Minawë. Hana could come back at any time and kill us all, but if you’re here, you can protect us. We need you.” He braced himself and gave her his most caring smile. “I need you.”
Minawë’s hands trembled. She seemed unable to meet Lyubo’s gaze. “Do you . . . really mean that?” she asked.
“Of course I do.”
Rondel cocked an eyebrow. “Do you? Or are you saying that because Narunë told you to?”
Lyubo stiffened. “What?”
Lord Narunë looked just as panicked. “Rondel?” he asked. “What do you mean? What are you accusing me of?”
Sparks filled Rondel’s eyes. “Manipulating my daughter’s emotions.”
“That’s preposterous!”
“Is it? I asked you to convince her to stay in Sorengaral, but you knew you couldn’t persuade her. The only way to make her stay was to give her someone to take Iren off her mind. So you ordered Lyubo to befriend and woo her.”
Lyubo flashed a look between Lord Narunë and Rondel. What was the old Maantec doing? Convincing Minawë to stay had been her idea from the start! Why was she giving him up just when he had succeeded?
Minawë met Lord Narunë’s eyes. “Is it true, Uncle?”
Lord Narunë could lie and manipulate with the best of them, even Rondel. Lyubo knew the man would work his way out of this.
Only he didn’t. He lowered his eyes. “Your mother’s right,” he said. “I asked Lyubo to make you want to stay in Sorengaral.”
Then his expression hardened. “And I did it be
cause your mother asked me to. So tell me, Rondel, what are you playing at? Just a few minutes ago you were saying the Kodamas were safe because Minawë was staying here.”
“I spoke too quickly back at the village,” Rondel replied. “After thinking about it, I realized Minawë can’t stay here.”
“But she must!” Lyubo cried. “If Hana comes back and Minawë isn’t here—”
“That won’t happen,” Rondel interrupted. “I’m certain Melwar’s determined that we could have reached Sorengaral by now. He knows Hana can’t defeat Minawë here, and he won’t send her into a fight he knows she’ll lose, not when the risk is him losing the Enryokiri. It’s his best weapon against me.”
Minawë loosed a long breath. “That’s what convinced you Melwar is controlling Hana. Hana knew she had one chance, and only one chance, to kill the Aokigaharan Kodamas. Yet she didn’t take advantage of it. Melwar ordered her to get the Karyozaki, but he must not have mentioned the Kodamas. She followed his order, but she didn’t go beyond it.”
Rondel nodded. “Melwar didn’t leave out the Kodamas by accident. He knows you’re a threat. He hoped you would see the devastation and stay in Aokigahara to protect your people. I don’t know what he’s planning, but he wants you here when it happens. That’s reason enough for me not to.”
Lord Narunë frowned. “So what will you two do now?”
Minawë looked at him with eyes that reminded Lyubo of the jaguar’s. “Nothing’s changed,” she said. “I’m going back to Shikari. If Melwar’s controlling Hana, then I’m going after him.”
“And I’m going too,” Rondel added. “It’s past time I introduced Melwar to Okthora’s Law.”
“You’re five weeks from Shikari,” Lord Narunë pointed out. “Whatever you hope to do, can you reach Melwar in time?”
“You don’t need to escort us this time,” Rondel said. “Now that I’ve made the journey a couple times, I have a better sense of where to go. Minawë, change into a fly. You can ride in one of my pockets while I run through the forest with my speed enhanced. It won’t be as fast as if we were on an open plain, but I think we can cut that five-week delay in half, if not more.”
Minawë considered a moment, then smiled. “I have a better idea. Going through the jungle twice doesn’t make you an expert. There’s a lot here that can tangle up the unwary. Even Lightning Sight isn’t enough. You need more than one sense.”
“Oh? What’s your plan, then?”
The queen changed back into the black jaguar, but the fury was gone from its eyes. Instead, they looked excited.
Rondel cocked an eyebrow. “You really think you can keep pace with me in that form?”
Minawë tilted her head sideways and flashed a cat-grin.
“Minawë!” Lyubo had to try one last time. “I never lied to you. I really do care about you. I have ever since I first met you. I love you.”
The jaguar regarded him. “When Iren turned his back on me, I didn’t understand why,” Minawë said. “I think now I do, at least a little. I’m sorry.”
Then she was gone, off through the jungle. Rondel gave her a five-second head start, and then the old Maantec ran off as well.
Lyubo watched them go. “I failed you, Lord Narunë.”
The prince shook his head. “You did no such thing. I failed by not understanding Minawë. She’s like her mother; she won’t be caged. Even if she didn’t feel betrayed, she still would have left.”
“Will she come back?” Lyubo asked.
“Maybe,” Lord Narunë said, “but then again, maybe not. If she does, I don’t think you’ll have another chance with her.”
“You knew how I felt about her. That’s why you asked me to approach her. I never could have worked up the courage without your blessing.”
“For that I am truly sorry. I turned her against you.”
Lyubo wiped his eyes. He would not cry in front of his prince. “No, I’m glad I got to spend even a few weeks with her. She’s something special.”
Lord Narunë sighed. “That she is. Come on. Let’s head back to Sorengaral. They’ll need our help to rebuild. Rondel and Minawë have their mission. It’s time we returned to ours.”
* * *
Minawë raced through the forest on four padded feet. Rondel dashed alongside her, cutting through branches and vines with her dagger.
The Kodaman queen hadn’t felt this way in months. For a time she’d believed her place was between Rondel and Iren. Then she’d believed it was in Sorengaral with Lyubo.
Now she realized those were mere distractions. Melwar had played them all for fools. He wanted to keep Iren, Rondel, and Minawë busy with fear and revenge so he could achieve his true goal, whatever that was.
But Minawë was onto him now. He wouldn’t get away.
Even so, it made her wonder. Iren was likely still in Shikari. Mother had said she would fight Melwar, but she hadn’t abandoned her desire to kill Iren either. Shikari was a small nation. What would she and Minawë do if they met Iren along the way?
Minawë’s thoughts drifted back to Lyubo. He had manipulated her, as had her uncle and mother. She had no doubt that Lyubo’s feelings were genuine, but she couldn’t get his betrayal out of her head.
That was how Iren must have felt about Minawë and Rondel. Minawë could see how those feelings could make him want to leave everyone behind.
Now that she understood that, she also had her answer. What would she do if she ran into Iren? The same thing she’d planned to do since she’d left Ziorsecth more than a year ago.
She would save him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Unexpected Visitors
A cold southern wind pummeled Iren atop a bare mountain several miles from Goro and Chiyo’s farm. It cut through his increasingly threadbare kimono and threatened to send him into shivers, but he resisted. He couldn’t let anything distract him, not if Muryoka was going to succeed.
Despite its bleak conditions, the mountain peak was the only place Iren felt comfortable practicing the spell. The summit was a five-mile hike from the nearest farm. It was also above the treeline, so there weren’t even animals or plants to worry about killing. If the worst happened, at least Iren would be the only casualty.
Iren held out his left hand, palm up. His right hand gripped the Muryozaki. It was strange, holding the weapon in his off hand like that. But he had better control with his left arm, and control was the problem. He had enough magic to cast Muryoka, if only he could harness it.
His palm glowed. The brightness increased for ten seconds. Then, with a whoosh, it caught alight.
It was progress. The first two weeks after Divinion had shown him Muryoka, Iren hadn’t even been able to get the fire started. That required making the magic clash with itself to raise its temperature.
Unfortunately, making the flame was the easy part. Once it lit, Iren had to force it to take an unnaturally dense form as a ball in his hand.
That step was where his father had failed. The burning magic wanted to do anything but condense, and Iren Saito had lacked the control necessary to make it do otherwise.
After a month of trying, his son was finding that he had the same problem.
The worst part was that Iren couldn’t hold the spell indefinitely. The flame burned through magic at an astonishing rate. From his attempts so far, Iren had determined that he had only twenty seconds before the spell consumed all his magic, and that was under ideal conditions. In a battle, where he would be using magic throughout the fight, he would have even less time.
That was why his father had released Muryoka early. If he hadn’t, the spell would have begun drawing on his biological magic, possibly killing him.
Iren tamped down all those thoughts as he condensed the white flame in his hand. Today’s was a good attempt. The fire had started out taller than he was, but Iren shrank it to the length of his arm.
His energy sagged; he couldn’t last any longer. Abandoning hope of success today, Iren thrust out his hand. T
he white flame shot forth, burning the air in front of him. The peak was the tallest around, so there was nothing Muryoka could bounce off of and kill him with backwash.
All the same, Iren never escaped Muryoka unscathed. The failed spell left his hand and lower arm charred with heavy burns. Even the Muryozaki needed a few minutes to repair the magic-induced damage.
Iren dropped to his knees, spent. He fought a wave of nausea. He could only try the attack once per day. It used up all his magic to cast it.
While he rested, he looked down at Goro and Chiyo’s farm. He could see the pair of them—specks from here—working in the garden together. It made him smile. They were perfect for each other.
He was about to stand and head back when he happened to glance down the overgrown dirt track that led to the farm. Goro and Chiyo rarely traveled, and visitors were even rarer. Aside from the annual tribute collector, Iren had been the first in more than a decade.
That was why Iren’s breath quickened when he spotted two dots moving toward the farm.
As with Goro and Chiyo, Iren couldn’t make out the newcomers’ details at this distance. They were moving quickly though, too quickly for them to be on foot.
Iren frowned. Almost no one around here owned a horse. The few farmers who did had low-quality draft animals suited only to plowing fields. No farmer ever rode his horse. Only high-ranking samurai and nobles did that.
Nobles.
Damn.
Iren scrambled down the mountainside as quickly as he dared. It wasn’t a sheer cliff, but a misplaced foot could still end with him dropping a hundred feet in places. Even for a Maantec, falls like that could kill.
At last he hit more sloping terrain and took off. He didn’t have magic, but his Maantec strength and training gave him a speed far greater than most. He rushed through the miles of forest between the mountain and the farm, hoping he could make it in time. The newcomers had looked perhaps twenty minutes from the farm when Iren had seen them. If he hurried, he might just beat them.
The Flames of Dragons Page 13