“Jhi!” Meilin said, but her eyes were fixed on Xanthe lying on the floor. The girl was still breathing, but she was unconscious and bleeding out fast.
The large panda flashed onto the scene. Rollan knew Jhi would be a fierce fighter and improve Meilin’s own battle skills, but perhaps that wasn’t what the girl had in mind.
Still … she’d need a distraction.
Rollan scanned the room, taking in the placement of every Oathbound, every monk, and every object in the room. Behind the anguished Takoda there were spears, shields, and swords hanging on the wall. If Rollan could free the monks and get them those weapons, their numbers would increase dramatically. Between them and Kovo, the Greencloaks might have a real chance.
Xanthe might have a chance.
Across the chamber, Master Naveb coughed. Rollan locked eyes with the old man just as Naveb quickly lifted the edge of his robe and revealed a key tied to his ankle. He gave Rollan a quick nod and motioned to Kovo. Naveb had the key to unlock Kovo’s chains!
“Fine.” Sid grinned cruelly. “You want to fight? We’ll fight.”
Rollan readied himself to sprint.
A screech from somewhere in the room caught everyone’s attention … especially Rollan’s. It sounded like Essix. Rollan’s eyes flicked over to the closed window. How had the falcon gotten in, and where was she now?
Another screech, but something was off. Rollan glanced upward, where he saw a tiny black bird perched in the rafters. It was the same bird that had stolen his food out on the savannah! The drongo flew onto the shoulder of a girl with curly red hair. The Oathbound fished a snack from her pocket and gave it to her spirit animal, sneering at Rollan the whole time.
That little sneak. It had imitated Essix’s call.
Sid rolled his shoulders confidently and continued talking. “If you choose to fight us, all you’ll accomplish is more bloodshed … your own. Surrender is your only option.”
Meilin scoffed. “Never.”
“You’ll just kill us anyway,” Conor added.
Abeke narrowed her eyes. “Once we’re of no use to you.”
“Now, now, friends,” Rollan said, taking a small sideways step. If he could just get to Kovo, then Master Naveb would toss him the key. “Sid here seems like a smart guy. I mean, he obviously knew we were coming. I’m guessing a little bird told you.”
Sid looked over at the drongo and chuckled. “Yes, Kasmira can be very useful.”
This time the bird chirped like a nightingale in response.
Rollan took another step. “So you must also know that the Greencloaks have vast resources. We can make a person very wealthy.”
“If it’s more gold you want,” Abeke said, catching on that Rollan had a plan of sorts, “we can always come to some type of arrangement.” She began slowly moving away from the group in the opposite direction.
The Oathbound soldiers shifted, cautiously spreading out in order to remain in front of each Greencloak.
“Such as?” Sid asked as Conor took a couple steps forward.
“Gold, of course,” Conor said. “And we know many influential people.”
Rollan could see that Sid was interested. They just needed a little more time.
“I can’t believe that you would offer him anything!” Takoda cried out from beside Xanthe. “Look what he did!”
“Hush, boy,” Master Naveb scolded.
Rollan ignored Takoda’s anguish and took another step closer to the window. “It would seem that you hold all the cards, so why don’t you set the terms?”
Meilin lowered her sword, as if willing to entertain the idea as well. “Just tell us what you want.”
Sid’s expression changed as he stared at Meilin. The eager gleam was replaced by a rigid grimace. “There is nothing I want,” he stated, his back straightening. It almost looked as if he were about to salute her. “My captain … we await your orders.”
Rollan was confused, but when he turned to look at Meilin, it was the person who was standing behind her who surprised him.
Anka.
Meilin spun around and came face-to-face with the Greencloak. Anka now had a knife pointed directly at Meilin. The same knife that had stabbed her. Her shirt was no longer stained with blood.
The truth dawned slowly on Rollan. The whole thing had been an illusion. Anka had actually caught the knife and used her chameleon ability to make it seem as if she’d been mortally wounded.
“Anka?” Meilin took a half step back. “What’s going on?”
“Captain, I … I’m glad you’re not hurt.” Sid’s voice quavered. “I truly did not realize that—”
“Enough!” Anka stopped Sid’s prattling with a wave of her hand. “Yes, Sid, your blindness has become painfully obvious. You didn’t even realize that the old man has Kovo’s key in his hand.”
“I knew I didn’t like you from the moment I couldn’t see you,” Master Naveb said.
“Oathbound,” Anka called, “arrest them all!”
Each Greencloak took a defensive stance. They wouldn’t go down without a fight. Rollan knew that the battle for their lives was about to begin.
Anka stared at Meilin. “Except for her. This one … this one is mine.”
MEILIN’S HEAD WAS SPINNING. SHE COULDN’T BELIEVE Anka had betrayed them … that she’d apparently been working with the Oathbound all along. None of them had suspected her of being a spy.
“You seem so surprised,” Anka said as she and Meilin circled each other. All around them, fighting had broken out between Greencloaks and Oathbound. Distantly, Meilin heard Abeke scream, but she didn’t dare look away from the enemy facing her. “Did you think you were the only Zhongese girl to want more?”
“More what? More treachery?” Meilin turned the sword in her hand. “How could you, Anka? We were friends.”
“It’s nothing personal,” the young woman said with a shrug. “Fate put us on different sides of this conflict. You win your battles through combat. I win in my own way. Plus, you’re the one who told me: ‘In a real battle for life and death, you shouldn’t worry about what is and isn’t fair.’ ”
Jhi barked urgently, a low, plaintive sound that cut through the noise of the hall. Meilin spared her spirit animal a quick glance and saw that Jhi was watching Xanthe with anxious eyes.
“She’s lost a lot of blood,” Anka said. “Probably just on the verge of death. So what will you do? Will you sacrifice your spirit animal’s help? The last time we sparred without her, I nearly beat you.”
Meilin glared. “Go, Jhi. I can handle the likes of Anka, myself.”
The panda exploded into action, loping across the chamber toward Xanthe and Takoda.
Anka smirked. “Wrong call,” she crooned.
Meilin lunged at her with her sword, but Anka spun away, landing a kick against Meilin’s hip at the same time. “And since you bring it up … my name isn’t really Anka. It’s Kana. Kana the Honest.”
Kana disappeared, her cloak dissolving into the background like mist burning away in the sun.
Meilin jabbed at the empty air around her, unsure of where Anka … or Kana … had gone.
Then she felt her legs being swept out from under her. Meilin fell back and slammed her skull against the hard floor.
Now her head truly spun. Meilin forced herself up, bracing her unsteady feet. She glanced nervously around her. In a fight where she couldn’t see her enemy, she had to trust her other senses.
A slight rustling sound told her what she needed to know. Meilin did a backward handspring and sliced through the air with her leg, making hard contact with the unseen Kana.
“Ugh!” Kana grunted.
Meilin struck again, landing a second kick. As she went for a third, she felt a sharp pain in her upper leg. She screamed, stumbling back and leaving a trail of blood in her wake.
Retreating to a corner of the room, Meilin held her sword in front of her. Her wound wasn’t serious, but it was too difficult to fight an invisible opponent. Kana
could have cut an artery if she’d struck her in a different place.
“That was a warning,” Kana said, as if reading Meilin’s mind.
Meilin couldn’t believe Kana’s skill. She was a much better fighter than she’d pretended to be. Meilin could not underestimate her.
“You’ve learned a lot,” Meilin said, trying to find Kana’s location through her voice.
“Ha!” Kana’s laugh came from Meilin’s left. “You thought I was learning how to fight.… I was only learning how you fight.”
Meilin spun her sword in front of her like a protective barrier. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Conor fighting off three Oathbound warriors with his ax and a sword he’d picked up from somewhere.
“Things don’t have to be this way, Meilin.” Kana’s voice had switched sides, now coming from the right side of the room. “You could join us. Work for me. I know how much you love Zhong. So did your father.”
“Leave my father out of this!” Meilin shouted, her eyes straining to see where the voice was coming from. But the only thing she saw were her friends, battling the Oathbound. Rollan defended against two attackers, giving Abeke cover as she shot arrows at some archers who were perched on the rafters. Uraza and Briggan were each tangled up under weighted nets that had been thrown over them.
Things weren’t looking good. Meilin needed to level the playing field. She had to defeat Kana.
“Think about it, Meilin,” Kana said. “Zhong needs more women like you. Strong and brave and unafraid to fight for what they believe in. It’s why I started the Oathbound. The military wouldn’t have me, so I formed my own company. The time of the Greencloaks is over, but you can still serve your nation.”
“You’re nothing but mercenaries,” Meilin snarled. “Without the Greencloaks, the nations will be at each other’s throats, and then who will you serve? The highest bidder? Being a Greencloak means recognizing that we’re all in this together. We all bleed the same. Helping others, wherever they are, is the right thing to do.”
Meilin caught sight of the large fireplace. An idea began to form. The ash could reveal Kana’s location. Make it easier to fight her.
“You still don’t understand,” Kana answered with a sigh. She was standing somewhere to Meilin’s right side.
Meilin didn’t waste any more time responding. She sprinted toward the fireplace, jumping over knocked-down chairs and beating down any Oathbound who dared to get in her way.
She grabbed a handful of ash and flung it in the air.
Kana coughed as the clouds of soot hit her. Meilin could see portions of the Oathbound spy outlined in the ash. Before Kana had a chance to camouflage herself again, Meilin tackled her, the two rolling onto the floor. Kana swiped at Meilin with her fists, but Meilin swiftly countered every one of Kana’s moves, then she hopped lightly to her feet.
Spinning in the air, Meilin swung her leg, leading with a strong roundhouse kick. But Kana was ready. She grabbed Meilin’s ankle, turned her leg, and slammed her down with a resounding thud. Before Meilin could roll away, Kana had the knife at her throat.
“So predictable,” Kana lamented. “I thought you’d be more creative.” She paused to glance over at the other Greencloaks, who were each being taken down. “But this is over. It all ends now.”
ABEKE WAS DEVASTATED. THE GREENCLOAKS HAD PUT up a good fight, but they were outnumbered by a group that had been waiting for them for days. The Oathbound had exploited their every weakness, and now their fate was in Kana’s hands.
All the monks had been taken away, including the heartbroken Takoda, who had to be carried out kicking and screaming when the Oathbound dragged Xanthe out of the hall. The Sadrean was alive, thanks to Jhi, but she hadn’t woken up since being stabbed. When Abeke last glimpsed the girl, her already pale skin was nearly blue.
The only ones left in the Great Hall were Sid, Kana, and the four Greencloaks, who were sitting on the ground with their hands and legs tied.
“We’re ready, Captain,” Sid announced. He held a small blue bottle in his hand. “Do I knock them out?”
“I’m reconsidering sending them to Greenhaven to be tried with the other Greencloaks.” Kana paced back and forth across the Great Hall. She was clearly visible to everyone.
Abeke noticed that now that Kana had shown her true colors, she no longer camouflaged herself as much.
“What? Why?” Sid glanced at Meilin before looking at Kana again. “Were you able to convince her to join us?”
“I’d never join you.” Meilin spat out the words.
“None of us would,” Rollan added.
Kana chuckled. “As if I’d accept any of you at this point.” She walked over to Rollan and bent down in front of him. “Before we forget.” She reached under his shirt and pulled out the Heart of the Land. She smiled as she slipped the chain over his head and put it around her own neck, tucking it under her collar.
Abeke could see the anger in Rollan’s eyes. She’d felt the same way when her bag with Stormspeaker was taken away. They’d risked so much, lost so much, to get those two bond tokens, and now the Oathbound had them.
“So what are we doing with them?” Sid asked as Kana gazed out the window. “Cordelia will be waiting for them.”
“Cordelia will just have to wait, then,” Kana replied, watching the sunrise.
“Cordelia the Kind?” Abeke didn’t want to get her hopes up too much, but if Cordelia had survived the cave-in, then maybe Worthy had, too. The Redcloaks might be able to help them somehow.
“Yes, but what’s it to you?” Sid asked.
“They’re worried about that heinous half-breed you captured,” Kana explained, turning to face the group again. “The former Trunswick kid.”
“So he’s alive?” Conor asked.
“Yeah, yeah … he’s fine,” Sid said. “Well, as fine as a mash-up of animal and human can ever be.” Sid shuddered for dramatic effect.
“Go ahead and knock them out with the potion,” Kana ordered. “That way we don’t have to worry about any feeble attempts at escaping.”
“I won’t swallow that,” Meilin declared, struggling with her ropes.
Kana cocked her head to the side. “Please, as if you have a say in the matter. Plus, this doesn’t even involve you drinking it. We’re much more sophisticated.”
Sid opened up the bottle and poured a little on a handkerchief. “So they are going to Greenhaven?” He flashed a sinister smile as he stalked toward Conor. “This should be fun.”
“No, they’re not,” Kana said. “You’ll put them on our boat.”
“To Xin Kao Dai?” Sid looked confused as he covered Conor’s nose and mouth with the wet cloth.
“The catacombs there are riddled with deadly traps,” Kana said. She watched impassively while Conor struggled against Sid’s hands. “Better to have expendables like these four go in first, don’t you think?”
Sid grinned as Conor stopped moving. The boy slumped to the side, unconscious.
“Who’s next?” he asked, eyeing Meilin.
“Leave her for last,” Kana said. “I want her to watch each one of her friends go down.”
Sid let out a big, strong laugh. He was enjoying this. He approached Abeke and poured a little more of the liquid from the blue bottle onto the cloth before covering her face with it.
Abeke held her breath, not wanting to breathe in whatever was on the handkerchief.
“Kana, stop this,” Meilin pleaded, trying with all her might to free herself. “The Greencloaks are innocent. You know we didn’t kill the emperor.”
“Oh, Meilin,” Kana said as Abeke tried in vain to move her face away from Sid’s powerful hands. “You really don’t know anything at all.”
And with those words, Abeke gasped for air and her entire world went dark.
Christina Diaz Gonzalez is the award-winning author of Moving Target, Return Fire, The Red Umbrella, and A Thunderous Whisper. Her books have received numerous honors and recognitions, including the Florid
a Book Award and the Nebraska Book Award, and have been named the American Library Association’s Best Fiction for Young Adults, a Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People, and the International Reading Association’s Teachers’ Choice. More information can be found at www.christinagonzalez.com.
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Book Eight
The Dragon’s Eye
By Sarwat Chadda
ROLLAN SHIFTED IN HIS HAMMOCK, VAINLY SEARCHING for sleep. The coarse sackcloth reeked, but it was better than being on the floor, where a film of seawater layered the wood and a company of rats nibbled at bare toes or exposed ears.
The ship’s cramped brig had only one porthole—closed and on the far side of the corridor—so there was little ventilation. The air tasted stale and stifling, laden with the stink of too many days at sea.
The old wooden hull of the Oathbound schooner groaned against the weight of the waves. Then there were more sounds: a hiss, a crack, a scream.
“She’s at it again,” declared Conor.
Reluctantly, Rollan opened his eyes. He squinted until they adjusted to the permanent gloom of the cell, and then he saw his friends.
Conor slouched up against the bars, his arms hanging through the rusty iron, head tilted to the noise above.
He winced at the next scream.
Rollan rolled out of the hammock and past Abeke, who’d been woken by the cries echoing from above. She gritted her teeth. “It’s Cordelia … ” she said. “Cordelia the Kind.”
Meilin joined Conor by the bars, and flinched at the third cry, louder and sharper than before. “That poor man.”
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