The Dragon Saga Box Set

by Nicolette Andrews

  She swung the staff in a circle, singing all the while. The sound of her voice echoed off the walls and surrounded them, wrapping together and making it sound as if there were a hundred of her singing the same song all at once. Kaito closed his eyes, prepared to have Suzume unleash the power upon him. Hisato laughed, gloating in his triumph, and then at the last moment Suzume turned towards Hisato. He stopped laughing and looked at Suzume, his expression confused at first, then reality dawned on him.

  Now! Kazue shouted inside Suzume's head. And the power burst from her in a torrent. She was emptied down to the last drop and she fell to her knees. Then standing in front of her was Kazue in the flesh. She looked powerful and beautiful. She took the staff from Suzume's fumbling hands.

  Hisato looked amused, arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his lips. Then Kazue attacked Hisato. To Suzume's and Hisato's surprise, the attacks did not affect Suzume. Though he was shocked at first, Hisato fought back once he realized the blows did not impact Suzume. He had a blade that was black as pitch and he swung it at Kazue as she thrust and dodged with the staff in hand.

  Suzume watched it all in a haze as the glowing Kazue harried Hisato around the courtyard. The black creatures attacked her as well, but one swing of the staff sliced them in half and they disappeared into puffs of smoke.

  When none were left but Hisato and Kazue, he put up his hands and said with a smile, "Well played, Mother. I shall cede the day to you, but I will return for my bride soon." With a wave of his hand, he opened a portal behind him and stepped through it. The rip in space closed, leaving behind gray sky as if he had never been there at all.

  Kazue stood very still, staff lowered. Kaito rose to his feet. He walked at first and then ran to Kazue, who stood at the edge of the courtyard. While she had been fighting Hisato, she had been glowing and powerful, but even now she had begun to fade. Kaito grabbed onto her translucent shoulder and Kazue turned around to face him. He cupped her cheek and Suzume could see his fingers through Kazue's skin.

  "You returned to me," Kaito said.

  She turned her face into his hand. "I am sorry, my love. This was never how I intended this to happen."

  "Shh. Don't speak like that."

  She shook her head. She was nearly gone now, just a wisp of smoke. "This was all I had left, but I am glad I had this last chance to see your face." She reached up and kissed Kaito. Her lips brushed against his before she burst into sparkling red lights that faded and dimmed. It was the last thing Suzume saw before darkness crept over her and she lost consciousness.

  50

  Suzume hurt all over. She felt like an old rag that had been wrung out one too many times. Her eyes dragged open and she stared at the roof of an unfamiliar room. She tried to turn her head to look around, but it seemed to take too much energy. She closed her eyes again when she heard voices.

  "What is wrong with her?" Kaito said. There was an edge to his voice that if she hadn't been so delusional with exhaustion, she would have thought it sounded like he was concerned for her.

  Akira answered, "She unleashed Kazue's full power and it emptied her completely. It's going to take time for her to recover. I promise I will call you the moment she wakes."

  He huffed. "Fine, I'm going out to look for Hisato again; I'll be back."

  Suzume slipped under once more. She dreamed of the ocean. She had never seen it before, but it was clear in her mind. It was dark blue and green. It moved, rolling and rocking. Suzume floated along the surface, and her hair fanned out around her like seaweed drifting on the tide. The sky overhead was bright blue, and puffy white clouds floated lazily over her. I could stay here forever, never worry, just float along.

  The waves pushed her along and she landed at the shore of an island. It was not much more than black rock. There was a small stone pathway that led upward and twisted around a jagged stone pyre. Before Suzume could take a few steps towards it, she woke in a dark room.

  She was not sure how long she had been asleep, but judging from the white candles with wax burned down and pooling on the floor in puddles, it must be the middle of the night. She had just enough energy to roll her head to the side. She was surprised to see Rin kneeling down next to her cot. Suzume blinked a few times.

  "What are you doing here?" Suzume's voice came out scratchy and thick. Her tongue felt too big for her mouth and her throat was dry.

  Rin picked up a cup and offered it to Suzume. Suzume shook her head, though the liquid sounded divine, she did not even have the energy to hold a cup. Whatever Kazue had done, it had torn Suzume apart. I wonder if I will ever be able to move again. Kazue? Silence met her question. It would seem Kazue was gone.

  "You need to drink," Rin said.

  "I can't—" Suzume rasped.

  Rin caught onto her meaning and dribbled the water into Suzume's mouth. It was the most refreshing thing she'd ever tasted. Suzume licked her cracked and dried lips. She closed her eyes, and the exhaustion attempted to pull her under into sweet oblivion once more.

  Once Suzume had a few swallows, Rin set aside the cup and said, "For a moment, I thought you were going to try to seal him. I never thought you would come to his defense."

  Suzume did not bother to open her eyes as she said in a halting raspy voice, "You are too kind."

  Rin laughed. "That's not what I meant, I knew you were a decent person from the beginning, well, good enough for a human. I just thought history was going to repeat itself."

  Suzume considered telling Rin that she had planned on doing just that. For a moment she had considered trying to seal Kaito to save him. If it hadn't been for Kazue's intervention, then Kaito would be back inside the stone.

  "I wasn't sure myself," Suzume replied. She suddenly felt very tired again and it was more than physically tired. She was emotionally drained. So much had changed in such a short period of time. She felt like she did not even know herself anymore.

  Rin stood up. "I'll let you rest."

  Suzume did not bother responding. She slipped into the oblivion of sleep once more. She did not dream, or at least she did not remember her dreams upon her next waking.

  The next time she opened her eyes, she woke with daylight coming through a window high in the wall. Some of her strength had started to return and she was able to sit up. Someone had left a bowl of soup. She picked it up and drank it down. The broth dribbled down her chin, and she wiped the liquid away with her sleeve. She was starving—she felt as if she had not eaten in days and perhaps she hadn't. She set down the empty bowl, and with shaking legs and leaning heavily on the wall, she left her room.

  Outside the sliding door to her chamber, she was surprised to find a long hall, with flooring made of polished wood and several sliding doors on one side. The opposite side opened onto an ornamental garden complete with trimmed hedges and a koi pond. A maple tree stood to one end of the garden and red leaves drifted from it and landed on the surface of the water. She looked around and found more of the same. Where am I?

  She took a few wobbling steps down the hall in search of the others. Using the wall for balance, she followed the sound of voices, which led her to a common area.

  Akira and her father sat together, speaking in low tones. The room they occupied was big enough to host hundreds. Sliding doors surrounded it on all sides, but one had been left open, which faced the garden. From beyond the door, Suzume could see the mountain ranges. Suzume stood up straight as she cleared her throat.

  They both looked up at her and Akira smiled. "Well, look who's awake."

  Suzume inched into the room, and before she could collapse and make a fool of herself, she sat down hard on the ground. "I'm starving, is there anything to eat?" she said without preamble.

  "I'm sure I can find something for you," Akira said. She stood up and left Suzume and the guardian alone.

  Suzume watched Akira go, wishing she had not been left with someone she was pretty sure despised her.

  She looked around the room, searching for a topic of conv
ersation to cut through the tension. "Where is this place?" Suzume settled on a question at last.

  "This has been my home for the past five hundred years."

  She cast about the room. The floors were high-quality bamboo and the doors were well made, framed in wood, and well cared for. "It's a nice place."

  "Even if you drape the prison in gold, a prison is still a prison," he said.

  Suzume clamped her mouth shut and decided small talk was not necessary. Akira returned at just the right moment and brought with her a bowl of rice and several dishes with lids. She set them down in front of Suzume.

  Suzume pulled the lids off the dishes, revealing blackened fish, dumplings and more soup. She dug in with gusto, hardly taking a moment to breathe between bites. She did not even ask where the food had come from. Were there servants here? She did not really care. She could not remember the last time she had been this hungry.

  When she was finished, she stacked her dishes on the tray and looked to Akira. "Where is everyone?"

  "Kaito has been gone for a couple of days, he's trying to find Hisato, and Rin is out in the garden, I believe. She feels more comfortable outdoors."

  Suzume nodded. She was relieved Kaito was away.

  "We found Kazue's heart after you collapsed. I don't know if it will be of much use now," Akira said.

  Suzume startled as she looked up at Akira. "What do you mean it won't be of much use?"

  "It cracked in half." Akira removed the object from her pocket and tipped it into Suzume's hand.

  Suzume stared at the jagged patterns in the red stone, which had dulled to a pale pink. The flickering light was gone and with it the power she had felt from it; Kazue was gone, for now. There still remained her shattered soul fragments that Suzume had to collect. She thought of Hisato's hand on the back of her neck, urging her to kill Kaito, and his threat to return for her. How can I defeat someone who I cannot injure? But Kazue could attack him and I didn't get hurt. I wish I could ask her why.

  "We're not sure what to do now. We hoped my father would know what Kazue was after, but he was left in the dark. We've studied the staff, but it has yielded no answers.

  Suzume closed her hand around the fragments of Kazue's heart. "There are things I need to tell you, but it might be best to wait until we are all together."

  "Tell us what?" Rin said as she came in from outside, wearing a green robe with a pattern of maple leaves on it, and her auburn hair was tied up on the top of her head. I guess now is as good a time as any. It will be easier telling them the truth without Kaito here. I don't want to face his wrath when he finds out I wanted to seal him.

  Suzume took a deep breath and then proceeded to tell the three of them the entire story. She left out the part about using the stone to return to the palace—they didn't really need to know that—but she did tell them about Hisato's offer and what she had learned from him. She told them about Kazue's revelation and her sacrifice to save Kaito, and when she finished, there was a deafening silence as the others contemplated her words.

  "Does this mean you will not be able to free us?" Tsuki said with Akira's face.

  Suzume held up her hand and twisted it over. "I don't think so, I don't feel any different than I did before. I think we'll have to gather all the pieces of Kazue's soul before we can do that."

  The guardian sat with his arms folded over his chest. He had not said anything for a long time. Suzume kept glancing at him from time to time, expecting him to accuse her of lying or attack her because he thought she was Kazue.

  "Father, what do you think we should do?" Akira said gently.

  It was strange to think this man was her father, because he looked no more than five years older than Akira. But Suzume knew from the visions that he had served Kazue for a very long time.

  "As I see it, I have no choice. I am bound to guard Kazue's heart, and while she possesses it, I am bound to her."

  It wasn't quite a pledge of fealty, but it would have to do.

  "Well, if you're going to join us on this hapless quest, maybe you could at least tell me your name. I can't call you the guardian forever."

  He scowled at her, and she thought he was going to make her do just that when he said, "It's Naoki."

  And thus their ragtag party gained another member.

  It took time for Suzume to recover from her fight, and she spent much of her time sleeping or wandering the halls of the palace. Which she found rivaled the size of many a grand estate that she had visited. She wondered who had lived here before and why Kazue had chosen this place to seal her remains.

  She discovered rooms full of strange objects, swords with ancient inscriptions that she could not decipher, and carvings of people who did not look quite human. One sculpture had a man with antlers; another woman had a bird beak. She asked Rin and she told Suzume in a hushed tone that this had been the home of the Kami before Kazue sealed him away.

  They had searched the place from top to bottom and had found no sign of the Kami. Kazue had hidden him somewhere and even Naoki did not remember. His time serving Kazue, as he put it, was like a hazy dream, and each day he forgot more of his time chained to Kazue's remains.

  Kaito had been missing for days. No one seemed worried about him, so Suzume did not mention his absence to the others, but more than once she caught herself looking to the sky, awaiting his return. She both feared and anticipated their reunion. She had to tell him she was not Kazue's reincarnation but a piece of her soul lived inside her. She did not want to think about how that would change their dynamic. All the memories, the visions, and most likely even her powers came from that fragment.

  One day while she was walking through the garden, she found Tsuki sitting in the crook of a cherry tree. It overlooked a pond that had been drained of water and now remained a barren crater. When he saw Suzume, he jumped down.

  "Suzume, I've been looking for you."

  "Oh?" She kept her distance, as of late Tsuki had been a little too friendly for her comfort.

  "Yes, there's something I've been wanting to show you, will you come?" He held out his hand. She had no reason to say no, not really, and she was bored beyond belief.

  She did not take his hand, but she did let him show her out of the garden and down a path that twisted and turned through rocks and at times was obscured by clouds. They emerged on a cliff that overlooked the valley. Mountains capped with snow burst from the clouds and the sky overhead was a brilliant blue.

  "Hello!" Tsuki shouted and his voice echoed back at him.

  He turned to her with a grin.

  "Did you bring me out here just to show me the echo?"

  His smile widened. "Something like that."

  She took a step back. "I don't know if you got the wrong impression, but I am not really interested in you as anything other than a friend."

  He laughed and the sound of it surrounded them and made it feel like there were a hundred Tsukis standing with her on that cliff top. He reached out and grasped a strand of Suzume's hair between his fingers.

  "Has it ever occurred to you that I might not be interested in you, but in doing what is best for you?"

  She frowned. "Is that supposed to make me fall into your arms and your bed?"

  "Not into my arms…" He grinned and leaned in close.

  She clenched up, preparing to push him away if he tried to kiss her.

  "I'm making the Dragon jealous so he'll return. He's been wandering around the mountain for days, and he won't come back." He planted a kiss on Suzume's cheek.

  Then the sky filled with dark gray clouds, thunder rolled across the valley, and Suzume looked up to see the serpentine shape of the Dragon headed straight for them. Tsuki took a few steps back.

  Suzume watched as Kaito came and landed on the cliff edge. His transformation from beast to man was seamless. She gasped when she saw him. His hair was down and falling over his shoulders. She remembered the first time they had met; she had thought him handsome then. That was before he opened his mou
th and I realized how obnoxious he is.

  "Tsuki!" Kaito growled.

  "She's all yours, Great Dragon. Don't say I never did anything for you." He waved to them and scurried away before either of them could stop him.

  Kaito watched him go, but eventually he turned to face Suzume. Her stomach clenched and she wished she could be anywhere but here. She had hoped she would not have to face him. But it was time she did; they had to clear the air at last.

  She opened her mouth to say something, but Kaito interrupted her. "I have been flying around for days. At first I was looking for Hisato, and when it became apparent he cannot be found, I came back here. But I kept putting off landing."

  She seemed to have lost the capability of speech. Her mouth felt incredibly dry all of a sudden. The tender moments they shared recently buzzed through her brain, but the one thought came to the forefront, He thinks I am Kazue.

  Suzume opened and closed her mouth a few times like a fish out of water. She wanted to shout at him, hit, kick, punch, anything other than acknowledge what they were both dancing around.

  "This is the part where you ask me what kept me away," he said. He took a step closer and she took a step back. "Suzume?" he said, but even if his mouth was saying her name, that was not what he meant.

  He thinks I am Kazue. The words kept replaying in her mind. That's the only reason he's saying these things. It's not me he loves, but the echo of the woman who once was. The piece of her soul that has invaded me. She clutched her chest, wishing she could rip it out. "It's not me who you love," she blurted at last.

  Kaito inhaled sharply, and his throat bobbed as he swallowed. "What are you talking about? No one said anything about…" He bit down on the word though she knew he was dying to say it. A small part of her wished he would. But that was the Suzume she had been. Before all of this happened, she would have delighted in his affection, no matter how disingenuous, but now she realized she wanted more. She wanted someone to love her for her, not her title or her power, just for who she was.