She spun around to face Noaki. "We have to take him to the Lord of the Sea's palace. There are healing springs there."
Noaki held his hand out without a word and helped her to her feet. She could stand, albeit a little shakily. Noaki gathered Kaito into his arms. The dragon looked so small, nothing like the larger than life figure she knew. It was difficult to believe this was the same person. Suzume averted her gaze. She couldn't look at the shadow he had become.
They went down the tunnel to the shore. From there, Noaki shifted Kaito's body onto his shoulder. The swordsman balled his free hand into a fist and when he opened it again a ball of light appeared. The ball took on the shape of a bird which flew up into the air before diving down into the waves. Suzume fidgeted, crossing and uncrossing her arms, and pacing in a small circle as they waited for a response.
After a few minutes two sea turtles broke the surface of the water. They blinked up at Suzume and Noaki with large black eyes. Despite her first harrowing ride to the surface, Suzume climbed onto the turtle's back with hesitation. Noaki placed Kaito on the first, taking a seat behind him. The dragon's head lolled back onto Noaki's shoulder. Once they were seated, the sea turtles dove beneath the waves and shot through the water in a flurry of bubbles and sea foam.
When they arrived in the underwater palace Ai was waiting for them, her small chubby hands on her hips.
"Ai sees you failed," she said with a tone that indicated she had not expected any better. Then her gaze drifted over to Noaki and Kaito. "Who is that?"
Suzume leapt off her sea turtle. "I need to use the spring you mentioned. He's badly hurt."
Ai scowled as she crept closer to inspect the dragon. As she did, her expression changed, transforming from scornful to concerned. "Kai?" With shaking hands she cupped his cheeks, turning his face one way and then another as her dark eyes scanned his features. The she turned to look at Suzume and her eyes were entirely black with white irises once again. "What have you done to him?" She growled.
Suzume reached for her staff, but before she drew it Noaki was between them with his sword drawn and pointed at Ai.
The child-like yokai looked at the sword with disdain. "You dare threaten me, swordsman?"
"We don't have time to argue," Suzume interjected.
Ai shot daggers at Suzume with her eyes and then looked back to Kaito. She sighed heavily.
"Ai cannot make any promises." With a wave of her hand a giant bubble formed in front of her and it drifted downward, encasing the dragon. He floated on the air just behind Ai. "If he dies, you will pay the consequences." A tendril of hair rose up from Ai's head, giving a hint of the dangerous yokai that lurked beneath her child-like appearance.
"Let's just worry about saving him first," Suzume said, hands on hips, trying to give off a confident aura.
With a huff, Ai turned, guiding the bubble up the stairs and into the palace. When Ai's back was turned, Suzume let go a breath she'd been holding. She could only hope the spring could save him. Noaki was waiting for her, when she saw him watching. so she squared her shoulders and followed after Ai like the princess she was. They were led down a series of twisted corridors, down dusty hallways, which seemed had not seen the light of day in centuries, and down a staircase encased in stone that ended in a passageway with a ceiling so high it disappeared into darkness. At the end of it were double doors made of carved granite, with a motif of two ocean swells about to crash into one another. Ai waved her hand and the doors swung open and the bubble floated in before her.
The room was bigger than Suzume could imagine, filled with hundreds of pools of different sizes. Some with steam rising off them, others with rolling waves, yet another with with lily pads like a pond. Ai directed Kaito's bubble to a pool with fingers of frost creeping out from the edges. Very gently she lowered his bubble into the water. Once he was submerged the bubble popped and Kaito was left floating on the water's surface.
Ai knelt down beside a pool, her face transfixed upon the dragon. "Ai thought she was the last," she said softly. She reached out to touch Kaito's face but her short arm could not reach him and she pulled away quickly.
"You know him?" Suzume asked in an accusing tone.
Ai spun around as if realizing Suzume was there for the first time. "Kai was one of the most powerful of the first children." She looked back at Kaito once more, her expression wistful. Then she frowned. "Until he let his love for a human destroy him." She turned her scowl at Suzume, clearly she blamed Suzume for that.
"Why do you call him Kai?"
"Because it is the name I gave him." Ai turned scowling at Suzume. "He was mine before the priestess. He belonged to me." She crossed her arms over her small frame.
It was difficult to imagine this child and Kaito in some sort of romantic relationship. Suzume crinkled her nose. "You were lovers?" She choked on the words.
Ai laughed bitterly. "I did not always look this way." She turned to look at Kaito again. "But he was not my lover, as you so crudely put it. He was my protector."
Suzume raised a brow in confusion. "Kaito, a protector? Are you sure we're talking about the same person?"
Ai spun around with her tiny hands balled into fists as she glared at Suzume. "My father made him for me. He was the Lord of the Sea's greatest creation."
Suzume shook her head in confusion. "If your father made him, wouldn't that make him your brother?"
"You are a foolish human." Ai shook her head, mocking Suzume's actions. "The first children do not have siblings. We were not born out of litters like humans."
"Are you calling me a dog?"
Ai ignored this as she said, "But if it is easier for your simple mind to understand, then, yes, we are siblings of a kind. I was one of my father's first creations. And Kai was one of many dragons created by the Lord of the Sea to serve in his kingdom. They were made to be warriors, guardians, and protectors of the rivers, lakes, and streams. But Kai was different. He was meant for greater things. Until you ruined his life." She pointed an accusatory finger at Suzume.
Suzume crossed her arms over her chest. "I didn't do anything." Except steal his power to attempt to defeat Hisato. But it wasn't like she was going to admit that to her.
"I do blame you. I know him and he never would have done this unless it was for that human woman." She said the word human as if it was something foul.
"He loves Kazue, not me."
"You are Kazue, if in another form. None of this would not have happened if it weren't for you."
Suzume raised her hand up, a ball of fire growing in her hands. As she did, Kaito's body contorted, and the black marks along his body grew thicker.
Ai's head swiveled toward the dragon and then towards Suzume. "Even now you are taking from him."
Suzume dropped her hand to side, the fire extinguished almost immediately. But there was a painful throbbing in Suzume's chest and she clutched at her clothes. It lasted for several seconds and then subsided.
"You did this to him." Ai took a few steps toward Suzume, her hand raised as if she would strike her. But as soon as she got within striking distance, Ai's hand froze in place unable to move. She glared at Suzume. The priestess influence remained over Ai. She could not hit her.
"How is this even possible?" Suzume asked. Ai was trembling with anger. With gritted teeth, Ai turned and waded into the icy water. Her head barely cleared the water's surface as she stood next to the dragon, hands hovering over his body.
"There is a link between your energies. If you use your powers it will steal from the dragon." She narrowed her eyes at Suzume.
"Can the spring fix it?" Suzume asked, ignoring Ai's jab.
Ai rested her hands on Kaito's chest. "While the link remains he will not be able to recover."
It felt like she had been punched in the gut. Kaito could not die. It was not possible. There had to be some other alternative.
"But you said the spring healed you when I took your energy!"
"This link is tied to a seal of h
is spiritual energy. It is controlling the flow of energy both in and out. Until it is removed, he cannot heal."
"I can fix this," Suzume said, though she could not say how.
Ai waded back out of the pool, but her kimono was dry even as she stepped out of the water. "If you even try, it would kill him. You cannot stop yourself from drawing from him."
It hurt her pride to ask, but she was running out of options. "Can you break the seal?"
Ai shook her head. "In my true form, perhaps. But my power has also been sealed. The only one who can free me is Kazue." She glared at Suzume, bringing them all back full circle.
Suzume pressed her fingers to her temples. There had to be a way to save him. Think. If only Kazue was here. Perhaps she could tell her how to use her power without hurting Kaito. And then it hit her. There was someone.
She turned towards Noaki. "We have to find Makato."
43
The ice around the edge of the pool left her knees damp and a chill had crept in her bones that would not leave her, no matter how many layers she wore. It was tempting to try and use her fire to get warm. If only it wouldn't kill Kaito if she used it.
"You're wasting your time," Ai said from behind Suzume. She did not need to turn around to know her cherubic face would be pulled into a sneer.
"Don't you have anything better to do than bother me?" Suzume asked between chattering teeth.
"It would be Ai's pleasure to see your weak human body subcumb to the cold."
Suzume rubbed her palms against her arms in an attempt to get warm. The chill reminded her of when Kaito would lose his temper and ice would cover everything. "I'm a lot harder to kill than that," Suzume said as another shiver shot up her spine.
"There's a hot spring over there, go ahead and warm yourself." Ai gestured towards a nearby spring. Steam rose off it in a most enticing way. But doing that meant losing the battle with Ai. Until Noaki returned with Makato, she would stay by Kaito's side. It was the least she could do.
"Y-you'd like it if I did that," Suzume said with a cold stutter.
"This does not make up for what you've done," Ai said as she reached into the pool and splashed icy water onto Suzume.
Already at the edge of her patience Suzume stood up and shook off the water on her clothes. Sparks bounced off her hands. A few errant embers landed in the ice along the edge of the pool, melting into tiny pools.
"What are you doing, trying to kill him faster?" Ai snarled. She waded into the water and Suzume stood on the edge, prepared to dive in as well just to prove to Ai that she was more dedicated than her.
But as soon as her foot touched the water her entire body reacted. Flames shot along her leg, encasing it in flame. Kaito's body spasmed at the same time. It took all of her self control to douse the fire before it did any more harm. Ai reached Kaito and ran small hands over his body, while Suzume held her breath in anticipation. There was no visible change in his condition, but Suzume felt the clock ticking all the same. Without control over her temper or her powers, she was at risk of hurting Kaito every moment he stayed like this.
"This is your fault," Suzume and Ai said at the same time and Ai exited the pool.
The two of them scowled at one another, hands on hips, neither one willing to admit they were wrong. Just then, footsteps echoed through the chamber. Noaki must have returned with Makato, but if Suzume looked away before Ai she would win. Ai's lips turned up at the corners in a smile. She could see Suzume's dilemma clear on her face.
"The swordsman has returned, don't you want to see what he has to say?"
"I will once you look away."
"Ai would gladly do so, as soon as you do." She gestured with her hand for Suzume to go first.
"I've found him," Noaki's said.
Unable to resist the temptation any longer, Suzume turned her head towards the swordsman. As she did, Ai whooped in triumph. Her annoyance at losing was quickly replaced by concern. The swordsman was alone. She peered around his shoulder as if Makato would be hiding behind his back.
"Where is he, then?"
"There is a problem." Noaki's expression gave nothing away.
"Ai should have known you would fail," Ai said scornfully.
Suzume had to close her eyes to surpress the fear and anger that were threatening to unleash the fire within her. After a few calming breaths, she felt certain she could think without bursting into flame.
"What sort of problem?" But her jaw wouldn't open all the way to let the words pass.
"They've been captured."
"Ai told you could not save him," Ai taunted.
Suzume flipped her hair over her shoulder, pretending everything was going exactly to plan. "Then let's go rescue him." She marched towards the door but before she could pass the threshold Ai was there small arms outstretched as if they posed a real obstacle to stop her.
"Why are you trying to stop me. Do you not want me to save the dragon?" She raised her eyebrow in question.
"Ai is trying to save him. If you use your power, it will kill the dragon."
"I'm not going to use my powers."
"What are you going to do then?"
Suzume looked past Ai to the pool where Kaito remained. Staying here worrying wasn't going to do anything to save the dragon. Makato was her only hope. Noaki couldn't do this alone; if he could he would have rescued him already. This was a trap set by Hisato, she knew that much at a glance. But while she had been sitting here watching over Kaito she'd had a lot of chances to think. And she'd come up with the beginnings of a plan.
"You'll see when I'm done." She pushed past Ai and into the hall. Noaki came strolling after her, not saying a word.
"If you hurt him, Ai will find you and kill you herself," she shouted after Suzume's retreating back, but the priestess ignored her.
Suzume and Noaki left the sea palace on the backs of sea turtles who brought them to the shore. Noaki led the way to a large encampment. It appeared Hisato had brought the emperor's army as back up. Looking at the sheer numbers of what they were up against, her stomach gave a nervous flop. She couldn't use her powers and this plan was full of holes. She and Noaki hid behind a sand dune watching a patrol of guards marching along the perimeter.
"Are you ready?"sShe asked Noaki after she'd gone over their plan perhaps for the dozenth time. A part of her wanted him to try and stop her or tell her this was foolish. But he did not question her, perhaps because he was bound to serve. Whatever the reason, they were going forward with it.
Noaki crept out from behind the dune and stalked over to the guards. The guards did not have the sight, and did not realize Noaki was there until the first guard was knocked unconscious. The second guard saw the first fall and came over to investigate. He looked around before kneeling down to shake his comrade, calling his name before he too was struck over the head with the hilt of Noaki's sword.
Turning to wave, he signaled Suzume to join him. She ran from behind the dune towards the first row of tents. Since she didn't have the luxury of invisibility, she had to be quick. Noaki's ability to sense spiritual pressure was their guide and he led her down rows of tents in search of their friends. At the end of an aisle, Noaki put out his hand and stopped Suzume in place. A soldier carrying a pair of buckets on a pole walked by whistling tunelessly. They watched him go past for a moment before Noaki gave the signal to move forward.
Down the next path there was a gap between tents that Suzume had to cross. Noaki went first but just as Suzume was preparing to follow, a group of half-dressed soldiers, bare chests glistening with sweat, walked between them, chatting and laughing together. Suzume pressed her back against the edge of the tent as they passed. Noaki had not realized she'd fallen behind, and had disappeared around the corner. They had all almost passed, when one straggler drop a towel he was carrying right next to Suzume. She held her breath, praying he wouldn't see her. The man bent over to pick it up, and as he did, he paused.
He stood back up and turned to point at her. "You! Wh
at are you doing there?"
Suzume turned and ran back down the way she had come, taking flight. The soldier followed after her. She ran to hide, hoping if she kept making erratic turns she would lose him, but she only got turned around instead and bumped into the soldier who approached her slowly, his slimy gaze going up and down her body.
"Don't be afraid, little bird, are you lost?"
"Don't come any closer." Suzume brandished her staff at him, holding it in front of her and using the defensive pose Tsuki had taught her.
"You shouldn't play with weapons. You'll get hurt. Give it here."
"You think I don't know how to handle this?" she asked with a scoff. Fire sparked faintly against her skin. No, get it under control.
The man stalked closer. Suzume dropped her staff down towards the ground. "That's a girl," the man said with his hand outstretched as if he would take the staff from her.
When he got close enough, Suzume swung upwards with her staff, catching him in the groin. The man reached for his crotch before folding in half and collapsing to the ground.
Suzume leapt over his incapacitated form. "I told you to stay back," she said.
"You wench! Come back here," he wheezed.
I need to remember to thank Tsuki for teaching me that move.
Noaki came running towards her, weapon drawn, but when he saw her self-satisfied smile and the man on the ground, he sheathed his weapon and turned the other way. There was only the faint shake of his head in response. But she might have imagined it. After several more minutes without any more close calls, they arrived at a tent with two guards waiting outside. Noaki made quick work of them, and once they were lying on the ground he held the tent flap open for her while he surveyed the camp around them.
Inside the tent was sparse, nothing but a dirt floor and a single occupant whose head was lowered, arms tied behind his back. As she entered, he lifted his head.
The Dragon Saga Box Set Page 69