The Dragon Saga Box Set

by Nicolette Andrews

  "I want you to fight him."

  "She's a girl," the youth complained.

  Suzume shot him a dirty look.

  "Are you insinuating it would be embarrassing to be beaten by a girl? Or were you thinking of holding back because of her gender?"

  The young man stared at the ground while his companions snickered behind him.

  "Why don't you spar with her first and then we'll see who’s the more capable fighter."

  Suzume glared at Ryuu. He'd just set her up. Now this young man would be determined to beat her. It wasn't like it was going to be hard. She'd never won a sparring match, ever. She had to get out of this.

  "You want me to fight a little boy?" she asked.

  "I'm a man," he said as his voice cracked, making him look even more juvenile.

  "Don't worry about getting hurt. It's just sparring," Ryuu countered.

  She glared at him but couldn't think of a way to wiggle out of this situation without taking a blow to her pride. At least if she fought him she'd have a chance of winning. I've fought yokai that could snap him like a twig.

  Now that she was fired up, Suzume took her position facing the man but she could not find a comfortable way to hold the wooden sword.

  "Wait." Ryuu came up and gently pushed her hands into place and turned her shoulders slightly.

  "I know my form is not perfect. I don't fight with a sword, remember?" she said, stopping his critiques before they happened.

  "Your form could be improved, but overall it seems like you have the basics." Then to her surprise he went to the young man and made adjustments to his grip and stance.

  She blinked after him. Kaito or Tsuki had always criticized her lack of ability. But here it seemed she wasn't the only one who wasn't perfect.

  Ryuu stepped back and the skirmish began. The two circled one another. Suzume found herself running through all of Tsuki's teaching, and what she'd learned from fighting yokai. The young man moved quickly but his swing was slow. His first blow hit her hard on the arm and she almost dropped her sword.

  But when he came in and swung at her in the exact same way as before, she was able to anticipate his blow and countered. She tried her own offensive move but found it missed the mark. The next couple minutes was a lot of trial and error. She struck, he struck. It was like dancing in slow motion. But she could also see he was getting tired. His movements were slower, sloppier. Though her breathing was heavy, she found that she could still move with some agility.

  When one of his too slow swings came toward her, Suzume struck his forearm. He yelped and dropped his weapon to the ground. He grasped his arm, while his friends hissed or jeered at him.

  Suzume stood staring at the wooden sword on the ground for several minutes.

  "I did it," she said, gasping. Sweat was rolling down her face. She'd sparred countless times with Tsuki and she'd never been able to disarm him or make any progress at all. She'd never felt so powerful before.

  The young man's friends merged around him, giving condolences and teasing.

  Ryuu stepped up. "You've lost. Show your respect," he said to the young man.

  He grudgingly bowed his head before he and his friends scurried away.

  "Your form needs work, and you're too quick to attack. You should watch your opponent first."

  "I won, didn't I?"

  Ryuu handed her a cup of water in response. At first she considered refusing it but she was too thirsty to really consider it. She gulped it down and came up gasping for air. Ryuu watched her silently all the while.

  "You won because they are untrained, just as you are."

  "I'm not untrained." Well sort of trained. Up until now she'd only ever fought against yokai.

  "You've got the advantage of experience but you lack discipline. That's the sort of thing that will get you killed."

  Suzume sipped on her water and peered at him from the corner of her eye. Was he trying to make her angry? All the excitement from winning her match had been deflated.

  "I think we've done enough training for today,” Ryuu said.

  Suzume leaped up. She didn't have to be told twice. "Great." She headed for the exit.

  "I can show you out."

  "No, I know the way." She waved at him as she casually strolled toward the exit. She waited to make sure he was gone before making a sharp turn to investigate the temple grounds. It was likely she wouldn't find anything at all, but who knew when this sort of opportunity would come up again.

  She skimmed around buildings and down a corridor. Now if I was going to keep yokai trapped in stones, where would I store them?

  As Suzume searched she felt something—a distant tingle on the back of her neck, as if an invisible hand was guiding her. She decided to follow her gut and found a room. The door wasn't locked but a barrier shimmered around it. This had to be it. She held her breath as she passed through the barrier.

  Inside was not her friends as she had hoped, but the neko who'd tried to kidnap her.

  18

  Suzume drew her weapon and stood in a defensive position, her staff across her body. The yokai was lounging on the futon in the middle of the room, his eyes half closed, as he casually glanced over his shoulder in her direction.

  "Put that down, girl, before you hurt yourself," the neko said with a bored drawl. He closed his eyes before laying back down on the futon.

  "What are you doing here?"

  "Trying to sleep. If you don't mind someone burned me badly recently and I need to recover." He peered at her through one narrowed, golden eye. He might pretend to be relaxed but Suzume could feel his spiritual energy uncoiling from him. It reacted with her own fire which crackled in her defense.

  "I meant what are you doing here in the temple? How did a yokai enter this place?"

  The neko sighed in exasperation and sat up to face her, his paw-like hands placed on his knees. Bare patches of pink skin healed around his eyes where she had burned him.

  "You're the one snooping in my master's room. Perhaps I should be the one asking the questions."

  He stood up, his body elongating in an exaggerated stretch. Suzume made a quick glance toward the door. She could make a run for it but that would also mean leaving her back exposed to a potential enemy—one she'd only just barely managed to escape the last time.

  "Don't come close or I'll burn you again." Suzume held up her flaming hand in warning.

  The neko chuckled. "The only reason I let you burn me the first time was because Ryuu ordered it."

  The neko stalked closer and the flames rose up along Suzume's flesh, Kazue's defense coming to her aid. But she didn't run away. The neko's words had intrigued her.

  "Ryuu ordered you?" she asked. I knew there was something suspicious about him.

  "You ask too many questions." He extended his claws in a threatening manner. Suzume backed up and held up her staff.

  "Stay back."

  The neko only smiled as he lunged for her. Suzume swung her staff upward, catching the cat yokai on the chin. It knocked him backward and she took her chance to head for the door. But when she spun around to escape, she found the doorway filled.

  "Why am I not surprised to find you here," Ryuu said. He did not approach her, nor did he move from the doorway.

  "The girl came sneaking into your room, master," the neko said.

  "And she got in because you were napping."

  The neko flicked his double blue, flame-tipped tails behind his back, not answering his master's inquiry.

  Suzume held her staff up as if the thin piece of wood would be enough to defend her. She had seen him fight, and even if she had beat that warrior priest in training, she doubted she was any match for the master. She was the mouse caught in their trap.

  She did the only logical thing she could think to do. Confront him. "You tried to kidnap me!" She pointed at him with her staff.

  "That's not how I would put it," Ryuu said, his blue eyes raking over her body.

  "Then maybe it was atte
mpted murder." She hated the way his gaze seemed to pierce right through her, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking and he was already five steps ahead.

  "I'm not your enemy, Suzume," Ryuu said as he held his hand out to her like she was a wild animal he was trying to tame. And a part of her felt like a cornered beast. Her heart was racing and the flame churned in her gut, begging her to unleash it, to burn her way out of here.

  "Like I'm going to believe that when your pet tried to murder me."

  "I'm no pet,” the neko hissed and leaned toward her. She swiveled in his direction, thrusting her burning staff toward him as a warning to stay back.

  The neko stood back, his cat ears turned backward and his tails twitching even faster behind him.

  The combination of yokai energy and Ryuu's immense spiritual presence was too much for her and she felt her own fear rising, along with the power inside her growing to protect her from the threat. Not now. I will not lose control. Her power was not willing to listen to her orders, and unfortunately sparks danced along her skin and the panic only grew.

  "I sent him to rescue you," Ryuu said.

  Suzume, distracted by her powers going haywire, looked at him in confusion. That was a first.

  "Rescue me from what? You were the one attacking me!"

  "You need to leave the palace."

  "I don't know if you've forgotten, but you were the one who captured me and my friends." She threw her arms out. Had this man lost his mind or did he really have two different personalities?

  "It was the only way I could protect you from him."

  "Him who..." Suzume asked slowly.

  "The emperor." Ryuu's words seemed to ring out through the room. She'd suspected her father was a danger to her from the beginning, but even if that was true Ryuu was still behind the attack at the onsen and here at the palace. She wasn't about to believe him either.

  She forced a laugh. "What danger could the emperor hold against me?"

  "I think you already know."

  Suzume searched his expression, searching for any small hint of his intention. "You serve the emperor."

  The neko's laughter broke the tense silence.

  Ryuu shot him a look, real anger on his face. It was a peek behind the mask. She'd hit close to home, she suspected.

  The neko's laughter died away and Suzume smiled, deciding now was her chance to stress the point.

  "What are you really planning? Who do you work for?" She'd already deduced he wasn't Hisato, but perhaps he was one of his allies.

  "I have no designs for the throne or the responsibility of ruling if that's what you're asking."

  "But you're trying to tell me my own father has some sort of plan to hurt me?"

  The neko chortled and Suzume resisted the urge to glare at him. Instead she glared at Ryuu. Back in the palace garden, he had been talking with her mother's allies. He was searching for Izume.

  Ryuu turned his back to her and peeked his head out the door before turning back inside. "You should leave this place before the others see you here."

  "I'm not going anywhere until you answer me," Suzume said, digging in her heels even as he started tugging her toward the door.

  The yokai came up behind her and gave her a shove. Suzume spun around and threatened to slap the neko with a flaming hand.

  "Maybe I didn't burn you bad enough the first time?" she growled.

  The neko appeared unamused and flexed his clawed hand. "If you'd like to try a real fight, I'd be happy to oblige," he said. His eyes shifted in color and his body grew in size. Thick patches of hair grew all over his body, and his front teeth elongated.

  "Enough," Ryuu snapped. There were a pop and a puff of smoke and where the neko had been was now just an ordinary cat. Suzume was so stunned that she forgot for a moment that Ryuu was trying to shove her out the door without answering her questions. The cat glared at the pair of them, his tail twitching back and forth in agitation.

  "How did you do that?" Suzume asked.

  Ryuu sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "We are bonded. I hate doing that to him. He's going to give me hell for this," Ryuu said. The cat knocked over a sword propped against the nearby wall, and then jumped onto the nearest dresser and proceeded to knock everything onto the ground. The sounds of shattering objects filled the room.

  Ryuu turned away from them as if it did not matter at all. She had so many questions about bonding. Thinking back to how she had commanded Kaito to stay away made her curious. Was the command permanent? Were they forced to listen? But she wasn't about to ask Ryuu that.

  Suzume shook her head. "What is my father planning? Can't you tell me that?"

  "You're woefully stubborn," he sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. His eyes flickered to the cat who was tearing apart the room. Perhaps it was because the dragon had been at the top of her mind, but his posture reminded her of Kaito when she was being stubborn. Now is not the time to think about him.

  "I've been told that before."

  The cat knocked over a large painted vase and pieces of ceramic shattered onto the ground. The cat had perched on the highest ledge in the room and stared down at the pair of them scornfully. Ryuu looked at the shattered pieces before turning to Suzume once more. "He wants to use your power for himself."

  She scoffed. "I know. He's asked me already."

  Ryuu shook his head. "Not in the way you think."

  "Then how?" She rolled her eyes. It sounded like he had his own plans.

  "I cannot answer that here." He glanced over his shoulder as if he expected someone to interrupt them at any moment.

  She rolled her eyes. "Clever, and I should just leave the palace with you and you'll answer all my questions then."

  He grabbed her by both shoulders, shocking her and for a stunned moment she stared up into his face. "This isn't a game. You are in real danger."

  Suzume felt a cold chill run down her spine but she wasn't going to fall for his tricks. She knocked his hands aside.

  "I've heard that before."

  He shook his head as he grabbed her by the upper arm and pulled her out the door.

  She fought against him to no avail. He seemed impervious to her flames. He ushered her out into the hall and slammed the door shut behind them. As if being out in public would silence her.

  "Do you think I'm going to let this go just because we’re in the hall?" she asked.

  Just then a pair of priests came walking toward them—the Head Priest and to Suzume's surprise, Hikaru, who walked behind him like a dark shadow.

  Ryuu bowed his head to the Head Priest, who stopped in front of them smiling.

  "I hope your training is going well," he said to Suzume, smiling.

  "Great," Suzume said distractedly as she tried to ask Hikaru with her eyes how exactly he'd gotten free.

  Hikaru gave a small shake of his head, telling her to not make a scene.

  "She was just leaving," Ryuu said, and gestured for Suzume to walk before him. She ignored his cue and said to the Head Priest, "I was hoping I could get a tour of the temple grounds." She smiled.

  "I can do that, princess," Ryuu said.

  "The emperor has requested an audience with you," the Head Priest said to Ryuu.

  "But I am to protect the princess." Ryuu nodded toward Suzume who could hardly hold in her disdain.

  The old priest waved away his concern. "There will be no attacks here on the temple ground.”

  The old man smiled at Suzume in a way that was likely meant to be reassuring. Then he said to Hikaru, "Show the princess around, would you?"

  Hikaru bowed deeply to the Head Priest. "This way," he said, gesturing with his arm for Suzume to join him before Ryuu could give further protest.

  Suzume didn't even give him a further glance as she followed Hikaru out of sight. She tried to keep her face calm, and pretend as if they were perfect strangers.

  Once they were out of earshot and sight, Suzume pulled Hikaru aside. "How did you break free?"
r />   "The emperor let me go in exchange for helping him stop Hisato." He looked around, just in case anyone was eavesdropping. "But I am forbidden from leaving the palace grounds."

  "What about the others?"

  "They’re not here. I don't know where the emperor has taken them."

  "Then he is really using me for my power."

  Hikaru placed his hand on her shoulder. "There's something not right going on here. I'm trying to learn more."

  Which reminded Suzume. "Ryuu is keeping a yokai in his rooms!"

  "What? Are you sure?" He seemed nervous, like there was something he wasn't telling her.

  "I just saw it with my own eyes."

  Hikaru frowned as he considered her words.

  "What do you know about Ryuu?" Suzume pressed. Surely there was something she could learn about him.

  He hesitated before answering. "He's powerful, and he's been away from the palace for a long time..."

  Footsteps approached and their conversation was cut short. There were no more chances to conspire together. As they toured the temple grounds, Hikaru droned on about the history of the place and the fortifications which were designed to keep yokai out. It wasn't until the end of the tour that Hikaru could say one last thing.

  "I've been trying to get access to the temple records, find out who brought me here. But I'm being watched. If we can find those records maybe we can figure out how we ended up this way."

  And figure out who was working with Hisato.

  "Don't worry. I have a plan."

  19

  The White Palace kept meticulous records—every birth, death, marriage, and likely each grain of rice the country produced was written down and stored in the archives. There were many scholars who kept the records on more things than Suzume could wrap her mind around. Her position at court had never required her to care or be interested. She'd met her fair share of scholars, mostly a string of learned men who taught her younger brother everything a young noble would need to learn. She'd never bothered to visit the records room before and only had the vaguest idea where it was. But Hikaru seemed to think there were answers there.