The Dragon Saga Box Set

by Nicolette Andrews

  "You've talked to him?" She couldn't keep the accusation from her voice. What else was he keeping from her?

  He turned to face her and seemed on the verge of telling her more when Ryuu walked into the garden.

  "It's time to go back to the palace," he said. His gaze flickered to Hikaru for a moment.

  "Are you two keeping secrets?" Suzume asked, looking between the two of them.

  Hikaru laughed, but it was high and forced. He might as well have had a sign on his forehead that read, 'I'm lying.’

  "Now is not the place," Ryuu said.

  "You keep telling me to trust you, but how can I trust you when all you do is lie?"

  "Just wait a while longer." Hikaru held up his hands in a placating gesture.

  She scowled at the both of them. "Whose side are you on?"

  Hikaru wouldn't meet her gaze. It was all the confirmation she needed. She got up and marched up to Ryuu. "I'm going to find out the truth, and when I do..."

  "You'll what?"

  Suzume scrunched up her face. "You'll see."

  28

  It had been a week of training with the old man and she'd made little improvement. Each night Suzume stumbled back into her chamber, full of bone-deep fatigue, and she would collapse on her bed and sleep until morning. Then she'd have to start all over again. Hikaru was making great progress. It was harder and harder for her to pull energy from him. But Kazue seemed determined to take control of Suzume's body at the slightest provocation. She didn't have the energy to worry about Ryuu or wonder what he had to do with Kazue's soul being inside her. Maybe that was his plan all along, keep her preoccupied.

  After another particularly brutal training session, Suzume was heading back to her chamber, with Ryuu shadowing her as he always did. She was sweaty and probably smelled like fermented vegetables. She did not even bother to go the long way to avoid being seen, as she had been up until now. Before she didn't want anyone to see her in her training clothes, and see her in such a disarray, but fatigue won out to vanity.

  Half delirious with fatigue, she did not see the empress and her entourage coming her direction until they were upon her. Suzume, too tired from her sparring, did not even bother bowing her head at the empress as was expected and she kept on stumbling past them, almost knocking into the empress herself.

  "What do you think you're doing?" the empress said, scandalized.

  Suzume came to a shuffling stop and turned around to face the empress. She squinted as the empress swam in and out of focus.

  "Oh," she said and bowed her head before stumbling forward again.

  The empress’s usual entourage surrounded her and as Suzume tried to make her way through them, they buzzed about like a hive of angry bees.

  "Show the empress some respect," said one of her ladies.

  Suzume turned once again, blinked but couldn't quite put them into focus. "Is there something you need from me?" she asked, not caring if she came across as crass.

  "Your outfit," the empress said as she turned her nose up at it. She covered her face with her fan, perhaps to shield herself from the smell of sweat. "It is not appropriate for a lady of your station."

  "I'll go change then." Suzume stumbled a few steps.

  "I have not excused you." There was a frantic note in the empress’s tone. No one had ever openly defied her before. Under normal circumstances, Suzume wouldn't have. The empress could be vicious when she wanted to. And given the history between her mother and her, she imagined she'd use the opportunity to make Suzume miserable. But as tired as she was, Suzume wasn't thinking about any of that. She turned toward the empress and spread out her hands in a gesture of 'what else do you want.’

  The ladies who surrounded the empress shared looks, clearly not sure how to react to Suzume's impertinence. "Your majesty must have so much free time," Suzume said without thinking. There was no filter left between her thoughts and her mouth.

  Behind her Ryuu coughed, and Suzume glanced over her shoulder at him, remembering he was there. She scowled at him. Why did he have to follow her around? She never got a moment to breathe.

  "What was that?" the empress said through gritted teeth. Suzume could practically hear her teeth grinding together.

  Ryuu came to her rescue. "Your lady is generous to take an interest in Princess Suzume, who lacks common sense and manners."

  "Hey!" Suzume attempted a swing at Ryuu but he caught her quickly and forced her into a deep bow before the empress.

  "You are fortunate the emperor has placed Ryuu to watch over you, otherwise I'd have to teach you a lesson." And then with a quick cough she said, "We are having a gathering this evening, I would be pleased if you were there." The last portion was spoken as if it physically pained her to extend such an invitation.

  Even as sleep deprived as Suzume was, it was clear the emperor had forced her to extend the invitation to Suzume.

  "I will have to see if I have time in my schedule." Suzume bowed her head again and scooted out of Ryuu's reach before he could force her into an even more humiliating position. She had no real interest in going whatsoever and would avoid it as best she could.

  "The emperor wished I remind you, that as your mother is absent from court, it is important you attend," the empress said.

  Now she had her attention. There was a smirk on her lips. It wasn't an invitation but a command.

  "I will attend if it pleases you," Suzume said to the ground. Though she had to grit the words out.

  The empress only laughed. "I see your tune has changed. How like Izume you are. You even have Ryuu following you around like a lost dog."

  Suzume looked up on impulse and by the devious smile on her face, the empress knew she'd caught Suzume in her web. She glanced at Ryuu, but his expression gave nothing away.

  "You served my mother?" she asked Ryuu.

  He stared forward without answer.

  It was the empress who replied, "I thought you knew." Her ladies all twittered as she smiled. Suzume only glared at her, not hiding her anger. "Come tonight, and I will tell you."

  Suzume was dismissed, and she went back to her rooms. She didn't bother trying to pull the information from Ryuu. He wouldn't tell her. Tsuki was lying on her bed when she entered, while Noaki stood guard. She thought about kicking Tsuki off her futon, but no matter how tired her body was, the empress’s taunts had piqued her curiosity and she wouldn't be able to rest. Her maid, that is, Rin, who was pretending to be her maid, prepared a bath for her, and she soaked in the hot water considering everything she'd learned.

  By the time she got out of the bath, she hadn't made any progress. But her mind had been made up. When she'd returned from her first mission, the emperor had gifted her with a gorgeous kimono. Rin helped her dress and style her hair. She was rather skilled at it. She hadn't told them about Ryuu and her mother, partly because this was her concern. Half the court knew every last scandalous detail of her family’s lives. And she didn't want them knowing the same.

  "Are you sure you don't want us coming with you?" Rin asked as she fastened a pin into Suzume's hair. It was still too short to be fashionable, but the decorative comb she wore sparkled with gems. And the kimono fell in such beautiful ways she knew no one would be able to keep their eyes off her.

  "No, it would be too hard to explain so many people around me."

  "I'm going to die of boredom here," Tsuki said, lying on the ground and staring at the ceiling.

  "You could always investigate Ryuu for me," she said, mostly teasing. With Ryuu's spiritual sensitivity, he'd sense them before they got any answers.

  "No!" Rin said, a little too hastily.

  Suzume met her gaze, waiting for her to elaborate. Rin pretended to need to fix the fold of Suzume's kimono. "We don't want to get in trouble. It's better if we keep a low profile," she said. Suzume glared at her. So she was in on whatever secret Hikaru was hiding as well.

  The party was being held in the garden. It would likely be the last of the season as the wint
er winds were already settling on the palace. Suzume wore a cloak over her kimono. In the garden many braziers had been lit to keep the space warmer and candles were set to float in the garden pool. The party was focused around the covered pagodas that surrounded the pools. She was one of the last ones to arrive and as she got closer she heard the music and laughter that floated out toward her.

  In the second largest pagoda, the empress held court, sitting at the head of her circle of onlookers. Suzume searched for Ryuu. He hadn't come to escort her to the party. Perhaps he felt there was no real risk of her being attacked here. And there wouldn't be when he's the one who sent his yokai after me. As she scanned the garden, he was nowhere to be seen. A large pagoda housed the emperor and his court, but when Suzume glanced inside it, she did not see him there either. Not that it mattered. It would be a more pleasant evening if she didn't see him at all. But then, unfortunately, she saw him across the courtyard talking with a few courtiers. His back was to her but as she approached, he turned to her.

  His gaze slid up and down her, and she felt a blush rush to her cheeks. It was silly, of course. It wasn't as if she were attracted to him. But it had been a long time since a man had given her any attention. But his glance was brief and he soon turned back to his companions as if he hadn't seen her at all. How dare he! Suzume, not one to be ignored, tried to march over to him but when she got close, he disappeared around a corner. Suzume went to give chase, but as she did, a servant stepped into her path. She was about to tell him to get out of her way when he spoke.

  "The empress wishes to dine with you," he said.

  She looked back toward the empress who was waiting for her, perhaps to turn down the invitation. She'd only come here because she'd been ordered to do so. But the temptation of learning Ryuu's relationship with her mother was too much. She followed the servant into the empress’s pagoda.

  She entered the crowded space, head held high. Whispers stopped as she entered as if they'd all been talking about her moments before. A space was set aside beside the empress. Normally this would have been an honor but Suzume could sense the trap for what it was.

  "Welcome, Princess Suzume." The empress greeted her with a smile that did not reach her eyes. A musician sat in the corner, plucking the strings of his instrument as the two of them sized one another up.

  Suzume went to sit down beside the empress. Food was served and everything was going as it would be expected. Whatever trap the empress planned to spring, it would be drawn out, likely to cause Suzume the most pain.

  A courtier whom she had at times flirted with before she'd been exiled stood up.

  "I would read a poem I wrote for the empress," he said.

  She nodded her head for him to read it. Suzume was only listening with half an ear. It was the typical sort of thing, talking about the weather and the flowers, changing of seasons. It was nothing she hadn't heard before. Everything was allegory for the beauty of the empress. Suzume had similar poems written about her. And then the poem took a turn.

  "Her rival’s vile plans..." he said. The accompanying music turned more sinister. And Suzume turned her attention to the poet.

  As he spun out the poem in flowery words, it was clear who he was speaking about. It was about her mother, and more than that, it painted her mother as an adulterer, who'd stolen the emperor's heart only to betray him with someone close to him, while his faithful first wife was left to pick up all the pieces. So this had been her plan all along, to shame Suzume. Well, it wasn't going to be enough to stop her. She'd heard the rumors enough to have grown hardened to it.

  "It was quite beautiful," the empress said once he had finished.

  Suzume stood up. "I have my own poem."

  The empress narrowed her eyes but she didn't tell Suzume no. And so Suzume gave her reply in her own poem. It wasn't very long, just a few carefully chosen words that were not polite to repeat. When Suzume was finished she bowed to them, before storming out of the empress’s pagoda.

  She'd tired of the palace games. She should just corner Ryuu and demand answers. But as she went to go and search for him, another servant stopped in front of her.

  "My lady," he said. This wasn't the empress’s man, but the emperor’s. "The emperor wishes to speak with you."

  I'm rather popular tonight. The emperor must have heard the uproar from the empress’s pagoda and had likely made the connection for the cause. She shouldn't have said anything. It wasn't anything that hadn't already been said about her mother. But it bothered her more than before. Everyone seemed to know more about Izume than her.

  The emperor's pagoda was cleared of all hangers-on when she entered, all except for Ryuu who was standing at the emperor's right hand. Suzume bowed low to the emperor. "You asked for me, your majesty?"

  The emperor said, "Rise, child."

  Suzume did. She didn't want to face him after the embarrassment of the empress’s trick.

  "There is a lot of commotion coming from the empress’s pagoda,” he said, looking across the twinkling garden where the empress was wailing dramatically. Suzume did not back down.

  "She insulted my mother, your majesty." She bowed her head in apology. But she wouldn't make the words leave her lips.

  The emperor chuckled. "You are as full of fire as always." His eyes sparkled in the light from the brazier.

  Suzume chanced a glance at Ryuu but his expression was blank.

  "Don't let her get to you. She has always been jealous of Izume. And with her gone, now you have become the target of her ire."

  "I won't let it bother me." She nodded her head to acknowledge him.

  "There are things I thought you should know about your mother and I-" he started to say but held himself back. "It will be better for another time." He gestured to the seat beside him. "Please sit."

  Suzume did as he commanded, and the emperor waited until she was seated before saying. "I have another mission for you."

  Her stomach clenched, were there more yokai attacks? "What is it?" she asked, her chest tight with worry.

  "I want you to visit your grandfather."

  "What?" She asked, her eyebrows shooting up toward her hairline.

  Her father chuckled.

  "When your mother disappeared, he went back to his province. I need you to go him, find out what he knows about your mother's disappearance."

  "Why me?"

  "Because I trust you." Not because of her power or because of who she had been born but her as a person. It warmed her more than she thought it would.

  "I will do this for you, father." She bowed her head toward him.

  He brushed the hair from her face. "You look beautiful tonight. Your mother would have been proud."

  A sudden emotion welled up in her. Her throat was thick with words unspoken. "Thank you, father," she managed in a strangled voice.

  29

  Ryuu must have been a master of avoidance. Despite being on the road together for nearly a day, she had not found a chance to speak with him even once. Not that anything he could say wouldn't sound suspect at this point. She rode in a palanquin, only this time it wasn't subterfuge. She was not one of the emperor's warrior priests, but as a granddaughter visiting her grandfather. She'd sent a letter ahead of her arrival announcing her visit to her grandfather. His reply had been less than warm, but he had not turned her down either—he couldn't when it was the emperor's command.

  As was fitting her station, Suzume had a contingent of guards. Mostly warrior priests from the temple, but Noaki and Tsuki joined them as well, along with Hikaru and Rin, who continued pretending to be her maid. Suzume had begged the emperor to set Hikaru free and to her surprise he had granted her request. Normally she would be suspicious of the emperor's generosity, but he had not asked her for anything in return. It seemed he was doing it all out of a genuine sense of remorse. Being the emperor's favorite certainty had its perks.

  Suzume had never been to the ancestral home of her mother's family, though she'd heard stories about it f
rom cousins and other relatives on her Kaedemori clan. Her grandfather, the head of the clan, was known for his strong-armed rule. But he was also well loved among his contemporaries. He was famous for his parties, and many a courtier had fought for his favor. Her grandfather's generosity with his allies was only a small part of the appeal. The Kaedemori's were the most influential family in Akatsuki, rivaled only by the royal family. It was said that her grandfather had more influence, money, and land than even the emperor.

  Suzume read over the instructions her father had given her, recounting what she already knew about her mother's family. According to this, her grandfather had retired from his council seat and returned to the country home. It seemed strange to her that he would do such a thing. Everything she remembered about her grandfather had painted him as a man hungry for power. Coupled with his disappearance around the time of her own exile, it seemed very strange indeed. Suzume folded up the document and tucked it away as the palace came into view.

  The palace was as grand as her cousins had made it out to be. It sat atop a hill overlooking rolling hills and farms. They arrived at sunset, and the golden light gave the landscape a shimmering glow. The gates were open, awaiting their arrival and guards stood at either side, their faces stoic. The inner courtyard, where guests were received, was swept clean and the household stood waiting to greet them.

  At the far end of the courtyard was a flight of stairs that led into the inner ring of the palace. Her grandfather stood at the top of the steps, as austere as she remembered him. His beard was long and white, and atop his head he wore the traditional black hat of a councilman. His eyes were as sharp as obsidian.

  Suzume closed her curtain to not be seen peeking. Just seeing him standing there reminded her of his strict punishments and his love of rules and proper etiquette. Seeing him again, she recalled a time when she had been a child and she had let her quick tongue get away with her. He had her beat for her insolence and left her kneeling in the courtyard well into the night for it. A phantom pain echoed on her backside and she sat up a little straighter in her seat. I'm not that little girl anymore. Noaki opened her door, and he nodded his head as if he could see the fear on her face. She climbed out of the carriage, keeping her face the perfect mask of indifference. The old man didn't scare her. As she approached her grandfather, she made sure to keep her head held high like the princess she was.