Voyages of the Flying Dragon: Beast Child

by Ben Chandler

  ‘Thatta boy!’ Hiroshi slapped him on the back. Lenis winced but kept eating. ‘We’ll make a warrior out of you yet, I tell you!’

  Missy had never quite believed that anyone could truly mistake her for a god. She was only thirteen years old and up until a few weeks ago had been a slave. Heidi had soon lost her awe of Missy back in Fronge, and Missy suspected Ajat Freyrsson would too if they lingered too long in Erdasche.

  Magni was a thunder god, just like Raikō. They were probably the same Totem, the one who had captured Missy’s soul and ordered her to find a cure for his sickness. Adad the Thunder Bird. Now he was just another Demon. The only thing left of him, of the real him, was the Quillblade, and that was clasped firmly in Missy’s hand. There was no way she was letting go of it until the Hiryū was on its way again. The weight of it was reassuring, and it kept her fears at bay.

  It didn’t seem as though she was going to make it back to the airship before dawn. The people of Erdasche had turned out in force to catch a glimpse of the long absent war goddess once word had spread that Magni had returned. Missy suspected Heidi’s hand in this. She was taking her role as the goddess’s personal herald to heart, calling out to anyone who would listen that war was coming with the Demons. Missy was given a place of honour by the duke’s fire pit. The men who had been with him when they had arrived, the ones dressed in animal hides, clustered around her, keeping the other folk back at what they deemed to be a respectful distance. Missy sat cross-legged between Arthur and the captain, thankful they had remained by her side while this whole thing played out. She wanted nothing more than to sneak off and return to the Hiryū, but she knew that would have to wait until the last of the Heiliglanders left her in peace.

  Missy’s grip tightened on the Quillblade’s hilt, every sense alert for trouble. The hall was full of people now. Some knelt as close to Missy as her makeshift honour guard would allow. Others stood in clusters and whispered amongst themselves. Missy didn’t need to be telepathic to know what they were thinking. Who is this child claiming to be Magni? Her mind was ready to pounce on any who doubted her, to instill in them an image of herself as the Lightning-Wielder, but this proved largely unnecessary. It seemed that people were already altering their perceptions of what they thought Magni looked like to mirror the girl sitting before them. Perhaps the word of Ajat Freyrsson was enough to quell any disbelief as to her identity, or perhaps it was a lingering effect of Missy’s telepathic manipulation of the duke and his men. Certainly it seemed as though the Quillblade amplified her own powers. Maybe she was somehow radiating a sense of herself as Magni without even realising it.

  A flicker of unease itched at the back of Missy’s mind only to be absorbed by the Quillblade a moment later. She was glad when it left her. She didn’t want to deal with her doubts and guilt right now. All that mattered was that she had done it. Her deception had worked. The Heiliglanders would be ready to confront Ishullanu’s army of Demons. That was all that mattered. Besides, whatever her reservations had been about her actions, the worst of it was over. It wasn’t as if she could go back and change things. Soon she would be back on the Hiryū and far away from here. She may as well try to relax.

  If Missy had ever wondered what gifts the people of Erdasche believed would please a war goddess, she didn’t have to any more. As they arrived at the meeting hall, they presented her with gift baskets full of chunks of red meat and earthenware jugs Ajat told her were filled with honeyed ale. There were also flowers. They looked like the white snapdragons Missy remembered from back home in Pure Land, but these ones were rose-pink verging on red, and they were called loewenmaul in Heiliglander, which meant ‘mouth of the vicious beast’. Missy supposed that was close enough to snapdragon anyway.

  ‘Miss Clemens,’ the captain whispered to her in Shinzōn, ‘I understand that you are enjoying yourself, but how long do you intend to allow this to continue? Karasu is getting further ahead of us.’

  Missy startled. Was she enjoying herself? Yes, she supposed she was. She wasn’t used to being the centre of attention, much less on the receiving end of so many presents. And it wasn’t as though she was hurting anybody. Another wisp of unease curled around inside her, but it too vanished into the Quillblade. If she had to pretend to be a goddess, she could at least have some fun. ‘Sorry, Captain,’ she whispered back. ‘I’m not sure how to make it all stop.’

  ‘You are the goddess here, Miss Clemens.’ His face remained impassive, but she thought he sounded more amused than angry. ‘It will end when you decide to end it.’

  Missy swallowed and nodded. It was probably time to go. She was tired and the captain was right; they had to go after Karasu. She stood up awkwardly. The hall fell silent as everyone turned to her. The Quillblade quickened in her grip, vibrating gently as it absorbed her nerves. Heidi scowled at her from where she was greeting the new arrivals – and accepting their gifts, Missy noted. No doubt the Heiliglander was worried Missy was about to ruin everything.

  Missy cleared her throat. ‘People of Heimat Isle.’ No. That wouldn’t do. ‘My people! As you know, I have come to warn you to prepare for war with the Demon King and his army. I charge you to gather your forces and rally the rest of our people. I have to leave you now.’ A murmuring rose amongst the crowd. ‘I must go north,’ she went on quickly, ‘to a temple dedicated to, er …’ What did Tenjin say Apsilla’s Heiliglander name was? ‘… to my cousin Kolga. She has been … um … holding onto a weapon for me. One of great power. With it, we can defeat many Demons.’ Missy faltered. The murmuring had turned to whispering. ‘I will be leaving. Now.’

  Ajat Freyrsson cleared his throat and rose to his feet. ‘You will not stay and lead us into battle, oh great Magni?’

  ‘Magni has much to attend to,’ Heidi called across the hall. ‘It is not for us to question her actions.’ Missy saw many of the hall’s occupants nodding in agreement. ‘With the goddess’s permission, I will remain behind so that she may speak to you through me.’

  Missy wasn’t sure she liked that idea at all. She understood the logic behind the girl’s plans to mobilise her country, but now Missy detected something else in her. Ambition. If Missy allowed her to remain here to speak for Magni, what would Heidi do in her name? Suspicion blossomed inside her, and this emotion the Quillblade did not take.

  Everyone was looking at her, and Missy realised they were waiting for her decision. It occurred to Missy that she could make Heidi come with her. She could even make her happy to do so. They could be friends. All it would take would be a suggestion, planted deep in her mind, a shared memory or two, and then the erasure of Missy’s deception and manipulation of the girl. Missy was already reaching out to Heidi when she brought herself up short.

  What was she doing?

  She shook her head to clear it. ‘Yes. Of course my herald should remain amongst you in my absence.’ Missy saw the triumph in Heidi’s face and turned away from it.

  Both Arthur and the captain had risen to stand behind her. Arthur was eyeing her closely. ‘Are you all right?’

  ‘I want to go home,’ she whispered in Kystian. Snatches of feelings were flaring up inside her, only to be dragged down into the Quillblade so fast she couldn’t register what they were. She didn’t dare let the shintai go. Not here. Not now. ‘I want to get back to the Hiryū.’

  The Kystian nodded and began pushing through the crowd. Missy followed along behind him, trying to feel something. Anything. She had been planning to manipulate Heidi’s mind, to force her into liking her. How could she have even considered such a thing? A few hours ago even reading the girl’s mind without her knowledge had seemed repulsive. What had changed? Missy tried to hold onto the feelings these thoughts evoked. Uncertainty. Fear. Anger. Self-loathing. But the Quillblade devoured them all. She felt the captain moving close behind as they approached the exit to the hall, and Arthur’s back was a reassuring mass in front of her, but inside she knew that something was desperately wrong, for as the unsettling emotions were su
cked out of her the Quillblade bolstered contradictory ones within her. Instead of fear she felt reckless. Instead of uncertainty she felt determination. And instead of hating herself for what she had done to the men in the hall, for what she had been about to do to Heidi, she felt only an overwhelming sense of self-righteousness that was building close to fury.

  How dare Heidi claim to speak for me! How dare she shun my friendship! She should be grovelling before me!

  The familiar tingling in the Quillblade had turned to an incessant throbbing. Sparks of electricity arced down its length. Missy’s hand ached from holding its hilt so firmly. Her jaw ached from being clenched so tightly. The only thing that kept her moving was the desire to return to the Hiryū, to her airship. It was where she belonged. Why was it taking so long to get there? Didn’t these people know who walked amongst them? What was the delay?

  At the doorway Heidi made to touch her hand but pulled back when Missy looked into her eyes. There was fear there. Missy could see it riding at the forefront of Heidi’s mind. Well, this was what the girl had wanted. Magni the war goddess. Implacable. Battle-ready. Wielder of lightning. She had no idea how right she was. Magni was all but dead. What remained of her was held firmly in Missy’s hand. Her wrist twitched and the Quillblade screeched. Heidi backed away, her head bowed. The rest of the Heiliglanders fell back as well.

  ‘I wish to leave,’ Missy said, and even her voice didn’t sound like her own any more. It was higher, and beneath it she seemed to hear the shrieking of the Thunder Bird. ‘Do not get in my way.’

  Finally they were out of the hall and alone. The Heiliglanders, who had been so eager to cluster around her, now left her to venture into the night without them. Missy broke into a run. She was dimly aware of Arthur and Captain Shishi beside her, behind her, falling ever further back as she outstripped them. Her muscles were working harder than they ever had before. She could feel the Quillblade’s electricity coursing through her. Her feet barely touched the ground. The distance between strides grew longer until she wasn’t running but leaping. Higher. Further. Faster. The frigid air tore through her lungs. The pain was exquisite. The Quillblade whirled in her grasp. She could see sparks.

  And then Missy was at the airdock. A leap and she was on the Hiryū’s deck. For a moment she stood there, exulting. She was the Lightning-Wielder. She was the Thunder Bird. The Lord of Storms. She was Magni! She was Raikō! She was Adad and all of his incarnations! Let Karasu try and stand against her. Ishullanu would fall to her blade.

  Suddenly Kanu was kneeling before her, and it was right. Here was a servant worthy of her. Heidi was nothing. A mere human. Kanu was a Titan. He was born to serve her. He had been chosen for her eons past. Missy reached out to place a hand on his shoulder but then, over Kanu’s bowed head, Missy saw her brother. He was standing at the top of the stairs leading below decks, holding Aeris. It was good. He had finally come to speak to her.

  Except Lenis wasn’t looking at Missy. He was staring at something in her hand. Missy followed his gaze. Where once she had held the Quillblade she was now gripping a bolt of lightning. It crackled like strands of blue fire. Missy looked from it to her brother. Panic assailed her.

  What was she doing?

  What had she been doing?

  It vanished. But the terror returned, sharper than before, cutting through the feelings of triumph, through the strength, through the shield the Quillblade had formed inside her. It pierced deep inside her, and this time when she looked down at the lightning bolt in her fist she felt revulsion. What was it doing to her? What was it making her into? She had to get rid of it, had to get away from it. She had to get it away from her.

  Missy tried to throw the Quillblade away, but it was stuck fast to her hand. Then Lenis was there, and he was pulling at it, gripping the writhing lightning bolt in his bare hands.

  ‘No, little brother,’ Missy whispered as she felt something tearing in her palm. The light died. The world went dark. She heard the metallic clang of the Quillblade hitting the wood of the deck. Then she felt everything. All of the fear and anxiety and unease the Quillblade had taken from her came rushing back. Bile rose in the back of her throat. Missy vomited. Her stomach muscles clenched and unclenched and clenched again. Every muscle burned. She became aware she was crying even as her guts heaved.

  And through it all her brother held her. She threw up all over him, but he didn’t let her go. Vaguely, as if from a great distance, she heard others speaking. There were pinpricks of light in the darkness. They stung her eyes and added to her nausea.

  So this is what remains of Adad’s power? a voice whispered inside her mind. Oh, my compassionate one, they should never have been allowed to use you so. Do you not see? You and your brother will never know peace until they are gone.

  It wasn’t that Ishullanu had so easily reached into her mind that so unnerved Missy. He was a Caelestia, one of the most powerful beings in the world. She already knew he was a dangerous enemy. What scared Missy the most was knowing that, for the briefest of moments, she had believed his words.

  Lenis looked down on his sister, numbed by exhaustion. It had taken every ounce of his strength to awaken her fear of the Quillblade and use it to pierce through the barrier the shintai had formed around her heart. Even then, the weapon had not wanted to give up its grip on Missy. Lenis’s bandaged hands were evidence of that. He was developing an unhealthy talent for damaging his hands. Not a good trait in an engineer.

  Missy was worse off. She had passed out in his arms and slept through the night in the doctor’s cabin. This, too, was becoming an unhealthy pattern – Lenis watching over Missy’s comatose body. The energies of the Quillblade had torn through her system, stripping away her muscles and flesh. She looked haggard. The skin sagged on her frame and there were dark circles under her eyes. There was no telling what harm had been down to her psyche. Lenis shook his head. He’d told her the Quillblade was dangerous. Why hadn’t she listened to him?

  Suiteki was a quivering ball inside his robe, pressed up against his skin. The baby dragon hadn’t been present up on the deck, but she was so in tune with Lenis’s emotions that she couldn’t help but feel what had happened with him and his sister and the Quillblade. He reached inside his robe and placed a hand over her. Suiteki gave a little squawk. It was the sort of noise a Bestia might make if you left it out in the rain to get all sodden and miserable. From somewhere deep inside, he found a pool of reassurance and cupped it in his hand, around the little dragon. Eventually, she relaxed. Her breathing slowed; her shuddering stilled. Finally she slept and dreamt tranquil dragon dreams, and it was his turn to draw peace from her.

  Lenis heard someone yelling in Heiliglander in the galley behind him, and on reflex built a bastion of calm around the dragon dozing in his robe, nestled against his heart. He thought he recognised the voice. Turning away from his sister, he looked down on Kanu, who was crouched by the doorway. Lenis had seen him grovelling in front of Missy the night before, but the sight of her vomiting and damaged in the aftermath of her arrival had shaken the boy deeply. Lenis felt sorry for him. Destined to serve Mashu, the Titan had woken to a very different fate. Fate. Lenis almost laughed at the word.

  ‘Look after her while I’m gone,’ he said.

  Kanu bobbed his head, imitating a Shinzōn bow. ‘Yes, Mashu.’

  Lenis drew his hand out of his robe and stepped out into the hall, closing the door firmly behind him. ‘What’s going on?’ he asked in a hushed tone. As he’d suspected, Heidi was the one making all the noise. The Heiliglander was glaring at the Hiryū’s lookout, fists clenched at her sides, jaw set, face crimson.

  ‘She says she needs to speak with your sister,’ Andrea told him, pushing back her wild hair. ‘Something’s come up.’

  ‘Well, obviously she can’t speak to Missy right now. What’s the problem?’

  ‘The duke wants to send an escort with us.’

  Heidi snapped something in her native language, and Andrea fired back a reply.


  ‘You can speak Heiliglander?’ Lenis asked.

  The Ellian lookout shrugged. ‘A bit. It was a Heiliglander airship that dumped me in Shinzō. Look, what do you want me to tell her?’ She jutted her chin in Heidi’s direction.

  Lenis sighed. ‘What does the captain say?’

  ‘An escort could prove useful, Mister Clemens,’ the captain replied from under the mast-shaft. He was just making his way into the mess hall, drawn, no doubt, by Heidi’s ruckus. ‘It will give us a numerical advantage if we run into Karasu.’

  Lenis nodded. ‘So what’s the issue?’

  ‘It may be difficult for Missy to keep up her charade as Magni in front of the crew of these other vessels, given her condition.’

  Heidi was glaring from one of them to the next. She said something in Heiliglander that sounded more like a command than a question. Andrea ignored her.

  ‘She’s supposed to be Magni’s herald,’ Lenis said. ‘Why doesn’t she just tell everyone the goddess wants some privacy?’

  Andrea shrugged again and spoke to Heidi. The girl didn’t look pleased, but she nodded and strode out of the galley.

  ‘That one is going to be trouble,’ Lenis muttered. The captain chuckled and Lenis blushed. He hadn’t really meant to say that aloud.