Invasion and Dragons

by Jekka Jones

  “Let them go!” Landon shouted. He darted for his sword, but the very tip of Ti’Luthin’s tail snagged his left ankle and pulled. Landon fell to the ground and was dragged a few feet from Liliana.

  “Leggo!” he shouted, kicking at the scaly hide. “You stupid ba—”

  “Quiet!” Ti’Luthin roared, “Or I will dangle you upside down until you pass out.”

  With his face burning hotter than a stovetop, Landon clamped his mouth shut. Cautiously, he got to his feet, hating the weight and feel of Ti’Luthin’s tail on his ankle. He gazed longingly at his sword, knowing the only weapon that could incapacitate a dragon lay hidden inside. He continued his angry tirade in his head, glaring at Liliana.

  “Thank you, Ti’Luthin. I was getting tired of his mouth,” said Liliana. She picked up a lantern and strode to Landon. She placed the lantern at her feet and gazed at him with fake sympathy. “Say again, Dayn, what are you sorry for?”

  Landon ground his teeth. She had to make this harder. “I’m sorry for killing your uncle. I didn’t think it would happen. All I saw was someone attacking my brother, and I tried to help. I didn’t think I had the strength to do more than bruise him, but I was wrong.”

  “You did kill him.”

  “Yes! I did and I’m sorry about it!” Landon shouted, exasperated. “How many times do I have to say it? Do you want the details of when my sword whacked his head? Because I will gladly give them to you.”

  To his surprise, Liliana and Ti’Luthin glanced at each other. It was a look that conveyed dread and apprehension. “I take it,” Landon said after a few seconds, “that you didn’t know?”

  “No,” Ti’Luthin replied, his voice rumbled through Landon’s bones. “No one saw what happened, yet Sri’Lanca is screaming for your blood. He claims to have seen you standing over his tamer’s body. The rest of us hoped he was confused, but I hear the truth in your voice.” He snorted, showering sparks into the night. “This complicates matters.”

  Landon snorted. “Like I haven’t heard that before.”

  “You like causing trouble, don’t you?” Liliana said. “Chancellor Drakshu often spoke of how troublesome you were, and Judan said you killed a Twin to save yourself from Sayre.” She shook her head. “Now you’ve killed a tamer so his dragon would come for you and save you from the treaty.”

  Landon glared at her. “Oh yeah, I totally planned on killing your uncle so I wouldn’t go to Dagnor. Murder is so much better than spending the rest of my life as Dre’Goran’s trophy.”

  Liliana folded her arms. “Stop joking, Dayn. This is no laughing matter.”

  “Stop asking stupid questions and do whatever it is you’re going to do,” Landon snapped. The dragon’s tail tightened around his ankle, squeezing to the point of pain then lessened, a warning. “Your uncle’s death was an accident and I’m sorry, but if you think that is going to make me or my people give up willingly then you’re sorely mistaken. We won’t stop fighting you and your dragons until we have our freedom back.”

  “Fight all you want, Dayn,” Liliana sneered, “but your people will be broken. The emperor and the others will find a way. The question is . . . how many lives will it take before they truly surrender?”

  Landon wanted to punch her. The tail around his ankle tightened, and his eyes met Ti’Luthin’s. The dragon tilted his head, the orange eyes glinted in the dark, daring him to act.

  “Haven’t your people done enough harm?” Landon countered. “First your emperor made a deal with Sayre to drive my mother out of hiding. He agreed to take my father as his prisoner and threaten the Hondelite king into giving up my mother. In return, Sayre would give him me.” Landon noticed with satisfaction that both Liliana and Ti’Luthin had started at this. “You didn’t know that? Guess what! There’s more! Dre’goran didn’t trust Sayre to keep her word so he destroyed Hondel to make sure she stuck to it. He accused my father of stealing a dragon egg to rile up your people into burning Hondel. Once that was done, he then returned my father to Sayre so she could keep torturing him until I was found.

  “And was that enough? No! Your king decided to show everyone how unstoppable he and the mighty dragon army was and invaded Nircana, my home! He took everyone I ever cared about and locked them up. He allowed you and all the other Dagnorians to treat my people like pigs, rounding us up for the slaughter. And you want to blame me for all this? Ha! You’re just like your uncle, Liliana, cruel and ruthless through and through. You want power and respect just like he did and you’ll do anything to get it, even if it means hurting the innocent!”

  Rain began to sprinkle. Landon’s heart jumped as each drop struck his skin, remembering the night when he had killed Ashrin Hastril. The girl and dragon remained immobile during his tirade, riveted by Landon’s words. As the rain picked up, Ti’Luthin stretched out his other wing to cover Liliana.

  “Nice try, Landon, but I know you’re lying,” Liliana said, yet her voice wavered.

  “It’s true, Liliana,” Landon said. “Your uncle and Sri’Lanca were the ones who brought my father across the river. Sri’Lanca told me himself. Whether he knew what was going on or not, I don’t know. But your uncle did. I bet he volunteered for it when Dre’Goran asked. It probably was his ticket to becoming the vizor.”

  “Vizier,” Ti’Luthin corrected. He shivered and glanced at his wing that held the Nircanians prisoner. For a moment, Landon thought he would let them go, but the dragon simply gazed at his wing, lost in thought.

  “Whatever, it doesn’t matter,” Landon snapped. “Of course I’m complicating everyone’s perfect plan! I’m trying to keep the people I love safe. You accuse me and every other person west of the Tareth River of killing dragons? Take a look at your own people, Liliana. They are just as murderous and corrupt as the dragonslayers you love to hate.”

  “Dagnor is nothing like the dragonslayers, and my uncle was a good man.” Liliana said heatedly. “He didn’t want the Wizard’s Seal any more than I.”

  “Yes, you do!” Landon shouted back. Ti’Luthin’s tail tightened to the point that Landon began to lose feeling in his foot. He gritted his teeth, wiped the rain from his eyes, and continued. “You may not want the Wizard’s Seal for the same reason as Sayre or Darrin, or all the other power-hungry foxes out there, but you still want it. You want it to get respect.”

  “True, bringing you and the escaped judges will raise me from cadet to guard, maybe even to wing captain,” Liliana said slowly. She tried to sound confident, but doubt crept into her voice.

  “Will it?” Landon pressed. “You told Morgan and me that the other Dragon Guards would rather have you dead. If it weren’t for your dragon and uncle, you would be. Did they promise you a reward if you found me? Did they promise you a promotion?”

  Liliana raised her head and jutted out her chin. “Yes, they did, and here I am.” She spread her arms out and gave a slight bow, as though she were performing on stage. “Two years of proving to my brethren that I am worthy to fly as their equal ends tonight.” She spun on her heel and yanked Landon’s sword from the earth. “Come, Ti’Luthin, let’s take our runaway Hondelite and escort him home.”

  “Do you really think they’ll honor that?” Landon shouted.

  She looked over her shoulder, her eyes hard. “Yes, they will. You are my prisoner, and once I deliver you to the emperor, I will gain the recognition I deserve.” Liliana bared her teeth in a predatory smile. “You, on the other hand, would do better to worry about yourself. I heard the Maisans want the Drakshus to punish you for stealing the treaty—without using the Seal, of course. Personally, I think it’s the least of what you deserve.”

  Liliana’s words didn’t faze Landon. It was weird, because he knew what the Drakshus would do to him, but as she spoke he remembered their conversation in the garden so long ago. Morgan had seen her as a potential ally, and there had been a moment when Landon had agreed with him. Angels, he had pitied her.

  Landon tore his gaze from hers and looked at Ti’Luthin,
“What do you think of all this, Ti’Lethin?”

  “Ti’Luthin,” the dragon corrected.

  “Sorry. Ti’Luthin, what do you think of all this?”

  Liliana rolled her eyes. “He thinks the same as I, Dayn. You are just stalling the inevitable.” She turned around, Landon’s sword in hand, and went to Ti’Luthin’s side. “Let’s go, my friend. Can you move your leg so I can climb up, please?”

  Ti’Luthin didn’t move but turned his gaze on Liliana. “Liliana, do you trust me?”

  Landon thought that was a strange question, and apparently Liliana thought so too. She spluttered and said, “As though you were my father, Ti’Luthin. Why?”

  The dragon moved his head a fraction an inch, his eyes locking with Liliana’s. “Because, my beloved tamer, I think it is in your best interest to leave Landon Dayn be.”

  It took a moment for those words to settle in.

  “Excuse me?” Liliana shrieked.

  “What did you say?” Landon asked, dumbfounded.

  Ti’Luthin took a deep breath and blew out a cloud of smoke. “If we were to return with Landon Dayn and twenty-two escaped Nircanians in tow, it would change nothing. The Dragon Guards would make up a story, find some fault in our success, and kill us.”

  “You don’t know that!”

  “True, but think about it, Liliana,” Ti’Luthin begged. “Think about them. For two years we have stayed together, never parting for a second just so I could be your advocate. Do you not remember how terrified we were when the emperor ordered you to accompany him to Tsuregi without me? I did not sleep a wink those months! I feared that you would be accused of fornication again and we would die because I wasn’t by your side.”

  “I know, Ti’Luthin,” Liliana replied, her voice cracking. “I spoke to no one and kept to myself. The only person I spoke to was Landon and his friend, and that was after the treaty was finalized. After I knew he would be coming to Dagnor and would become my husband.”

  Landon jolted at this. “Wait, what?” he cried. “Dre’Goran was going to marry us?”

  The girl and dragon gave him a long-suffering look. “Of course,” Liliana retorted. “What better way to take care of a woman tamed to a dragon than marry her off to a Sealbearer?” She turned back to Ti’Luthin.

  Landon gaped. He had thought the worst-case scenario would be he confessed his love for Myra, forcing Dre’Goran to take her along with him to Dagnor. It would be the only way to protect her from the Twin’s Revenge—from the Seers. But this was worse. Contrary to what the treaty said, Dre’Goran had no intention of letting Landon choose the woman he would marry.

  Landon wanted to press Liliana and Ti’Luthin further on the matter, but they were once again absorbed in their own argument.

  “What good is it to be a Guard if we live in constant fear for our lives?” Ti’Luthin was saying. He blew a couple sparks from his nose. They hissed and fizzled in the downpour. “I want to be free, Liliana. I want you to be free!”

  “He will change that!” Liliana shouted, pointing to Landon. “I, the first woman of the Dragon Guard, succeeded where the others failed! For days we have been searching for him, for the Seal.” She waved the katana around in emphasis. “We scoured the skies and land with no luck until tonight. And we found him, Ti’Luthin. Us! The emperor cannot ignore me when I bring Landon before him in chains.”

  “No chains, please,” Landon squeaked, but neither heard him.

  “He will solve nothing, Liliana!” Ti’Luthin roared. “Do you not see? The Dragon Guard is not our sanctuary. You tamed me to defy the customs of our land, to make a place for yourself that did not require a husband. You want to prove to the women of Dagnor that they can be free unto themselves, that they do not have to subject themselves to men, but now is not the time. They are happy in their ignorance. I know it grieves you to see that, but you must put yourself first! You are my tamer, and I am finished watching you claw like a dog around the master’s table for praise. If you cannot find happiness among your own people, then I think it is time we find a new one.”

  Liliana spluttered and shrieked, trying to form words and failing. After a few seconds, she managed to say, “You’re just saying that because that boy suggested it!”

  “And I believe he is right,” said Ti’Luthin.

  Liliana snorted. “I told you to forget about him, Ti’Luthin. He’s no better than the slime found in the gutters of this land.”

  Landon knew who she was referring to. “Hey! Don’t talk about Morgan that way. I bet you . . . er . . . three pies that he treated you better than any man you ever met.”

  Liliana gave him a smoldering glare. “Be silent, Dayn! You are my prisoner, and you will hold your tongue until information is required of you.”

  Ti’Luthin let out a growling hiss. “Liliana, Landon is not our key to the success you desire.” To prove his point, Ti’Luthin rose and relaxed his wing. As he did so, the trapped Nircanians fell to the earth in a heap. They stumbled to their feet, got their bearings, and rushed to Landon.

  Ti’Luthin lunged forward and flared his wings, keeping one over Liliana to shield her from the rain. “Stay where you are, Nircanians,” he growled. “In fact, I want you to step back five paces.”

  “Why should we?” Temmings demanded, clenching his fists. He drew himself to his full height and squared his shoulders.

  “Because I will clamp you and your men under my wing again if you do not,” Ti’Luthin replied. “You will all remain five paces back, unarmed, and Landon will remain where he is, unarmed, until my tamer and I get this sorted.”

  The two stared at each other, getting wetter and wetter from the rain. At last Temmings stepped back. “Do as he says,” he said grudgingly.

  The others hesitated and then followed suit, shooting scathing glares at the dragon. They congregated under the sheltering boughs of some hycamores. Landon shivered and drew his sodden cloak around his sodden body, hoping to stave off the cold. He caught Will and Sam’s eye.

  “I’m all right,” he called. “They haven’t hurt me.”

  They didn’t look reassured.

  Liliana’s head flicked from Landon, to the Nircanians, and to her dragon, her eyes widening with disbelief. She tightened her grip on the sword and raised it towards Landon as if he would attack her.

  Landon raised his hands. “Easy, Liliana,” he said, “Your dragon still has me.” He pointed to the tail still wrapped around his ankle.

  Her face twisted in hurt and anger. She whirled around so the sword was pointing at Ti’Luthin. “Why are you doing this?” she pleaded. “You promised to do everything I said.”

  “I made no such promise, as you well remember when you tamed me, Liliana Me’Yasu,” Ti’Luthin replied gently. “You asked me to treat you more than an equal. You asked me to be your friend. At the time, I thought that meant obedience. But I have learned that friendship is more than respect; it is listening to each other.” The dragon brought his head close to Liliana. “I am asking you to listen to me now. There is nothing for us in the Dragon Guard, especially with Judan dead and Sri’Lanca rogue.”

  “Not if we bring in the Sealbearer,” Liliana argued. “Ti’Luthin, he is our saving grace.”

  “No, Liliana, he is not. Whatever you hope and dream for yourself, and the women of Dagnor, it is not going to happen at this time. Dre’Goran has too many things to worry about, what with regaining control over Nircana and finalizing a new treaty. He would sooner blame you for Judan’s death than reward you for capturing Landon.”

  Liliana shook her head. “No he won’t, Ti’Luthin. He promised me in person that he will promote me if I find Landon.”

  “I doubt that, Liliana.” Ti’Luthin’s words became soft and gentle, almost lost in the rain. “Judan may have been a close friend to Dre’Goran, but that did not sway the emperor’s anger towards you. Landon is too important to be given to Sri’Lanca’s rage, yet he could blame you—no, us for Judan’s death and allow Sri’Lanca to slay us
both. He would rather tarnish your name with his most trusted vizier’s death than Landon.”

  Liliana stared as if she had been slapped, and the sword lowered to the ground. “He . . . he wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t let Sri’Lanca kill us. We were in Tsuregi when it happened. We’ve only been here since yesterday.”

  In that moment, Landon truly felt sorry for her. Liliana just wanted to belong. She was a lost girl, scorned by her people. She fought for their admiration as they plotted her execution. With how intelligent Ti’Luthin and Sri’Lanca were, Landon guessed dragon taming was not easy. How could you tame a creature—no, an individual—when they were expecting it? She deserved praise, not a death sentence.

  Ti’Luthin and Liliana fell silent. They stared at each other, their eyes gleaming in the lantern light. Landon didn’t dare say a word, but Rickins cleared her throat. “Young lady,” she said professionally, “pardon me but I am confused. You tamed a dragon and your king and fellow dragon riders hate you for it? Why?”

  Liliana jerked and eyed her with distrust. “Who are you?”

  Rickins smiled, and moved to stand with Temmings. “I am Deborah Rickins. Judge over the fifth quadrant for six years in a row now. Please, I wish to know why your people hate you for taming Ti’Luthin.”

  Liliana’s eyes widened. Landon knew how much of an impact that statement had on her. He saw her eyes drift to the other women scattered among the men before coming back to the judge. “It is decreed by Balaam,” she said slowly, “that only men may tame dragons. Any woman who tries is immediately executed. I broke the commandments and tamed Ti’Luthin. The emperor and Guards would like nothing more than to kill me, but they cannot without risking Ti’Luthin going rogue.”

  Rickins frowned and raised her hand. “Wait. When a dragon’s tamer dies, the dragon goes on a killing rampage?”

  “Yes,” Ti’Luthin answered. “It is because the dragon–tamer bond is forged through magic and respect. We become two parts of one whole, working together to achieve happiness and heaven. When a tamer is killed, it breaks the dragon’s soul, destroys his or her ability to distinguish right and wrong. All they care about is avenging their tamer, and if they die in the process then so be it.” Ti’Luthin’s orange eyes fastened on Landon. “Do you understand why Sri’Lanca is such a hindrance to us, Landon Dayn?”