Invasion and Dragons

by Jekka Jones

  “What about my family?” Landon asked, his mouth dry. “What about Myra?”

  Edwin hesitated. “T-they’re okay,” he said, his voice trembling. “Tsuregi has taken custody of them and are bringing them here, under heavy guard. But every nation is gathering their armies and preparing to march here. I imagine Caborca and Menrye will cross our border in a few weeks, and Tsuregi won’t be far behind.”

  “The samurai are bringing Landon’s family, Morgan, and Myra?” asked Mr. Giles. “I don’t understand. Aren’t they afraid of them escaping, or a rescue attempt?”

  “That’s what they’re hoping for,” Edwin answered. “The samurai . . .” He took a deep breath and clenched his hands. “The samurai want to use them as bait to draw Landon out.”

  “Why Landon?” asked Rickins, though Landon knew the answer was obvious.

  “Because the first country that captures Landon wins. They get control of Nircana and get to decide the terms of the next treaty.” He and Landon locked eyes. “Anyone who lays hold of this wizard thingy and Landon wins.”

  Every head turned towards Landon, and the sword became heavy at his side. He felt the walls close in around him, threatening to bury him underground. Those eyes . . . there were so many. They gazed at him with concern when they should’ve been angry. The pressure on the Nircanians had doubled. The nations were preparing to tear the land apart until they found him, and they would spare no mercy for his people.

  “I . . . I need some air,” Landon said. He turned towards the entrance, but Will grabbed his elbow. “Will, please—”

  “No, Landon,” said Will. “I know you. You’ll run off, thinking you’re being heroic and doing the best for us, but that’s not the right thing to do. If every dragon and soldier has come to capture you, then wandering around is the fastest way of them finding you. Right now, it’s safer for you and us if you stay right here where we can help.”

  “Will . . .”

  To his surprise, Liliana spoke. “He’s right, Landon. You cannot do this alone. You’re going to need help. You all are,” she said louder, stepping forward. “I know you are skilled at hiding and striking when your enemies least expect it, but that isn’t going to work once all the armies have massed together. The samurai will expect it. You’re going to have to do things differently if you want to free Landon’s family, Myra, and . . . and Morgan.”

  “Like what?” asked Temmings.

  Liliana smiled. “You must utilize the skills and ability of a dragon and his tamer.”

  A chill ran down Landon’s spine. “What do you mean?”

  Liliana raised her chin, a fire burning in her green eyes. “You heard me.” She grasped the black dragon patch on her suit and ripped it off. She strode to the burning coals and threw the patch into it. It hissed and smoked and caused tiny tendrils of flames to leap from the coals. Liliana turned to face the stunned expressions of the Nircanians, and her lips curled into a very dragon-ish smile.

  “No one would expect a Nircanian to be bonded to a dragon.”

  Chapter 11

  A month later, Landon sat in a tree bordering a small meadow. Although it was the middle of the night, the forest glowed with an eerie light. Less than a quarter of a mile from his hiding place was the Tsuregan army. Their tents sprawled through the forest like pond scum, the thousands of campfires reducing the stars to a few barely-visible pinpricks. From his vantage point in the oak, Landon saw humanoid shadows moving among the trees, but he was too far away to tell if they were friend or foe.

  Landon sucked in a deep breath, relishing the smoke-tinted air. The crisp night kept him awake and gave him a sense of freedom. For days he had been cooped in the cave with twenty-four other bodies, waiting for the Tsuregans to come to them. All month long he had wished they would move to another cave, but their current location had become a base of operations. Messengers came and went in secret, bringing updates from the other peacekeepers and judges.

  For a people that had been invaded and rounded up like cattle for the market, everything was going well for the Nircanians. After the massive prison break in Town, the Dagnorians had tightened their vigilance on the other camps, but it was in vain. Sri’Lanca, driven to destroy Landon, attacked any place that could provide refuge. If he wasn’t burning a stretch of the forest or prairie, then he raided the prison camps. The dragons and soldiers were forced to fend off the rogue dragon, and that gave the Nircanians the opportunity they needed. By the end of the second week, all the prison camps were nearly empty. A few days after that, the Caborcan army attacked the northernmost camps, allowing those Nircanians to escape while the Dagnorians dealt with the new threat.

  With every nation racing to Nircana to defend or war with Dagnor, this made the liberated Nircanians’ journey to the Rillis Moutnains more difficult, but not impossible. Several thousand Nircanians had reached the safety of the Rillis Mountains, with more arriving every day. They had already set to work on building weapons and war machines, readying the valleys and caves for when the armies came for them.

  With the armies converging on Dagnor to the north, it made it easier for Landon’s group to hunt and forage. Landon thought he would be excluded from these activities, but Sam insisted he be allowed to help. Landon’s hallucinations of Angen worried the doctor, and he feared his patient would lapse into nightmares. Landon had half a mind to inform Sam that he had been having those nightmares since the hallucinations, but he kept that to himself. No one coddled him, and he was put in charge of clearing and resetting the snares. Landon tackled this task with fervor, grateful for something to keep his mind off his family and friends’ captivity.

  All of this was nothing compared to Liliana. Determined to prove herself as Nircana’s first and only dragon rider, she scouted every day with Ti’Luthin and brought back reports of the armies’ movements. It was at great personal risk to herself since Dagnor didn’t know she had defected, but she did it anyways. She’d reported that the Dagnorians were strengthening the Town’s defenses and sending their dragons to slow the armies. The Lythrans and Maisans were coming as fast as they could, but it would be another week before their forces entered Nircana. Both the Menrian and Caborcan armies were two days from Town, with the Tsuregans close behind. She had also been able to confirm that Landon’s parents and friends were with them.

  It was with that news of the samurai army’s approach that Landon was in the tree. They were meeting Liliana and Ti’Luthin a mile from the army, and everyone was going. Johnston wanted to stick together, which meant Landon wasn’t going to be left behind. Him or the sword.

  “I want you to bring your sword in case something goes wrong,” he said, “but I’m not going to have you scout, understand?”

  Landon had agreed and here he was, hidden by the thicker boughs of the hycamore. He shifted on his branch, trying to relieve the numbness growing in his thighs and rear. He had been in the tree for over an hour already. He tore his eyes from the army’s glow and scanned the night sky for Ti’Luthin.

  His patience was rewarded. A dark, bat-like shadow flitted across the stars towards him. A second later, several owls and nightjars called to one another and twenty-one human shadows headed towards Landon’s tree. Landon began to climb down to the ground. It was a little difficult with his sword strapped to his waist, but he managed.

  Ti’Luthin landed with a dull thud as Landon’s feet hit the grassy turf. A few seconds later, the Nircanians appeared. Everyone crowded around the dragon, their faces grim.

  “Did you find them?” Landon asked, unable to keep the hope from his tone.

  Will shook his head. “The army’s too big and there’re too many tents to be sure where they are.”

  “I thought the Dayns would be in the center of the camp,” Ti’Luthin said in a dragon whisper, which was still loud enough to be heard by everyone, “closest to the king and his advisor, but that is not the case. I saw several tents with men standing guard, but there were ten of them and they were scattered throughout t
he camp.”

  Johnston snorted. “The samurai are clever, I give them that. How is anyone to know who is in which tent?”

  “Let alone if they’ve doubled them up or not,” said Rickins, foldering her arms and scowling. “They could have all the women together in one tent, or the Dayns in one tent, the Durns in another, and Myra and Morgan in one.” She shook her head. “I was hoping we could get them out tonight, but we’d be lucky to even locate them.”

  “We can still get them out,” Edwin piped. He squared his shoulders as every eye turned a questioning gaze on him. “We’re a small group and the samurai’d be expecting a large rescue party. We can sneak in, free them, and sneak out like we did with Landon and you,” he pointed to Temmings and Rickins. “They wouldn’t expect it.”

  The judges frowned, and Johnston began to pace. The others stepped back to give him room. “I don’t like it,” said the constable.

  “Same here,” Rickins agreed. “We don’t have the manpower to rescue them. I think it’d be best if we tail them, wait until we have more people, and when we know where Eli and the others are.”

  Landon took a breath, wanting to argue. Both Mr. Higgins and Mr. Giles’ faces twisted in resentment, but Liliana stepped forward. “With all due respect,” she said, “the longer we wait, the more Katsunaka will tighten his security. Three days ago, there were only four guarded tents. Now there are ten. Two days from now, there’ll be fifteen, or twenty, or how ever many guarded tents Katsunaka needs to tempt you.” She swallowed, color rising to her cheeks. “I suggest we get them out before it becomes impossible.”

  Temmings raised an eyebrow and looked to Rickins, impressed. “She does have a point, Deb.”

  “I still don’t like it,” Johnston huffed. “What if something goes wrong?”

  “What if something goes right?” Temmings countered. “We have more to gain by this spontaneous mission than waiting and planning. We may be few in numbers, but we’ve got to try. How many of us are there?”

  “Twenty-five, including Ti’Luthin,” Will answered. His eyes burned with determination. “And we know the sentries patrol in pairs and wear full suits of armor—minus the face guard—and armed.”

  “The soldiers in the area I observed changed shifts every half hour,” piped a peacekeeper.

  “My section was on the hour,” said Mr. Higgins.

  “The samurai must do it randomly,” said a female peacekeeper, “which may or may not be to our advantage. If we knock out the sentries and disguise ourselves in their armor, we’d be able to find the others in no time. Were there men moving around the camp?” she asked Ti’Luthin.

  “It did not seem too uncommon,” said Ti’Luthin. “Even with the lateness of the hour, I saw several groups of armored men walking together. There were usually four in each group. So long as you act as though you know what you are doing, you should have no problems.”

  Johnston nodded. “All right, we go by twos. Everyone is to stay with their companion, no matter what. I like Stephanie’s idea of knocking out the sentries and taking their armor. Make sure you wear their helmets, but not the face guard. That will draw attention.”

  “If they don’t have a helmet,” said Temmings, “you get one as soon as you can. Try to speak as little as possible and pray no one takes a close look at your faces.” He clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “Get into pairs and I will assign you positions.”

  Everyone erupted into quiet and eager whispers as they paired up with friends, couples, and partners. Landon stood quietly and watched as Will paired with Morgan’s father, and Sam paired with Mr. Higgins. His pulse increased as they discussed tactics. They were going to do it. It was a risky plan, but a plan nonetheless. Landon offered a silent prayer that the angels would be with them and that they would be successful.

  “What’d ya say, Liliana?” asked the female peacekeeper, sauntering over to Liliana. “Shall we infiltrate the army together?”

  Liliana grinned. “I would love to Stephanie, but I think I should go with Landon.”

  Every head including Ti’Luthin’s snapped towards her. “Excuse me?” said Rickins. “Landon has to stay here.”

  But even as she said that, Landon realized Liliana was right. “There’s an odd number of people,” he said, and had to struggle to hold back his delight. “Someone will be going alone.”

  Eyes narrowed and mouths opened, but no complaints issued from them. It was a mark of the Nircanians’ strategic intelligence that they knew he was right. Every face scowled as they realized either Landon would have to help, or someone would have to stay behind. The latter was not the best option. The more people in the Tsuregan camp the better. It took all of Landon’s self-control not to smile. As risky as it was, finally he was helping. Finally, he was doing something instead of sitting in a corner being miserable.

  “Why should you go with Landon?” asked Temmings. Landon knew he wanted to stick him with Johnston or another peacekeeper, but asked out of respect for all that Liliana had done for them.

  “Because if something goes wrong,” Liliana said, calmly, “then I can signal Ti’Luthin and he can get us out quickly. If we are to keep Landon safe, then a dragon is the best way to go.”

  “She is correct,” said the dragon. “Ten others can also ride on my back, and I can hold up to three persons in each hand.” He waved one of his forefeet for emphasis. “I can patrol the skies, keep watch, and,” he grinned, “I can cause a distraction if needed. Buy you time to get out of the camp.”

  Everyone looked at each other. “I do like distractions,” said Johnston. “What did you have in mind?”

  “I will think of something.” The dragon’s orange eyes glinted mischievously.

  He and Johnston began discussing timelines and possible landing spots while the judges gave last minute instructions.

  “Do not, under any circumstances, leave your companion,” Temmings said, meeting every person’s eyes. He held Landon’s gaze the longest. “If something goes wrong, get out of there. Our signal to identify each other in the camp is this.” He drummed his fingers on his hilt. “I noticed the samurai don’t fiddle with their hilts as other swordsmen do. Any questions?”

  There were none. Everyone understood what they had to do. Temmings bid them all good luck and angel-speed. As pairs began to slink away into the night, Landon turned to Liliana. Temmings was giving her some final instructions. He patted her arm when he finished and disappeared into the dark with Sam.

  “Thanks for helping us, Liliana,” Landon said. “You really are angelsent.”

  She looked at him and grinned. “You’re welcome. Shall we?”

  Landon smiled. “Let’s become samurai.”

  They passed through the woods in silence until they came to the camp. They hid behind a thick tree as two men came their way. Both men wore samurai armor, their faces exposed but difficult to discern. They walked through the trees, far enough from the edge of the light that their armor didn’t give away their presence, but still in sight of the outermost tent.

  “Step one,” Landon whispered, carefully drawing his sword so it didn’t make a sound. Liliana drew her dagger with equal silence.

  Landon and Liliana waited until the samurai had passed their tree before springing at them. Landon leaped for the samurai closest to him and smashed his hilt into the space between the helmet and the armor. The samurai grunted, stumbled forward, and fumbled for his sword. Landon swung the hilt again, striking in the same spot, and the samurai crumpled to the ground.

  Landon looked around and sighed with relief when he spotted Liliana standing over her samurai. She was already undoing the straps of the armor and putting the pieces aside. He turned back to his unconscious samurai and began to do the same. As he pulled off the helmet, his breath caught.

  It was Taichi. Landon hesitated, shocked that he had attacked a friend. He had expected to come across a few Tsuregans he knew, but not like this. As Darrin’s right-hand man, he had expected Taichi to be am
ong the tents, not patrolling the area. He thought Taichi was too important for that. Then again, Taichi had always put his countrymen first.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Liliana. She was pulling an oversized gauntlet onto her right hand.

  Landon started. “Nothing,” he said. He tore his eyes away from Taichi’s face and resumed removing the armor.

  Once the samurai were stripped of their armor, Landon and Liliana dragged the unconscious men further into the forest. To Landon’s relief, he didn’t recognize Taichi’s companion. They removed the samurais’ shirts and used those to tie them to a tree. Landon pulled off their socks, and with a whispered apology to Taichi, gagged them. He and Liliana turned towards the camp.

  “Step two,” whispered Liliana. She fingered the katana she had taken from Taichi. Landon had hidden the other sword in some nearby bushes.

  “Remember, you’re a samurai,” Landon said, just as much to himself as to her. “You’re of noble blood and it is a great honor to be a part of the Tsuregan army.” He squared his shoulders and strode towards the camp. Liliana followed, keeping pace with him.

  Landon’s concerns towards Taichi soon disappeared as he and Liliana made their way deeper into the Tsuregan army. For being the middle of the night, there were more soldiers awake than Landon thought. They tried to act as if they belonged there, but Landon’s breath caught every time they passed a group of Tsuregans lounging outside a tent. Both he and Liliana drummed their fingers on their hilts, trying to look without looking for the same signal. The further they moved into the camp, the more his anxiety built.

  “My lord, may I have a moment?” someone asked, and a man slipped in front of Landon. He was an old Tsuregan soldier, with a beard that looked as if a cloud had been stuck to his chin. His bald and liver-spotted head gleamed in the light.