Invasion and Dragons

by Jekka Jones

  Myra clicked her tongue angrily. “Of course. I’m not abandoning you, so stop acting as if I will.”

  Landon smiled weakly. After almost being burned alive and watching him throttle a dragon, Myra Higgins still wanted to marry him? It was enough to make his head spin. “You really are angelsent,” he said softly.

  She smiled and kissed him again, softer this time. They didn’t say anything more to each other; there wasn’t a need to. Landon took her hand and they continued. They skirted to the other side of a hill and stopped.

  Landon felt like his hope had been ripped from his chest and burned. They could see the forest, the dark boughs peeking above the glowing hilltops, but an army stood between them and safety. It sprawled before them, nestled between the hills and right up to the treeline. Campfires burned, illuminating dark shapes moving amongst the tents and scouts on horseback patrolling the hills. Even from that distance, Landon saw them watching the skies and grassland for dragons or humans. He and Myra lowered themselves to their bellies to study the situation.

  “Right in our way,” Myra whispered angrily. “Of all the places to put themselves it’s right in our rat-cot-pickin’ way.”

  “I wonder which nation it is,” Landon said. Lying on his belly made him sleepy, and he rubbed his eyes to stay alert. “I can’t see a flag.”

  “They’re probably not posting one for secrecy,” Myra said. She huffed. “Okay. We can go around, or try to go through and pray the angels will hide us.”

  “Let’s go around,” Landon said. “We have no weapons, except for that thing. We still have time before dawn. All we need to do is stay on the far side of the hills and no one will spot us.” Landon carefully got on all fours and then his feet.

  “Hopefully.” Myra muttered, shifting her arms and legs to rise.

  A horse snorted not too far behind them. Myra clamped her mouth shut so fast Landon heard her teeth click. He threw himself to the ground, a grunt ripping from his throat as pain flashed through his body. He turned his head and saw a rider standing on top of the hill. The rider’s head turned to peer at the shadows where he and Myra cowered.

  Neither breathed. Landon’s heart pounded in his ears, betraying his location. The rider looked around and then nudged his horse down the slope towards them.

  Landon silently swore, asking Jeshua why He would save him from Sri’Lanca only to get caught crawling on his belly. Fear flooded his senses, and he looked at Myra. Her eyes met his, the whites shining as brightly as the moon above. A desperate idea came to him, not to save himself, but to save her and Nircana.

  “Myra, go,” he whispered. She tried to speak, but he kept talking. “Take the Seal and go. They’ll stop for me, and that will buy you time to get to the forest.”

  “I’m not leaving you, you dolt!” she hissed.

  “You have to go, Myra! If they get the Seal then it’s over for Nircana, and us. I can’t—”

  Myra clapped her hand over Landon’s mouth. She lay next to him, pressing her body against his as if the grass would hide them both. The horse and rider were halfway down the slope. Landon felt the hooves thud with each step. He slipped one hand into Myra’s and clenched, trying to convince her to run.

  The rider halted a few feet away. The saddle creaked, and two boots thudded on the ground. They came slowly towards them. Myra swallowed, her body quaking against his. Landon screwed his eyes shut, praying as hard as he could for their bodies to be mistaken for rocks.

  “Landon?”

  Landon jerked, and Myra sobbed, “Juan!” She jumped to her feet and threw her arms around the Caborcan. “It’s you! I can’t believe it’s you. What are you doing here?”

  “I can ask the same to you, Myra,” Juan replied good-naturedly. “How did you escape from Darrin’s evil clutches?”

  “Landon rescued me,” said Myra. “He and a group of Nircanians infiltrated the samurai camp and then wreaked havoc so Landon’s parents, Morgan, and I could escape—at least, we hope they escaped.” She cocked her head. “Have you heard anything about that?”

  Juan shook his head. “If my king knows he hasn’t allowed the word to spread.”

  “I wouldn’t put it past them to keep it secret. The samurai hate looking like fools,” Landon said, getting to his feet. It was painful, and his head swam, yet he managed to stay upright. He watched Juan, amazed that of all the soldiers crawling across the prairie it was his friend who found them. “What are you doing, Juan?”

  “Scouting,” Juan answered. “It’s my punishment for helping you out of Tsuregi. King Guiterrrez stripped me of my title and made me a scout. It was as good as killing me but without the public fiasco or losing my father’s support.”

  Landon gaped at him. “Juan, I’m . . . I’m sorry. I didn’t want that to happen to you.” He may not have understood nobility, but he knew titles were very important to them, especially to Juan.

  To his surprise, Juan shrugged. “It’s not your fault, Lan. It hurt, yes, but now I can better help you.” He peered at Landon. “Goddesses, you look terrible.”

  “So do you,” Landon responded without thinking. Juan laughed.

  “Obviously you were the reason we saw hundreds of dragons heading north two hours ago. What happened?”

  “Oh you know, a dragon decided to attack me and destroyed a forest to do it,” Landon rolled his shoulder and groaned. “If you want the details we can provide those once we find a place to hide.”

  Juan nodded. “I know a hideout that your people use. I can get you there without being spotted.” Juan grabbed his horse’s reins and brought it closer to them. “Myra, why don’t you take the saddle and I’ll help Landon up behind you.”

  Despite his fatigue, Landon gave a delightful whoop. “Angles bless you, Juan. I’d probably die if I sat in that thing!”

  “You’re just a pansy because you couldn’t get up the first time, Lan,” said Myra, putting her foot in the stirrup. “It can’t be that hard.”

  She hoisted herself up and would have slid off the other side if Juan hadn’t been ready to grab her. He pushed her upright in the saddle. “See?” said Myra, tossing her messy braid over her shoulder. “Piece of pie.”

  “Only because Juan caught you,” Landon said, grinning. It disappeared as soon as Juan helped him up. Both muscle and bone were dead weights. Pain rippled through his back and chest, confirming that he had sustained some fractures. Juan was forced to lift, and Myra had to pull him up, almost slipping out of the saddle again. Landon tried to settle on the horse’s rump, but he felt like he would fall off. The same thought crossed Myra’s mind because she wrapped his arms around herself and gripped them.

  “Hold onto me as best you can,” she said over her shoulder. “I promise I won’t let you fall.”

  “Gladly,” said Landon, kissing the back of her neck.

  To the gentle tug of the reins, Juan led his horse around the far side of the hill. Landon’s body hurt, but not as bad as other experiences he could remember. If anything, it helped push away the persisting fear and grief that plagued him. He still couldn’t believe that Sri’Lanca had turned tail and fled from him.

  “How in the world can anyone ride in this cowhide box?” Myra burst in a loud whisper. “Am I even riding a horse?”

  “Myra, quiet!” Juan snapped. But she repeated her displeasure at the saddle under her breath, using many colorful phrases. Landon enjoyed hearing her complain. It distracted him from the dangerous situation he was once again putting Juan into. He didn’t want Juan to be discovered helping them, especially if the king had reduced him to a common soldier.

  Juan led his horse far behind the hills, almost a mile from where he had found Landon and Myra, and then turned back towards the forest. The sky slowly changed from black to a deep midnight blue. By the time they reached the edge of the trees, the sun was beginning to peak above the foliage. As Myra suspected, a good portion of the forest had been cleared for wood and camp space, forcing them to travel further than normal. They had g
one a mile into the trees before Juan halted.

  “Here it is,” said Juan, walking forward and slapping a large, unremarkable boulder. “I’ll see if I can bring you some food and water. There is a spring a couple yards to the east of here, but my people know about it and use it all the time. I don’t recommend getting water during the day.”

  “If you have a spare canteen, I’ll get some,” said Myra. She started swinging her leg over the horse’s neck and lost her balance. She clawed at the saddle, but her efforts did not save her from falling into a crumpled heap. She picked herself up, snarling insults. Landon wanted to laugh, but his body hurt so much that remaining conscious was in and of itself a chore.

  “It’s your fault!” said Myra, brandishing a finger at Juan’s horse. It craned its neck around to give her a reproachful look. “I have never fallen off a horse until I got on you.”

  “Kindly do not blame my horse,” said Juan, helping Landon to the ground. “It’s not his fault if you can’t handle a saddle.”

  Landon staggered to the boulder. He had used this hideout a couple years ago when he had been caught in a terrible storm. He put his shoulder against the rock and a foot against a mound of dirt. Ignoring his protesting body, he pushed. The boulder shifted in the soft earth, revealing a gap large enough for a man to slip through. He turned to Myra and bowed, sweeping his arm towards the entrance.

  “Ladies first.”

  Myra frowned at him but entered the cave. Juan followed, helping Landon move the boulder so it was cracked open.

  The cave had been used before. Piles of straw surrounded a small fire pit. Stacked against one wall were a couple pots and platters, stashed in the cave for fleeing Nircanians to use. Landon went straight to one of the straw piles and sank into it. The stiff and itchy stems were a welcomed relief to the long day, and night, of running. Myra and Juan joined him.

  “So,” said Juan, grinning at the two. “Tell me about your dragon fight.”

  “Don’t you need to return to scouting?” asked Myra.

  “I have a few minutes to spare.”

  Myra began telling their story to Juan, and Landon let her, mostly to hear how she had escaped from the tree she had been stuck under. She explained that she had been trapped until the wood had burned enough for her to break free. She had burned her legs and hands in the process, but nothing too serious. In order to get to Landon, she had to follow the fire until it thinned enough for her to run through safely. She then double-backed in time to see Landon pick up his sword to fight. She told Juan how Sri’Lanca had destroyed the katana, and then Landon had used the Seal to subdue the dragon. She didn’t tell Juan where the Seal was now, and he didn’t ask. Landon would’ve fallen asleep if it hadn’t been for his emotions. The anger and grief he had felt when Sri’Lanca had fled still boiled inside him, combating his fatigue.

  “How’d you know about this place?” asked Myra, gesturing to the hovel.

  “I sometimes spotted the Nircanians as they were passing through,” Juan answered. “I usually ignored them, or distracted other sentries and scouts so they wouldn’t be spotted. After several days, I found a note tied to my horse’s tail, thanking me for my help and a small map of several hideouts in the area. I admit I was surprised that they would trust me so easily.” He looked at Landon. “The only time anyone has trusted me with vital information was your parents and the Wizard’s Seal. I continued to turn a blind eye to your people until the general transferred me to the prairie. He suspected I wasn’t being entirely honest with my reports.”

  “Were you?” said Myra, a hint of a smile on her face.

  Juan gave a mischievous chuckle. “Of course not. I told the general I saw nothing but rabbits and deer, and because none of the other sentries saw anything, he had no proof but a hunch. One thing I appreciate about my king is that he needs good solid evidence before he will carry out serious punishments—which is why I’m a scout and not in a grave. King Guiterrez had nothing but Takeshi’s word that I helped you out of Tsuregi.” Juan pointed at Landon. “Morgan flat-out denied his involvement once they found him.”

  “How did they find Morgan?” Landon asked.

  Both Juan and Myra snickered. “A servant found him snacking in the larder and locked him in,” Myra answered. “He swore by every oath imaginable that he had been eating the whole time the Tsuregans were looking for him.”

  Landon was about to ask how Myra knew but then remembered she had been Darrin’s prisoner too. They probably had been kept in the same tent at one point, and Morgan had told her what happened.

  “Of course,” Myra continued, “Darrin didn’t believe him, but that’s Darrin for you.”

  Darrin. The name sent a shock of fear, and Landon sat upright. “Juan,” he said urgently, “Darrin’s a Seer.”

  Juan blinked at him and frowned. “That can’t be. . . . Are you sure?”

  “It’s true,” said Myra. “We got caught in a brawl between the samurai and the Borikans. After it was over, we saw Darrin have a vision. He saw Landon in a burning room.”

  “Did you know he was a Seer?” Landon asked, remembering that Juan had trained with Darrin for a few years.

  Juan was silent for a few seconds, his face hidden by the dark. “No. But many things make sense now. A lot of the trainees wondered why Darrin was still the king’s advisor despite so many failed missions to retrieve the Dayns. Any other advisor would have been dismissed after the first few attempts. I thought it was strange that all the Tsuregans thought highly of him, even the older Samurai Masters.”

  “Do you think that’s why it took so long for my parents to be rescued?” Landon asked. “Darrin, Sayre, and Niklas were having visions of each others’ movements and that allowed them to thwart the other’s plans?”

  Juan nodded. “Yes, I think that’s exactly what happened, Lan.” He then muttered something in Sikhan.

  “What’d you say?” asked Landon.

  “Just wondering if I should tell my king, and if so how I can do it without revealing I’ve been talking to you.” He eyed Landon. “Did you get a chance to read the treaty?”

  Landon nodded. “The most it said about Seers was that they aren’t allowed in Nircana or anywhere near my family.” He frowned. “It didn’t say anything about requiring Seers to come forward and reveal themselves.”

  Juan swore. “That’d be Kastunaka and Darrin’s doing. They’d want to keep it secret, or else they’d lose the Dayns. Goddesses, this will be difficult.”

  “How so?” asked Myra.

  “The Tsuregans are joining our army,” Juan replied. “Them and the Lythrans. By tomorrow evening, this entire area will be swarming with three armies.”

  “And I’m under their noses,” Landon added softly. “The means to their victory.” He shuddered.

  Juan nodded solemnly. “I’ll try to keep an eye on Darrin and let you know if I overhear any more visions from him.”

  “Thank you, Juan,” Myra whispered. “Thank you for helping us.”

  The Caborcan rolled his shoulders indifferently. “I wish I could do more, Myra, but I can’t without getting caught. Our cooks and medics keep a tight inventory on our supplies.”

  “Getting us here is more than enough,” Landon assured him. “We can take care of ourselves, don’t worry.”

  Juan smiled and got to his feet, brushing dirt and leaves off his uniform. “I need to be going, especially before my horse wanders off. I have some food with me right now, and an extra knife and cloak. Let me give you those—and the canteen. Unfortunately, it’s almost empty, but I can fill it at the spring for you.”

  “No worries. It’s still early and I didn’t see anyone moving about.” Myra got to her feet. She waited until Juan had left the dugout before turning to Landon. She pressed the bundled Seal into his hand. “You stay here and heal whatever is wrong with you,” she said seriously.

  “Myra, I’m fine.”

  “Shut it, Lan,” she snapped. “I saw some of those swipes you took, and i
t’s a downright miracle you can still move. I want you to start healing any broken bones you have. I’ll be back in a tick.”

  “Myra, it can’t fix broken bones in an instant. I destroyed the poison in your lungs, not healed them directly,” Landon said, but she had already left. She and Juan bid each other goodbye. He heard the saddle creak as Juan mounted, and the horse took off for the camp. Landon couldn’t hear Myra, but that didn’t surprise him. Like any Nircanian, she could move silently through the forest if she wanted to.

  Landon sat. The wrapped Seal weighed heavily in his hands, burning through the cloth. It seemed hotter than usual, as though desperate to reach him and take over his consciousness like before. He put it on the ground as far as his arm could reach.

  He sat, listening to the crickets and rising bird song as morning drew near. Landon played over the fight with Sri’Lanca and everything that had happened after. His emotions were a tumultuous mess of grief, shame, and anger, but it wasn’t as strong as before. It was like his mind and soul couldn’t take it anymore and was growing numb to it. Every so often, he felt a surge of shame, like a bird making a desperate dash for freedom, and then it abated. His body wasn’t much better. It ached, and pain stabbed through his chest with each breath, confirming that he had serious injuries. He paid little heed to the pain. He sat in silence, observing his emotions but not analyzing them.

  A soft rumble caused him to look up. Myra slipped into the hovel and rolled the boulder into place. She had a canteen slung around her shoulder and a lumpy bag under the other. Myra put those down and frowned at Landon.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, sitting next to him.

  “Resting.” He answered. “What’s in the bag?”

  She followed his gaze. “Some blankets, medicine, and a little food. Juan said that’s all he can give us without raising questions.” She turned back to him, searching his face.

  Landon returned her gaze, knowing what she was thinking. “It doesn’t heal, Myra.”

  “To hell with that!” she said, annoyed. “I hate it just as much as you, but it’s our best option, Lan. I don’t care if it’s slow-going, you need to heal your bones.”