Quillblade (29 page)

They were led behind the immobile guards and Lenis held his breath until they were well past. Once they were all behind the walls, the officials bowed and left the crew to make their own way into the palace. The stones beneath Lenis's feet were as straight and sure as if they had been laid only the day before. He followed the others up the steps and felt the weight of the palace rising above them. Within its walls resided the
imperial family of Shinzô. They were the soul of the country and, if the legends were true, they had been sanctioned by powers far older than humans, Bestia or Totem.

When they reached the top of the stairs the captain placed his hands on the lacquered doors and pushed. They swung open to reveal the entrance hall of the palace. The interior was lit by hundreds of candles lined up on tiers against the walls. The hall was empty, save for these flickering sources of light. The crew entered.

Captain Shishi gathered them all around him and whispered, ‘You must all wait here. Princess Anastasis will come with me as she has read the manuscript and delivered the dragon's egg to us. Master Clemens, you will also come and hand Seisui's egg to the Emperor.'

Lenis nodded, not trusting himself to speak. His palms were moist and his heart was beating in time with the flickering of the candles. Missy pulled him into her arms and he hugged her back.

‘Let us go.' The captain turned to face the doors leading into the inner sanctum of the palace.

They moved through many rooms. Lenis couldn't keep track of how many. Eventually they reached the simple paper screen behind which the Emperor waited. It was well past midnight and they had met no one on their way. The servants and courtiers must have long since found their beds. The number of candles had dwindled the deeper they travelled into the Emperor's home. Lenis tried to suck in more oxygen in a desperate bid to clear his foggy head and stay awake. The last thing he wanted was to yawn in the Emperor's face.

The captain touched his shoulder. ‘When we enter, kneel and place your face on the floor. Only when the Emperor has given his permission may you lift your eyes and look upon his person.'

Lenis nodded. He tried to swallow but there was no saliva in his mouth and it felt as if he were forcing shards of glass down his throat. Panic threatened to do what his will could
not, and break through the wall of fatigue that had formed around his thoughts.

The paper screen slid to one side.

Lenis threw himself on the floor and winced as his nose slammed into the reed matting. The pain roused him and banished all thoughts of sleep. Off to one side he heard someone laugh and then, a moment later, soft footsteps moving towards him.

‘Rise, Master Clemens.'

The voice sounded so like Tenjin's that Lenis looked straight up. Save for the brightly embroidered robe and the shallower lines in his face, the old man who greeted him may as well have been Tenjin. The Emperor's black eyes sparkled in the candlelight and his mouth was tilted at the corners in a warm smile.

‘Welcome, gentle one.' The Emperor spoke the common tongue fluently, and with less of an accent than the captain. Lenis stared and the Emperor gazed back. The old man chuckled. ‘I do hope my cat has not run off with your tongue!'

Lenis looked beyond the Emperor's shoulder and saw a small black cat curled up on a thick cushion. It winked at him and then abruptly went to sleep. The Emperor chuckled again.

The captain bowed low. ‘Emperor Botanichi, thank you for receiving us at this late hour. The crew of the
Hiryû
has travelled far and learnt much regarding the Wastelands and the Demons that infect it.'

‘Indeed, Captain Shishi,' a voice came from behind a screen in the corner, ‘I have been waiting for your report.'

The screen was pushed aside to reveal two people kneeling next to each other. One was Shôgo no Assen Chi, the Warlord's cousin and the women who had chosen the
Hiryû
's crew and asked the captain to steal the Warlord's new airship. The other was a small man with a wild mane of hair.

‘Lord Shôgo!' The captain bowed again, and Lenis fell to the matting once more, his heart beating faster. What was the
Warlord
doing here?

‘Have you taken good care of my new airship?' The Warlord's voice was even, but Lenis could feel his barely contained rage.

‘We have, my lord, though I am afraid the crow's nest may need some repairing and the deck is a
little
damaged.'

One of the Warlord's eyebrows rose. ‘Indeed? I trust you have returned with the artefact I sent you to retrieve?'

Why was he acting like they'd never stolen the
Hiryû?
Was it because he didn't want the Emperor to know? Lenis looked at the old man in the golden robe, perhaps the only thing holding the Warlord back from venting his anger at them for what they had done. If the Emperor had any idea how Lord Shôgo felt, he was giving no indication of it.

‘You mean Seisui's egg?' Captain Shishi asked. Lenis could feel the captain's own shock subsiding. He'd need a clear head to get them out of here.

‘Of course,' the Warlord snapped, his control over his anger slipping slightly.

The captain paused, and Lenis knew what he was thinking even without being able to read his mind. He could either conceal the truth now and give the egg to the Emperor later, or admit they had it and use it as a bartering chip with the Warlord.

‘We have, my lord.'

The Warlord nodded. He looked like he was about to say something, but then the Emperor cleared his throat.

‘I believe introductions are in order.'

Assen Chi rose smoothly from her position next to Lord Shôgo. ‘Certainly, Emperor Botanichi.' What was
she
doing here? Did the Warlord know the theft of his airship had been her idea? Lenis remained kneeling on the floor, trying to make sense of the political game being played out before him. Who was on whose side?

‘Emperor Botanichi,' Chi said, ‘may I present her Highness, the Princess Anastasis Greygori of Ost?'

‘Delighted,' Anastasis said woodenly, and curtsied. She looked every bit the princess in her Ostian court attire. She wore her usual flowing gown of crimson, and her brocaded taupe cuffs opened to reveal ivory lace ruffs. Disma sat on her shoulder, as always.

‘How do things stand in the capital, Lord Shôgo?' Captain Shishi asked before anyone else could speak. ‘I had not expected to find you here with so much of your fleet.'

The Warlord's eyes narrowed slightly, but he managed to keep his voice even. ‘We believe the imperial capital is under threat of a massive Demonic invasion. Assen Chi and I were just entreating the Emperor to leave the imperial city and make all haste to the safety of the Temple of Kichi in the mountains behind Nochi until the Demons have been repelled.'

The Emperor stroked his beard. ‘I am loath to leave the capital.'

‘Perhaps now that the
Hiryû
has returned with the dragon egg, you will not need to.' The Warlord held out his hand. ‘Give it to me, Captain Shishi.'

‘What will you do with the egg, Lord Shôgo?' the captain asked.

Lenis saw Assen Chi shake her head in warning behind the Warlord's back.

Lord Shôgo's eyes narrowed even further until they were nothing more than slits. His anger strained against his reserve. Lenis could feel the mammoth effort it cost him to hold it at bay. ‘I am the Warlord of Shinzô, Mayonaka Shishi. It is my duty to protect the Emperor and his people from the Wasteland Demons. The dragon egg is a powerful weapon. I will use it against the Demons
as I see fit.
'

The captain looked to the Emperor. The Warlord looked at the captain. Lenis was suddenly very aware of the crystal hanging around his neck, the source of all of this animosity. A light sweat broke out on his forehead.

The Emperor cleared his throat again. ‘Please excuse me, my lords. It is quite late, and I must retire. I will leave you to discuss the most effective way of repelling the Demons that threaten us all.'

Everyone bowed as the Emperor turned and left the room. Lenis had expected him to step in and settle things, to decide one way or the other who got to keep the dragon egg, but it seemed as though the ruler of Shinzô didn't want to interfere. Either he was truly ignorant of the tensions between the captain and the Warlord, or he was fully aware and didn't want to take sides.

Captain Shishi and Lord Shôgo eyed each other as the Emperor's footsteps receded down the hall. Neither spoke until they had faded completely.

‘Give me the egg!' The Warlord's rage boiled out of him, no longer restrained by the Emperor's presence.

Captain Shishi remained calm. ‘I will not hand Seisui's egg over to you until I know what you mean to do with it.'

The Warlord grabbed the front of the captain's robe with both hands. He looked up into the taller man's face. ‘Your father may tolerate your insolence,
Captain
Shishi, but I will not. You have already made a fool out of me with your impulsive theft of my airship. I will not allow your recklessness to endanger Shinzô any further. For the last time, give me the egg and then return to your father. Your selfish pursuit of adventure ill befits a son of the Mayonaka clan, much less the heir to Uchû domain.'

The captain smiled and spread his hands. ‘It is not in my possession, Lord Shôgo.'

‘This isn't a child's game!' The Warlord bellowed. Lenis looked from him to the captain and back again. He could feel the Warlord's impatience, his anger, and something else. Almost as if ... but surely ...

‘I have it.' Lenis hadn't meant to say anything. As the Warlord turned his gaze on him, he wished he hadn't.

Lord Shôgo let go of the captain's uniform and strode over to Lenis, stopping inches from his face. They were almost the same height. ‘Give me the dragon's egg, boy.' The Warlord tried to rein in his anger, but he couldn't hide it from Lenis. There was a time when Lenis would not have been able to stand in front of this man with his head held high, meeting his gaze evenly. Back then, if the Warlord of Shinzô had given him an order he would have moved to obey without even thinking about it. No longer. The captain had freed him of that compulsion on the coast of Heiligland. ‘These matters do not concern children.'

Lenis almost laughed as he finally recognised the undercurrent of the Warlord's emotions. Lord Shôgo, Warlord of Shinzô, was afraid. Lenis tilted his head to one side and considered the man. He was definitely an imposing sight. His face was deeply etched with lines that told of warfare and strife. His hands were firm, his gaze direct, his mane wild and almost Demonic in the dancing candlelight, and yet he was frightened.

Lenis suddenly noticed the Emperor's cat over the Warlord's shoulder. It was standing on its cushion, swishing its tail from side to side. There was something vaguely familiar about the way its whiskers twitched. And then, very slowly, the cat winked at him again.

‘You're wrong.' Lenis had wanted to sound confident, but his voice squeaked.

‘What?' the Warlord screamed, spittle spraying Lenis's face.

You must save my daughter.

‘I said you're wrong,' Lenis repeated, louder. ‘These matters
do
concern children. This is our world, too. We have to live with the Wastelands and the Demons, just like you do. The dragon's egg isn't a weapon to be placed in the hands of any one man, for the benefit of any one country. You might call her Seisui here, but the Blue Dragon has other names in other places. She didn't give her child to Shinzô alone. She's a gift to the whole world.' The Warlord's face darkened and his body went rigid, but there was no mistaking the terror hiding behind his rising fury. As Lenis stared into the Warlord's eyes he knew the source of the man's fear. ‘And if we have to sacrifice Shinzô to the Demons to protect the Blue Dragon's daughter, then I will.'

With a growl the Warlord grabbed Lenis's throat with both hands. Disma screamed. Captain Shishi leapt forward, but the Warlord's hold was already tightening, fuelled by the anger and fear boiling out of him. All Lenis could feel was
pity. It was Lord Shôgo's responsibility to defend Shinzô from Demons, and he was terrified of them.

Instinctively, Lenis threw his pity at the Warlord. Something clouded the man's eyes. The grip on Lenis's neck softened as the Warlord's thoughts turned inwards. Seeing his chance, Lenis wrapped his pity more tightly around the man. It was like what had happened during the battle with Lord Butin's men aboard the
Hiryû,
when the crew's fury had become a palpable thing Lenis could not only feel but also somehow manipulate. He wasn't strong enough to control their combined, unfocused rage, but he
could
handle his own emotions, and he knew exactly what he wanted to do with them.

Lenis felt his resolve harden as he reached out with this strange new power and wrapped the Warlord in a blending of his pity and the man's own fear. Just then the captain grabbed the Warlord from behind and wrestled him away from Lenis, unaware of the man's growing inner turmoil. Lenis was more than just aware of it. He had
created
it.

Propelled by the captain's hand, the Warlord flew across the room, and Lenis felt something new begin to grow in the man. He hadn't meant to lose control. Grimly, Lenis twisted the Warlord's shame and guilt as he hit the floor and began squirming.

Anastasis looked on mildly. ‘What's wrong with him?'

‘Let him go, Lenis.'

Lenis turned to look at the Emperor's cat. ‘No, Bakeneko. I can't.'

‘Let him go.' There was a hint of a purr running beneath the Lilim's words. ‘He can run from his own feelings for a time, but he will never escape them.'

Lenis remembered the pity he had felt for the man a moment earlier and realised she was right. He didn't have it in him to torture anyone. Still wondering how he had used his strange gift, Lenis pulled his senses back from the Warlord. The man stopped writhing.

Lenis eyed him up and down, deliberately. ‘If you have the courage to face the Demon threat, then join with us. If not, get out of our way.'

No one moved. The Warlord stared at Lenis for a long time. His face was ashen, his emotions still chaotic. Lenis was surprised that a portion of the man's fear was now reserved for him. No one had ever been afraid of him before. Lenis wasn't sure he liked it.