The Hearts of Dragons (12 page)

Minawë looked distraught
throughout Balear’s explanation, and she peppered him with questions. Rondel,
though, listened in silence. Only when Balear finished did she turn away from
his sword and eye him with fury. “Do you know how I broke my hand?” she asked.
“The Stone Dragon Knight attacked me in Serona. She almost killed me.”

Balear paled. That was
impossible!

Lightning Sight sparked
in Rondel’s eyes, turning her expression murderous. “I never thought she would
dare do something like this.”

Balear’s confusion
increased tenfold. “Wait, you know Hana?”

“Only a little,” Rondel said.
“I rescued her from some thugs about twenty-five years ago, but she was just a
regular Maantec back then. She couldn’t even fight. I never figured she would
become the Stone Dragon Knight, let alone attack me or kidnap Iren.”

“She didn’t kidnap him,”
Balear protested. He trusted Rondel more than he did almost anyone, but this
was absurd. “If she’d wanted to do that, she had plenty of opportunities while
we traveled across Lodia. He went with her willingly. She said that her teacher
might be able to help him regain his magic.”

Rondel’s brow furrowed.
“There aren’t many Maantecs who could teach a Dragon Knight. Did Hana say who
they were meeting?”

“She didn’t say his
name,” Balear replied, “but she said he lived at the southern end of the
continent. Shikari, I think she called it.”

Rondel spat. “So this is
his doing.”

Minawë spoke for the
first time in a while. “His?” she asked. “Who do you mean?”

“Melwar.”

“Who’s Melwar?”

“Katashi Melwar is a
Maantec lord about my age. His clan was second in power only to the emperor’s.
During the Kodama-Maantec War, he was Iren Saito’s best friend and closest
advisor.”

Rondel paced the room
twice. “This is bad. If Melwar’s behind this, then Iren is in terrible danger.
We have to follow him.”

“That’s crazy!” Balear
shouted. “You’d have to cross all of Raa. Hana said that would take months.”

“Which is why the sooner
we start, the sooner we’ll arrive. Whatever their purpose is with Iren, I doubt
Hana and Melwar will let him go now that they have him.”

Minawë nodded. “I’m
ready.”

Rondel cocked an eyebrow
at Balear. “What about you?”

“What about me?” Balear
shot back.

“Melwar isn’t a Dragon
Knight. At least, he wasn’t the last time I saw him. Still, he has impressive
magical abilities. If we have to fight him and Hana, we could use another
Dragon Knight.”

“In that case, look
elsewhere,” Balear said. “I’m no Dragon Knight, not anymore.” He gestured at
his missing arm. “I guess it’s karma. I always mocked Iren for being a Left.
Now I’m one too.”

Rondel shrugged. “What’s
so bad about being a Left?”

“You were born a Left. I
can’t fight with just my left hand. Even if Ariok’s sword is weightless for me,
I would be clumsy with it.”

“Amroth was the finest
soldier in Lodia,” Rondel pointed out. “He got there having to use his right
hand, his off hand.”

“Amroth was a Maantec.
You’re faster and stronger than humans. It was easy for him.”

“Easy?” Rondel retorted.
“You think it’s easy to learn to use your off hand? It doesn’t matter what race
you are, Balear. It’s no simple task.”

“That’s my point!
Besides, Amroth was a monster. Don’t you dare compare me to him!”

“As you wish,” Rondel
said. She shook her head. “I don’t have time to argue with you. Minawë, let’s
go.” She opened the door and let the Kodama exit first.

Rondel craned her neck
to look back at Balear. “Amroth was a monster,” she said, “but he was also a
master of war. He knew what it took to be a great soldier. Of all the members
of the Castle Guard, he chose you to be his companion and later his general.
What made you stand out to him? Think about it.” She shut the door and
disappeared.

For hours afterward,
Balear lay face-up on his bed. He stared at the ceiling with his hand tucked
behind his head. Night fell, and the room darkened. Even then, he continued
staring, and thinking.

Hana Akiyama glanced
with disgust at Iren Saitosan. He lay beside her feet, moaning. Hana sighed. At
least he’d stopped puking.

She couldn’t blame him
for his discomfort. She had created a void in the earth large enough for both
of them to stand and that held enough air for two hours. The space moved as
one, so those inside it could be in any posture. It was a fast and convenient
way to travel without all the nonsense of dealing with the hideous terrain
between Lodia and Shikari. All the same, it was disorienting for the
uninitiated.

Hana didn’t care. She
loved traveling this way. With the speed it gave her, she had delivered the
Burning Ruby to Lord Melwar within two days of killing Rondel, and she’d had
plenty of time to reach Lodia to intercept Iren.

She still couldn’t
believe how easy it had been to murder that crone. Twenty-five years ago,
Rondel’s power had awed her. Now that Hana had the Stone Dragon, though, no one
could stop her.

Well, almost no one. But
she was useful to Lord Melwar, and as long as that remained the case, he would
keep her alive.

She had proven her
capabilities to him too. Not only had she killed Rondel, someone even Lord
Melwar had been unwilling to confront, but she had convinced Iren to trust her.
He’d come with her by choice. With him in her possession, she and Lord Melwar
finally had a chance at achieving their dream.

Iren forced himself into
a sitting position. “How much farther?”

“Nearly there,” Hana
said. She knew the seemingly blind route by heart. “If you need to pass the
time, practice your Maantec. You’ll need it when we arrive.”

The young man frowned,
but he recited the vocabulary drills Hana had set up for him. He still couldn’t
read anything in the language, but he was doing better with spoken words. Every
so often Hana would ask him a question in Maantec to see if he could answer her
in kind. Most of the time he failed, but he managed one or two brief exchanges.

An hour past noon two
days after leaving Veliaf, they surfaced in the broken land of Shikari. Hana
shuddered as she took in the karst topography. Even though she’d spent years
training here, she’d never gotten used to the place. Jagged white crags dotted
the landscape, and most had entrances to at least one cave.

The ground was equally
pockmarked. Now that she and Iren had returned to the surface, they had to
watch every step to avoid the cracks. Most were just a tripping hazard, but
some were wide enough that a person could fall through them.

Iren looked as stunned
as Hana had been the first time she’d seen it. “Welcome to Shikari,” she told
him, her breath visible despite the bright sun overhead.

“Isn’t it summer?” Iren
asked. “Why is it so cold?”

“It’s summer in Lodia,
but we’ve crossed to the southern end of the continent. The seasons are switched
here. Shikari doesn’t get snow, but the rains this time of year are frigid and
make travel by sea almost impossible.” She paused. “Actually, we have that
weather to thank for this land’s safety. Armies can’t invade by sea, and the
broken terrain makes the region a natural fortress. Shikari was the only
Maantec territory that never saw fighting during the war a thousand years ago.
Because of that, it’s become a haven for Maantecs. It’s our last stronghold on
Raa.”

“If this is a Maantec
stronghold, where are the Maantecs? How do they live? What do they eat in this
wasteland?”

“There are patches
suitable for farming vegetables, and there’s so much water that the region is
great for rice. Other than that, fish makes up most of the diet. The ocean
surrounds Shikari on three sides.”

That made Iren smile. “I
love the ocean.”

Hana kept her expression
composed, but inside she was laughing. The boy was so innocent. It made him fun
to play with.

“You’ll love where we’re
going, then,” she said. “Hiabi, the capital and only city in Shikari, sits at
the southern tip of the continent. You can see the ocean in every direction but
north.”

They walked most of the
afternoon, taking in the austere landscape. Just before they came within sight
of Hiabi, though, Hana halted them. “Now pay attention,” she said. “The
Maantecs who live here aren’t like me, someone adjusted to living among humans.
They follow the old traditions. Their etiquette is more rigid than these peaks.
If you don’t conduct yourself with politeness, there’s no guarantee of your
safety.”

Iren groaned, which made
Hana scowl. “It’s no joke,” she said. “Maantecs value pride and respect. If you
insult them, even in ignorance, tradition might call for them to defend their
honor.”

“Grand.”

Hana smiled and touched
him on the shoulder. “If it’s any consolation, all you have to do is mimic me.
We’re both Dragon Knights, so we’re considered equals in Maantec culture.”

“Sounds good,” Iren
said. He took a few steps, but then Hana grabbed him.

“One more thing,” she
said, “let me do the talking. For now, you should speak as little as possible,
and only when spoken to. That will reduce the chances of you insulting
someone.”

Iren shrugged. “I’ll do
my best.” He resumed walking, but Hana snagged him again.

“One more thing.”

“What is it?” he asked,
rolling his eyes.

“Other than Lord Melwar,
don’t let anyone know you can’t use magic. Act like the all-powerful Holy
Dragon Knight. You can’t hide that katana from onlookers, and if word gets out
about your affliction, you’ll have countless challengers seeking Divinion’s
power.”

Iren’s hand leapt to the
Muryozaki. He clutched it to his side. “I’ll never let anyone take him,” he
declared.

He stepped forward, but
before his foot even reached the ground, Hana had hold of him. “One more
thing.”

Iren threw up his hands.
“How many ‘one more things’ are there going to be?”

“Unless you want to
start a fight, don’t touch that thing’s hilt like you did just now. Everyone
who can see you will take it as a sign that you intend to draw it, or worse, to
unleash Divinion’s magic.”

Iren smacked himself on
the forehead. “I hope I made the right decision coming here.”

Hana crossed her arms.
“Do you want to use magic again or not?”

“Of course I do!”

“Then come on. There’s
no other way.”

With a long sigh, Iren took
a step. This time, Hana let him go. They walked side by side until they rounded
a corner. When they did, Iren stopped in midstride, his jaw slack.

The reaction was
justified. Standing before them was the largest city on Raa since the fall of
Serona. Its stone outer wall stood twice as high as Haldessa’s, and its
footprint was five times as large as that city’s had been before its fall.

The wall hid most of
Hiabi, but the most important part was prominently visible: the central castle.
Instead of turrets and towers like a human castle, the elegant fortress rose in
sweeping levels with upturned roofs of black ceramic tiles.

Hana marveled at it.
Human architecture could never match the splendor of what Maantecs could build.
The castle carried the eye up with it, as though daring someone to gaze upon
its heights.

It was magnificent, yet
it was practical too. Invisible from this distance were the hundreds of arrow
slits, openings for dropping rocks or burning pitch, and archers patrolling the
wall.

“This is Hiabi,” Hana
said, “home of Lord Melwar.”

They neared the outer
wall’s gate, itself a massive stone structure. Two guards stood before it
carrying wooden poles longer than the men were tall. The staves crossed in the
center, and while the men might have looked imposing on their own, they were
purely for the sake of tradition. If an enemy had the strength to breach the
gate, these two men wouldn’t make a difference.

Hana strode up to them,
head raised. When they recognized her, the men separated their staves and bowed
low.

“My lady,” one of them
said, his tone of utmost respect, “welcome back to Hiabi.”

“I’m in a hurry,” Hana
said. She tossed back her hair with her hand. “Send a messenger to Lord Melwar
that I’ve arrived with Iren Saitosan, the Holy Dragon Knight. Should Lord
Melwar deign to grace us with his presence, I would be most appreciative.”

Iren looked at Hana like
she’d sprouted a third arm. She ignored him. He’d have to figure out the
details of Maantec hierarchies later.

The guard who had spoken
before bowed again and said, “At once, my lady.” He banged three times on the
gate. With a loud creaking, it split into two halves and opened outward.

The moment the gates
widened enough for her to pass, Hana swept through them. She moved so quickly
Iren had to jog to keep up.

Iren’s head swiveled as
they walked. The inside of Hiabi was like a much larger version of Veliaf. The
buildings stood a story taller than Veliaf’s, and the streets were narrow and
twisting.

The confusing design was
deliberate. If someone didn’t live here, they would become lost within seconds
of entering. For a force invading the city, it would mean certain death as
arrows rained from the buildings around them.

But Iren wasn’t looking
at the buildings. He was looking at the people. Thousands of them walked the
streets. It took him only a minute before his expression shifted from awe to
shock. Hana knew what he’d just figured out. These weren’t humans. They were
Maantecs.

“Hana—” Iren began, but
she waved him off with her hand.

“I thought I told you
silence,” she said.

Iren stopped in the
road. “Hey, you said the Maantecs value respect and that I shouldn’t insult
them. What about you?”

Hana whirled around and
grabbed Iren by the shirt. His hand reached for the Muryozaki, but before he
could touch it, she tugged on him and hauled him into an alley.

“The Maantecs do value
pride,” she hissed, “and because of it, they have a rigid class system. The
people here know I’m the Stone Dragon Knight, and Dragon Knights are among the
highest classes. In Hiabi, only Lord Melwar outranks me. I’m expected to give
orders, and so are you. Now listen. You’re strolling around the city gawking at
everything and following me like a lost pet. That isn’t how a Dragon Knight
acts. You need a commanding presence.”

“I’ve never commanded
anyone in my life,” Iren said. “How am I supposed to act like something I’ve
never done?”

“I don’t know, but
figure it out. Otherwise, any number of the countless Maantecs out there will
interpret your humility as weakness and attack you. Do you want that? No? Then
portray invincibility. Hold your head up and don’t look at all surprised by the
city, no matter how much it baffles you.”

They reentered the
street. Hana kept one eye on Iren as they walked. The young man tried to mimic
her confident posture. Hana could only hope the pitiful attempt would fool the
low-class simpletons around them.

Fortunately the throng of
people separated before them. Hana suspected it was more because of her
reputation than Iren’s.

That said, the crowd’s
size increased the farther they walked, and that was because of Iren. Rather,
it was because of his sword. Every Maantec knew that gleaming white katana.
More important, they knew who and what it represented, even if its owner
didn’t.

The more people they
passed, the more Iren’s posture deteriorated. Hana knew he must feel out of
place. Back in Veliaf, Dirio had given Iren a new tunic to replace the one the
Fubuki had damaged. No one in Lodia would have looked twice at him for wearing
it, but here it marked him, and Hana too for that matter, as outsiders.

Hana wanted to pull Iren
aside again, but the crowd was too thick now. The Maantecs pressed in, their
kimonos flowing in the city’s cool ocean breezes. Hana couldn’t wait to change
out of this stifling Lodian outfit and into something proper again. It had been
too long.

They reached Hiabi’s
castle keep without incident. Word of their arrival must have preceded them,
because the guards admitted the pair at once.

“Take off your boots,”
Hana ordered when the doors closed and shut out the commoners. “No one may wear
shoes inside.”

Iren didn’t look happy
about wandering around a strange castle with only linen stockings on his feet,
but he complied. Hana removed her own footwear, and they stood in the entryway
a moment before a man dressed in a black kimono came up to them.

The servant greeted them
with a bow. “My lady,” he said, “we received your message from the gate. His
lordship has set aside adjacent rooms in the south wing. I’ll show you to
them.”

“Will Lord Melwar see
us?” Hana asked.

The man sucked air
through his teeth. “His lordship is very busy,” he said, “but he states that if
you will consent to dine with him this evening, he will entertain you.”

Hana nodded curtly.
“Take us to our rooms then. I want to look presentable.”

The servant bowed and
gestured to his left. “This way.”

As they walked through
Hiabi’s keep, Hana took a long breath. It was wonderful to return to
civilization. She took in the trappings of a proper home with joy. Tapestries
and paintings on silk lined both sides of the hall, most of them nature scenes.
Several depicted birds so lifelike they looked like they might fly out of their
portraits.

They climbed three sets
of stairs before pausing at a sliding door. The servant bowed again, then opened
it. “This will be the Lord Holy Dragon Knight’s room.”

Hana took a glance
inside and said, “It will do. I assume mine is the one to the right?” She
pointed, and the servant nodded. “Good. You may leave us.”

When they were alone in
the hall, Hana told Iren, “I’ll get ready and then come help you. You shouldn’t
meet Lord Melwar looking like a barbaric human. Don’t leave your room.”