Voyages of the Flying Dragon (10 page)

The Bestia's anger was shocking in its intensity. Never before under Lenis's care had they seemed so feral. Their tails twitched and their hair stood up all along their backs. Small flames danced at the tips of Ignis's fur, and Missy felt a breeze
growing at her back. The earth beneath her feet started to shudder, ever so slightly, and Lucis was generating more light than they really needed and was only getting brighter.

They're gathering their power
, Missy thought, awed by what she was seeing. Bestia power thrummed through the entire chamber, causing goosebumps to rise on Missy's flesh. Without machines to channel their energy, Missy didn't know if they could control it. She had never witnessed a wild Bestia exert this kind of force.

‘Where did you come from, Lord Shishi?' Karasu asked. The mercenary was projecting a calm demeanour, but Missy saw right through it. His muscles were taut and his eyes darted from the Bestia to the captain and back again. He was tense, not at all like he had appeared back in Fronge, when the numbers were in his favour. ‘What do you want?'

He seemed to have given up on his mockery, too. Missy decided that was probably a bad sign.

The captain spoke as calmly as ever, his composure unfeigned. ‘We want the stones of ebb and flow, Sir Karasu.'

Karasu's eyes narrowed and his right arm twitched, but Missy saw there was no way he could draw his oversized blade in the close confines of the chamber. It was a massive weapon, taller than the mercenary. It seemed unlikely he could even wield it. Missy had expected Karasu to turn and run, but he seemed reluctant to leave the chamber.

‘Delays,' Chūritsu muttered. He was standing behind Karasu's left shoulder, cleaning his glasses. The pick was
tucked into the crook of his arm. ‘Give him the stone, Karasu, and let us get back to work.' The mercenary looked to his companion, the corner of his upper lip pulled back in a snarl. Chūritsu seemed oblivious to Karasu's ire. ‘It's useless to us anyway.'

Karasu's snarl became a smile as he visibly relaxed. He turned back to face the captain. ‘Very well, Lord Shishi. A deal. I'm afraid I only have one of the stones of ebb and flow. I cannot tell you which it is, but you are welcome to it if you leave us here in peace.'

Chūritsu replaced his glasses and bent down to place the pick on the ground. He rummaged around in his bag and pulled out a dull grey stone. ‘Take it and go.' He sounded bored.

Missy knew the captain would accept. It was why they had come here, after all. That and to save Lenis. With Karasu busy in the chamber with the pillar, they could slip behind him and find her brother. Better to eliminate Karasu as an enemy now by removing the one thing that lay between them, that set them against each other. Captain Shishi might doubt Karasu when he claimed to have only one stone, but having one stone and Suiteki was better than having nothing but a powerless baby dragon.

Heidi still clung to Missy. With everyone speaking Shinzōn, the Heiliglander had no way of knowing what was going on. Missy knew she would recognise Karasu as the man who had sacked her town and murdered her people. What if
the sight of him shattered the mental blocks she had put in place to protect herself from her memories? They were still new. If they broke now, if Heidi lost control, there was no way to predict what she could do.

‘Forgive me if I doubt you,' the captain said, ‘but why would you give us the stone? What is it you do here?'

Karasu snorted. ‘What does it matter? You came for the stones I have. I have only one. Take it. Go and fight your war with the Demons.'

Heidi's grip on Missy's arms was solid. Her fingers didn't even tremble. Either she was completely numb, had inhumanly strong willpower, or her fury was operating on a level Missy had never known. Slowly, carefully, she pressed herself into Heidi's mind. Nothing. The girl was doing it. She was keeping herself together. And then Missy felt the slightest quiver run through Heidi's body. Cracks appeared in the girl's mind. A few stray images broke through. Red fire. Blackened skin. Missy panicked. A spasm went through her mind and suddenly Heidi's thoughts were clean again. Missy had somehow reinforced the girl's mental barrier.

‘One stone is not enough,' Captain Shishi pressed Karasu. ‘We need both.'

‘I do not have it!' The mercenary took a step forwards. Everyone tensed, including the Bestia. Small tendrils of flame erupted from Ignis's nostrils, and there was an audible crack in the air above Aeris. Missy drew away from Heidi's mind. She would deal with what she had done later. ‘You fall short
of your reputation, Lord Shishi. Even a fool, if in your place, would realise the other stone will be in a temple dedicated to Seisui, not Rinjin.'

Karasu's eyes flickered from the captain's face to the pillar in the centre of the chamber. Missy knew he wanted whatever was sealed inside, wanted it enough to give up the stone in his possession. What had changed, Missy wondered, since Asheim? What was the mercenary really after? She knew where the answers lay. Instinctively, Missy sent her awareness out towards him, leaving Heidi to hold up her body. But as she tried to peek into Karasu's mind she encountered the same blur of images she always saw when trying to read the captain's thoughts. It was as if he wasn't thinking about any one thing. Frustrated, Missy returned to her body. Whatever mental training these Shinzōn warriors went through, it made it impossible to scan their minds.

Missy was just wondering if she could somehow force her way beyond these surface thoughts into the deeper reaches of Karasu's subconscious, when there came a noise from the corridor behind Karasu.

‘What now?' Chūritsu asked, rolling his eyes.

The noise grew louder as whatever it was drew closer. Soon, Missy was able to make out the sounds of people struggling against each other. And then she heard someone call out, and her heart stopped for the space of three beats. Heidi and Karasu no longer mattered. Missy would know that voice anywhere. It was Lenis!

A moment later he appeared in the doorway behind Chūritsu and Karasu, held up between two of Karasu's warriors. He was fighting them, or trying to, but they had his arms pinned behind his back and there was little he could do against them.

‘We found him asleep in the vestibule,' one of the guards said.

The twins cried out in unison.

‘Missy!'

‘Lenis!'

Karasu glanced over his shoulder, and his smile grew wider. ‘Well, Lord Shishi, it seems as though I have found another bargaining chip. Your engineer, I believe? Bring him inside.' The last part was directed at his warriors.

The guards lifted Lenis and carried him forwards. As they moved through the portal and into the chamber, Lucis's light turned blue and grew so bright it was blinding. Missy screwed her eyes shut, then clamped her hands over her ears as a piercing crack tore through the chamber.

In the silence that followed, a deep, booming voice spoke.

KI'AM SU TARU INA KA HARSAG!

Lenis felt the words vibrating through his chest. He had no idea what they meant, but the guards had let him go in their surprise. Lenis dropped to the ground, using his empathic abilities to lead him as he crawled away from the guards and towards his sister. He could feel her more strongly than ever before – a beacon drawing him near. The blue light was so bright it was visible even through his eyelids. It reminded him of when Apsilla had spoken to him in his dreams, and the voice was like hers, too, but louder and more masculine. He could feel the power it contained. So intent was he on crawling through the confusion created by the radiance and the voice of … whatever it was that had spoken that Lenis bumped into something. Unwittingly, he opened his eyes. A shadow was outlined by the glow. It reached down to him.

‘Mashu?' The voice sounded human enough, though Lenis couldn't place the language. The light began to fade.
Without thinking, Lenis took the offered hand. As his vision cleared he saw that it belonged to a boy, shorter than himself but perhaps a bit older. He had black hair that seemed to hold onto the blue light as it faded, leaving behind odd highlights. His eyes were also a bright blue, but as the light faded they seemed to turn from blue to green and then settled into a light grey. His skin was very pale, a blue-tinged white Lenis recognised as chilled skin, but though the boy's hand was cool, it wasn't cold. There was something odd about his features, too. They were too sharp, his cheekbones too prominent, his brow too heavy, his hands larger than they should have been, his … Lenis realised the boy was naked and quickly looked away.

The others were staring at them, apparently stunned into silence. Lenis noticed the Bestia were all there, and they too were regarding him and the boy whose hand he still held.

‘Mashu?' the boy repeated, and Lenis knew it was a question, even if he didn't understand what it meant.

‘Rinjin?' Karasu stammered from behind them. Lenis glanced over his shoulder. The mercenary had dropped to his knees.

‘Rrr-in-ja-in?' The boy enunciated each of the syllables slowly, as if trying them out on his tongue for the first time.

‘Seisui?' the captain asked.

Again, the boy repeated the word slowly. ‘Say-soo-ee?'

Lenis could feel the boy's confusion. He wondered if Missy was trying to read his mind. Lenis looked quickly at
his sister. Her face was blank and she hung limply in a blonde girl's arms, mute evidence her soul had left her body.

Lenis turned back to the boy, knowing he wasn't Seisui and suspecting he wasn't Rinjin either. He didn't
feel
like a Totem or a god. Still, it was worth a try. ‘Apsilla?'

The boy's eyes went wide, the irises cycling from grey through green and back to blue. ‘Amaru la Apsilla.' And then, more urgently, ‘Amaru la Apsilla!'

Lenis sensed the boy's anxiety and tried to calm it. He sent waves of reassurance towards him. ‘It's all right. Everything's okay.' He soothed him as he would a frightened Bestia, keeping his tone steady and gently wrapping him in calm.

Keep going, Lenis,
Missy said suddenly into his mind.
I think I'm getting close.

Yami stepped up behind him, so softly Lenis didn't even notice him until he saw the swordsman wrap his own robe around the boy's shoulders. It was odd to see Yami in nothing but a loincloth. It distracted him, and in that moment Karasu stepped forward and grabbed his shoulder.

‘You will not –'

The boy let go of Lenis's arm and leapt at Karasu, so fast Lenis couldn't follow the movement. The mercenary was caught off guard and fell back as the boy advanced, hands held forwards as though he was going to rip into Karasu with his nails, which, Lenis noticed, were extremely long and black.

Without thinking, Lenis grabbed the collar of Yami's robe and pulled the boy back. Fast or not, he was no match for a fully armed Shinzōn swordsman. The boy complied without complaint, but the others were already in motion. Yami helped Lenis drag the boy back to where Missy was standing with the blonde girl. The captain and the Bestia moved forwards, forming a blockade across the chamber. It was only then that Lenis realised the ice pillar had vanished, leaving behind a curling strand of steam that rose up into the shadows above them.

In the confusion, Karasu had somehow managed to draw his imposing blade and held it level with the captain's chest. In the restricted space of the chamber the bulky weapon was more hindrance than anything, but its length gave him far greater reach than Captain Shishi's sword, and with that he had the advantage. ‘Give me the boy, Lord Shishi, and you shall have your stone.'

Lenis saw more of Karasu's warriors through the doorway behind their leader. He wasn't sure how many of them there were, but they could only enter the chamber a couple at a time and only then if Karasu got out of the way.

‘You know I will not do that,' the captain said evenly. ‘Give the stone to me, you have –'

Lenis felt Terra's power a moment before he released it. Missy gasped as the whole chamber shook. A second later a spear of rock thrust up from the ground in front of the captain's feet, knocking Karasu's sword aside. Another rose
up beside it, and then two more. In the space of half a dozen heartbeats, rock divided the chamber from floor to ceiling, wall to wall, separating the adversaries.

Lenis looked to Terra. ‘How did –?'

Missy answered before he could even finish his question. ‘It was him. The boy. Kanu. He asked Terra to help.' Clearly Missy had managed to read the boy's mind.

‘He spoke to Terra? He's a communicator?'

‘He's more than that. I think –'

‘Enough,' the captain cut her off. ‘We must go.'

‘But, Captain?'

‘No, Miss Clemens. We must hurry. It will take us most of the day to get back to Fronge. Karasu will be there sooner.'

Missy nodded and then bent her head to whisper to the girl holding her up.

Lenis looked over at the boy, who appeared even paler in Yami's black robes. Missy had called him Kanu. She must have pulled his name out of his mind.

The boy was eyeing him too. ‘Mashu?'

Lenis sighed and nodded. ‘Mashu.'
Whatever that means.

Kanu suddenly smiled and looked much younger for it. His nails didn't seem so long either and were more dark blue than black. His eyes were grey again, but Lenis also noticed his teeth were longer and sharper than those of a normal human.

Lenis's stomach rumbled and his legs felt wobbly. He hadn't eaten in almost a day, as far as he could figure. ‘I don't suppose anyone has any food?'

No one did, so there was nothing for it but to begin the trek back to Fronge. Lenis hoped they could get there before Karasu.

Missy had never felt this tired before. She and her brother had embraced back in the chamber, and it was a relief to have him by her side again, but her body and mind were too worn out to take any real pleasure in his company. They were all tired, Missy knew. Lenis had to carry Atrum, who was breathing in short, shallow gasps, and Heidi seemed far too calm and composed for someone who had just encountered the man who had slaughtered her kin. Somehow, Missy had strengthened the wall in Heidi's mind. It had probably saved the girl's life, may even have saved all of them, but she felt bad about it all the same. It wasn't up to her to fiddle around with other people's thoughts, and there was no way to tell if she'd done any damage in the process. Not now. Not here. Maybe after she got some rest she could speak with the Heiliglander, try to explain, and then together they could see about taking the wall down. If Heidi even wanted it gone. Maybe she wouldn't ever want to remember what Karasu had done to her. Not the details, at any rate.

The only one who seemed to be okay was the strange boy with the blue-black hair. Missy had managed to pluck his
name out of his mind, or at least what she assumed was his name, but Kanu had been too confused for her to get a clear image of what he was thinking.

One thing had been perfectly clear, though. He had known the Clemens twins instantly. He somehow recognised them. Mashu, he had called them, but what did it mean? Was it just a coincidence that he had emerged from his icy cocoon as Missy and Lenis were brought together in the chamber? Surely he couldn't have been waiting for them?

Missy felt a shudder run down her spine. It was too much effort to keep thinking. Whatever Kanu was, he wasn't a threat to them. She saw the way he had lunged at Karasu when the mercenary had grabbed her brother, and the delight in his face when Lenis acknowledged the fact that he was Mashu, and again later when Missy had as well. Whatever Mashu meant, it was important to the boy.

Missy wanted to ask him about it. She wanted to talk to her brother about what had happened in the chamber, about how the Bestia had responded to the boy, and what Lenis believed Karasu was up to. But there would be time for that later, once they had returned to Fronge and gotten something to eat and some sleep. And after she had spoken with Heidi. And after they had dealt with Karasu.

The hours passed in a daze. Missy's brain was numb, her mind frozen into inaction by lack of sleep. She barely noticed when they reached Terra's tunnel and had to crawl back through. A part of her rejoiced at the fact they were
almost home. Home? The word seemed to float through her thoughts. She liked the sound of it, the
roundness
of the word, and she loved that when she thought it she saw an image of the
Hiryū
.

They emerged from the mine into the afternoon sunlight so suddenly that Missy was blinded. There were people everywhere around them, all talking at once. Missy couldn't separate thoughts from words. She blinked to try and avoid the brightness but found she couldn't open her eyes again. She felt hands touching her gently, lifting her up. Familiar smells tickled her nose. Sweat, and smoke, and wool.

‘I think she's already asleep.'

Missy felt the words vibrate under her cheek. It took her a moment to realise they were in Kystian.

Lenis was somewhere in the dark. He sensed he was safe, but many hands were grabbing at him, pulling him further into shadow, away from the glowing light of the torches. Something gripped his neck. Claws sank into his flesh …

Lenis gasped and woke up. ‘Suiteki!'

The baby dragon screeched in distress. She must have been sleeping on his chest and was startled as he fought his way out of his dream, clawing at him to keep from being thrown off. It took him only a moment to realise he was back in his bunk on the
Hiryū
, and another to satisfy himself that his Bestia were all nearby.

Atrum was curled up by his side. Lenis's violent waking hadn't disturbed him. That was a bad sign. The Bestia's shivering had subsided, but Lenis could sense he was utterly exhausted. The others were fine, and their water dishes and food bowls were filled in their hutch. Hiroshi must have topped them up. The cook was slowly getting used to the Bestia's dietary requirements, though he still had a tendency to put too much meat in their food.

Lenis lay back down. A bit of extra meat wouldn't do them any harm after the ordeal they had just been through. Still, he knew he should get up and check on them. Besides, for all he knew, Karasu had visited some even more horrible punishment on the people of Fronge while he and the others were traipsing through the tunnels under the temple. Then there was the mystery of Kanu, the boy in the ice. Lenis wanted to talk with him, and for that he was going to need his sister.

Lenis coughed and felt a jab in his ribs. His nose was all blocked up, too. It appeared he hadn't escaped his adventure unscathed after all. Everything just seemed too hard. He closed his eyes and went back to sleep.