Voyages of the Flying Dragon (31 page)

The captain remained silent for a moment. ‘What is the catch?'

Karasu smirked, eyeing Kanu once more. ‘Bring this boy with you.'

‘Why?'

‘You will see when we get to where we're going.'

‘Captain?' Shin interrupted.

Captain Shishi nodded. ‘Very well.'

‘Captain!' Hiroshi cried. ‘We can take them all, I tell you!'

‘No, Mister Hiroshi.' The captain raised his arm to one side. ‘We have been offered a peaceful alternative to fighting. We shall take it. Stand aside, all of you. Allow Karasu and his … companions to leave.'

Karasu nodded. ‘Wise decision, Shishi.'

He, Chūritsu and the Demon Akandoji started walking again. Lenis grabbed Kanu's hand and pulled him to one side as Karasu approached. When they drew level, the mercenary looked Lenis in the eye and said, ‘You really are a remarkable Bestia Keeper, boy. I will remember you once this is done.' He turned to go but then paused. ‘A true master of his craft must first be tested,' he said over his shoulder. ‘Can your
Hiryū
catch my
Ryōshiryū
? Such a task would be a fitting trial for an airship engineer's skills, do you not agree? The winner shall claim the dragon's heart.'

‘What does that mean?' Lenis demanded, shaken.

‘If you can catch me you will be worthy of an answer.'
Saying no more, Karasu led his two companions out of the temple.

As soon as they were gone Lenis rushed towards the discarded stone, pushing Karasu's challenge to the edge of his thoughts. Finally, they had retrieved one of the stones of ebb and flow! For whatever reason, and Lenis had no doubt he
had
a reason, Karasu had given them what they had come for. As he knelt down to retrieve the stone, triumph surged through him, only to be doused as his hand closed around the long sought after orb. A large crack marred its otherwise smooth surface. It was broken.

‘Captain!' Lenis shouted, cradling the stone in both hands. ‘Captain, it's broken!'

They all rushed to where Lenis was kneeling, demanding to see the stone for themselves.

‘He tricked us,' Shin said.

‘After him!' Hiroshi shouted and took off out of the temple.

The others were quick to follow, their wounds and tiredness forgotten. To have come so close only to walk away with nothing … they would take their fury out on the Shinzōn mercenary! Lenis felt himself buoyed along by his crewmates' outrage. He drew it into himself, feeding his own anger, allowing it to burn away his fatigue. He found his own fingers twitching for a weapon he had never held.

And then they were outside, where Karasu was already
on board his airship, giving the order to get underway. But before them, barring their way and frustrating their drive for vengeance, was Akandoji the Demon.

Lenis expected the captain to attack immediately, as he had done back in the Wastelands outside of Gesshoku, where the captain had leapt up and decapitated Akamusaborikū in one swift motion. Either his encounter with that Demon had made him wary – not even chopping off his head had been enough to stop the Demon – or the captain was in a worse state than Lenis had thought, because instead he stopped and raised a warning hand to the others.

Akandoji laughed. It sounded like the gurgling of water over stones. ‘So, you are the mortals who bested Akamusaborikū?'

Lenis had been right. There
was
a connection between the two Demonic Lilim!

The captain crouched into a fighting stance, his sword held low but at the ready. ‘I am Mayonaka Shishi of the
Uchū no Shinpan-ryū
. Break off your horn and surrender to me.'

As Akamusaborikū had done before him, Akandoji threw back his head and laughed all the harder. This time it came out like a torrent. ‘Well,
I
am Akandoji, Demon of the Northern Isles and Servant to Lord Aitō the Water Demon, and I do not submit to the judgement of
any
mortal.'

‘Except for Shōgo no Akushin Karasu?' the captain countered.

The Demon looked over his shoulder to where Karasu's airship had just begun to lift off the ground. ‘Ha!' Akandoji muttered. ‘Me? Serve
him
? Foolishness!'

‘You serve Lord Aitō?' the captain pressed.

Lenis wondered why he was wasting time talking to the Demon. Every second they delayed gave Karasu a chance to get further away. Already it would take time to return to Haven, deal with the Brotherhood of the Nine-Tailed Fox, and then get the
Hiryū
in the air to give chase. What was the captain
thinking
?

Akandoji was considering the captain carefully. ‘What do you know of Lord Aitō?'

The captain replied, ‘I know that he was once the
Onishu
who brought tsunamis and floods to Shinzō. His tears could drown a whole village.'

‘Indeed!' The Demon chuckled. ‘I had misjudged you for a fool!'

‘I also know that Aitō has many names, and that his power stretches into distant lands.'

‘True! True!'

‘And that the only thing he fears in this world is Akuma, Lord of the Underworld.'

‘Yes,' Akandoji said with less enthusiasm. ‘All fear the King of the
Onishu
.'

Lenis's mind was working furiously. He didn't have his sister's head for languages, but he remembered Tenjin had once told him
Onishu
was a Shinzōn word meaning ‘Demon
Lord'. Something clicked into place. Akuma, King of the
Onishu
. Just like
Ishullanu, the Demon King
!

‘My crew and I,' the captain went on, ‘are on a quest to destroy Akuma.'

‘You
are
a fool,' the Demon scoffed. ‘His power is too great for any mortal to overcome.'

‘Perhaps,' the captain conceded, ‘but I do not see why a servant of Lord Aitō would seek to thwart Akuma's enemies.'

Akandoji took a while to process this. Eventually the Demon shrugged, tossing his gnarled hair about. ‘Neither do I, mortal. You may be a fool, but you are a wise one. You may go.'

The captain relaxed his stance, but only by a bit. ‘You will let us pass?'

‘Of course.' Akandoji gave another bow and waved his hand to one side, motioning for them to go ahead. ‘I sought only to delay you long enough for Karasu to leave. Besides,' he added as he straightened, ‘I'm not all that hungry for human flesh just now.'

‘Captain?' Shin asked, her eyes never leaving the Demon.

‘Return to the landcraft,' the captain said. ‘I do not believe Akandoji will try to stop us now.'

The Demon smirked. ‘Quite so.'

The others turned and walked around to the side of the temple, where the landcraft was waiting. Each of them kept their necks craned around so they could watch Akandoji
in case he tried to attack their backs. He remained where he was.

So did the captain. ‘Why are you working with Karasu?'

Akandoji looked to his left and then to his right, as if afraid of being overheard. It was such a human gesture that it made Lenis shiver. As alien as the Lilim were, there was always something
human
about them. It was unnerving, even more so when that Lilim was a Demon – a Demon that was also somehow
still alive
.

‘That man is also a fool, mortal,' Akandoji said in a stage whisper. ‘But he is a useful one.'

The captain paused for another moment before walking over to the landcraft. He didn't once look over his shoulder to ensure the Demon wasn't about to pounce on him.

‘What was
that
all about, Captain?' Hiroshi asked as they all mounted.

‘I am not sure, Mister Hiroshi,' the captain replied. ‘It seems there is even more going on in the world than I had suspected. Mister Clemens, please get us back to Haven as quickly as possible. We must try and catch up with Karasu.'

Lenis settled into the pilot's seat and started the engines. ‘I'm not sure I
can
find our way back,' he admitted. ‘Every direction looks the same out here.'

‘Can you not sense the Bestia as you did back in the Wastelands near Neti's temple?' the captain asked. ‘There are many of them in Haven.'

‘Oh, I forgot about that,' Lenis admitted and, feeling a little sheepish, he sent his awareness out into the Wastelands around them.

Missy stood at the entrance to Haven and stared out into the Wastelands. Not that she could see far, but she was determined to meet her brother as soon as he returned. They really needed to talk. Missy had to tell him that she was staying in Haven, that she was sorry, and that she didn't want them to be mad at one another when they parted ways. Dread filled her. She feared how he would react. Would he see this as just another attempt to claim power for herself? Would he look at her with those sad blue-green eyes of his?

She shivered. No. He would understand. He
had
to understand. It wasn't that she wanted to leave. There was no choice. Even with Suiteki at full power they would need more than one Totem to stand against Ishullanu and his Demon army. Even if all she wanted was to stay with her brother aboard the
Hiryū
, and the thought of leaving them tore her up inside, it didn't matter. She would do it. As her brother always said,
what wisdom forbade, necessity dictated
, or something like that.

Missy's resolve did nothing to ease her growing guilt, nor fill the hollowness opening up inside her. She was so caught up in her own turmoil that she hadn't noticed the sound of engines riding the wind. Her heart skipped in her chest. This was it. The time had come.

Only it hadn't. What she heard was not the engine of a landcraft, but those of an airship. Her body tensed. Who could it be? Leaving off her vigil, she raced down to the airdock. Ahead of her she could see the black-coated members of the Brotherhood coming out to greet the new arrival. Missy tried to tell herself to relax. The signal Bestia were lighting the way, so whoever it was had probably contacted Pog before coming in to land.

After what seemed an age, the airship settled into the berth next to the
Hiryū
. Missy recognised it immediately. It was the
Geschichte
, their lost escort. Ursula Klinge, the airship's captain, was at the railing before the vessel touched down.

‘Did they arrive?' she called as she came storming down the gangplank. ‘Are they safe?' Ursula caught sight of Missy and strode up to her. ‘You're all right! After that Demon attack I was wondering …' Her words trailed off as she took in Missy's appearance. She must have looked a sight. Tear-stained cheeks. Sweat-soaked clothing. Shivering like a
child
. What was it Heidi had always told her?
Gods don't get cold.
Ursula was frowning down at her. ‘You aren't Magni.' She sounded uncertain, as if she was asking rather than stating.

Missy shook her head, shame flooding through her. ‘I'm not Magni,' she began in a small voice, ‘but I can explain.' And she did, as fast as she dared. She told Ursula about Ishullanu and the
Hiryū
, and about Fronge and Heidi and the Quillblade, the words rushing out of her in her haste to
be heard and, she had to admit to herself, to justify what she had done. All the while Ursula remained unmoving, her brows pulled together and her mouth set. The crevices etched into her face seemed to grow deeper, too, casting her features into unreal lines of shadow. ‘We didn't have a choice,' Missy finished.

Ursula opened her mouth, then she pressed it close again. Finally, she let out a long breath through her nose and said, ‘You may not be a god, girl, but you move in some pretty divine company.'

Missy wasn't sure how to take that. When Ursula didn't say anything more, Missy ventured, ‘Are you mad?'

Captain Klinge looked grimmer than ever, but then she gave a bark of laughter and reached out to push a curl of hair back from Missy's face. Missy looked down, strangely embarrassed by the woman's gesture. ‘It's hard to be mad at someone who's trying to save the world. What's your name? Your
real
name?'

‘Misericordia Clemens. Missy.'

‘Well, Missy, I don't like being lied to, I'll say that straight up, but I've been flying long enough to know that the Demons
are
multiplying, and I've seen more than a few safe ports enveloped by the Wastelands. I don't fully understand what you're doing or what's going on, but I believe you when you say you were only trying to help. Way I see it, the Demons will come as you say, or we'll end up having to go after them. Either way, Heiligland needs a war goddess,
and since the real Magni seems to be hiding somewhere, I guess you'll do.'

‘Do you mean that?' Missy's throat was so closed up she croaked the words.

Ursula shook her head. ‘Demon's wings! You're just a child.'

Missy felt the tears prickling behind her eyes. She didn't know how to respond to the woman's kindness, but then Michael, the man who had first greeted them in Haven, started shouting, ‘They're back!' and she didn't have to.

He was pointing towards the entrance to Haven. Missy looked up and saw the landcraft pull into the crevice that marked the beginning of the ravine. Her brother was in the pilot's seat, looking haggard but apparently unharmed. She raced up to meet them and nearly dragged Lenis off the machine as she reached up to embrace him, choking on her sobs.

‘What's the matter with you?' Lenis mumbled. He was completely worn out.

‘I was so worried about you!' Missy cried. ‘Did you find it?'

Lenis sighed. ‘Not exactly.'

He held something out to her, and she took it from his hand. It was a smooth orb, marred by a single, savage crack. ‘What happened?'

‘Karasu.'

And then everyone was gathering around them, demanding explanations, shouting accusations. Missy ignored them
all. She only had eyes for her brother, who was so weary he could barely stand without her support. Pulling his arm around her shoulder, she began leading him towards the
Hiryū
. With a pang inside her chest, Missy looked back at Ursula, but Captain Shishi had approached the
Geschichte
's captain and was talking earnestly with her.

Lenis. Focus on Lenis.

She felt her burden lighten and glanced across Lenis's semi-prone body. Kanu had taken her brother's other arm. Together they got him up the gangplank, below decks, and into his bunk. He was snoring softly even before the Bestia clustered up and around him, welcoming their Keeper home.

‘I think I know now,' Kanu said.

The words caught Missy off guard. ‘Know what?'

‘I understand why I am here.'

Missy felt her heart catch for a moment. Not this
servant of Mashu
thing again. ‘And why is that, Kanu?'