The Dragon Knight and the Light Read online

  I liked to visit the pagoda temples at my leisure. Contrasting from my side of the world, temple services did not take place twice a day for three days of the week, but once an evening for six days of the week. Each day would focus on a single god and their teachings, with each temple dedicated to a specific deity. The lower half of a pagoda temple resembled intimate theater stages with three tiers of balcony seats. The upper half functioned as a home and workplace for the priests and priestesses. With the sermons sounding alien to my ears, I went in and prayed on my own time.

  On this day Gerard and I visited the temple of Ylsuna as everyone else listened to an oration in the Dethorm temple, the stone god and champion to the minotaurs. Behind the small altars of these temples were human representations of the gods. I was fairly certain there existed a vague passage about the gods not wanting such imageries, but some cultures believed any flattering imagery was excused from their ire. Indeed, hanging in the Diamond Palace were several masterful paintings of the gods masquerading as humans. The ones here were fifty to sixty foot tall statues made of pure-colored stones.

  Like her fellow gods, Ylsuna was at least characterized beautifully. Her unrestrained hair wrapped around her naked body, acting as her only shroud for her most feminine areas. One of the goddess’ arms reached for the closed off sky she looked up at, her palm ready to push her celestial exemplification upward. I wanted to break the roof and get it for her.

  Seeing no one around to direct us, I took it upon myself to sit by a low bench near the statue’s pedestal. Here I expended some time going through my prayers. Including it with the usual requests, I asked Enir to grant extra luck to Ghevont during his procedure. Not putting it past the Advent to attack us in a temple, I watched over Gerard as he privately prayed for what was important to him.

  A few moments into his supplication, soft footsteps came down the wooden staircase. I looked up to see a young woman with short black hair, a light blue skirt, and a silver cloak moving their legs at a swift walking speed. When her feet became visible, I noticed that her steps were so light due to her wearing nothing but thick white socks over her feet. They looked as though one could slip on them even if they happened to be sitting down.

  She said something in the Wregor tongue, but at the bottom of the stairs she discerned that we were not citizens of her country. She gasped and said, “Oh!” at the same time. “Excuse me,” she continued, bowing. “You must be the emperor’s guests. Forgive me, I-I did not mean to presume that you understood me.”

  “It’s all right, really,” I said. “You are a priestess of Ylsuna?”

  “Yes, madam.”

  “You speak with royal blood, miss,” corrected Gerard.

  “Royal blood? Then you are the princess herself? Ah! Forgive me again, ma-madam. I mean Highness! Your Highness!”

  I motioned for the priestess to have a seat in one of the front row pews. “Again, you’re quite forgiven. What’s your name?”

  Taking the seat and a breath, she answered, “Taruko Inoue, Your Highness. I’m sorry you found this place unattended. We do not normally expect to see worshipers during the sermon of another god. Did you need anything?”

  “No. We were only here to pray for the gods’ favor, though I suppose asking for a priestess to pray for us would not hurt us any.”

  “No, of course not. I will gladly beseech them as well, but if anyone’s voice will ring loudly to the gods, it’s the Crystal Princess of Alslana.”

  “The destiny of my bloodline may be on a grander scale, but as I’m certain you’ve learned, we must never presume to know which voice the gods find most pleasing. Unless you are earnestly doubting your calling as a priestess, then do not forget you are here to guide peasant, princess, and emperor alike. I loathe those who insist on being subservient in the very professions they dedicate their lives to. Does Ylsuna have a tentative devotee here?”

  Lifting her shoulders, Taruko said, “No, Your Grace. It was Ylsuna’s teachings that have guided me through life. All the gods have their worthy lessons, but it was Ylsuna that taught me not to fear the darkness. That no amount of smoke, storms, or monsters could touch the moon and starlight she placed well out of reach of such troubles. While the other gods always use natural cataclysms to display their power, Ylsuna merely nudges the tides, and no light is as delicate as the ones she hangs at nightfall.”

  I smiled. “Ah, I’m glad to hear a faithful priestess of Ylsuna resides under her roof. You speak the shared tongue well. Even the emperor is not as smooth.”

  “Thank you, Your Highness. It’s likely due to how recently I learned it. The older priests and priestesses lose their smoothness with each passing year, and the emperor does not encourage its use in his empire, so it’s not often we use it.”

  “So I’ve heard.”

  After a moment of inelegant silence, Taruko rubbed her feet together. “Excuse me, princess, I would be remiss not to ask, but may I see your eidolon’s shield? You can cast it, right?”

  “Indeed I can. It’s no trouble for me to cast it for you.”

  I outstretched my arm and cast the familiar and reassuring ward spell in front of me. I bent in places to bounce around the firelight surrounding us. It practically sparkled aloud.

  “Marvelous, Your Highness. How pure is your prana?”

  I dispelled the shield. “Not pure enough, I fear. I’ve been training against dragon fire, but with the dragon knight currently absent and my quarters unsuitable as a training room, I’ve been forced to take less impactful training measures.”

  “I see. Still no word of the dragon knight, then?”

  I shook my head. “Any day now, I hope.”

  “Of course. Have you spoken with one of our seers? Perhaps they can sense him in your near future.”

  “Um, no. No one has extended an offer before now.”

  “Oh, well, allow me to extend one. Unless specified by the emperor, any palace guest can seek a vision from one of our seers.”

  “I’ll accept you offer. Where do they dwell?”

  “We house a seer under every palace temple. Unfortunately, I know the seer for Ylsuna is unable to see anyone tonight. They keep a schedule so they do not overstrain themselves. The seer at Enir’s temple should be the most rested, and with nearly everyone at the sermon, he should be free now.”

  I stood up. “Then I shall go see if he’s inclined to speak with me. I believe Enir’s temple is just north of this one, correct? Is it all right if we use the walkway on top of the wall to avoid crossing through the gardens and palace?”

  Putting her weight on those slippery socks, she replied, “Of course. Please, follow me.”

  So we did. She led us up the stairs and to a door that squeaked opened to the outside. Naturally, guardsmen patrolled the wall, but the priestess’ company allowed us to pass uninterrupted to the other side. She found a timeworn Enir priest to escort us the rest of the way. He led us down the stairs and to a door near the sermon’s vacant platform. Opening the door revealed a stone staircase swirling downward. The shuffling old man we trailed almost tripped once or twice, but without slick socks on his bare feet, it was his age that explained the stumbles. Since he insisted on staying in front of us, it made our progress a slow one.

  As was the case for any accomplished seer, they needed to be away from crowds to feel comfortable, meaning we had to descend over fifty feet into the plateau to reach a large chamber lit by bright candles and a few light runes on the walls and ceiling. Bookshelves filled with the appropriate supplies circled a thick rock column in the room’s center. Other materials were kept within depressions in the walls themselves.

  Three thinner supports had tables and chairs surrounding them, one group of which four people sat at, one being a young boy. They did not look up from their reading or writing tasks when we entered. However, two of the three dogs in the chamber reacted to the newcomers by running up to our legs to sniff them. They looked similar to brown bear cubs, if fluffier and less skittish aroun
d people. While older than pups, they were not yet full-grown like the heftier example contentedly lounging in a corner. I would have picked one up to cuddle, but they excitedly scampered off after getting a whiff of me and Gerard.

  Sitting in meditation poses on a triangular red rug were two men bundled in aqua-colored robes. The younger, middle-aged one opened his eyes and turned to see us walking toward him. More boisterously than I would have predicted in this sedated space, the former meditator spoke with the priest in the Wregor tongue. A bit of a back and forth ensued until we stepped in front of the fluffy rug, then he went back to meditating with his eyes closed. The old priest went to sit by one of the tables.

  Opening his pair of eyes, the older, portlier meditator inspected us and scratched the wrinkled skin under his short, graying beard. “Hurry, sit,” he said with a tone of grumpiness.

  His compatriot chuckled. Keeping his eyes shut, he said, “Forgive Master Chong. He’s upset because I correctly foresaw your coming today. He foresaw-”

  “Sush!” said Master Chong. “Those are our private matters! Now hush and learn.” He cleared his throat. “Now then, you two get yourselves comfortable. What is it you ask of me?”

  Crossing my legs to agreeable angles, I replied, “What I want is to learn anything you can tell us about the dragon knight’s present, or near present, situation. Of course, any guidance you can provide will be welcome as well.”

  “Hmm, not impossible if the providence of the gods is with him. Nonetheless, no simple endeavor.”

  “I understand.”

  “Do you have anything that belongs to him? A weapon? A note written by his hand?”

  “Nothing like th- Oh!”

  I tugged on my necklace and pulled out the empty dragon crystal. As a reminder to persist in her training and of myself, I had handed my grandmother’s crystal to Beatrice before I left, so I only had Mercer’s crystal around my neck to choose from. I gave the vlimphite stone to the seer. “This recently belonged to the dragon knight. It used to be filled with his dragon’s prana. Hold on, I have something else…” I lifted part of my dress to reach into one of my pockets. Out from that I picked out a dragon stone. “And this is what he uses to summon dragon fire.”

  “Ah, these will do very well.” He wore the crystal around his neck and handed the stone to his apprentice. “Now let us meditate. All of us shall clear our minds and only ponder over your dragon knight friend. If you are more concerned over your own futures, then my visions will become cluttered by them. It may take some time, but we must be patient with the gods. They are busy folk who cannot always lend us their sight. Are you ready?”

  I glanced at Gerard, who nodded. “Yes we are.”

  “Then let us begin.”

  I closed my eyes and opened my memories of Mercer.

  After several minutes flipping through ethereal pages, I gradually realized how often he was involved with my most ill-fated memories. He was present during the Qutrios festival attack, Lady Vealora’s treachery, my mother’s murder, and the attempted kidnapping of Elisa. Not to mention the time his corrupted hand stabbed me. I obviously recognized he helped infinitely more than hindered, but to him it might seem as though he brought me nothing but misery. I hoped he dismissed any such thoughts as absurd. Regardless, all I desired to do now was tell him that myself.

  Gods, did Gerard hold any ill will toward Mercer for what his companionship ostensibly invited into my life? I think they were warming up to one another, but every so often I caught Gerard giving Mercer a penetrating gaze when he thought he could get away with it. Nothing overtly contentious, or I would have handled that directly, but it reminded me of a similar expression my father bared in the few times Mother mentioned doing something risky. It confused me why Gerard would use that expression on Mercer, though perhaps I now had something of an answer.

  Anyway, I needed to go back and mull over Mercer’s current situation. I pretended that it was up to me to envision such things, and I resolved to imagine that he yet lived. If I was mistaken, I did not wish to hear it from a stranger who I already knew to be wrong about simpler divinations. Maybe I was tempting the false kind of hope, but maybe all I wanted was to hear any form of it. I wish I invited Clarissa. She would have brought another batch of optimistic memories to the table, er, or rug, in this case.

  Nothing in the chamber specified how much time passed. Anyway, it wasn’t something I could dwell on. As hard as I focused, a mortal mind unused to pondering over a single subject for a long time tended to drift after a while. I focused on my breathing for a minute when it happened, then I went back to visualizing Mercer in as many sanguine scenarios as possible. If I could just coincidentally imagine what the real Mercer was doing, it may help the seer “catch” a vision of him.

  The whole process was admittedly making me drowsy. I must have come close to taking a quick, upright nap, for the darkness behind my eyelids grew darker still. I shook my head awake, only to open my eyes and see that the darkness had in fact originated in front of my eyelids. Every candle and light rune had dimmed to less than half their previous strength. Those at their tables were looking about in confusion. The pups whined and their parent lifted their head to growl.

  The younger seer opened his eyes and put down the dragon stone, half of his scrunched face showing a mix of revulsion and dismay. He glared at Master Chong as the elder removed and dropped Mercer’s crystal with a huff. The instant the crystal hit the rug, the lights regained their luster and the dogs composed themselves.

  “What happened?” I asked the seer.

  The master merely continued to stare at the crystal using a blend of contempt and intrigue. Gerard shifting in place had me glancing at him, and when I looked back at Master Chong, his eyes had fallen on mine. His stare once again became neutral, though a gleam of intensity shone somewhere far in the back.

  “Did you see Mercer?” asked Gerard.

  His next blink had Master Chong staring at Gerard. “I saw a young man with a tattered, shrunken soul surrounded by broken scales.”

  “That sounds like Mercer. What was he doing?”

  “Difficult to say, Your Highness. His spirit was being… pulled away from me.”

  “Pulled away? What does that mean?”

  “It can mean one of two things. For one, it can mean the dragon knight desires strongly not to be found.”

  “An unlikely prospect. He should be heading for us at this very moment. What’s the second meaning?”

  “That another seer’s power hovers over his fate.”

  “Really? So another seer is helping him?”

  “Help? I fear not. One seer’s power should not disrupt another’s vision unless their aim was borne of selfishness or resentment. I awakened such an influence.”

  “We did,” corrected his counterpart.

  “Ah, yes. And for once I’m glad my apprentice’s presence distracted someone other than me. I would have surely failed to glimpse any destiny were I alone.”

  “Then you did see something of Mercer’s future?” I asked, not enjoying anything I heard so far. “Was he back with us? In Wregor?”

  “Location is difficult to determine. Too much gloom clouds your friend. There was only one image I saw with any true clarity.”

  “Which was?”

  A long exhale came after a terse inhale. Next he shut his eyes to recall the scene. His right hand traced invisible shapes in the air as he spoke. “There are three figures standing in an endless pool of water. One of them rattles my vision, blade in hand. Perhaps a woman. A flame in the form of a dragon is being cast by a second figure, though it flickers wildly. The third figure moves behind the second. The caster of fire falls to his knees, his body and flame overwhelmed by the shadow now consuming him. He goes mad. The third figure takes the woman’s sword and impales the caster in the back. Utter darkness pushes me away.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  I did not sleep well. I knew not to reflect so much on a vision that could very w
ell end up being wrong, but I was just as upset at my naive self for believing a seer would only bring me glad tidings, no matter how hard I craved for it. What concerned me more than the vision itself was the unanticipated interference the seers sensed. While any seer’s soothsaying could be disputed, I assumed Master Chong would be less amiss when it came to recognizing another seer’s influence.

  I suppose I should not have been surprised to learn that a dragon knight would have different entities interested in his fate and potential. I trusted Mercer’s judgment, but I also knew he was at a vulnerable point in his life. He might find himself ambushed by people indifferent to his well-being, uninterested in fighting the Advent, or outright wanted him dead. Still, who was the woman? Was she the antagonizing seer? Who stabbed him in the back? And why did I have to seek out a vision before the prince’s procedure? That’s what being decisive got me this time.

  Whatever questions or worries I had, I could do nothing to aid Mercer until we reunited. With that in mind, I told Gerard not to tell Clarissa about the vision. There was no need to add to her anxiety just yet. Accepting my inability to help Mercer only consoled me enough to find an hour long, restless nap before dawn broke through my window. From there I decided not to even bother trying to go back to sleep.

  At breakfast I learned that Gerard and Clarissa had talked to Ikumi while I tossed and turned in bed. The imperial princess informed them that the prince was free to “train” with me after finishing his morning studies, two hours after breakfast. I was glad that the procedure was to take place sooner rather than later. It forced me to move the vision to the back of my mind. I consequently felt a sudden onset of lassitude after I ate, so I jumped back to bed and found a deep nap for those two hours.

  Ghevont knocked on my door to tell me it was time to head to the sparring room. There we found the prince and his retainers waiting for us, and once again the retainers left in a bad mood. A minute after I shut the door, the willing prince was lying on a table as before.