Dragon Emperor 18, page 4
“This is fantastic,” I said after I swallowed the first bite. “What is it?”
“Deer,” Isi answered with a smile. “I imagine it isn’t a common food source in the deserts of Rahma.”
“No, we don’t eat it much.” I grinned as I stabbed another bite onto my fork.
“We ate it fairly often in Atheson,” Rebecca chimed in. “But it was never this good.”
“Our cooks do a phenomenal job,” the king said and nodded approvingly. “I am curious as to what brought you to Narsglow, my lord.”
My instinct was to provide the least amount of information possible and handle our mission on my own, but the snow leopard Demi-Humans had offered us nothing but kindness and hospitality. Something told me they would be more than willing to help us accomplish our mission, unlike many of the people we’d met on our journey so far.
“To be completely honest, Your Majesty, we came to find Nobles of the Sword,” I said.
Alyona looked at me in surprise, but she didn’t question my decision.
“Please, go on,” Tecumseh encouraged me.
“Right,” I said and continued. “I’m the Noble of the Sword of Healing, and Lord Nikolaus is the Noble of the Sword of Light, so we already know Lady-- er, Princess Nokomis is a Noble of the Sword, as well. We just don’t know which sword yet, and we’d like to ask for her help.”
“You are also Nobles of the Sword?” Nokomis asked with wide eyes. “I-I didn’t think anyone knew about our kind anymore. It has been so long since the stories were told, and no one has asked for our help in generations. How did you know to come to Odrein?”
“Long story short, I found the memory of my ancestor, and he had used a spell to plot the Noble Swords’ locations,” I answered. “We made a map based on his memory, and then we went out to find them all.”
“The gods determined the Noble Swords should not be together,” Isi mused. “Why are you planning to reunite them?”
“Rahma is currently on the brink of disaster,” I said with a frown. “And truthfully, the rest of Inati would be destroyed along with it if we don’t stop the Breach from opening.”
“What’s the Breach?” the king wondered.
“You’ve never heard of it?” Ravi asked, and her mouth fell open in shock.
“I’m afraid not, dear phoenix.” Tecumseh shook his head.
“It’s a tear in the fabric of our world’s reality,” Alyona explained. “My father is King Rodion, and--”
“Your father is the king of Rahma?” Nokomis’ mouth dropped open. “So, you’re a princess, too?”
“Yes,” my wife said with a nod. “And he’s been using magic to keep the Breach sealed for years, but his hold is weakening, while the Underworld’s power grows. If we don’t close the Breach for good, the Demon King and his underlings will destroy everyone and everything in our realm.”
“That is horrific!” the queen gasped and covered her mouth. “We had no idea!”
“You must be far enough away to avoid the miasma and demons,” I said as I tapped my fingers on the table in thought. “This is the furthest we’ve traveled on our mission, so it seems entirely possible none of the demons have traveled this far, either, but make no mistake. If they were to escape the Breach, they would go to the ends of Inati to tear apart everything they see.”
“Dear gods,” the king breathed and wiped a bead of sweat from his bronze forehead. “We absolutely want to do what we can.”
“Yes, without a doubt,” Nokomis agreed. “Now, what can I do? Is there a beast I must slay?”
“Not exactly,” I said as I considered how to proceed. “Actually, there is a ceremony called Redimi--”
I was cut off by the sound of the front doors slamming open, followed by a pair of boots that tromped through the entryway until they reached the doorway.
Then another snow leopard Demi-Human stormed into the dining hall with a Noble Sword gripped tightly in his clawed fingers and a look of fury on his spotted face.
Chapter 3
The Demi-Human’s mouth was twisted into an angry scowl that revealed his sharp canines as he marched around the large table. His raven hair was shaved on the sides, but the top was pleated into a braid that fell to the middle of his back. He wore a fur coat like the other snow leopards, but his was currently open to expose a dark-skinned barrel chest. He also had blue and black paint streaked across his nose and under his dark brown eyes, which were currently narrowed on me.
“Who is this?” he demanded and pointed a clawed finger at me. “How did he get here?”
“Oh, I’m glad you’ve returned!” the queen said with a smile before she turned to me. “Lord Evan, this is our son, Prince Tawa. He is Nokomis’ twin brother.”
Tawa fumed at his mother’s apparent disregard for his fury, and he looked me up and down with obvious disdain.
“Lord Evan from where?” he spat out. “I’ve never seen your kind in Odrein, and I’ve been all over the place.”
“Oh, we aren’t from Odrein,” I explained. “We’re from Rahma. I’m the lord of Hatra, to be exact. And we flew here, to answer your other question.”
“Flew?” Tawa echoed and arched a disbelieving eyebrow. “You’re a dragon, and you flew your friends here?”
“My family,” I said and met his stare. “Not all of us are the callous creatures of the past.”
“Oh, you mean the kind that used to burn villages and destroy cities with their raging fires, so they could steal treasure?” The prince smirked. “You haven’t come to Narsglow to take everything we have?”
“Nope.” I shook my head and shrugged. “I like treasure as much as the next dragon, but I prefer to earn it. I’m here to ask for your help.”
“And why would we help you?” Tawa sneered.
“That’s enough, Tawa!” Tecumseh boomed. “Lord Evan has been honest about his intentions, and he was just explaining how we could help end a dire situation in his home country. As a Noble of the Sword, you should be interested in how you can help your people.”
I don’t understand, Miraya said in a soft voice. How are there two Nobles of the Sword together? We were all supposed to be separated.
I’m not sure yet, I admitted.
But I intended to find out.
“We have been looking for Nobles of the Sword,” I said to Tawa. “But finding both of you is surprising. I’ve never seen two Noble Swords in the same city before.”
“Then I suppose you don’t know as much as you think you do,” he retorted and crossed his arms over his bare chest.
“Oh, stop it, Tawa,” Nokomis said with an eye roll. “Our history is not exactly well-known, and Lord Evan has barely begun his journey to understanding the Noble Swords.”
“And what exactly is your history?” I wondered. “I thought all the swords were supposed to be separated by the gods.”
“They were,” Isi agreed. “And these two were separated at first.”
“Until our great-grandparents met,” Nokomis continued with a dreamy smile. “My great-grandmother was from a kingdom across the ocean, and my great-grandfather ventured there and fell in love with her. They soon discovered they both had Noble Swords, but they decided to marry anyway. He talked her into returning to Odrein, and since then, there have been twins in every generation since.”
“Wow, everyone has twins?” I asked in surprise.
“Not everyone, but it’s common,” Nokomis clarified. “And each of those twins technically has the bloodline of both swords, but we don’t know if they are the true successors until they come of age.”
“But, once they do, one is destined for the Sword of Mercy, while the other gains the Sword of Strength,” the king said and put a gentle hand on his daughter’s shoulder.
Gratia and Brenna! Miraya cheered as she danced across the sand of my spiritual sea. Oh, they’re here!
“Fascinating,” Alyona murmured. “You’re right, Your Highness. The history of these Noble Swords is not well-known. I’ve read countless history books and never knew about them coming together.”
“Maybe because we have no desire to spread our business around Inati,” Tawa huffed.
“That is no way to speak to a princess, Tawa,” his father scolded. “Princess Alyona is the daughter of King Rodion in Rahma. You will hold your tongue.”
Tawa’s frown deepened, but he didn’t argue with the king.
I had the strong urge to teach him a lesson in manners, and my inner dragon roared in agreement, but I decided to bite my own tongue to keep the peace. We still needed the snow leopard’s help, and I had a feeling it wouldn’t be easy to get him on our side.
“Listen, I know we showed up out of nowhere,” I said in an effort to ease the tension. “I apologize for that, but we don’t have much time. The Breach is getting stronger every day, and if we don’t get it closed, it will unleash the Demon King and his entire Underworld into our realm. I’m sure you can imagine the death and destruction that would bring.”
“What is a Breach?” Tawa eyed me cautiously.
“It’s a rip in the fabric of reality,” Alyona answered. “Right now, my father is keeping hordes of demons and monsters on their side of the barrier, but he won’t be able to do it much longer.”
“And you need a Noble of the Sword to fight this Demon King?” Tawa asked as he began to puff his chest.
“Not exactly.” I smirked and pulled back my coat to reveal the Sword of Healing. “I have my own.”
“Y-You are a Noble of the Sword?” the prince stammered.
“Indeed,” I chuckled and motioned to Nike. “So are Lord Nikolaus and Skye, and we’ve been working together to find our fellow Nobles to help us fight this war.”
“I’ve never met another besides my sister,” he said as the scowl seemed to melt from his face. “I wasn’t really sure any more of us existed. The stories were always told of great adventure, but no one has come to request our help in ages. In fact, most of my missions are within a few miles of the city at the behest of our citizens.”
“And those are important, too,” I assured him. “Even though I’m on a big mission right now, I still take the time to help my people with smaller problems. It matters to them, so it matters to me.”
“We make sure our people are taken care of, which is part of why closing the Breach is so important,” Alyona added.
“The people closest to it have suffered for far too long,” Ravi agreed.
“And we have to make sure they don’t suffer much longer,” Rebecca said with a small smile. “Lord Evan is very good at taking care of all his people. I witnessed it for myself.”
“Brenna is quite certain you have good intentions, Lord Evan,” Tawa sighed after a moment. “She’s encouraging me to listen to what you have to say. I’m inclined to do as she says. She has yet to steer me in the wrong direction.”
“The spirit guides are good at their jobs.” I grinned. “Mine has been excited to be so close to her sisters. She can hardly stand it. Do your spirits know how to enter the physical world?”
“They can do that?” Nokomis asked with wide eyes.
“Oh, yeah,” I laughed. “Miraya can show you.”
There was a brilliant flash of light, and the spirit of the Sword of Hatra appeared in all her ethereal glory. Her long white-blonde hair grazed the tops of her bare feet, and her nearly transparent robes hugged the curves of her hourglass figure as she looked around her with an angelic smile.
“It’s nice to meet you all,” she said with a curtsy toward the king and queen.
“Gratia said she can try to do it, but it’s been a long time,” Nokomis breathed. “I didn’t know it was possible.”
“She’s just out of practice,” Miraya giggled. “She and Brenna should both join me here, and Aine and Juniper, too.”
The spirit’s words ignited her sisters, and more flashes of bright light filled the dining hall until four more spirits stood with her. I recognized Aine, Nike’s spirit companion, with her golden-blonde hair twisted into a braid and similar sheer dress, and next to her stood Juniper. The spirit of the Sword of Youth was a redhead with bright green eyes and a warm smile, and she could hardly contain her joy as she embraced the two new spirits.
“Gratia!” Juniper shrieked as she wrapped her arms around a dark-headed spirit.
Gratia reminded me of Snow White with her pale skin and black hair, and she had the same innocence about her. I could just picture her singing with the birds as she cleaned a little cottage, and I figured she had to be the spirit of the Sword of Mercy.
Brenna, on the other hand, was clearly the spirit of the Sword of Strength. Her biceps were nearly as big as mine, and her robes were tight enough to see the six-pack chiseled into her abs. She had strawberry-blonde hair pulled back into a no-nonsense bun on the back of her head, but even with her tough exterior, she offered a kind smile to her sisters as they all hugged.
“By the gods,” Tawa breathed. “You’re here in my world.”
“I am,” Brenna said in a low voice. “It’s been many years since I came. I’ve always enjoyed your spiritual sea.”
“Oh, this is incredible!” Isi gasped and clapped her hands.
“It is,” Tecumseh agreed before he cleared his throat. “But I am interested to hear what else Lord Evan has to say. Why do you need our daughter?”
“Well, there’s a ceremony called Redimi Vincio,” I explained. “It’s a blood ceremony to bind our powers, so I can use them in the fight against the Demon King.”
“Hold on,” Tawa cut in before I could continue. “So, you want to do a blood ceremony with Nokomis?”
“It’s only called that because they put some of their blood into the ceremonial bowl,” Alyona assured him. “No one is sacrificed.”
“Common mistake,” Skye chuckled.
“I thought you weren’t after treasure and power,” Tawa muttered. “It sure sounds like it to me. Why not just get all the Nobles of the Sword together to fight the beast?”
“Because that’s not what the gods told me to do.” I shook my head and sighed. “Plus, some of the Nobles I’ve met so far wouldn’t stand a chance in such a battle. Not all of us have trained for war, brother.”
“I only learned what I was when Lord Evan showed up,” Skye said. “I had no idea about the Noble Sword, the power it carried, or even how to use it. They’ve all been training me since we met.”
“And we haven’t even found everyone yet,” I added. “There could be more who don’t know who or what they are. There’s no way to train them all in time to take on the Demon King. This is the path the gods told us to take, so that’s what we have to do.”
“Then you can do it with me and my power,” Tawa declared. “My sister doesn’t need to be involved.”
“It’s not that simple,” Miraya said as she turned to face the snow leopard Demi-Human. “Lord Evan has to perform the ceremony with a female.”
“It’s fine.” Nokomis waved her hand and smiled. “I don’t mind helping Lord Evan with this. It’s important.”
“No, I’m the strong one,” her brother insisted. “I should do it. We can find a way to do the ceremony with me.”
“I have my own strengths,” Nokomis growled. “I don’t need you to take my place in the ceremony.”
“It’s my job to keep you safe!” he argued.
“No, it’s not!” She stood up and pressed her nose to his with a fierce, growl deep in her throat. “I can protect myself.”
I could see the king and queen’s anxiety plastered on their previously serene faces as their children argued, and I started to step in until Alyona placed a gentle hand on my arm and shook her head. She knew I had a tendency to be protective, and it would put me in a dangerous position if I took sides in the argument between the twins. I didn’t want to fight Tawa, but I would if he got in Nokomis’ face.
Although, at the moment, it looked like he wasn’t the one ready to fight.
“This is not a discussion,” Tawa rumbled. “I’ll do the ceremony. You will not.”
“You don’t make my decisions!” Nokomis thundered before she turned on her heels and stormed out of the dining hall with Gratia close behind her.
No one said anything for nearly a full minute as Tawa stood with his chest heaving up and down while he tried to calm himself.
“When are you going to learn you can’t control her?” Tecumseh finally asked. “You two are so different, yet exactly the same. You would never let her tell you not to do what you thought was right.”
“Well, I’m the one who should do the ceremony,” Tawa insisted. “I don’t think Lord Evan needs the power of mercy to defeat the Demon King.”
“I need all the Noble Swords’ powers,” I said. “Hers is just as important as yours. I don’t know why yet, but it always comes out eventually. Besides, we already told you I have to bond with a female. It has to be someone who has your bloodline ability.”
“So, you want the power of the Sword of Strength, but you want me to let you use the women in my life to get it?” he snorted. “I guess you need a new plan.”
Before I could answer, he stomped out with his white ears pressed to his head and his nose in the air. Brenna casually trailed after him with a sigh, and I looked around the stunned room.
“I think that went well,” I said with a note of sarcasm.
“He’s protective over his sister,” Isi explained. “He’s been that way since they were children.”
“I understand that, but she’s a grown woman,” I pointed out. “He can’t tell her not to do something she wants to do, especially when it’s something so important.”
“You’ll just have to give him some time,” the king said with a frown. “I know you mean well, but he has to come to it on his own.”
“We don’t have time for that,” I muttered as I pushed my chair back from the table. “There are lives at risk!”
I paced next to the table, and the snow leopard rulers stayed silent as I pondered my own thoughts. I’d thought this quest would be easy since we’d found Nokomis so early, but it seemed it would be just as difficult as every other Noble of the Sword had been so far.
