Eon: Dragoneye Reborn

CHAPTER 12

The wait for Ryko had settled into my muscles like a cramp, forcing me to pace my room to ease the tension. Twice I thought I heard his rap on the shutter only to find the garden outside my window still and shadowy in the warm night air.

I wiped my damp hands down the front of my old work tunic — stealthily retrieved from the shabby basket in the dressing room — and sat on the bed. Although I was strung as tight as a lute, I could feel a deep fatigue lying in wait from the day's relentless pace. Looking for a distraction, I pushed myself off the bed again and walked over to the beautiful altar that Rilla had made for my ancestors. She had obviously taken Lady Dela at her word and plundered the royal stores. The death plaques were propped on small gilded stands, and behind them a miniature tri-fold screen painted with peach blossoms created an elegant backdrop, the design carried through to the offering bowls and incense holders. I knew I should kneel in front of it and pray for protection and, perhaps, some much needed tranquillity. Instead, I felt myself drawn to the sword rack set against the wall.

The polished jade and moonstone in the hilts shone like animal eyes in the lamplight. The swords were mine now, until my tenure as Mirror Dragoneye ended. Two swords with rage woven into their steel. And I had absorbed it during the ceremony Had heard their voice in my head. I reached towards the hilt of the top sword. Would I hear it again? Slowly, I laid my fingertips on the cold metal.

Like a scream, the rage flared through me, snatching at my breath.

I jerked my hand away.

Another sound. A soft knock. From the window.

In a few strides I was at the shutters and pushed them open. Ryko was standing to one side, his hand held up to silence my greeting. I saw a glint of a hilt as his sleeve slipped down; he was wearing an arm sheath. No doubt he had a matching knife strapped to his other wrist for a double draw — the weapon choice of a thief not an Imperial guard.

He peered into the gloom, his flattened profile silhouetted against the pale grey of the pebble garden. Seemingly satisfied, he turned and smiled. The sudden curve of teeth was startling against his dark skin.

'Ready?' he breathed. He'd told me that the hiss of whispers carried more than a low tone.

I looked back at the swords. Silent in their rack. I hoisted myself onto the window frame, gently lowering myself over the other side to soften my impact on the pebbles.

'Lightly now,' he murmured. 'These stones are as good as a guard dog.'

I carefully followed him towards the servants' path that ran behind the apartments, holding my breath as pebbles crunched and clinked under our weight. We both sighed when we finally stepped onto the rough dirt track.

'We will go out by the Gate of Good Service,' Ryko said as we hurried along the path. I ignored the ache already starting in my

hip from the speed and uneven surface. 'Two friends are on duty tonight. They will pass us with a little encouragement.'

The Gate of Good Service was used mainly in the day for the delivery of the vast amounts of food that the Imperial kitchens prepared for the royal family and its huge staff. At night, Ryko told me, it was quieter and much sought after by guards wanting an easy watch.

As we approached the gateway, two well-built figures stepped out from their positions, the enthusiastic demand for our names hinting at their boredom.

Ryko identified himself then bowed towards me. 'Here also is Lord Eon.'

The smaller of the two leaned closer, the brim of a stiff leather helmet shadowing his eyes. He studied me then drew back and bowed, obviously satisfied. His partner quickly followed suit.

'I am taking Lord Eon to the Avenue of Blossoms,' Ryko said, and I heard the chink of coins in his hand.

A glance passed between the two guards. The Avenue of Blossoms was in the Ward of Pleasure.

'He would not want his passage through this gate to be common knowledge.' Ryko opened his hand to show the gleam of silver.

The larger guard licked his lips.

'Our discretion is guaranteed, Ryko. You know that,' he said.

Ryko stared at them. 'You know what will happen if I hear this in the guard rooms.'

They were both big men, but Ryko stood taller and broader. The guards nodded and Ryko tossed them the coins, ushering me through the gate.

'Do they really think you are taking me to the pleasure houses?' I asked as Ryko led me off the main road onto the Emperor's riding track. What use would a Moon Shadow have for the Blossom women?

'Of course they do,' he said, and I heard the amusement in his voice. 'They know there is more than one way to skin a cat.'

I felt heat rush to my face and was glad for the cover of night.

Suddenly, Ryko pulled me behind some bushes. A dung-man had rounded a curve in the track and was wheeling his barrow towards us. We both crouched and I peered through the foliage, watching as he stopped in front of us and shovelled up a heap of horse manure. He banged it into the barrow, his vigour sending a foul stench into the air. I clamped my hand over my nose, my eyes watering. Finally, he walked on. I moved to stand, but Ryko pulled me down again, his hand on my arm until we heard the guards jeering as the man pushed his barrow past their gate.

'We will need to cut through the gardens and avoid the paths, my lord,' Ryko said softly. 'It will be quicker if I carry you.'

Before long I was perched on his back and we were striding through the extravagant band of gardens that separated the Dragon Halls from the palace precinct. The Emperor called them his Emerald Ring and allowed only his favourites to walk the paths and enjoy the cool groves.

At this time of night they were deserted, eerily quiet of even night noises, with only the main paths lit with large red festival lanterns strung on ropes between poles. I pressed myself closer against Ryko's solid shoulders as we ran past gilded pavilions and skirted around glades and ponds spanned by elegant bridges. Part of me was exhilarated by our speed, another part breathless with fear at what lay ahead. What if we did not find the folio? What if we were discovered? As we rounded a stand of ghostly beech trees, a shadow darted forwards. I flinched, sending Ryko into a half crouch that rocked me against his back. The inky shape of a fox slipped into the cover of some bushes.

Ryko blew out a breath. 'Hara,' he murmured, using the island name for the messenger fox god. He straightened, shifting me up into his waist.

'A bad omen?' T whispered uneasily.

Under my arms, his shoulders lifted in a shrug. 'Hara warns that a message is near, not if it is good or bad.'

Hopefully Hara was foretelling the return of the folio. Ryko tightened his grip and we started running again. There was a strange sense of comfort in being held so closely to the body of another. Perhaps it was the faint memory of my father carrying me in the same way.

Emboldened by the sense of unity, I pressed myself closer to his ear.

'Thank you for helping me,' I said. 'You are a good friend.'

He turned his head slightly, his cheek brushing mine.

'It is my honour,' he said warmly. His voice deepened with urgency. And we must protect the Emperor and his line.'

I finally voiced something that had puzzled me. 'Why do you support the Emperor, Ryko? He gelded the Trang men — your people — and forced them into slavery'

Ryko grunted. 'The Emperor did not order the gelding. The uprising came at the same time as Her Majesty's death. The Heavenly Master placed all military decisions into Sethon's hands. It was Sethon who ordered it.' I felt his pace slow. 'Quiet now, we approach the road.'

He stopped in the cover of a small copse of trees and studied the gentle slope in front of us.

We were at the far corner of the Ox Dragoneye burial ground that stood opposite the Ox Dragon Hall. The carefully placed tombs clustered under an auspicious rise in the land, their curved marble altars like a crooked set of teeth. Beyond it was a stretch of the Dragon Circle, the wide paved avenue that lay between the edge of the gardens and the ring of Dragon Halls.

It was reserved for the use of the high ranks and, at this time of night, was clear. Alone figure in the neat livery of a servant walked along the rough track beside it.

'This is the best place to cross,' Ryko said softly, pointing across the road to the ragged edge of a thick wood. Its dark shadows looked impenetrable. 'The Ox Hall keeps a hunting forest that stretches the entire length behind it. We'll go through and come up beside the Rat Hall.'

But first we had to make it across the exposed width of the road. We watched the servant disappear from view. All clear. Ryko tapped my leg, a signal to hang on tightly. I pressed myself against him as he ran, my back itching from the gaze of a thousand eyes that did not exist. We both sighed in relief as we gained the cover of the trees.

It seemed to take forever to work our way through the small, dense forest. The tracks were narrow and ill defined in the dim light and I could feel Ryko's shortened breaths against my chest as he weaved around trees and pushed through undergrowth. Every now and again a night animal skittered away, a flash of silvered fur becoming shadow. Above, the half moon was rising towards its zenith — the midnight bell would soon ring. And I could do nothing to help our progress except sit against Ryko as lightly as possible.

Finally, the trees began to thin out. Ryko slowed, his shoulders heaving with effort. Ahead of us, across a wide space empty of any cover, was the immense stone bulwark of the Rat Dragon Hall. We stopped in the shadows of the last patch of growth, Ryko taking in deep breaths as he scanned the top of the thick wall.

'We'll wait,' he panted, shifting me more firmly against his back and adjusting the bulky pouch tied at his waist. 'Guards may be walking the rampart.'

We watched, but no dark helmeted figures appeared along the edge.

Ryko turned his head and I saw the corner of a smile. 'Time to go.' I felt my heartbeat quicken as we crossed the clearing. Could he feel my fear against his back? Keeping in the shadow cast by the wall, we slowly crept towards the front of the hall. Halfway along, we came to a metal gate. I looked up and saw the six gilded spikes that Dillon had described to me.

'This is it,' I breathed in Ryko's ear.

He nodded and released his grip on my legs. I had only just touched the ground when the midnight bell sounded. A cracking boom suddenly punched into my ears and whistling fire arced across the far wall, bursting into a flower of falling light. I felt something drag at me and then I was flat on the ground, Ryko's body across mine, his weight pressing dirt into my mouth. Voices — screaming, yelling, commanding — erupted from the hall. I shifted my shoulders and bucked, trying to find some room to draw breath.

The weight lifted, releasing my chest. I gasped in air as Ryko rolled onto his knees beside me.

'My lord, are you all right?'

We both heard the scrape of a lock opening and looked up. Dillon peered around the edge of the gateway, his eyes round with fear.

'Eon?' He shook his head. 'I mean, Lord Eon, is that you?' He saw Ryko loom up beside him.

'Holy gods.' He ducked inside the gate, but Ryko was faster. He caught Dillon's arm, pulling him back out.

'Be easy I am Lord Eon's bodyguard,' he growled.

Dillon cast a wild look down at me.

'It's all right,' I said soothingly, nodding at Ryko to let him go. I spat out some grit. 'Did you do that? The explosion?'

Dillon nodded. A couple of Twelfth Day fireworks. We won't have long, though.'

Ryko hauled me to my feet. 'Your leg, my lord? Is it all right?'

I was stiff and every bit of me felt bruised, but complaining would not change it. And if I did, Ryko would probably try to make me stav outside.

'I'm fine,' I said. 'Let's get going.'

Dillon beckoned us through the archway then carefully closed the gate. We were in a long alley between two buildings.

'How many guards are there?' Ryko demanded.

Dillon flinched at his tone. 'Only eight. The rest have gone with Lord Ido.' He pointed to the left. 'The library is that way, in the formal garden. Built into the hill.'

'Into the hill?' I asked.

Dillon nodded. 'I heard Lord Ido say it is on a ley line. To maximise the power.'

For some reason, his words made me shiver.

We walked along the narrow path, Dillon leading, me in the middle, Ryko guarding the rear.

Somewhere in the front carriage yard, a voice was shouting orders. Dillon paused at the mouth of the alley Over his shoulder, I saw the inner courtyard where I had waited with my master for the Council meeting. Large bronze lamps hung at each corner, and in their yellow light the border of cumquat trees looked eerily like soldiers standing at attention. A servant hurried along the far colonnade and disappeared into a dark passage. Dillon nodded at me then slipped around the corner.

Bending low behind the cover of the cumquats, I followed him to the back archway, every step of my limping jog frustratingly slow. I had just reached the shadowy interior of the arch when a doorway halfway along the left building opened and a servant girl eased her way through it. Beside me, Dillon sucked in a breath. Ryko, caught between the cumquats and the arch, dropped to the ground. I pressed myself back against the stone wall. The girl paused, pulled a heel of bread out of her skirt pocket, and crossed the yard. Straight for us.

I saw Ryko gather himself into an animal crouch. He drew the knives, the action smooth and soundless. What was he going to do? She was just a servant stealing an extra crust. Leaning forwards, he readied the blades, angling them for a throat slash and heart thrust. Quick and quiet. I looked across at Dillon. He had flattened himself against the wall too. I jerked my head towards the girl. 'Stop her!' I mouthed. He gave a tiny shake of his head and closed his eyes. I clenched my fists to stop myself from pushing him out into the yard.

Suddenly, the door behind her slid open, cracking against its stop. A squat figure stood silhouetted in the bright light.

'Gallia. Get back here. You haven't finished these pots.'

The girl thrust the bread deep into her skirt and quickly retraced her steps. Dillon sighed as she entered the kitchen and closed the door, muffling the shrill voice of her superior.

Keeping low, Ryko ran the last few lengths into the shadows beside us. I watched him slip the knives back into their sheaths with practised ease. Our gazes met: a jarring moment of re-evaluation.

'Would you rather we were discovered?' he said.

The steel was not only strapped to his arms.

'I'm not going any further,' Dillon said, edging back along the wall. 'I'm not going near the library Go through this passage — it will take you to the garden. The library is in the Rat Dragon corner.'

'Wait.' I grabbed his sleeve.

'No.' He wrenched himself free and rounded the archway corner, his receding footsteps a sharp staccato of fear.

'His decoy won't last much longer,' Ryko said, heading towards the end of the passageway.

'We've got to move fast. The guards will be checking every area.'

The sounds from the carriage yard had already quietened. We stood for a moment in the safety of the passage and studied the large space we had to cross. A long paved path curved and climbed across a bridge, beside a pond and around a small pavilion in the traditional tranquillity formation. Red Twelfth Day festival lamps hung in blossom trees. A night perfume — jasmine — flavoured the air with a soft honey It should have been a beautiful garden, but the whole effect was ruined by the squat hill in the north-northwest corner. I could already sense the menacing power that hung over it.

'It's clear,' Ryko murmured. 'Come on.'

We cut across the manicured grass, weaving between the blossom trees. Ryko moved fast, the space between us

lengthening as my bad leg jarred against hidden dips in the ground. He became a shadow ahead of me, flickering between the trees, the glow of a festival lamp briefly highlighting the sheen of his skin or a glint of metal. I checked the archway; it was still quiet. Ryko had gone from view. I passed the pavilion, its walls curtained with trailing wisteria. Not far to the library now. I dug my fist into my hip to stop the ache, my jog slowing into a limping walk.

The path was in front of me. Just a few more steps.

Something was lying on the paving stones. Something big.

I stopped. It took a moment to make sense of the contorted form. Ryko; his body twisted in agony. He rolled over to face me, the effort forcing out a muffled scream. His forehead and neck were straining with corded veins, his teeth bared.

'Stay back!' His words collapsed into a gasping moan as he writhed across the path, his head hitting the flags with a dull thud. I scrabbled across the paving, thrusting my hand under the back of his skull before it smashed against the stones again. The weight of his head ground my knuckles into the flags.

'They must have come out of the hill,' he panted. 'Run!'

He was holding his belly, dark blood seeping through his fingers. Had he been stabbed? I looked wildly around. The hill crouched above us, a curved black metal door set into its side like a screaming mouth. No one could have come out — the door had a huge padlock on it.

'Leave me. Get out,' Ryko said. 'Now!'

'No,' I said, a spark of anger burning across my fear. I couldn't leave him to die. At the edge of my sight, something shimmered. I swung around. For a moment, I saw huge opal talons crisscrossing the hill like a cage and an eye above it, as dark as an abyss.

The Rat Dragon.

Across the garden, the archway flickered with light. Torches. They were still in the inner courtyard, but it wouldn't be long before they checked the garden.

'Ryko, they're coming,' I whispered. 'We've got to hide.'

He nodded, his teeth clenched together. 'Trees?' he gasped.

They were too far away. Too evenly spaced for cover. I twisted around, searching for another option. The doorway? Would the Rat Dragon's power force the guards back too? If we hid in the shadow, maybe they wouldn't come close enough to see us.

Against the door,' I said.

I sat behind him and straddled his body with my legs, hooking my arms under his armpits.

'Come on. Help me.'

He dug his feet in and pushed as I hauled backwards. We crept across the paving, his weight grinding my bones into the stone and crushing my chest. Each heave forced a tiny moan from him and pressed my own breath out in rough gasps. Would the guards hear us? The stain on the front of his tunic was getting bigger, wetter, denser. So much blood. I pressed my palm against his stomach, trying to find the source of the bleeding.

The cloth wasn't wet.

I lifted my hand: no blood. No stain.

It wasn't real. None of it was real.

'Ryko, you're not bleeding. The Rat Dragon is doing it.'

I saw his eyes roll back.

'No!' I jabbed my fingers into the muscle behind his collarbone. If he passed out, I'd have no chance of moving him. 'Stay awake. It's not real.'

He grunted in pain, his eyes focusing. 'Leave me,' he breathed. 'Run. You mustn't be found.'

He pushed at my hands.

I hauled us backwards again. He scrabbled weakly, trying to help. Another heave and my shoulders hit something solid. The door. I wriggled out from under Ryko, crawling around to roll him into the shadows. He was still breathing, but in shallow gasps. I rocked back onto my heels. If the guards made it up as far as Ryko had, the shadow cast by the hill wouldn't hide us. We would be seen. I pulled myself back against the cold metal of the door. All that effort for nothing.

I looked up at the padlock. We had to get in. But Ryko was in no condition to pick it. I reached up and grabbed the heavy lock, hanging my weight from it. Solid. I shook it. Metal against metal. Immoveable.

I looked over my shoulder. Down the path, one of the lights was now a defined flame, outlining the man who carried it. Fear sobbed in my throat.

There was one last chance. The Rat Dragon. Could I call him? Tellon said it was impossible, but I knew I had some kind of connection. Groping desperately for my Hua, I drew it up through my seven centres of power. It was like picking up fine sand in my hands, the Hua slipping between the fingers of my control until only a small amount was left, pooled in the cup of my mind. Focusing every part of my being, I hurled it towards the Rat Dragon. A terrible dragging pain made me sway. For a moment, I was hollow. A husk. In my mind, I could see the blue dragon hunched over the hill, his claws intertwined around it. The huge head lifted, the unblinking eyes staring at me. Confusion. Reluctance. He lifted his head and shrieked; a scream of resentment. Then something roared through me, like the searing howl of a fire wind. Pure energy. With a crack, the padlock split, jerking me downwards.

I hung there for a moment, gaping at the broken lock above me.

The Rat Dragon had answered.

Ryko groaned. I ripped out the padlock and pushed against the door. Silently, it swung inwards. A passageway. I grabbed Ryko's arm and pulled as he scrabbled backwards. We slowly moved into the narrow space. As soon as his feet cleared the threshold, I scrambled over him and shut the metal door, sealing us into complete blackness.

I leaned against a wall and took a deep breath. Ryko's gasps were lengthening into a natural rhythm. I touched the wall. Stone. The floor too. Beside me, I felt Ryko stir.

'Did they see us?' His voice sounded normal.

'No, I don't think so.' I reached out, my hand banging into the solid muscle of his chest. Are you all right?'

'Yes.' I felt his hand brush mine as he spanned his stomach, searching. 'You were right. It wasn't real.' He laughed, the relief making the low rumble catch in his chest.

Now that my eyes had adjusted, I could see his solid darkness sitting in front of me, outlined by the faint light coming from under the metal door.

'You weren't affected?' His voice was tinged with awe.

'Not as much,' I said shortly. It wasn't the time to discuss my connection with the Rat Dragon.

I pushed myself up into a crouch. 'Let's get moving.'

'Wait.'

I heard the rustle of cloth and the sound of something hollow being set on the floor. Then the scrape of a striker. A spark arced across the darkness. Another flash and then, with a faint pop, a small flame burst on the ground, burnishing the planes of Ryko's face with bronze. I blinked in the sudden light, taking a moment to see the small clay pot holding the fire.

'Sap powder,' Ryko said with satisfaction. He looked up at me and grinned. 'Trick of my old trade.' He dug into his waist pouch and produced two candles, thrusting the first into the flame and lighting the wick. Even as he withdrew the second, the sap fire had begun to die away.

'Here.' He handed a candle to me.

I held it up, squinting to see down the corridor. Another metal door was only a few lengths away

'Doesn't look locked,' Ryko said, knocking the spent powder onto the floor. With one hand, he deftly wrapped a square of leather around the clay dish and pushed it back into his waist pouch. 'I'll go first.'

'What if there's more dragon power.'

He hesitated, eyeing the door warily. The line of his jaw tightened. 'I'll still go first.'

We both stood, our shadows flickering up the rough stone of the wall. Ryko edged forwards. I followed, watching him for any ill effects. Nothing. The dragon's protection must have ended outside.

We stopped at the inner door, our candlelight picking out the raised edges of a large design on the metal. Twelve spheres linked together in a circle, the two top spheres larger and scored with a swirling shape.

'What is it?' he asked. 'Some kind of Dragoneye charm?'

i don't know. I've never seen it before.'

Ryko reached out and pressed the door lever. The latch slid smoothly out of its groove. He glanced back at me.

'Ready?'

I nodded.

With a push, the door swung open. Our candlelight reached across a rich blue carpet and gleamed over shelves stacked with polished wooden scroll boxes. I could make out the legs and edge of a large reading table further inside, its dimensions lost in the shadows. The space seemed to stretch on forever.

It looked like my master's library Smelled like it too: dusty parchment and the pungency of ink blocks. But there was something different. A sense of power that rose through my feet and pressed on the base of my skull.

Ryko walked into the room, raising his candle to maximise its throw. 'It's huge.' He turned in a circle. 'So many scrolls.' He moved further in. 'Close the door behind you, lord, and we can light a lamp and have a proper look for your folio.'

I stepped inside and pushed the door shut as Ryko held his flame to the wick of a large bronze lamp on a side bench. Immediately, the space brightened, the endless shadows solidifying into the walls and ceiling of a long room. I felt myself drawn towards the wooden reading table that stretched down the centre, its sloping surface covered with open scrolls, their corners held down by small brass weights. Along the higher edge

of the table, a series of small lamps were fixed in place — the oil safely enclosed behind tiny panes of glass. How easy it would be to study a scroll with such bright light.

'Oh ho!' Ryko exclaimed. 'Now that explains a few things.'

I looked around. He was standing at the side bench holding a leather pouch.

'What is it?' I asked.

He poked his finger inside the pouch then withdrew it. The tip was covered in grey powder.

He pressed it against his tongue. 'Sun drug.' He weighed the pouch in his hand. About four months' supply No wonder Lord Ido is so well muscled for a Dragoneye. And so unpredictable.'

'What does it do?'

Ryko tied off the pouch. 'It kindles the Sun energy in a man. Builds muscle and increases the fighting spirit. It is meant only for the Shadow Men of the Imperial guard. Lord Ido must be bribing someone to get it.'

'You take it?'

He nodded. 'Every day It is given to us in our morning meal to keep us from declining into a womanly shape and thoughts. Have you noticed the older Shadow Men who serve as Imperial servants?'

I nodded.

'Then you will have noticed their round shapes and high voices.'

I eyed the pouch. 'You think Lord Ido takes it to stop the weakening that comes from being a Dragoneye?'

Ryko tossed it back onto the bench. 'I am sure of it. And his sudden angers tell me he is taking too much of it.'

If this powder strengthened the Sun energy, would it also strengthen a Dragoneye's bond with his dragon? Could it help me reach the Mirror Dragon?

'How much are you supposed to take?'

'Only a fingertip a day. Otherwise the Sun energy rises too high and anything can set you off into a mad fury Or, if you are of

a melancholic nature, a darkness that cannot be shaken off.' His voice lowered. 'There are other effects as well. Dark marks on the skin, like the pox, and all your hair can drop out, even on your privates.'

'Dark marks? Like a rash?'

Ryko nodded. 'Yes. You've seen it?'

'I think Lord Ido may be giving this drug to Dillon,' I said. 'He has the rash. And his nature has changed.' Did Dillon know he was taking the drug, or was Lord Ido feeding it to him without his knowledge?

'If Ido is not careful, he will kill your friend. Too much can be lethal'

My eyes found the pouch again.

'Come, let's look for the folio,' Ryko said. 'We cannot stay here much longer. We still have to find a way out without raising the guards.'

I turned back to the reading table and slowly walked its length, catching words here and there from the open scrolls: myth, forbidden, death. But no red folio. I rubbed the base of my skull; the pressure had deepened. Was it the Rat Dragon? I held up my candle. At the very end of the room, something reflected my light. A few more strides and I was in front of a wooden case topped with a flat piece of glass the size of an open scroll. How much had such a precious thing cost?

But all wonder at the workmanship was gone when I leaned over and saw two small leather folios about the size of my hand — one red and bound by a string of black pearls, the other black and bound by white pearls.

'It's here!' A surge of exhilaration and relief caught me in the chest.

Ryko was beside me in a moment.

'Is that glass?' He tapped the top. 'Beautiful!' Then he saw what was inside. 'Two folios?

What's the other one?'

I studied the case. There were two hinges on the back — it would open like a box. 'Here, hold my candle,' I said, passing it to him.

Gingerly, I hooked my fingers under the lip of the glass and lifted. It opened easily and rested back on the sturdy hinges.

Ryko moved the candles closer. 'Look, the black one has the same design on it as the door.'

Although half hidden under the wrap of white pearls, the leather had been tooled with the circle of twelve spheres.

The red folio had no design on the front, but three deep gouges marked the smooth leather as though someone had tried to slice through the tight binding of black pearls. Had Lord Ido been unable to open it?

I reached for the folio.

It suddenly heaved. Before I could snatch back my hand, the string of black pearls had unravelled and snaked up my hand, wrapping itself tightly around my wrist. I yelped, pulling my hand and the folio out of the case. The taste of metal flooded my mouth as a familiar rage scoured my body. The same rage I had felt in my swords.

Ryko dropped the candles and lunged towards me. 'I'll pull it off!'

'No,' I snarled. The last loop of pearls had bound the folio against my palm. I pulled the text up to my chest, protecting it from Ryko. The rage receded just as quickly as it had risen, leaving a quiet sense of completeness.

'No, it's all right,' I said, cradling the folio against my body. 'It's all right.'

Ryko eyed me uncertainly. 'If you say so.' He looked down at the black folio. 'Will the same thing happen with the other one?'

'I will not touch it!' I snapped, the rage surging again.

Ryko stepped back. Are you sure you are all right?'

I massaged my forehead, trying to dislodge the anger. 'We should go.' I wanted to get as far away from the black folio as possible. I did not understand it, but the feeling was as strong and as sharp as a nail through my hand.

'You don't want to take the black folio?'

'No!' I took a shaking breath, forcing some calm. 'No. If Lord Ido owns it, he will be able to mount an official investigation if it is stolen.'

I gently pushed at the red folio, directing it up my forearm under my sleeve. There was no resistance; the pearls unravelling slightly to allow the move then tightening again.

Ryko bent and picked up the snuffed candles. 'I'll light them in the lamp,' he said.

'No, I'll do it,' I said quickly 'You close the case. I don't want to touch it again.' Taking the candles, I crossed quickly to the side bench.

The pouch full of the Sun drug lay beside the lamp. I sneaked a look over my shoulder. Ryko was staring down at the black folio, absorbed. Using my body as cover, I scooped up the pouch and shoved it into the deep pocket of my tunic. Then I quickly lit the candles in the flame of the oil lamp.

Just as I turned, Ryko let out a bellow and jumped back from the case, rubbing his hand. He looked across at me, his face a strange mix of guilt and shock. 'I tried to pick up the black one, but the pearls whipped me,' he said. Edging a step closer to the case, he eased the lid down at arm's length.

'We've got to go. Now,' I said urgently

I blew out the lamp. Once more the room became a dark, shadowy otherworld flickering with the light of the two candles. I moved to the door, away from the gap on the bench where the pouch had lain. Ryko met me at the end of the reading table and took a candle.

'How are we going to get out?' I asked.

'The guards should have cleared the area by now. If I get hit with the same illusion, then you're going to have to help me get through it,' Ryko said, touching his stomach. 'Once we are free of that, we'll make our way back to the side gate.'

I followed him into the narrow corridor. Turning, 1 held up my candle and took one last look at Lord Ido's library. Although the case was hidden in the dark shadows, it seemed to throb with soured power. I quickly closed the twelve-sphere door.

Ahead, Ryko extinguished his candle then opened the outside door a crack.

'It looks clear,' he said.

For a moment, intuition held me still. I brushed my fingers over the folio resting beneath my sleeve. 'You should hold on to me,' I said. 'Until we get past the dragon power.'

Ryko nodded and took my candle, pinching out the flame. A rustle of cloth told me he was storing both candles back in his waist pouch.

'Ready?' I asked.

His hand grasped my arm. 'Ready'

I opened the door, the movement bumping the broken padlock against the metal in a soft clang. The garden was quiet, the shapes of the trees and flowerbeds edged in silver from the half moon. I stepped out into the shadow of the hill, feeling the drag of Ryko as he followed.

The pearls around my wrist stirred, and for a moment I saw the Rat Dragon's power over the hill, like a thin dome of glass, stretching down the path and ending at a stand of blossom trees.

I steered us slowly towards them. Ryko met my gaze and nodded; all was well. So far. We passed the spot where he had first fallen. Not too far now. Then I felt Ryko's grip loosen and, before I could protest, he released me. I saw his eyes widen with pain, then he doubled over and dropped heavily to his knees, breath ragged. I lunged for him, digging my fingers into the hard muscle of his arm. The tension suddenly left his body He grabbed my hand, clinging to it like a drowning man, and gulped in deep breaths.

'Not quite clear yet,' I said unnecessarily

He looked up at me then bowed his head. 'My lord.' His voice was soft with awe.

'Ryko, get up.' I pulled at his arm. 'We are not safe out here.'

1t was only a few more lengths to the trees. Holding my hand t ightly, Ryko pushed himself up onto his feet. I led him off the path into the thin cover.

'It will be all right now,' I whispered.

Hesitantly, he pulled his hand from mine. We both paused, but he was clearly in no pain.

'I am in your debt, my lord,' he murmured, bowing.

I shook my head. 'No, it's —'

A crunch of leaves made us both spin around. A guard stood behind us, caught mid-retreat.

Although he wore a wide-brimmed helmet, I recognised the blunt mean features and solid body.

Ranne.

His eyes widened. 'You!'

He'd recognised me.

Beside me, Ryko tensed with the same realisation. It was Ranne's death warrant. In a blur of speed, Ryko drew both knives, the steels crossing over each other in a rasp of steel. As Ranne opened his mouth to raise the alarm, a knife hit him in the throat, sinking up to its hilt. His shout became a wet gurgle as he clutched at the blade. Ryko sprang forwards, thrusting its twin up under Ranne's armour into his abdomen. I heard the puncture of air and the clicking rattle of his death breath as Ryko eased his body to the ground.

I gaped at them: the living crouched over the dead. I had seen death before — Dolana and others at the salt farm — but they had been worn down by misery and illness into a welcome release. This was a snatching away of life; one moment there was Hua, there was will, there was Ranne, and then there was not.

'We have to hide the body' Ryko said, wiping one of the knives on the grass. 'In the pavilion.'

I shivered at his words; how quickly a person became just a body. Ranne had bullied me at the school and nearly killed me during the ceremony. Perhaps I should be rejoicing at the death of my enemy. But I couldn't. A man had died and another had killed to protect me.

A few moments ago, I had been fighting just for my own survival. Now there was no standing back from this larger struggle. I was at its centre.

'No,' I said flatly. I knew where the body had to go. 'Carry him to the edge of the dragon power and I'll pull him into it. They'll think it was an accident, and won't be able to retrieve him until Ido returns.'

Ryko stared up at me then pressed his fist to his chest — a soldier's salute. At your command, my lord.'

It did not take long to drag Ranne's body onto the path. I kept my eyes away from his blank stare and swallowed my gorge as my hand brushed against his cooling face. His life warmth was already fading into the chill of the grave. As I stood up from arranging his lax limbs into the position of a fall, I wondered if anyone would observe the nine days of mourning for him.

Ryko hissed at me from the edge of the dragon power. 'Come.'

We cut across the garden towards the dark archway. The pressure of the pearl binding around my forearm was like a sweet torture — my impatience to open the folio barely held in check by the need to wait until I was in the safe seclusion of my bedchamber.

The inner courtyard was empty when we peered around the corner of the passage. No servant girl stealing a mouthful. No guards with their torches. No Dillon. He was probably hiding somewhere — the Sun drug seemed to be rousing his fear and melancholy more than his fighting spirit.

I crept across the courtyard under the cover of the cumquats and down the alley, Ryko close and silent behind me. As we cleared the side gate, pulling it shut with a soft scrape, I felt eyes upon me. I looked up. Dillon stood on the guard walkway above us. He held up a hesitant hand.

'Thank you,' I mouthed.

He nodded and turned away.