Eon: Dragoneye Reborn

CHAPTER 22

I wrinkled my nose against the smell of decaying plants and peered into the small tunnel.

'Is this it?' I whispered. 'Is this the Concubines' Gate?'

I remembered the Prince — the Pearl Emperor — whispering to me about it, his bawdy grin turning to embarrassment. Had his guards got him away in time? Was he safe? I touched the plaques at my breast; let him be safe, I prayed. As if in answer, the pearls around my arm lifted and settled.

Ryko crouched in front of the grate and cleared more of the vegetation away.

'It's a hidden emergency bolt hole. What did you expect?'

'It looks like a drain.'

'Exactly'

I laid down the heavy sword that Ryko had taken from a dead soldier two courtyards back, and helped him pull away the tightly wound vines. He had also taken the dead man's leather armour. An old ruse, but a good one,' he'd said as he tightened the fastenings around his waist and pressed the tough leather helmet on his head. A good ruse for him — too bad there was no armour small enough to make me a convincing soldier.

'None of these vines are broken. No one's been through this exit,' I whispered. Were the ladies all still in the harem?

'No, they wouldn't have come out here,' Ryko said. 'The tunnel has another exit futher along, beyond the palace walls near the river. The ladies would be escorted straight through to the royal barges.'

He carefully rolled the grate aside. The metal ground across the stone. We both tensed at the sound, listening for signs of curiosity from the small troop of soldiers stationed near the Gate of Officials. Ryko had been right — Sethon was throwing most of his manpower at the harem.

It had taken us over a half bell to carefully circumvent the build-up of soldiers around the women's sanctuary and then another half bell to get to the far west wall. The strain was beginning to tell on my body, and my nerves felt so thinly stretched that madness seemed only another hacked body or shrieking maid away.

'The escort guards should have already lit the lamps along the passage, but just in case…' He drew out two candles from his waist pouch, passing them to me. Then he unbundled a clay dish from a wrap of leather and picked out a striker. His sap powder trick.

'There are five steps down into the tunnel,' he said. 'Keep close to me.'

I picked up my borrowed sword and, bending double, followed him into the stinking hole.

Five slimy steps. And damp, cold air. Ryko tugged at my sleeve, leading me further into the darkness. We turned corners, at least it seemed we did — I had lost all sense of direction. The rough stone floor suddenly softened under my feet.

'Here,' he breathed.

I sensed him squatting down to the floor and heard the scrape of the striker. Light flared. My eyes scrunched shut against the sudden brightness. Ryko tapped my arm.

'Candles. Quick.'

I held them out, blinking at the tiny flame in the dish. Ryko quickly lit the wicks then the sap powder flittered into tiny wisps of smoke. As he passed me one of the candles, its light shimmered across gold and turquoise. My breath caught. The tunnel was no longer a slimy drain. Intricate tilework covered the walls and curved across the ceiling in patterns of gold-edged flowers and fruit. Rich blue carpets were laid end on end along the narrow corridor. It was still cold and damp, but a heavy perfume scented the air.

'It's beautiful,' I whispered. I looked down at the thick floor coverings. 'How is it the carpets do not rot?'

Ryko gave an amused snort. 'I believe they are replaced every month.' He studied the rugs.

'No one has been through here,' he said slowly 'No marks on the carpet. No lamps lit.' He collected the clay dish and bundled it into his pouch. 'Something has gone wrong with the evacuation.'

'Couldn't they have got out another way?'

He chewed on his lower lip. 'The Scholars' Gate, maybe.' He stood up. 'If we are separated, get back to this tunnel and follow it straight through to the river. There is a man waiting with a boat. He will take you to safety' He saw my reluctance. 'Do you understand? You must not be taken.' J

I nodded, and kept my face under better control.

We walked in silence, our footsteps lost in the thick pile of the carpets and our candlelight catching the inlaid gold and blue gloss of the tiles like sunlight across water. Every so often, Ryko paused and held his small flame against an oil lamp set into the wall, creating pockets of light behind us.

'For our return journey' he said.

How did he keep such courage and spirit? I raised my eyes to the vivid ceiling. Above us was an army, headed by a ruthless general intent on claiming the throne and supported by a madman with the power of an Ascendant dragon. What could wc do against them? Images of Lord Tyron's body and I lollin's slack face made my throat burn with a sudden rise of bile. Were all the Dragoneyes and their apprentices now dead? There was perhaps one who had survived: Dillon. And, ol course, me.

Poor Dillon. Could his survival wreck Ido's plans for the String of Pearls? Did not all those connected to a dragon have to die before it could be created? I sighed. My problem was, as it had always been, lack of knowledge. I just did not know enough about the power of the Dragoneyes. I patted the red folio, reassuring myself that it was still held tight against my arm. Hopefully, Lady Dela would soon find the most important piece of knowledge in it. If we found Lady Dela.

Suddenly the earth shivered under my feet. A rumbling boom resonated through the tunnel as though the earth itself was moaning in pain. I ducked as dust spun into the air, catching in my throat.

'What in Shola's name was that?' Ryko said, his sword half drawn.

I coughed, trying to clear the dust. An earthshake?'

He peered back the way we had come. 'Maybe. Come on, I will feel better when we are out of the ground.'

We moved on. Finally, Ryko raised his candle and pointed upwards. A thick gold band curved across the ceiling and down each wall. It reminded me of the Imperial audience line in the ceremonial courtyard.

'This marks the harem wall,' he said. 'We are almost there.'

We passed under the gold boundary without another word. Ryko quickened his pace and I dug into deep reserves of energy to break into an awkward trot behind him. My sword seemed to weigh as much as a man. Ryko lengthened his stride and I pushed myself into a run. The muffled sound of our feet and my rasping pants were the only sound in the passage. And then Ryko stopped, making me swerve around him to slow down. The carpet had abruptly given way again to rough stone.

I bent double over the sword and sucked in deep wheezing breathis.

'Maybe it would be best for you to stay here while I find Lady Dela,' Ryko said, watching my struggle.

I shook my head. 'I will not stay' I managed between gasps.

'I could make you stay'

I straightened, my breathing easier. 'I will keep up. Have I not so far?'

'You have,' he conceded. 'But I have a feeling that something has gone very wrong up there.'

He cast a worried glance upwards. 'We'll come up in a service alley on the outer edge. Keep hidden until I make sure it is clear.'

He lit a lamp in the wall beside him then blew out his candle, tucking it back into the pouch under the armour. He took my candle and gave one quick nod.

After we had turned two sharp corners, Ryko took my hand and placed it on his shoulder, then blew out my candle too. I stumbled behind him in the near pitch black, trying to match my small uneven steps to his long strides. We made another turn and I saw dull grey light, a sliced circle high in the darkness. For a few steps, I could not work out what it was, and then the slices made sense. Bars. It was another grate. Beneath it, the planes and shadows of a steep staircase. And then the distant sounds of screams and wails penetrated the silence.

Were we too late?

Ryko lunged forwards and climbed the steps using hands and feet. He crouched at the top, peering through the grate and blocking most of the dim light in the passage. Feeling my way along the wall, I found the first step and crawled up beside him.

Beyond the bars, the alley was stacked with trader chests and hessian-covered bales that blocked the view of the square. There was no way of knowing what lay ahead, but at least we would have some cover when we emerged. Ryko gripped two parallel bars and slowly shifted the grate out of its niche. It hit the stone

paving of the alley with a dull chink and thudded against the outside wall. We both froze, waiting loi shouts of disovery.

After a few breathless moments, Ryko eased out into the open. I handed my sword through, then followed. We were in a dead end, the Concubines' Gate set low into the stone wall of an official-looking building. As Ryko fitted the grate back into place, I crept to the edge of the nearest bale stack and watched the mouth of the alley The high-pitched screaming was much closer than I'd thought; the stone walls of the passage had muffled the terrible sound. Then something moved between the next two stacks. A man's hand, the dull brown of quilted armour and a flash of sword steel. I pulled back, flattening against the bale. Ryko grabbed my arm and swung me behind him.

He glared down at me. 'Where? How many?' he mouthed.

I pointed to the stack and held up one finger then shrugged; I had only seen one, but perhaps there were more. He pulled out a knife and jerked his head at the grate, pushing me towards it.

Then he edged into the alley.

I waited a beat before creeping back to the corner of the bale. Ryko was crouched a few lengths ahead on the near side of the second stack, his head cocked, listening. I held my breath, straining to hear too.

Something stirred. Ryko was moving before I even recognised it as steel scraping stone. He slammed his shoulder into the top bale, sending it plummeting between the stacks. It landed with a thud, mingled with a stifled yelp. The cry propelled Ryko over the remaining bales, his knife angled for a deadly down thrust. The stack rocked. Gasps of hard struggle made me step forwards. The bales shivered again and then the clanging ring of a dropped sword. Was it done? But there was still scuffling. And then a fierce, pained whisper.

'Ryko!'

A sudden tense silence and then I heard a moan. I ran across the small space, my sword raised.

Ryko was kneeling beside the body of a soldier, pressing the heel of his hand into the man's shoulder, blood welling up between his fingers. The man's chest rose and fell in short rasping pants. Then I saw the swarthy, angular face under the helmet and my breath stopped.

Lady Dela.

Ryko looked up at me, his eyes hollow. The dark stain under his hand was spreading into the quilted armour. 'We've got to stop the bleeding.'

I dropped to my knees, pushing my sword aside. 'Ryko, what have you done?'

'He stabbed me,' Lady Dela said, opening clouded eyes. 'Idiot.'

'You look like one of Sethon's men,' Ryko said through his teeth.

'So do you,' she said drily.

'Stay still.' He lifted the armour and sliced into it with his knife, cutting through the heavily quilted vest.

Her shoulders jerked, either from pain or the sharp laugh that resonated through her body.

'He's not providing his men with very good armour.'

'You stole skirmish,' Ryko said, working the knife carefully through the soggy material. 'You should have gone for a swordsman, like I did. They get iron and leather.' He pulled apart the thick padding to show a nasty wound under the round of her shoulder joint.

'I'll remember that next time,' Lady Dela said faintly. 'Did you see they've broken through? It was Ido, I'm sure of it. I'm sure he used his power. It was like part of the wall just disintegrated. Like an earth anger.'

I glanced at Ryko. 'That must have been the rumbling we heard.'

He nodded. 'Check the alley,' he said. 'Make sure we are still alone.'

I crawled to the end of the bales. The alley was empty, but beyond it a group of dark figures crossed the other side of the

square: four soldiers dragging two women between them. They seemed to be heading towards the next section of the harem, in the direction of the screaming and wailing. A soft glow brightened the sky above it. A fire, or the light of many, many torches.

I pulled back. Ryko shot me a questioning look.

'Four soldiers with prisoners, but on the other side of the square. They're heading further into the harem.'

'There are so many soldiers,' Lady Dela said. 'No one would listen to me and I couldn't find Lady Jila.' She gripped my arm, her blood-slicked fingers slipping on the silk. 'I saw Sethon.

He's got her and the baby in the Square of Beauty and Grace. We have to do something.'

Ryko grabbed my hand and pushed it hard against the wet warmth of the wound, ignoring Lady Dela's pained hiss. 'Keep a firm hold.'

Lady Dela raised her head. 'Did you get the folio?'

'We got it,' I said.

'Good. That's good.' She shivered. 'I took your swords. Didn't want them to get in the wrong hands. They're somewhere here.' She closed her eyes. 'My apologies.' Her voice had dropped to a murmur.

My heart lifted as I saw the swords lying half hidden by the upended bale. I badly needed their fury to burn away my fear. Especially if Lord Ido was nearby Opposite, Ryko had dug a small vial from his waist pouch and was sprinkling a powder over Lady Dela's wound. It stunk like a hot-water spring.

'Lady Dela,' I said, rousing her. 'Did you see Lord Ido? Is he in the harem too?'

She gave a tiny nod, wrinkling her nose against the bad-egg stench. 'I think so. How can he use his power for war? I thought it was forbidden by the Covenant. Surely the Council won't allow it.'

'I don't think there is any Council any more.'

She frowned, losing focus on my words. Ryko squatted beside me and gestured to my robe.

I need bandaging. May I cut some of the silk?'

I nodded.

'Don't hurt the Harmony Robe,' Lady Dela protested weakly Ryko let out an exasperated breath, but I saw the flicker of a smile. As he ripped the thin undersilks, I tried to judge the amount of warm blood oozing through my fingers. The flow seemed to be easing.

'Up we go,' Ryko said, gently pulling Lady Dela into a sitting position. Ryko nodded for me to stop staunching the blood. I caught her around her waist as he deftly positioned a pad of silk over her shoulder and tied it in place. 'You'll have to get a physician to look at it soon,' he said. 'It's still bleeding.'

She tested the firmness of the bandage, wincing as she pressed on it. 'This will do for now.'

She held out her good arm. 'Help me stand. We need to get to the Square of Beauty and Grace.'

Ryko pulled her to her feet and steadied her as she swayed. Her face drained into a grey pallor.

'We're not going to the square,' Ryko said. 'We're going straight back through the Concubines'

Gate.'

'No.' She grabbed his arm, more for support than emphasis. 'Sethon has taken Lady Jila and the infant Prince. Don't you understand what he's going to do? He's going to kill them and claim the throne. We have to stop him.' She turned to me. 'Lord Eon, give me the book. We will find your dragon's name and then you must stop him.'

In my mind I heard my master's voice, thin with agony as the poison choked his Hua. Stop him. Stop Ido. Stop Sethon. It didn't matter which one he'd meant. They both had to be stopped and I had promised I would do it. And my master was not the only one I had promised. I had made a pact with Prince Kygo. Mutual survival. He'd said I had no honour.

Was it true? Was I a deserter of my own word?

Ryko shook his head. 'We go back. It is my duty to get you to safety'

'No,' I said. They both stared at me. '1 wish it was your duty, Ryko, but it is not. Your duly is to serve me, My duly is to stop Ido and Sethon. For the Pearl Emperor.' And my muster, I added silently 'We do not know if'lhe Pearl Emperor litis escaped. For all we know, he is dead and Lady jila's baby is now our overlord. We must try and save him and his not her.'

Ryko had stiffened under my words as though I had cut him with a whip. As you say, my duty is to serve you. But it is also to protect you. I will not lead you into certain death.'

I met his stubborn glare. 'You will not be leading me into death. You will be following.' I saw the rise of argument in his eyes. 'Who else is there, Ryko? You said yourself that I was the hope of the Resistance.'

'That was when you were Lord Eon, the Mirror Dragoneye.'

'I am still the Mirror Dragoneye.'

Lady Dela stepped between us. 'Enough of this pissing contest. We have no other choice. We must save Ladyjila and the Prince.'

I nodded. 'Give me a knife.'

Ryko stood looking at my outstretched hand.

'For Shola's sake, stop fighting the inevitable and give her a knife,' Lady Dela said. She leaned against a bale, sucking in pained breaths. 'Do it.'

He unsheathed a blade and slapped the leather-wrapped grip into my palm. I forced my fingers under the tight ties of my sash and began to saw through the silk.

Lady Dela's head snapped up. 'What are you doing?'

'Two soldiers dragging a captured maid to the square.'

The sash fell away I shrugged my way out of the heavy Story Robe and let it drop to the ground. The moonlight flared across the dark depths of the black pearls and silvered my pale arms. I looked up and saw Ryko staring at my body, now only clad in three thin undertunics and emerald trousers. Under his gaze, I was suddenly aware of my shape beneath the fine silk and I

wrapped my arms across my chest. He cleared his throat, quickly moving around me to station himself at the edge of the bales.

Lady Dela's eyes followed his retreat. 'It is a good plan,' she said shortly, 'but you will have to take off the shoes and the trousers too. They are wrong.'

I removed the scuffed muddy shoes, then crouched down and worked my hand under the tunics, finally finding the trouser tie. I tugged them down and stepped out of them.

'And your hair,' Lady Dela said.

I closed my hand over the two Dragoneye braids looped and tied at the top of my head. With her injury, Lady Dela would not be able to loosen them. 'Ryko, you'll have to cut it free.' I offered him the knife and turned my back.

'This is madness,' he growled.

His fingers pulled on the base of the loop, bringing tears to my eyes. As he flicked the knife through Rilla's expert bindings, I carefully unwound the pearls from around my forearm and the folio. There was no resistance from the gems, only a slight quivering that could have been my own trembling hands.

'Lady Dela.' She crossed the few paces to me, holding her injured arm against her side. I poured the pearls into her good hand and placed the folio on top. 'Find her name.'

'If it is in there, I will find it,' she promised.

'Ryko, you take my swords. I don't want them left behind.'

I felt my braids release and fall stiffly against my head.

'There, it is loose,' Ryko said gruffly

I pulled a braid to the front and dug my fingertips into it, working the hair free. He walked around and eyed my clumsy return to womanhood. I faced up to the new look in his eye, lifting my chin. Did he now think even less of me?

'If you can throw off your years as a boy, we should pass scrutiny' he said.

He was echoing my own doubts. 'I will be just another

frightened maid,' I said and gave hima quick, wry smile. 'I will not need to act it.'

He grunted. 'You have the coutage of a wan mi '

1 watched him turn away and gather the clothes from the ground. He thought me courageous?

But 1 was terrified always terrified.

'No,' I saicj flatly. 'I don't.'

He paused from stuffing the invaluable robe between two bales. Are you frightened now?'

I nodded, shame flushing my skin.

'Is it going to stop you?'

'No.'

'That is the courage of a warrior.' He picked up my swords, sheathing them in the scabbards on each of his hips.

'It is also the courage of a cornered animal,' Lady Dela said caustically. She angled the open folio to the moonlight and squinted at the letters.

'Anything?' I prompted, my fingers busy unweaving the second braid into waves.

Lady Dela clicked her tongue in frustration. 'It is very faint,' she said. 'I need more light.' She frowned and shifted the book. 'These are the writings of a woman named Kinra. The last Mirror Dragoneye.'

I dropped my hands from my hair. 'Kinra?'

Lady Dela raised her eyes to me. 'What? You know the name?'

I dug my fingers under the wrap of my breast-band and ripped out the two death plaques.

'Look.' I held up the Kinra plaque. 'She is my ancestor.'

They both studied the worn lacquered memorial. Ryko pursed his lips in a soundless whistle.

'I did not think Dragoneye powers could be inherited,' he said.

'Perhaps it is just the Mirror Dragoneye,' Lady Dela said slowly. 'The female Dragoneye.'

I touched the stiff parchment. Kinra had once touched it too. My ancestor. Pride and awe held me still; I was from a line of Dragoneyes.

An abrupt image flashed into my mind — the first time in Ido's library, when I had reached for the red folio and the pearls had wound around my arm, I had felt the same rage in them that I had felt in the ceremonial swords. My swords must have once belonged to Kinra too.

'I've just remembered —'

A huge roar from deep within the harem rolled over the women's screaming wails, booming into the alley I flinched. Beside me, Lady Dela gripped the rough hessian bale. Ryko was back at the edge of the stack, knives raised. The terrible pounding cheers separated into the rhythm of a chant: Sethon, Sethon, Sethon. It was the sound of victory And threat.

Ryko suddenly pulled back, his face twisted with self-disgust. 'Too slow.'

'Oy who's down there?' a man's voice demanded.