Shadows of Moth (16 page)

"Watch, boy,"
hissed a voice beside him. "Watch as nightcrawlers turn against
nightcrawlers."

Jitomi spun around
to see Professor Atratus, wrapped in his black robes, standing on the
deck. As always, the Magerian wore his Radian pin. His eyes
glittered, reflecting the firelight, as he stared at the destruction.
His lips peeled back in a hungry grin. He turned to stare at Jitomi,
glee in those beady eyes.

"Do you see?"
said Atratus. "Do you see how pathetic your kind is? You turn
against each other, unable to unite even as my lord invades your
lands in the north." He cackled, spraying saliva. "Your
folly will be your doom. You will watch this doom unfurl, boy. I am
still your teacher. I now teach you the true wretchedness of your own
kind."

Rage and fear
pounded through Jitomi. He growled at Atratus, tempted to draw his
katana and slay the man. Before he could act, whistles filled the
sky. A rain of arrows lit the night, glinting red in the firelight.

The soldiers on the
deck, Jitomi among them, raised their shields.

The arrows, fired
from the town's battlements, rained down with a clatter. Most snapped
against shields and armor. A few sank into the deck. One or two
managed to punch through steel and draw blood. When the barrage
subsided and Jitomi lowered his shield, the Magerian professor was
gone.

Jitomi looked
across the battle and winced. The Ilari fleet was dropping its
anchors. Cannons blasted out again, slamming into the coastal town.
Only three Qaelish warships guarded the shipyard, and they were now
burning. Chanting for the Red Flame, Ilari warriors climbed into
landing crafts and began oaring toward the blazing town.

"Drag the
worms out of their holes!" Lord Hashido was shouting; he still
stood at the prow, sword raised. "Slay the men and children and
capture the women! Destroy every last home and ship!"

In the town, women
and children were fleeing from their homes and running to the
northern hills. Some Qaelish men stood upon the walls, firing cannons
and arrows, but the Ilari firepower tore into them, scattering down
bodies and bricks. Corpses burned upon the streets, houses crumbled,
and the Qaelish ships sank. Firelight danced upon the bloody water.
The first landing crafts reached the shore, and Ilari troops emerged
from them to race into the town. Clad all in steel, their helmets
demonic, they looked more like beasts than men. Their swords swung,
cutting into Qaelish shipwrights, fishermen, and fleeing children.

"Tianlong!"
Lord Hashido shouted. "Tianlong, to me! I will ride upon you and
command the battle from above."

The black dragon
coiled above, wreathed in smoke, but did not dip lower. The beast
roared but was not yet fighting, and he did not heed his emperor's
command.

"Tialong,
beast of Ilar!" Lord Hashido shouted. "Bear me upon your
back, and we will spill the blood of Qaelin."

But the dragon
would not obey. He rose higher, streaming above the battle like a
banner, and his roar pierced the night sky.

Cursing, Hashido
turned away and marched toward a landing craft. He spat into the
water. "If even the dragon is cowardly, I will lead this battle
on the front line, swinging my sword with men." The new emperor
huffed. "There is more honor to that." He placed one foot
into the landing craft, which was already filling with more troops,
and turned to look at his son. "Stay here upon this deck, son.
Stay here and watch men do their work. You're as worthless to me as
the reptile who flies above."

Men turned winches,
lowering the landing craft into the water. Hashido stood at the prow,
leading the boat toward the town. A hundred other vessels rowed
around the emperor, bearing soldiers. Soon Hashido emerged onto the
coast, raised his sword, and fought with his men. The lord's katana
swung into a fisherman and emerged bloody. Qaelish bodies littered
the coast and floated in the water.

Jitomi
watched from the deck of the
Daroma
Tai
,
eyes damp.

"Glorious,"
whispered Professor Atratus. He came back to stand at Jitomi's side.
He licked his small, sharp teeth. "Glorious."

I
must end this,
Jitomi
thought. His hands clutched the balustrade.
I
must stop this carnage.

He
turned and ran across the deck, which was now empty of soldiers. He
reached a mast, grabbed the ropes, and began to climb. Wind whipped
him and arrows sailed around him. A cannonball, fired from the town
walls, sailed alongside him with a shriek. It crashed down onto the
Daroma
Tai
's
deck, punching a hole. The ship tilted, and water gushed on board.
Jitomi clung onto the mast, gritted his teeth, and kept climbing even
as the ship listed.

"Tianlong!"
he shouted, climbing higher. "Tianlong, hear me!"

More arrows sailed
from the walls. One slammed into Jitomi's armor and shattered,
driving pain into him. He grimaced and climbed higher. Below upon the
deck, sailors were scuttling about, and more water gushed. The ship
was beginning to sink. Jitomi kept climbing, moving as fast as he
could. His armor was too heavy. Despite the arrows still flying his
way, he tugged off the steel plates and sent them crashing down onto
the deck.

"Tianlong!"
he cried. "I am Jitomi! I am a companion to Madori, daughter of
Koyee, your old rider. If you remember Koyee, hear me, Tianlong!"

The black dragon
seemed to hear him, but he still coiled far above, looking down at
the battle, seeming torn. Smoke and flames puffed out from his great
jaws. Jitomi scuttled higher up the tilting mast until he reached the
basket at its crest. An Ilari sailor stood there, pierced with
arrows, dead eyes staring. Grimacing, Jitomi climbed into the basket
with the corpse and waved his hands.

"Tianlong,
last dragon of Eloria! Hear me. For Koyee, hear me!"

The dragon finally
descended. His red beard fluttered as a great banner, and his scales
reflected the firelight from the burning town. His eyes narrowed,
staring down at Jitomi, and a deep rage burned in them.

"You dare
speak of Koyee," the dragon rumbled. "I bore her upon my
back, and we fought sunlit demons together. She is a daughter of
Qaelin, this very empire we burn, and the most noble soul I ever
met." He roared and blasted out smoke. "Now Elorians fight
Elorians. Now you betray Koyee's honor."

Jitomi had to shout
to be heard over the roaring battle below. Hundreds of ships sailed
all around, firing their guns, and thousands of soldiers were
streaming along the town's docks. The mast kept tilting; soon it
would crash down into the sea.

"Then let us
stop this, Tianlong!" Jitomi cried. "Let us stop my father.
He leads this host, and Atratus, a mage from the sunlight, whispers
into his ear. We must stop them."

He reached up and
touched the dragon's scales. Tianlong dipped lower in the sky. Jitomi
climbed onto the dragon, straddled his scaly neck, and grabbed his
horns. Tianlong rose higher just before the mast finally cracked and
crashed down onto the sinking deck. They soared above the battle. The
wind shrieked around them, and the cannons still blazed and swords
still rang upon the coast.

"Warriors of
Ilar!" Jitomi shouted. "Stop this madness! These are not
our enemies. Hear me! I ride upon Tianlong, the last dragon of
Eloria, and I call to end this violence. Our fellow Elorians are not
our enemies!"

Some soldiers
looked up at him. A handful hesitated, swords wavering. But most
still fought, moving along the streets like metal serpents through a
labyrinth. They kicked open doors, dragged out families, and sliced
their throats. Upon the water, ships were still firing their cannons,
tearing down the city walls. The shipyard burned and crumbled,
reduced to mere crackling flotsam.

Jitomi pointed down
to a city square. His father stood there, leading a hundred soldiers
in tasseled armor. Facing them stood a dozen Qaelish
soldiers—probably the last to survive in this town—along with a
score of townsfolk armed with knives and clubs. As Jitomi watched,
his father sliced a woman's belly open and laughed.

The black dragon
flew above the square, and Jitomi cried down, "Father, stop
this! Men of Ilar, hear me. This is not the way. The Radians are not
our allies; we only serve the sunlight when we battle fellow dwellers
of darkness. Sheathe your swords and—"

His father unslung
his bow off his back, tugged back an arrow, and fired at Jitomi.

The dragon banked,
and the arrow scraped across his scales, showering sparks.

"Tianlong!"
cried Lord Hashido, standing in the courtyard below. "Cast off
the boy and obey me. Fight for honor! For Ilar! Slay the Qaelish for
the glory of the Red Flame."

Jitomi clung to the
dragon's horns. The wind whistled around him. He spoke softly into
Tianlong's ear. "And if we reach the north, and if we face
Koyee, would you let him kill her too?"

The dragon roared.

His cry shook the
city below, louder than thunder, so loud Jitomi covered his ears and
clung to the dragon with only his legs. Smoke blasted from the beast,
and his beard crackled with fire. The dragon swooped and roared as
arrows pounded into him.

"You are a
fool, Hashido!" the dragon bellowed. His jaws opened wide.

"Tianlong,
no!" Jitomi cried.

But the dragon
would or could not hear. His great jaws closed around Lord Hashido.
His teeth punched through armor. The dragon tossed back his head,
lifting the new emperor of Ilar. Hashido's sword swung, and the
katana chipped the dragon's scales, and Tianlong bit deeper. Armor
cracked. Teeth drove into flesh and blood leaked through steel.

Jitomi winced.
Terror thrummed through him, and suddenly he was a boy again, a
simple child in his father's fortress, marveling at the powerful
lord, knowing he could never be as strong. Did some love for his
father remain, even now?

"Spare him,"
Jitomi said. "Spare him, Tianlong. He's my father."

The dragon looked
over his shoulder at Jitomi. Some of the rage left his eyes. Hashido
was still alive, moaning in the dragon's jaws, his blood seeping.
With a grunt and puff of smoke, the dragon tossed the new emperor
down. Hashido clanked against the cobblestones.

Jitomi dismounted
the dragon and leaned over his father. The battle died down around
them. Ilari soldiers crowded near, gasping and muttering. The Qaelish
lay dead or had fled the courtyard.

"Father, can
you hear?" Jitomi said. The emperor was moaning, blood seeping
from his armor. Jitomi lifted the man's visor, revealing an ashen
face. "Father, I'll find you a healer. But you must call off the
troops. We must end this war."

The wounded man,
eyes sunken, spat. The glob of saliva hit Jitomi's cheek.

"Leave me,
traitor." Blood leaked from Lord Hashido's mouth. "You
killed me. You killed your own father. Curse you! Curse you forever.
Your hands are covered with your father's blood. The spirits of the
underworld will forever haunt you."

The emperor's
breath died. He slumped to the ground.

For a long moment,
Jitomi held his father's lifeless body. His throat and eyes burned.
Around him, fire and smoke engulfed the city. Finally Jitomi raised
his head to gaze at the warriors who surrounded him, steel demons
with dripping blades.

"Emperor
Hashido is dead!" Jitomi said. His knees shook, but he forced
himself to take a deep breath and rise to his feet. "I am his
only son. I hereby take command of this army. Back to our ships! We
leave this place. We end this battle."

The ring of demonic
faces drew nearer, the visors reflecting the firelight. Armor
creaked. Swords rose higher. One of the soldiers stepped closer, a
towering man, his lacquered armor painted crimson, his helmet horned.
He held a massive katana the size of a pike, and his eyes blazed
within his helmet's eyeholes. Instead of tassels like most
breastplates sported, this man's armor was decorated with gilded
finger bones—trophies from his enemies.

Jitomi recognized
him. When he spoke the man's name, it tasted like ash. "General
Naroma."

The man raised his
demonic visor, revealing a face just as cruel. Tattoos covered it,
black and red, and his eyes burned under tufted eyebrows. His white
mustache twitched as he sneered.

"You are
nothing but a lost pup." The general spat. "You were a
shame to your father, whom you slew. You will pay for your crime,
boy, And I shall sit upon the throne." He raised his sword and
shouted for the army to hear. "I am Naroma, new Emperor of
Ilar!"

Laughing, Naroma
swung his massive katana toward Jitomi.

Jitomi leaped back,
dodged the blade, and stumbled over his father's body. He fell down
hard on the cobblestones, arms raised before him.

The surrounding
soldiers burst into laughter.

"Behold the
Pup of Hashido!" said General Naroma. His face turned red as he
laughed. "Cowering like a woman. Should I kill him slowly and
hear him beg?"

Covered in his
father's blood, Jitomi rose to his feet. The soldiers all stared. The
dragon hovered above, watching silently. The general laughed and
raised his sword again.

"I am no
woman, General Naroma," Jitomi said slowly. "Though I've
met women whose strength and wisdom I would be proud to
possess—strength and wisdom you lack. Strength is not measured by
the power of the arm but that of the heart." He chose the
general's blade and claimed it. "And a man who relies on steel
to display his might is a fool."

With a sharp
breath, Jitomi changed the blade, heating the steel so that it
melted, red and hot as if fresh from the cauldron.

The liquid metal
spilled across Naroma's hand, and the general roared. His gauntlet
cracked, leaking blood and skin.