Dragon emperor 18, p.3
Dragon Emperor 18, page 3
I called the fire bow and arrows back to me and created a whip like Ravi’s while I waited for the woman to respond. Then I whipped it into place around the beast’s other leg to keep it in place, and Ravi’s face relaxed as I took half the load of the giant snowy creature.
“I can send it away,” Alyona offered as she rushed to my side.
“A portal?” I asked.
“Exactly.” She nodded and began the spell.
The woman looked at her, but I couldn’t read her expression under her furry hood. A few seconds later, a portal opened next to Alyona, and I glanced over at the beast who hadn’t even noticed. It was still pulling at the ropes to free itself, and I decided to let it win that fight.
“I’m going to stand in front of the portal,” I called out over the wind. “Let it run toward me, and I’ll move before it can stop!”
“Are you sure?” Ravi grimaced as she held tight to her whip.
“Yes, just do it!” I yelled and stood in front of the portal before I released my fiery rope.
The beast roared again as Ravi let go of her tether, and then the creature sprinted at me with a newfound rage. As soon as it lumbered close enough, I dropped into the snow, grabbed its foot, and used its momentum to propel it into the portal. The snowy creature tumbled forward and rolled into the snow on the other side, and Alyona snapped the portal shut with a flick of her wrist.
“Where did he go?” the woman asked. “Is it safe there?”
“I just put him over there,” Alyona answered and pointed to the south side of Odrein. “Far enough away to leave us alone, but close enough to find his way back to the lake.”
“Thank the gods,” she sighed. “And thank you, milady. What are you doing out here anyway? I’ve never seen you before.”
“We, ah, just arrived,” I said without detailing how we’d arrived. “We’re looking for Narsglow.”
“Oh, that’s my city!” the woman said as she lifted her hood to reveal her smiling face.
I blinked at least three times as I stared at her. She was a snow leopard Demi-Human, and she was stunning. Her almond-shaped eyes were a creamy chocolate-brown, and her straight black hair was twisted back into a braid that disappeared under her fur coat. White ears with black spots sprouted from her hair, and a perfect smattering of black dots decorated a white streak that started on her forehead and traveled down her nose.
Then I noticed long black claws at the ends of her fingertips, and something told me she was still a warrior, despite her pleas for us to spare the life of the snow monster.
“Wow,” Ravi breathed.
It seemed the phoenix and I were on the same wavelength.
As am I, Miraya said from my spiritual sea. She is beautiful. And I think we must be close to the city. I can feel one of my sisters nearby.
Good, we’re on the right track, I replied.
“My name is Lady Nokomis,” the snow leopard introduced herself with a smile that revealed sharp canines among her perfectly straight white teeth.
“I’m Lord Evan of Hatra,” I replied before I gestured to each of my party in turn. “This is my wife, Alyona, and Ravi, Skye, Isabella, Rebecca, and Lord Nikolaus of Leyte. It’s nice to meet you, milady.”
I neglected to mention my wife’s royal status, even though it felt strange, but we were in a whole other country, not to mention on another continent, and we didn’t know who to trust yet.
“Likewise,” Nokomis said with a bow. “I can take you to Narsglow, but we shall avoid the lake, if you don’t mind.”
“Fine by me,” I chuckled.
The snow leopard turned, and I caught a glimpse of silver and gold at her hip. Something seemed to pull me toward the sight, and I frowned in thought.
Was that a Noble Sword?
It was! Miraya cried out with joy. I knew I could feel a sister was close! She must be in her mistress’ spiritual sea.
Well, this might be easier than we thought.
Nokomis started to walk around the edge of the frozen lake, and Nike fell into step next to me.
“My lord, Aine is going crazy,” he whispered. “She said she believes Nokomis is a Noble of the Sword.”
“I think she’s right,” I said quietly. “I saw a sword on her belt, but I couldn’t see much of it. Miraya thinks she is, too.”
“What do we do?” he wondered.
“Just play it by ear for now,” I decided. “We can’t trust too easily after everything we’ve already seen. We’ll just have to talk to her when the time is right.”
“Are you talking about her being a Noble of the Sword?” Skye asked in a hushed whisper. “Juniper and I saw her sword.”
“Yeah,” I confirmed. “But we aren’t going to say anything yet. Just wait.”
Skye nodded, slowed her pace to walk next to Isabella, and whispered to the Nepin, and then they turned and whispered to Alyona, Ravi, and Rebecca. It seemed the plan was accepted by our group, and I turned back to see Nokomis had glanced over her shoulder at me.
I stepped up my pace to walk next to her and waited for the question I knew was coming.
“So, what brings you to Narsglow?” Nokomis asked as we followed her through the thick snow. “We don’t have many visitors.”
“We’ve never been here before,” I hedged. “We heard someone we’re looking for is here and decided to check it out.”
“Oh, that sounds like a mystery,” she giggled. “Are you going to tell me who it is? I might be able to help you.”
“I’m sure we will eventually,” I said with a smile. “A few people have tried to stop us on our mission before, so please forgive me for being cautious.”
“It’s better to be cautious than foolhardy,” Nokomis agreed. “That is a lesson learned rather than taught.”
“Indeed,” I murmured.
Nokomis was wise, and she didn’t ask too many questions, so I had a feeling we’d get along just fine.
I’d like to get along with her in a bedroom, to be honest, but that would have to wait until I found out more about her Noble of the Sword status.
I think she would be a wonderful lover, Miraya mused.
Don’t give me any ideas right now, I chuckled.
I shook my head as Miraya giggled from my spiritual sea, and we trudged on through the snow.
“So, where did you say you are from again?” Nokomis asked and then arched a mischievous eyebrow. “Hatra?”
“It’s a city in Rahma,” I explained. “Have you ever been there?”
“I suppose I’d have to leave Odrein to have been in Rahma,” the snow leopard replied with a smile. “I haven’t had much reason to cross the ocean, and I’m not, ah, inclined to go near the water if it isn’t necessary.”
“Oooh, right, Aaliyah feels the same way about water,” Rebecca said as she tucked a stray auburn hair behind her ear. “I believe it’s a feline trait.”
“I suppose some things are universal, even across realms.” I smirked before I realized Nokomis had homed in on my comment.
“Across realms?” she asked with apparent curiosity. “You’re a realm traveler?”
“Of sorts,” I hedged. “I’ve been to more places than most.”
“You are quite the enigma, Lord Evan,” Nokomis replied and revealed another toothy grin. “I’ve never seen a dragon around here, and yet, here you come with your half-answers and vague stories. I am quite intrigued.”
“Oh, uh, you know I’m a dragon?” I asked.
“Snow leopards have a keen sense of smell, my lord,” she chuckled and tapped her nose. “We are also known for our wisdom, so I can see I’ve touched a nerve. Don’t worry, I won’t push for more information, but please know, I’m very interested to learn more about you and your kind.”
I didn’t know what to say, so I smiled and nodded my appreciation. I liked that Nokomis knew the limits of our conversation, and she didn’t make me feel like I had to discuss more than I wanted to.
We walked in content silence until I could finally see a set of gray stone walls that loomed out of the waning storm. I could also just make out a few guards who stood on the top and peered over the edge at us with apprehension.
“Do you have company?” one of the men called down to her.
“I do!” she replied with a smile. “They are friendly. You may open the gates.”
The guards glanced cautiously at each other for a moment before they opened the gates to allow us inside. Then I felt all of us inhale a sharp breath as we took in the sights of the city of Narsglow.
It looked like a winter wonderland.
Igloo-style buildings made up what appeared to be a housing district, and more buildings seemed to be sculpted from ice as they towered over us. The ice and snow left the appearance of sparkling surfaces everywhere we looked, and we oohed and aahed as we walked slowly behind Nokomis to soak it all in.
The more I stared, I realized the walls didn’t only sparkle because they were made of ice but also because small crystals decorated the sides and glittered in the sun. The crystals didn’t seem to be in any specific pattern, but I was fascinated by the way they were swirled throughout the ice and snow.
The wind wasn’t as strong within the city walls, and even the snow seemed to be thinner here, so only an inch or so covered the ground where we walked. I soon realized we’d caught the attention of every other citizen of Narsglow, and I was surprised to see so many kinds of Demi-Humans who lived here.
A pair of penguin Demi-Humans stopped their waddling to watch us pass by, and a family of arctic fox Demi-Humans huddled together with curiosity.
I could just make out their quiet whispers as they wondered who we were.
“…not from around here,” the female fox murmured.
“How would they have gotten here, then?” her husband asked under his breath.
“Maybe they flew!” one of the children giggled before his parents quickly hushed him and glanced our way.
I started to smile at the young Demi-Human, but my attention was caught by a pair of polar bear Demi-Humans, and then my gaze traveled to where they stood guard.
A giant ice castle looked like something out of a Disney movie with multiple icicle-like spires and icy-blue towers that stood even higher than the city walls. The roof was covered with a thin sheet of snow, and my jaw dropped open as we all stared at it.
“Is that the palace?” Alyona asked in a voice filled with wonder.
“Yes, milady,” Nokomis answered with a smile. “Would you like to come inside?”
“You’re a lady of the castle?” Ravi cocked her head to the side.
“Well, I suppose my proper term would be Princess, but it sounds so formal,” Nokomis said and pursed her lips. “I would prefer no title, but my parents are rather insistent.”
“Your parents, as in the King and Queen?” I pressed.
“Yes,” she laughed. “They don’t like when I avoid my princess duties, but I just can’t stand to spend my time with balls or classes about how to be a proper lady. I have more important things to do than be a princess.”
“Like what?” Rebecca asked, and I wasn’t sure if her curiosity was to draw out more information or genuine.
“Like being a warrior,” Nokomis said with a shrug. “Snow leopards aren’t made to be delicate creatures. It’s just not in our blood.”
“Ah, I know the feeling,” I replied carefully.
“I thought you might,” the snow leopard said as she studied me and winked. “Come on. I’ll introduce you to my parents.”
I couldn’t tell if she recognized me as a fellow Noble of the Sword, if she was hinting to the fight she’d witnessed, or if she referred to me being a dragon, but my curiosity about the feline Demi-Human grew by the minute.
Also, if the spirit of her sword was in her spiritual sea, they had to have figured out we had more of the sword spirits with us, right?
Unless she didn’t know how to communicate with her sword yet, like Anastasia had struggled in Copacia. The lady elf didn’t know she was still a Noble of the Sword, and we’d had to teach her how to cultivate and grow the strength of her spiritual sea, so the spirit of the Sword of the Land could heal and talk to her from there. It had been an adventure in itself to convince Anastasia she was meant to be the Noble of the Sword, rather than her greedy, power-hungry brother.
Nokomis, on the other hand, didn’t strike me as someone who wouldn’t know how to cultivate and grow in her power. She obviously carried the Noble Sword, which indicated she knew how to use it. Especially since she brought it out of the city walls to a fight.
The snow leopard Demi-Human had called me an enigma, but she was quite the riddle herself.
We followed Nokomis into the castle, and I was pleasantly surprised at the warmth inside the walls. Even though the building was made of ice, the interior looked like any other palace with white marble floors and columns that stretched from floor to ceiling in a large entryway. Many tapestries and paintings hung on the marble walls, and a series of snow leopard statues were lined up on either side of a flickering fireplace.
Some sort of magic had to be used to keep the inside so normal compared to its icy exterior, but I’d never seen anything like it.
“This is beautiful, Your Highness,” Alyona breathed. “I love those statues.”
“They’re of previous kings and queens of Odrein,” Nokomis explained. “Each commissioned their favorite sculptor to create their likeness. There are dozens more in the basement, but these are the most recent.”
“Maybe you need some sculptures in the Lunar Palace,” Nike said with a playful nudge to my ribs.
“There are plenty in the archives.” I smirked and shook my head.
Nokomis led us further into the castle and down a long hallway until we reached a set of double-doors nearly as large as those at the entrance.
“Okay, here we go,” she whispered just loud enough for me to hear.
Then she pushed open the doors and walked inside with her head held high.
At the other end of a long red carpet sat two huge thrones, and I imagined the pair of snow leopard Demi-Humans who occupied them were the king and queen. The queen was nearly as beautiful as Nokomis, though the smooth skin of youth had gained the lines of a well-lived life. She had the same creamy dark eyes and jet-black hair as her daughter, and her black-spotted ears perked up as we entered.
The king looked even older than his wife, and his gray-streaked black hair twisted into a single braid that laid over his shoulder and down his chest. He watched us curiously, but he didn’t jump to attack us or even seem worried about our sudden appearance.
It was a nice change of pace to be welcomed rather than having to defend ourselves.
“Daughter, you have brought guests,” the king said in a booming voice.
“Yes, Papa,” Nokomis confirmed as she brought us closer and bowed in front of their thrones. “King Tecumseh and Queen Isi, I present to you Lord Evan, Alyona, Ravi, Rebecca, Isabella, Skye, and Lord Nikolaus. They have traveled here from the kingdom of Rahma.”
Each of us dropped into a bow or curtsy as Nokomis introduced us, and when we stood up, Tecumseh had a kind smile on his face.
“A far journey,” the king observed. “And you found Narsglow without much trouble?”
“I, um, did help them,” Nokomis said before I could respond. “They walked across the Unega’s lake.”
“Ah, and the Unega is considerably more hostile when his territory has been trespassed,” her father chuckled. “Should I ask what the princess was doing so far away from home?”
“I released a few of my rescues,” she replied, though the tiniest hint of a blush colored her cheeks. “I didn’t want them close to the city for fear they’d be hunted.”
“Nokomis, my love, you know we have to hunt,” her mother chided her in a gentle tone. “The Green Mother has a cycle of life and death that has been in place for much longer than we have known this life.”
“I know,” Nokomis sighed.
“If I may, I thought it was brave of her to come out there and help us,” I said as I stepped closer to the thrones.
I neglected to mention she’d probably saved the Unega more than us, but I felt she needed a bit of positivity in front of her surprisingly chill parents.
“She kept the Unega alive, didn’t she?” the king laughed. “You don’t have to answer, Lord Evan. We know our daughter well. Now, you must be starving from such a long journey. Would you care for some lunch?”
“That would be great.” I grinned and bowed to the king.
“Then we will have the staff prepare enough for all of us.” He wrapped his slender, clawed fingers around a pendant that dangled on his chest and lifted it to his lips. “Please tell the cooks we have an additional seven guests for lunch.”
The pendant was in the shape of a snow leopard’s head, but it appeared to function as a magical communication device, much like what the Blue Tree Guild used to communicate long distances.
“That is a lovely pendant, Your Majesty,” Alyona said with a smile. “And useful, too.”
“Ah, yes,” the king agreed, though he didn’t offer an explanation.
It seemed the snow leopards had their own pieces of information they wanted to hold close to the vest.
After a brief pause, Tecumseh and Isi rose from their thrones hand in hand, and we parted to allow them to walk down the carpet toward the doors. They led us out of their throne room and turned right to enter a large dining hall. The main table was large enough to seat at least thirty people, and several smaller tables lined the walls on either side.
I had visions of extravagant balls and large dinners that Nokomis worked to avoid as we sat down at the table and waited for lunch to be served.
It wasn’t long before steaming plates of meat and large bowls of soup were carried into the dining hall and presented to each of us. I wasn’t used to having my meal on a plate already, and I sat with my utensils in hand as I waited for the king and queen to begin eating.
I’d learned that part of diplomacy at least.
Once the snow leopards bit into their first bites of warm meat, the rest of us followed suit. The flavor of the meat was familiar, but it was tender, juicy, and seasoned with a savory combination of herbs and spices I would never be able to figure out.
