I was willing to gamble my good leg that it did exist, and that Lord Ido had stolen it.
Did the folio hold my dragon's name? I knew it was only a slim chance, but it was also my only chance.
Somehow, I had to get that folio back.
CHAPTER 10
I picked up a cup of wine from the tray that the servant held out to me. I would have preferred cold water, but anything wet was welcome. My master shook his head at the offering, tapping his folded silk fan impatiently against his thigh.
It was only mid-morning, but the day's bright heat had already thickened the air in the courtyard of the Rat Dragon Hall. Small cumquat trees created a lush green border but didn't cast enough shadow for any refuge from the sun. The other Dragoneye lords stood at the front of the square in clusters of two or three, apprentices at their elbows, their murmured conversations lost in the wide expanse of paving. Although none looked directly at me and my master, it was obvious that all attention was upon us.
Are you clear on your role today?' my master asked.
He flicked open the fan and waved it near his gaunt face, sending a warm breeze in my direction. I nodded, trying to ignore an itch of sweat under my breast-band.
'It seems straightforward enough,' I said.
On the short journey to the hall, my master had told me what to expect at the Council meeting: he would accept the role of
proxy lord and I would stand aside in order to train. But such a simple transfer of duty did not explain the tension in the faces around us.
I gulped a mouthful of the wine. The sourness burned through the knot of panic in my chest.
There was nothing to fear — my master knew what he was doing — but I could not shake off my unease. Perhaps it was just being in Lord Ido's domain. I scanned the courtyard again. He had not yet made his entrance.
'This will liberate you from attending every Council meeting,' my master said. 'You will eventually need to know how the Council operates, but at the moment it is more important for you to focus on developing your Dragoneye skills.'
I smoothed an imaginary crease out of the sleeve of my red robe, avoiding his searching look.
My first Staminata lesson was later in the day How long could I bluff through the classes and training before someone realised I could not call my dragon? I looked around once more, this time for Dillon. Perhaps he had seen the Mirror Dragon folio in Lord Ido's rooms.
My master suddenly drew himself up. Lord Tyron had broken away from a tight whispering group and was approaching us, trailed by his tall apprentice.
Remembering Lady Dela's lesson, I bowed to the older Dragoneye. The rich amethyst of his robes brought out the florid tones of his skin and the blue exhaustion under his eyes.
'Greetings, Lord Tyron,' I said.
He nodded to me and my master. 'Greetings. Allow me to present Apprentice Hollin, in his eleventh year.'
Hollin bowed to us, his small dark eyes as shrewd as his master's. Next cycle he would become Ox Dragoneye, so for all intents and purposes he was my peer. I liked what I saw — he had a level gaze and a long- limbed awkwardness that undercut his air of self-possession.
'It has been a most interesting night,' Lord Tyron said. A real lesson in strategy, hey, Hollin?'
The younger man nodded, a wry smile easing the early worry lines on his face.
'Did our friend try it?' my master asked.
I looked from him to Tyron. Who were they talking about? The three men turned towards one another, blocking me from the conversation.
'He did,' Tyron said. 'But Dram countered with the older ruling. It stopped Ido in his tracks.
Now the decision has been delayed until your position is confirmed.'
My master's smile was tight. 'No doubt he will try again today Do we have enough votes?'
Tyron shrugged. 'We don't know which way Silvo goes.' He bowed and returned to the group he had left, Hollin at his heels like an elongated shadow.
My master shifted to see Lord Silvo more clearly. The handsome Rabbit Dragoneye was standing alone, his pink robes and pale skin a stark contrast against the dark green trees at his back. He noticed my master's scrutiny and nodded.
'He meets my eye,' my master murmured. 'Perhaps it is a good sign.'
'What are you trying to stop Lord Ido from doing?' I asked.
'Lower your voice.' He placed his hand on my shoulder in warning. 'This is not your concern.
I will inform you if you need to know.'
I glared down at the ground. How were we to survive this treacherous game if he kept me ignorant of his plans and strategies? Did he forget that we lived or died by each other's actions?
I shook off his hand. 'No,' I said softly, my boldness roiling in my stomach. 'How do you know when it is necessary? You are not always with me. I must understand what is happening if I am to play my part properly'
His eyes narrowed, but I set my jaw and forced myself to meet his anger.
'Lord Tyron trusts Hollin with his plans,' I pushed.
We stood for a moment, our wills locked in the silent struggle.
Finally, my master sighed. 'Yes, you are right.'
The victory startled the breath from me. He grabbed my sleeve and edged back, setting more space between us and the nearest group of Dragoneyes.
'Ido seeks to bend the Council into placing its power at the feet of Sethon and his army' he said, his voice so low I could barely hear it. 'We think Ascendant Ido aims to withhold the Council's power until Sethon can force the Right of 111 Fortune and replace his brother.'
I stared at my master, trying to absorb the import of his words. The very first Emperor, the Father of a Thousand Sons, proclaimed the Right of 111 Fortune to protect the land from a ruler abandoned by the gods. If an Emperor's reign was besieged by too many earth/water disasters, he could be denounced and replaced with a ruler whom the gods favoured.
'You mean Ido intends to block the Dragoneye control of the monsoon storms and earth angers?' Horror made my voice rise. We were fast approaching the worst season of floods, winds and earthshakes. It was the Dragoneyes' sacred duty to protect the land and the people from harm.
My master pulled me even further from the others, his eyes cautioning me. 'That is exactly what I am saying. And there is a very real fear that he aims to break the Covenant of Service.
To actually offer dragon power to Sethon for use in his warmongering.'
I gasped. It was forbidden for dragon power to be used in warfare. The dragons were agents of nurture and protection, not destruction. I swallowed, imagining the wild power of all the dragons in the control of one ambitious man. The Council and Covenant were meant to stop such madness.
My master patted my arm. 'I know. But I am working with Tyron and others to stop him. The best way you can help us is to
learn how to control your powers as quickly as possible.' His head snapped up. 'Abb., here is our host.'
Like sunflowers turning to the sun, everyone shifted to watch Lord Ido's progress through the courtyard. I fought the impulse, but found myself turning towards the force of his presence.
He topped all of the other men by more than a head, and as he bent to exchange a quick word or bow, his sheer size gave him an air of authority The deep blue of his Dragoneye robes was echoed in the oiled gloss of his beard and the tight loop of braids bound at the crown of his head. Behind him, in a matching blue tunic, was the slight figure of Dillon. He was scowling, the uncharacteristic expression etching sharp lines on his face. Lord Ido paused and searched the groups of men until his gaze found mine. I straightened; my body surged with a strange hot energy Something was drawing me to him. Was he using his power again? But as he approached, I could see no
