Eona: The Last Dragoneye

“Cannot use it at all, Your Majesty?” Yuso asked. I winced at the dismay in the man’s voice.

“Lady Eona needs training,” Kygo said firmly. “This is why we now go to the palace to free Lord Ido.”

No one moved. All I could hear was the hammering of my heart.

“Free Ido?” Ryko finally said. He sat back on his heels. “You want to free that murdering bastard?”

“Yes, we must free Lord Ido.” The emperor’s soft emphasis was a warning.

Ryko ducked his head, but his eyes searched the silent semicircle for support. He found it.

“Your Majesty,” Solly said, bowing, “forgive my blunt speech, but we cannot go near the palace. It is too dangerous. We must rendezvous with the Eastern Resistance, not be sidetracked into a worthless enterprise.”

“It is far from worthless,” Kygo said coldly. “There is more to war than the number of soldiers on each side. A war is won or lost by five fundamentals, and the first and foremost is the Hua-do of the people. If the people’s will is not at one with their ruler, then he will lose the war.”

“Highness,” Tiron said hesitantly. “I am truly stupid, for I cannot see how freeing Lord Ido will win the Hua-do of the people. He is feared, not loved.”

Kygo frowned. “This is the decision I have made. There will be no more discussion.”

“Your Majesty,” I said, “may I speak to you in private?”

I turned away from the startled faces before us and walked a few steps, the emperor matching my pace.

“You may want to explain your reasoning to them,” I said softly.

He shot me a sharp look. “Explain? They should just follow my orders. Discipline is the second fundamental.”

“They will always follow your orders,” I said. “But it will be easier if they are — as you say — at one with you. If they understand your strategy.”

He gave a wry smile. “You use my own words to counsel me, Naiso, yet bring greater wisdom.” He gripped my shoulder. “Win their Hua-do, win the war. Thank you.”

We both looked at his hand resting on the exposed curve of my collarbone. I felt the heat rise to my face again. His other hand found the pearl at his throat, his own color rising around it.

Abruptly he walked back to the troop. I waited a moment longer — until the flush had receded from my face — then followed him. This time, my position by his side was noticed; Dela sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes finding mine. I could not wholly fathom her expression. There was shock, of course, but also something else. Something akin to wonderment.

“There are only two Dragoneyes left alive,” Kygo said. “One is here,” he nodded at me, “the other is held by my uncle. Around us, our land is being rocked by the loss of its Dragoneye protectors. We are already seeing the floods caused by the unchecked monsoon rains. Crops are being ruined, and with that will come starvation and disease. But it will not only be floods and crops. It will be mudslides, tsunamis, cyclones, earthshakes. There will be more destruction, more despair, more death.”

He looked up at the sky. Inexorably, we all lifted our heads, too. A dark bank of low cloud spread from north to south, the warm wind carrying the sweet metallic tang of rain.

“The emperor who brings back the protection of the dragons will win the Hua-do of the people,” Kygo said. “And the emperor who holds the Hua-do will hold the land.” He paused, allowing that implacable truth to find its mark. “This is why we must rescue Lord Ido. We cannot allow my uncle to have a Dragoneye at his command, even one who is under duress. And we must have the two Ascendant Dragoneyes working together to calm the land and show the people that we can protect them.”

“Your Majesty, there is no guarantee that Lord Ido will agree to help us, even if we do manage to get him out of the palace,” Ryko said.

“That is true. There are no guarantees. There is, however, the certainty that without Lord Ido, Lady Eona will not be able to use her power. She must be trained, and he is the only Dragoneye left to do it.”

There was also another certainty, known only to me. Ido would jump at the chance to mold my power. He thought I was the key to the String of Pearls and the throne. For a moment I considered offering the insight, but the idea of Ido with access to my power would not reassure anyone.

And there was always the chance that I had truly changed him.

Yuso bowed deeply, the others quickly following his lead. “Your wisdom is heaven-sent, Your Majesty,” he said. Around the semicircle, murmurs of agreement sounded.

“I also have an excellent advisor,” Kygo said. “Lady Eona has agreed to be my Naiso.”

“What?” Ryko reared out of his bow.

Yuso was not far behind, astonishment shifting into disbelief. The others were just a blur as I lowered my head, bracing against their shock.

“Your Majesty, no!” Ryko’s anger propelled him forward on his knees. “You don’t know her.” The venom in his voice struck at me. I clenched my fists.

“A girl, Your Majesty? How can a girl advise you?” Yuso demanded. “It is against nature.”

“She is not just a girl,” Dela said, “she is the Ascendant Dragoneye.”

“She has no training,” Yuso countered. “No military background. She knows nothing.”

“It is not the first time a woman has been Naiso,” Dela said.

I looked up; did I hear that right? Another woman?

“Lady Eona is the emperor’s choice.” Vida’s voice was highpitched with her audacity.

“Vida, know your place,” Solly snapped.

“Enough!” The emperor’s command dropped the troop back into crouched bows. “Lady Eona is my Naiso. That is the end of it.”

Slowly, Ryko lifted his head. “Your Majesty, please allow me to speak. As a member of your trusted guard, and as your loyal subject.”

Kygo hissed out a breath. “You are straining those bonds, Ryko.”

“Please, Your Majesty. It is for your own safety.” Ryko glanced at me, the hostility in his eyes like a blow to the chest.

Kygo nodded. “What is it?”

“Lady Eona cannot be trusted to bring you the truth.”

“Ryko,” Dela whispered beside him. “No.”

Solly and Tiron raised their heads, tense and watchful. Vida stayed tightly tucked into her bow.

“Are you accusing Lady Eona of being a liar?” the emperor asked.

“Yes.”

Kygo nodded. “It is a fair accusation.”

I wove my fingers together, shunting all of my anguish into the painful pressure. Kygo did not trust me, after all. He must have realized I had lied to him last night.

“And one that Lady Eona has admitted herself,” he added. “That is all in the past.”

My tension eased. Kygo glanced back at me with a reassuring smile.

“But it is not just straight lies, Your Majesty.”

Ryko straightened from his bow. I glared at the islander. He had been told it didn’t matter. Yet he still pushed.

“It is more insidious than that,” he said. “It is half-truths and omissions—”

I took a step forward. This was not duty; this was plain malice.

“Ryko,” I said. “Stop it.”

His face did not even register my words. “—and even if she does give some truth, you cannot—”

My rage rose like a savage creature howling its freedom. It reached across to Ryko, clawing at his life force. I felt his heartbeat meld into mine, the quick rhythm of his rancor overwhelmed by my pounding fury. I had control of his Hua. I had control of him. The rush of energy drove me another step past the emperor.

Ryko’s eyes found mine. “No! You swore—”

It was happening again. Just like the battlefield. Ryko tried to haul himself upright — I felt the strain in his