Eona: The Last Dragoneye

their emperor, heading, no doubt, toward food and sleep. As Dela walked past me, she touched my arm lightly.

“Be careful,” she whispered, and glanced back at the Dragoneye. “He does not have only dragon power.”

“Get up,” Yuso ordered Ido.

With slow insolence, Ido stood and looked at me as Yuso pulled his wrists together and bound them with rope. The steady hold of his eyes sent a wash of hot unease through me.

“I must hear the captain’s report,” Kygo said. He watched dispassionately as Ido was shoved into a stumbling walk between two guards. “But please join me afterward.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.” I bowed and backed away as Yuso approached.

I headed toward the clump of trees where food and water were laid out. Although I kept my eyes fixed on the mill of people ahead, I could feel Ido’s gaze upon me like the press of a hand along the length of my spine. Dela was right. I had to be careful.

A quarter bell later, I stood in front of Ido. My excuse was a cup of water and a strip of dried beef for the prisoner. But really, I needed to know why he had provoked Kygo.

The morning sun had broken through the clouds and added a burning heat to the heavy air. Ido was on his knees under its full glare, forced into a punishment kneel that I knew was ironically called the Blessing: back rigid, bound hands held up at chin level. Sweat dripped from under his ragged hair and into his eyes. Although his face was impassive, the strain was evident in the trembling along his arms.

I held out the cup.

Awkwardly, he held up his bound hands and took the water. “This is becoming a habit,” he said.

The guard leaning on a nearby tree trunk straightened. “My lady, Captain Yuso has ordered that Lord Ido does not get food or water until he says so.”

“Apparently I’m learning about obedience,” Ido said, his voice hoarse. “The captain is keen to know the whereabouts of the black folio.”

I glanced at Yuso, still in close conference with Kygo across the clearing. Was this Yuso’s own idea, or was he under orders? The thought was disquieting either way.

“What is your name?” I asked the guard. He was one of Caido’s men; a skilled bowman, if I remembered rightly. He certainly had the shoulders and muscled forearms of an archer.

“Jun, my lady.” He dipped into a bow.

“Jun, do not make the mistake of thinking your captain’s orders outweigh mine. I wish to speak to Lord Ido about Dragoneye business.” I waved the man away. “It is not for your ears.”

With an anxious glance at Yuso, Jun bowed again and edged out of earshot. Ido drained the cup and wiped his mouth with his thumb, the action making him wince. His top lip was swollen and the tight rope had already chafed a raw ring around his wrists.

“Sit back,” I said.

He sank on to his heels with a small sigh of relief. “I’m out of condition. My master used to make me hold a Staminata position for hours.” He rolled his shoulders. “We will start your training there: I don’t think you have done much Staminata work, and it is the cornerstone of energy manipulation.”

I resisted the tantalizing call of his knowledge. “Why did you provoke Kygo?” I asked, keeping my voice low. “He could have killed you.”

Ido squinted across at the emperor. “His mother and brother were murdered with my help. Of course he wants to kill me.”

In the distance, Kygo raised his head as if he felt our attention, his sudden stillness a clear message.

Ido gave a low laugh. “He doesn’t like you being here, either.”

Nor did Yuso. The captain had also looked up, and I could feel the wave of fury from him.

“Why did you provoke Kygo?” I repeated.

Ido wiped the sweat out of his eyes with the back of one bound hand. “At some point, he was going to try to kill me. If it didn’t happen now, it was going to happen later, with even more heat behind it. Better that I gave him a reason to unleash it as soon as he saw me.” He touched his lip with a light finger. “Now it is done. He checked his rage. He has missed his kill moment.”

I remembered the vicious brutality in Kygo’s eyes at the village inn. I wasn’t so sure the moment was lost. “It was a big gamble,” I said.

“No. The dice were loaded in my favor.”

“How?”

“You.”

I frowned. “You knew I would stop the emperor?”

He tilted his head, watching me. “Yes.”

Was I so transparent to him? The thought sent a small jab of fear through me.

“It is obvious that he wants you,” Ido added. “He wants your power — and he wants your body.”

My skin flushed under his blunt words. He made Kygo’s desire sound like his own attempt on my body and power in the harem — brutal and self-centered. I remembered the suffocating weight of his body pinning me against the wall, and his hunger for the Mirror Dragon’s power.

As if he could see my thoughts, he said softly, “You have good reason to kill me, too.”

“I have many good reasons,” I said crisply. “But I also have a good reason to keep you alive.”

“I know. You want your world of power. That is why I knew you’d stop him.”

I drew back, but he shook his head. “You don’t need to pretend with me, Eona. If there is one thing I understand, it is the need for power.”

“I do not need power,” I said quickly.

He studied the rope around his wrists. “Need. Want. Desire.” He shrugged. “You and I both know what it is like to have immense power. And we also know what it is like to be truly powerless.” He lifted his hands. “Not this kind of feeble restraint. You know what I mean: true and utter powerlessness. Whether it be the kind we have inflicted upon each other, or the kind that Sethon”—his hands clenched involuntarily—“deals in so masterfully. I will do whatever I must to never feel that powerless again. And you are the same.”

“We are not the same,” I said vehemently. “And you are powerless now. I can compel you any time I want. Crush you, like that.” I closed my fist.

He shook his head. “You’ve missed your kill moment, too, Eona.”

I opened my mouth to deny it, but his knowing eyes silenced me. He was right. I’d had two chances to avenge my master and the other Dragoneye lords — on the night of the coup, and last night. I had failed both times.

He gestured at the food in my hand. “Of course, you could very well kill me with frustration if you don’t give me that dried meat.”

With a reluctant smile, I handed over the strip of beef. He crammed it into his mouth. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Yuso striding toward us, almost vibrating with rage.

Ido swallowed the mouthful, a quick sideways glance also taking in the captain’s approach. “Tell me, Eona,” he said, almost casually. “What is going to happen when you sleep? How will you compel me then?”

I met his keen scrutiny with my best bluffing face. “We are always linked. If you call your dragon, I will feel it.” It was half true: we were linked by that single thread of his Hua, just as I was linked to Ryko. But I could not feel the connection all the time, and not while I was asleep.

“Always linked?” he echoed. “Perhaps you will feel my touch in your dreams.”

“If I do, it will be a nightmare,” I said sharply.

He laughed, amber eyes at their most wolfish. I turned to meet Yuso’s bristling arrival by my side.

“Lady Eona!” The captain’s voice was icily courteous. “I have given explicit orders regarding Lord Ido. Please do not interfere.”

“Lord Ido is here to train me, captain,” I said, just as icily.

“He is of no use to me if he is starving and exhausted. Do not deny him food and rest. Do you understand?”