'Good,' he said. 'Tellon is the best person to help you control your power.'
I leaned forwards, the existence of the folio rising to my lips. How sweet it would be to share the weight. 'Master —'
He shifted irritably. 'Eon, I am not your master,' he said. 'Not any more. You must remember that.' He smiled grimly. 'You are your own man.'
I sat back. He was right. I was no longer a girl peasant or boy candidate. I was Lord Eon. In this new world of royalty and riches, I was a man. My every word was a command to those beneath me. And a man of such power did not lay his problems onto the shoulders of another.
Even when those problems ate at him like maggots in a mess of rotting meat.
'You should rest,' I said. 'I'll send Rilla in to you.'
I stood up and took my leave of Lord Brannon with the small formal nod of equals.
CHAPTER 12
The wait for Ryko had settled into my muscles like a cramp, forcing me to pace my room to ease the tension. Twice I thought I heard his rap on the shutter only to find the garden outside my window still and shadowy in the warm night air.
I wiped my damp hands down the front of my old work tunic — stealthily retrieved from the shabby basket in the dressing room — and sat on the bed. Although I was strung as tight as a lute, I could feel a deep fatigue lying in wait from the day's relentless pace. Looking for a distraction, I pushed myself off the bed again and walked over to the beautiful altar that Rilla had made for my ancestors. She had obviously taken Lady Dela at her word and plundered the royal stores. The death plaques were propped on small gilded stands, and behind them a miniature tri-fold screen painted with peach blossoms created an elegant backdrop, the design carried through to the offering bowls and incense holders. I knew I should kneel in front of it and pray for protection and, perhaps, some much needed tranquillity. Instead, I felt myself drawn to the sword rack set against the wall.
The polished jade and moonstone in the hilts shone like animal eyes in the lamplight. The swords were mine now, until my tenure as Mirror Dragoneye ended. Two swords with rage woven into their steel. And I had absorbed it during the ceremony Had heard their voice in my head. I reached towards the hilt of the top sword. Would I hear it again? Slowly, I laid my fingertips on the cold metal.
Like a scream, the rage flared through me, snatching at my breath.
I jerked my hand away.
Another sound. A soft knock. From the window.
In a few strides I was at the shutters and pushed them open. Ryko was standing to one side, his hand held up to silence my greeting. I saw a glint of a hilt as his sleeve slipped down; he was wearing an arm sheath. No doubt he had a matching knife strapped to his other wrist for a double draw — the weapon choice of a thief not an Imperial guard.
He peered into the gloom, his flattened profile silhouetted against the pale grey of the pebble garden. Seemingly satisfied, he turned and smiled. The sudden curve of teeth was startling against his dark skin.
'Ready?' he breathed. He'd told me that the hiss of whispers carried more than a low tone.
I looked back at the swords. Silent in their rack. I hoisted myself onto the window frame, gently lowering myself over the other side to soften my impact on the pebbles.
'Lightly now,' he murmured. 'These stones are as good as a guard dog.'
I carefully followed him towards the servants' path that ran behind the apartments, holding my breath as pebbles crunched and clinked under our weight. We both sighed when we finally stepped onto the rough dirt track.
'We will go out by the Gate of Good Service,' Ryko said as we hurried along the path. I ignored the ache already starting in my
hip from the speed and uneven surface. 'Two friends are on duty tonight. They will pass us with a little encouragement.'
The Gate of Good Service was used mainly in the day for the delivery of the vast amounts of food that the Imperial kitchens prepared for the royal family and its huge staff. At night, Ryko told me, it was quieter and much sought after by guards wanting an easy watch.
As we approached the gateway, two well-built figures stepped out from their positions, the enthusiastic demand for our names hinting at their boredom.
Ryko identified himself then bowed towards me. 'Here also is Lord Eon.'
The smaller of the two leaned closer, the brim of a stiff leather helmet shadowing his eyes. He studied me then drew back and bowed, obviously satisfied. His partner quickly followed suit.
'I am taking Lord Eon to the Avenue of Blossoms,' Ryko said, and I heard the chink of coins in his hand.
A glance passed between the two guards. The Avenue of Blossoms was in the Ward of Pleasure.
'He would not want his passage through this gate to be common knowledge.' Ryko opened his hand to show the gleam of silver.
The larger guard licked his lips.
'Our discretion is guaranteed, Ryko. You know that,' he said.
Ryko stared at them. 'You know what will happen if I hear this in the guard rooms.'
They were both big men, but Ryko stood taller and broader. The guards nodded and Ryko tossed them the coins, ushering me through the gate.
'Do they really think you are taking me to the pleasure houses?' I asked as Ryko led me off the main road onto the Emperor's riding track. What use would a Moon Shadow have for the Blossom women?
'Of course they do,' he said, and I heard the amusement in his voice. 'They know there is more than one way to skin a cat.'
I felt heat rush to my face and was glad for the cover of night.
Suddenly, Ryko pulled me behind some bushes. A dung-man had rounded a curve in the track and was wheeling his barrow towards us. We both crouched and I peered through the foliage, watching as he stopped in front of us and shovelled up a heap of horse manure. He banged it into the barrow, his vigour sending a foul stench into the air. I clamped my hand over my nose, my eyes watering. Finally, he walked on. I moved to stand, but Ryko pulled me down again, his hand on my arm until we heard the guards jeering as the man pushed his barrow past their gate.
'We will need to cut through the gardens and avoid the paths, my lord,' Ryko said softly. 'It will be quicker if I carry you.'
Before long I was perched on his back and we were striding through the extravagant band of gardens that separated the Dragon Halls from the palace precinct. The Emperor called them his Emerald Ring and allowed only his favourites to walk the paths and enjoy the cool groves.
At this time of night they were deserted, eerily quiet of even night noises, with only the main paths lit with large red festival lanterns strung on ropes between poles. I pressed myself closer against Ryko's solid shoulders as we ran past gilded pavilions and skirted around glades and ponds spanned by elegant bridges. Part of me was exhilarated by our speed, another part breathless with fear at what lay ahead. What if we did not find the folio? What if we were discovered? As we rounded a stand of ghostly beech trees, a shadow darted forwards. I flinched, sending Ryko into a half crouch that rocked me against his back. The inky shape of a fox slipped into the cover of some bushes.
Ryko blew out a breath. 'Hara,' he murmured, using the island name for the messenger fox god. He straightened, shifting me up into his waist.
'A bad omen?' T whispered uneasily.
Under my arms, his shoulders lifted in a shrug. 'Hara warns that a message is near, not if it is good or bad.'
Hopefully Hara was foretelling the return of the folio. Ryko tightened his grip and we started running again. There was a strange sense of comfort in being held so closely to the body of another. Perhaps it was the faint memory of my father carrying me in the same way.