Keeper of the Dragon
Chapter 7 - Blue Ice
Azumi woke with a start as Sapir dragged the blankets from her bed and cold air washed over her. "Get up!" the cat-girl commanded. "Up, Lil' Missy! We leave with th' light!" She waved a hand at the window, where the first feather touch of dawn lightened the dark sky along the horizon.
Azumi sighed into her pillow. "You really meant that literally, didn't you?"
"When Leland says somethin', he means it! Up! I've got a bucket o' cold water with your name on it if ya don't get movin'!"
Azumi jumped to her feet and found no such bucket, but the threat had worked. Too awake to return to sleep, she conceded. "Okay! I'm up!"
"Ya can eat on th' way! Get goin'!" Sapir shoved Azumi ahead and hooked the edge of the door with her foot to shut it.
"I can go on my own! Let me go!" Azumi argued, windmilling her arms frantically. Sapir's hands disappeared from her back, and Sapir tossed Azumi's cloak at her.
"Get goin', then!" Sapir's head popped through the opening in a heavy, navy poncho, and she dropped to all fours and scampered outside, oblivious to the chill. Azumi followed with a shiver; she had a feeling that cold air and snow would forever summon the memory of her mermaid encounter.
Several sets of footprints stood out clear in the snow, and Azumi followed them around to the back of the guild-home. A wagon of sorts awaited her—it reminded her more of a little house on wheels; it had walls and a roof, but no windows, and it was hitched to two of the strangest-looking horses that Azumi had ever seen. Double manes sprouted all the way down their backs instead of stopping at their necks. The animals tossed their heads and snorted, pawing impatiently at the snow.
The sun set quickly on Gaea (Azumi now understood the phrase "night fell" better than ever) and apparently it rose just as quickly, for now she could see the top of the bright circle peeking over the horizon. The door at the back of the wagon stood open, and Sapir leapt in. The wagon shook, and a moment later she jumped out again, stuck her tongue out at the doorway, and trotted to the front of the wagon to sit next to Leland, who held the reigns of the horses. Silas leaned out of the doorway to shake his fist at Sapir and shout a curse that Azumi did not understand. What did alfalfa have to do with anything? Oh, he was going to poison her with it. Was alfalfa poisonous on Gaea? Azumi assumed that it wasn't, judging by the way Silas shook his head, laughing.
Azumi ventured around to the door and peered in, finding the wagon much larger on the inside than it looked on the outside. A lamp hanging from the ceiling, as well as candles held in place by their own dripping wax, resting on shelves built into the walls, lit the inside like day. Cabinets of a light wood along the walls, their handles tied shut to keep them from jolting open, presumably stored the things they would need for their journey. Other than that the wagon held no furniture, save also a bed clearly built to fold up into the wall when not in use; now it held the Keeper of the Demon. Silas bent over Anshu, who lay very, very still, swathed in bandages from head to foot. The white strips of cloth sported a rusty color in spots; he had not stopped bleeding yet.
"That cat," Silas muttered to himself, "I know that none of us have any love for a Demon, but I have to save him. Running around in here like that, she'll kill him."
"Mr. Silas?" Azumi asked. Oh, good grief, I sound like a mouse.
Silas looked up, and immediately his manner changed. "Ah, Miss Azumi." He nodded a greeting. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"
"Yes, thank you." Azumi stepped carefully into the wagon as Silas arranged a blanket over Anshu. "I'm sorry for holding everyone up."
"Don't worry about it. We're still waiting for Riyad, anyway." Satisfied, Silas straightened and tossed his hair back out of his face. "Is the Guild Master still out there?"
"Last I saw, yes."
"You tell him to come here. I have to have a talk with him."
"All right." Azumi hopped out of the wagon, snow crunching underfoot and freezing her ankles again.
Leland had not slept at all the previous night, and he could not hide it. His eyes, dark with fatigue, lacked their usual sparkle. One gloved hand held the horses' reigns; the other gripped his braid hanging over his shoulder. He sighed, leaned back, and closed his eyes.
"Mr. Leland?" Azumi tugged on the sleeve of Leland's brown coat. "Sir? Mr. Silas wants to talk to you."
Leland didn't change positions, didn't even open his eyes. "Tell him to come out here."
Azumi returned and relayed the message. And please don't tell me that I'm supposed to go back out there and tell Mr. Leland to come in again. Silas grudgingly left his patient and trudged around to Leland, rubbing his arms and muttering about the cold.
"Guild Master." Silas looked up at Leland. "Are you planning to drive all day?"
"Of course." Leland still did not move.
Silas put his hands on his hips and assumed the timeless stance of a scolding parent. "Sir, I know for a fact that you stayed up all night staring into that fire. You can't stay up all day, too." Eyes closed, Leland half-smiled.
"Watch me. I've done it before."
"Yes, but that time we stayed up celebrating Sapir's birthday, not worrying ourselves to death about things we can't control." Silas arched a thin eyebrow. Azumi couldn't help but giggle to herself.
He has pretty eyebrows! Is he sure he isn't an elf?
"All right, then, as the Guild Healer, I order you to get in the wagon and get some sleep," Silas finished.
Leland finally opened his eyes and turned to look down at the Erinyes. "Who will drive, then?"
"I will."
"You know that you can't leave the Keeper."
"Let little Riyad do it, then," Silas argued. "If you're going to test him for Journeyman, then he has to get some leadership experience sometime. And Sapir can watch him just in case anything might happen."
"Hey, where do ya get off volunteerin' me for things?" Sapir grinned, stuck her thumbs in her ears, and waggled her hands at Silas good-naturedly.
Leland smiled. "All right, Silas, you win." He passed the reigns to Sapir and jumped down. "You know, I have a feeling that you'll keep the Keeper alive even if you have to beat the life back into him."
"Keep the Keeper. Nice." Silas grinned. "Heh. You know me too well."
Riyad came running toward them, a bow in his hand and a full quiver tucked under his arm. "I'm sorry, Guild Master! I'm here!" He tripped and just barely managed to regain his balance, his free arm waving wildly.
"Take care of this one, Sapir." Leland yawned and stepped up into the wagon, Silas closing the door as he followed.
Sapir beckoned sternly to Riyad. "C'mere, Apprentice." Riyad's eyes widened.
"Please don't hurt me, Journeyman!"
Sapir frowned. "Now, I haven't done anything ta ya yet! All I said was ta come here!" She pointed down. "Get your butt over here, Riyad!"
"Yes, Journeyman! Oh, Naiades, I'm in for it," he added to himself.
Sapir shoved the reigns at the boy. "Here. Ya get ta drive through th' Red Demon Clan." With the chime of bells and a soft meow she jumped up on top of the wagon and settled herself sitting at the edge, swinging her sandaled feet.
Riyad stared at the reigns as though he had never seen anything like them before. "A-all right?"
"And make sure ya keep an eye on th' sky, if ya know what I mean." Sapir grinned maliciously.
"Guild Master! Journeyman Sapir is scaring me!" Riyad yelped.
"Don't pay any attention ta him, Leland!" Sapir called.
Inside the wagon, Azumi shook her head, almost smiling at the antics of the two. Leland pulled off his gloves slowly, staring down at Anshu but not seeming to truly see anything. To Azumi's great surprise, the Keeper was not unconscious, but had locked his pale, unwavering, cerulean gaze directly upon her. She shifted uncomfortably. The wagon, previously pleasantly warm, had become strangely cold.
I don't like his eyes, Azumi thought.. They're too cunning. He's dying, how can he be so intense?
As if reading her thoughts, Anshu's eyes flicked to Leland, who frowned. Two pairs of sapphire swords clashed.
Anshu could barely move his lips, and Azumi had to strain to make out his words. "You. You're Arvid Blackhawk and Acantha Blackhawk's brat, aren't you?" he asked slowly. So, it was true. Leland had mentioned to Azumi that she should never tell a Demon her full name if she could avoid it. They believed that addressing a person by his full name would give them power over that person. She had hoped that Anshu would prove Leland wrong; she had already told Anshu her full name.
Leland stiffened. "I am the son of Arvid and Acantha, yes."
Anshu struggled with a laugh. "Well. It has been a long time. You were just a tiny thing when I saw you."
Leland's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I am now the Guild Master of the Abaharaki, and if you continue to disrespect the memory of my parents, I will order my Healer to withdraw his efforts and throw you out into the snow."
Azumi could hear a smug grin in Anshu's counter, even if he could not shape the expression. His laborious breathing made his words even more ominous. "Have the Abaharaki so grown in power that they can kill a Keeper without consequence? Remember, even now I only have to speak the words to summon Alseides to crush you all."
Leland's eyes went as cold as the ice across the Pool of the Nereids. "A dying man is threatening me? You have been as much as dead to the Red Demon Clan for years. To destroy your body and return the Token would sidestep any conflict."
"Ah, would it, now?" Anshu's half-lidded eyes glittered. "Descend-"
"No!" Azumi shrieked. I created this problem; I can't let you kill all these people here!
Anshu looked back to her. "The Gaean sunrises really are quite beautiful," he told her, his voice assuming a dreamy tone. He closed his eyes and dropped off into sleep.
Azumi blinked in surprise and confusion. "Sunrises?"
"Do you remember what I told you last night, Miss Azumi? He's mad." Leland looked down at his hand as if he had not realized that he gripped the hilt of his sword so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He released it and absently caught hold of his braid. "He's stark, raving mad. That's why the other Clans hired my parents to kill him. They didn't want an insane Keeper running loose. With such power that Alseides holds, he could destroy half of Gaea before someone managed to stop him."
"That's what Mr. Silas said, but he seems sane enough to me. At least, except for that stuff about the sunrises," Azumi said.
"You are very new here, Miss Azumi," Leland answered, looking away.
