Please see introduction for disclaimer regarding this work.
Chapter Seven
A Separation of Powers
"Why? Dost thou knowst?" Yahla asked, gesturing to the soldiers that marched in formation around the capital. Their march was orderly, and from their alert and wary behavior it was clear that they at least knew partially what they would be facing. "Surely he canst not believeth he wilt prevail?"
"I be not wise to that," Fou-Lu admitted, smiling grimly. "Mayhap he is an idiot."
"That didst need not saying," she retorted, "For 'twas already known. Any who wouldst challenge a dragon is either brave or stupid, and 'tis express which this one be."
"Verily…a fool, this Soenil. 'Tis hard to believe he is descended of Mal-Heu's line. In truth, power is a corrupting influence upon mankind." Smiling, the emperor shook his head. "Well. He hath issued his challenge. Let us return it in full." Turning forms, he leapt into the air, spreading wide wings to take flight. A piercing screech echoed through the air, his own reply to Soniel's challenge. Yahla was close on his heels, and though she lacked his advantage, her howled war cry lasted as long as his.
The soldiers all froze, their expressions varying between horror, bewilderment, disbelief, awe, and grim determination. The massive dragon blew them all away with a blast of lethal ice, leaving frost rimming the edges of the sandstone wall behind them. It had missed those who stood at the top of the wall and behind it, but the suddenly panicked civilians fleeing the city trampled many of them. The others perished quickly, exposed to the claws of both Fou-Lu and Yahla.
Fou-Lu ignored the citizenry, who had little to do with the present situation. He and Yahla set their path directly for the palace, flying over abandoned merchant shops, houses, and walls in their way. Landing before the palace doors, Fou-Lu snapped off the head of one of the two guards screening the entrance, while Yahla made short work of the other. Then he broke the door open by throwing his full weight against it. Wood shattered, and the hinges tore, revealing a score of soldiers crouched in weight on a bridge behind it. The bridge was marble, inlayed with jade. Fou-Lu smashed the side railing with his tail and knocked several humans over the side. The fall didn't really hurt them, but it kept them out of the way.
Having already used a good deal of energy, (and want to remain relatively fresh for the confrontation with Soenil) the First Emperor resumed human shape and summoned his sword to hand. As the pulsing blade flashed into being he spun it in a series of quick parries that drove the charging soldiers back. One human in particular was unbalanced by the dragon's sudden change in shape and possession of a sword. Fou-Lu took said individual's head off at the shoulders before the mortal had a chance to rectify his unsteady stance. Yahla was equally brutal, tearing into flesh with her hands and feet before the mortals around her could adjust to the winged fury that had landed among them.
When the remaining warriors were finished, Fou-Lu and Yahla barely had a few scratches. Royal clothes (the ones Won-Qu and A-Tun had brought) no longer looked so royal, stained with splashes of mortal blood, and Yahla had gained a rather sinister look, arms coated with blood up to the elbows.
The entry to the palace was dark ahead, and they walked forward cautiously, emerging onto a pathway of lime-green jade. Fou-Lu remained majestic even in his somewhat tattered state, and his stride was graceful and carefully measured. Two angular columns were hung with streamers ahead, and passing beneath them a glowing crystal came to view. A ward spun with in it, and just beyond the crystal was a circle of markings that gleamed green with an inner power. They were engraved delicately, as if the finest craftsmen had been called in to do the job. Beyond the platform was the black of empty space.
Undaunted, Fou-Lu stepped into the thin air, walking forward as though it was the commonest thing in the world to do. The air rippled where his feet fell, as if an invisible path formed beneath him. After a repeat performance by Yahla, they arrived on a platform, two symbols glowing green at the edges of the landing. Another opening yawned ahead, and the two dragons went in.
They were in a huge room, walls lined with cedar, a most expensive wood. A path led straight ahead, and there were stairways to their either side. One stair went up, the other down. The stair up lead to a walkway with tiled bamboo floors, yet another extravagance.
They ignored the stairs, and took the jade pathway forward. The path was surrounded by wooden pillars that rose up out of the depths below, and lead onto another warp, this one a design of triangles and circles. A small statue sat at the head of the platform, and it conveyed them to the Inner Sanctum. The inner sanctum was surrounded by gardens, and it was there that the dragons reappeared. The gardens of the Imperial Palace were perhaps some of the most beautiful in the world. They entirely surrounded the place, with foliage and wildlife from all over the globe.
Fou-Lu stepped down off of the block of black granite on which they had materialized, and took the stairs down one by one. His wife stepped on to the grass beside him, taking a moment to look around. The gardens had changed little over the years. In fact, several of the trees had been there some hundred years prior. The area was scattered with lamps and bushes, many of which bloomed in late spring and autumn. The little stream that surrounded the chunk of land they were presently on chuckled and rambled, washing gently against the bank.
Husband and wife took the small bridge that connected the isle they were on to a larger mass of land. On the other side, broad gates loomed, crimson pillars holding up a sloping roof. It was set in a stone wall, though the gate was doorless and provided no defense. As they crossed, two mortal guards interfered, attempting to drive back the intruders. They were subsequently destroyed.
On the other side of the gates was a path that winded through a rock garden, large boulders set in a field of sand with rippling patterns drawn in the sand around them. Beyond it, their goal. The throne room.
The first impression the room gave was that of a carpeted path leading up to a long stairway, preceded by incense burnt offerings and pyres of natural gas that flamed a steady blue. Greenish flags were hung over each, falling down to brush the jade floor. The walls were carved mahogany, inlaid with pillar-like supports.
Unavoidably, the eye was led up to the top of the stair, where a middle aged man sat. He was dressed elaborately, though the clothes seemed to fit him poorly. A few steps down, a man of the kitsune clan knelt, seeming an attendant of some sort. Neither Yahla nor Fou-Lu paid him any heed, their gaze focused on the oath-breaker that had seated himself on Fou-Lu's throne. His face a mask, eyes glittering with fury, Fou-Lu walked slowly forward, his wife but a step behind.
The man at the top of the stairs rose, arms folded royally before him. He descended several steps, his robes swirling around him, at the same time Fou-Lu took the first steps up. The two emperors halted on the first landing, staring at each other from a distance of several feet. There were to natural gas burners in between them, lending their bluish light.
There was little left of Mal-Heu's strong features in his descendent, Fou-Lu mused, studying the mock-emperor with a sneer. Soenil had an unattractively thin face with a square jaw and tiny eyes, giving him a look that was a cross between a rat and a weasel. A wiry mustache adorned his upper lip, and his eyebrows were like huge bushy caterpillars affixed to his face. He was fairly short of stature, though he had apparently attempted to compensate for it by wearing a monstrous headdress and a set of robes large enough to house a family of six. Tan skin looked sallow next to the violent yellow of Soenil's clothes. Green trimmings and a blue feature had been added in an attempt to make the outfit look regal and grandiose. It didn't work.
Fou-Lu, his clothes bloody and his hair disarrayed, still outclassed him, and they both knew.
The dragon ignored the mortal's pitiful attempts to stammer a greeting, saying flatly, "Thou hast not abided by the promise. Thou hast forgotten the promise." The tone of his voice promised deadly retribution, and silenced the stream of welcomes.
The thirteenth emperor started sweating and averted his gaze, attempting to look submissive. "No, we…I would never! How can you say such a thing, Majesty?" the mortal said, trying to deny his guilt.
'Twas thee that madeth effort to kill me…Dost thou takest me for a fool…? Fou-lu smiled slightly, his gaze derisive.
"Now that you are here, the throne…" Soenil continued. "Of course, is yours…"
Sneering, the dragon brushed past his successor then froze suddenly in place. The mortal…we shouldst have watched that one… he thought as the effects of a spell washed over him, realizing their folly in ignoring the kitsune. The incantation was familiar, a bastardized version of the same enchantment he himself had used on occasion to create warps and portals. It swelled around him, making the air ripple and change hue. Suddenly disoriented, Fou-Lu could hear Soenil's triumphant voice.
"Hahahaha! What of your promise now? It is old and meaningless…just like you!"
Gritting his teeth, the dragon growled angrily, eager to end the life of this impudent human. Fool… The spell was uncomfortable, but it was flawed, and wherever they wished to transport him, his power was such that they could not do so against his will.
He straightened up as the efforts of the spell faded, and smirked at the look of horror on the false emperor's face. As he had expected, the spell had not affected him. As a weak imitation of the original, it had no power over a well-rested god. He remained, and Soenil's ploy had failed.
The smile was quickly wiped from his face as he realized Yahla was gone.
As those mortal dost say it, oh shit.
Outraged and horrified, Fou-Lu leapt forward, intending to rend the thirteenth emperor limb from limb. He sensed the kitsune starting to escape, and sent a blast of energy his way, knocking the mortal out.
Intent on murdering his rival, the dragon paused at a sharp pain in his side. A foot shining steel had been driven into his flesh as he had turned to deal with the fox. Fou-Lu recognized the blade from its hilt, which was wrought intricately and bore the symbols 'dragonslayer.' That human trinket…and they thinkest it mayeth harm a dragon… he thought as he twisted to regard the blood that was soaking his side and running down his leg in warm rivulets. As it pooled around his right foot, he reached over to touch the source. His hand came away bloody and the dragon looked back up at Soenil with fury in his golden eyes. "Foolish mortal!" he snarled, his voice nearly a shout, outrage and wrath clear in his mind. He dareth… His left hand going to the hilt of the sword embedded in his side, he yanked it free in a spurt of gore, and beheaded Soenil in the same motion.
The former emperor's head rolled a few feet, trailing blood after it. Soenil's decapitated body toppled, bodily fluids spraying in a gruesome arch out of the severed neck. Blood spread out from the body, running in drips and waterfalls down the steps. The carpet was ruined instantly, turning sanguineous in seconds, and it was likely that the stains would never completely come out of the stone, either. Clutching his wounded side, sword secure in his left hand, Fou-Lu stared at the body a moment before he shattered the Dragonslayer against the stone floor. It exploded into slivers of steel upon impact, spraying the area with fine shrapnel. Several pieces bit into Fou-Lu's arms and legs, but it was of no consequence. They were mere scratches.
Willing his own blade to hand, he turned to survey the room, still dripping blood and gore. With quick steps, Fou-Lu stalked gracefully over to the unconscious kitsune, his carriage betraying none of his injury. Ignoring the slick wetness against his skin, the dragon grabbed the mortal by the collar of his robes and slammed him into the wall. Though he had done so but lightly by his standards, several of the fox's ribs cracked audibly. Unnecessary force not withstanding, it was certainly effective in waking his prisoner up. The man cried out and twisted in his grasp, hands going up to his throat in a fruitless attempt to pry away the noose that had tightened around his neck.
"Where doth she be?" the emperor demanded, shaking his prisoner angrily. The mortal gasped and choked as the collar of his robes tightened around his neck. Fou-Lu struck him, breaking several teeth, as he attempted to fade away and transport elsewhere. A handful of robes in his right hand, Fou-Lu held the tip of his sword to the kitsune's neck. "I wouldst speak anon, wert I thee…" the emperor threatened softly. "Tellst thy name, and what thou hast done with mine companion."
"Yuna," the mortal croaked. Fou-Lu loosened his grip slightly to allow the fox to speak. Continuing in a much clearer voice, the fine-boned male spoke. "Your…companion…was transported to another location. Please, put me down."
Fou-Lu narrowed his eyes dangerously, the golden irises flashing. "I knewst this er thou spoke, foolish one! Whither hast thou sent her?!"
"I cannot tell you her precise location!" Yuna said, looking rather panicked when he couldn't teleport out. "Had the spell been properly managed, she would have been sent to the void, never to return…" The kitsune choked as a sword point started to dig itself into his skin, and blood ran down his neck. "Please! A moment! The spell…failed. The woman was transported somewhere on this planet, instead. As it was unintentional, I'm afraid I cannot tell you where…" The scientist looked up at him, the calculating look for once gone, as if he was hoping Fou-Lu would spare his life.
The hope would prove futile.
Fou-Lu banished his sword and turned his back on the corpse of Yuna..
Yahla, his wife, was somewhere on this planet. The bond that was between them should have made it so that when he tried, he could find her anywhere on earth. However, when he tried now, he found her aura fuzzy and impossible to locate. The kitsune had been right. She was on this planet, that he could tell, but the dragon could pinpoint her no further.
It was unusual, to say the least, and disturbing. Only once had her aura felt like that before, and then she had been…
His eyes widened as the realization struck him and rendered momentarily stunned. Then his eyes narrowed and his mouth thinned, as he realized for the first time how much danger Yahla was in. Mine wife is lorn, and she be pregnant…
