Moonburner (Moonburner Cycle Book 1) Read online

  “Nanase?” Kai said with surprise. “What are you doing here?”

  “I wasn’t aware I had to explain my comings and goings to a samanera,” Nanase said, with a hint of a smile.

  Kai blushed. “I apologize. Your presence surprised me.”

  Nanase stood. “I find there is knowledge to be had here that I cannot find elsewhere.”

  “That is the nature of libraries,” Master Vita said, leaning on his cane and coming to a shaky stand.

  “Indeed,” Nanase said. “Thank you, Master Vita. Our talk has been most enlightening.”

  Kai watched Nanase leave, and then turned to Master Vita with eyebrows raised.

  “What was that about?”

  “Nothing interesting,” Master Vita waved her off. “She was inquiring about the familial line of one of the students.”

  “Uh-huh.” Kai sensed there was something he wasn’t telling her.

  “Would you make some tea, dear?” Master Vita asked, changing the subject.

  “Of course.” Kai filled the teapot with water from the little spigot near the library’s back door. As she returned to the fire, she saw Master Vita trying to move the big armchair closer to the fire.

  “Are you cold? Do you want your sweater?” She asked, hanging the kettle on its hook above the fireplace.

  “That would be lovely. It’s hard to believe we are nearing the first day of spring,” he said.

  Kai fetched his sweater from his little bedroom in the back of the library and brought it to him.

  “Quitsu tells me it’s his birthday,” Master Vita said. “So I can only assume that it is your birthday as well.”

  Kai shot Quitsu a stern look.

  “What?” he asked. “I didn’t tell him it was yours.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yes, today is my birthday. But it is just another day.”

  “Nonsense! It is a most special day! And no one should go without a gift on their birthday. Lucky you that I have just the thing. You sit here by the fire while I get it.”

  “You really don’t need to,” Kai protested, but he was already out of his chair, shuffling towards the back of the library.

  Master Vita returned and sat in the chair beside her. He held out a small package, wrapped in soft green cloth.

  She unwrapped it slowly, revealing a silver necklace. The pendant was a round black matte stone, unremarkable on its own. It was held to the silver chain by a cage of ornately wrapped wire, looping and circling the stone.

  “It’s beautiful,” Kai breathed, throat tightening. She had never gotten a gift like this, something so beautiful . . . so feminine.

  She threw her arms about Master Vita, who patted her back the way old men do.

  “Now, dear, nothing to get all worked up about.”

  She pulled from the hug, blushing.

  “I haven’t even told you the best part,” Master Vita said. “What do you mean?”

  “That is more than just a pretty piece of jewelry, my dear. The stone is special, very rare. It grows hot when someone tells a lie in your presence. Only you will be able to tell.”

  Kai looked at the stone with newfound admiration. “That’s amazing. How does it do it?”

  Master Vita made a dismissive gesture. “Even I don’t know everything. But I figured in this place, it will be useful to be able to tell truth from deception.”

  Kai’s elation dimmed, as she thought about her future as a moonburner—as one of Queen Airi’s weapons. It was true, she wouldn’t be able to trust everyone.

  She hesitated, holding the necklace out to him. “This is a precious gift—one of a kind. I can’t accept it.”

  Master Vita put his hands on hers and pushed the necklace back into her lap.

  “I don’t have any children, and I won’t live forever. It is better that the necklace go to someone who can use it, instead of going into a storage room somewhere after I die, forgotten.”

  She saw the logic in that and clasped the necklace behind her neck. Quitsu, sitting on the arm of her chair, sniffed at the necklace, taking a closer look.

  “Tell me a lie, Quitsu,” she said, smiling. “Let’s test it out.” Quitsu cast her a mischievous look.

  “Your hair is growing out nicely,” he said. Master Vita snickered.

  The pendant grew warm at her neck as one hand flew up to meet it, the other to her hair, which was most certainly rebelling in the transition from close-cropped to shoulder-length.

  “Wow!” she said in mock injury. “With friends like you, who needs enemies.”

  “What about you, Master Vita, a lie?” She asked.

  Before he could respond, a deep boom sounded outside and the library shook slightly. They sat still for a minute, listening. Then, another boom, closer.

  “Stay here,” Kai instructed as she ran for the door to the courtyard, Quitsu at her side.

  It was about half an hour past dawn, and morning rays were peeking over the buildings into the courtyard. Kai’s dormitory building was on fire, black smoke beginning to billow skyward.

  A shadow swept across the stones, and she followed it with her gaze, hand to her face to shield her eyes from the sun. A huge golden eagle banked left as its rider, a large man with curly golden hair, hurled a pure bolt of electricity at the practice ring. The bolt exploded with a force that almost knocked Kai off her feet.

  “Look out!” Quitsu cried, as another eagle and rider swept between the buildings, eyes on them. Kai and Quitsu dove into the shelter of the library doors as a shower of rock and mortar rained down on them. Other moonburners were running into the courtyard, drawn by the commotion, but they were just target practice for the sunburners.

  Kai rose from the rubble and ran towards the koumori rookery, skirting the outside of the courtyard. They were sitting ducks on the ground, but in the air, at least they stood a chance. She saw on the other side of the courtyard that the moonburners and citadel guards had formed ranks with baliwood bows, shooting volleys at the intruders.

  “I’ve only seen two eagles,” Kai said to Quitsu, as they paused behind a column. “I think it’s more of a raid than an all out attack. “

  “I hope you’re right,” Quitsu said.

  Two more winged shapes swooped over the citadel . . . bringing the total to four.

  “Damn. “ She’d jinxed it.

  They made a final run for it and reached the rookery. “I’ll watch for riders,” Quitsu said. “You get a koumori tacked up. “

  The koumori shuffled nervously from foot to foot on the ceiling of the rookery. Kai whistled at Peppe, who dropped from the ceiling, twisting to land on her feet. She approached Kai with anxious clicks.

  Kai grabbed Peppe’s tack and began pulling the straps tight.

  “I know you don’t like being out in the daytime,” Kai said in a soothing tone. “But I need you to be brave. “

  When Peppe’s harness was secure, Kai looked around the rookery for a weapon.

  Nothing laying around was even sharp. Kai had her jade-pommeled knife strapped to her arm, but that wouldn’t help her much in an air battle.

  “Damn it, Mistress Adiru,” Kai cursed. “Why are you such a neat freak?”

  She ran into the adjoining equipment room where she had located Peppe’s tack and found two long bladed-knives that she tucked into her belt, an axe used for chopping wood and a koumori goad, a rod infused with moonlight that gave an electric shock to whatever it touched. She hated using them on the koumori, but she wouldn’t have the same qualms about a sunburner. Quitsu bounded into the room and surveyed her makeshift weapons with dismay.

  “The trees and koumori will be terrified,” he said.

  She rolled her eyes. “Never an off moment for you, is there?”

  He jumped into her arms, burying his face in her neck for a moment, his cold nose pressed to her skin. “I tease because I care,” he said, and then leaped to the ground, bounding ahead to scout the skies for her.

  She led Peppe by her reins to the edge of the
rookery and mounted. Both she and Peppe shifted nervously while waiting for Quitsu’s instructions.

  “Hold,” he called back, and she saw a shadow pass by. “It should be clear now,” he said. “Be careful.”

  “You too,” she said, as she and Peppe took to the skies, bursting from the doors of the rookery.

  The golden eagles that the sunburners rode were bigger than koumori. Koumori were largely gentle creatures, without much fighting ability. If she went head to head with one of the eagles, she and Peppe would be ripped to shreds.

  She directed Peppe to land on a pitch of the library roof, half shadowed by another peak nearby. The rising sunlight was streaming into the courtyard behind them, and she hoped that she was nearly invisible in the shadows. She watched the invaders swoop over the citadel, bringing more destruction with each deadly pass.

  Her anger flared, growing stronger within her like a cauldron coming to boil. There were defenseless citizens here, servants, children. What did they hope to accomplish with this attack? An eagle passed in front of her, close to her hiding spot. She recognized the rider, his face twisted into a mask of cruelty and arrogance. Daarco!

  She braced her legs on her koumori as she pulled the axe from one of the koumori harness straps, a grim smile on her face. She had never thrown an axe at a moving target before, but the knives wouldn’t have enough force and the goad would be useless. She’d have to make it work.

  Daarco’s eagle was coming back around for another pass. He was distracted, sending a stream of lightning towards some women running across the courtyard. Kai lifted the axe, said a prayer, and hurled it with all her strength. It soared strong and true, circling through the air towards him. His eagle began to bank as it approached, and the axe buried itself in the flesh of his back, not his chest or head.

  Damn!

  The force of the blow threw Daarco off balance, causing him to lean precariously off his eagle. The bird—sensing its rider’s distress—compensated, and Daarco righted himself. The eagle began to swing around.

  “Time to go,” she said. “Appu.”

  Peppe launched herself off the roof with such force that Kai slipped sideways over her wing, grabbing the straps of the harness just in time. The library roof exploded behind them, spraying tile and mortar. Kai blinked to clear her eyes and looked behind her. Another rider was gaining fast.

  She ducked as a lightning bolt flew at her, its deadly energy causing her hair to rise on end. Another bolt streaked towards them, and Peppe dodged, knowing instinctively what to do. Kai gave her the reins, hanging on to the straps for dear life. Just hop on a koumori and fight an air battle, she thought. Smart idea, Kai.

  They dodged another lightning strike, even closer this time. The rider was gaining on her. It wasn’t Daarco. He was wearing a golden helmet in the shape of a lion’s snarling face. The golden accents on his leather armor made him sparkle in the sun. She drew moonlight from her moonstone bracelet and threw a lightning bolt back at him. He ducked, and it missed him, streaking past his head.

  Great, now her link was empty. She had poured too much moonlight into her strike. As the rider streaked after her over the tops off the Kyuden roofs, she directed Peppe across the city. As long as he was chasing her, he couldn’t destroy the citadel.

  They flew over the rooftops of the city, passing the ramshackle quilt of the Meadows and the stately manors in the finer parts of town. Kai didn’t know how long they could keep up the chase. Peppe already showed signs of tiring; koumori were used for distance flying, not speed. Kai sensed heat and ducked, a bolt of lightning flying over her head.

  The sunburner was coming up behind her on her right side. If he gained on her, she wouldn’t be able to avoid his attacks at point blank range. Kai loosened the koumori goad from where she had tucked it into the harness, gripping it in one hand.

  “We have to be brave,” she whispered, not sure if she was encouraging Peppe or herself. She threw one more glance over her shoulder and saw that the rider had gained.

  “Da!” she shouted, pulling back on the reins. Peppe obeyed instantly, dropping down and slowing. The eagle shot by them, and Kai spurred Peppe forward, stabbing the goad into the soft feathers of the eagle’s side. The goad buzzed in her hand and the bird screamed and flailed, knocking Kai and Peppe with its outstretched wing. Its talons locked onto Peppe’s harness and flesh, and she screamed too. Kai and the other rider were powerless as the two locked creatures began spiraling towards the earth.

  Kai grew disoriented as the ground spun up to meet them. At the last moment, the eagle pulled up with a scream, and they crashed into a stand of dense bushes, a spinning and tumbling jumble of legs, feathers and skin.

  The force of the impact threw Kai from the saddle and tumbled her a dozen feet from Peppe. She stared up at the blue sky, dazed, head ringing. She was alive. She tried to move and found she could. It was painful, but she didn’t think she had suffered any permanent damage. She got to her hands and knees and looked around, disoriented. They had flown past the city limits and were on the outskirts of Kyuden.

  The other rider! She scrambled to her feet and looked around the tangle of bushes. She saw him still on the ground, helmet thrown from him. He rolled to the side, holding his head. His mount was alive, but struggling to get to its feet. She ran over to him, feeling as if she was moving through stiff molasses. Her head still spun. She had lost the daggers in her belt in the crash, but she pulled the jade-pommeled knife from its holder on her arm. She threw herself onto him, knees pinning his arms down, knife pressed hard into his throat.

  She looked into his face and her eyes widened.

  His widened too. “We have to stop meeting like this,” he said with a crooked grin.

  Despite herself and the severity of the situation, she grinned back. It was the man with the long golden hair, who had spared her on her way to the citadel.

  She bit her lip. She should have already killed him. It was bright morning now—he could burn, she could not. Even with her knife to his throat, he could kill her at any moment. But he wasn’t. And he hadn’t.

  She looked into his startling green eyes and her eyes traced his strong jaw, fine nose and full lips. She couldn’t do it. Not because he was the most handsome man she had ever seen. But because she wasn’t a killer. Not like this.

  She stood quickly, not knowing if she could trust her decision.

  “You spared my life once. My debt is paid. “ She hesitated. “Don’t make me regret this kindness.”

  “We all have regrets,” he called after her, as she strode towards Peppe, who seemed, miraculously, to still be in one piece. “But that will not be one of yours.”

  It was only later that she realized that her necklace had stayed cool against her chest as he said it. He had spoken the truth.

  Kai and Peppe approached the citadel cautiously, but it appeared that the fighting was over. Kai surveyed the citadel in dismay as they swept down out of the smoky air. The dormitory buildings were still burning hotly, and the temple building had been hit too. Flames licked the sides of the buildings as the citizens did their best to keep the fire from spreading. Come nightfall, even the most basic burner could suck the heat from those fires in an instant, but until then, they were limited to fighting the fires with buckets and hoses.

  She landed outside the rookery and dismounted a bit unsteadily. She needed to find Quitsu—and then make sure Master Vita was all right.

  As she walked out of the rookery, Kai saw the body of a golden eagle and its rider, mangled on the cobblestones. She approached, curiosity drawing her to it.

  “It won’t be the last,” Nanase’s voice sounded behind her like a whip. “The queen will be on the warpath after this.”

  Kai just nodded, unable to draw her eyes away from the ghastly sight of the dead rider, his neck twisted unnaturally.

  “Where have you been?” Nanase asked. Apparently, she wasn’t actually looking for an answer, because she continued. “We need your help here. Head
to the hospital ward.”

  Kai nodded, suppressing the images coming to mind of her straddling the handsome sunburner with a knife to his throat. She shook away the memory, jogging towards the hospital ward. No one could ever know that she had spared him.

  As Kai entered the hospital ward, the smells and sights threatened to overwhelm her. Women filled the beds and others lay on makeshift cots or on the floor. She saw a silver fox sitting on one of the beds and ran to him.

  “Quitsu,” she said, relief filling her. He rubbed his head against the underside of her chin.

  “I was worried,” he replied. She nodded, but he was forgotten as she realized who was in the bed.

  “Emi,” she said softly, eyes tracing her friend’s injured form. Emi lay unconscious, with angry burns on one side of her beautiful face, singeing off part of one ear and her silver hair and eyebrow. Her arm on that side appeared to be broken and was set in a sling.

  “She has internal injuries,” Quitsu said. “They don’t know if she will make it.”

  “What happened?” Kai asked.

  “She was fighting the fire in the dormitory building, and a beam collapsed on her. One of the other moonburners dragged her out.”

  “No time for sorrow, Kai.” The nurse she had seen so many times put a hand on her shoulder. “She is stabilized. There are others that could use your help.”

  And so Kai went to work. Her mind quieted in the bustle of fetching towels, blankets and medicine, boiling water and cleaning wounds. It wasn’t until the sun set and all the women breathed a collective sigh of relief that she realized how quickly the day had passed. The healing work picked up with the assistance of moonburning; the fires were quickly doused outside. Halfway through the night, the nurse told Kai to get some sleep. She didn’t argue.

  Kai and Quitsu walked out of the hospital ward to head towards her room, but she stopped in her tracks.

  “Our room is probably completely burned,” she said.