Page 108 of The Last Slayer
The others around the table grunted in agreement. Tiamo was either the leader or the diplomatic one. Maybe both.
The doors to the chamber opened, and a warrior in red and black armor entered. His straight black hair and the broad planes of his face reminded me of a shogun I’d seen in a Japanese drama. This was strengthened by the design of his armor—flaring shoulder guards and a horned helm. Drakes on his vambraces blinked at us.
“I see everyone is here.” He drew himself up and made a bow that snapped to an exact forty-five degrees and back. “I apologize for my tardiness.”
Ramiel rose from his seat. The rest of us followed suit. “Please join us.” He gestured at me. “I present to you the Lady Ashera, soon to be of Eastvale.”
The newcomer bowed again. “An honor.”
“This is Lord Kenji of Higashiro.”
I bowed in return, probably getting the depth wrong. The social graces just aren’t my forte.
Another chair appeared, and we all sat down.
“Will Lord Hideki be joining us?” Ramiel said.
Kenji’s bronzed skin took on an undertone of red. “He is nowhere to be found. I don’t know if he is even aware of the battle to come. I apologize for his inability to lend you his assistance.”
“I’m sure yours will be enough,” Ramiel said smoothly. “I don’t have sufficient troops to face Madainsair in a full-fledged battle, but we may have enough to punch through their lines at certain points.”
“So we will be quickly surrounded.” Kenji’s black eyes glittered. “Excellent. An enemy to kill no matter where one swings his sword.”
From Toshi’s description I’d expected a spoiled demigod who squabbled with his sibling for dominance. But now I was getting a different impression. He didn’t look like the petty type. And his twin must have been yielding, because Kenji didn’t strike me as a compromiser.
Something pinged by the entrance. Ramiel glanced over and raised a finger. The door opened and a small translucent shape blurred into the room. I tensed, ready to draw my sword, but everyone else around me looked relaxed. Whatever it was came to a halt in front of Ramiel and became distinct: a fairy dragon with two sets of wings.
He—she? it?—saluted. As the tiny thing moved, its scales changed color to blend in with the environment. If I hadn’t been paying close attention, I would have lost it against the background.
“My lords.” The voice was lilting and feminine. “Our troops are in position. Madainsair has deployed fifty thousand wyrms, five thousand drakes and four thousand wyverns. Nathanael of Windgar and Semangelaf of Frost Moor will attend the battle, but Apollyon of Hell Cave will not.”
“Are you sure?” I couldn’t imagine Apollyon missing this confrontation for anything.
Ramiel raised a languid eyebrow. “Shahamera is our finest scout. She’s also the leader of the scout unit, and if she says Apollyon’s not coming, then he is not.”
“Why not? I thought he would relish an opportunity to carve me into bits.” I still remembered his gleefully sadistic smile at TriMedica.
“He is undoubtedly plotting something. The question is what.”
There were glances around the table. Even Kenji looked vaguely disquieted. It couldn’t be a good thing.
Ramiel turned back to Shahamera. “Is there more?”
“Hell Cave troops haven’t mobilized either. Their banner is nowhere to be seen.”
“They have been lying low for almost three decades,” Kenji said. “If my calculations are correct, the Hell Cave dragons had their breeding season three years ago, and new parents tend to be uninterested in battle. Their absence may not mean anything.”
“You’re probably right.” Ramiel dismissed Shahamera and tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair. “We only have three-quarters of their number.” He glanced at Kenji and the generals. His lips curved as he leaned forward. “But I believe we have the advantage.”
Kenji’s answering smile was as hard as cold-forged iron. “We should strike at once, before Nathanael can plan anything devious.”
He didn’t have to elaborate. Nathanael had been the strategic brain behind the Twilight of Slayers campaign, and it was his military brilliance that had tipped the scales in the dragonlords’ favor. Nobody wanted to see what he’d come up with, given enough time.
“I agree,” Tiamo said. “We’ve been waiting for weeks now, and many of our troops are becoming restless.”
For weeks?
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