The Hearts of Dragons Read Online Free PDF Page A

executioner tumbling to the ground
with a shoulder charge. The unarmed men holding Balear released their prisoner
and ran away without a fight.
    Iren hauled Balear to
his feet. The usually meticulous soldier looked like a beggar. His blonde hair
hung long and scraggly, and he had a beard to match. His face was drawn and
gaunt. When he saw Iren, though, his eyes lit up with mingled joy and
astonishment.
    “What on Raa are you
doing here?” he asked.
    Iren cut the bonds that
tied Balear’s hands behind his back. “Let’s get out of here first. Can you
fight?”
    Balear rubbed his
wrists. They were bloody and raw from the thick cords. “I would prefer not to.”
    “Believe me, so would
I.”
    Whistles sounded across
the courtyard. Dozens of soldiers poured into the square.
    Iren surveyed the
terrible odds. “We make for the west exit,” he said. He didn’t know if it was
the fastest way out of the city, but at least he was familiar with that route
thanks to his former escorts.
    With a shout, Iren
jumped off the execution stand. There was no other choice. The Muryozaki
flashed, and a guard stopped breathing. Balear grabbed the man’s sword and
followed Iren.
    As they dashed through
the square, Iren’s vision faded into the haze of combat. The battle for their
lives became like a dance. Step, parry, thrust. Step, parry, thrust. One, two,
three . . . one, two, three . . .
    The rhythm stopped.
Fifty guards surrounded them. Even Iren’s Maantec abilities couldn’t overcome
those odds.
    Balear put his back
against Iren’s. “I don’t suppose you’d care to show them any of those moves you
used against Feng, would you?”
    The man was right. Iren
needed magic, and he needed it now. He extended his right arm. Focusing his
effort on his open palm, he called for Divinion to help him.
    Nothing happened. No
beam of white light knocked his enemies unconscious; no shield of energy
surrounded him.
    “Are you kidding?” he
shouted. “It still doesn’t work!”
    The guards knew they had
won. “Lay down your weapons,” one of them called, “or die!”
    Balear dropped his
sword. “That’s it, Iren. Thanks for trying, but we’re not walking away from
this one.”
    Iren sheathed the
Muryozaki and put his hands on his head.
    As the soldiers closed
to capture them, a pebble bounced off a guard’s helm and skittered to the
ground. Several of the men turned to look, and at that moment, a black blur
rushed in.
    Two guards collapsed as
a fist and a foot simultaneously connected with their faces. Three more dropped
before the soldiers realized they had a new threat to confront.
    The newcomer paused a
second. Iren’s jaw fell as he got his first good look at his rescuer.
    It was a young woman
with long black hair.
    “Stop standing there and
come on!” the girl cried. Then she was gone, leaving an opening in the guards’
line where she had struck.
    Iren pulled himself from
his daze. Grabbing Balear, he shouted, “Hurry!” and chased after the woman.
    “Who are you?” he asked
when he and Balear caught up to her. Her straight hair had a red ribbon tied in
it and whipped behind her as she ran. “Why are you helping us?”
    “Questions later,” she
yelled, “if we’re not all dead!”
    The trio raced through
the streets of Orcsthia, forcing their way through flocks of sheep as they headed
back the way Iren had been escorted in.
    But Iren knew what was
waiting for them this way. “The exit on this side of the city is guarded,” he
said.
    Their rescuer’s pace
didn’t falter. “They’re all guarded,” she replied. “I hope you’re decent with
that katana.”
    Iren stumbled and nearly
fell on his face. Humans didn’t use katanas; they were Maantec weapons. “How do
you—”
    “I said ‘questions later!’”
    That ended the
conversation. Up ahead, the gate guards stood at the opening of the earthen
wall. Instead of the original two, though, fifteen men now blocked the exit.
    Iren drew the Muryozaki.
He