The Hearts of Dragons Read Online Free PDF

slashed out and caught a soldier in the throat before the poor man could
swing his weapon. The woman took the guard’s blade before joining the battle
herself. Balear collapsed on his knees, exhausted from his near execution and
brutal rescue.
    Iren ran to his friend’s
side to shield him from blows. Their new ally looked over her shoulder at them
and scowled. Spinning in a circle, she disemboweled the three men attacking her
with a single attack. She then sprinted to Iren and heaved Balear onto her
shoulders. “Let’s go!” she commanded. “I’ll take him. You hold them off.”
    They rushed the gate
together. Four men tried to body-block the exit, but the sight of Iren’s katana
in his left hand made them panic. Iren, Balear, and the woman passed the gate.
Iren spun around, expecting pursuit, but the soldiers withdrew.
    Relieved, Iren ran to
catch up with Balear and their surprise savior. Both had blood on them, but
Iren couldn’t tell if it was theirs or someone else’s. Balear had lost
consciousness, so Iren and the woman took turns carrying him as they fled the
city.
    An hour later, a farm
appeared in the distance. “There’s our destination,” the woman said. Iren still
didn’t have a clue what was going on, but this woman’s sudden appearance and
willingness to help him peaked his curiosity. He would see this through until
he got some answers.
    After another fifteen
minutes, they reached the nearest structure on the farm, a barn, and ducked
inside. Iren laid Balear on a pile of straw. After checking to make sure his
friend wasn’t injured, he faced their rescuer. “I appreciate your help,” he
said, “but now an explanation would be nice.”
    The woman pointed at the
Muryozaki. “You already know the answer. I’m a Maantec too.”

CHAPTER FIVE
Lodia’s Downfall
     
     
    In retrospect the
woman’s heritage was obvious. No human could move with the fluidity she
possessed. More telling, she held the sword she’d stolen from the gate guard in
her left fist.
    “I didn’t think there
were other Maantecs in Lodia,” Iren said.
    “There are more than you
might think,” the woman replied. “It isn’t hard to pose as human. You move
around now and then so people don’t wonder why you aren’t aging. Or, like my
parents, you farm in the middle of nowhere. And of course, you have to do
everything with your right hand.” She raised her right palm and eyed it with
disdain. “By the way, my name’s Hana, Hana Akiyama. Nice to meet you.”
    “Likewise,” Iren said with
a smile. “I’m Iren Saitosan.”
    Hana started.
“Seriously? The Iren Saitosan?”
    “I didn’t know I was
famous.”
    “There are wanted
posters all over Orcsthia advertising a huge reward for your capture. But they
describe a teenager, not a grown man.”
    “I’ve had some
interesting times,” Iren said with a grimace. Maantecs aged only when they used
their biological magic, the energy that gave them their immortal lives.
Divinion had forced Iren to use some during the battle with Feng. It had saved
Iren’s life, but it had aged him ten years. It was one more punishment for
saving the world.
    Iren pushed away the
memory. To distract himself, he focused on the woman in front of him. By all
appearances, Hana was twenty, but that only meant she hadn’t used any
biological magic. She could have been born centuries ago. Iren wondered how old
she was.
    Remembering a similar
situation with Minawë, he decided not to bring it up. “Why did you rescue us?”
he asked instead. “And what is this place?”
    “This was my family’s
sheep farm,” Hana replied. “We should be safe here, at least for a while. No
place in Lodia is truly safe these days. I was in Orcsthia selling the last of
our flock when I heard the commotion in the square. When I saw you fighting
alone against those guards, I decided to intervene. Lucky for you, eh?”
    “I guess so,” Iren said.
He paused a moment, and a thought came to him. “You said