Their new destination was indeed quite a bit closer to the center of the city, and the wedge of the city belonging to the Mithrilblades narrowed as they walked. While the road leading from the Mithrilblades entrance was to their right, a gleaming stream of clear black water marked the Waveblades’ road, visible between the buildings to their left. Kaz could also hear the sound of water trickling and splashing nearby, and the scent of cold, pure water cleansed the smell of blood from his nose.
Stopping in front of another building that was taller than average, though not as intact as the first one, Tiga gave a small bow before waving the other Mithrilblades through the long piece of niu-fur cloth draped across the doorway.
“We will make certain there are no unpleasant surprises here,” Tiga said firmly, “and then you may rest. You will be called in time for the evening meal.”
The Mithrilblades came back out of the building, giving soft yips to let Tiga know they had found nothing unexpected. Tiga swept the door cloth aside with one arm and gestured for the humans, Kaz, and Li to enter. Li did exactly that, leaping from Kaz’s shoulder to fly ahead into the building.
Kaz ran in after her, racing through the first room and into a second just in time to grab the end of the dragon’s tail and pull her back out of the little alcove that glowed with a gentle white light. Li grabbed onto the edge of the alcove, wings flapping as she tried to bite at the crystal that lay just out of reach.
“You can’t eat any crystals here,” he told her, quickly resting his hand under her belly so he could pull her back without hurting her. “They’ll definitely notice, and I don’t think they can replace them.”
Li gave up, settling onto Kaz’s arm with a sulky hiss.
Lianhua entered the room, looking around with a gasp of pleasure that echoed the dragon’s when she saw the ki crystals. “A real bathroom!” Her gaze snagged on a long, deep bowl carved into the ground. A small trickle of gently steaming water poured into it from a hole in the wall, only to vanish down another hole at the far end of the bowl.
Instantly, Lianhua turned and began to urge Kaz from the room, her hands not quite pushing him out the door. Li rose from his shoulder and flew past Lianhua, back into the room, settling into the bowl so she could tap a clawed foot delicately in the small stream.
Lianhua looked between Kaz and the dragon, and shrugged. Pointing to Kaz, she said, “Out. Tell Raff he’s next, and then it’ll be your turn. Li can bathe with me if she wants.”
Li said firmly, guzzling a bit of water and then spitting it out again with a small burst of black ki. It arched much higher into the air than it should have, splashing down into the depression and trickling over her clawed toes.
Kaz allowed himself to be shifted back through the doorway, then settled his pack on the ground and took two small crystals from the pouch hidden in its depths. Handing them to Lianhua, he said, “For Li.” She nodded and reached up, pulling another length of coarse brown cloth from where it had been looped up on a hook above the door. It tumbled forward, blocking the entrance to the bathroom and almost hitting Kaz in the nose on its way down.
Behind him, Raff snorted. “Never seen someone so desperate for a bath. And she wants to be a scholar, out on the road most of the time.”
Kaz turned around to see the big human shaking his head as he slung his unconscious captive off his shoulder. Though… Kaz narrowed his eyes, watching the way the kobold was breathing. Before, it had been shallow but steady, while now every few breaths was much longer and deeper, as if the male was trying to make up for the too-short breaths before.
Raff met Kaz’s eyes, and the corner of his mouth hitched up. He hooked a thumb toward himself, then the door, and Kaz frowned. Raff shuffled in place a bit, then started moving toward the door, away from the kobold, making sure his steps went from loud to soft much more quickly than they actually should have.
One of the prone kobold’s eyes opened just a slit, flicking back and forth as he tried to locate Raff. Meanwhile, Raff lifted the cloth of the door and dropped it again before making a few more quiet footsteps. Frankly, it wasn’t very convincing, but the captive had a large bump on his head, and probably wasn’t thinking as clearly as he usually did.
Seeing Kaz, the kobold rolled over and lurched up, heading straight for him. Kaz pulled out his knife, and the strange kobold stopped, touching his own waist, where no weapon hung. Behind him, Raff twirled a metal dagger in his hand, winking at Kaz.
“You have to come with me, Woodblade,” the kobold said almost desperately, holding out one hand as the other lifted to gingerly prod at his forehead. “The Voice commands your presence.”
Kaz very deliberately didn’t look at Raff or the shadow where Chi Yincang lurked as he said, “What Voice?”
“The Voice of the mountain!” the kobold barked, as if it should be obvious.
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Kaz shook his head, feigning disdain. “The Voice is an old howl, and if it ever was real, it stopped talking generations ago.”
The gray-furred male shook his head, then winced and touched his wound again. He swayed slightly as he said, “The great tribes are unworthy. They broke the promise that bound the mountain to them when they stopped offering their daughters to the Tree. But your father offered you, as is right, and now the Voice calls in your debt.”
Kaz shook his head. “I owe no debt,” he said slowly. “Whatever my father did was his choice, not mine.” He thought back to that memory of when he was injured and the Tree - or rather Nucai - healed him. “And my mother chose to carry the debt for me. With her death, whatever agreement there was has ended.”
The male shifted, looking as if he would lunge for Kaz, but stopped when Kaz lifted his weapon threateningly. “You don’t understand. If you don’t come, the Voice will send others for you. Others who will destroy this city.”
Kaz decided to take a chance, and said, “Why does Nucai suddenly want me so desperately?”
The other only looked confused, dashing Kaz’s hopes that he might be more than he appeared. “I don’t know a Nucai, but you must come, and quickly. The Voice says it will help you, but only if you come of your own free will.”
Realizing that that was all this kobold knew on this topic, Kaz tried another question. “What are the crystals in your necks?” He touched the back of his own neck with his free hand.
Flinching back, the male said, “It allows the Voice to speak with us, and serves as a sign of our loyalty. Once placed, it can never be removed. It’s a great privilege, and someday, you may have one as well.”
“Does it control you?” Kaz asked, but the other kobold shook his head, looking confused.
“Our tribe is the last one to remain truly loyal to the mountain,” he said. “We obey because it is right, not because we must. We are the last refuge of those forsaken by all others.”
That sounded terribly familiar, and Kaz had a feeling he finally knew who these males were, or at least what tribe they were really from. “You’re Irondiggers, aren’t you?”
The male’s shoulders straightened before he winced again. Reaching out as if to grasp Kaz’s wrist, he said, “You must come. Before-” He lifted his head, uninjured ear perking as a familiar multi-throated cry echoed out over the city. “No,” he whispered. “I’m too late.”
Raff ducked out through the door even as Lianhua pushed aside the cloth separating her from Kaz. Li was on her shoulder, steam roiling angrily from her gaping jaws. Lianhua’s sash was untied, the elaborate top robe hanging open to reveal the simple white garment beneath.
The gray kobold half turned at the sound of Raff leaving, and then spun back when Lianhua entered. He swayed dizzily at the sudden motion, but still lunged for Kaz. “Can’t be too late. Everyone will die. My brothers are here!”
Kaz winced slightly, wondering if the kobold who had been with him was one of these ‘brothers’. If not, were they Irondiggers as well, or members of whatever tribe this kobold had actually been born into?
The door to the street rustled, and Raff looked in, expression tense. “You’re gonna have to see this to believe it,” he said grimly, and they all rushed toward him, ignoring the desperate grab of the Irondigger, who fell down when he tried to follow.
Kaz was the first one out, but Lianhua and Li were right behind him. They all looked down the street, seeing nothing except a few pale-furred kobolds, all of whom were staring up with gaping, horrified expressions.
Almost reluctantly, Kaz turned his own gaze upwards, at first unable to figure out what they were staring at. Then a great, black blotch that had been blocking the light of the bioluminescent plants shifted with a slow, majestic flap of its impossibly large wings. One set, then another and another, until six pairs of wings had thrust through the air with a sound something like flapping, and something like roaring water, and also like nothing that Kaz had ever heard before.
Six long necks stretched away from the massive body that seemed to fill the huge empty space above the city. They tilted downward, and a strange, discordant shriek followed the movement of the wings, echoing in Kaz’s ears until he wanted to crouch down and clap his hands over them like a puppy hearing a janjio for the first time.
Howls rose up from all over the city, a futile call to arms. There was nothing at all that a single kobold could possibly do against this monstrosity, and a whole tribe might only be able to wound it. If all five tribes were still as powerful as they were supposed to be, and worked together to bring it down, they might have a chance, but with only three great tribes? The city was doomed if that thing simply landed on it.
The gaping maws of four of the heads opened, each one forcing out a single word through throats never meant to make such sounds. “Give.” “Me.” “The.” “Woodblade!”
Kaz’s heart sank at the words. Whatever this thing was, whatever it had been, it was here for him, and the only way to save everyone was to give it what it wanted. He took a step forward, ready to run for the broad open area visible at the end of the street, but a heavy hand landed on his shoulder before he could move.
He looked around to see Raff, enormous sword lifted and glowing white with the power surging forth from the human’s central meridian. He had a grin on his face, and if it looked a little strained, who could possibly blame him?
“Where ya goin’, Blue?” Raff asked. “I thought we were a team now.”
Chi Yincang appeared from nowhere, his weapon leaping from the ring on his finger. The end of the wooden shaft cracked against the stone beneath his feet, the pointed oval blade gleaming in the light of ki bolts rising up and arching through the air from all around them. He nodded to Kaz, a hint of excitement lighting his black eyes.
Li settled onto Kaz’s shoulder, her wings lifted in challenge as she hissed furiously at the thing hanging in space above them. Her voice should have been lost in the barrage of wind from the terrible beast’s wings, or the cacophony of shrieks and howls emerging from its throats, but instead it was bright and clear as she cried out,
Lianhua stepped up beside Chi Yincang, tying her belt in its usual perfect knot. She smiled at Kaz, then pulled her bow from her pouch, the glittering string appearing between the tips. Lifting it, she formed an arrow made of pure ki and said, “One of these days, I’m actually going to get a bath without any interruptions.”
Kaz just stared around at them all. “There’s no way we can defeat that,” he said. “I should just-”
“Fight,” Lianhua said, aiming her arrow at the darkness. “You should fight. And we’ll be right beside you.”
Li shrieked agreement, and together, they charged ahead.