The Power and the Glory

Book 3 Chapter II: The Game Begins

He tried to remember what had happened when he first became a dragon. He'd wanted to scare the policemen away. The next thing he knew he was staring down at them from a great height, and they had suddenly become very small.

Shizuki frowned thoughtfully. "Are you using magic to change back?"

Irímé nodded. "Of course."

"You shouldn't! You don't have to!"

Now it does seem like he could have said that earlier.

Irímé consciously pushed his magic away. He thought of being an immortal. I want to change back, he thought very hard.

The next thing he knew he'd overbalanced and was lying face down on the grass. He sat up and found that either he'd shrunk or everything around him -- the palace, the garden, and even the trees -- had grown. In the background Shizuki let out an excited shriek.

"It worked! Now turn back! And learn how to fly this time!"

Irímé studied his hands. He grabbed a fistful of his hair. He pinched his arm to make absolutely sure he wasn't dreaming.

"Come ooooooonnn," Shizuki whined, doing his best impression of a puppy begging for treats. "Turn back!"

"Absolutely not," Irímé said firmly. "I've had enough of being a dragon to last me a lifetime, thank you very much."

~~~~

Ilaran was used to hiding all sorts of things from people he was forced to make small talk with. This wasn't even the first time he'd had to conceal an injury. It was just the first time he'd had to conceal a fatal injury. He suppressed the urge to adjust his collar. The bite-mark was stitched up and hidden beneath a bandage, which in turn was hidden beneath his high collar and further hidden by his hair. Even so he kept expecting someone to comment on it.

There should be pain with such a horrible injury. He knew it had hurt when the corpse first bit him. But now he didn't feel so much as a dull throb. The only discomfort from it was when he moved his head too far to the side and pulled on the stitches. Even that wasn't really pain.

I hope that's not serious, he thought while he offered Emperor Ninuath another cup of tea. How could I explain this to a doctor?

By general and unspoken consensus no one had mentioned anything to do with the events earlier. They hadn't even told their guests about the assassin. There was no point. Ilaran was fine, he was alive, and there was absolutely no point in stirring up trouble.

From time to time he pressed his fingers against his wrist to make sure his heart was still beating. It was. He was still breathing. He could still drink tea and eat biscuits, so there was little chance of him turning into a monster that craved human flesh.

So why did he feel like something was very badly wrong somewhere?

All things considered it was a relief when Shizuki walked into the hall, accompanied by an undragonified Irímé. At any rate it gave everyone something else to focus on, so there was less chance anyone would pay attention to Ilaran.

~~~~

The kingdom of Gengxin was relatively new. It had formed over thirty thousand years ago, one of many kingdoms to rise from the ashes of the Dan Chi Federation. King Shi Zheng was only its second king. His father had been a general who proclaimed himself king. In his pursuit of a crown he'd married his daughter to Seroyawa's Crown Prince in exchange for foreign support. Since then Gengxin had very little trouble with its neighbours.

All of its troubles came from within.

After sending the letter to his sister Shi Zheng paced around his office for a long time. Zi Xiao had been young and healthy. No plague should have killed him so quickly. Now the Second Prince was sick too. Strange how both princes were constantly surrounded by their servants yet no one else had so much as a high temperature. There was something suspicious about this.

Then there was the Ninth Prince. Poor Zi Yao. He'd never been strong. If he caught this mysterious disease it would finish him for sure.

Thinking of Zi Yao inevitably brought Shi Zheng's thoughts round to his youngest son's healer. No one in the palace liked that man. He was a foreigner, which was never a recipe for popularity, and a very odd foreigner into the bargain. But he could keep Zi Yao alive and relatively healthy. None of Gengxin's physicians had been able to stop the seizures.

Perhaps he could cure this disease as easily as he cured Zi Yao.

Shi Zheng sent a eunuch to summon the healer. He arrived within ten minutes.

"How is the Ninth Prince today?" Shi Zheng asked.

"He is well, your Majesty," Lian replied, bowing. Like all foreigners the healer had some unpronounceable name in his native language. No one had ever bothered to learn it, so within weeks of arriving he had adopted a Gengxinish name. Now he was known as Lian. "He played with the Eighth Prince for an hour this afternoon."

"He doesn't have a temperature?"

"No, your Majesty."

Abruptly Shi Zheng said, "I want you to check the Second Prince. See what you think is wrong with him."

If Lian was surprised or annoyed at the order he didn't show it. He bowed again as he said, "Yes, your Majesty."

"You're dismissed."

The healer left. Shi Zheng went back to worrying about the strange plague. So far it didn't seem to be contagious. But what if that changed?

Perhaps he shouldn't have asked his nephew to visit after all.