The Lion Soul by Amy Sumida
Chapter One
The strangest feeling came over me when I stood at the railing and stared at the shores of Stalana. There was a massive military force camped along the coast, but that wasn't what unnerved me. I felt as if I'd come home. Or had lost my home. Maybe both. Which was baffling. We were there to trade, with the intent to travel along the coast of Stalana and visit three major cities, but the war camp meant that we'd get a chance to trade with the Fae too.
Stalana shares a continent with Varalorre, the land of the Fae. Varalorre is protected by a mystical barrier that only faeries can cross, but despite this, the Fae sent their warriors to help the humans defend Stalana against monstrous invaders called the Farungal. I knew very little about their war, but quite a lot about them—both the Farungal and the magical Fae—as well as the wondrous things that come out of Varalorre. If we could barter for some of their light stones or other incredible—and often magical—inventions, Captain Numaha would be very pleased and our trip would be a great success. Even now, she was ordering more crates into the rowboats than she'd originally intended to unload at this stop.
I'm not a sailor, I'm a bodyguard, part of a group of warriors hired to defend the Captain and her ship. We were all from the Takahansi Clan, an extended family renowned for its warriors. On Nazaka, an island that produces the fiercest warriors out of all the human countries, that's saying a lot. My clan is not only known for the quality of its warriors, but also for our loyalty and honor. When you hire a Takahansi bodyguard, you are assured that, should it come to it, he or she will give their life to save yours. You become our highest priority.
This meant that I didn't have to labor with the sailors and help them lower the heavy crates of silk, spices, and fruit into the boats. But when Captain Kichini Numaha lifted her hand, I obeyed her unspoken command and went to her side, along with my fellow bodyguards. We descended a rope ladder into a rowboat that didn't bear any goods; the Captain didn't like being crowded.
Once in the boat, we headed for shore, where we would make camp near the beach and unload the crates. The sailors would have to either carry the crates or find us wagons to rent for the trip inland to the first city. But again, that wasn't my concern. I kept my eyes on the shoreline as one of my kin rowed, watching for any sign of trouble. I had been trained since I was a child and was very good at my job. If there was a threat, I'd see it and I'd handle it.
My stomach inexplicably tightened as our boat scraped sand and the scent of cypress trees hit me, but I kept my expression schooled as I climbed out, my oiled, knee-high boots keeping my feet dry even as I walked through the wet sand. That strange, tingling feeling intensified as I watched the Captain gather a small case—samples of what she had to sell—and head in the direction of the war camp. I had been to Stalana many times, but I'd never felt this way before.
I took my place at the Captain's side, scanning the nearby woods as well as the camp. The army had soldiers on watch, and they quickly intercepted us, their eyes widening at our Nazakian features. They looked us up and down, noting the differences in our clothing as well as our faces. We eyed them back, though more subtly. Stalanians had thicker features and wider jaws than Nazakians. They were taller than us too, and broader, but we'd be faster, and I knew with absolute certainty that we could take them down in seconds. No, that's not what I intended to do, but it was my job to think that way. Every stranger was a possible threat.
“State your business,” one of them said gruffly in Varalish, the language of the continent—a language which we were all fluent in. You don't go abroad without first learning how to communicate with the locals.
“We are traders from Nazaka,” Captain Numara said. “I wish to see your leader and inquire whether he has an interest in purchasing any of my goods.”
The soldiers looked at each other and shrugged.
“Follow us,” one of them said as he eyed the swords on my hip.
The Stalanians led us through a clean camp, its areas defined in an orderly fashion that I couldn't find fault with. Men and women gawked at us as we passed by, their round eyes growing rounder at our foreign appearance. Usually, I was amused by such reactions, but today, they unsettled me. As if the opinion of these people mattered. I shook off the odd feeling and focused on my job, making sure that no one approached the Captain as we were taken to the center of camp where a massive tent of striped black and gold material stood like a king among his court. Our escort spoke to the men who were stationed to either side of the entrance flap, then one of those men went inside to speak to their leader.
The guard, a blond man with fae features, returned, held back the tent flap, and announced, “The Lion Lord will see you.”
I went in first with my cousin, Tadeni, both of us scoping the tent for possible threats before we allowed the Captain inside. There was only one person in the main area—a man I assumed to be the leader of the army—and he was seated at a large table with no weapons near or on him. Assured of my charge's safety, I glanced back and nodded at the Captain. As she stepped past me, I moved to the side with the other bodyguards.
Introductions were made, and the Captain went into her sales pitch as I continued to do my job, sinking into a resting position with my hands relaxed and ready to draw my swords if necessary. A few minutes later, a beautiful woman with pale hair entered the tent with a looming man, and I began to listen to the conversation.
The Fae have many sub-races. First, they are divided into two classes; the Sidhe and then the Unsidhe. The Sidhe are subdivided by the type of animal they can shapeshift into while the Unsidhe have many distinctly different races, including the two individuals who had just entered the tent. Some Unsidhe races can be terrifying to humans, at least those unprepared for them, and the looming man was a perfect example of that. He was a Red Cap, identifiable by his hat, which was crusty with old blood. Red Caps soaked their hats in the blood of their enemies—a process that, though disgusting, was an effective intimidation tactic. As if that wasn't enough, Red Caps were also enormous, with bulging muscles and oddly colored skin. This particular Red Cap had skin in a shade of orange, more of a burnt color than bright. Overall, he was repulsive.
The woman, on the other hand, was a Leanan-Sidhe, recognizable by her sharp canines, which were used to collect the blood that her kind fed on. She was as startling in her beauty as the man was in his lack of it. Neither of them unsettled me; I had studied the races of Varalorre and knew that no matter how gruesome these faeries were in appearance or manner, they chose to defend humans, and that spoke well of them. They weren't a threat to the Captain.
Then two more men entered the tent—both with dark hair and fae features, though one of them had long hair that was a few shades darker than his companion's. They were both welcomed and introduced to Captain Numaha—the one with longer, darker hair was a warlord, just like the first man at the table, which meant that he was in charge of his own army. In addition to the Leanan-Sidhe, who was also a leader, that made three.
I wasn't surprised that there were multiple. But leaders in this war camp; I knew there were many armies in Stalana, all of them tasked with defending the continent, and they each had a warlord or general in charge of them. As I mentioned earlier, the Sidhe can shapeshift into animals, but only one type of animal and that animal determines their race. In Varalorre, the Sidhe live in kingdoms that are determined by those animal races and each of those kingdoms had sent an army to Stalana to help the humans. From what I could glean from the conversation, this was the Lion Camp, run by a warlord referred to as the Lion Lord, but the Eagle Lord—the man with long, dark hair—was visiting with his companion, who was given a status I was unfamiliar with. Valorian—I'd never even heard the word before.
I focused more on the people at the table, my interest piqued, and my gaze happened across the Lion Lord. I barely looked at him, but I was trained to catch everything in a glance, and his eyes had been locked on me. I shifted my stare back instantly and had to stop myself from gasping. My face went slack and my heart sped up, both actions beyond my control. How had I not noticed this man's magnetism? His primal, earthy allure. The Lion Lord was handsome in a way that seemed impossible to me—an otherworldly beauty combined with a savageness that had me instantly entranced.
It wasn't merely the Lion Lord's thick body—more muscular than any Nazakian could ever hope to become, his impressive height, or his striking fae features, though they were all were worth staring at. His fair skin was the color of a fresh peach—pale pink with a healthy dose of amber—and his hair was the brown of a fawn's coat, highlighted with ribbons of gold. A handsome combination indeed. But again, that wasn't all that drew me. There were also his eyes, the color of the deepest parts of the ocean. They were lined in thick lashes and staring at me as if he found me just as enthralling as I found him. My gaze lowered to his lips, full and begging to be bitten; they twitched as if they felt my perusal, and the pulse in his neck fluttered. I swear, I could smell his scent—an animal musk with a hint of citrus.
Suddenly, I knew why I was so captivated by him, and the knowledge hit me in the gut like a fist. It was all I could do to hold my position, to not jerk forward and gasp as I remembered where I had seen this man before—in a dream.
From as far back as I could remember, I've had a recurring dream. In it, I was a dragon, and I strode across a desolate plane while terrible sounds echoed around me, sounds that could have been laughter if scorpions laughed. I inevitably found the source of those sounds. They came from hideous monsters with spindly black limbs, hunched backs, deadly claws, and barb-tipped tails. Farungals. I didn't know what they were when I was young, but when I got older, I saw a picture of a Farungal in a book, and I knew then that my dream wasn't just a dream, it was also a prophecy.
The dream monsters were always doing the same thing—subduing a lion for capture. Not just any lion either. This beast was massive, easily three times the size of a normal lion, and had a majestic bearing that couldn't be denied, even while trapped beneath a spiked net. The Farungals wanted to do horrible things to that lion. I knew it as one knows things in dreams. And so I raced forward to help him. I always did, no matter how scared I was of the monsters. Even as a little boy, I helped that lion without fail. And I saved him. Every time.
Then he would reward me.
Once I had him free, the lion would claw open his chest and expose his beating heart to me. Instead of hurting him, this seemed to empower him and please him greatly. He would reach inside himself and touch a claw to that pulsing organ. His heart would start to glow, spreading that glow to his claw, and then the lion would touch my chest with that shining claw, right over my heart. That's when I would start to glow. Within that glow, my dragon body would change, shifting into an animal that was part dragon and part lion. The lion gifted me with a piece of his heart and made me into something new. Something miraculous. My people had a name for the creature I became in my dreams. They called it a Shirie, and Shiries were the guardians of the Gods.
My name is Rieyu, which, in Nazakian, means 'dragon.' I assumed it was why I saw myself as a dragon in my dreams. I had thought the entirety of my dream was built of such symbolism, that nothing in it, except for the Farungals, was literal. Although many people from my clan choose to become mercenaries or bodyguards, not everyone does, so I concluded that the Gods wanted me to follow that path and that, someday, it would lead me to a brave man who would need my help. Perhaps he would be leonine in appearance or have a name that was associated with lions, as mine was with dragons.
So, after I finished my warrior training and concluded a few years of service to the Emperor, I took every bodyguard assignment I could, eager to find the lion from my dreams. I searched for years and never came across anyone who remotely resembled that magnificent beast. But now, I stood in a foreign land, staring at a man who was also a lion, recognizing him even though he was in human form. Because on his chest, he wore a massive, trillium gem, a gem in the same shade as a lion's eyes. A gem that my dream lion wore above his heart. I had stared at that jewel enough times to recognize it instantly, but I knew that even had he been bare-chested, I would have known this man. My heart ached as if it needed a part of his to be complete, and with that ache came the knowledge that my dreams hadn't been symbolic at all. They were literal and real. He was real.
I had found my lion at last.
