The Hearts of Dragons by Josh VanBrakle Read Free Book Online

curse. As for Maantecs,
assuming any of their smiths remained from back then, they would never help a
traitor like her.
    Rondel sighed and
returned the broken blade to its sheath on her hip. For now, she would just
have to hold on to the weapon and hope that a solution came to her.
    Of course, even if she
could repair the rondel, it wouldn’t solve her problem. The Stone Dragon
Knight’s words rang in her head: “Give my greetings to Iren Saito, and in
exchange, I’ll give yours to Iren Saitosan.”
    Rondel shook her head.
She had hoped that she’d seen the last of Iren. He had a way of making her life
miserable, as he was proving at this moment. Rondel had no idea what connected
her attacker, Iren, and the Burning Ruby, but she doubted it was anything
pleasant.
    She might as well get
moving then. Rondel leapt to her feet and dashed across the hot expanse of
Serona, heading east for Ziorsecth.
    As she ran, the name of
the girl she’d met outside the Warm Hearth—the same woman who had attacked her
here in Serona—filled her mind. Rondel knitted her brow and muttered, “What are
you planning, Hana?”

CHAPTER SEVEN
Violent Beauty
     
     
    Iren’s brow lowered.
“You don’t really expect this to work, do you?”
    “Of course,” Hana said.
“Men are so predictable it’s embarrassing.”
    “You don’t even have
armor. They’ll gut you in a second.”
    “They couldn’t hurt me
if they tried.”
    Iren put up his hands.
It was useless to argue with her. Besides, it was her idea.
    Still, he was nervous
about using Hana as bait. Something about her made his skin tingle. He’d seen
those brown eyes and that long, straight, black hair before. Her bubbly enthusiasm
and confidence matched as well. It was possible. Hana could be the woman Iren
kept seeing in his recurring dream—the one holding his child.
    “Here they come,” Hana
said, pulling Iren from his thoughts. “Go inside the barn and get into
position.”
    Balear looked ill at
leaving Hana unprotected, but Iren grabbed him by the arm and dragged him back
to the barn. If Hana’s crazy scheme was to have a chance of working, they had
to play their parts too.
    Iren and Balear climbed
to the lofts on opposite sides of the barn doors. A triangular ventilation hole
provided a small window, but the angle was wrong for Iren to see what was
happening outside. He held his breath and hoped Hana was all right.
    The minutes passed, and
there was no sound. Iren glanced across at Balear. The soldier dripped with
sweat. His grip on the sword Hana had stolen was so tight Iren doubted the man
could wield it.
    Just as Iren had given
up and decided to go see what was happening outside, the barn doors swung open.
Hana stumbled in backward, giggling like a child. She looked unhurt, though one
sleeve of her top had fallen from her shoulder and now hung around her upper
arm.
    “Please, boys, there’s
no need to rush,” she said. “There’s plenty of me for all three of you.”
    Hana fell into the straw
and spread her legs. “One at a time, please.”
    The three Orcsthian
soldiers strode into the barn, and Balear’s sword hand gripped even harder. A
trickle of blood flowed down the hilt and dripped onto the wooden slats below
him.
    One of the soldiers
loosened his trousers. When he was within a yard of Hana, he let them drop.
    Hana winked at the
ceiling. That was the signal. Iren and Balear struck.
    With a yell they leapt
down, each taking one of the men behind the fool in front. Iren knocked out his
foe with the back of the Muryozaki. Balear, his sword arm too tense, used his
left hand to punch his enemy in the face. The Orcsthian crumpled to the ground.
    The half-naked soldier
looked around in a panic as he realized the trap he and his fellows had fallen
into. Hana stood and smiled. She struck the soldier in the gut with her
forearm. The man folded in half, then flew backward under the force of the
blow. He smashed through the wall of the barn.
    Iren and Balear