Free The Flames of Dragons by Josh VanBrakle

possibility. The rice paddies were at a higher elevation than the house, so the angle was wrong to see a person working in them.
    Iren put a hand behind his head and smiled nervously. “I hope I’m not late for dinner again. I wanted to finish the weeding before I came down.”
    Chiyo’s eyes widened. “You pulled all the weeds in one day?”
    “I guess so,” Iren said. “Is that unusual?”
    Goro’s scowl deepened. “Not at all,” he spat. “It’s perfectly normal for a ronin.”
    Iren rocked back on his heels. He knew the word “ronin” from his education in Maantec culture from Hana. It wasn’t a title that garnered respect. A ronin was a highborn warrior who had lost his lord’s favor. Usually they picked up odd jobs as mercenaries, but occasionally they stooped to banditry.
    “So I’m right,” Goro said. “Why don’t you tell us what you’re really doing here? You’re no wandering farmhand; I’m certain of that. I know that was you running around the forest last night.”
    Iren sighed. Where to even begin? Lying wouldn’t help, and he doubted he could pull it off anyway. At the same time, though, he didn’t want them to find out that he was Iren Saito’s son, or about Divinion.
    Maybe a partial truth would work. “I did come from Hiabi,” he said, “but I wasn’t sworn to service by anyone there. I’m originally from Lodia, far to the north. I came to Hiabi for training, but it wasn’t what I expected. I couldn’t return to Lodia, so I started wandering Shikari.”
    It was all true, though it left out a lot of important details. It seemed to work for Chiyo, but Goro remained unmoved. “A highborn up and leaves Hiabi, and nobody there gives a damn?” he asked. “I don’t buy it. Lord Melwar doesn’t seem the type to let someone like you leave without a plan to get you back. He’ll send men after you. Wouldn’t you agree?”
    Iren frowned. He had no idea what Melwar would do. It had been more than a month since the showdown outside Hiabi, and Iren had seen nothing of the Maantec lord or his servants since. Surely if Melwar or Hana wanted to find him, they would have done so by now.
    Still, he had no choice but to agree with Goro. Melwar had put months of effort into Iren’s training. Iren thought it unlikely the noble would forget about him. “I don’t know of anyone pursuing me,” he said, “but that doesn’t mean they aren’t. It’s a possibility.”
    “And that’s why you’re hiding here,” Goro finished for him. “You want to avoid Lord Melwar’s patrols.”
    “Not at all. I just needed a way to keep fed while I continued my training.”
    “What are you training for that’s so important?”
    Iren paused. If he said much more, everything was going to come spilling out. “My parents were murdered,” he told them. “I want to become strong enough to avenge them.”
    Chiyo’s left hand went to her mouth. She wrapped her other arm around Goro’s. “Please, Goro, stop this.”
    “We agreed, Chiyo,” Goro retorted. “It has to be done. Katsu, you can’t stay here. You’ve put this farm in danger. If Lord Melwar’s men find out we’re harboring a ronin, they’ll kill us. You have to leave.”
    Iren felt like the man had punched him in the face. He’d only worked here a month, and already they were tossing him out.
    “I understand,” he said at last. “I won’t endanger you further. I’ll leave immediately.” He turned and walked away.
     
    *   *   *
     
    This was wrong. Everything about this was wrong. Chiyo watched Katsu get smaller and smaller. Why had she agreed to this?
    “It’s for the best,” Goro said. “Come on inside. Let’s have dinner.”
    “All right,” she replied, but then a thought came to her. “Goro, you head on in. I didn’t say goodbye to him. I want to do that. Will you let me?”
    Goro folded his arms, but he said, “Be careful.”
    “I will.”
    Her husband went inside. The moment the door shut, Chiyo ran to catch