Sword of the Red Dragon (Akatsuki no Yona)

Chapter 3

"We'll just sleep outside, then," Yona said defiantly.

The whole Kouka kingdom group was standing in an alley on the outskirts of town, discussing their options, or really lack thereof, for the night.

The others had found out that there were only three inns on the small island, with two being in this port town, and all three used slave labor instead of regular workers. It was cheaper for them and the slaves could be forced to work longer and harder. Yona didn't want to stay anywhere that would benefit someone who owned slaves. However...

"We can't," Yoon said reluctantly, "We don't want to stay out in the open here, and there aren't any wooded areas. It would be too easy for someone to attack us, and that'd call a lot of attention."

"We've done it before, back in Awa," Yona protested.

"Right, but Awa wasn't an island," Yoon said, "If someone chases us, we can only go so far..."

"It would only be for a few nights," Hak said.

Yona crossed her arms over her chest. "It isn't right. Not when we came here to help end the trade. That woman at the market made it sound like most people didn't like that this island supports slavery."

Jae-Ha looked over her. "They might not like it, but that doesn't necessarily mean they don't take advantage of the system." He shrugged. "It's probably easier for them to go along with it than to stand against it."

"That's horrible," Kija said.

"It's the real world," Hak said darkly, "It's how some people work." Or lots of people. The old fishmonger lady might personally not have liked the way slavery affected her island, and there were almost certainly a lot of people who agreed with her.

But there might be just as many who disagreed and didn't see a problem with the slave trade, or they might just see an advantage in going along with it. People tended to cash in their morals when there was a good profit and not many repercussions.

"I know you don't want to, Yona, and I don't really want to either, but I think we'd fit in better if we stayed at an inn," Yoon said, "Which would be good since we already sort of stick out."

"I'm just too attractive," Jae-Ha teased.

They ended up staying at the cheaper of the two inns in town and only rented one room with no extra services.

"You're sure you don't want dinner brought to you?" the innkeeper asked, smiling at them. She tucked her hands into her sleeves. "Our chef is from Kouka, so you might find his creations familiar to you."

"No, thank you," Hak said before Yona could demand to know if the chef was a slave or not, "We brought our own food."

"All right, then," the woman said. She gestured to the young man and woman standing beside her. Both of them were wearing metal bands around their wrists and ankles, and they kept their heads down. "If you need anything, be sure to ask Jade or Onyx. They'll be sure to help you find whatever you need."

Once the innkeeper left and the two slaves followed her out, Yoon made a face. "Those can't be their names. She must have renamed them."

"We'll find out their real names," Yona said. She ran her hand over Ao's back as if to calm herself down and took a deep breath. Recklessness wasn't going to help anyone. They needed a real plan to take down the slavery system on the island, and it made sense to start with the family who ran the business. If they could just talk to that girl from the market place, maybe they could find out some of the family's weaknesses and figure out how to bring them down.

Besides, Yona had a bad feeling about what would happen to her after that scene in the market. There had to be some kind of terrible repercussion for being so openly defiant. Why hadn't she followed her master's orders? There were too many questions, and that girl might at least answer some of them.

Night fell and torches and lanterns were lit across the town as if the darkness brought a new life into the streets. The noise ebbed and rose outside of their room's window as they ate their small but filling meal.

"It's loud out there," Yoon said as he looked out the window.

Down below, a group of men stumbled out of a bar and into a red-clothed shop across the street. A deep drum was being played somewhere far away, and a sweet melody drifted up to the room. It sounded like a party was starting, but when Yoon looked closely, half of the people had a quiet desperation or hopelessness about them.

There was a darkness here that had nothing to do with the sunset.

"I wonder what this place used to be like," he said, and then glanced over at their resident long-lived immortal. "Have you ever visited here before, Zeno?"

"No." He shook his head, his eyes sad. "But I've heard of it many times. Dyael's been a popular place to visit on and off, but I've never been here. There are a few songs about the island, and they're nice..." He leaned back, resting against the wall. "They definitely don't describe it as it is now."

"Do you remember how any of them go?" Kija asked.

"Mmm..." Zeno rubbed his hand against his head and then nodded. "Yeah, Zeno can remember one. It can be a lullaby."

"Aren't we all a little old for bedtime songs?" Hak asked.

"Let our ancient grandpa sing," Jae-Ha teased, "It makes him feel extra useful."

Zeno rolled his eyes at Jae-Ha and held up his hands. "All right, then, children, get in bed." He picked up a pillow and tossed it at Shin-Ah. "Bed, Seiryuu!"

Once all of them were in bed besides Jae-Ha and Hak, Zeno began to sing. His calm, tenor voice floated through the room, weaving images of sparkling blue water, bright ship sails, and tall, waving grass. The song carried them off to sleep gently, like a coracle drifting off to sea.