Shadows of Moth by Daniel Arenson

aside.
    Jitomi nodded at them. "I've
learned the ways of our enemy, it is true. And I've come bearing
warnings of that enemy's might."
    Without sparing the men another
glance, he stepped into the dragon's mouth, entering the shadows of
Hashido Castle.
    Along the hall, tapering columns
rose in palisades like teeth. Arches stretched above like a metal
palate. At the back of the hall, a hundred feet away, burned a great
fireplace like a dragon's flaming gullet. Before the hearth rose a
metal throne, shaped like a rising tongue; it loomed ten feet above
the floor. A dark figure sat there, silhouetted by the raging fire.
    Jitomi stepped closer, his boots
thumping against the floor.
    "Father!" His voice
echoed through the hall. "I return with a warning. Enemies
muster in the sunlight. We are in danger."
    The lord did not reply, only sat
still, perched upon that rising tongue of metal, only a shadow.
    "Father!" Jitomi
called again. "Will you not speak to me?"
    Slowly, Lord Okita Hashido
raised his head. Two blue eyes stared across the hall like forge
fires. A gust of wind blew into the hall, and the lanterns that stood
upon the columns—demon faces with flaming gullets—belched out heat
and flames. The new light fell upon the lord, illuminating a burly
frame, a white mustache, tufted eyebrows, and a black breastplate
sporting the Red Flame sigil.
    "And so, the boy who
disgraced his father, who betrayed his proud empire, returns to
grovel at the first sign of danger?"
    Jitomi stiffened. He forced
himself to take several deep breaths. "Father, this is no time
for games of pride. The Timandrians are mustering for a new invasion
of the night. Their armies gather on our borders. They—"
    "On our borders?" Lord Hashido said. He rose to his feet, standing upon
his dais. "Our borders are the sea, child. Or do you mean the
dusk, the border of that wretched empire they call Qaelin? Dare you
count the Qaelish, those weak rats, amongst our people?"
    Rage filled Jitomi, overpowering
his fear. "The enemy does not distinguish between Ilar, Qaelin,
Leen, Montai, or any other nation of the night. To them we are all
Elorians. Nightcrawlers, they call us—creatures to be stomped upon,
and—"
    "Nightcrawlers!"
Hashido spat. "Worms. And who gave them that impression, boy?
When they named us worms, did they see proud warriors of the Red
Flame, killers clad in steel, swinging blades? Or did they see a
weak, groveling, sniveling boy come begging to learn their parlor
tricks?" He snorted. "Yes, you are like a worm that crawls
in the dust. You have nine older sisters, each mightier than you.
They are soldiers, dojai assassins, the captains of warships. And
you!" Lord Hashido pointed, finger trembling with rage. "You,
my only son, my heir . . . are weaker than them all. While your
sisters, sharpen blades, you read from books. While your sisters slay
their enemies, you come here as a weakling, begging me to fight your
battles."
    Jitomi closed his eyes for a
moment, the pain driving through him. He had to steel himself with a
deep breath before staring at his father again.
    "No, Father, I am no
warrior like my sisters. Yes, I traveled into sunlight to learn the
magic of our enemies. And now those enemies threaten to burn us all.
They—"
    "Serin will not burn us,"
Hashido said. "He is not a fanatic like Ferius was, not a
mindless brute. He is a sunlit demon, it is true, but his heart is a
heart of flame and steel—a heart I admire. I know of his Radian
Order, boy, and I do not fear it as you do. I am no coward. We will
not fight against Serin but alongside him, warriors of darkness and
light, and our empires will rise."
    Jitomi blinked. He took several
more steps forward until he stood right before the throne. Forgetting
himself, he blurted out, "You're mad! You don't know the
Radians. They hate all Elorians. They vow to kill us all, Qaelish and
Ilari alike. An alliance? Empress Hikari would never agree to such a
thing. She—"
    "Do you mean this