by JC Kang
Servants opened the doors and dropped into kneels. Inside, light bauble lamps revealed other servants preparing cushions and blankets for a makeshift bed on the marble floor. A sleeping robe lay folded at the side. They all stopped their frenetic activity, sank to their knees, and pressed foreheads to the floor.
“Rise.” Kaiya lifted her chin.
The servants returned to their duties, though more than one flashed an apologetic nod. An older man, dressed as a chamberlain, shuffled forward, bowing. “I am sorry for the poor accommodations.”
Kaiya nodded. It wasn’t his fault. Liu Yong was sending a message: she didn’t even warrant a guest room.
General Jin cleared his throat. “We will leave the princess to rest.”
“Wait.” She bowed at the waist.
All the guards and servants dropped to their knees in a rhythmic swoosh of armor and robes.
“Please wake the regent. Let him know the Teleri army, led by Emperor Geros himself, is headed this way.”
“As the princess commands,” the general said. Holding bows, the servants all shuffled backward out of the room, taking all the light bauble lamps. The doors closed behind them.
The lack of conviction in the general’s voice didn’t inspire confidence. She closed her eyes and listened. Outside, at least six imperial guards stood at the door. She might be light on her feet, but she was no Moquan. There would be no secret forays into the palace, like that night three years ago when she sought out Prince Hardeep in the Nine Court. For now, with the Teleri marching on the capital unopposed, she was stuck here, alone.
And tired. Her arms and legs weighed her down as she slipped out of the travelling robe. At least the nausea had subsided. Bust binder untied, her breasts felt swollen, the nipples sensitive. Still, her belly remained flat. With a sigh, she slipped into the robe and wrapped the sash around her waist.
Kaiya settled into the cushions and pulled a cover over to protect herself from the dank chill. How long would they keep her here? Would she be able to present her case to the regent?
The sounds of guards shuffling outside settled. A nearly-imperceptible breathing hid in the voice of the night. Kaiya bolted upright, heart in her throat. Apparently, the Tiger’s Eye did little to prevent surprise.
From behind, a hand clamped down over her mouth, and warm steel pressed into her neck.
Kaiya froze in place. Perhaps the regent wanted to be done with her altogether. Though if that were the case, this interloper could’ve already killed her.
“Dian-xia,” a girl’s voice whispered in the dark. “I am letting go. Please keep quiet.”
Jie? Had she made her way back? No. The voice was wrong. Kaiya nodded.
The hand and blade withdrew. Kaiya turned and squinted through the darkness.
A wisp of a shadow knelt there, her expression unreadable in the dark. “I—”
“—rescued me from the Teleri Fortress. Your name is Feng.”
The Moquan girl nodded. “Yes, Feng Mi.”
Likely a code-name, since it sounded like the word for honey. A moniker suited for spies in the Floating World. Yet Feng had come to rescue her. “Have you heard from Jie?”
“She is not with you?”
Apparently, the Moquan didn’t know everything. “I sent her on a mission, and then we were separated by the Teleri invasion.”
Feng’s scowl, while not visible, was clear in her tone. “Young Master Yan was responsible for you.”
Kaiya nodded. Just leave it at that. There was no need to revisit that drama. “It looks like you are my new bodyguard. Can I rely on you, even if Regent Liu rules?”
“The Black Lotus is loyal to the Wang Family.” Feng bowed and placed a fist on the ground.
“Good.” It seemed Fu was correct about the Moquan, or at least the Black Lotus Clan. “Now, how do we get out of here?”
“We don’t. I can’t get you past six imperial guards, and I can’t fight them. Their breastplates’ aura is too strong.”
Kaiya stared at the doors, picturing the palace layout in her mind. “Are there other clan members around?”
“No. All the others nearby are in the castle proper with the Tianzi.”
“Can you contact them?”
Feng’s lips pursed. “Our clan designed the castle defenses to prevent one of our own from being able to penetrate it.”
Kaiya sighed. Even with a Moquan, she was still a prisoner in her own home.
“There is another way.” The coldness in Feng’s tone might have sent a shiver down Kaiya’s spine if not for the Tiger’s Eye. “The regent’s power comes from his grandson. Kill—”
“No.” Kaiya shook her head emphatically. There had to be another way than slaying her cousin’s infant son. Though, if it might save more people…
A commotion erupted outside. The doors swung open.
Hong Jianbin’s heart rattled in his chest as he stepped through the doors. At long last, after over half a year, he would see Princess Kaiya again. Though perhaps his chest ached from his precarious situation. For now, he was in the regent’s good graces; but if the real Tianzi emerged from the castle, Hong might very well lose his head for his role in accidently deposing him.
Unless he convinced the princess to marry him. Though if the regent retained power, he would find a way to remove her from the picture.
Ah, that petty little tyrant, having power drop into his lap by virtue of noble birth and a freak accident. Not like Liu Yong had the brains to harbor any traitorous thoughts beyond which rice-wine merchant to stiff.
Hong raised the light bauble lamp, which filled the room with a gentle white glow.
The princess sat, one hand clasping a sheet to her body, the other shading her eyes. Was she naked underneath?
If Hong’s heart beat any faster, he would faint. Leina might be exotic and charming, but none could rival Princess Kaiya’s beauty. Hands trembling, he lowered the lamp and creaked into a kneel. “Dian-xia, I am relieved to see you are home safe.”
“Chief Minister Hong.” She ran a hand through her hair and lowered the cover. The top of her cleavage peeked out from beneath the sleeping robe. Had her breasts grown since he last saw her? To think in this very room, three years ago, when they had greeted Avarax in human form, she had been a plain bean pole. Now, she was the most desirable woman in the realm.
“I am sorry to disturb your sleep, Dian-xia.” He raised his head and met her smile. Had she lost weight? Her face seemed thinner than several months before. No doubt her winter in the wilderness had taken its toll on her health. He lingered a few more seconds on her plump breasts.
“I am happy to see a friend,” she said. “What brings you here?”
Hong looked back to the doors. Closed, safe from prying eyes and ears. “Dian-xia, I have come to warn you. Even at this late hour, Regent Liu is meeting with the hereditary lords. He plans to brand you as a traitor.” The news would crush her. He leaned forward, ready to provide support after the shocking revelation.
“I see.” Her expression remained…impassive? Too shocked, maybe. Still, she didn’t back away, despite the inappropriate distance. Maybe…
Hong edged even closer. “There is a way to protect you.” Something he could do.
“How?” Her tone wasn’t desperate, more…disinterested.
Hong took a deep breath. “Avoid a political marriage to a provincial lord. Marry a commoner, ideally in Regent Liu’s good graces.”
“There is no time before my audience with the regent.” The stoicism in her face could rival that of an imperial guard. She did not even seem to be considering his reasoning. All of that shock—betrayed by a tyrant, forced to wander in the wilderness, coming home to be branded a traitor. Poor Kaiya. The Dragon Charmer had faded, replaced by the naïve girl from years before.
He reached forth with a trembling hand and placed it on her shoulder. So soft and warm. A tingle jolted up his arm and settled in his chest. His other hand extended of its own volition, coming to re
st on her other shoulder. He opened his mouth to speak, but only a croak came out. Clearing his throat, he said, “Dian-xia, I will marry you. I have always had a wonderful relationship with Lord Liu.”
Her eyes studied his. Her plight must finally be dawning on her.
This was his chance, at long last. It might never come again. So much for timidity. Heart pattering like a rabbit’s, he drew her forward and leaned in. If she returned his kiss—
The princess turned and cast her gaze down. Not an outright refusal. Shy, just like an appropriate maiden should act.
He pecked her on her cheek. So smooth and soft, it sent heat coursing through him. Waves roared in his ears. At long last, after three years of planning and maneuvering, the princess was his.
CHAPTER 22:
Black Fists and Stone Arrows
Exhausted from his harrying trip back from the light tower, Liang Yu stumbled to his warehouse just as a predawn line of black-blue appeared on the eastern horizon. Even at this hour, the capital buzzed with rumors of Princess Kaiya’s return and a possible invasion.
He rapped out a code on the door, which whispered open a crack. It was Little Song. He had done what a Black Lotus Moquan, trained from youth, could not: escaped with the princess from a heavily armed escort.
No, impossible. Keeping his expression blank, Liang Yu slipped past Song and into the warehouse. “How did you get back here?”
“The imperial cavalry allowed us to ride horses. When we arrived in the city, I used the citizenry’s confusion to escape.”
Impressive, but, “Where is the princess?”
Little Song slouched over. “I am sorry, Master. We were separated, and she was too heavily guarded.”
“Unacceptable.” Liang Yu slammed his staff into the wood floor. “My order was to stay close to her.”
Song hung his head. “Forgive me, Master.”
Liang Yu snorted. A warrior might atone for such a transgression by taking his own life. In the bureaucracy, from which Song’s family came, failure was met with demotion or forced retirement. His talented father had failed only once—raising a son who became an insurgent, exposed by Liang Yu himself—at the cost of his short tenure as Chief Minister.
A Black Lotus Moquan’s failure, however, was met with greater challenges. Liang Yu pointed out the door. “Intercept the imperial couriers, find out what they know.”
Song raised a hand. “First, there is other news. I sent a scout out on horseback to verify the princess’ claims. She was telling the truth.” He unfurled a map. “A Teleri army, fifty-thousand strong, marches along the main highway, a day away by forced march.”
Fifty thousand! A day away. With the bulk of the imperial armies engaged with Peng and the Madurans, there couldn’t be much more than ten thousand soldiers in the capital. The only other army nearby…he looked up at Song. “Seek out Lin Ziqiu. Inform her of the situation. Ask her to return to Linshan Province and ask her father to mobilize his armies.”
Watching Song dart out the door with youthful exuberance, Liang Yu headed back to his office. The princess’ doctor slept in a chair, right where Liang Yu had left him, hands bound to the armrests. Liang Yu started unravelling the knots.
Doctor Fang’s eyes shot opened. “Where is the princess?”
“The palace, I believe.” Unless the regent had locked her away in a secret dungeon somewhere.
The doctor rubbed his wrists. “The regent will treat her as a traitor.” His voice spoke of adoration, like the Surgeon’s unrequited love for the Beauty.
Liang Yu laughed. “Maybe. Don’t worry. The princess is hardly a damsel in distress. She is quite resourceful, actually.”
“What are you doing with me?” Doctor Fang stood.
Liang Yu blindfolded him. “Go to her. One of my men will guide you out of the warehouse district. If she has need of me, she can tie her command to the second branch of the third tree on the path to Jianguo Shrine.”
Once the doctor departed, Liang Yu leaned back in his chair. Resourceful indeed, that princess. His hand found the imperial plaque inside his robes and he withdrew it from its pouch.
He sat up straight. It was no imperial plaque, but a jade funerary tablet. The princess had tricked him yet again, swearing on the name of Zheng Tian, fourth son of Zheng Han: Tai-Ming lord and now Teleri collaborator. If his sources were correct, Zheng Tian had been banished from the capital, then eight years later appeared at the Hua embassy in the Northwest as a clerk for a trade official.
Liang Yu snorted. Not likely. Zheng Tian’s resume, or lack thereof, screamed of Black Lotus Moquan. Now dead, like so many of his former clansmen, his spirit roaming the afterlife.
Tian threw his hands up in exasperation, barely avoiding a low-hanging branch. Playing translator for two twins who didn’t understand each other was hard enough. Kiri refusing to speak of her life before joining the wild elves made the task even more frustrating, since that was all Jie asked about.
“It’s not important,” Kiri said. “I’m here now.”
Jie prodded him in the ribs. If she were really a sister in their clan, she was a mean one. “What did she say?”
Tian shook his head. Kiri had repeated the words so often, Jie must certainly know what they meant by now. “She doesn’t want to talk about it.”
Sighing, Jie drew circles on the forest floor with her foot. “All my life, I wanted to at least know who my parents were.”
It was a different, less open-ended question. Perhaps Kiri would answer. Tian asked, “Do you remember your parents?”
Kiri sucked on her lower lip. “No parents.”
Tian turned to Jie and shook his head again. “She doesn’t want to talk about—”
The wildlife quieted. Both Kiri’s and Jie’s pointed ears twitched like a temple dog’s, and they turned to the north. Tian followed their stares.
The river rustled in the distance, but other than that—chainmail and boots, marching down the main path, not far away.
Jie pulled him down, almost on top of her. The closeness and heat at once felt comforting and right.
Dropping into a crouch, Kiri put hands to her mouth and called out like a wild bird. At other points in the forest, birdcalls responded at quick intervals. The idea seemed familiar, even if the specific calls did not.
Kiri met their gazes and twirled her finger in a big circle. Then she held up two fingers, closed her hand, one finger, then six. Tian exchanged glances with Jie, who quirked an eyebrow up. She wanted a translation.
How should he know what Kiri meant? Even if he knew what Jie’s expression did. He flashed his best guess back in hand signals. Two altivorcs, sixteen Teleri.
Jie nodded, then started to crawl forward. Kiri placed a hand on her shoulder. With wide eyes, she shook her head. She held both hands up, thumbs and fingers forming crescents, then brought them together into a small circle. Were the Teleri surrounding them, drawing the noose tight? Sixteen wouldn’t stand a chance against the elf village, unless….
A voice boomed out from a distance, speaking in the Kanin dialect. “We know the messengers of the gods are here, around the sacred pool. We have the area surrounded. Surrender now and you will be spared.”
Kiri paled. With her eyes, Jie prodded him to translate.
Surrounded, he signed. The elves, with their forest dexterity, could likely get into the trees and their hidden village two li away before the Metal Men could entrap them. He and Jie, on the other hand…and Ming, wherever he was, with his bad arm.
Hunching low, Kiri beckoned for them to follow. Elbows in the dirt, Tian crawled after her, with Jie close behind. Shouts and curses in the Metal Men’s language erupted nearby, but there was no sound of clashing swords or men felled by elf archery.
Ming’s voice rang out from closer to the village. “Help!”
Stranger or not, Ming was a brother. Tian rose next to a tree and peered around the corner. Nothing.
“Down,” Kiri hissed through her teeth.
; Tian glanced at her. Shaking his head, he darted from tree to tree.
Jie was on her feet just behind him, crackling just as many leaves and twigs despite her smaller size. Not like the enemy would hear; they were making even more noise with their boots and armor.
He skidded to a stop at the edge of a clearing where the elves sometimes practiced archery, close to the sacred pool. Seven Metal Men lay dead or dying with arrows through impossibly small openings. Arrow nocked and bow drawn, Ming took aim…at the edge of the clearing, where a Metal Man hid behind a tree, hand clamped over an elf boy’s mouth. At least thirteen other Metal Men ducked in the cover of the trees. So much for there only being sixteen of them… Had Ming killed those seven? With an injured shoulder, no less?
One at Ming’s back jumped out, sword raised. Ming spun and loosed his arrow into the attacker’s throat. At the same time, two more arrows struck the man. Ming turned back to the kidnapper. Apparently, Nayori’s divine magic had healed him.
“Ming. You protected. Watch first man.” The words were in the language from Beyond the Wall, and the speaker…was little Kala.
Ming nodded, then spoke in the language of the Metal Men. “Let the boy go, and we will allow you to leave here alive.” It wasn’t likely the elves would let that happen, even if they understood Ming’s words.
“Attack!” one of the Metal Men yelled.
Eight—eleven—no, fifteen of them charged into the clearing from different angles, longswords raised. Arrows zipped in from all directions. Three men fell. Ming took deliberate steps toward the hostage-taker, seemingly oblivious to the enemies closing around him.
Tian surged in. Swiping a dagger from one of the fallen soldiers, he ran up behind another. Heavens, they were huge. A leap put him on the Metal Man’s back. A yank on the helm’s T-slot jerked his head up. Tian thrust his weapon into his victim’s eye. As he crumpled to the ground, Tian landed on his feet.