by M. Lynn
The words didn’t register. It couldn’t be true. He’d known Luca since they were boys running around the city. How was it possible that someone who felt like family wasn’t who he’d thought at all? “Does Bo know?”
“Of course not. Emperors throughout history have hunted those descended from the dragon lines as if we pose a threat to their power. All we’ve ever wanted was to be left alone. My grandfather was executed at a dragon festival along with Hua’s.”
It made so much sense now. Luca and Hua both knew what it was to hold life-altering secrets. It tied them together for what… “So, you and Hua are meant to be allies against the emperor?” Against Bo. Jian’s jaw clenched. The blooded families weren’t only trying to live normal lives, they were forming alliances. There had to be some purpose in that.
Luca gripped his arm. “No. We don’t want power. We only want to protect each other.” He froze. “You’re not surprised.” A breath hissed through his teeth. “You knew about Hua, that she has the blood.”
Jian released a long sigh.
“I’m here. We used to never keep anything from each other.”
“Except the fact that you’re descended from the last Nagi.”
“I couldn’t tell you.”
What would Luca say if he knew Hua was the dragon who’d destroyed Kanyuan? “I know. And like then, I can’t tell you how I know about Hua. I just… take care of her, please.”
Luca met his gaze through the darkness. “If I could end the betrothal, I would. I need you to know that. It is not up to me, and my family can protect her.”
Jian did know. Luca was the best friend he could ever ask for, and he’d somehow seen behind the questions from Jian to his true feelings, feelings Jian didn’t yet understand. He’d been drawn to Hua since she first set foot in camp, back when he believed her to be a man. But now… after watching her sleep for weeks, he’d begun thinking she would never again fix those stubborn eyes on him. And that, he couldn’t take. “I know, Luca. I do.”
Hua needed the protection of other dragon-blooded families now more than ever. Luca couldn’t back out of the betrothal for that very reason. With a dragon now known to be in Piao, the blooded had to remain united, leaving Jian on the outside of their alliance. He wasn’t one of them. His brother was the emperor.
Yet, he had nowhere else to go. If he returned to the army, he’d have to leave Hua, something he refused to do when he was the only person other than her grandmother who knew of the beast inside her.
“Will you do me a favor?” Luca nudged him.
“You know I will.”
“Keep her safe. I can’t return to my post tomorrow unless I know you won’t leave her. Take her family to my father’s place. They shouldn’t stay here.”
Jian nodded, knowing his friend was right. “You know I could never leave her.”
With a nod, Luca pushed himself to his feet and looked down on Jian. “You’ll always be my commander, Jian, no matter if you think you earned it or not. Until now, it was you and me. I’m going to miss fighting at your side.”
“Something tells me we’ll fight together again someday.”
Luca spared him one final look before walking around the fire to find his bedroll. Jian stayed where he was a while longer, the flames flickering in his dark eyes. They’d see a lot more fire before this was all through.
He just didn’t know how much.
8
The Nagi
Sleep was for the weary and the Nagi had slept enough.
She lay with her head on a rolled-up fur blanket, staring at the stars above. The dragon shone the brightest in the sky, a beacon in the night. This was where the Nagi was supposed to be, the people she was supposed to observe.
But observation wasn’t enough.
The conversation she overheard hours ago rolled through her mind. The soldier who always looked at her in apprehension knew of Hua’s dragon blood. Interesting. Even more interesting was the newcomer, the one Hua remembered as Luca, he too had the dragon blood.
The Nagi turned her voice inward, speaking only to the girl in the back of her mind. “Hua, how do you live in such a place?”
There was no response, but she hadn’t really expected one. The only time she heard from the persistent girl was when Hua tried to force herself to the front of her mind. Hua desperately wanted to be free.
One day, she would again.
Once the Nagi finished what she’d come to accomplish.
The emperors of old feared the blooded would challenge their power. They had no idea how right they were.
No one else stirred in the camp, and the flames dwindled to glowing embers. Reaching into the scorching hot remnants of the fire, Hua—or the Nagi inside—wrapped her fingers around a still glowing log and covered her hand in ash. Hua’s skin bubbled where it burned, but no pain came. Instead, heat seared through the Nagi, forcing all weariness from her mind.
She needed to be clearheaded to complete her tasks. It was while she slept the girl inside fought hardest for release, taking advantage of the Nagi’s weakened state.
The cure for that? Do not sleep.
Half a dozen soldiers slept nearby. The Nagi did not know their names, only what they represented. On the other side of Hua lay her family, along with Luca and Jian, the two men the girl felt great affection for.
Standing out of her crouch, she walked back to the furs she had rested on and slipped a hand underneath, feeling for the knife hidden underneath. Her fingers closed around the hilt and pulled it free before stepping toward the sleeping soldiers.
She wasn’t evil. The Nagi had protected Piao a long time ago. But that time was before Piao hunted their descendants, destroying their legacy.
What happened next was not her fault, only her duty.
She crouched down next to a sleeping man with thick ebony hair falling over his forehead. A beard coated his young face. Soldiers of Piao were her enemy, and one destroyed their enemies. Holding the knife tightly, she sliced it across the man’s throat, not waiting for the gurgling of blood to stop before moving on to the next.
None of the sleeping men were able to put up a fight, and she knew this would be much easier than the battles to come. Bloody tasks like this were necessary if the Nagi was ever going to bring Piao to its knees.
The Nagi killed with soundless efficiency, an emotionless drive. Her head ached as Hua became aware of her actions and screamed for her to stop.
She couldn’t. Not now.
One day, girl, you will understand. We do what we must.
As she reached the final man, his eyes sprang open, and a scream built in his throat. The Nagi ran for him, pinning his mouth shut and slitting his throat. His arms fell limp at his sides as blood bubbled from the wound.
The Nagi wiped her blade on the grass before standing.
“Hua,” a choked voice said behind her.
The Nagi froze for only a moment before turning to find Ru staring at her in horror, tears dancing in his eyes. He opened his mouth to scream, and the Nagi lunged for him, clamping a bloody hand over his mouth. He struggled against her, bucking and kicking.
The Nagi didn’t want to kill the kid. He was dragon blooded and loved by the girl in her mind. The pain in her head intensified, and her hand slipped from the boy’s mouth.
He released a scream.
Both Jian and Luca scrambled from the ground, sleep long forgotten.
“Hua.” Jian peered through the darkness as if he didn’t believe it was her holding a knife to the kid’s throat. “What are you doing?”
The rest of the girl’s family stirred as the scene played out before them.
The Nagi—Hua—backed away, dragging Ru with her. He whimpered as the knife nicked his flesh.
“Hua,” her father called, confusion and horror mixing in that one word. “Talk to us.”
Luca glanced behind the Nagi to the dead men at her back. “You killed them.” He choked on the words. “My men… Hua…”
Jian stepped forwar
d.
“Stay back,” the Nagi yelled.
Jian’s wide eyes studied her.
They all tried to speak at once, tried to yell for Hua.
“Quiet!” she yelled, unable to think. She glanced behind her to where the horses were tied. They’d even kept Heima close rather than putting her in the barn. A plan formed in the Nagi’s mind.
She kept walking backward. “Don’t move!” She had to be free of them to pursue her own mission. Hua’s family would only hinder her. The real Hua wouldn’t stop fighting in her mind as long as the Nagi posed a danger to them.
The pain in her skull nearly blinded her now as Hua hammered against the mental wall of her mind.
When the Nagi reached the horses, she used one hand to untie Heima as she met Jian’s eyes in challenge. He wanted to save her, to bring the girl he cared about back. That much was evident on his face.
But Hua wasn’t his problem any longer.
Hua Minglan—and the Nagi controlling her—had a bigger purpose than simply masquerading as a man to join the army. Now, they would be the entire army. Only this time, Piao was the enemy.
With a shove, the Nagi threw Ru away from her and pulled herself onto Heima without a saddle. Heima bucked, trying to throw her off.
“It’s okay, girl. It’s Hua.” The Nagi tried to soothe the beast.
But it seemed even the horse knew a lie when she heard it.
The Nagi kicked Heima, forcing her to take off down the road, dust kicking up into the night behind her.
She suspected Jian and Luca ran after her, hoping they could save Hua one final time. But she didn’t look back to see how hard they tried.
9
Jian
In a silent field, surrounded by dead men, Jian lost his faith.
“That wasn’t her.” Ru was the only person with the courage to speak what they all now knew. “Hua is gone.”
Fa Minglan cried quietly into the dark while her husband stared down the road as if waiting for his daughter’s return.
Luca kneeled beside one of his men, a young bearded fellow who could have been sleeping if not for the blood arching over the curve of his neck.
“My men are dead.” It was the only sentence to pass Luca’s lips.
Jian wasn’t a stranger to losing his comrades. He put a hand on Luca’s shoulder and squeezed. There were no words for any of them, nothing that could erase the sight of Hua holding a knife to her brother’s throat.
Hua’s grandmother looked to the bright stars above. “Protect her. Please.” Jian didn’t know who she spoke to. He closed his eyes for a brief moment.
Nainai pulled Ru into her arms. “No, dear. I don’t believe that was your sister.”
Those words made Gen pull away from his wife to approach his mother. “It is past the time for secrets, Mother. Where is my daughter? What does it mean that she’s gone?”
Nianai rested her chin on Ru’s head and settled her gaze on her son. “Our Hua has been chosen by a Nagi.”
“That’s impossible.”
“No, it’s not. The dragon that lives within her is strong. Ask Jian. He has seen it. If he believed he could catch her, he wouldn’t be standing here talking to you or me.”
She was right. The moment Hua mounted Heima, Jian wanted to give chase, to bring her back. Yet, he’d seen her in Kanyuan. If the dragon shifted—or even if she didn’t—speed wouldn’t save her. He had to come up with a different plan.
Jian rubbed his eyes. “The news hasn’t reached Zhouchang yet.” He’d never been more thankful for how remote the Minglans lived. “You know the city of Kanyuan was destroyed in a battle. It was the Nagi... It was Hua.”
Gen stumbled back, his bad leg hindering his movements. “No.”
Luca straightened, his face a mask of steel. “Hua… that was her? She killed without distinguishing between Kou warriors and Piao children. I can’t… And now this…”
Flashes of the battle rolled through Jian’s mind. He couldn’t let that happen again.
“I thought dragons were supposed to protect us.” Fa sniffled.
Luca’s eyes flashed. “Generations of Piao emperors have hunted their descendants. Those of us with dragon blood have had to hide it our entire lives. Piao betrayed the dragons, and this is our retribution.”
With each passing moment, the Minglans’ grief choked the air. Fa dropped to her knees, collapsing in on herself while Gen stared into the night as if Hua would return. The family broke right in front of Jian’s eyes. He’d only known them for a few weeks, but they didn’t deserve this.
And Hua? What did she deserve?
He spent weeks sitting by her bedside, hoping and praying she’d open her eyes, that he’d get to see her strength, her courage even just one more time. Her presence kept him from folding under the weight of everything he’d seen, the people he’d let down.
Now, she was gone too.
“I have to save her,” he whispered.
No one heard him as they continued to mourn the daughter they already considered lost. Jian wasn’t ready to give up on her.
“She’s still in there.” He didn’t know how he knew. Maybe it was a foolish hope, the last thread holding him together.
“Son.” Gen hung his head. “If my daughter was in there, she’d never have let these atrocities happen.”
He shook his head. “I…” His jaw clenched. “I’m going after her. Hua wouldn’t give up on us.” She was the most loyal person he knew, the soldier who’d have risked her life for the people she cared about. She already had. “She walked through fire to save me. Twice.” When she arrived at his camp, a soldier with no idea of war, he’d been drowning in guilt, in pain. Hua Minglan was the only reason he was still standing.
“How will you find her?” Luca asked. He was the only one with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. He’d always believed in the good in life, despite hiding his heritage.
Jian knew where he had to start. There was one person who might be able to help him, but he didn’t relish the idea of returning there. “I must travel to Prince Dequan’s estate.”
Gen opened his mouth to speak, but Luca cut him off. “She’s not there.”
“What?” Qara, Prince Dequan’s healer, had to be there. She was the only person who could set him on the right path. “Did something happen to her?” Once, he’d loved Qara with everything he had, but she’d always known his future didn’t lie with her.
“You must protect the dragon.”
He was trying.
“Commander Yang drafted her to help the army find her brother.”
General Altan. For weeks, Jian managed not to think of the enemy that still loomed over the empire. Qara’s brother wasn’t only a threat to Piao, he wanted Jian dead.
But thoughts of Batukhan Altan didn’t bring forth the anger as they had only weeks ago. Not when the danger rested within Hua. “Where are they?”
“They set up camp among the ruins of Kanyuan to protect the mountain pass now that the village is destroyed.”
He nodded. “Then that is where I must go.”
Luca glanced at the dead men in the grass. “I want to bury my men, and then I’ll join you.”
“You can’t.”
“I care about her too, Jian.”
Jian softened his tone. “I know you do.” He glanced over his shoulder at the vulnerable Minglan family. “I need you to do something else for me. Protect them.” He gestured to Ru. “Get them to your family like we talked about.”
There was no argument left in Luca. He knew Jian was right. “I’ll make sure they arrive at the farm near Dasha.” He paused. “Jian…”
Jian waited for him to continue.
“Promise me you’ll find her.”
Their eyes locked. “I promise I won’t stop trying while there is breath in my lungs.”
Jian saw the truth in Hua’s parents’ eyes. They mourned their daughter as if they’d never see her again. When he pulled Ru into a hug, he whispered in his ear, “Pr
otect Luca for me.”
Ru nodded, his lip quivering as he sucked it into his mouth.
Nainai walked toward him, the night hiding the tears on her cheeks. “At night, she is the weakest,” she whispered.
“What?”
“The Nagi does not have full control when she sleeps. Hua will fight her hardest then.”
“How do you know that?”
She only tapped her nose in response.
Jian’s eyes widened as understanding hit him. Nainai Minglan knew from experience. She’d once had a dragon inside her, yet here she stood.
He backed away, having no more time for questions.
As he mounted a horse and took off down the dark road, he realized what Nainai had given him with that knowledge.
Hua would never be gone. She just needed a reason to fight.
10
Hua
Hua slipped further into her mind. Bit by bit, moment by moment, the small control she still had ebbed away, eroded by a river of fire within her.
Yet, there was one thing she could still do.
The Nagi howled, the sound echoing in every corner of their shared mind, as she tried to shift into the winged beast that had destroyed an entire village.
Hua wasn’t quite sure how she did it, but she held on to the unravelling threads of control and prevented the Nagi from changing her form.
It was all Hua had left, that tiny satisfaction, a small victory.
Keeping the Nagi from shifting took every bit of strength Hua had left, leaving her with nothing to fight to regain her own mind.
“Where are we going?” she asked, the words not spoken aloud.
When the Nagi didn’t respond, Hua focused on the leather reins in her hand, sliding them through her fingers to prove she could still feel something, anything.
She was past the point of fear, in part, because she was already lost. People feared the unknown when they didn’t want to die, to disappear, but Hua no longer existed in this world.
She’d seen the look in her parents’ eyes when they discovered the slain soldiers, the betrayal on Luca’s face. When she’d held the cool metal to Ru’s throat—little, trusting Ru—she realized it no longer mattered who controlled the actions of her body. In their minds, her parents would still see blood coating their daughter’s hands.