Fire and Fantasy: a Limited Edition Collection of Epic and Urban Fantasy

by CK Dawn

  Kai-Long squeezed my hand. “As the Founder wrote, keep your friends close, your enemies closer. In any case, their crown prince refused to come, so the pavilion is empty. Come along.” He gestured toward a banner with a twenty-one-pointed star.

  Thoughts clearing, I listened. The lute’s melody came from inside the Ayuri Confederation’s guest pavilion. The Ayuri South had many musical instruments, though the lute belonged to the Arkothi North. What a coincidence that Meiling now carried one as well.

  No, it couldn’t be just a coincidence, but rather a sign from the Heavens. I resumed my walk, stride lengthening.

  The sound intensified when the bowing servants slid open the doors. I stepped over the high threshold and into a central room that vaulted two stories high. Standing along the walls, six Ayuri men in white kurta shirts with gold embroidered collars all turned and met my gaze, then pressed their hands together and bowed their heads.

  A man lounged on the wool carpet in a copper-colored kurta, and a woman in an orange sari knelt beside him. Both rose and pressed their palms together. White wisps streaked through his black hair, which framed a deep brown face so dignified, he could only be Ambassador Vikram. His lighter-skinned wife looked old enough to be my mother, yet maintained a lustrous beauty all the same.

  However, neither drew my eye more than the blindfolded man sitting cross-legged at the head of the room. Several musical instruments, both from the Ayuri South and Arkothi North, surrounded him. He paused with his hands above a lute and bowed his head.

  “Good evening, Lord Peng,” Ambassador Vikram said.

  Cousin Kai-Long bowed his head. “Good evening, Ambassador. Princess Kaiya, may I introduce you to Ashook Vikram and his wife Shariya.”

  Pressing my palms together, I bowed my head in Ayuri fashion. “I am pleased to meet you.”

  With a smile, Lady Shariya gestured to a cushion. “Please, Your Highness, sit.”

  “Thank you.” After my adventure with Prince Hardeep, the Ayuri words came out smoothly, almost as perfect as Kai-Long’s. I brushed my skirts to my shins and knelt on the cushion, and the ambassador and his wife followed.

  Head bobbling, reminiscent of Hardeep, Ambassador Vikram bowed toward Kai-Long. “Ambassador Peng, I cannot thank you enough for introducing us to the Blind Musician.”

  I studied the lute player, who wore Cathayi-style robes, yet whose dark skin tone marked him as Ayuri or Levanthi. The wide blindfold covered most of his forehead and nose.

  Still standing, Kai-Long grinned. “Did you test him?”

  Lady Shariya placed a hand over her chest. “Yes. I felt cruel at first, but then amazed. Your Highness, you must see this. Musician, please play.”

  With a bow of his head, the Blind Musician plucked out a forlorn melody on the lute: a low thrum, descending so low it might have been to the depths of hell.

  I sighed. It was as if he could feel my sadness.

  Removing some of their rings, both the ambassador and his wife flung the jewelry at the poor man. I covered my mouth. How could they do such a thing to a blind person?

  Yet even as he played, he shifted in place, deftly avoiding each ring. The music not only remained steady, his movement seemed to shift with the ebb and flow of the notes.

  I sucked in a breath. With practice, I’d finally learned to hear heartbeats. That skill paled in comparison to the Blind Magician, who seemed to see with his ears.

  Secretary Hong and Han Meiling also gasped. I found the imperial guards in the corner of my eyes. Even if they did not audibly express their shock, their gawking mouths betrayed rapt attention.

  “This is the real reason I brought you here.” Kai-Long’s breath tickled my ear. “To meet the Blind Musician.”

  My mind somersaulted. First Prince Hardeep, then Lord Xu, Doctor Wu, and Xiulan. In the last two days, they had all taught me abilities applicable to Dragon Songs. If I could learn the Blind Musician’s skill…but alas, there was no time. Not with an impending marriage.

  “My song resonates with your heart and comes back to me. It tells me your desires.” The Blind Musician’s low-pitched voice crackled like logs in a fire. “I will teach you what I can tonight. Bring your lute.” He pointed to the instrument in Han Meiling’s hands.

  I could only stare. Perhaps Cathay’s Dragon Songs were not dead after all. Yet the Blind Musician’s bronze skin tone could not belong to a Cathayi person. I dipped my head in slow nods.

  Kai-Long chuckled. “We do not have much time before your dinner, Your Highness. Let us take our leave of the ambassador and his wife.”

  Dinner…and the talk, the one that my mother would’ve given had she not died already. Yet that appointment seemed insignificant in this moment, save for the time constraints it presented.

  I bowed my head. “Ambassador Vikram, it was an honor to meet you. I thank you for your hospitality. Please allow me to steal away the Blind Musician and leave you to the entertainment my father has arranged.”

  Both the ambassador and his wife rose, pressed their hands together, and bowed their heads. The Blind Musician stood as well. Playing his lute in smooth plucks, he navigated around the cushions and rings and came to the door.

  Was this the right thing to do? After all the rules I’d broken the day before? I glanced at the imperial guards, who showed no sign of protest. Han Meiling chewed on her lower lip, but said nothing. Kai-Long only smiled.

  Pressing my palms together, I bowed to the ambassador and his wife. My pulse raced as I turned and stepped over the ghost-tripping threshold. Behind me, the Blind Musician seemed to have no issue negotiating it, either. “Where to?” I asked.

  Kai-Long pointed to the guest pavilion designated for the Madurans.

  My pattering heart almost stopped, even as my feet shuffled toward the entrance. It seemed so…wrong. Even if the Madurans weren’t there. The imperial court allowed my dear Prince Hardeep’s enemies a place of honor, while his own nation suffered. And there was nothing I could do. Not anymore. Not when my own homeland faced fragmentation. I was just as selfish as the advocates for unlimited firepowder trade.

  “You’ll be fine,” Kai-Long said with a smile. “No Golden Scorpions will ambush you tonight. And you have two imperial guards to protect you.”

  “What about you?”

  Kai-Long looked up to the iridescent moon, now waxing to its first gibbous. “I have another matter to attend to, but Secretary Hong will make sure you are on time for dinner with Crown Princess Xiulan.” The last line was delivered with enough emphasis that poor old Hong cringed. Kai-Long leaned in and switched to Ayuri. “I handpicked guards who can’t speak Ayuri, and Hong will do anything you say.”

  Why would that matter? Unless the Blind Musician intended to tell me something not meant for prying ears? Maybe news of Hardeep, since Kai-Long had apparently arranged this. Pulse skipping again, I stepped over the threshold and into the guesthouse. Meiling hurried ahead to unshutter the light-bauble lamps. The Blind Musician and the guards followed.

  Striding across the carpet faster than even someone who could see, the Blind Musician sat cross-legged at the head of the vaulted central chamber. Then he removed the blindfold.

  Blue eyes danced in front of me. Prince Hardeep.

  Eighteen

  Hot and Bothered

  Secretary Hong’s breath wheezed in the background as I gawked at Prince Hardeep. The guards showed no signs of surprise; Kai-Long had probably chosen them not only for their lack of fluency in Ayuri, but also because they hadn’t seen Prince Hardeep the day before.

  Now, his eyes danced with mirth, sending my mind spinning. Despite my best efforts to control them, my lips quirked into a grin. When he spread his arms, inviting an embrace, I ran towards him as quickly as my gown would allow.

  Dao rasped out of scabbards as the imperial guards closed in.

  “Stand down.” I stopped midstride and held a halting hand out. I locked an imperious gaze on them. Hopefully, as long as I didn’t fall into his arms, th
ey would hold back.

  One of the guards bowed his head. “Your Highness. The Emperor commands that no man touch you until your marriage.”

  Chest tightening, I offered Prince Hardeep a conciliatory smile. Even if he might not understand the Cathayi language, the swords and body language needed no translation. Still, to be absolutely sure, I said, “I am sorry, Prince Hardeep. For everyone’s safety, you must not touch me.”

  Hands raised, Prince Hardeep looked from the imperial guards’ blades and back to me. “I will do my best to obey the order, but my style of teaching is very…hands-on. I might not survive our lesson.” A flirtatious smile formed on his lips.

  My belly fluttered like a dragonfly’s wings. “Lesson? Do you really know how to see with your ears?”

  He shook his head. “If such a skill existed, it would have belonged to your people’s great musicians.”

  “Then how did you avoid the rings?”

  “Paladin skills. I felt their trajectories.”

  My heart sank into my belly. No matter how wonderful it was to see Hardeep, there was no new skill to be learned. “Why the ruse with the Ayuri Confederation ambassador?”

  His lips formed a tight line. “I didn’t want them to recognize me. I have no love for them. In Ankira’s time of need, the Confederation’s Paladin protectors claimed to be too busy containing the ravages of the great Avarax.” The awe in the prince’s voice when he named the dragon could only come from deep-rooted fear. “Speaking of which, I was serious about the lute. You should learn, so that when the time comes, you can play the Dragon Scale Lute.”

  “Do you have it?” Not that I ever wanted to play it again.

  “One of our pursuers took it while I fought the others.”

  I sighed. “There won’t be a chance for me to help you, anyway. I am betrothed. I will marry Lord Tong in a few weeks.”

  “Lord Tong?” Hardeep cocked his head. “It doesn’t matter. We don’t know what fate holds for us, only that it has brought us together.”

  Fate. The closest word in Cathayi, yuan, suggested that mountains and deserts and oceans could not stand between those fated to be together, while those without yuan could pass each other every day and never meet.

  “Let us begin.” As he approached, one slow step in front of another, his blue eyes seemed to look straight into my soul.

  My breath hitched. Every muscle froze in place, like a doe facing a hunter’s arrow.

  He stopped as the imperial guards strode forward with hands on their swords. “Sit.” He motioned to the floor beyond.

  “On the floor?” My voice came out as a squeak.

  He nodded. “Have you seen a painting of the Goddess Saraswati?”

  I’d seen so many paintings of the many Ayuri gods: Surya, Lord of the Sun, riding his flaming chariot drawn by white horses. Beautiful Shakti, Goddess of Fertility, holding auspicious symbols in her many hands. Black-skinned Yama, dragging sinners down to Hell. And of course, Saraswati, sitting cross-legged with an Ayuri-style lute cradled in her arms.

  The pose might be appropriate for an Ayuri goddess, but a Cathayi woman of noble standing would never sit with her legs so...open. The constricting inner dress might not even allow it. My blush must’ve now been illuminating the room better than the light baubles.

  He smiled again, this time less flirtatious, more understanding. “Correct posture is important for everything in life.”

  Just like Doctor Wu had said. I glanced at the imperial guards, and then, with a deep breath, held the folds of my outer gown together while hitching up my inner dress. With the amount of heat my face put off, I might be able to warm the entire palace on this chilly evening. I met Hardeep’s gaze again.

  He gave me a perfunctory nod.

  Reassured, I settled into a cross-legged seat on the floor. I arranged the outer gown, as much for modesty as to conceal my stick legs and enormous feet. No telling what the guards and handmaiden were thinking at this moment. Better not to even look in their direction. I kept my eyes focused on the prince as Han Meiling presented the lute, the one he’d given me through Kai-Long yesterday.

  “Do you like it?” he asked.

  “Yes.” Mundane conversation. It was good. It would keep my mind off the unladylike pose. Maybe.

  “I would have rather given you a lute that has been in my family for decades. Unfortunately, I had to borrow this one from the refugees.”

  I ran a hand over the wood. The varnish had faded in some places, and several scuffs scarred its belly. I shook my head. “You gave this one with the best of intentions. I will treasure it for that alone.” Even if I might never be allowed to play it in my new husband’s home.

  He pressed his hands together. “You are too kind. Now—”

  Secretary Hong cleared his throat. “If I may, Your Excellency, why did you abandon the princess at the Temple of Heaven?”

  Prince Hardeep shook his head. “I drew off the assassins.”

  So that’s why he had abandoned me. No, not abandoned me, but protected me. Again.

  “Now, Princess,” he said, “straighten your back, let your shoulders relax. Rest the resonator on the floor.”

  I looked at the foreign instrument in my hands. He had not been nearly as meticulous at the Temple of Heaven two nights before.

  “In the Ayuri South, just as a warrior must become one with his weapon, we believe the performer must become one with her instrument.”

  I nodded. My teachers had said pretty much the same thing.

  “Cradle it as if it were your own baby.”

  I nearly dropped the lute. As if I had ever held a baby before; and to think I might very well be cradling my own in less than a year. Truth be told, the bawling babies brought to court by the great hereditary lords provided plenty of disincentive in that regard. Even when they had grown a little older, the snot-nosed brats lacked manners.

  Hardeep cleared his throat, drawing my attention to him. He wore an amused smile. “Your arms are too rigid, and if that is holding a baby…you are choking its neck. Relax.”

  He drew in behind me. His body heat radiated into my back as he adjusted the instrument’s position. I closed my eyes and listened for his heartbeat. Slow, powerful, like a spring-fed river sloshing against a dam. Fireworks burst in multiple explosions all through my core. So much for relaxation. It would be easier holding the low horse stance under Doctor Wu’s glare than to concentrate with him so close.

  Around me, the imperial guards’ tension wound tighter than a dwarven coil. Hands gripped sword hilts. His head craned over my shoulder, his chin just a hair’s breadth away from my neck. “Here,” he said, breath warm on my ear. His hand covered mine as he loosened my fingers around the lute’s neck. The jolt from my hand went up my arm and into my heart. It might have skipped a beat or three.

  Blades swept out as the imperial guards closed in as fast as a viper strike.

  Prince Hardeep jumped back, hands in the air. “I am sorry.”

  “He was just helping me hold the lute correctly.” I waved the guards off.

  They froze in aggressive stances, a sword’s distance away from the prince. A low growl emitted from deep in one of their throats.

  Secretary Hong’s voice wobbled, whether from nervousness or his halting Ayuri or a combination of both. “Your Excellency, you may instruct, but do not touch.”

  Prince Hardeep pressed his palms together. “I apologize. I will do my best, but I must say that it is very hard to teach if I cannot help the princess feel the instrument.”

  Yes, feel the instrument… I banished thoughts of Hardeep caressing me like his lute.

  “You will have to make do.” The rigid line of Secretary Hong’s lips, along with the lack of apology in his tone, left no doubt as to what he really thought.

  The residual heat from Prince Hardeep’s closeness clung to my back, tingling and percolating through me with the same slow, resolute pulsation. Maybe distance was for the better. If the prince remained so close
, there would be no way I could concentrate on learning how to play.

  The next hour dragged on like sweet torture. Hardeep would come tantalizingly close, making my pulse race and palms sweat. It took all my effort to keep my fingers from slipping on the lute’s neck. Never before had I felt such a connection with a man, and to have him so close. Oh, for him envelop me in those strong arms, to brush his lips across my neck! A primal heat erupted deep inside me, making me squirm.

  Each time he got too close, the imperial guards reacted within a split second, assuming offensive stances. He would ultimately raise his hands and back away with a bow. The constant tease left every one of my nerves on edge. It was nothing short of a miracle I learned anything.

  If my nerves were on edge, the guards’ must be even more so. Instead of the usual near-motionlessness and stoic expressions, their fierce scowls could have rivaled the dragon etched into each of their breastplates. Poor old Secretary Hong hunched over, and Meiling shuffled on her feet.

  Still, in the short time, I managed to learn a few simple folk songs, as well as parts of a far more complicated piece. When he played it himself, the complex chords, rapid changes in pitch, and extreme key ranges left my head spinning.

  Limbs languid, my bony bottom aching from sitting for so long, and my entire body still hot with desire, I looked up at him. “Your Excellency, it is almost time for me to go.”

  He offered an encouraging smile. “Maybe try it one more time. Do as the book you read says. Let your heart project your emotions into the song.”

  I held back a sigh. The only emotion I could project right now would be embarrassingly wanton lust. Or maybe irritability and exhaustion. I looked around. From their slouching, Secretary Hong, Meiling, and the imperial guards felt equally irritable and fatigued.

  “I would wager since they already feel tired, it would make them more so.” He grinned.

  Perhaps. I closed my eyes and listened for their hearts. There…a cacophonous chorus of erratic thumps. I had never noticed before, at least not until Lord Xu had pointed them out on the castle walls earlier in the day. Among them, Hardeep’s heart remained steady and powerful.