School of Swords and Serpents Boxset: Books 1 - 3 (Hollow Core, Eclipse Core, Chaos Core)

by Gage Lee

  The question caught me off guard, and I had to stop and think about it for a moment before I could answer.

  If Adjudicator Hark spread the word about what I’d done for Tycho, and people believed her, then my theft would look more like a well-deserved bonus. I’d made Tycho fabulously wealthy in exchange for what was a relative pittance. Heck, I’d used less than ten percent of what I’d taken, and he’d recovered the rest. That was a bargain in anyone’s eyes.

  I’d also defeated a locust spirit, won the final challenge, and ended the year at the very top of my class. Yeah, I’d racked up some honor.

  But was it worth it?

  Abi would probably never fully trust me again, no matter what. He saw the world as very black and white, and what I’d done was definitely on the darker side of the spectrum. Losing his faith hurt.

  A lot.

  But, more importantly, my quest had cost me my mother. She was still out there, somewhere, sure. If I knew that I’d see her again someday, I’d be fine with everything. Without that assurance, though...

  “No. For me, personally, I feel the price was too high.” And, yet, the answer was more complex than that. “For my family and other campers, though, it was worth it. Maybe now Empyreals will know that a camper is not less than they are. That the sins of the father don’t always rest on the son’s shoulders. And maybe someone like me will hear about this and know that they, too, can be more than they ever thought possible.”

  The dragon placed her hands on my shoulders and pressed her forehead to mine. The weight of her presence overwhelmed me. I felt her thoughts against mine, and our cores pulsed in harmony as she showed me a glimpse of her world.

  Cold wind swirled across my face and tugged at my robes. The dragon’s true form encircled me in a coil of vibrant white that gleamed against the snowy ground.

  “You are wiser than you know, Jace.” Her voice rumbled all around me. “You have opened many eyes today. And many doors. Not all of them should have been forced wide, Eclipse Warrior.”

  “You know?” My heart sank. Hahen had made it very clear what Empyreals would do if they ever discovered one of my kind. I held my breath and waited for the dragon to bite off my head.

  “Of course I know.” Zephyr laughed. “The veil around your core is impressive, but even Tycho can’t hide the truth from me.”

  “I don’t—”

  “I know, Jace. You don’t have to know everything, as much as you think that would make your life easier.” The dragon’s head rose above the serpentine coil of her body to peer down at me. “Trust me, it won’t. And I’m not going to prove it to you by telling a tale that doesn’t belong to me. I am, however, going to tell you something you do need to know.

  “The world is a cruel place, and the Empyrean Flame is no different. The Immortal Sun warms us all with its heat, but its schemes and stratagems are beyond even the dragons. It has put your piece on the board. Many hands will try to move you. You must stand firm. Stay true to yourself, Jace. There is something inside of you that the Empyrean values. Hang on to it, because it may be our only hope in the dark days ahead.”

  “You aren’t going to kill me?”

  “No, but don’t let anyone else know what you are. Not even Tycho. They’d kill an Eclipse Warrior as soon as look at one.”

  “Thank you for your wisdom, honored dragon.” I bowed until my nose nearly touched my toes.

  “You’re very welcome, Eclipse Warrior.” She nudged my back with her snout. “You have a long and dangerous road ahead of you. This little talk was the least I could do.

  “Especially since you’ll likely be dead before any of it even matters.”

  The Champion

  ADJUDICATOR HARK’S little favor nearly killed me. I spent every day of the summer traveling from undercity to undercity with the team that set up the Five Dragons Challenges. Dallas, Tokyo, Chicago, Dubai, Angkor Wat, Cairo, Atlantis, and so many more that I couldn’t remember all their names. It was exhausting, dangerous work that pushed me to the edge every day.

  And, despite Zephyr’s dire warning about my possible impending death, I’d never been happier.

  My official martial arts training wouldn’t start until the next academic year began, but this workout made me a better fighter every single day. Coupled with the Thief of Souls technique, my skills were more than enough to face down any ten less-experienced fighters.

  That was a good thing, because it’s exactly what I had to do, day in and day out.

  I bounced from one foot to another under the Kyoto sun, energy humming in my core. My breath cycling technique pulled in enough to fill my channels to bursting in a matter of seconds, leaving me ready to launch myself at my opponent the instant I laid eyes on him.

  Hank Eli, last year’s champion from the Resplendent Suns, entered the ring opposite me, just as ready to throw down. This would be a good fight.

  The arena crowd buzzed as the announcer stepped between us to introduce our fight. His words flowed over me without making an impression. I was too focused on Hank to hear anything.

  My spirit sight told me his channels were filled to the brim. His core blazed like his clan’s namesake, and his eyes flashed with intense focus.

  The announcer finished his spiel and hustled out of our way. Hank and I rapped knuckles and bowed deeply to one another.

  Hank had had a whole year of training to prepare him for our exhibition. This was his opportunity to reclaim the honor he’d lost when an unknown camper had beaten him in front of the whole world.

  All he had to do was defeat the School’s new champion.

  Me.

  “For honor,” he said.

  “For honor,” I agreed. “Good luck, Hank.”

  He was going to need it.

  Eclipse Core (Book 2)

  It's back to school time for the world's only Eclipse Core, and the School of Swords and Serpents has never been deadlier.

  FRESH OFF HIS UNDEFEATED tour as the School Champion in the Five Dragons Challenge, Jace Warin is headed back to class as the most popular student on campus. No longer an outcast, Jace struggles to master the amazing abilities at his disposal as he is drawn deeper and deeper into the conspiracies that threaten to tear Empyreal society to shreds.

  As unknown enemies close in from every side, Jace must conquer what may be the darkest force of all—the deadly power in his own core.

  Eclipse Core is the second book in the bestselling School of Swords and Serpents series, a thrilling tale of conspiracies, cultivation mastery, and inner strength.

  The Return

  THE SCHOOL OF SWORDS and Serpents seemed smaller when I returned for my second year.

  Three months of traveling around the world as the School’s champion had shown me towering skyscrapers and sprawling neon-lit cities. The Five Dragons Challenge had taken me to the overcities of Kyoto, Ulaanbaatar, Moscow, Dallas, London, and more in all their lavish glory. I’d also visited the undercities of New York, Cairo, and Paris. The world that had seemed so large when I was trapped in my work camp had become a tiny place, its far-flung cities connected by portal networks that let me cross continents with a single step.

  It wasn’t just the School that had shrunk in my eyes.

  Everything seemed smaller now.

  “Thank you for your assistance, honored Officer Fezal.” I bowed low to the Portal Defense Force escort who’d overseen my speedy jaunt from the Atlantis overcity back to the School. “I am in your debt.”

  “It was my pleasure, honored Champion,” Fezal responded, with a low bow of his own. “It is not every day I provide transport to the undefeated warrior of the Five Dragons Challenge. Twenty-five cities and not a single loss. Most impressive.”

  My bow went a little lower to hide the flush that rose in my cheeks at Fezal’s praise. I still hadn’t gotten used to all the changes that had come with my rise to champion. I wasn’t sure I’d ever adjust to being treated not as an outcast, but as a treasured member of Empyreal society.
>
  “Be well, Officer Fezal,” I said. “And thank you again.”

  “Be well, Champion Warin.” Fezal stepped back through the dark gateway, and his portal vanished.

  Relieved to be alone, even if only for a moment, I took a deep breath and cycled sea air through my recently advanced core. I’d gone from a child’s foundation-level core to the more advanced initiate-level core during my time on the tour. That had increased my core’s ability to store jinsei for later use and further refined my already advanced skills at purifying the sacred energy. I split the salt and water aspects from the sea jinsei, and the purified sacred energy settled easily into my Eclipse core, as secure as water in a bottle.

  My eyes burned with unshed tears at this simple miracle. I’d spent my whole life with a hollow core, unable to hold on to even the smallest wisps of sacred energy for longer than a handful of seconds. Then I’d gained an Eclipse core, and everything changed. I’d become stronger than I’d ever imagined, more powerful than most of those who’d ridiculed me when I was weak.

  Those memories stirred the coals of old anger, and my fists clenched into white-knuckled knots. I’d already beaten one of my tormentors, Hank Eli, during my first fight as champion. The duel had been a lopsided mess; the old champion had never had a chance against me. Neither would the others who’d stood against me.

  Hagar.

  Rafael.

  Deacon.

  Professor Ishigara.

  Thoughts of revenge swirled out of my core and filled my head with dark images. This is what the Manual of the New Moon had called “the Eclipse nature” and what I hoped to master during my second year at the School of Swords and Serpents. Because if I couldn’t control the dark urges that had haunted me throughout the Five Dragons Challenge, I was a terrifying danger to myself and everyone around me.

  Serpents of light burst from my core and plunged into the sand at my feet. A patch of scrubby grass at the beach’s edge blackened and crumbled to ash. The sea breeze blew the dark remains away, leaving no trace there’d ever been anything there at all.

  “Welcome back!” Niddhogg called from beneath the torii that framed the path up to the School. His stubby wings flapped excitedly and lifted him a few feet off the ground. He waved both his front claws at me, and I couldn’t help but grin.

  I banished my hungry serpents and let the sea breeze wash through my core a final time. When I exhaled, I let go of the bad old memories and the rage they’d ignited. Experience during the tour had taught me the fires of that black rage would only burn me if left unchecked. Better to focus on the future and leave the past behind me.

  Because the Eclipse core had already claimed a high price for the power it had granted me. I didn’t ever want anyone to pay it again.

  “Coming,” I called out to Niddhogg, and raced the first rays of dawn’s light up the path to meet him.

  “How’s my favorite dragon doing?” I scratched the ruff of bristly scales between the dragon’s nubs of horns.

  “Not as good as you, apparently,” the black dragon said with a lopsided grin. “I’ve been stuck in this dump while you’ve been out showing off for the crowds. I must have watched you beat a hundred contenders.”

  I blushed so hard I thought my cheeks had caught fire.

  “You watched me fight?” I’d done my best to pretend the cameras and castcrystals weren’t there while I was in the ring. The only person I’d hoped would see me was my mom, and her only because I’d thought she might come to one of the fights. Niddhogg’s admission that he’d seen so many of those fights made me want to crawl into a hole and die.

  “Everyone watched you fight.” The dragon chuckled and jerked his head toward the School. “Kitchen’s open. Let’s get you some breakfast before the initiates arrive for their induction. Anyway, after what happened in Singapore, your ratings went through the roof.”

  Singapore.

  My stomach tied itself into a knot at the memory. The contender with the jinsei weapons hidden in the folds of his gi. Those twin blades of pure sacred energy had stabbed straight for my heart.

  I’d never been so scared.

  Or so furious.

  “There were some good contenders.” I pivoted the conversation away from that horrible day. “A couple of them almost took me down.”

  “Bah.” The black dragon scoffed at the idea. “A few of them made you chase them around the ring. None of them really had a chance, champ.”

  Champ.

  I had something in my eye again.

  “Who else is here?” It was time to talk about literally anyone else. My cheeks would burst into flames if the dragon said anything else nice about me.

  “The Disciples of Jade Flame showed up a couple of days ago with their new initiates. Resplendent Suns showed up yesterday morning with the new headmaster. Most of the Shadow Phoenix upperclassmen came in last night,” Niddhogg said. “Including Hagar.”

  That name made my blood run cold. She was the warden who’d nearly killed me, then exposed my misdeeds to the world. If she’d had her way, I’d have been bounced out of the School and straight into prison. She, and the rest of the Shadow Phoenix clan, hated me for refusing to bow down to the people who wanted me to fail.

  Thinking about the warden and what she’d done threw me into a foul mood. A hunger took root inside me, and I knew the buffet wouldn’t satisfy it.

  “Sorry, Nidd,” I said to the dragon. My voice was tight and sounded unnatural even to my ears. “I need to take a rain check on breakfast. I’m not feeling great.”

  “Ah, man,” the dragon pouted. “I knew I shouldn’t have said anything about Hagar.”

  “It’s okay,” I lied. “I never really adapted well to portal travel, and all the jumping around has me off my game.”

  The miniature black dragon eyed me for a moment, then shrugged.

  “Suit yourself, kid,” he said. “If you change your mind, I’ll be in there stuffing my belly with bacon.”

  “Sure.” We’d reached the School. I gave the dragon another scratch on the head, then opened the heavy front doors. “We’ll catch up later.”

  “Take it easy.” Niddhogg flapped his wings and floated past me toward the dining room. He glanced over his shoulder as he went, and I gave him a fake smile and a little wave to send him on his way.

  I bolted out of the main entryway the instant the dragon turned his attention away from me. My muscles cramped and my molars ground together. Reckless thoughts tumbled through my head, and it was a dark test of my self-control to resist them.

  The urges had been coming closer together since Singapore.

  Worse, they were getting stronger. I needed space to gather my thoughts and get the urge under control.

  I willed myself to find a courtyard, and the School’s shifty architecture twisted around me. Instead of leading me outside, the hallway funneled me down a rickety set of stairs and into a narrow stone corridor. The only light came from narrow slits of windows up near the ceiling, and most of that was obscured by thick blades of grass. I was underground, somewhere below the School. I’d never been there before, but there were hundreds, maybe thousands, of other places in the School’s sprawling campus that I’d never discovered.

  A curious chittering sound plucked at my attention. A black rat, fat and juicy, emerged from a hole in the wall. It perked up on its haunches and stared at me.

  My Eclipse nature surged to the fore of my thoughts. Its hunger made my jaws ache and my stomach growl. I knew what it wanted, and I struggled to refuse its demand.

  “Go away,” I pleaded with the rodent. “Please, just go away.”

  The creature had other ideas. It sensed something familiar about me and scampered down the tunnel, sniffing the air as it bounded along. The little beast was so excited. It must have been one of the rats I’d bonded with last year. We’d been friends. Now it was coming to play.

  I wanted to run away from the little guy before he got too close. My darker nature, however, had other id
eas. The ache in my core cemented my feet in place.

  When the rat was fifteen feet away, I crouched down and held my hand out to it. The urge was too strong for me to resist.

  “Come here,” I whispered in a shaky voice.

  The rat stopped and reared up on its hind legs as if sensing danger. Its whiskers twitched, and it licked its paws nervously. The black marbles of its eyes were glued to mine.

  For a moment, I hoped it saw the Eclipse nature that stirred within me. If the rat ran away, I could resist the urges. I could do that much. If it got any closer, though, I wasn’t sure my willpower would hold out against my core.

  The rodent dropped back to all fours and rushed toward me. Its bounding steps carried it to me like a puppy eager to beg treats from its master.

  My Borrowed Core technique forged a connection to the curious rat in the blink of an eye. Our breaths fused before I was even aware of what had happened. My time in the arenas had honed my instincts and reflexes to a razor’s edge. For the first time, I regretted just how fluid my control over my techniques had become.

  “I won’t hurt you,” I whispered to the rat. The promise was a plea to my Eclipse nature to please, please behave. A heavy pressure built behind my eyes, and I knew they’d turned as black as a shark’s.

  Images of Singapore flashed through my mind again, as fresh and raw as if they’d happened just moments past, not two months ago.

  The challenger was Thomas N’gaori, a promising young martial artist from the work camps outside the overcity.

  It had all happened so fast.

  Thomas had lunged forward with a double palm strike aimed at my chest. Twin blades of jinsei had erupted from the simple cord bracelets around his wrists in the same instant he’d thrust a clumsy serpent strike from his palms.