by JC Kang
It gave Kaiya emotionless clarity. “Ming is Tian’s brother and heir to a province. He’s the best match.”
Jie shrugged. Her usually perky voice droned. “You already rejected him once. No, twice.”
“I doubt he’ll need much convincing,” Kaiya said. Ming would likely jump at the opportunity for social mobility, but she’d use the magic of her voice if necessary.
Now if he would only return home from his deployment before her flat belly started to swell.
The double doors slid open, revealing the castle steward. His green court robes rustled as he sank to his knees and pressed his forehead to the floor. “Dian-xia, Lord Zheng has returned and is on his way to greet you.”
Well, that was serendipitous. At last, after five days of waiting in his family’s castle at the border to the Wilds. A week since missing her period.
After conveying her permission with a nod, Kaiya turned toward Jie. “This is it. Try not to kill him.”
Staring at the wall, Jie nodded absently. A sudden jerk of her hand revealed a trickle of blood on her finger.
“Are you all right?” Kaiya took a step toward her. For the meticulous Moquan to nick herself sharpening a knife…
With a bob of her head, Jie thrust the bleeding hand behind her. “It is nothing, Dian-xia.”
Kaiya peered at the girl. Despite the command to speak freely, Jie’s tone and diction had reverted back to distant formality.
Someone cleared their throat at the door. Kaiya looked up, prepared to declare her intentions to Zheng Ming.
Lord Zheng Han, father of Tian and Ming, knelt on one knee, fist to the ground. His dark green travelling cloak, draped over his plain robes, smelled of a humid early spring. He must’ve come directly to meet with her. If only Ming travelled so fast.
“Dian-xia,” he said. “Welcome to Dongmen Castle. I trust that my wife and steward have made your stay comfortable thus far?”
“They have, thank you.” Kaiya motioned for him to enter.
Head bowed, Lord Zheng shuffled in and sank to a cross-legged position before her. “Dian-xia, I have just arrived from the capital. The Tianzi requests you return to Huajing.”
Request. An emperor didn’t make requests, he gave commands. Second Brother had yet to understand his new role. Nonetheless, his wording gave her the leeway to remain at the border, ready to receive Ming when his army returned from the now-moot assignment of finding her in an enemy-infested wilderness. Surely her message would’ve reached him by now.
Kaiya would broach the issue of marriage in due time; first came the news she couldn’t have delivered without the Tiger’s Eye walling off her heart. She pressed her forehead to the floor and then looked up to meet Lord Zheng’s wide eyes. An imperial princess would only bow so low to the Tianzi himself. “I regret to inform you that your fourth son, Zheng Tian, perished in his attempt to convey me through enemy lines.”
Lord Zheng’s lips quivered before he arranged his expression into stoicism. “Did he die bravely?”
More out of habit than sentiment, her hand strayed to Tian’s lockpick pouch under her sash. Her only memento of him. Revealing their secret marriage and pregnancy would’ve allowed her to console Lord Zheng as a daughter, let him know she understood his loss, even if the Tiger’s Eye kept her from feeling it. No—Tian had been banished from the capital in disgrace, and his sons would be considered low-born bastards, if they were even allowed to live.
Kaiya straightened. “Zheng Tian performed admirably. I will never forget his service.” Or his affection. If only she could remember what their passion felt like. The memories were detached, as if she had watched their love bloom from afar. Kaiya placed a hand over her womb, again wondering if her twins were Tian’s sons, Lord Zheng’s grandsons.
“Then it is my family’s honor.” Lord Zheng bowed again.
“I have one more request of your family. I would ask permission to marry your first son, Zheng Ming, at the earliest auspicious date. After the death of my father and brother, the realm needs both closure and hope.”
Lord Zheng’s eyes narrowed for a split second before his face blanked again. Did he suspect she was no longer a virgin bride? “While these are welcome tidings, it is sudden. Of course, we would first need the Tianzi’s approval.”
Drawing on the magic of her voice, which she’d once used to defeat Tivaralan’s last dragon, Kaiya sang her next words of command. “Approve it.”
Her voice came out melodic, but devoid of power. Her connection to the energy of the world sputtered in her chest. Instead of capitulating, Lord Zheng raised an eyebrow.
“Please,” she added, as if it would change his mind. She must’ve looked like a fool, singing words like an opera diva. Why had she failed at such an easy invocation of power?
Lord Zheng’s face betrayed nothing. “I appreciate your consideration, Dian-xia. I will convey to the Tianzi my desire to bind our families in the most auspicious of ties. With your leave, I must greet my wife and then make preparations for your departure.”
Her departure. He sat there, perhaps hoping she’d obey Second Brother’s request, to rid himself of the responsibility. Or perhaps he suspected something. Why else would he hesitate at the great honor of marrying a son to an imperial princess?
Kaiya dismissed him with a slight dip of her chin, and considered the implications of her voice’s impotence. The loss of emotions was a necessary compromise to make it through the most trying time in her life. The loss of her magic, on the other hand—
Jie let out a long breath as Lord Zheng’s footsteps faded down the hall.
Kaiya turned toward the half-elf. “I’ve lost the power of my voice. It has always been tied to emotion. I think the Tiger’s Eye is blocking both. You must unlock it.”
“Are you sure that is wise?” Sucking her lower lip, the sprite-like girl hardly inspired the image of wisdom. Her elf blood made her appear no older than a thirteen-year old despite her thirty-two years. “After all, before you learned to use your voice, you relied on charm and intelligence. Please reconsider.”
In the past, Kaiya’s feelings might have prompted an impulsive answer, without considering the repercussions. “Yes, but that girl was manipulated by treacherous Cousin Peng and deceived by a dragon.” And forced into bed with a dictator she could’ve slain before he even had a chance to capture her.
Six months made quite a difference.
She played with her hair. Magic came with the burden of coping with immeasurable loss. No magic meant relying on wits alone. “I see no other way. If I can’t consummate a marriage to Zheng Ming soon, I’ll have a hard time convincing him—and the empire—my sons are legitimate.”
And while a prince’s bastard could inherit the throne, her babies might be murdered or thrown out on the streets, and she’d be branded a harlot.
Heavens, she might as well be one. She harrumphed. Less than three months ago, she was still a virgin; if she slept with Ming, he’d be the third man in as many weeks.
There was no real choice. For her sons. For the realm.
The half-elf sucked her lower lip again, her silence speaking louder than words.
Kaiya forced a chuckle she didn’t feel. There was no love lost between Jie and Ming: she’d just as soon cut his manhood off and feed it to the carp; and since he knew it, he avoided her altogether.
In any case, it wasn’t Jie who’d share the vain man’s bed. Despite his weakness for women, Ming was the logical choice: a leader of men from a noble lineage, and uncle by blood to her sons—if they were indeed Tian’s. “Do it. Unlock the Tiger’s Eye.”
Jie pursed her lips for a few seconds before nodding. “As the princess commands.” She locked her gaze and formed a signal with her hands.
Kaiya stared at the shape of Jie’s fingers. Soon, very soon, she’d have to cope with grief, but at least she’d have her magic. Then, influencing Zheng Han would be easy. The problem, quickly resolved.
“It is done,” Jie said.
/> Nothing changed. No flood of emotion washing over to her. Kaiya’s memories of Tian seemed just as detached and distant as before. She shook her head.
Jie sighed. “I feared this would happen. The effect on a Moquan is unpredictable, since the Tiger’s Eye is usually reserved for missions from which there is no return. You are not trained in our ways and the effect is even less predictable.” She’d said as much, when Kaiya first submitted to the technique.
“Will it wear off on its own, then?” A torrent of repressed emotions flooding back at an inopportune moment could be disastrous. When would she be able to draw on her magic again? Time was running out to legitimize her unborn sons.
“I cannot say.” Jie shrugged.
So she’d have to live with the Tiger’s Eye for now. Instead of the power of command, she had only wits and a pretty face. In all objectivity, formidable weapons. “Follow Lord Zheng. I need to know if he suspects anything, and if he will use the Tianzi’s letter to force me to return to Huajing.”
Jie dropped to her knee, fist to the ground. “As the princess commands.”
Kaiya looked down at her belly. Even if she were his guest, she was still an imperial princess. Lord Zheng wouldn’t dare force her to leave. She turned toward Jie, only to find the half-elf’s dress crumpled on the floor.
Clad in a black utility suit, Jie made plenty of noise as she trailed Lord Zheng’s retinue through the castle halls. The glossy wood floors, specifically designed to counter spies, chirped like a nightingale with each of her steps.
Which was why Jie stepped in concert with the entourage.
One foot in front of the other. Each pace, masked by the huge guard in front of her. Though her feet were as light as ever, a heavy heart weighed her down. As if the shock of the affair between the princess and Tian weren’t enough, she’d then lost her best friend. The man who almost became her lover until a war came between them. If only she could put herself into the Tiger’s Eye.
Now was not the time for self-pity.
“Jue-ye,” the steward said, using the formal address for a Tai-Ming lord. “Your wife awaits you in your chambers.”
Zheng Han didn’t break stride, facing forward as he spoke. “Yes, I will go there presently. Does she know of Tian’s death?”
The steward hurried to keep up. “Yes, Jue-ye. The princess told her when she arrived five days ago. She is very distraught.”
Like everyone else, except maybe the princess with her mental block.
Lord Zheng sighed. “I imagine so. Tian was always her favorite, her baby boy. She never smiled the same after his banishment.”
“And she always hated the princess for her role in that,” the steward whispered. “The hate has only grown, because the Lady blames the princess for his death.”
“Indeed.” Zheng nodded. If only his face was visible from here. Not like the lord had shown much up to now. He might as well have been a statue carved by the most inept sculptor in the world. “Now tell me, what has the princess been doing these last five days?”
“She has stayed in the guest wing the entire time. Her only visitors were her doctors.”
“Her doctors?” Zheng Han stopped in his tracks and turned.
Jie ducked behind the guard. She peeked around to catch Zheng Han’s expression. Still blank.
The steward nodded. “Yes, Doctor Wu and her disciple, Fang Weiyong.”
“Why would she see doctors?” Zheng Han stroked his narrow beard. If he knew, there’d be no marriage, and the princess would be shipped back to the capital in disgrace.
Jie altered her voice to mimic one of the counselors and threw it with a Ghost Echo. “After the princess’ trek through the wilderness, they wanted to check on her health.”
A few of the men in the back looked around in confusion, but those in the front murmured and nodded.
Lord Zheng resumed his walk. “Maybe there is more. The princess travelled in the woods, with a group of men. Where are the doctors now?”
“I believe Fang Weiyong is in town,” the steward said. “Doctor Wu left for Huajing already.”
Zheng Han turned to one of his guards. “Find Doctor Fang and bring him to me. I do not want to make any decisions about Ming’s future until I know more.”
Jie had to delay the guard. Fang Weiyong had accompanied the princess on her escape and knew everything. He’d been the one to consecrate Tian and the princess’ vows.
Before she could follow the guard, Lord Zheng motioned toward the steward. “Send word to Huajing. If Chief Minister Hong wants her back in the capital so badly, the Tianzi should order her to return. She has no choice but to acquiesce. It would buy us more time to make a decision on the marriage proposal. I will not have Ming raising some other man’s whelp.”
The steward bowed as they walked. “As you command, Jue-ye. I will draft a letter right now and stamp it with your seal.”
“Very good.” Lord Zheng turned to his military aide. “The situation in the capital is tenuous. The Tianzi has requested ten thousand of our troops to help in the pacification of Nanling Province.”
“Why us?” the aide asked. “We are far away from Nanling, and if the reports are true, a Teleri army approaches, just on the other side of the Great Wall.”
Lord Zheng threw his hands up. “The Tianzi has made nothing but irrational decisions. Chief Minister Hong has his ear, and neither have a mind for military strategy.”
Jie had warned the princess about Chief Minister Hong’s reliability in the past. He might be conniving and self-serving, but foolish? Moving an army away from a potential threat bordered on recklessness.
With more urgent matters than troop movements, Jie pressed herself against a shadowed wall.
Too bad Moquan skills didn’t teach one to be in two places at once. She’d have to choose between warning Fang Weiyong, or making sure a letter of her own got sent to the capital with Lord Zheng’s seal. Leaving either problem unresolved meant the difference between Tian’s children standing next in line to the throne; or being abandoned as a slut’s bastards, just like Jie, herself.
Chapter 2:
All Warfare is Based on Deception
Zheng Ming rearranged himself on the hard cot, moving his head out of the blue ray from Guanyin’s Eye. It peeked in through the poorly-thatched roof, returning his gaze wherever he moved. Yet it was neither the light nor the bedding which kept him awake.
He clutched Princess Kaiya’s letter to his chest, rereading the contents in his mind. She’d made it through Teleri lines and now waited in Father’s castle for him to return. Not only that, she wanted to marry at once, to heal a nation which worshipped the Imperial Family, after the death of the Tianzi and the Crown Prince.
At first light, he would torch this enemy fort he’d captured—it was little more than a half-completed palisade with a few ramshackle barracks and a bridge over a wide river—and return home with his victorious army. Then, into the arms of the realm’s most beautiful, witty woman, who happened to be a princess.
A rap on the crude wooden door shook him out of his daydream. His jumpy second brother Shu must need guidance. Again. Ming had appointed him aide-de-camp, though the twenty-four-year-old had never seen battle until the day before.
Ming yawned. “What is it?”
Shu poked his face through the door. “Eldest Brother, our scouts report two hundred Bovyan heavy infantry, spears and swords, ten li to the east.”
Two hundred? Ming had just routed over twice as many the day before, with his army of three thousand imperial musketmen. The enemy never even got close enough for his own province’s two thousand spearmen to engage. “Any crossbows? Cavalry?”
Shu shook his head. “According to the scouts, no.”
With the benefit of the fortress, shoddily built as it was, the Teleri didn’t stand a chance. Though the palisade didn’t reach the eastern side, the enemy would have to cross a shallow moat and charge up a steep embankment into his waiting guns. Not only that, it would tak
e them at least three hours to arrive, even at a forced march.
Ming sighed at the decided lack of urgency. “Let the men rest another hour. After they have eaten, deploy them along the eastern embankment.”
Shu bowed. “Forgive my ignorance, Eldest Brother, but with the princess safe, should we not make haste back to Hua?”
“No. Let them come to us, tire themselves out. We will use their own fort to minimize our losses. Then we won’t have to concern ourselves with pursuit. Send the scouts back to keep an eye on them.”
“As you command, Eldest Brother.” Shu bowed again.
By the time Ming emerged from the barracks an hour and a half later, the imperial musketmen stood in a line that wrapped from the north to east sides of the fort, three ranks deep. His provincial spearmen, led by his third brother Lun, stood halfway up the embankment. They all turned and saluted, pressing their right fists into their left palms at chest level.
A chill of excitement ran up Ming’s spine. His army. As a captain, he’d led a regiment of horse archers in defense of Wailian County. Now he was the Dajiang, Expeditionary Commander, ready to lead five thousand men to a second decisive victory. What had the Founder’s Treatise on War said about morale?
Ming unsheathed his dao and cleared his throat. “Soldiers of Hua! Yesterday, we showed the Teleri what men of Hua are made of. We faced the stronger side of their fort and prevailed without losing a man. Today, we hold the higher ground with greater numbers and superior firepower. I do not want a single Bovyan to make it across the moat!” He pointed the tip of his sword at the tree line on the other side of the moat. “If any makes it to this side, make sure it is because they are walking over their own men.”
The men roared in approval. An immoral warrior race had betrayed their princess and sought to invade their homeland. Now the Bovyans would pay.
***
By dawn the next morning, their enthusiasm wavered. Not from a blistering onslaught, but from boredom and a lack of sleep. Tired eyes all fixed on the spot where a road through the forest opened up into the clearing around the fort. Sweat gathered on brows as humidity clung to armored bodies. Not even the thick clouds and cool breeze did much to alleviate the heat.