by JC Kang
Jie’s eyes wavered. “Dian-xia, your father is dead. Your second brother Kai-Wu is now Tianzi.”
Had her emotions not been locked away by the Tiger’s Eye, Kaiya imagined she would be reeling in shock. Not only was Father gone, but her second brother, the less capable of the two, now ruled. “Why did Kai-Guo not inherit?”
“He, too, is dead.” Jie bowed her head.
Kaiya considered the implications with complete impartiality. It could not be coincidence that both her father and healthy brother had died in such a short time. After Kai-Wu, the next in line to the Jade Throne was...her cousin, the traitor Kai-Long. Or perhaps her unborn son?
Epilogue
In his fury at Princess Kaiya’s escape, Geros executed many of the slaves who rose up that night. Their severed heads adorned the palisade walls as a warning to any others who dared defy him. Their mutilated bodies were left out for carrion birds to feast on.
However, Bovyan culture glorified valiant death, with enemy soldiers afforded the same respect as their own. The bodies of the three Cathayi, a woman among them, were cleaned and set on a crude raft with the Teleri dead. Their cold hands clasped weapons. Geros himself set the broken dao in the dead man’s hands.
With a light bauble at the head of the raft to guide their souls into the netherworld, they were sent downstream in a solemn ceremony.
Geros watched the raft as it disappeared downriver in the direction of Cathay, where his operative worked to weaken the country from within. Civil war would tear the nation apart within two years—coinciding with Teleri pacification of the Wilds, and making it ripe for the picking. The Directori would again hail his genius.
With the Curse of Tivar, he would not be alive to witness it.
Or would he? The words of Princess Kaiya’s ancestor came unbidden to his mind: The best-laid plans rarely survive the first encounter.
Geros had not expected to battle the Cathayi this early. Even though he had ostensibly won the first engagement, he left himself with an unenviable decision. He would not stand for his unborn son to be raised by a nation of artists and merchants.
He turned to a general. “Send word to Captain Miris in Fortress Ten. We will begin amassing soldiers for the invasion of Cathay immediately.”
Soon, Cathay would be his, two years ahead of schedule...along with Princess Kaiya and their son.
For four days, Kaiya sat by a window in the private wing of Dongmen Castle, waiting for her doctor to arrive. If anyone could tell her something about her unborn child, it would be the ancient and mysterious Doctor Wu, who could look at a tongue and discern how long her patient slept on a specific night three years prior.
Kaiya’s next move hinged on her baby. If it were Tian’s, she would wed his brother Zheng Ming immediately. If it was Geros’...well, there was a Bovyan prophecy to consider.
“Dian-xia.” One of the castle servants came to the open door and dropped to a knee. “Doctor Wu has arrived from the capital.”
By habit, Kaiya’s hand lifted to the collar that marked her as Geros’ slave—since removed by Jie’s lockpicking skills. Her heart beat in her ears, slow and steady. “Show her in.”
With Fang Weiyong in her shadow, Doctor Wu entered and dropped down to her knees with the grace of a woman a quarter of her age. How old that really was, no one was really sure; though some speculated that as Master of the Dao, she had achieved immortality.
Pulled up into an austere coil, her long silver hair had a faint bluish sheen. Her eyes were unique among the Hua: a luminous pale blue, reminiscent of the moon Guanyin’s Eye. Hair-thin lines of wisdom fanned out from the edges of those startling eyes, yet left her cheeks unmarred.
“Dian-xia, I have come at your summons. What is your bidding?”
“Thank you, Doctor. Please, take my pulse and tell me what you feel.”
Doctor Wu motioned towards Fang Weiyong and smiled. “A master is as only good as her student.”
“Dian-xia, forgive me for my impertinence.” Weiyong bowed and placed three fingers on both of her wrists. After a minute, he looked up, his eyes sparkling as if a secret were passed between them. “You are pregnant. I would guess it is a boy.”
Kaiya shrugged, and turned to Doctor Wu. The old woman brushed Fang aside as if he were a cherry blossom in a spring wind, and took up Kaiya’s wrists in the same manner as Weiyong had.
She held Kaiya in her gaze. “Not a boy. Two.”
Coming out of a coma on a funeral barge next to a dozen cold bodies was not as unsettling as knowing he had somehow intentionally put himself into that coma...the Viper’s Rest? Though he didn’t remember how he’d gotten on the log raft, or even who he was, he knew he’d awoken too early, before his injuries had stabilized.
His raft had come ashore, lodging in the rich-smelling earth. The river, swollen by spring melt, tumbled past, while the wind rustled in budding tree branches. A cool breeze brushed across his bare chest, causing his skin to erupt in goosebumps.
He groaned and pushed himself up into a sitting position. A warm sensation trickled down his back, emanating from the spot where pain seared in his shoulder. That stab wound, unlike the numerous cuts all over his body, would bleed him out. Each heartbeat brought him closer to death.
Two lithe figures dressed in doeskin clothing stared at him with wide, almond-shaped eyes. With the streaks of red and white paint across their face and feathers in their hair, they looked as rustic as the untamed forest around them. They were...elves. Though how he knew it, he couldn’t tell.
The silence lasted only a few seconds. One—a brown-haired male with sharp features and a sharper dagger—put his hands on his hips and pointed at his feet. When he spoke, the threat in his voice belied the flowery language. “Amane esaya na!”
The Dragon Songs Saga concludes with Symphony of Fates. Available in April, 2017.Join the Mailing List for monthly updates.
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Appendix
Celestial Bodies
White Moon: Known as Renyue in Cathay, and represents the God of the Seas. Its orbital period is thirty days.
Iridescent Moon: Known in Cathay as Caiyue, it is the manifestation the God of Magic. It appeared at the end of the war between elves and orcs. It never moves from its spot in the sky. Its orbital period is one day, and can be used to keep time.
Blue Moon: Known in Cathay as Guanyin's Eye, it is the manifestation of the Goddess of Fertility. It sits low on the horizon. Its phases go from wide open to winking.
Tivar's Star: A red star, a manifestation of the God of Conquest. During the Year of the Second Sun, it approached the world, causing the Blue Moon to go dim.
Time
As measured by the phases of the iridescent moon:
Full = Midnight
1st Waning Gibbous = 1:00 AM
2nd Waning Gibbous =2:00 AM
Mid-Waning Gibbous = 3:00 AM
4th Waning Gibbous = 4:00 AM
5th Waning Gibbous = 5:00 AM
Waning Half = 6:00 AM
1st Waning Crescent = 7:00 AM
2nd Waning Crescent = 8:00 AM
Mid-Waning Crescent = 9:00 AM
4th Waning Crescent = 10:00 AM
5th Waning Crescent = 11: 00 AM
New = Noon
1st Waxing Crescent = 1:00 PM
2nd Waxing Crescent = 2:00 PM
Mid-Waxing Crescent = 3:00 PM
4th Waxing Crescent = 4:00 PM
5th Waxing Crescent = 5:00 PM
Waxing Half = 6:00 PM
1st Waxing Gibbous = 7:00 PM
2nd Waxing Gibbous =8:00 PM
Mid-Waxing Gibbous = 9:00 PM
4th Waxing Gibbous = 10:00 PM
5th Waxing Gibbous = 11:00 PM
Provinces of Cathay
Province
Ruling
Family
Resources
Dongmen
Zheng
Grain, stone, guns
Fenggu
Han
Timber, rice, grain
Huayuan
Wang
Livestock, rice, wheat, lumber, firepowder, guns
Jiangzhou
Liu
Timber, wheat, silk
Linshan
Lin
Wheat, millet, timber, porcelain
Nanling
Peng
Livestock, steel, stone, gems, crossbows
Ximen
Zhao
Fishing, rice
Yutou
Liang
Fishing, rice, iron, copper, fish paste
Zhenjing
Wu
Ships, rice, fish
Human Ethnicities
Aksumi: Dark-skinned with dark eyes and coarse hair. On Earth, they would be considered North Africans. They can use Sorcery.
Ayuri: Bronze-toned skin with dark hair and eyes. On Earth, they would be considered South Asians. They can use Martial Magic.
Arkothi: Olive-skinned with blond to dark hair and light-colored eyes. On Earth, they would be considered Eastern Mediterraneans. They can use weak Mental Magic.
Bovyan: The descendants of the Sun God's begotten son, they are cursed to be all male and live only to thirty-three years of age. They are much taller and larger than the average human. Their other physical characteristics are determined by their mother's race. They have no magical ability.
Cathayi (Hua): Honey-toned skin with dark hair and eyes. High-set cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes. On Earth, they would be considered East Asians. They can use Artistic Magic.
Eldaeri: Olive-skinned with brown hair. Fine features and small frames, they are shorter in stature than the average human. In a previous age, they fled the orc domination of the continent and mingled with elves. They have no magical ability.
Estomari: Olive-skinned with varying eye and hair color. They are famous for their fine arts. On Earth, they would be considered Western Mediterraneans. They can use Divining Magic.
Kanin: Ruddy-skinned with dark hair. On Earth, they would be considered Native Americans. They can use Shamanic Magic.
Levanthi: Dark-bronze skin and dark hair. On Earth, they would be considered Persians. They can use Divine Magic.
Nothori: Fair-skinned and fair-haired. On Earth, they would be considered Northern Europeans. They can use Empathic Magic.
Acknowledgements
First, I would like to thank my wife and family for the patience they have afforded me as I pursued my childhood dream of fiction writing.
A shout-out goes to my old Dungeons and Dragons crew—Jon, Chris, Chris, Paul, Conrad, and Julian—for helping to shape the first iteration of Tivara twenty-five years ago. Huge thanks to Brent, who contributed so much backstory to the new literary version.
A huge thanks to my sister Laura for her spectacular job with the maps.
Thanks to the readers and writers on Wattpad for their encouragement and feedback.
And finally, to writers over at critiquecircle.com who motivated and helped me along the way. Jason, for patiently providing countless ideas. Kelly, for amazing input, character development and all the other advice. Victoria, for showing me how to layer scenes. Andy, for unparalleled wordsmithing. Ernie, for teaching me the fundamentals of fiction writing. Rick and Lindy for your sharp eye. Kathryn for the numerous suggestions and feedback. Joyce, Tracy, Traci, and Ardyth for beta reading; and all the others who critiqued.
About the Author
JC Kang's unhealthy obsession with fantasy and sci-fi began at an early age when his brother introduced him to the Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, Star Trek and Star Wars. As an adult, he combines his geek roots with his professional experiences as a Chinese Medicine doctor, martial arts instructor, and technical writer to pen multicultural epic fantasy stories.