The Dragon Gods Box Set

by Resa Nelson

  Frayka didn’t resist when the guard led her out the room, but realized she’d failed once again to follow the advice of her elders and worried about the punishment that was bound to follow.

  CHAPTER 23

  The emperor’s eldest daughter Ti left the courtroom when her father commanded it. However, once she exited the room, she hid by the doorway and listened, certain that she would overhear something interesting.

  Ti loved living in the royal city. Although agitated by the demands of being the oldest of a pack of daughters, she had gained perspective over the years.

  It began when she befriended Asu Chu, the magician’s son, several years ago. She’d discovered him hidden away in a waiting room one day when the magician consulted the emperor in the palace. Asu Chu had been practicing a trick with coins.

  Because Ti had no need of handling or even understanding money, she had walked up to Asu Chu and asked him what he played with. That led to a discussion of metal coins and the reason why they had holes in the center: so people could string them together, tie the string in a loop, and then carry the string when they intended to make a purchase.

  The discussion fascinated Ti more than the trick, but she still enjoyed the way Asu Chu made the coins seem to appear and then disappear in the air.

  To this day, Asu Chu was a funny boy, far more interested in his own little world of magic than in the world that surrounded him.

  Ti considered herself to be his opposite. She knew her little world—the royal palace and to a lesser extent the royal complex—could be a tenuous thing. As long as her father wielded power, she had no worries.

  Simply by paying attention when others spoke, Ti had gained a new and disturbing understanding of her life during the past few years. An emperor father had the power to protect her, but emperors were mere mortals, not gods. Everyone outside the royal family hungered for power and wealth. A clever arrangement for the emperor’s death could transfer that power and wealth to any man of high standing in the royal city.

  Too many men like that exist. Anyone could kill Father at any time.

  And then what will happen to me?

  Ti kept her worries to herself. She had once learned how to worry from her mother. But she’d also learned how to observe and learn with dispassion from her father.

  The emperor reigned with great success because he treated information like pieces of a puzzle. And just like Asu Chu became proficient at magic by practicing his tricks, Emperor Po became proficient at ruling by fitting those puzzle pieces of information together until they made sense to him.

  The emperor had made bold but solid decisions that included sending certain advisors to the far reaches of the Wulong Province. Ti suspected her father believed those advisors posed a threat.

  And now her father considered radical change that would shield Ti from the inevitable threat of suitors who cared only about what they would win by marrying her.

  I could be empress. And if I’m empress, I can decide my own fate. I can protect myself. I can be in charge of my entire life.

  Those thoughts filled Ti with joy.

  At the same time, she believed this critical time of impending change made it more important than ever to understand the laws and how they affected women. Ti knew the difference between right and wrong. Although she understood the laws, she believed her father’s ruling to boil a woman alive fell on the side of wrong, regardless of the law.

  If a law is wrong, it should be changed.

  For the first time, Ti began to understand how protected she had been all her life. Living in the royal palace gave her a safe place. But now that men saw her as a girl old enough to be married, it changed everything.

  I have no safe place. Not anymore.

  Returning her attention to the trial, delight exploded in her heart when her father dismissed Ming Mo, the man who had captured Ti’s distant cousin as his bride. Ti turned her back to the courtroom doorway to hide her face from those exiting. Just as she had anticipated, Ming Mo, his family, and his neighbors stayed quiet until they walked through that doorway. Once outside the courtroom, they argued in hushed voices, either oblivious to Ti’s presence or assuming she must be a young woman of no consequence.

  “How could the emperor rule against me?” Ming Mo said.

  “You heard him,” said a woman old enough to be the man’s mother. “That woman is part of the Po Dynasty. Be grateful the emperor didn’t execute you.”

  “But I captured her rightfully. The law is on my side.”

  “The emperor controls the law,” the woman said. “We have no royal blood. You have no claim to capture any woman of the Po Dynasty and expect the royal family to be happy about it.”

  Another woman spoke up. “Emperor Po showed mercy by letting you go. He could have sentenced you to be stoned for placing that girl on your bed. And if she hadn’t fought back, you would be facing the Death of 1000 Cuts. Count your blessings and keep your mouth shut until we leave Zangcheen.”

  Conversation ended, and Ti listened to the many footsteps receding toward the building’s exit. Once convinced no one would recognize her from such a distance if they looked back, Ti turned around and observed Ming Mo and his entourage, who would probably never set foot in Zangcheen again.

  The young Far Eastern woman’s voice rang out from inside the courtroom. “GranGran!”

  Ti whipped her head back toward the courtroom and peeked inside, stunned to see the young woman pointing a dagger at the guards now surrounding her.

  Defying any royal guard broke the Law of Respecting the Palace, a crime punishable by stoning.

  Threatening one guard with a weapon broke the Law of Obeying the Emperor, an offense punishable by public humiliation followed by drowning.

  But threatening multiple guards with a weapon broke the Law of Allegiance to Emperor and City, possibly the worst of all transgressions. The punishment required a public beating followed by the Death of 1000 Cuts.

  Why is she risking her life?

  At the same time, the young woman’s courage thrilled Ti. It never occurred to her that any woman could stand up in defiance against any man, much less the royal guards and the emperor himself.

  Even more astonishing, everything about the young woman looked menacing. She crouched like a wild beast. Her eyes blazed with fury. She bared her teeth as if ready to rip out the throat of anyone who tried to hurt her.

  She’s my distant cousin. She may be part Northlander, but some of the blood that runs in her veins runs in mine, too.

  Fascinated, Ti gawked at Madam Po when she spoke to her great-granddaughter in the Northlander tongue.

  If the girl is smart, she’ll listen to Madam Po. The girl must show remorse if she wants to live. She must exhibit her respect for my father and Zangcheen and the Wulong Province.

  If the young woman failed to do so, she would have no chance to live. She had put the emperor in a position where he would have to kill her in order to maintain the respect of the people he ruled.

  Ti perked up when the merchant TeaTree stepped in, spoke in the same Northlander tongue, and seemed to be reasoning with the young woman.

  What could a merchant have to say that would make a difference?

  Ti caught her breath when the Northlander man rushed forward. Madam Po yanked his arm so hard that it pulled him back.

  Why does the slave risk his life in such a way?

  TeaTree spoke more fervently in Northlander, and both the young woman and her savage slave sagged their shoulders, appearing to comply with whatever TeaTree told her. He nodded at Madam Po, and she gestured for the royal guards to take her great-granddaughter away. A guard took the dagger away from the young woman.

  Ti hurried down the hall and hid around the next corner. The guards who served in court were among her father’s most trusted servants. They tended to be sharp-eyed. If Ti did so little as turn her back to them, they would recognize her immediately simply by the royal clothing she wore.

  Hiding from the
guards required stealth.

  Ti listened to them march out of the court and down the adjacent hall to exit the building. Satisfied the guards and the young woman were out of sight, Ti rounded the corner with the intent of retracing her steps in order to catch a glimpse of them. Instead, she stopped abruptly when she discovered Ming Shen, her father’s most trusted advisor, blocking her path.

  Ming Shen stood slightly taller than Ti but had five times her girth. His clothing stank with the stale scent of pork-and-ginger dumplings. He had the coldest and smallest black eyes Ti had ever seen. She thought of him as a predator always waiting for the emperor to turn his back.

  “Imperial Daughter,” he said. “Always such a pleasure to encounter your lovely presence.”

  Whenever Ming Shen spoke, he reminded Ti of a hissing snake. His gaze drifted down to examine her body as if she already belonged to him.

  He’s trying to capture me as his bride so he can be next in line for emperor. I have to protect myself!

  Ti forced herself to stand up straight and exhibit the pride of being a member of the Po Dynasty. “My father is holding court right now on the other side of this wall. All I have to do is scream, and he’ll run to help me. What kind of death do you think you’ll suffer if he discovers that anything untoward has happened?”

  Striking as swiftly as a cobra, Ming Shen grabbed Ti’s upper arm with one hand and clamped his other hand over Ti’s mouth. “Untoward? The law allows a man to capture any woman he likes as his bride, even a woman who belongs to the Po Dynasty.”

  Terrified, Ti struggled but was no match for Ming Shen’s heft and strength. When she screamed, his hand muffled the sound so even someone standing steps away wouldn’t notice.

  Ti let loose another muffled scream when a narrow wooden pole lowered between their faces.

  Ti and Ming Shen looked up in surprise at a royal guard standing steps away and holding onto the other end of the pole, which bore an ax head.

  “The law allows no man to capture a bride within the confines of the Hall of Justice,” the royal guard said. “I therefore suggest you release the Imperial Daughter before I sound an alarm.”

  Ming Shen kept his grip across Ti’s mouth and on her arm. “I suggest you recognize that you speak to the emperor’s most trusted advisor.”

  With a movement too swift for Ti to register, the royal guard twisted the wooden pole so that it pried Ming Shen away from her. Just as swiftly, the royal guard spun the pole and brandished it properly as a weapon while stepping between Ming Shen and Ti. “And I suggest you recognize that you speak to the emperor’s most trusted guard.”

  Ti’s heart raced. Now standing behind the guard, she braced herself against the wall, ready to run if Ming Shen should evade or overpower the guard. She knew these halls well. She knew the paths that would lead her back into the courtroom and to her father’s side.

  When Ming Shen spoke, his voice shook with indignation. “See how much longer you work as a guard once I consult the emperor!” Comforting himself with a string of profanities, Ming Shen stomped away and disappeared around a corner.

  Still frightened, Ti shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. When the guard turned to face her, she fought back tears of relief.

  “Imperial Daughter,” the royal guard said with a bow. “May I help you find your way home?”

  Ti didn’t want her father to find out that she had lingered outside the courtroom after he’d told her to return home. The best way to make that happen was to treat the guard with kindness. She’d once seen her youngest step-sister kick this same guard in the shin, and the very same day her father had lectured the girl on the Law of Obeying the Emperor and described in lurid detail what happens when an offender is stoned, which terrified her so much that she never touched a guard again.

  “I would appreciate that very much,” Ti said with a smile. “I thought I saw a butterfly down this hallway, and chasing after it distracted me. I didn’t see Ming Shen until it was too late. I’m so fortunate that you found me.”

  The unyielding expression on the guard’s face validated Ti’s suspicion that he didn’t believe everything she said.

  True to his offer, the guard escorted Ti out of the courtroom, across the palace yard, and to the front door of the royal palace. Ti expressed her appreciation, hoping the guard would turn around and walk back to court. Instead, the guard said, “My responsibility is to see to your safety, especially during turbulent times.”

  Father has spoken to the guards. They must have orders to keep an especially close watch on me so I won’t be captured like my distant cousin. That’s how the guard reached me in time.

  Ti assumed returning home would make her feel safe, but it didn’t. She tried to shake off the encounter with Ming Shen, but she couldn’t.

  Instead, fear crept across her skin like a fever.

  I’ve been safe and sheltered all my life and didn’t know it. Those days are gone. I’ll never be safe again.

  She thanked the guard and then entered the palace. She hurried down a hallway and entered a small room used by the emperor for contemplation—but Ti knew her father remained at court and that she would find the room empty. She brushed past a large couch and the floor pillows lining the walls.

  Anxious thoughts consumed her. Ti considered how her step-mother spent her days, overseeing the servants and running the palace. Ti considered the strain on her step-mother’s face throughout every day and the way her eyes cringed when the emperor took her into his chambers. Like every other woman in the Far East, Ti’s step-mother might as well be a servant.

  There are no guarantees Father will change the law so I can become empress. Even if he does, his advisors would pressure him to reverse a new law. They would never let it be upheld.

  For the first time in her life, Ti understood what desperation felt like.

  She peered through a narrow window, hoping to see the guard marching away. Instead, she saw him facing the royal palace and examining each window, one by one.

  Ti ducked out of sight.

  He knows me too well. All the guards do.

  “Ti, what are you doing here?” a young man said behind her.

  Ti turned with a fright toward the open doorway but then relaxed when she saw her friend Asu Chu. She gestured for him to enter the room. “Close the door behind you,” she whispered.

  Asu Chu hesitated. “Is it appropriate for me to be alone with you in the emperor’s Room of Contemplation?”

  “Yes,” Ti said. “I need your help.”

  Asu Chu brightened and did her bidding. After easing the door shut, he knelt in front of Ti. “How can I help?”

  Ti had been fond of Asu Chu since the day they met. She found his awkward and gangly appearance charming, probably because she didn’t feel threatened or endangered by his looks.

  Ti didn’t want to marry anyone right now, but if worse came to worst, marrying Asu Chu could delay being hunted by potential husbands. She knew her father’s powerful advisors had caused similar marriages to be rescinded in the past. One of those advisors had a wife who had initially belonged to a man with less clout. But if Ti needed to buy time, marrying Asu Chu and going through the process of that marriage being rescinded in court would take at least a week.

  She had never seen Asu Chu try to control anyone other than himself, and she trusted him to have her best interests at heart.

  Ti kept her voice low just in case someone might pause and press their ear against the closed door. “Two things. First, there’s a guard outside the palace. I need you to draw him away.”

  Asu Chu pondered the request. “I suppose I could tell him my father wants me to deliver a message to the court. If I say it’s a highly sensitive message intended for the emperor, maybe the guard will come along to keep me safe.”

  “Perfect. Also, I want you to meet me tomorrow morning at the Temple of Dark and Light.”

  Asu Chu frowned. “Why?”

  “I want you to show me all the magic you kn
ow. Your best magic.”

  “I can do that here.”

  “No. I need to see it inside the temple.”

  Asu Chu fidgeted. “It’s a sacred place. Not a playground for showing magic tricks.”

  Ti had anticipated his resistance and countered with the kind of logic she knew he would accept without question. “It’s a sacred place where every member of the royal family is welcome, along with every magician in the royal complex. You come from a line of magicians as long as the Po Dynasty itself. A thousand years ago, your ancestor consulted my ancestor.”

  She took his hand in hers. “We are bound together by history and blood. I’m not asking for casual tricks. I want you to show me your best work, and the Temple of Dark and Light is a perfectly appropriate place for that.”

  When she squeezed his hand, Asu Chu squeezed back.

  “All right,” he said. “Let me see what I can do.”

  CHAPTER 24

  When Asu Chu left the room, he left the door slightly ajar. Ti listened to his footsteps until they disappeared. She counted to one hundred, and then she ventured another peek outside the window.

  Asu Chu engaged the guard in conversation, and cast worried glances across the palace grounds for effect. The guard took one more look at the palace windows, but he focused on the bedroom windows on the opposite side of the building. Finally, he walked away with Asu Chu.

  Leaving her father’s special room exactly as she’d found it, Ti closed the door behind her and hovered around the palace entrance until Asu Chu and the guard were no longer in sight. She then headed toward the Hall of Concubines.

  Although no law existed, everyone knew the royal children should never visit the emperor’s concubines or their semi-royal children. That meant Ti had never set foot inside the Hall of Concubines and never had any such intention until today.

  She had no interest in the concubines or their offspring, but the more she thought about her most interesting distant cousin who lived among Northlanders, the more Ti wanted to meet her.