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

by CK Dawn

  My hands trembled as I surrendered my own weapons. I was a prisoner of war, and that fate sent a chill up my spine. They’d find out I was a girl, and no one would recognize me as the princess. Revealing my true identity would spare me gang rape, and get me an audience with Lord Tong, where I could try the magic of my voice. No, I was too exhausted for that, and even if they believed me, it would end all chances of my decoy getting close to Lord Tong.

  “You, too.” One of the Wailian soldiers prodded me in the back with the butt of a spear.

  I stumbled forward, with Su grabbing my arm for support. Brushing him away, I removed the helm. I shook out my hair, lifted my chin, and faced the leader. “Sir, I am the daughter of Tai-Ming Lord Zheng Han.” Never mind that Tian didn’t have a sister, these rank and file soldiers wouldn’t know that. I lifted the armor to expose the fine silk underneath. “He will pay handsomely for my return.”

  “I knew something was off,” Su said, eyes wide.

  The leader’s expression hardened. “Take off your armor and put it in the cart.”

  I crossed my arms and shook my head. With the gown shredded and the mismatched leggings, I’d look ridiculous.

  “Or shall I have my men confirm your identity the hard way?”

  Several of the soldiers closed in. Little Su backed closer, arms outstretched in protection. My limbs froze and refused to obey. With stiff fingers, I worked the armor off. Around me, the men laughed. Heat flared in my cheeks, even as the cold bit my exposed, armor-chaffed shoulders.

  The leader unpinned his cloak and tossed it to me. “Now march. Not a word.”

  Our own commander looked over the defenseless boys and nodded. “March.” His voice sounded wrong.

  Something heavy settled in my gut. His tone didn’t gutter in defeat. And Heavens, we were providing supplies for the rebellion! Still, my comrades obeyed without question. What choice did we have?

  At the point of rebel spears, we trudged through Wailian Town, which now roused with dawn. Men with picks and shovels walked in queues, humming in unison. I listened for the marching song’s spirit, in hopes it would invigorate me.

  It didn’t work. I was a lone girl surrounded by many men, none who knew my true identity.

  Twenty-Two

  Failing to Plan, Planning to Fail

  The sound of defeated boys trudging over the highway pavestones rang in my ears, so different from our confident march just earlier in the morning. Our supplies seized, taken prisoner by a rebel lord, exhausted from the long night…and who knew if we’d survive the day?

  I shuddered as I walked through the town. Who knew how long my maidenhood would survive?

  Right before the bridge, the enemy leader called for a halt. “Leave the equipment here. Follow me.” He rode ahead. The bridge was wide enough for five of us to walk abreast.

  Their own officer raised an eyebrow at the leader. My stomach knotted. My instincts were right; he’d betrayed us. He dismounted and beckoned. “Come.”

  Something sounded wrong, a tension in his voice. The rigidity of the rebels. I looked among my fellow young soldiers. Eyes down, shoulders slumped, it didn’t appear that any of them shared my suspicions as they plodded across the bridge. Up ahead, the castle gates opened, and a several armed men marched out.

  Halfway onto the bridge, our commander turned around. “Sorry, boys.”

  From his saddle, the enemy leader twisted around, unslung his bow, notched an arrow, and shot. It lodged deep into our commander’s back.

  The commander choked on blood, his voice coming out in wheezes. “What about the deal?”

  “The lord said to kill the entire unit, including you.” He raised a hand and made a fist.

  From the town side of the bridge, bowstrings twanged. I glanced back. The cavalry were loosing arrows. Screaming, several of the boys scrambled forward and trampled over each other. Maybe in their panic, they didn’t see that up ahead, soldiers were advancing with spears.

  My own heart rapped hard in my chest. This was it. An ignoble ending to my noble intentions. All these poor boys, most no older than me, slaughtered on Lord Tong’s command. The bridge vibrated with their frantic steps.

  Hear the waves and allow them to lend you their strength. The memory of Lord Xu’s lesson sounded in my mind, almost as if he spoke to me now. Tired as I was, I could borrow the sounds of chaos and the vibration of the bridge.

  I gripped the stone with my toes through the tattered slippers. My blisters protested, lending an edge to my voice. “Stop!”

  The boys froze in place. The ambushers ahead halted in the charge. The rain of arrows stopped.

  I gaped. It had worked—on the first try, no less. Still, my energy guttered, buckling my knees and sending me panting for breath. Once they came to their senses, the murder would resume, and I didn’t have the energy to reprise the feat.

  Shaking the fatigue out, I reached up and grasped the side of the bridge for support. Gaining my feet, I squared my shoulders and strode toward the leader. My hand pressed on Tian’s pebble.

  I summoned a tone of command, speaking as I would to a palace servant. “I am Princess Wang Kaiya, here to meet my betrothed, Lord Tong Baxian.” I gestured to the cowering boys. “These are my honor guard. An attack on them is an attack on me.”

  The leader favored me through slitted eyes. I’d just betrayed Kai-Long and the decoy, and there was no guarantee Lord Tong would spare any of us, let alone believe me in the first place.

  The sound of drums in the distance drew my attention from the enemy leader on the bridge to the road behind me.

  A man on horseback, flying Lord Tong’s green, cantered through the city. “Princess Kaiya’s procession is coming, maybe half an hour away.”

  The enemy leader turned back and frowned at me, then beckoned the prisoners. “Hands on your head. Come on, hurry. Help your wounded comrades if they need it.”

  I evaluated my unit. A few lay unmoving on the bridge or sprawled over the edge, and those at the back of the line appeared to have suffered varying degrees of arrow wounds. Still, most seemed uninjured. Many bowed their heads to me as they passed.

  I searched for Su, the boy who’d travelled with me, helped me pick up the slack when my energy flagged. There he was, his arm hanging from another young man who helped him limp along. An arrow protruded from his back. I pushed my way through the others and took his other arm.

  He looked up through drooping eyes. “Are you really Princess Kaiya?”

  Despite his labored breaths, his tone sounded…hopeful. I nodded.

  “Then it is my honor to die for you.” He started to drop to a knee in salute.

  I clasped his hand. “You aren’t going to die.” Though it wasn’t like I could tell, and blood flecked his lips.

  The boy on the other side of him met my eyes and shook his head. “You saved us all.”

  Not all. Now that many of my adopted unit had been taken to the castle, I could see arrows protruding from some of the bodies. Doctor Wu had taught me enough about anatomy for me to recognize that at least two of the boys would not draw another breath. My stomach churned, and it was all I could do to force down the vomit. Even now, Lord Tong’s men were throwing their remains off the bridge. Others, like Su, might not survive.

  With much of his weight on my shoulders, I trudged over the bridge. At the gatehouse, I risked a glance back. No sign of the imperial banners, even though the drumbeats grew louder.

  On the other side of the gatehouse, I walked out into another bare yard, surrounded by high, crenelated walls. If an invading army somehow made it over the bridge, they would be trapped at low ground, easy targets from all sides. Just like me and my comrades were now. The men atop the walls trained repeating crossbows on us.

  The gates ahead were open as soldiers escorted the prisoners and pulled the stolen supply wagons through. If we were to be slaughtered here, the gates would be closed to bar escape. Passing through the second gatehouse, the commander led us not to the ne
xt part of the castle, but down into rough-hewn tunnels.

  The air grew chill and stale, and my skin crawled as the walls pressed in around me. “What is this place?”

  One of the boys ran a hand over a column. “I would guess these were mines.”

  I shuddered. If Wailian had that much firepowder, and if it were stored down here, one accident could cause the supposedly impregnable castle to implode. And I’d be buried under it all, unable to breathe…

  Sweat gathered on my neck as my hands trembled. I turned to our nearest captor. “I am Princess Kaiya. These men need medical attention. And I demand to speak with Lord Tong.”

  He shoved me in the back. “Keep moving. Someone will confirm your identity soon enough.”

  Thankfully, after a few more steps, the corridor opened into a large chamber. I took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from my brow.

  The injured lay on blankets while healers tended to their wounds. One of the boys screamed as they pulled an arrow out of him. My chest ached at the pitiful moans. Still, I knelt by Su and held his hand.

  Someone grabbed my shoulder in a heavy grip and spun me around. A larger boy from the regiment glared at me. “If I’m going to die, I’m not going to die a virgin.”

  My mind blanked.

  Several other hands seized the boy and pulled him back as he struggled.

  “You ingrate,” said another one of the boys. “She saved our lives.”

  A spear butt crashed into the offender’s head, sending him to the ground. One of the enemies raised the spear again. “Stay quiet. Nobody touch her until we learn her identity. If she’s no one important, you can have her. After we’re done, that is.”

  I clenched and unclenched my sweaty hands. Surely, someone would be able to identify me. Some of the boys, led by Su’s friend, formed up around me.

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “We won’t let them do anything to you.”

  The reassurance wasn’t enough to slow my thumping heart, though the sentiment was kind enough. If I were in a position of real importance, beyond just a political tool, I’d reward him and the others who defended me.

  For now, though, I’d have to wait. If my captors had bothered to tell Lord Tong, the decoy might fare worse than me.

  Twenty-Three

  Unmistaken Identities

  Cradling Su’s head in my lap, I hummed a lullaby while trying to ignore his labored, dying breaths. Time dragged between each shorter inhalation. Tears welled in my eyes. I should have never come with the wedding procession, should have just stayed in the safe confines of Sun-Moon Palace. Brother Kai-Wu would be getting married tonight, and I’d miss it.

  And for what? I was stuck in an old mine, with at least one boy who wanted to take my virginity, and apparently no chance of singing Lord Tong into surrender. How foolish I’d been, to think I’d ever be more than a political tool.

  I reached down and clasped Su’s hand. His cold fingers stung mine, and I almost pulled back. His lips were pallid. I shook him. “Wake up, Su. Wake up.”

  His friend shook his head. A tear slid down his cheek and plopped onto the rough-hewn floors.

  My chest tightened, and my shoulders heaved. No, I couldn’t cry. Not when all these boys saw me as an imperial princess. Sniffling, I straightened my spine and squared my shoulders.

  The metal door swung open. I turned to see. To berate whatever guard came in, for letting a boy die. My heart leapt into my throat.

  Chen Xin, Zhao Yue, Li Wei, Ma Jun, and Xu Zhan spilled in, their faces bruised and their blue robes torn in places, their magic breastplates taken. Oh Heavens, if my personal guards were prisoners, it meant that the decoy—Hardeep—had failed.

  I gently laid Su’s head on the ground and stood. “Guards.”

  Their eyes widened in unison. It would have been funny if not for the grave circumstances. Immediately, they sank to their knee, fist to the ground. “Your Highness,” they shouted.

  “It’s true!” one boy said.

  “She is the princess.” Another could barely speak.

  “She saved us.”

  The boys dropped to their knees and pressed their foreheads to the ground.

  I certainly didn’t feel like a princess, wearing just a ripped-up inner gown, my shins exposed when I took off the shorn sleeves of my outer gown. “Rise. You knew me as Wang, and so it shall be now.” I turned to Chen Xin. “What happened?”

  “Your Highness,” he said. “Why are you here?”

  Why indeed. The truth would make me look even more stupid than I felt. I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. Tell me, what happened?”

  He sighed. “Lord Tong knew our plan. He separated us from the rest of the procession, and then ambushed us in the gatehouse.”

  “And Hardeep?”

  Chen Xin cocked his head. “The foreign prince?”

  I nodded. “Wasn’t he my decoy?”

  “No,” he said, shaking his head. “It was…it was…Deputy Yan’s daughter.”

  Now it was my turn to stare at him incredulously. “That strange minister?”

  Chen Xin nodded. “She helped us track you down the night you went missing.”

  A reminder of yet another stupid choice. I swept my gaze over the guards. “And Kai-Long—I mean, Lord Peng?”

  They exchanged glances and shrugged.

  Ma Jun said, “We were fighting with our knives, in the dark. It was almost as if our opponents could see, even when we couldn’t. When they subdued us and opened the doors, Lord Peng, his aide, and—”

  The door creaked open again.

  Two enemy soldiers thrust a man dressed in the colors of Kai-Long’s Nanling Province in. He stumbled face-first into the ground. The imperial guards flipped him over.

  “The aide.” Xu Zhan pointed to the markings on the man’s collar and then looked up at me.

  I nudged the guards to the side and studied the unmoving man’s face. Bronze, not honey-toned like us; a high-bridged nose.

  No, it couldn’t be.

  Heavens…Prince Hardeep. I patted my hands over him, checking for injuries. He had no visible wounds, but he didn’t look to be breathing. I leaned over and pressed my ear to his heart.

  Nothing. My own heart might have stopped. No, they wouldn’t have brought him here if he were dead. I closed my eyes.

  Something pulsated. Slow, resolute, like waves pounding against a sea wall.

  I let out a long sigh and looked up at my men. “How did you not recognize him as the Ankiran Prince?”

  The guards exchanged shrugs. Li Wei said, “He wore a helmet the whole time, and never left Lord Peng’s side.”

  And now, not even his Paladin skills could save him from the trap. This was my fault, too. Doubting my progress in musical magic, Hardeep had likely made a deal with Father. Join in the attack on Wailian Castle in return for Cathay helping to repel the Madurans. Despondent, I hummed again, imitating the lute song he’d taught me.

  He blinked several times and focused on me. “Princess Kaiya! What are you doing here?”

  Heat flushed in my cheeks. Looking around, hoping no one spoke Ayuri, I said, “I had hoped to use the lessons you taught me. I wanted to sing Lord Tong into submission. I don’t think he’ll see me. I’m so sorry.”

  His hair swept through the dirt as he shook his head. “There is nothing to apologize for. When Lord Peng told me of his plan, I volunteered to help, to vanquish Lord Tong so that you would not have to marry him. I came for you.”

  I’d been wrong. He hadn’t made a deal. Tears threatened to blur my vision. Oh, to be able to thank him with the only thing I could give. Cradling his head, I leaned in, eyes closed, lips parted. Who cared if my men saw? My first kiss, maybe my only kiss, would belong to him. None of the guards moved to intervene.

  The door groaned open again. His head snapped in the direction of the sound, just before our lips met.

  No! I looked up to see who’d interrupted us now.

  Eight soldiers, including the leader w
ho’d captured them, stood by the doors.

  “Princess Kaiya,” the leader said. “Lord Tong will see you now.”

  One of the soldiers stepped in and seized my arm.

  The imperial guards leaped to their feet, ready to intervene, even without weapons. Throwing their lives away, for me. The boys, too, all pushed forward.

  I raised a hand. “Stand down. I will meet with Lord Tong.”

  My guards hesitated, yet their every muscle twitched.

  Hardeep staggered up. He stomped a foot on the ground. “Stop.” His voice echoed in the cavern, the vibration shaking in my core.

  Around me, everyone froze in place.

  He looked from guard to guard, then to the boys. “There is no need for anyone to die. Trust your princess.”

  He had spoken in Ayuri, but the imperial guards and the boys all shrank back. The tension in their postures melted.

  I exchanged a smile with Prince Hardeep. “Thank you. I will end this war now.” I walked out of the prison surrounded by traitors. If only I felt as confident as I let on.

  They marched me out of the tunnels, and I gulped the fresh air. No matter what happened, at least it would happen above ground. Through the yard, we headed to the five-story main keep. After passing through yet another gatehouse, we arrived in the inner bailey. Servants opened the double doors.

  The nightingale floorboards chirped under my tattered slippers. The sound was meant to deter spies, but right now gave me comfort. It was also a rhythm that I might be able to borrow. Another set of double doors slid open, revealing an audience chamber.

  Two men guided me into the room, where I was greeted by the scrutiny of several important-looking warriors. At their head sat a middle-aged man with a round face and flat nose. A flabby paunch poked out from under his green robes. Failing to sing him into surrender would mean enduring him, acting out the pictures of the pillow book. My shudder was interrupted when he reached down and placed a musical instrument on his lap.