The Dragon Songs Saga: The Complete Quartet: Songs of Insurrection, Orchestra of Treacheries, Dances of Deception, and Symphony of Fates

by JC Kang

  Kaiya forced her voice louder. Just a little more, for Father, for the nation that might very well tear itself apart if he died today. All on her shoulders. She was alone.

  No. Not alone.

  Maintaining the melody, she sang to her sisters-in-law. “Eldest Sister, write…the words for health, power, and harmony. Second Sister, perform a tea ceremony.”

  Xiulan and Yanli exchanged dubious glances.

  “Do it.” Doctor Wu nodded toward her brush and prescription paper.

  Xiulan took the brush and wrote the character for power.

  The authoritative strokes of her hand invigorated Kaiya, sending a surge through her body. Her flagging energy provided one last push in her voice.

  The Tianzi’s eyes flew open and drifted onto her. A wan smile formed on his face. “My daughter. I did not expect to see you again in this life.”

  Kaiya gasped out the last note. The weight bearing down on her shoulders pushed her toward the floor. With supreme effort, she forced herself to remain standing.

  Xiulan grasped her elbow, providing support, while Yanli brought a chair.

  “Although he is still weak, he will live.” Doctor Wu released Father’s wrist and turned around to take Elder Brother’s pulse.

  The Tianzi pushed himself up into a seated position and beckoned a page. His voice still sounded weak. “Summon Kai-Wu, the Tai-Ming, the Yu-Ming, and the inner ministers. I will receive them here now.”

  The page dropped to his knees, then stood and hurried out of the room.

  Doctor Wu finally came and took Kaiya’s wrist in her hands. Her lips pursed as she held Kaiya’s gaze with a stern glare. “Silly girl. Almost killed yourself, only to delay the inevitable.”

  The inevitable? Kaiya’s heart tightened in her chest. “They will still die?”

  Doctor Wu’s expression softened into a grin. “Everyone dies. From the instant you leave your mother’s womb, you are beginning to die. Yes, child, everyone dies.”

  “Even you?” Kaiya flashed a coy smile.

  Doctor Wu harrumphed and stood. “Huang-Shang, I am going to prepare another herbal medicine for you. Do not exert yourself.” She pushed her way through the stream of hereditary lords, brushing them aside like an autumn breeze through leaves.

  To think a doctor could command the Son of Heaven…

  All the lords, starting with the Tai-Ming, dropped to a knee as they approached the Tianzi’s bed. Soon, they crowded the solarium.

  The Tianzi cleared his throat and spoke with a stronger voice. “Great lords of Hua. The nation prospers, yet we are not at peace. A rebel, one who once sat among you, hides on the other side of the Great Wall while his province descends into chaos. I command you each to provide soldiers to assist the imperial army in its pacification.”

  The lords all answered in rote unison. “Yes, Huang-Shang!”

  Such resolve, such obedience! A tingle of excitement surged up Kaiya’s spine. Even so, the idea of potential hostility was disheartening.

  “In the meantime, I command you to concentrate your efforts into maintaining stability in your own provinces to ensure they do not follow Nanling into insurgency.”

  “Yes, Huang-Shang!”

  Father lifted the Founder’s Broken Sword. “Peng Kai-Long, once my treasured nephew, must be brought to justice, to be made example of lest others follow his lead. Now, reaffirm your oaths of loyalty to the empire.”

  “I swear!” All repeated.

  The chorus of voices reverberated in the room. Kaiya smiled. For now, the hereditary lords would hold the line. Now if only something as simple as a vow could secure the return of Cousin Peng. Who could convince the Kingdom of Rotuvi to extradite him?

  Father’s eyes fell on her.

  EPILOGUE:

  All Good Things

  The sounds of Sun-Moon Lake lapping up against the castle walls comforted Kaiya with their familiarity. She sat atop the ramparts, letting her feet dangle over the edge as she listened to the waters’ song.

  Whereas none of her personal imperial guards would dare protest, her current detail of dour men virtually ordered her to come down before night made it too dark to see.

  Convincing them otherwise gave her more opportunities to practice the power of her voice.

  She needed the quiet time to contemplate what had unfolded, and her unlikely and mostly unwanted place in this world.

  In the two weeks since her return, the Tianzi and Eldest Brother had continued to improve, with Doctor Wu’s constant ministrations.

  Court life resumed as usual. Her sisters-in-law welcomed her home with open arms.

  Yet nothing was the same.

  The hesitant girl who left Huajing had returned a confident young woman, scarred by betrayal and wiser because of it. Court gossip seemed trivial compared to the story of facing down a dragon.

  The only ones who could understand that—Jie, and her guards Li Wei, Zhao Yue, Chen Xin, Ma Jun, and Xu Zhan—all remained behind in Ayudra until the Golden Phoenix could bring them home.

  Zheng Ming—the one she most wanted to hear her story—was likewise stranded with the others.

  Kaiya reached into her sash and withdrew Tian’s pebble. As always, the cool smoothness reminded her of a carefree childhood, one that she could never relive. She started to cast the stone into the lake, sending it back to whence it came, but pulled her arm up short. With a sigh, she returned it to its place at her side. Some ideals were worth holding on to.

  Her other thumb toyed with the Ayudra ring on her index finger. Its vibration mingled with the lake’s waves, neither synchronized nor discordant.

  “May I?” An open palm, like a beggar’s, appeared before her, blocking the view of her lap. “I would like to see the ring that sings the song of Ayudra.”

  Kaiya’s heart must’ve skipped three beats. She twisted to find Lord Xu sitting beside her on top of the wall, his legs hanging over the edge. His sad smile replaced the impish grin she’d grown accustomed to.

  Angry questions welled up from her heart. “Why didn’t you tell me? When you said someone would hear my song, you knew it would be Avarax, didn’t you? Did you know Avarax was Hardeep? Why didn’t you answer me when I called for you in Vyara City?”

  His eyes searched hers for a few seconds, stirring her impatience. He then lifted the magic mirror and held it up to the skies. With his other hand he pointed.

  She followed his finger, to a spot in the vast expanse of speckled night sky where a tiny red dot blinked.

  “What can you tell me about that star?”

  His question did nothing to answer hers. She responded in hopes of coaxing a reply from the fickle elf. “It represents the God of Conquest, Yanluo.”

  “Or in the language of the orcs, Tivar.” He pointed to another a twinkling blue star. “How about that star there?”

  “Wu-Long, the Dragon Protector of Hua.” Curiously, it shined brighter than usual.

  “She has appeared twice since the War of Ancient Gods, when great generals in Hua’s history reunified the nation.” The elf’s finger shifted to the nine-star constellation facing the blue star. “And who does Wu-Long oppose?”

  “E-Long, the Evil Dragon.”

  “Now receding. Who do you imagine that represents?”

  A spark of understanding dawned on her. “Avarax.”

  “The Powers of Good are on the rise, though Evil always seeks opportunity. The Oracle of Ayudra is not the only one who can divine the future, though he is infinitely better than an Estomari tarot-card reader.” A hint of mischievousness twinkled in his eye. “Or an elf astrologer.”

  Had Lord Xu arranged her meeting with the Oracle? Or set it in motion as Hardeep had influenced the path of her life? “So you can divine the future?”

  Shrugging, the elf laughed. “Perhaps. The dilemma of knowing the future is our desire to change it. Sometimes, an attempt to alter our destiny only hastens its arrival. If you had known you would confront Avarax, would that have influenced you
r choices?”

  Kaiya twirled a lock of hair. It was one of the many questions which had weighed heavily on her these past few weeks. Even as people hailed her as the heroic Dragon Charmer, she might not have willingly confronted Avarax if she’d truly had a choice in the matter.

  She was no hero. Her hand caressed Tian’s pebble.

  Lord Xu’s eyes were on that hand until he looked up and smiled wryly. “To answer one of your questions, no, I did not know Hardeep was Avarax, though I knew he always watched Hua in hopes of finding someone to sing to him. I told you as much, when you played the Dragon Scale Lute. I suspect he was responsible for the deaths of past magical music masters.”

  Yet he’d spared her. Used her. And more troubling, “Is it true that his Lotus Jewel awoke my magic and made me pretty?”

  “You were born with the magic of music, as well as the intuition to face the Last Dragon. That is why I did not respond to your summons. Sometimes, you have to find the answers within yourself.”

  He’d avoided the whole question, specifically the more troubling half. She placed a hand on her cheek. “And my beauty?”

  All mirth disappeared from the elf’s expression. “You were not meant to be beautiful.”

  It sounded a whole lot like destiny again. “So everything that happened, and will happen, is my destiny?”

  Lord Xu shrugged again. “You fulfilled your destiny when you vanquished Avarax. From here, you make your own. The stars just predict it. Resist the temptation to know it, since it may not always unfold as you hope. Worry not about what might be; concentrate on the present, the task at hand. That task now is to demand Lord Peng’s extradition from Rotuvi.”

  With a melodic word, he disappeared, the air popping as it filled in the space he’d departed.

  The future may not unfold as hoped. Ominous words, made all the more so coming from both an enigmatic elf and a mysterious oracle.

  Threads of a Tapestry

  Hong Jianbin stroked sleeping Leina’s cheek as they lay in her new Floating World abode. He had purchased the single-story wood building with his greatly increased stipend as Chief Minister.

  It was well worth it.

  The secret entrance from the adjoining Jade Teahouse allowed him surreptitious access to his mistress, away from prying eyes.

  To think, without the encouragement of a foreign refugee and the help of a renegade spy, this fishmonger’s son would have never risen to the exalted position of Chief Minister.

  His native Nanling Province now lacked a Tai-Ming lord to rule it. Once the imperial armies rooted out minor lords loyal to Peng and pacified the countryside, the Tianzi would replace the province’s leadership with those he could trust. Faithful generals and ministers would be elevated to hereditary lords.

  Which would be better? To become a hereditary lord would improve his chance of marrying Princess Kaiya. As Chief Minister, he would have plenty of influence beyond the reach of a single province.

  He gazed at Leina. Perhaps he already had everything he needed.

  Leina feigned sleep, hoping old Hong would soon unwrap his leathery arms from around her. His proposed celebration for his promotion to Chief Minister was something she did not enjoy.

  He’d been particularly virile tonight, and she feared his old heart might not be able to keep up with his manhood. His death, just when she’d gotten him to a position where he could influence national policy, would be disastrous. Everything she'd endured in her assignment as his mistress would have gone to waste.

  As always, he surprised her. Just like when he outlasted Peng in their game of power. Or talked his way into Prince Kai-Wu’s good graces.

  The Chief Minister, hers to manipulate.

  At the cost of her body and pride.

  It was too much to bear.

  Besides the herbs which poisoned the Tianzi, she knew of others that would kill quite quickly. One of those, hidden in her nightstand drawer, would be tempting to take right now.

  But then there was her mother, trapped in Ankira, relying on Leina to succeed in her mission to undermine Cathay from the inside. The house’s secret entrance would allow her to covertly meet with the surviving insurgents and other lords and ministers she could bend to her will.

  The most important key was to keep the imperial armies bogged down in Nanling Province. Then, the northern borders would be less defended once her employer was ready to invade. But how to sustain a provincial uprising without good leadership?

  Peng Kai-Long.

  She would think of a way to sneak him out of exile in Rotuvi Kingdom and back home where he could cause the most damage.

  Geros Bovyan XLIII, First Consul of the Teleri Empire’s ruling Directori, paced back and forth. The stone floors of his stark quarters in Tilesite were cold beneath his feet, in contrast to the anger which raged hot in his head.

  The unlikely alliance of Eldaeri Kingdoms had recaptured some of the lands his armies occupied in Serikoth. The Bastard Prince Aelward of Tarkoth had broken his ingenious blockade of Bullhead Lake, allowing the cowardly Eldaeri to harass Teleri supply lines from the safety of the waters.

  Apparently, Geros’ commanders could not win a war without him.

  The face of one such incompetent appeared at his door and thumped his fist against his chest. “Your Eminence, an official message from Cathay.”

  Cathay was a pig he planned to roast later, after sufficient marinating. He ripped the folded rice paper out of his underling’s hands and whipped it open with a flick of his wrist.

  To the Directori of the Teleri Empire:

  Your vassal state, the Kingdom of Rotuvi, currently harbors the criminal Kai-Long Peng, former Great Lord of Nanling Province, within its borders. We will be dispatching Princess Kaiya Wang to meet with you and discuss terms of his extradition and continued trade between our great nations. We would request this meeting to take place in the port city of Iksuvius at your earliest convenience.

  From Zhishen Wang

  Son of Heaven, Emperor of Cathay

  Geros harrumphed. How ostentatious a title for a pathetic nation of merchant princelings. Nonetheless, it would be a chance to meet the Dragon Charmer herself, who had foiled some of the Altivorc King’s plans. Princess or not, Dragon Charmer or not, she was just a girl. And supposedly a beautiful one at that.

  Geros turned to his lieutenant. “Have the rest of the consuls seen copies of this letter?”

  “Of course not. You were first.”

  “Good. Draft my response, to be presented for the Directori’s approval. I will personally meet with Princess Kaiya, on the occasion of the Northwest Summit.”

  His crowning moment, and one rife with underlying messages. To have her meet with him, in front of the eyes of foreign friends and foes, would symbolize Cathay bowing before him.

  Now he just had to find out why he had not heard of Lord Peng Kai-Long seeking asylum in Rotuvi. And also get an update from his spy in Cathay.

  Stirring the dying embers of his fire, Peng Kai-Long gazed out onto Guanyin’s Tear Lake. After a month of travelling disguised as migrant farm workers with two of his most trusted guards, he’d reached the halfway point home in Nanling Province. To avoid a checkpoint in the staunchly Royalist Fenggu Province, they had veered off the main roads and now camped in the shadow of the old orc pyramid.

  Despite what his officers aboard the Golden Phoenix had confessed under the Tianzi’s agents’ persuasive techniques, he never slipped over the border into Rotuvi. He hadn’t even gone to Jiangkou, instead revealing himself to the insurgents in the capital as their anti-imperial benefactor. After a month of letting his hair and beard grow roughshod, he headed south, trailing the expeditionary armies meant to quell any resistance in his province.

  The lake stretched for several li, glowing a light blue. Legends claimed it was the single tear of the Blue Moon Goddess Guanyin, shed when the Sun God Yang-Di presented the mortal world to her as a gift. Many people visited each day in hopes that the holy waters wou
ld cure their ailments.

  Kai-Long snorted. The Tianzi had drunk twice his bodyweight in the water over the years and still never recovered from his poisoning.

  Yet Kai-Long did believe one legend.

  Hua’s guardian dragon once appeared somewhere in this valley. Though one local legend reported her sighting during the Hellstorm, most stories said she hibernated through the orc’s Dragonpurge and would serve whoever woke her.

  Kai-Long spat into the water. Who was to say hateful Cousin Kaiya couldn’t charm that dragon as well?

  No, he would have to rely on his own wits if he were to reconsolidate his power. The satisfaction of watching the Dragon Charmer suffer a slow death was motivation enough.

  Liang Yu leaned against an Eldarwood tree, keeping watch over the funerary potter’s shop. The rhythmic clanging of metal in the nearby blacksmithy all but drowned out the spring chirping of songbirds.

  His search for Lord Peng, which had taken him to the border of Rotuvi and back, had proved fruitless. The devious lord had sunk so low as to feed his own loyal men disinformation. Despite what everyone believed, Peng had to be somewhere in Hua.

  Which brought Liang Yu here, to one of the information relay points for his former clan. Even with a Moquan renegade at large, they didn’t think the location was compromised. Of course. They never considered that the Architect, one of the few masters who knew of this drop spot, might still live.

  The latest message he’d intercepted accused the renegade—him—of treason, for helping the Teleri Empire train spies.

  Treason!

  He clenched his fists. He was no traitor. If the ruling elite weren’t so corrupt, they’d recognize his patriotism. And the only two people whom he’d trained in Moquan ways were Young Song and—

  There was a light tug on his pouch.

  Liang Yu spun around, curved knife ready to slash the young lady’s throat.

  She raised a metal hairpin, stopping the arc of his cut, and then bowed her head. “Master.”