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

by JC Kang

  “I had a feeling I would find you here.” The altivorc prince withdrew a magic wand and leveled it at them.

  CHAPTER 38:

  We All Spy

  From his hiding place on the ground level of a recently abandoned brothel, Tian peered through the shutters at the small home connected to the Jade Teahouse. Though no one had used the front door since he’d arrived three hours earlier, his team flashed mirrors anytime someone came or left through the secret door in the roof. Three times so far.

  This had to be the place. Right now at noon, at least four Nightblades congregated inside. No telling how many were there in total, so it was too risky to launch an attack with just him and four young Moquan. They could ambush individual Nightblades as they left, but the concubine would likely grow suspicious if her eyes and ears began disappearing.

  He was about to give the signal for his comrades to regroup at the theatre when the front door of the house opened. Tian reached into the fold of is robes for a throwing star.

  A pretty Hua girl walked out. Probably no older than fifteen or sixteen, she wore a plain grey dress. Not the concubine, whom Feng Mi said was in her late twenties, and had mixed Ayuri blood. Nor a Teleri Nightblade, since they were all male. Maybe a collaborator.

  Tian abandoned his post and slipped out the front. The girl had reached the teahouse and now opened the door. A servant or prostitute, perhaps, though she might still be an enemy asset. No matter which, she’d recently been inside the concubine’s house, which meant she knew more than him.

  He flashed hand signals to inform the team of his decision. I go in. All clear? Mirrors flashed twice, indicating a safe window of time. Tian made a quick check of the empty streets, dashed across the street, and opened the green door to the Jade Teahouse. Bells jingled as he entered.

  Light bauble lamps with thin jade screens shed a dim light over the bloodwood tables and chairs in the common room. A curtain of stone beads dangled over a back corridor, likely where the Night Blossoms provided private entertainment.

  Hovering over a chair in the far corner, the girl paused as her eyes met his. They flashed downward as she sat.

  A door at the back slid open, revealing a middle-aged woman kneeling in a green silk gown. “Ziqiu, welcome back. What would you like?”

  “Jasmine green tea,” the girl answered with a bow. “I am expecting a client.”

  The proprietress covered her giggle. “The same one, I would wager.”

  “You would win that wager.” The girl, Ziqiu, smiled and nodded.

  “Maybe it is a sign that bees will return to the blossoms.” The proprietress turned toward the kitchens, but paused when her eyes swept across Tian. She looked to Ziqiu, who shook her head ever so slightly, then back to him. Eyes wide, she bowed. “Welcome, my lord. The flowers do not bloom these days, but might I offer you some tea?”

  Flowers not blossoming. A reference to the sex trade. “I will have the same as her.” He lifted his chin to Ziqiu, who studied the hardwood floors.

  The older woman gestured with an open hand toward a table far from Ziqiu. “Please, make yourself comfortable and I will be back with the tea.”

  “Thank you.” Ignoring the seat she indicated, Tian strode toward Ziqiu. The girl kept her head down, but her eyes still watched him. He placed a hand on the back of a chair at her table. “May I?”

  Ziqiu bowed. “I am sorry, my lord. I am expecting company.”

  Tian sat anyway. “I have not seen another soul in days. At least share your ear until she joins you.”

  “He,” she said, at last looking up at him.

  A male. Another information relay, perhaps. Tian grinned. “Will I make him jealous?”

  She studied his face, then shifted a hand from the table to her lap. “Have we met before?”

  “I don’t believe so. I haven’t visited the capital in a while.” For ten years, thanks to his banishment.

  Her brow wrinkled. “Your accent...you are from the North.”

  Observant, this girl. No use in denying it. Tian nodded. “You, too. Linshan Province?”

  She shyly tilted her head and covered a hand over her cheek. “Yes. Better opportunities here.”

  Tian searched her eyes, at least as best he could from the angle she presented. Something in her tone…she was telling half-truths and using body language to misdirect. Trying to present herself as a country girl who came to the big city as a prostitute. She was hiding something.

  The front door opened, and the girl’s expression lightened up. Relieved. She beckoned whoever it was, and then settled her gaze on Tian. “My…friend.”

  The innuendo sounded too forced. The stranger at the door was no buyer, at least not of flesh. The footsteps clunked across the floors, the sound and length of the stride suggesting an average-sized man in boots, certainly too small for even the Metal Man spies.

  Bowing, Tian rose. “Thank you for the company.”

  Her eyes shifted from him to the stranger and back. Tian turned to evaluate him. A thin man with soft features, smooth hands, and a light complexion. He was someone who had grown up in affluence, perhaps the son of a high official, from his body language. His plain cotton robe concealed a dagger. Tian offered him a smile.

  Eyebrow raised, the man looked from Ziqiu to Tian.

  In the corner of Tian’s eye, Ziqiu shook her head, imperceptible to the untrained. These two were up to something, and if he gave them space, they’d likely reveal what it was. Either that, or he would be listening in on the primal screams of purchased sex. He walked over to the table where the proprietress had already set a white-and-blue porcelain tea set.

  Sitting, he sipped the tea and stared into the cup. The pair stood and retreated behind the curtain of jade beads. That side of the teahouse shared a wall with the concubine’s house. Perhaps they were once part of the same building until partitioned.

  Tian stole a quick glance toward the kitchens, where the proprietress’ shadow moved about. He went to the front door, counting his steps along the way. Eleven. From here to the back corridor would take three seconds at a fast but quiet pace. The proprietress’ shadow disappeared.

  Pushing the door open, he yelled, “Thank you,” then dashed to the back and slid under the jade beads and into the private hall. One foot in front of the other, he tip-toed to each of the sliding doors and listened. Low whispers emanated from the third. Tian slipped into the second, crept across the firm reed mat floor and pressed an ear horn to the thin wall.

  “Teleri spies are relaying Leina’s orders,” the girl said.

  The man harrumphed. “I can’t imagine the Teleri relying on a woman.”

  “She is very intelligent. And there is always at least one spy around. They are skilled, so you won’t be able to get in.”

  “Then it’s up to you,” the man said. “Catch her off-guard.” Something clunked on the floor.

  The thud’s sound indicated the dagger. These two must have some sort of training to have uncovered the spider in the web before the Moquan. Whoever they worked for, friend or foe, they had the same goal at this point.

  Ziqiu gasped. “Song, I can’t. I’ve never killed anyone.”

  Tian had and could. If they worked together—

  A soft click emanated from the hallway, followed by the very soft padding of three people trained in stealth. The door to the next room slid open with a woosh and the thump of wood on wood. Ziqiu screamed. Metal clanged on metal.

  Drawing his knife, Tian swept through the door and turned into the adjacent room. Three Nightblades held swords in an offensive formation. The man from the common room, Song, held the dagger in one hand, his other pressed against a bleeding slash across his abdomen. Ziqiu huddled behind him.

  One of the Nightblades growled. “If you are going to plot against us, then at least be smart enough to do it somewhere we can’t hear.” Apparently, neither the walls between the private rooms, nor the partition to the concubine’s house, were particularly thick. He leaped toward
Song with a downward slash.

  Song lifted the dagger. It stopped the sword cut, but jarred from his hands. The Nightblade kicked it out of Song’s reach and took a step back. “Now, come with us.”

  Tian jumped toward the closest enemy. He drove his knife into the back of the Bovyan’s neck and plucked his sword from his hands. The two others turned. Song tackled one and fought for the weapon.

  Holding his sword two-handed, the third Nightblade edged toward the door.

  Tian interposed himself between him and Ziqiu. “Go into the street. Yell Tian Attack.”

  Staring at him with wide eyes, the girl nodded and dashed out. The Nightblade flung a star biao at her, but Tian knocked it out of the air. He swung the sword and stabbed with the knife. Dodging, the Nightblade countered with a horizontal chop. Tian ducked under the blow and thrust his sword into his enemy’s exposed armpit. As the Metal Man recoiled, Tian followed through with a stab and lodged the knife in his solar plexus. Yanking both weapons free, Tian turned to the struggle on the ground.

  The Nightblade straddled Song and pressed the sword down. Song pushed back, while the blade bit into his hands. Tian yanked the Nightblade’s head back and slashed his throat, sending blood spraying across the mats.

  Song coughed, flecking his lips with blood. “Who are you?”

  Tian helped him into a seated position. “A friend, for now. Wait here.” He peeked into the hall, where a secret door opened into the adjacent house. The concubine’s house. He ran over and paused at the entrance to listen. Inside, furniture crashed, doors opened and slammed shut, metal clanked against metal.

  “Fall back, fall back,” yelled an unfamiliar male voice.

  “Protect Leina,” another screamed.

  The light footsteps of an untrained woman shuffled toward the secret door. Tian turned the corner.

  An exotic beauty stopped in her tracks, large eyes rounded, shoulders hunched. Her blue gown accentuated cinnamon-toned skin. Here cowered the mastermind behind the Teleri occupation, perhaps the entire splintering of Hua. The Spider in the Web.

  Tian raised his sword. Behead the demon, and the body would surely fall.

  Leina knelt and closed her eyes, too afraid to watch the implement of her impending doom. It didn’t matter, really. If the latest reports were true, Peng Kai-Long had slaughtered the Maduran army. He would have little use for an aging woman, not knowing her significance. All these years in Hua, sacrificing her body to Old Hong, all for naught. A country, brought down by her in the slim hope of being reunited with her mother. The greedy men deserved their fate; but now, countless women would endure gang rape because of her choices.

  She deserved death. She bowed her head and brushed her hair to the side to expose her neck. If this swordsman could defeat three Nightblades, hopefully he was skilled enough to kill her mercifully. If only she could have seen her mother one last time.

  “No!” Purple Autumn screamed, sending a jolt through Leina’s heart.

  She had consigned herself to death already. She opened her eyes and straightened. Purple Autumn’s hand rested on the handsome young man’s shoulder. He looked familiar, with large, intelligent eyes and a high-bridged nose. Leina tilted her head. “You are one of Zheng Ming’s brothers.” Like the one the Teleri were holding at the north gate.

  Lowering the sword, the man nodded.

  Face flushing, Purple Autumn gasped. “That’s why I thought I recognized you.”

  Leina let out a wistful sigh. Making love to Zheng Ming had been the best experience in her three years in Cathay, even if the passion and ecstasy had lasted just one afternoon. Apparently, Purple Autumn knew him, too. How foolish Leina had been, letting the girl into her home.

  “All clear,” a young male’s voice said from somewhere in her house.

  “All clear,” repeated a woman. Honey’s voice. She was another one of the Night Blossoms who sometimes came to the Jade Teahouse, and apparently a Cathayi Black Fist spy.

  “Your operatives are dead,” Zheng said. “You are next. First, tell me. Why did you help the Teleri?”

  “Emperor Geros held my mother hostage in Ankira.”

  His tone betrayed no emotion. “And now?”

  “I don’t know. Murdered by Lord Peng. Or lost on the road.”

  His expression softened. “Your life is forfeit. But tell me what you know. I will do everything in my power to ensure your mother’s safety.”

  Leina bowed and motioned toward her parlor. “Come. Perhaps you can undo what I have done.”

  Zheng nodded again and followed her. Inside the parlor, three of the Nightblades lay dead. Five young spies, four boys, and Honey gathered around, watching her. Evaluating. Chairs lay strewn in splinters, the rug ruffled up. Only her weiqi game sat undisturbed.

  Zheng gazed at the game board. “How many Nightblades do you have in the field?”

  She held up five fingers. “Plus the three sent after you in the teahouse.”

  He shook his head. “Dead. When will the others report back?”

  “In three hours.”

  With a nod toward one of the boys, he pointed to the front door. “Go to the palace. Tell Jie she can commence the attack. In three hours.”

  Leina’s stomach knotted. They were revealing names, which meant she would not survive this afternoon. She pointed at the board. “The Teleri Empire has been targeting Cathay for some time, using Madura and the Nothori nations to keep your armies distracted while they connected the roads through the Kanin Wilds. I was sent here three years ago, while they were establishing the Water Snake Clan.”

  Purple Autumn’s lips formed an O. “During Prince Kai-Wu’s wedding ceremony. I remember that. It was the first assassination attempt on Princess Kaiya.”

  Leina shook her head. “The timing is right, but that was purely coincidental. The Water Snake had nothing to do with it. I suspect Lord Peng was behind that.”

  The man’s lips pursed, his knuckles white around the sword hilt. “How do you communicate with the Directori?”

  “Through messenger birds. The birds are in the attic rookery. The codes are in my bedside table drawer.” Leina pointed toward her room. “Then-First Consul Geros had estimated seven years to finish the roads and pacify the surrounding area. I had that much time to undermine Cathay. But when Princess Kaiya escaped home, carrying his son in her womb, he moved his timetable up.”

  Zheng’s face betrayed nothing, but Purple Autumn gawked. Perhaps revealing the princess’ secret would end up hurting yet another woman. Leina sighed.

  “What about Hong?” Zheng’s tone held monotone. “Did he have anything to do with the plot? Where is he now?”

  Old Hong. Leina’s chest constricted as she looked at the spot where he’d died. If her dalliance with Ming had been her only joy in her three years in Cathay, Hong’s kind gestures had at least blunted the horror of the rest.

  And she’d poisoned him. “He was an unwitting fool I manipulated. Him, and Young Lord Liu Dezhen. They undermined Cathay—Hong, because he didn’t foresee the results of his actions. Young Lord Liu, because he wanted his son to become Tianzi.” She set her jaw rigidly, hoping to sound disinterested. “Hong is dead, by my hand.”

  Zheng nodded. “And you sabotaged the firepowder?”

  She shook her head. “The leader of the Nightblades did that. A non-Bovyan, one of your own. He arrived just ahead of the invading army.”

  “Oh….” Honey nodded. “He must be the one Master Jie hunted in Eldaeri lands.”

  Leina shrugged. “I did not even know the Black Fists were real until several days ago when I met him.”

  “Where is he now?” Zheng asked.

  “I don’t know. He disappeared the day of the invasion.”

  Purple Autumn gasped. “He was the one who tried to take the fallen star from the Temple of Heaven. He and my master killed each other.”

  The young Black Fists exchanged glances, while Zheng regarded Purple Autumn through narrow eyes. He then turned to Leina
. “I am sure the local authorities will have you tortured and executed. But I understand. You wanted to save your mother. I give you the option of fleeing Cathay forever.”

  The Black Fists all murmured among themselves, but he silenced them with a glare. Tears gathered in her eyes, blurring her vision. He was letting her go.

  But where? With nobody left, she had nowhere to go and no reason to live. Even if her mother had somehow survived, they would never find each other wandering a strange land. No, this was her house. Only now did she see that, only after she killed the man who had made it her home. She shook her head and pointed to her room. “I have a fatal poison. Allow me to take it.”

  Zheng gestured with an open hand, and followed as she went in and withdrew the crushed leaves and the messenger bird codes from her bedside table. She went back into the parlor and sprinkled it into her still-warm tea. Sipping it to savor the sweet taste, she said, “I am sorry for what I did.”

  Zheng nodded. “If your mother lives, I will make sure she is protected.” He then pointed at the weiqi board and pointed. “White has lost. Because Black controls this one interior intersection. If a white piece held that instead of black, your plan would fail.”

  Mind spinning, Leina offered him a wry smile that took most of her energy. Each breath seemed harder to draw in. “So much rode on chance, especially after Emperor Geros pressed the attack three years ahead of schedule. In a game of weiqi, your idea would be cheating.”

  “In life, it can still be done.” His handsome face blurred.

  She started to speak, but her breath seized and she coughed. Hand trembling, she reached to the board and removed the piece. She mouthed, Princess, but the only sound was the rasp of her last exhale.

  CHAPTER 39:

  Choices

  The silence made Kaiya wonder if she’d lost her hearing. The pulse of the world, so strong and steadfast just moments before, was gone. Only the fallen star in her pack vibrated and hummed, ever so slightly, and the sound vented upward into the tree canopy.