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

by JC Kang

  One which no amount of wisdom would diffuse. It wasn’t her place, either; not among foreigners who had to be somehow repatriated. Kaiya offered a nervous smile. Then behind her, the middle-aged woman moved in a rapid ruffling of clothes. The young woman surged forward in a blur, faster than anyone Kaiya had ever seen, besides…Paladins.

  Women screamed. Kaiya’s sleeve sheared with a rasp. Pain bit into her arm. She turned to see the middle-aged woman on her back, dagger in hand. The young woman stomped on the other hand with blinding speed, sending bones crunching. It sounded like glass shattered in her hand.

  The woman’s face disappeared, replaced by—Cousin Peng. His expression filled with a hatred that made Kaiya shiver. Wincing at his hand, which curled at a strange angle, he staggered to his feet. The tent flap opened, and Sameer, Fleet, and General Lu rushed in.

  They were too far away. Peng lunged forward with a stab.

  The woman wrapped a sash around his wrist and pulled his arm to the side. With a deft twist, she plucked the dagger out of his hand.

  Peng’s eyes darted over the tent, his gaze pausing for split seconds over weapons, drawn and sheathed. With a sigh, he raised his hands above his head. “Curse you, Kaiya.” He spat her name.

  Kaiya sighed, too. The Hua civil war was finally over, Peng Kai-Long finally in custody—

  The young woman zipped in toward him. Faster than the eye could see, the blade whispered across his body eight times in a split-second before she jumped out again. He stared as blood spurted from several surgical slashes over major arteries. He collapsed to his knees.

  The woman curled her lip. “That was for every Maduran you lured into Cathay. For every prisoner you butchered in cold blood.” She darted in again and yanked Peng’s head back by his hair.

  Kaiya held a hand up. Deserved as it might be, this was nothing short of murder. Paladins did not dispense justice this way. They needed to drag Peng before the rest of the hereditary lords for proper punishment.

  “Sohini!” Sameer gaped. “What are you doing here?”

  The woman looked back at him and her scowl softened. Her knife lowered. She looked…embarrassed.

  That face, that expression. Kaiya sucked in a breath. The woman—Sohini—was no Paladin. She was a Golden Scorpion, the Scorpion who’d tried to poison her and defeated Jie.

  Sohini’s mouth curled into a sneer. “This is for betraying my prince.” She plunged the dagger deep into Peng’s throat with a sickening squish. He fell over into a twisted heap of sari and uniform, his lifeblood soaking into the tent floor.

  The Golden Scorpion Sohini pushed Sameer to the side by his bad arm and flashed out of the tent. Sameer whirled around and gave chase.

  Kaiya’s mind spun. So much had just happened. The woman who had tried to ambush her had reappeared into her life. Then disappeared just as fast, taking Sameer with her. Cousin Peng now lay on the ground, probably dead from the brutal attack.

  Fleet rolled the body over and shrugged. “Can’t say he didn’t deserve it.”

  Maybe so, but what would the army say? All of it had happened in the close confines of a tent, with only a handful of witnesses. She had promised justice, not revenge. No one would collect the reward for Peng’s capture. And the Guardian Dragon and her Pearl were no longer around to reaffirm the Mandate of Heaven.

  “Jue-ye,” a voice called from the entrance to the tent.

  Kaiya turned to see a large messenger kneeling there, fist to the ground. “Speak,” she said.

  “The Teleri have launched an attack on Lord Wu’s rear.”

  CHAPTER 44:

  Dance of Heavens

  Geros scanned the valley, trying to decipher the positions of the Cathayi imperial and provincial armies. The messenger birds between him and the Nightblade embedded with Peng’s rebellion had ceased three days prior, and now he acted on what he had known at the time: Peng’s armies faced off against the imperials, with Lord Wu’s provincial army about to fall on the imperial flank.

  Once Lord Wu descended, Geros had planned to lead his men to occupy that position. It would’ve not only provided a commanding view of the battle, but also a superior position from which to engage whichever army emerged victorious…and depleted.

  Yet Lord Wu had left long before the Teleri army had arrived, and from this vantage point, it was impossible to tell if they planned to engage the Cathayi imperial troops or join them. He looked back at his own orderly ranks, the Bovyans showing no signs of wear after they had stolen a march on his enemies.

  Past First Consuls had noted in their memoirs that he Eye of Geros allowed them to see details more clearly, and see in the dark, but he’d yet to experience it. He held his hand back to an aide. “My looking glass.”

  The aide thumped his fist to his chest and withdrew the scope.

  Geros swiped it and took in the scene. Peng’s troops seemed to be in disarray, even though there were no signs of a battle having taken place. Strange, since Peng had proven a capable leader. Geros shifted to Lord Wu’s men. They looked to be…resting?

  If only he knew more. Tivar take the Nightblade for failing to maintain communication! Or perhaps they had ferreted him out. Geros examined the imperial troops. They were breaking camp, when they should be annihilating Peng’s disorganized army. On a hillside outcrop, at the close end of the imperial armies on Lord Wu’s left…

  Princess Kaiya.

  He snapped the looking glass shut and turned back to his aide. “How many Cathayi soldiers did we count?”

  The aide pointed at the groups in turn. “Lord Peng has a hundred and twenty thousand. The imperials, a hundred and fifty thousand. Lord Wu, thirty thousand.”

  In total, a nearly six-to-one advantage over his own forty-five thousand men. Yet none of the enemy were Bovyans, and in a pitched hand-to-hand battle, the enemy’s muskets would be useless. If Peng saw the tide turn in his favor, ambition might get the better of him. Might.

  For Kaiya, Geros would take that gamble.

  He turned to his command team. “The Cathayi outnumber us, but their closest group is resting and the rest are not prepared. If we stretch out in thin ranks, we will be too close for them to use guns once we engage. General Tanos will attack their left-center, while General Baros falls on their left rear flank. General Kros will hold our own left flank. I will personally slide behind Baros and attack their central command.” Which was Kaiya.

  General Baros gawked at him. “Your Eminence, if they see you coming, Lord Peng will be able to fall on your right and isolate you.”

  “Lord Peng’s men are too disorganized, and he might very well turn on her…I mean, them.” Another risk he would take, since this might now be his only chance to seize the princess and his unborn son. He glared at the men, who bowed their heads. “Now attack! Quickly and quietly, before they can organize.”

  The men all thumped their chests and hurried to their divisions.

  Geros looked back at the valley, where his prize waited unawares. Soon, very soon, she would be his again. Or he would be dead.

  The energy of the world hummed in Kaiya’s ears, providing a backdrop for the sounds of war. Metal clashed on metal as the Teleri smashed into Lord Wu’s rear. Boots stomped, men screamed, all in a symphony of slaughter. If only she could connect to the energy, harness it into her voice, she could turn this battle into a rout. There had to be a way.

  Emotions. Enough emotions would topple the Tiger’s Eye, hopefully for good. Kaiya conjured up memories, seeing if they would stir her feelings. Hardeep’s enchantment and Avarax’s deception. Zheng Ming’s charm. Tian treating her like dirt in their escape from Iksuvius, followed by his affection in the Wilds. The love only she evoked in him. The joy and rapture of making love to him. Geros taking her. Her father’s death. Tian’s death. Jie’s death.

  She was now all alone in this world. Yet, all the images and memories felt like she was reading a sterile, historical account of her life. The energy of the world remained close and torrential, but
walled off, just like when Geros had collared her with the grey metal neck ring.

  Hand to her throat, Kaiya looked down at the battle from the outcropping. Lord Wu’s men were fleeing from the onslaught. The Teleri snaked along the provincial army’s edges in the most bizarre fashion to her untrained eyes. It seemed inconceivable that such a small force could even stand a chance against a much larger one. Beneath her, Hua officers scurried about, mobilizing their men to arms.

  And then she saw it: the Teleri reserve slipped behind the wall formed by their forward troops. Headed where? She followed the curve of the battle lines, meandering down the mountain, along the road…to her.

  A lump formed in her throat. The reserve troop, marching double-time or perhaps faster, came for her. Like the Founder’s victory at Narrow Barrel Valley on Great Peace Island. Facing an army twenty-five thousand with under two thousand of his own men, he had killed the enemy lord, and the opposition crumbled.

  This time, they didn’t plan to kill the leader. Geros undoubtedly had other plans for her.

  And no one to protect her. Her generals and senior officers raced among the men in a vain attempt to organize them. Sameer had run off after the Scorpion. Brehane—she would be using her magic by now if she were able. Perhaps Doctor Wu was still tending her wounds. And Fleet… Fleet had disappeared yet again, after waylaying a messenger to who knows where.

  As her gaze swept across the valley, something glinted in the corner of her eye. Right by her side, where she had somehow missed it. Xu’s magic mirror, the one she’d carried to Vyara City and back, rested on a folded pile of fine silk. Instead of a reflection on its face, several black words burned on a parchment background. The title of another book, perhaps. She read.

  When a regent looks the part, her people will listen.

  Never a straight answer from that elf, even in his letters. She knelt down and ran her fingers across the gold embroidered blue silk. She lifted it, revealing an outer robe with five-clawed dragon patterns stitched into it. It was beautiful. A silver-threaded sash tumbled out.

  She appraised her plain travelling dress, light brown and soiled with mud, dirt, and blood. Her own sash, hastily wound back after General Lu tore it off, was creased and ratty. In whole, certainly not the bearing of a princess, let alone a regent. She looked back at the Teleri reserve, jogging unopposed toward her position, with Geros’ unmistakable gait at the head of their column. Only a few minutes away.

  It left scant time to rally her army. Cold ran up her spine. Nothing kept Geros from capturing her again. Her heart pounded in the constricted confines of her chest. Where was the cursed Tiger’s Eye when she actually needed it?

  Put on the sash and robe, Xu’s voice spoke in her mind, exasperated.

  Kaiya’s stomach leapt into her throat. There was no sign of the elf lord. If he could see what was going on, why didn’t he help?

  Because if I saved the day, your people would look to me for leadership. Xu’s words blew out like a long sigh. Success or failure is on your shoulders. Now put on the clothes I made especially for you!

  What was that supposed to do? Make her appear regal in defeat? Create an extra layer for Geros to strip away?

  Just do it! his voice snarled.

  The elf should’ve just said something instead of leaving a cryptic message about fashion sense in his magic mirror. Hands trembling, fingers stiff, she unwound her sash. Tian’s pouch again tumbled out, this time hitting the rocks with a dull thud. A strange sound, really. She shook her head, trying to focus as she tore the old sash away and started wrapping the other.

  She froze mid-wind. The energy of the world buzzed in her feet, resonating to her heart. Could it be? Tentatively, she sang a single note. The power surged through her, echoing into the night. Soldiers from both sides froze on the battlefield and looked up at her. Geros stopped mid-stride and stared at her through his mismatched eyes.

  Perhaps her fear had battered down the Tiger’s Eye, even if she didn’t feel that fright now. Still, the energy of the world coursed through her. The magic mirror’s surface flashed at her feet. A Hua marching song flickered into view, one which the slave girl Yanyan had sung during the War of Ancient Gods to mobilize Hua slaves against their altivorc masters.

  Holding the memory of Tian facing three Teleri with only a stone-headed spear, Kaiya sang. The world’s pulse vibrated through her. From where she stood, radiating out, Hua soldiers formed up. Their unified chant and the pounding of their spear hafts on the ground followed the cadence of her voice.

  Still, the Teleri lines held. Their expeditionary force scrambled up the hillside. Geros himself had closed enough for her to make out his ravenous smirk. Her song did not affect them either way, nor did she know any Arkothi songs that could evoke fear in them.

  Geros was just ten paces away. There had to be something she could do. A word of power. It had been so long—well, besides ordering Peng’s men to kneel—since she’d used one. It had to be simple, one syllable at most, and in the Arkothi language. Even with the energy of the world welling in this spot, it might not be enough to affect so many.

  Kaiya gripped the ground with her toes and straightened her spine. She sucked in a deep breath. Guanyin’s Tear atop the pyramid darkened, and the Trees of Light dimmed, shrouding the battlefield in the light of the three moons alone.

  “Flee.” The Arkothi word rolled off her tongue and boomed. It echoed throughout the valley. The pyramid and trees lit up again. All the energy drained out of her. Her wobbly legs unable to support her, Kaiya buckled to the ground. Tian’s pouch lay near her hand, and she picked it up. Though her head and shoulders felt like a dwarf anvil, she pushed herself into a sitting position and looked to the battlefield.

  The Teleri lines broke. The Bovyans threw down their arms and fled in an all-out retreat. A rout. Just three steps away from her, Geros took tentative backward steps before turning into a full sprint. He tripped over his feet and stumbled the rest of the way down the hillside.

  Her words struggled to break free of her throat and came out only as a hoarse whisper. “Cap—capture. Capture him...”

  Lord Xu materialized out of thin air. “Kaiya, come with me.” He placed a hand on her shoulder, and the battlefield winked out.

  Kaiya blinked. They now stood near an enormous arch, which spanned the mouth of an atoll. Her feet sunk into fine white sand. At last, after her armies had already turned the tide of the battle, he appeared.

  “Sit,” he said, indicating a worn boulder behind her.

  She nodded and settled on the edge, letting her legs dangle over the side. Just like she had often done at Sun-Moon Palace, looking out over the lake. Those days had been filled with uncertainty, as plotting and insurgency roiled the realm. Though Peng, the source of all the turmoil, was dead, the road ahead still felt daunting. The North lay pillaged by the Bovyans. Bridges destroyed. Ambitious lords who might not necessarily believe in or care about Guardian Dragons.

  He sat down beside her and pointed to the moons, now going their separate ways. It would be three centuries before they met again in the high halls of heaven. He patted her on the head. “The annals of history tell you the Godseye Conjunction and the appearance of the Guardian Dragon heralded in the Wang Dynasty. Let me tell you another story.”

  Tiger’s Eye or not, Kaiya’s spine tingled.

  “Three hundred years ago, I sat with your ancestors under this same sky. It was not for the celebration of victory, but to mark the beginning of a new road. The next years were not easy. Warlords had undermined Yu Dynasty imperial authority for a decade before the Hellstorm, and the Long Winter would leave the people starving. Yet Wang Xinchang and Wang Yuxiang overcame the hardships and reunited Hua.”

  Kaiya nodded. The histories often glossed over the process in favor of the grand story of the Guardian Dragon and the Mandate of Heaven. Still, there were more complicated stories left untold.

  Xu turned her chin to meet his gaze. “Your ancestors were strangers to
this land, and I daresay, not as resourceful as you. Have faith in yourself. I have faith in you. You have far surpassed my expectations.”

  “Expectations?”

  “Remember that I once said you were born to face Avarax?”

  She nodded.

  “The late Queen Regent’s bloodline does not easily beget scions. Your father asked for my power to help conceive his children. I gave you Yanyan’s voice so you could vanquish Avarax once her ward on his power failed.”

  Kaiya’s mind spun. How was it even possible?

  “You defeated him when I could not.” He grinned. “Now, you are reuniting Hua.”

  Kaiya stared back at him. “Why? Why did you help my ancestors? Why do you help me? Why do you care about Hua?”

  He gazed back up at the stars. “Did you see it before? A constellation appeared above the moons just before the Godseye Conjunction. It is gone now.”

  “The Golden Flock.” Kaiya looked. Indeed, the new stars she had seen at the pyramid had disappeared.

  He pointed toward the red star, Yanluo the Conqueror. “If you watched the heavens from there, you would see a very different picture. In the elaborate dance of the stars, Tivara is just one of the performers. Yet, it is one of the most important. Sometimes a stagehand must work with a diva.”

  A diva. Kaiya pouted like a child. Was he referring to Tivara, or her?

  He laughed. “The Hellstorm, elf angels, the Altivorc King: they are all part of an intricate choreography, the push and pull of good and evil. What you do here, in undermining the altivorcs and their allies, ensures that the universe unfolds as planned.”

  As always, Lord Xu talked in riddles. Kaiya let out a long sigh. As if the realm wasn’t enough responsibility.