by Moon, Tim
Han spotted the formation. It was a rocky outcrop shaped like a sleeping dragon. In fact, now that he saw it, a dragon was all he could see when he looked. His eyes were deceived to the point that Han felt an uneasiness grow within him.
Han adjusted his belt, shifted his sword, hefted the food pouch from one shoulder to the other, and began walking toward the nerve-wracking outcrop. He had to remind himself the whole way it was just rock. If anyone had seen the look in his eyes, his reputation as a fearless warrior would crumble.
Birds glided by overhead, flying easily on the steady breeze coming in from the sea. Now he understood why birds always seemed cheerful. Han wondered if he would ever have cause to fly again. If not, he may go just for fun. The scent of saltwater had grown to the point it was palpable on his skin.
His instructions told him to go to the north side of the rock, which sat only fifty feet from the edge of the cliff. Han could hear the crashing waves below. He walked to the edge and peered over as far as he dared. The drop was significant and while the view was incredible, he backed away and turned to face the dragon rock.
At the midpoint of the rock on the north face was a switch he would have to push to unlock another stone. Han found the one that had been described to him. Reaching out, Han took a quick look around. He felt as though he was alone, but the secret entrance made him uneasy and he did not want to be responsible for revealing its existence.
Satisfied he was in fact alone; Han checked for traps before he pressed the sun shaped stone and slid it to the right. The magic switch made a slight grinding sound and then Han heard a click. A small puff of dust blew in his face as air escaped the seams of the door. Crouching down to center his body mass and gain leverage, Han gave the door a shove to the left. It rolled a little. The stone gave a small bump and then rolled easier, revealing a dark passageway and spiraling staircase.
Han stepped inside, focused his power, and activated his dark vision. The stone passageway glowed red as he closed the secret doorway behind himself. It thumped closed, and he heard the switch grind and click back into place.
With boyish glee, Han began to rush down the stairs. Master Yoshi explained the journey to him and it had sounded exciting, but actually seeing it, experiencing it, was so much more interesting than he could have imagined. The staircase wound down in a slow curve. The air smelled damp and slimy looking plants clung to the walls. All of it looked ancient, yet amazingly well crafted.
Was this passage created during the Tiandai?
He would give almost anything to see the kingdoms united again. The tales of the old kingdom, the innovation, the peace, and the prosperity of all people regardless of their station was renowned and well documented.
Empress Qorin seemed to have designs to that end, but from everything Han knew she was a far cry from the kind of leader a united kingdom would need. He sighed as he continued to descend the stairs.
It felt endless. As Han brought himself back to the present, he realized there was a faint rushing sound. He was nearing the place where he would wait for Captain Zheng and her crew to fetch him for the return trip to Ishigandar. Han hoped he would have some time to sleep before the ship arrived. Once aboard, he would do his fair share of work. Even paid passage required some form of labor.
Light glistened off something roughly head-height a few steps down. Han looked closely and when he saw what it was, his flesh burst into goose flesh and he quivered with a chill that left his hairs standing on end.
Clinging to a massive web strung across the passageway was an immense spider. Han had never seen a spider the size of a small dog before. It was the stuff of nightmares. He would have given nearly anything to trade it for another round with the demonblades.
Han could not fathom how or why the creature was here in this dark tunnel. Surely even a spider needed light. Its bulbous body was nearly invisible, but its thick legs arched out at unnatural angles. Even from where he stood, Han knew the arachnid was by far the largest he had ever encountered. He estimated it could easily take a raven if the bird ever had the misfortune of crossing the spider’s path, or possibly a small deer. Of all his encounters on the journey so far, the massive arachnid was by far the most frightening. It twitched a leg which made Han suck in a breath in disgust. His pulse pounded as though he sparred for hours.
“Why here of all places?” Han grumbled to himself. At least no one was there to see him squirm, especially Sai, the woman he adored. She would never let him live it down.
If the passage offered another path at the top of the stairs, Han would have backtracked. It did not. So, as much as he did not wish to go near the spider, Han knew there was only one way to deal with it.
Han lifted his shirt and shifted his scabbard so the handle was accessible. He slowly pulled the blade out, not wanting to frighten the spider and send it scurrying off to a dark corner only to emerge while he was sleeping and drain his blood.
“No, it ends here,” he said softly.
Taking another step down so he was within striking distance, Han froze as another leg twitched. His face was screwed up worse than the time he lost a bet and had to eat two whole lemons at once. The spider’s leg settled back down and with a swift cut, Han severed the creature into two nightmare inducing halves. They fell to the steps with a squishy sounding thud, twitching and clawing at the air.
Han cringed at the sound. Scowling at the mess on his blade, he used it to clear away the spider’s web. It clung to the steel, which he kept out until he could clean it properly. He prayed to the Great Teacher that he did not encounter any more foul creatures.
Han stayed vigilant as he continued down the stairs.
Chapter 10
Han came around a bend in the staircase and was stunned to see the massive chamber open up before him. The carved passageway came into what could only be a natural cave. Stalactites and stalagmites jutted out throughout the chamber. Salty humid air filled the cave, but smelled oddly fresh, which piqued Han’s curiosity. A large flat area worn down with use butted up against a large emerald pool of seawater that rose and fell at regular intervals.
The cave was devoid of human life, but it was clear animals made their way in here. Han could smell the odor of scat. As he walked into the chamber, he realized it had its own strange glow. The illumination was not merely from his dark vision. Han released his energy, and the red light dimmed from his eyes.
If not for the spots of light along the lower edges of the cavern, Han would have been plunged into the inky darkness off to his left when he looked deeper into the cave. Part of the wall near the water was glowing on his side of the pool.
Picking his way over the rocky floor, Han moved closer to the wall to inspect the source of light. It was not unheard of for mofa to cast a permanent spell of this sort, although he could not imagine this cave was frequented enough to expend such energy.
Upon closer inspection, Han saw strands of something that looked like spider’s silk with droplets on it. These were not from spiders. He learned about these creatures when he was still a young trainee at the monastery. The light on the cave walls came from glow worms. Each of their turquoise lights appeared as stars in the darkness, as though an artist painted a likeness of the night sky.
Han smiled as he enjoyed the view. Then the practicalities of life demanded his attention. He found a place to put his gear and went to the water to wash off his sword. Then he relieved himself in the far corner, where he noticed a sizable dip in the stone. For the time being, he would utilize that as his latrine. The rhythmic dripping and lapping of water against the rocks covered up the sounds of his bodily function.
He sat down to wait and leaned against a smooth rock. Captain Zheng probably would not arrive until sometime the next day. Han settled in for a nice rest after all the fighting, running, and magic. His pack contained a decent assortment of snacks including some dried meat. Han found a rock nearby to place the pack on, just in case the water rose. It didn’t appear as though the water c
ame up where he rested, but he wanted to be certain his food did not spoil.
Then sleep took him.
Chapter 11
“Oi, wake up, you,” a gruff voice said.
Han felt someone kick his foot. He bolted upright and shivered, suddenly feeling cold. A knife found its way into his hand, although he kept it concealed. His eyes flicked open and he fought to focus on the voice. Others mumbled in the distance. Han remembered he was sleeping in the cave and rubbed his face.
Something about the acoustics was off. It did not alarm Han; it was merely one change that he noted. Another was the smell of seal oil burning in a lantern.
“You awake, sunshine?”
“Yes, yes,” Han said. Then he asked, “Who are you?”
“A friendly passerby taking on passengers.”
“I would like to book passage, unless the sea looks rough,” Han said, completing his part of the verification.
“The sea looks lovely as always this time of year,” the voice replied.
“Very well.” Han nodded and stretched his arms.
“I’m Hong, Captain Zheng’s First Mate.”
Han stood up and peered at the man holding a dim lantern. “Greetings. You may call me Han. Shall we depart?”
“Unless you want to spend another night here,” Hong said, jerking his head toward the water.
Tidal change had lowered the water level significantly, and Han had to look down into the pool which was a good eight feet lower. A man and woman sitting in a rowboat gazed up at him with curious looks.
Han slid the knife he had drawn back into its sheath and collected his things. It took less than a minute. He relieved himself before returning to Hong. The first mate led him to the edge of the pool where they would have to climb down to the rowboat.
Hong patted Han’s shoulder and the warrior had to fight the urge to snap the man’s wrist. Instead, Han pursed his lips and glared at the first mate. Hong caught the look and held his hands up in defense.
“Forgive me. Old habits,” Hong said.
Han grunted.
“There are stairs carved into the stone just there,” Hong said, gesturing to their right.
Han followed the directions and raised his eyebrows. It was a detail that had slipped past him when he had arrived and inspected the cave before falling asleep. Just the thought made him wonder how long he had been sleeping.
Leading the way, Han started down the steps. First Mate Hong followed him.
“Where do you hail from, Hong?” he asked.
“My parents are from Dangun, but I was raised in Ishigandar my whole life.”
“Just as I presumed from your accent. You hide it well, but unfortunately for you, I am quite adept at catching such details,” Han said.
“No problem for me,” Hong replied. “I have never denied my ancestry. Doing so would be weak and cowardly.”
Han nodded in agreement.
“Are you prepared to meet the captain?”
“This is my first time meeting Captain Zheng. Do you have any suggestions?”
First Mate Hong chuckled and nearly slapped Han on the back until he saw the cold look in the man’s eyes. He thought better of it and lowered his hand.
“No, my boy,” said the older man. “You will have to learn how to deal with the captain yourself. My one tip would be not to lie to her.”
Han smirked. “That’s prudent advice for meeting anyone.”
They loaded into the small rowboat and the two Han had seen from above began to paddle. Now that the tide was out, their exit was visible.
“How long until we get to the ship?” Han asked.
“Nervous about pursuit?” Hong gave him a sly grin. “Not long, my friend.”
A few minutes later they emerged from the cave and Han could see The Vicious Lotus, Captain Zheng’s legendary ship.
“Incredible,” Han said breathlessly.
“And she ain’t even on the hunt, mate,” Hong said with pride.
Han could see why the ship inspired fear in those who frequented the seas.
Become a Warrior
The first novel in the Empire Wars series is coming soon.
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Author Notes
Thank you for reading Battle of Demons.
I’m seriously stoked about this series, and this novella is just a small taste of what’s to come. Empire Wars is a quite a bit different from the Necrose Series or The Collin War Chronicles. For those who are wondering, this is going to be an ongoing series. I have ideas and notes for at least nine more books. If you enjoyed reading about Han, you’ll have plenty more to read in the near future. You won’t be kept waiting too long between releases. No two-year gap like I had between Dead Apocalypse and Dead Horde (oops!).
Some people have asked why I decided to dive into fantasy and, in particular, Asian fantasy. Well, when I first began to take my writing seriously back 2010 or so, I spent a metric crap-ton of time developing an elaborate back-story for a sci-fi/fantasy series. (Side note: I still plan to write it at some point). At the time though, I had no idea what I was doing as far as writing or crafting a story. It may still be open for debate if I’ve improved on that point. Ha!
The ideas for the sci-fi/fantasy series were coming fast and furious, so I wrote it all down and I’ve since read back over early drafts. There is some great stuff, but I was just winging it (or pantsing as we say in writer-speak). At the time it was basically too much story for my skill level. I kept hitting roadblocks, so I stepped back and focused on learning more about the technical aspects of writing, such as story structure, characterization, and how to plot a novel.
After this experience, I decided to try something less complicated. That’s when I wrote the Necrose Series. It came to me when I was hanging out on the beach in Kona, Hawaii after work. I already knew about zombies, the setting was contemporary so I didn’t have to invent stuff, and I kept the plot fairly simple - survival.
Dead Apocalypse was the result of those ideas. From that point it still took almost a year before I actually sat down and started writing it. At the time, I was living in South Korea away from friends and family, and I found myself with a good deal of free time. My plans weren’t nailed down as far as what I’d do after teaching in Korea, but I wanted to have something tangible from my time there. So I focused on two things - hiking and writing. By the way, if you’ve never been to Korea, go. It’s so beautiful and the food is incredible.
The other reason for Asian fantasy should be clear by now, right? No?
I lived in Korea for a year, and I’ve been living and working in China for several years now. The region has a lot of fascinating history and interesting culture. Since my wife is Chinese and my children will be mixed, it seemed like something I should explore. It helped that I’ve always loved Chinese and Japanese culture, ever since I read Shogun by James Clavel in 5th or 6th grade. It’s how I learned what the word “decapitate” meant. Korea was more of a mystery to me, but I learned a lot before I moved there and even more while I lived there.
Please keep in mind I love writing stories that are fun and exciting. Stories that have great characters and adventurous plots. I am not trying to write historical fiction (yet!). Some of the elements of this series rely on real culture, language and history, but most of it is pure fantasy.
If you’re looking for another series in the Asian fantasy sub-genre, I would recommend checking out Nightblade by Ryan Kirk. I read the whole series and enjoyed it.
Join the Warriors and you’ll be kept up to date with the latest new release info for the Empire Wars series and receive subscriber only exclusives.
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About the Author
Tim Moon is an author, artist, and adventurer from Washington State. Tim graduated from Washington State University,
with a BA degree in political science and a minor in psychology. Tim is a lifelong fan of science fiction and fantasy and primarily writes in those genres. He loves to travel, go backpacking, read, and watch movies. After five years working in airport security, Tim moved to South Korea to teach English and completed his first book, Dead Apocalypse. Tim currently lives in China with his beautiful wife.
Want to chat?
www.timdmoon.com
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