Excerpt
Jian Li was many things. Brother to a powerful man. Unmatched warrior. And loyal general.
General Altan of the Kou was few of those things. Talented with the dao, he had loyalty to no one but himself.
When Jian saw him enter the bloody square, stepping over bodies of the people who'd be alive if it wasn't for the Kou, he could see little else. For some unknown reason, he'd been searching for the girl who ran from his protection. A girl he could have sworn took an arrow to the chest. But that wasn't possible. In the chaos, his eyes played tricks on him.
The girl cared little for herself as she bent over the fallen woman Jian recognized as one of the emperor's consorts. Then he saved her, got her to a place she could hide from the foreign attack, and she'd run.
He shook his head, waiting for his opening. His warriors pushed the invaders back to the perimeter of the square away from the palace. That was the goal. Protect the emperor at all costs, no matter who else they couldn't save.
But Jian knew Emperor Bo Xu Wei, and Bo wouldn't have approved of the strategy that left the citizens of Dasha vulnerable.
Fire rose toward the sky, angry red flames dancing as they ravaged buildings full of those who'd hidden in them.
Something had to be done.
General Altan was a large man with wide, hulking shoulders hunched forward. A prominent brow jutted out above dark eyes. He rubbed his pointed chin as he surveyed the remaining Kou soldiers atop the houses with bows and crossbows aimed down below.
Jian found a discarded shield on the ground near a fallen warrior. Crossbow bolts could still pierce the metal, but they wouldn't reach his skin.
He leapt over a mass of bodies, his feet landing in a puddle of blood that splashed up his robes. He should have known better than to think he could take a night away from his scaled armor.
Dao raised in one hand, he charged, prepared to meet the full might of Altan as he had many times before.
He was halfway across the square when he heard it. A horn. The Kou's signal to retreat. Altan finally saw him, his lips curving up into a wicked grin for just a moment before running forward, ignoring the signal to retreat.
"Jian Li." His lip curled. "I was hoping to see you here."
The accented words fell on Jian, reminding him of a time when he'd spoke to Batukhan Altan every day. They'd been friends almost… if you discounted the fact that Jian was a spy lying to everyone he knew in Koulland.
Except for her… Altan's sister. She'd known exactly who he was and loved him enough to leave with him. At least she had tried.
There was no time for remembering the past.
"Are you going to fight me?" Jian gripped his dao, preparing for an attack. In another life, the man before him would have been on his side. They both mourned the same woman. But they blamed each other for her death.
Altan flicked his eyes to his retreating men. "Not today, Li. This attack was a warning. The Kou grow in strength. Soon, Piao will not be able to stand against us. We are coming for you." His voice dropped. "And I will make you pay for what you did to her."
If his country wasn't in danger, Jian would let him. Maybe he deserved punishment. She was dead, and here he stood, still unable to save her.
Was that why he'd saved the girl?
Altan gave him one final long look before making for the nearest horse and launching himself into the saddle.
Jian breathed heavily as the Kou slipped back into the darkness from which they'd come, shadows in the night.
"One day," he promised General Altan's retreating form. "One day, you and I will finish this."
He surveyed the damage, sadness growing inside him as he watched his warriors go from fighting the Kou to pulling people from burning buildings. They arrived back in the square, coughing and choking on the billowing smoke.
It would be a long time before they had numbers of the dead, but Jian already knew it would be more than Piao could bear. These scars would never heal.
