Dragon Rising by M Lynn

Author:M Lynn [Lynn, M]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-03-12T16:00:00+00:00

Whispers wound through the tent that night as versions of the story made their way from lips to ears. Commander Li intentionally gave his men up to the Kou general. No wait, he knew there was a trap but figured some would survive and the sacrifices were worth it. He didn’t value the lives of his men. He wanted to get to General Altan no matter the cost.

And the best?

He was going to lead them all to their deaths.

Hua tried to fall asleep, but Chen and Yan’s words bounced around her skull. She didn’t know if she could believe the things they said of the commander with the hard but sad eyes. If she mentioned that to them, they’d call her a girl—which was exactly what she was despite their thinking otherwise. She wasn’t immune to the broad-shouldered commander. She’d seen through his harsh commands and brutal criticisms.

Maybe there was some truth to the stories of his men dying, but there had to be more, something to put the doubt behind the general’s bravado.

As voices dropped off, loud snores took their places. With a sigh, Hua pulled herself from the bed and draped an overcoat over her shoulders before sliding her feet into her boots and stepping out into the night.

The stars here reminded her of home, and she liked to imagine her grandmother pointing out the constellations to Ru as she’d done when Hua was a child.

It seemed like another lifetime when she’d been the girl speaking to her grandmother of life and love. One topic they’d never covered? War.

The rumor around camp the day before was that a messenger came to inform the commander of a lost battle near the mouth of the Liudong River. How long would it be before Hua found herself facing hordes of Kou warriors who’d been training for war their entire lives?

She sucked in a breath, reminding herself why she was here. For her family.

A small fire flickered next to one of the sentries and as she neared, Hua recognized Luca’s lanky frame.

“Couldn’t sleep?” He didn’t look at her as he scanned the darkness.

“No, sir.”

Luca chuckled. “Please don’t ‘sir’ me. It makes me feel like Jian.”

Hua laughed. “But you’re my superior.”

“In battle, there will be no such thing as rank and superiority. In the beginning, the commander will issue orders, but chaos always overcomes, and every warrior becomes master of their own fates.”

“Oh.” She kicked her toe against the ground and followed his gaze, peering through the dark toward where a few lanterns winked in the distant town. During the day, they could see it stretching for miles, a high wall surrounding the homes. Only the outer farms sat exposed. In the night, everything seemed smaller.

“Want to sit?” Luca flicked his eyes to her. “Come on, soldier Minglan, keep an old soldier company.”

“Old soldier,” she scoffed. Luca, like Jian, probably had a few years on her, but not enough to be considered old. The other men her father considered suitable for her to wed were even older.

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