The Crane Moon Cycle Duology by J.C. Snow

Author:J.C. Snow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: J.C. Snow
Published: 2023-07-06T12:18:31+00:00

Chapter 1

Zai’an

In the deep night of a quiet street, three people suddenly appeared from a blue-black slash in the air. They were a strange group: a young Daxian woman with gaping holes in the back of her shirt, a one-handed Daxian man dressed in travel-stained silk robes, his wide sleeves fluttering and long hair tangled, and a tall, dark-skinned man with a graceful bearing, dressed in an unremarkable shirt and pants that could have come from anywhere in any world.

Zhu Guiren looked around with distaste. “What a mess. This place reeks of resentment. And have they never rebuilt it?”

“It’s called Zai’an now,” said Liu Chenguang, putting her hair back behind her ears. Her voice sounded a little stuffy. “And yes, they’ve rebuilt it various times, but never again as it was under the Feng. Good job there.”

“Enough,” said Tainu in a calm, quiet voice. “Demon, can you find the array?”

Zhu Guiren closed his eyes and turned in a circle. “This place is…covered with arrays,” he said. “Array on array…Some are very old. Those are the ones most likely to be associated with Hong Deming, but there are a lot. Any big, violent events here? What happened recently? There are some very strong new ones…”

“How recently?” asked Liu Chenguang.

He shrugged. “Past half-century or so?”

“Thousands of people in the Mitang quarter were killed here during the overthrow of the last dynasty,” she said.

“That would do it. Hmmm…”

After a few moments of waiting, Tainu asked, “Hmmm what? What’s happening? Can you find the array or not?”

“No,” he said eventually. “Not…right now. Can we…sleep on it?” He looked a little abashed from what could be seen of his face in the moonlight. “I may need to do some reconnoitering. Talk to some people. The newer arrays have incorporated pieces of the ancient ones.”

“By ‘talk to people’, do you mean talk to demons?” Tainu asked.

“Correct,” he said. “For that, I need sleep first. In a bed. Do you realize that I haven’t slept in a bed since…”

“Since last night?” Tainu asked dryly.

“That doesn’t count. That was just a nap in Aili’s uncomfortable abandoned house.”

Liu Chenguang turned around and walked away down the darkened street.

“Wasn’t she the one who decided to come and leave Aili?” Zhu Guiren asked.

“You are so…” Tainu shook his head. “Never mind. Come on, we’ll find a place to sleep.”

Quietly, Liu Chenguang called, “We should also get some decent clothes tomorrow. Especially him.”

“Why?” Zhu Guiren looked down at himself. “What’s wrong with this?”

“I think I’ll just let you wander the streets like that tomorrow so you can find out.” Liu Chenguang came back toward them. “I haven’t been here since I left this area to look for Aili,” she said in a steady voice. “About seven years ago now. The town has been through a lot, but it seems as though it’s still Daxian territory–”

Zhu Guiren looked at her. “Of course it’s Daxian territory.”

“There’s a war,” she said. “Remember? A very complicated and protracted war with at least three sides, and the ordinary people are caught in the middle of it.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.