Symphony of Fates: A Legends of Tivara Story (The Dragon Songs Saga Book 4) by JC Kang

Author:JC Kang
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Three Moons Press
Published: 2017-04-07T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 27:

Loose Threads

Stomping boots, swishing robes, and garbled conversations in the palace grounds below interrupted Kaiya’s fleeting moments of quiet and peace. With just a couple of hours before the generals and Chief Minister Song arrived, she had cleared the Hall of Supreme Harmony in hopes of collecting her thoughts.

It was not to be.

The double doors opened, revealing Cousin Kai-Hua. With husband Liu Dezhen and a pair of imperial guards in tow, she cradled the new Tianzi in her arms. Asleep and innocent, beautiful as only a baby could be, he was an unwitting pawn in a power struggle which promised to continue despite all the oaths of loyalty and pledges of support.

Kaiya relinquished the central dais and knelt on the floor before it. Her cousin stepped up and, bowing deferentially to the Jade Throne, took a seat. With the dizzying shifts of fortune, Kai-Hua must have been bewildered. Nonetheless, she had always been a close confidante. If not for the awkward circumstances, the two would likely have hugged.

“Cousin… Queen Mother,” Kaiya said. “It is good to see you again.”

Kai-Hua nodded. “Yes, Kaiya… Jie-xia.”

“Jie-xia.” From his place next to his wife, Liu Dezhen bowed low. “Forgive me for my outburst earlier. I am grateful for your patience and confidence.”

Kaiya waved a hand. “There is nothing to forgive. As far as I am concerned, until we ascertain the fate of my brother Kai-Wu behind the castle walls, your son is Tianzi.” She pressed her forehead to the cool marble floors. “I swear to defend him and faithfully administer affairs of state in his stead until he comes of age.” Perhaps her maternal ancestor had prostrated herself and spoken the same words to her adolescent son three hundred years before. Unlike the Founder’s consort, Kaiya would relinquish her position. She raised her head.

Liu Dezhen and Wang Kai-Hua bowed. She smiled when she straightened, but the glint in his eye didn’t inspire confidence. Kaiya’s spine pricked. Perhaps a knife in the back awaited her later. Queen Regent Wang Yuxiang had faced several challenges to her rule, all underhanded and life-threatening.

Kaiya held a low bow as they left the hall.

“Dian-xia,” a female voice called from the entrance.

Rising, Kaiya returned to the bloodwood chair beside the Jade Throne and squinted at the doors.

With Doctor Wu and Weiyong at her side, handmaiden and body-double Han Meiling bowed as much as her enlarged belly would allow. Sacrificed so that Kaiya could escape a doomed city, Meiling was yet another one of Emperor Geros’ rape victims. Kaiya’s own womb twinged. Memories of his calloused hands sent a chill up her spine and squeezed her chest. The fear disappeared as quickly as it appeared, the emotional armor of the Tiger’s Eye forming up.

Hands supporting her stomach, Meiling tottered to the front of the room and started to kneel.

Kaiya held up a commanding hand. “As you are, Meiling.” She stood and bowed at the waist. “I am so sorry for what you endured in my defense.”

Meiling shook her head. “It is my honor.

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.