The Lion Academy: A Wuxia Series (Legend of Raven Book 2) by Konstantin Zaitsev

Author:Konstantin Zaitsev [Zaitsev, Konstantin]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2023-01-31T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

The Song of Steel

I walked out of Liao’s chambers deep in thought. It was one thing to be responsible for yourself and another to revive an extinct clan that had once been at war with most of the empire.

“You’re making an elephant out of a molehill. The Phoenixes are not our enemies and we can negotiate with the Scorpions. The Turtles do not care about anything except the Wall so they will leave us be as long as we do not approach it. And the Qilins have always treated us well, Heavens bless them.”

“That’s all nice and well, but they don’t make the bulk of the aristocracy, do they? No. The Dragons, Cranes, and Lions have the final say. How are the Stingrays going to react to seeing an unknown army parade the Raven banner? I—”

I took a deep breath and exhaled. We’d cross that bridge when we got to it. Right now, I should focus on getting into the Earth and Sky Academy. What I still didn’t understand, however, was why everyone was so hellbent on getting me there.

“And here’s our brilliant tactician,” Yi sneered. “It’s bad manners to keep your comrades waiting, you know?”

“When the magister calls you, you obey, as a true son of the empire,” my answer sounded no less snide.

“Come on, they’re waiting,” Fei said and waved his hand, indicating that we should follow him.

We went somewhere deep into the Academy, to a place I had never been to before. Walking through the hallways, we ran into one of the instructors with strange stripes on his robes.

“The inner circle,” Baozhei explained, noticing my confusion. “We should be admitted there in a month.”

“If you manage to keep your ranks,” the instructor added, having overheard our conversation. “Black Water can change a lot.”

“Sir,” I turned to him and bowed, “what is Black Water?”

“An ancient ritual that all shangs go through. It’s designed to make you realize who you are and how important your connections are to you. The ritual changes you,” he added with a wry smile.

“Good. They remember something at least,” Tinjol grumbled.

“Thank you for the explanation.”

Explanation, my left testicle. Why did these people have to speak in goddamn riddles? Could someone tell me something straight for once?!

“Breathe, Yang, breathe. In. Out. In. Out...”

“The Song will be sung over there,” the instructor said and pointed to a majestic building with an interesting coat of arms on it. Flying on a giant brown-yellow banner was the face of a grinning lion. Under it were a crossed spear and jian, and above — two katana-like blades. “This is the Lions’ House of Steel. Once you enter, you’ll observe the following rules: you won’t speak unless the Master of Steel allows it, and you will do whatever he tells you. That’s it. Go in.”

Opening the door, he showed us into a giant room, dimly lit by oil lanterns. With a gesture, he told us where to stand and approached a small bronze gong with the image of a lion engraved upon it.

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