1
Many Centuries Ago
On the morning of Cheng’s ascension to the throne, he wondered if he would ever hold a candle to the bright light his mother had shone over the empire. He recalled little about the ruler who had been Jade Empress of the once-divided warring territories.
What memories he had of his mother were precious treasures valued above gold and jewels. Fleeting recollections sometimes surfaced, such as the vibrance of her smile or the sweetness of the lullabies sung to him at night before she kissed his face and tucked him into bed. Once, when he’d fallen and skinned his knee in the rock garden while playing games with the lucky crows, she’d personally tended to his injuries.
Most importantly of all things to manifest in Cheng’s memory was Empress Li-Song’s great love for him, and brief memories of the woman taking him along during her travels throughout the land.
Emperor Kazan had been almost lost without her, aging rapidly in the years after her death. Without Li-Song’s life force to sustain the mortal man, age caught up to him quickly. One day, he had been forever frozen in youth, a proud figure in his thirties. Less than five years later, his spine had bent and his frame had withered.
Now the best of their features, both physical and magical, lived on in Cheng. He and his father had a close resemblance to one another. The same straight nose, jaw, bold brows, and thick, dark hair. What he inherited from his mother, along with her tall stature and the shape of her mouth, were her magical, glowing green eyes—the gaze of the dragon, as it was called by all who worshipped the draconian goddess Yüying.
That had not manifested until days after Cheng’s fifteenth birthday, much to the joy and relief of thousands across the empire. That he had his mother’s jade eyes reassured the masses that their deity’s magic had not died with their benevolent ruler. That morning, he’d awakened to discover that the faint ring of gray surrounding his brown irises had changed, the subtle glow of their family’s ancient magic stirring in his veins. And for a decade since, he’d honed it under his uncle’s tutelage. The light shone brighter than ever, and now, they were almost entirely green.
According to his uncle, it meant he was ready.
Today, he would become the emperor of a great nation.
Cheng stepped into the entrance hall of the Imperial Palace and listened to the deafening rumble of the crowd waiting beyond their walls. His heart sped at the reminder of so many people eager to witness his ascension to the throne. Thousands upon thousands lined the streets and walkways leading to the palace.
He took the bright, cloudless sky as proof of the gods’ blessing. The golden orb in the sky seemed more radiant than ever, and both moons gleamed silver as they encroached on the sun’s territory. Never before had Xiao Deng, the smallest moon, appeared so large beside her sister.
It was to be a double eclipse, and a time of great celebration across the lands, coinciding with the crowning of the new emperor. Xiao Deng and Da Deng rarely met, but when the two sisters embraced, the Liangese took it as an omen of great times to come.
“Are you ready for the ceremony, Your Majesty?” called his uncle from the stairs.
Cheng turned to face the only remaining man who had been there for him over the years. His father’s younger brother had been their court magician and loyal, trusted friend.
“You don’t have to call me that, Uncle. I’m still me.”
The older man chuckled, eyes crinkling with mirth and deepening the many crevasses of his face. In the years since he’d taken Cheng as his ward, his formerly steel-gray hair had gone entirely white and wispy. “But I must, dear nephew, to set an example before our people. You are the future of this great empire, and it has been my greatest honor to teach you.”
Da-Wio smoothed a nonexistent wrinkle from Cheng’s robes, as if the servants who dressed the young man hadn’t been thorough. His eyes gleamed with unshed moisture.
“If only your father were here to see this day. It seems like only yesterday I swore to him I would dedicate what remained of my life to protecting both you and this empire until you were ready to lead in my stead.”
Cheng placed a hand over the top of Da-Wio’s liver-spotted fingers. He squeezed. “You have, Uncle. You taught me everything Mother and Father lacked the time on this world to show me.”
“You make me proud, Cheng.”
In accordance with tradition and the passing of imperial responsibilities, they both wore resplendent green silk in different shades. Cheng’s youthful pale jade contrasted the darker shades of experience donned by his uncle.
They stepped outside to the applause of thousands. The crowd had an energy to it unlike anything Cheng had ever experienced before, and a hush fell over the masses when Da-Wio raised his bejeweled hands. Each finger glittered with ornamentation, and charmed bangles surrounded his frail wrists. His uncle was no youth, as human as his father had been and nearing his ninth decade.
“This day, I bring before you our beloved prince. As an empire, you have watched this boy become a man, but today, he shall become your eternal ruler and a blessing from the heavens.”
Priests from the temple of Yüying ascended the eight marble steps, carrying brass censers that fogged the air with sweet and fragrant smoke. He knelt before them and fought to contain his joy as they placed upon him a new ceremonial jacket stitched with gold and blue thread.
“Now rise, dear nephew, and know from this day forward, you shall never again kneel to any man. I present to you Zhan Lu, gift of the heavens, for the true ruler of Liang.”
Uncle Da-Wio presented the Sword of Kindness on both upturned palms.
Cheng had not seen the blade since the last day his mother held it.
“This is a sword for only a leader of true moral integrity,” Da-Wio said. “Held by your mother’s forebearers since a time before these lands were united under one banner. Our legends tell us as long as the one holding the sword is a ruler of great honor, our nation will prosper. In your hands, dear nephew, I know Liang will come to greatness. Today and forever, you are to be known as Jade Emperor Cheng the Benevolent.”
Cheng turned to face his beloved citizens. He drew the gleaming blade of his heritage and he bowed.
“On this sword, I vow to serve this empire faithfully and with honor.”
Five weeks into his rule as Jade Emperor, Cheng received an official missive from Witch-Queen Liadh and Dragon-King Rua of Cairn Ocland. Their kingdom bordered Liang to the north, a much smaller nation framed by majestic mountains and flourishing forests.
In that letter, they congratulated him in flawless Liangese, wishing him a blessed reign and good fortune to come. Toward the end, they expressed concern.
Many of their woodland creatures had been found in hunters’ traps with increasing frequency, beings both cherished and protected by their citizens. Cheng knew little about pixies aside from a few tales in his youth his mother told about the magical beings, bright as twinkling stars and smaller than bumblebees.
Cheng had never seen one with his own eyes, but he trusted the imperial vizier and his closest adviser to guide him.
It was two days later that Da-Wio returned from investigating the western borders between Liang and Dobravia with his retinue of sorcerers. It had been unfortunate, Da-Wio leaving so soon after the coronation, but necessary. He’d been gone for weeks this time overseeing the appropriate charms and repelling wards to keep the nightchildren in check. Their nation was the only military danger to Liang’s great empire. The lands were vast, uncharted by Liangese cartographers, and filled with unknown dangers as well as a seemingly endless number of shock troops. His mother’s attempts to fight them on their own soil had ended in failure and the loss of her life.