“I’m sure the God-Emperor would be a master of any discipline he set himself to, in theory. Lady Long Xiaofan surely didn’t mean to suggest anything untoward.”

  Yoshika’s words didn’t convince anybody, but it was a convenient excuse to ignore the darker insinuations suggested by the dragon. By the emperor—a living dragon, just sitting right there at the table. Gao Yuanjun felt like he’d been knocked senseless during the war and still trapped in a bizarre dream. A dragon had spoken to him—given him...cultivation advice? Then casually accused the God-Emperor of wielding soul magic and was now glaring daggers at Empress Yoshika for putting words in her mouth.

  She ignored them, rushing to smooth things over with the bristling elders. Yoshika was...not the most eloquent, actually. She alternated between bold, challenging statements and stumbling over herself nervously. It was oddly endearing, and perhaps that was the point. Gao liked her, despite himself, but that was all just a distraction.

  God-Emperor Qin used soul magic. That was a fact. Long Xiaofan knew it, the elders knew it, and even Empress Yoshika seemed unmoved by the revelation, for all that she was trying to sweep past it.

  Gao...didn’t really care. It was a strange thought. The man that he’d spent his entire life idolizing, the ideals of his entire nation, all built on a lie. But of course it was. Why should he be surprised that the highest power of the land wielded forbidden magic? Who would tell him otherwise? Empress Yoshika was often decried for her use of dual cultivation, but how was she any different from Emperor Qin?

  Well, she was honest about it. She didn’t deny her use of soul magic, merely argued that she had not abused it. Yoshika was powerful enough that, like the God-Emperor, nobody could tell her ‘no.’ So instead, they tried to moralize and rally against her to reduce her influence. But Gao could see the ground they stood on crumbling beneath their feet.

  He glanced at Qian Shi—his grandmaster, standing among Yoshika’s allies. It wasn’t as though he’d declared for her, or joined the Austere Mountain to Jiaguo, but whether by circumstance or ideal, he stood with the Empress despite fighting her so recently.

  Did it matter? Perhaps not, but it seemed to Gao that it spoke to a broader trend. Jiaguo had started as nothing but a tiny city-state. A curiosity at most until Yamato challenged it and lost. Then Goryeo was absorbed in a bloodless coup, and suddenly Jiaguo spanned nearly half the continent and rivaled the Heavenly Empire in size—if not population. Who was next?

  The Austere Mountain shared the longest border with them, followed by Silver Orchard. Yoshika had tendrils of influence—not soul magic, but just regular personal and diplomatic entanglements—that stretched through Gao’s home, past the Flowing Purewater, and reached all the way north through the Awakening Dragon and right up to the doorstep of the Jade Palace itself.

  Had they already fallen into her trap? Gao felt that it had been a mistake to ever wage war against Yoshika and Jiaguo. He couldn’t stop her, even if he wanted to, and neither could anybody else in the room. Everyone focused so much on the literal soul magic, or the people she absorbed into her collective, that they missed her true strength. Unless Emperor Qin himself intervened, Yoshika would win over the entire empire by sheer force of personality.

  Maybe, he thought as he and his fellow soldiers were ushered out so that the summit could proceed, maybe that was for the best.

  When Yoshika was certain that Xiaofan hadn’t inadvertently condemned the innocent soldiers by being even more of a loudmouth than she was, the summit proceeded. The elders were as eager to rush past any discussion of God-Emperor Qin’s soul magic as she was. Yoshika shot Long Xiaofan a questioning glance, but the dragon emissary was difficult to read. How much of that was on purpose?

  Qin Yongliang cleared his throat before addressing the gathering.

  “Now then, before we can negotiate the terms of Jiaguo’s surrender, it would behoove this assembly to know exactly to whom Empress Yoshika is surrendering. In Yan De’s absence, his designated heir is the de facto ruler of the Great Awakening Dragon sect. However, I understand that there are a number of unusual circumstances complicating the succession. Yan Ren, you may state your case.”

  As always, Yan Ren stood and bowed formally to Qin Yongliang before speaking.

  “Thank you, Your Highness. First and foremost among the issues is that my master yet lives, trapped in the boundary between worlds. Succession occurs only with his death, and the sect is otherwise entrusted to my sworn brother Yan Hao in our master’s absence.”

  Yue stood and bowed to both Prince Qin and Yoshika. The prince gestured for her to speak, but she waited until Yoshika granted her the same permission.

  “Though my father’s death cannot be confirmed, his return is not possible. The place he was sealed has no qi to absorb, save for the proverbial ocean of divine essence threatening to tear our entire world apart. With all the respect he deserves, not even my father could harness that power without being annihilated. He is, for all intents and purposes, dead.”

  Ren shook his head, his face impassive.

  “Nevertheless, the law is clear. Until his death can be confirmed by the destruction of his spiritual jade tablet, he remains the grandmaster of the Great Awakening Dragon. Lady Long Chunhua, if you would?”

  He gestured to Yue’s mother, sitting next to her, and she stood and bowed gracefully. Following Yue’s example, she waited until both monarchs gave her leave to speak, then produced Yan De’s jade tablet from within her sleeve.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “As Elder Yan Ren suggests, my husband’s spiritual tablet remains intact. However, it has gone inert. I have spoken with Empress Yoshika and my ancestor, and both confirm that this can only mean that his soul no longer exists anywhere within the realms of our world.”

  “Unimportant. It shall reactivate upon his return.”

  “Unless, of course, he is already dead. In which case, the tablet would have no way of reacting.”

  Yan Ren pursed his lips, glancing at Qin Yongliang, who was not yet moving to make any rulings.

  “It is impossible to prove one way or the other. Under normal circumstances, perhaps I would defer to the Grandmaster’s chosen heir, but Yan Yue is a traitor—a known collaborator and even a ranking official within the Jiaguo Empire. It would be madness to allow her to take control of the sect.”

  He raised his chin and glared a challenge across the table, but received Yue’s signature smirk in response.

  “Traitor? My, what a serious accusation that is. I remain, as ever, a loyal servant of the Heavenly Empire...and Jiaguo.”

  “Tsk, impossible. One cannot be both—your oath to the Heavenly Empire of Qin supersedes all others, and to declare yourself under another who claims sovereignty is nothing short of treason.”

  Yan Ren looked again to Qin Yongliang for confirmation, but to his surprise, the prince had a pained expression. It wasn’t him who answered, however. On either side of the prince, his sisters, the twin princesses rose and spoke in perfect harmony.

  “As a matter of fact, Yan Ren, there is precedent.”

  The two bowed politely to Long Xiaofan—a respectful gesture between members of royalty.

  “Your granddaughter sends her regards, Lady Long Xiaofan. She regrets that she cannot leave the palace to meet you, but you are invited to visit at your leisure.”

  Xiaofan nodded in acknowledgement.

  “I’m sure Qiuyue is fine with your father guaranteeing her safety, thank you.”

  Maybe if she hadn’t been present, they would have said nothing, but to let Yan Ren’s statement go unchallenged would have been a huge insult to Xiaofan. Her granddaughter was one of the God-Emperor’s consorts and also an exile of the Draconic Empire in the southern isles.

  Backed into a corner, Yan Ren had only one trick left up his sleeve.

  “Even so, the Awakening Dragon remains a patriarchy. By our laws, Yan Yue may be her father’s heir in the absence of any alternatives to continue the family line, but she must be wed. By the laws of the empire, as a xiantian elder, none can force her hand, but if she remains unmarried, then she must relinquish her title as grandmistress.”

  Yoshika’s eyes widened. She hadn’t known about that, but Yue must have. Was this it, then? They hadn’t planned on announcing their engagement until closer to the end, but unless Yue had something else in mind, it seemed like it was time.

  As it happened, Yue did have something else.

  “Within a year, Yan Ren. I know the laws. I assure you, I will be married before I am forced to abdicate, and when that time comes you may petition the other elders to have my title transferred to my husband instead.”

  “And who would that be, exactly?”

  “I’m not obligated to tell you—nor even choose until the year is up. So unless you have any further objections, I suggest you wait patiently and try your coup again next year.”

  He glanced at Long Chunhua, who sat silently. If he had any thoughts about trying to twist the subtle difference between clan and sect succession to his advantage, they died when he saw Chunhua sitting in support of Yue. Yan Ren sat down.

  The prince rose, then, to declare the matter resolved. But Yan Hao, the strangely rotund alchemist who was more ambitious than his sworn brother, stood with a mighty frown.

  “I have one final objection. Yan Yue is my disciple. I move to have her excommunicated from the sect for forswearing her duties. My other disciples, Han Yu and Zheng Long, can attest that she has long since been a traitor to the Great Awakening Dragon. I was merciful enough to give her another chance, out of respect for her father, my master, but by my rights as her direct warden, I retroactively deny her any affiliation to our sect.”

  Yongliang sighed, ready to listen to another long back and forth as each side argued their cases. Yet it was Qin Zhao who answered Yan Hao’s claim, turning to look down on the elder with a baleful expression.

  “Have you forgotten so soon, Yan Hao? I was present when you attempted to kill my disciples in cold blood for defending themselves against yours. You wish to speak of mercy? It was mine which considered the matter resolved after scattering your disciples' foundations and forcing them to start their paths anew. Yet now you reap the harvest of your own pettiness, for I was there to bear witness when you disowned Yan Yue as your disciple that day. You have no right.”

  Yan Hao grimaced and flopped back down into his seat, crossing his arms and fuming without another word.

  Qin Yongliang gave his nephew a nod, then turned back to the assembly.

  “Very well. Yan Yue remains grandmistress of the Great Awakening Dragon sect, pending her marriage within the year, as per their laws. If there is nothing else, I believe we can now move on to the primary subject of this assembly.”

  Yoshika, who’d mostly been allowing her allies to make their cases, except where she’d been directly challenged, rose to meet the prince’s gaze. She gave him the same bow of acknowledgement that she’d seen the twins offer Long Xiaofan, and he returned it.

  “Thank you, Your Highness. I do hope that we can resolve our differences in order to end the hostilities between our nations. Your great sects waged war upon my people under false pretenses. I am not the Fox Princess returned, and until we were attacked, Jiaguo had no designs on the Heavenly Empire’s lands.”

  It took a moment for her words to sink in, and then the prince’s expression hardened.

  “We are here to negotiate your surrender, Empress. I have given you the respect befitting a sovereign of your station, but you are in no position to make demands.”

  “Maybe not, Your Highness, and it may come to that. I’m committed to peace at any cost, but this is still a negotiation, and I think you’ll find that I have more to offer than you expect. Now...”

  She took a breath to steady herself. This was not going to be easy, but time was running out. Yoshika needed every available power on board now or never if the world was to have any hope of breaking free of the divine seal. She’d tried already as a supplicant, and that hadn’t worked. Now, either Qin was going to help her, or get in her way, and she intended to find out which it would be, one way or another.

  “Let’s discuss how to divide the continent between our empires.”

  !

  Selkie Myth for their incredible shoutouts.

  RMullins

  Etly

  Emilin

  Victor

  Mine

  Odunski

  Naimah

  DvorakQ

  Thomas

  Robin

  Cog

  Alexis Lionel

  Attherisk

  Kit

  Vail

  Arusalan

  Saganatsu

  Stephane

  Celdur Ey'lin

  Alexandra

  IrateRapScallion

  Fraxx

  The Test Subject

  Yandron

  Berj

  Sorcoro

  Max C.

  Solo

  Mark

  Ava

  Auribia

  VietDom

  MeliMeliDH

  Andrew C.

  Seasparks

  Joseph H.

  ShadeByTheSea

  Beryn

  Ranzbart

  Connor B.

  Taylor W.

  Lu

  Rayaface

  Zeodeicasia

  Jess

  j0ntsa

  Jan

  LarryParrish

  6J0ker9

  GiantOrange

  K G

  eagle0108

  thkiw

  FISHLAD

  Tatsu D

  The Human

  Tarantism

  Elisah

  RuRo

  bisque

  Salmuna

  Jake T.

  Emanym

  TAF

  mrblue

  Rhaid

  Damian Z.

  itbeme12321

  Joseph C.