FIRST BOOK OF THE PIPER OF MIRCHAEK TRILOGY
When the walled city of the gods, Dansarun, opens its doors for trade, Xuijae's ruling clan sends its perfect representatives: the troublesome prince, Kai-Se, who wants nothing to do with palace life, and...
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Kai-Se gritted his teeth as he braced his arm for another incoming impact. What was left of his strength in his legs surged out, propelling him forward. He slammed against the wooden door. It didn't budge. Pain shot to his already sore arm as he stumbled away, cradling the throbbing area with a hand.
Sweat poured from the side of his face and down his back. His hair hung in clumped strands against his forehead. His chest heaved in mouthful breaths, trying to get his system up to speed.
He glared at the wooden door separating him from An-Ri. His memory of coming into this room was hazy, with the last thing he remembered was sending An-Ri to get Nao-Zai out of Dansarun. The gods must have taken advantage of the ancestral spirit being away and knocked Kai-Se unconscious because when he woke up, he couldn't sense his connection to An-Ri. Not anymore.
Panic settled in his veins for reasons Kai-Se didn't know. The door. He has to get out of this room but this stupid door wouldn't budge. It was supposed to cave under his repeated assaults at the hinges but it seemed to be made of steel rather than wood. Kai-Se clicked his tongue, stepping backwards to gear for another assault.
Already, his limbs felt like they were about to fall off, his energy seeming to be sapped by the floor. It wasn't that hot, with the room he was hundreds of feet from the ground, but he was sweating like a laborer under the glare of the Dangrao heat. Could it be that he was exerting himself yet again?
Then again, what choice did he have? Curl up in the corner and die or kill himself trying to ram the door until it broke? Both were possible and, unfortunately, both resulted in him dying.
Life was surely fun.
Kai-Se clenched his jaw. One last charge and if the door didn't budge, perhaps he'd try again tomorrow. That was...if there was still tomorrow for him. Or the Xuijae Empire. For all Kai-Se knew, Dansarun had already marched to Dangrao and the empire had already fallen. Not the kind of freedom from the royal duties Kai-Se had hoped for. It was only him that he wanted out of the Imperial Court and not the whole Court in itself.
Yeah. Life was surely fun for Najizaki Kai-Se.
So, he lowered himself to a stance and charged.
Only for the door to slide away and a god to stride inside.
Kai-Se hurtled to a stop, pausing inches from a woman with cropped orange hair and a dark brown fenhai just whirling from closing the door behind her. He inched backwards, wiping his sleeves against his forehead. Nope. Not trying to escape. Nothing to see here.
Kai-Se was still panting when the woman turned to the tray of food that came in with her when she entered the room. She bent down, picked it up from the bulging handles, and approached him from where he stood. He eyed her with waning interest. Out of all the flashy and noisy gods he had come to meet in Dansarun, this woman somehow slipped his memory. Who was she and was she ever in the council at all? If so, why hasn't Kai-Se remembered her?
