Zhànshì: A Dark Retelling Read online

  Zhànshì

  A Dark Retelling as part of the Sinister Fairytales Collection

  Anna Edwards

  Look at me

  You may think you see

  Who I really am

  But you'll never know me

  Every day

  It's as if I play a part

  Now I see

  If I wear a mask

  I can fool the world

  But I cannot fool my heart

  Who is that girl I see

  Staring straight back at me?

  When will my reflection show

  Who I am inside?

  Reflection – by David Zippel / Matthew Wilder

  Spotify

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  About Anna Edwards

  The Glacial Blood Series

  The Control Series

  Dark Sovereignty Series

  Preview of Legacy of Succession

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Also by Anna Edwards

  Evergreen series by Cat Hughes

  Copyright © 2020 by Anna Edwards

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.

  www.AuthorAnnaEdwards.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Warning: This book contains sexually explicit scenes, adult language, and may be considered offensive to some readers. This book is for sale to adults only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase.

  Disclaimer: Please don’t try any sexual practice without the guidance of an experienced practitioner. Neither the publisher nor the author will be responsible for any loss, harm, injury, or death resulting from the use of the information contained in this book.

  Cover Design by Dee Garcia.

  Editing by Tracy Roelle.

  Proofreading by Sheena Taylor.

  Formatting by Anna Edwards

  Blurbs

  “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win”

  -- Sun Tzu, The Art of War

  Lia has known she was different since the age of five when her father taught her the skills of her ancestors. His stories of heroic exploits have fueled her fantasies for years. Little did she know that her expertise would be called upon when two cities, two triads, go to war. Will it be a step too far to think she can hide who she really is?

  Jaxon has known his career path since he was a little boy when his father promised his only son to the leader of the Yu Shi triad. Jaxon doesn’t mind—it allows him to center his chaotic thoughts and fight his opponents to the death. But when he’s partnered with a mysterious new recruit, he begins to question everything he knows. What is the young boy hiding from him?

  Zhànshì is a modern day retelling of the tale of Mulan for the Sinister Fairytales Collection. Warrior Lia must find her inner strength to defeat a deadly enemy, who’s been left bitter by his quest for absolute power, while at the same time falling in love when she least expects it. Nothing will be as it seems in this dark triad world where a moment’s hesitation can be your downfall.

  Eleven Years Ago

  “Is this right, bàba?” I question my father as I spin on the spot before lunging forward at the dummy he’s set up for me, so I can practice my sword skills.

  I thrust the blade deep into the heart of the stuffed figure before pulling it back and spinning again. We’re in the basement of our Victorian style house. It’s not massive like some in the area, but it’s a perfect size for me, my parents, and younger sister, Lán.

  “Excellent, Lia.” My father smiles at me proudly.

  He knows from experience what it’s like to fight. For many years, he and my grandfather were a part of the Yi Shu here in San Francisco. It’s the mafia faction that runs the area and helped my grandfather and his family escape from persecution in China to a new life here in America—the land of the free.

  “Make sure you parry. Your opponent will be moving, not standing still like the dummy. You’ll have to be faster and more flexible, Lia,” my father instructs.

  “Can you show me?” I’m confused as to his meaning.

  My father has been teaching me to fight since I was five years old, following his decommission from the Yi Shu due to injury. He was wounded in the leg by a sword, and it didn’t heal properly. It’s left him with a limp, and on freezing cold days, he’s been forced to walk with a stick for support. He’ll always be an imposing figure who was a feared warrior to me, though. He scares away the demons hiding under my bed. My mother tells me to grow up, but my father always plays along with my childish fears.

  My father gets to his feet and pulls his sword from the rack on the wall. Our basement is a shrine to the weapons he’s collected over the years. Sabers, spears, and halberds adorn the walls. His sword is a lot heavier than mine. It was given to him by his father who was presented with it by the ruler of the Yi Shu mafia during his escape to San Francisco. I’d have thought, with its age, it would be rusty by now, but my father polishes it to within an inch of its life most days.

  “I mean, like this,” my father says as he raises his sword and comes at me.

  He’s quick in spite of his injured leg, and I have to lean my whole torso backward like the ninja masters do in the Hollywood films. Curving to the right, I bring my sword up against his and twist my body even more before using the little strength I have, in comparison to my father’s, to unbalance him. He wobbles and falls to the floor with a deafening thud.

  “Bàba,” I shout and drop my weapon to check on him.

  “That was exactly what I meant.” My father smiles at me. “Even if I were a stronger man, you would have toppled me over. You don’t have strength, but you have skill, my little Lia, and that’s what you’ll need to overcome in any fight.”

  “Not that I’ll ever be able to represent our family,” I huff and get to my feet, brushing off the dirt on my pants.

  “That’s a good thing. I’m blessed to have two daughters. You’ll both become wives to the Yi Shu and look after your husbands who will fight. It’s your duty.”

  “But I don’t understand why? It’s not fair. What if I don’t want to marry the man who’s been chosen for me. This is a modern world, bàba, surely we should be able to choose our partners in life, not have our futures dictated to us by our leader, a man we never get to see.”

  “You should not speak that way, Lia. Walls have ears. We owe our lives to our leader, Gaozu, and his ancestors,” my father snaps at me.

  I help my father up and onto a chair before collecting the swords and putting them back on the rack. I hat
e the fact the Yi Shu control all aspects of our lives. I know when I’m twenty-one, I’ll be assigned a husband. I don’t want to spend my life being a wife and mother, stuck in the house, cooking, cleaning and worshiping a man who could be killed every time he leaves the house to do whatever task the Yi Shu orders. It’s dull and monotonous, and I don’t think it’s a future anyone would aspire to.

  I adore the sciences at school, and I’d love to study more, but even at ten years old, I know the years I have left to study are already numbered. The Yi Shu run our schools, not the government, and the subjects are dictated to us based on our futures. The community here in San Francisco is close knit. Located in Chinatown, we’re hidden away from the outside world. What happens here is different, and it shows no sign of changing.

  I kneel in front of my father with my head bowed. I’m upset I’ve angered him with my words. I know I should accept my future, but there’s something inside me that keeps screaming, ‘I’ll never fit in to a normal life.’

  “Please, Bàba, would you tell me grandfather’s story again?”

  I know if I listen to how my ancestors have suffered I’ll be able to temper down my obstinate attitude.

  My father lets out a heavy sigh and places his hand on my head, which tells me I may now sit on the floor with my legs crossed and look at him.

  “My father was not a rich man. He worked long hours in the rice fields outside Guiyang in Southern China. It was intensive labor, and it was a job that didn’t have any prospects of a good life. I was one of six children, and food was scarce even though we were surrounded by rice fields. My youngest sister died shortly after coming into the world. My eldest brother followed not long after. I was now the oldest sibling, and the one who would inherit after my father’s death—not that there was anything to inherit. I was destined to follow in my father’s footsteps. working my hands to the bone for a rich master. One day, a gentleman came to visit my father’s employer, and an argument started between them. My father was nearby, and when they began brandishing swords he got in-between them. He told me later it was a selfish act. He sensed an air of danger about the stranger and knew if his employer was killed, then our family would be left with nothing. He hated his master, but he protected him all the same, and in doing so, he impressed the other man. A few days later, the man returned with a proposition. He offered my father a new life in America, and my father chose to accept because the situation in China was becoming more and more desperate for him and our family. One of my sisters had fallen sick, and in our hearts, we all knew she was going to die. The man, who my father later learned was the head of the Yi Shu mafia, provided the medicine to cure my sister, and we all traveled to America. Life was instantly different for us. It was scary at times because our culture and beliefs weren’t always welcome, and we spoke little English, in spite of trying our hardest to learn it. A barrier to our integration existed, but the Yi Shu helped all they could. They gave us protection, and in return, your grandfather gave them his loyalty and his life and promised them the same for all future generations. The firstborn son of our family would fight when called upon and would protect the Yi Shu to the death, just as my father had done. When he died in a battle with our enemies, I stepped up and took his place. When I die, your eldest male cousin will do the same. I’ve been blessed with two daughters, so our line will end with me, but my father’s pledge will remain in place.”

  I bow my head again, “I’m sorry I was not a male, bàba.”

  “I’m not. I adore you,” my father replies as he grasps my chin and raises my head.

  I push up on my knees to embrace him.

  “We’re an honorable family, bàba. We always will be. My sister and I will make you proud.”

  “I know you will. You’re both good girls.” My father lets out a long sigh as I stand up and help him to his feet. “You should go help your mother. She’s making her special chicken dish. If you can learn the skills behind it, the men will be fighting over you to be their wife.”

  I step back and bow to my father before leaving him alone with his thoughts in the basement. I may only be ten years old, but I’m perceptive. I see the fear behind his eyes for the future, and I can’t help wondering if my grandfather would have been better staying in the rice fields rather than swapping one taskmaster for another. If my father’s family hadn’t come to San Francisco, would we have freedom in our home country now rather than a life indebted to the mafia?

  Present Day

  “Watch out,” I shout at one of the Yi Shu generals as he battles with another leader from the Jīn Long faction.

  The Jīn Long are our long-standing enemies. If it weren’t for them, we’d rule California in its entirety, but as it stands, they control Los Angeles and the south, while we control the north, from Salinas to the border with Oregon. It’s a large territory, and both factions are prepared to fight to the death to keep there portion.

  “Jaxon, I need your help,” one of my fellow soldiers shouts my way as he races through the abandoned warehouse we’re in.

  The Jīn Long are trying to steal our latest supplies from China. We aren’t in the habit of dealing in drugs and weapons like they are. These are white goods we’ve imported illegally without any duty being paid on them to sell on. It’s a lucrative trade here in California where everything is so expensive, and everyone wants the latest model.

  “Coming,” I respond and raise the batons I’m fighting with.

  We never use guns, even if they would end this fight a lot sooner. Both the Jīn Long and the Yi Shu are old school when it comes to weapons. We settle our battles in traditional ways.

  The man who I’ve been sparring with comes for me again, but I’m too quick. With rapid flicks of my wrists, I bring the batons down upon his head and stun him into unconsciousness. I could finish him off with the sword at my waist, but I don’t know his history. He could have a family, and I won’t deprive anyone of a father. I know only too well the suffering it leads to.

  Chasing after the Yi Shu soldier who called for my help, I make my way farther into the warehouse and quickly discover why he wanted me—the Jīn Long have started a small fire, and if it is allowed to spread, it will destroy our stock. In a warehouse with no firefighting equipment or sprinklers, it needs to be put out as soon as possible. We don’t exactly maintain health and safety rules in this place as it’s not, in any sense of the word, legal.

  “Fuckers are going to pay for this,” I yell in anger before racing deeper into the building. The rear of the warehouse backs onto the sea. It’s the only water available to douse the fire. “We need buckets, anything we can carry water in,” I instruct the soldiers now gathering around me. “Form a line,” I order, taking command as the most senior soldier there. “Pass the buckets along.” I point to several of the men. “You, you, and you keep a lookout.”

  I’m sure most of the Jīn Long have already left the building, but there may be a few remaining stragglers who are determined to prevent us from saving the stock.

  Everyone sets about their tasks. I’m handed several large containers, and dipping them into the water, I fill them before passing them back along the line so the fire can be extinguished.

  “Keep going.” I shout encouragement, “We’ve got this.” I try to sound positive, but even I’m getting increasingly worried as the flames appear to be growing.

  “Maybe we should get out of here,” one of the men suggests when sirens sound in the background. Fortunately, they aren’t heading this way and fade after a couple of seconds. “If the fire department comes and we’re discovered here, we’re all going to land in trouble.”

  “And we’ll be in even more trouble if we let this stock burn. I don’t particularly want to tell Gaozu we ran away with our tails between our legs because we feared getting arrested. Do you?” I scold the man before thrusting another full container of water into his hand. “We carry on until I say there’s no more hope. Got it? Now move faster.”

  My words don’
t fall on deaf ears, and in a few minutes, the flames begin to die down. We’re finally winning the fight.

  “Come on, we’re going to do this,” I shout more encouragement, and the men in the line work even faster when they realize we’re about to win what seemed like a losing battle.

  I’m soaked to the skin in seawater, but adrenaline is coursing through my veins, and I don’t really feel the ache in my arms from the exertion of lifting the full and extremely heavy containers.

  “It’s out,” one of the men from the front shouts triumphantly, and placing the container I’m holding down onto the muddy ground, I bend over at the waist to catch my breath.

  We did it. Our stock is saved. The Jīn Long didn’t succeed in wounding us too deeply. Patting the back of the guy next to me, I give him further orders.

  “We need to make sure the embers can’t reignite, and we need to check no other fires have been started in the factory. Keep water available and search the entire building. Any Jīn Long still lurking are to be rounded up and readied for questioning.”

  “Yes, sir.” The man bows to me and relays my order to the other men.

  I take a few more breaths and stretch my arms, before picking up my batons, from where I discarded them earlier on the floor, and make my way back to the front of the building. A few dead bodies of men from both factions litter the floor, but it’s the corpse at the entrance to the building that shocks me the most. The general I’d tried to protect at the start of the fight is now lying decapitated in a pool of crimson blood.