Zhànshì: A Dark Retelling Read online

  “Yes, never better.” I stroke his face and kiss him again.

  “This changes everything, doesn’t it?” he says what I’m thinking.

  I nod in agreement. “But not our loyalty. I mean it, Jaxon. Whatever is happening between us, destiny, fate, whatever you want to call it, we still are Yi Shu and must defeat the Jīn Long. I’m not leaving until Wang is dead, and we can live in peace. I will bring honor to my family.”

  Jaxon leans forward and kisses me. “And I’ll be right by your side when you do, Zhàn or Lia, I adore you both.” He strokes his hand down my cheek. “We’ll finish this together.”

  I stare down at the bloody and deformed body of my favorite general that’s been placed in front of me. A severed hand is lying beside it, but there’s no head. I know that will have been taken to Gaozu—a prize to showoff to all who support him.

  The anger builds inside me, and I allow it to erupt in a torrent of blows rained down on the men who brought me the body. I’m furious. This man was not only loyal to me but a close friend. He would have ruled beside me when we came to power. Now I’ll be mourning his death when I should be rejoicing another blow to the Yi Shu. There’ll be hell to pay for this when I find out who killed him. Retribution will not be swift. It will be traumatic and torturous.

  Everyone around me reels back when my general’s family are brought in. I watch in deathly silence as they fall to the floor and weep for the loss of the man they loved and worshiped. With my nostrils flared and my fists clenched, I let out another tirade of abuse directed at the nearest person to me.

  “Who did this? How did they find out we were even going to be there?” One of my guards drops to his knees and bows before me.

  “We’re not sure, gracious leader. We’re considering all possibilities at the moment. Taking stock of any men or families that have recently disappeared.” He bows up and down, his arms outstretched as he worships me.

  I growl at his incompetence, though. He shouldn’t be searching for the answers—we should instantly have them at our disposal. I kick him hard out of the way and walk forward to one of the men who brought my general’s body back. He’s covered in blood and not just my general’s but also his own and others’.

  “Who did it?” I fume.

  “The general was fighting with the blond demon.”

  “Jaxon,” I curse his name and withdraw my sword from its scabbard.

  The man in front of me jumps back as I launch the weapon at the wall to my left. People duck out of the way as it flies through the air and embeds with a thud. “Please tell me that we killed him, at least.”

  The room falls silent apart from the weeping of the general’s family.

  “Get them the fuck out of here,” I shout.

  I don’t need to hear their grief. I’m too full of rage for it. Several of my guards jump forward and pull the broken family away from the general’s body and escort them from the room. They cry and scream the entire way. If they don’t shut up soon, I won’t honor my general’s loyalty. I’ll slice my sword across their throats to silence them.

  Stomping loudly across the throne room floor, I prowl like a tightly wound up spring ready to uncoil. It won’t be pretty. It’ll be horrible when I do. Every one can count on that.

  “We did capture someone,” one of the men who brought the body dares to step forward and address me.

  He instantly falls to his knees when I glare at him.

  “Where is he?” I go over to the man and lift him up, clean off his feet, so he can tell me.

  “Outside,” the man whimpers.

  I drop him to the floor like he weighs nothing, even though he’s a bulky soldier.

  “Well, get him in here.”

  I turn back to my throne, an ornate golden structure dominating most of the room. It’s engraved with my name, my motto, and my face. It represents my prowess as a leader. Sitting regally down on it, I wait for the captive to be brought in.

  The doors open, and a man is dragged in, He looks young but has the muscular physique of a soldier. He would have been a worthy fighter for the Yi Shu, but he’s as pale as a white flag. A new recruit, no doubt. He’ll know very little of his leader’s plans, and I inwardly curse.

  “Bring him forward,” I beckon with a finger. “Who is he?” I question.

  One of my guards steps forward and throws the man to my feet. I can smell the stench of fear on him, piss and shit. I was mistaken—he’s a wimp not a soldier.

  “His name is Kuo, gracious leader. He was acting as a lookout, apparently. He didn’t join the battle, though. We found him hiding on our way out.”

  I laugh. How does the Yi Shu think they will ever beat me with idiots like this man? I’m sure he was all show in training, but in the heat of a real battle, he hid like a coward with his tail between his legs.

  “Kuo.” I stare him down. He can’t even look at me and avoids eye contact by staring at the floor. “Hold his head still,” I order.

  Sliding from my throne, I command the attention of the entire room as I step down from my regal platform to stand in front of the man. He’s lifted to his feet and held in place with his head unable to move, and his eyes wedged open by dirty fingers to look at me.

  “You hid and watched the battle?” I question, but he doesn’t answer me. “I’m talking to you. Answer me.” I shout.

  “I did,” the man cries, tears filling his eyes. “Please, I didn’t want to join their army. I was forced to. I don’t like being with the Yi Shu. Let me join you.”

  “And why would I let you do that?” I rub my chin and cock my head at him.

  “I-I saw it, the general’s death. It was unfair. It wasn’t right. Two men against one.”

  I really hate people like the man before me, so eager to turn against anyone for a chance of survival. Little does he know he won’t be breathing for longer than the next few minutes. I reach forward and grab his face, squeezing tightly at his chin. My nose is inches from his.

  “Tell me more.”

  “The blond demon, as you call him, he fought your general, but he wasn’t alone. There’s a fighter in our camp, trained and favored by Jaxon. He’s little more than a small boy, but he has the skill of a warrior. He killed the general. He removed his head with one swipe of his sword.”

  “A boy?” I don’t believe a word this man is telling me. Jaxon killing my man I can understand but a mere boy. It’s a lie. “You lie.” I release his chin and start to walk back to my throne.

  “I don’t, I promise. I swear on my ancestor’s honor it’s true. There is something strange about the boy. I don’t understand it, but we all see it. He’s different.” The man pauses, and I turn back to face him when he continues, “I know the legends about the blond man being a hero in the war against the Jīn Long. What if you could get rid of the blond demon? I think the key is the boy. Capture the boy, find out everything about him, and you’ll get to Jaxon and win your war.”

  For once, someone around me is making sense.

  “What is the boy’s name?”

  “Zhàn, son of Lin Zhànshì.”

  “Lin Zhànshì, I know him. An old adversary. I wasn’t aware he had a son, though.”

  I remember my family fighting with Lin and his grandfather over the years. The family have been a nemesis to us.

  “It’s what the boy told us.”

  I walk backward and sit on my throne.

  “Interesting.”

  Something tells me the information I’ve got from Kuo is going to be priceless. But he’s served his purpose. I smile and swipe my hand across my throat. In a swift movement, one of the men holding on to Kuo draws his sword and slits the snitch’s throat. He drops to floor, dead, as I look on. I take a deep breath before giving out my orders.

  “Find out all about Zhàn, son of Lin Zhànshì. I won’t rest until I have him bowing before me so I can separate his head from his body.”

  All the new recruits stand before me exercising and practicing drills. Zhàn
or rather Lia is with them. I still can’t believe what happened between us the other day. Ever since then, we’ve searched each other out for moments of hidden pleasure. I’ve felt overwhelming guilt at lying to Gaozu, but I know it’s the right thing to do. Lia is an amazing fighter. She’s already proven her worth. It shouldn’t matter she’s a woman. She can fight better than many of the men here.

  “Swap.” I step forward and order the recruits to change the opponent they are sparring with.

  Lia is now partnered with one of the strongest recruits. Part of me wants to step in and stop the session, but I know I can’t show her any favoritism. Here, she is a man. When we’re alone, she’s a woman—a goddess satisfying my sexual needs. I’ve never thought about falling in love, but looking at Lia as she comes down from one of her spectacular orgasms, I know in my heart I’m already there. I would lay down my life for her. But for now, I really need to stop watching her. If she gets the better of the guy she’s now fighting, it’s going to make my dick hard enough to hammer nails. Talk about obvious!

  I look down at my Apple Watch and reset the timer.

  “Begin.” I give the instruction for each new combination to begin their session.

  I need to walk away from Lia for a while, so I push off the bench I’ve been perched on and make my way around the yard, checking on the other training groups. Each of the recruits has improved so dramatically from when they first arrived. It’s good to see because we need fighters for whatever Wang comes back at us with. It won’t be pretty—I’m sure of that, and I wish the war was already over for everyone here. We need peace. It’s the reason why so many of our ancestors came to this country. I hope one day we’ll find it, but it will never happen as long as Wang rules the Jīn Long. His perversions are too dark.

  Finding a group of recruits who are struggling with one of the exercises I’ve given them, I step in to help. It’s a baton exercise, my favorite.

  “You need to do it like this,” I address them as I pull my ever present batons from my back and step away so I don’t hit anyone.

  I twirl them around in the air, forming a quick succession of circles before thrusting them forward as if I were attacking an opponent. It provides a shield while simultaneously attacking. It was one of the first skills I learned when I came here. Gaozu was exceptionally skilled in their use, and I fell in love with them the first time I watched him. Most people prefer swords, but I like the element of surprise with batons. I show the recruits the technique again, their mouths falling wide open as they watch in awe.

  “The most important thing is the flexibility in your wrists. You have to maintain a fluid momentum in the movement. If you don’t, you lose your protection.”

  I look at them all. I know each one by name.

  “Bao, can you show me?”

  The young man steps forward. He’s an only child. His mother had a difficult birth with him, leading to a hysterectomy. Bao himself nearly died. His mother was devastated when he was drafted. Gaozu couldn’t officially protect him, but he gave his mother his word he would do what he could. It’s one of the reasons I’ve kept him on duties within the compound, so far. We’re not monsters. We can’t be seen to have favorites, but we protect where we can.

  Bao attempts to spin the first baton. He hasn’t fully mastered the movement in his wrist, though.

  “You need to loosen up.” I take the batons from him, and placing them down on the floor, I take hold of his arm and shake out the tension in his wrist. “Like this” his hands flop about. I step back and demonstrate with my own hands. He nods at me when he understands what I mean. “Here.” I hand him back the batons, and he tries again. This time his technique is much improved.

  “Is that better?” the eager man asks.

  “Much, keep practicing all of you.”

  I walk away from them proud of their progress. It doesn’t take long for me to do a circle of the yard, and when I return to where I started, I find Gaozu standing there in a disguise. I recognize him immediately. I’ve seen him conceal his identity this way many times. He has to be careful and can’t walk around freely without shielding his true identity. It’s not a life I would want to lead. When I approach him, I see he’s watching Lia and the man she’s fighting. The man appears to be dominating her, but at the last moment, Lia skids underneath his legs and flips him onto the floor. She’s back up on her feet in a second and has her sword pressed to his chest. He concedes the match to her, and everyone around them cheers. Rumors of Lia, or rather Zhàn, being involved in the death of Wang’s favorite general have spread. The David and Goliath tale has made her very popular.

  “He’s good.” Gaozu approaches me, and I subtly bow my head to him.

  There are only a few people I would show deference to. In doing so now, my men might guess I’m acknowledging our leader.

  “He is,” I reply, remembering Lia is a man in this environment.

  “There are skills there I’ve not seen for a long time. What is his ancestry again?”

  Trying to stay calm at the line of questioning, I respond with truth, “Lin Zhànshì is his father.”

  “I remember him well. He was one of my father’s private guards until his death.”

  Gaozu sighs deeply. His father was a great man, from what I’ve heard, but I never got to meet him. When I came here, Gaozu was already leader, his father having died young of ill health. It was a great tragedy.

  “He’s taught his son well,” I add and look down at the timer on my watch. It buzzes, and I couldn’t be more grateful. I want to get Lia away from Gaozu’s scrutiny.

  “Excuse me a minute.” I step forward and shout, “Swap.”

  Lia turns and looks at me and then at Gaozu next to me. I doubt she knows who he is. She bows before moving on to the next exercise.

  When I turn back to Gaozu, he has a look of thoughtful reflection on his face,

  “Yes, like father like son.” He watches her walk away, never taking his eyes from her. “There’s something special about him. I get the feeling he could be the difference between defeat and victory, maybe it’s false optimism, but we need some hope now.”

  I try desperately to control my emotions. I don’t like my leader’s proclamation. In fact, it scares me to my very core.

  “Er… did you need to see me about something?” I question, trying to change the subject.

  “Yes, I’m afraid we got a message from Wang this morning.” Gaozu’s face changes to one of concern.

  “Message?”

  “Yes, the missing recruit you reported. His body has been returned to us.”

  “Shit,” I exclaim and stamp my foot on the ground.

  When I’d counted all the men back in after the attack on the Jīn Long, I’d realized Kuo was missing and hoped he was just hiding somewhere, but it seems he was taken.

  “Did he know anything that Wang could use?”

  I shake my head. “Nothing of any importance.”

  Gaozu looks to where Lia is now competing over the assault course.

  “Did he know Zhàn was the one to deliver the death blow to Wang’s general.”

  “No, I don’t think so. I don’t remember seeing him after the fight, and it was only me and Zhàn in the courtyard. I didn’t let it be known it was Zhàn until I got back here and reported it to you.”

  Gaozu nods, bringing his hand up to his beard. “I hope for the young boy’s sake you are right, because if not, he’s already dead.”

  Gaozu turns around to face me directly. I know he’s reading my every reaction. I school my features as best I can, even though inside my head I’m cursing this turn of events. I need to make sure Lia will be protected, but how can I do that without revealing her true identity? I don’t think I can. The world just got a whole lot more complicated.

  Jaxon has been subdued since we finished training for the day. I can sense a deep worry weighing heavily on his shoulders. Since our first time together, we’ve found a small abandoned house in the city where we’r
e able to meet and be together away from the stresses of the compound and the war with the Jīn Long. There’s no electricity available in the house due to its abandoned state, but thankfully, there is running water.

  We’re lying on the bed, and I’m looking down at him. The sparkle in his eyes has dimmed.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask, placing my hand on his naked chest.

  I’ll never get enough of his body, and the intricate tattoos of Chinese symbols adorning it. I know all of them mean something—they represent his ascension in the Yi Shu.

  “Nothing,” his reply is short, and he moves my hand away from his chest.

  “Don’t treat me like a mindless soldier, Jaxon. I’m not stupid. I know the man who was with you in training gave you news that worried you. I saw the color drain from your face. Who was he?”

  “Lia, please.” Jaxon reaches out and takes my hand and places it back on his chest. “Can we forget the Yi Shu for tonight?”

  “No, you don’t get to shut me out. I can’t protect myself, if you do.”

  Jaxon sits up from where he’s been lying on the bed.

  “Do you have any idea who he was?” Jaxon questions.

  I only saw a small portion of the man’s face, and I draw a blank when I search my memory for some recollection. But something in my heart tells me I do know who he is. A thought strikes me, and I blurt it out.

  “Gaozu.”

  Jaxon nods in confirmation.

  “Yes, he has many disguises, and his appearance today was one of them. You need to forget it, though. You can never address him as our leader when he’s wearing his disguise.”

  “I understand,” I reassure Jaxon as I shift on the bed so he’s lying on his stomach.

  I straddle his back and start to massage the tense muscles in his broad shoulders. He doesn’t protest.

  “What did he say?”

  Jaxon takes a deep breath as I continue to knead the tension away from him.

  “When we returned from the attack on the Jīn Long, Kuo was missing. Gaozu came to inform me his mutilated body had been returned to us.”