Dance of the Dragons: The Secrets of Tarot Series, #0.5

By Wera Niyom

He's the Emperor of Wuzhen with the weight of the world on his shoulders. She's a dancing water dragon struggling to support her sect. Together, they must overcome the war and resist the call of the Tarot. Follow the love story of Fang Xun and Li Cai Min, the parents of Liwei from A Celestial Requiem, in this prequel novella.

 

Fang Xun is known to all as the great dragon king and Emperor of Wuzhen. However, to the elemental mages, he is nothing more than an obstacle standing in their path. After the brutal assault in the earth dragon district, Xun is determined to return things to normal, starting with the Mid-Autumn Festival. In a kingdom that is slowly crumbling around him, he meets his fated mate.

 

Li Cai Min is a water dragon halfling who travels with a dancing troupe to earn money for the water dragon district as they cope with the constant demon attacks. She questions her own self-worth when she discovers her mate is the most powerful man in Wuzhen. However, traditional values and high expectations of the Council prevent them from being together.

 

Assigned a test to prove her courage and strength, she must overcome her tragic past in order to prove she is worthy of being Wuzhen's Empress and the Emperor's mate. And if it didn't make matters worse, she has to find a way to help her mate resist the call of the Tarot.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wera Niyom
• Release date: Jul 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9781737945628

Wera Niyom

Born and raised in Oregon, Wera Niyom is a fantasy and historical fiction author who started her journey on the largest online writing platform, Wattpad, where she won the 2019 Watty Awards. As an Asian and Black author, Wera’s works predominantly feature WOC protagonists and mythology/folklore from around the world. Outside of writing, she enjoys watching dramas or superhero movies with her significant other and younger brother or eating dim sum with her mother.

Book preview

PART I

DANCE OF THE DRAGONS

CHAPTER 1

XUN

I stared out the window, watching the servants clean the courtyard, all while trying to drown out Liu Luoyang’s annoying voice. The war had gone on far too long. All I wanted was to rest. However, an emperor’s work was never finished.

The humans need to be dealt with, Bìxià. See how they repay you for providing them refuge in our land? They curse your name and spread falsehoods about our people. To make matters worse, they’re in cahoots with those damn mages. They ought to be punished for these acts of insubordination, Councilman Luoyang argued.

Anyone who took notice would think the Councilman an unattractive, belligerent, and arrogant man. His pointed nose couldn’t be raised any higher in the air, even his long gray mustache was filled with haughtiness as he stroked his beard. Dressed in a gold and black xuanduan with a gold belt, he had a black headdress tied around his head with a thin, black string. His outfit signified his high rank as a member of the Imperial Council, droplets of sweat speckled his forehead. It was a common reaction whenever he spoke of the humans.

His outward appearance was just as unappealing as the hollow organ that beat inside his chest. A darkness lingered in the depths of his hazel eyes; they spoke immeasurable volumes of war and masked fury. It was as though they found the gaze of a human and was prepared to burn them down with a torrent of flames.

If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought yaoguai blood coursed through his veins and not that of a Celestial dragon. I believed it was his impartial and persistent nature towards the humans that persuaded his predecessor into passing the position along to him. I couldn’t make claims whether it was a horrible decision because he still was meticulous with every task assigned to him and he displayed an incredible amount of loyalty. And that was good enough for me.

He paced around the room, his face turning redder with every step. Images of a volcano, with Luoyang’s face plastered in the center, filled my mind as I thought about how he looked like he was ready to erupt. I tried to distract myself by reviewing the new set of scrolls placed to the right of my wooden desk for my review, but soon enough, the words on the scroll began mixing around to read ‘Luoyang, the volcano.’ A chuckle escaped me, my body shook from my attempts to contain my laughter.

Bìxià, are you listening to me? his shrill voice reaching a higher octave. My laughter interrupted his rant and now annoyance was etched into his features. This isn’t something that should be taken lightly.

I nodded and let out a single grunt of acknowledgement. Yes, I know that well enough. What do you propose we do then?

He adjusted his robes proudly and replied, I’m glad you asked. The humans are nothing but insects who are following what they believe to be the winning side out of fear of being squashed. We simply need to remind them whose territory they live in. And should the need to squash them arise… Well, we handle them like we’ve handled the mages.

Luoyang was always itching to go to war. He had been one of the many dragons who were captured by the mages and forced to endure the painful procedure known as scale harvesting. Dragon scales were a significant, powerful source of magic. It granted the mages the ability to go beyond their limitations, control over all the elements as opposed to the one assigned to them at birth. Unfortunately, removing a powerful object of that magnitude was just as painful as receiving it, because a dragon could not live without its magic.

Most dragons would have died, but not Luoyang. He held on and fought back, preventing the mages from taking more than a scale or two. But his prejudice for the people who harmed him, and their sympathizers, would always be demons to him, no matter how hard they tried to show they could change for the better.

Prior to the war, Luoyang was an abrasive man, but that notably heightened along with his hatred for the mages and humans as the war raged on. I could understand why he wanted the mages to suffer for their actions, along with their sympathizers, but bloodshed was the last thing Wuzhen needed.

I shook my head and said, No more death, Luoyang. I am tired of this war, as many other individuals are. We’ve all lost something, be it a person, valued object, memory, or pride. Regardless of what it is, I will not destroy the happiness of others. I refused to be that kind of ruler.

Bìxià is too kind, Luoyang commented pointedly, almost as though he were accusing me of something.

I raised a brow in suspicion and asked in a grated tone, And what do you mean by that? Are you questioning my methods?

His eyes bulged out of his head in shock and began sputtering apologies. Of course not, Bìxià. So you have said it, so it shall be done. I live to serve you and Wuzhen.

You are dismissed. He bowed his head to me and backed out of the room. The doors closed suddenly, and it left me in the peaceful silence of my study.

Around me were silk tapestries that told the stories of Wuzhen’s glory. Dragons flew over Wuzhen’s canals and mountains freely, a freedom most dragons haven’t experienced in a long time. Wyrmlings would never learn how to fly because of the threat the mages presented. While they took a deep breath of fresh air, it would quickly become restricted by the looming pressure of elemental magic. ‘Am I really doing what’s best for Wuzhen?’

Bìxià, Bìxià! A sentry came rushing into my study with an injured warrior at his side. His armor was missing from his body, the tips of his fingers blackened with frostbite. The smell of magic, cinnamon, lingered on his clothes, he’d barely escaped a blast of elemental magic. Although I didn’t know who this person was, he was still a valued member of the Imperial Guard.

Send for Imperial Physician Ruogang, I instructed the sentry. How many were there? I asked the wounded man.

Too many to count, Bìxià. I fear they’ll wipe Zhenyuan in a matter of minutes. He let out a choked cough, blood seeping through his handkerchief. The fire mages... he tried to continue, but his breathing was too labored to allow him to get the words out.

Don’t talk. They hit you with ice magic. You need to conserve your energy to fight off the effects. I will take over from here.

A set of guards entered the room and prepared to take him to the infirmary, but before he exited, he whispered, They had water dragon scales.

We arrived in the northern earth dragon territory, Zhenyuan, within forty-five minutes. Every day I wondered if we had teleportation abilities, if we could reduce the amount of bloodshed and destruction. The mages burned the surrounding trees to a crisp, leaving nothing but blackened soot in their place. And the grass on the ground looked as though their roots had been torn from the earth. 

Remains of dead water dragons covered the ground, their scales forcibly torn from their bodies, leaving trails of blood to soak into the soil. ‘The mages must have caught them during their travels,’ I thought, clenching my fists in frustration. Amidst the few water dragon corpses, there was a pile of remains that belonged to a water wyrmling. ‘They didn’t deserve to die. No one did. You’ve gone too far, Declan.’

Anguished cries filled the air, the sound of stomping feet and flapping wings reverberated through the clearing. Everyone was doing their best to escape as quickly as they could.

It wouldn’t be an easy battle. Ice was one of a dragon’s few weaknesses. Dragons naturally had warm temperaments, so being subjected to low temperatures was detrimental to our health. Depending on the attack, it was up to Meihui, our goddess, on whether we could ever recover and reappear on the battlefield.

The mages shot at us from the air as we prepared to land, but I swerved out of the way just in time to avoid a barreling ice rock. Transitioning into my half-shifted form, I let myself fall to the ground, allowing my hard scales to serve as protection from the impact. The closest mages were dressed in red robes covered in ancient Celtic designs. ‘Fire mages,’ I thought, disgusted.

They raised their hands, their palms glowing a menacing blue as they began their chant:

From Pluvio’s hand, we call upon water,

Bind thy enemy and make us stronger.

With Caeli’s breath, water will become ice.

Without hesitating a moment longer, I lunged at them, intending to slash their throats in one go. They would not finish the spell before my claws reached their jugular. I would make sure of it.

Their bodies crumpled to the ground, and the ominous glow disappeared with their fading life force. I took notice of two children huddled around their disintegrated home, gazing up at me in fear. Tears streamed down their dirt-caked faces. The shock had finally hit.

Don’t worry, you’re safe, I murmured to them, trying to calm their pounding hearts.

Before I could hoist them up into my arms, something cold struck my back. The guards must have caught up to me because all I felt were two blows of frozen shards. They weren’t sharp enough to penetrate my dragon’s scales, but it was enough to make me winded. Falling to one knee, I let out a huff of exhaustion. It wasn’t enough to render me unconscious, but it was painful.

Xiaosheng appeared at my side in a hurry to check on my condition. Defend the Emperor! he shouted to the members of the Imperial Guard. Each held a contract with The Wands, a Minor Arcana, so they would be harder to strike down than any other ordinary warrior.

Although the Major Arcana was known to have powerful side effects following its use, there was no concern over the Minor Arcana. A contract with The Wands allowed them to control natural fire around them, but they could only use it for one hour. Although they could use them for longer periods, it required the contractor to siphon some of their life force to the Tarot card.

We needed to end the battle quickly, for the benefit of my soldiers.

Will you be alright? Xiaosheng asked, his gaze peering past the trees, searching for someone. He had to be looking for his mate and his mate’s family. She was an earth dragon who lived in this region. 

I nodded and responded, Go to her. I pray to Meihui you’ll return safely to the Mainlands.

Relief washed over him as he quickly bowed before barreling through the forest to search for his mate. Two of you, I called a couple members of the Imperial Guard. Go with Xiaosheng and protect him and his mate. They followed Xiaosheng through the brush, their shadows disappearing through the thick foliage.

Glancing at the children, I firmly said, Find a place to hide, far away from here. We’ll protect you. They didn’t budge. Terror had taken hold of their hearts completely. With a deep breath, I roared out my command, GO!

It seemed to have worked, as they ran away as fast as their feet would carry them.

The mages turned their attention to the fleeing children, but I blocked their path with my Imperial Guard standing fearlessly beside me. Your battle is with me, the Emperor of Wuzhen and the Dragon King. You will pay dearly for the suffering you’ve caused today. We will not accept surrender.

CHAPTER 2

CAI MIN

"From now on, we must travel in groups. We can’t allow the mages to