"Jin?"

  The way his father said his name, like a wound reopening, made Jin's chest tighten.

  "Father, I—"

  "Why did you come back?" Hu Xiao's voice carried something Jin had never heard before. Not anger. Something heavier. Almost defeated. "Is Qiu that dense that he couldn't see why I sent you away?"

  Jin's jaw set. "I swore an oath, Father. To protect the king and this kingdom." He stepped closer, meeting his father's eyes. "Is that not what you instilled in me since I was young? Am I also not a Royal Guard as well?"

  "Before all that, you are also my son." Hu Xiao's grip tightened on his greatsword. "And it is a father's duty to protect their child."

  "I am not a kid anymore, Father." Jin's voice rose despite himself. "I will be seventeen tomorrow." He gestured at the bodies littering the courtyard. "And you swore to me when I became a Royal Guard that you would treat me not as a father but as the captain of the Royal Guards. So why?"

  Hu Xiao was quiet for a long moment. Then he sighed, a sound that seemed to carry the weight of the entire burning city.

  "This is not the time for this. What's done is done, and you are already here." He turned toward the inner courtyard. "We will finish this conversation when all is done."

  They walked together deeper into the outer courtyard. The inner castle loomed ahead, its walls still standing, its gates still sealed. For now.

  "I've been defending this gate since the attack began," Hu Xiao said, voice shifting back to the captain Jin knew. Professional. Tactical. "The castle has three main entrances. This southern gate. The eastern gate, defended by Vice Captain Mei Lian and her squadron. The western gate, covered by the rest of the Royal Guard." He glanced at Jin." He paused. "Your friend Li Chen is with them."

  "The castle should be sa—"

  Hu Xiao stopped mid-word. His head snapped toward the eastern corridor, a wide passageway that led from the outer courtyard to the eastern section of the castle grounds.

  This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Footsteps. Approaching.

  Jin followed his father's gaze. "Is Vice Captain Lian coming this way?"

  "No." Hu Xiao's voice was tight. "I sense two qi signatures. I don't recognize them."

  A pause. Jin watched his father's expression shift from caution to confusion to something that looked like shock.

  "How..." Hu Xiao's eyes narrowed. "I don't recall a Martial Master being among the enemy?"

  A voice echoed from the eastern corridor. Young. Casual. Like someone discussing the weather.

  "Tao, is this where you sensed the Martial Master?"

  Another voice answered, deeper, more measured. "Yes, Young Master. The Kingdom of Fire's sole Martial Master is just beyond here."

  Two figures emerged around the corner.

  The first was young, perhaps early twenties at most. He wore flowing robes of black and silver, immaculate despite the battlefield around them. No armor. No visible weapons, though Jin caught the gleam of a blade hilt at his side. The Valerian sigil was embroidered across his chest in silver thread, lightning bolts crossed over a coiled dragon. His features were refined, almost delicate, and his lips curved in a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

  The second figure was a man built for war. Not as broadly built as Hu Xiao, but tall and imposing in dark armor that bore intricate engravings along the plates. Unlike the standard Valerian soldiers Jin had seen, this armor was crafted for someone of rank. Of importance. His qi was palpable, not explosive like Hu Xiao's fire, but refined. Controlled. Like a blade kept sheathed but ready to cut at any moment.

  In his hands, he held a broadsword, wide blade, long hilt wrapped in black cord. The weapon rested comfortably across one shoulder, as if it weighed nothing.

  The young man in black surveyed the outer courtyard. His eyes moved across the scattered bodies, the blood-stained stone, the scorch marks where Hu Xiao's techniques had detonated. Then he laughed.

  "No wonder we haven't heard any word from this gate. It seems they're all dead." His gaze found Hu Xiao. "What a bunch of trash."

  He tilted his head slightly. "You must be Hu Xiao, right? The only Martial Master this lousy kingdom was able to produce?"

  Jin's hands clenched into fists. "Where is Vice Captain Lian?"

  The young man didn't even look at him.

  "What the hell did you do to the Vice Captain!?" Jin's voice cracked with fury.

  The young man shrugged. The gesture was deliberately exaggerated. Mocking.

  "Who knows?"

  His smile widened. "All I can tell you is that everyone defending that gate is now dead."

  Jin's vision blurred red. The Vice Captain. Her squadron. Soldiers he'd trained with. Eaten meals with. People who'd welcomed him into the Royal Guard like family.

  Gone.

  "My men should have already breached the inner courtyard by now." The young man's tone was conversational. Pleasant, even. "Who knows if that traitorous king is even still alive?"

  The words hung in the smoke-filled air.