The Immortal Words (The Grave Kingdom), стр. 94
There were no exterior windows in the chamber, so it was dark except for the light of a small oil lamp. There were no windows so that assassins could not sneak through them. Budai was paranoid. In the dim light, he smelled an exotic fragrance, one unfamiliar to him. He shut and barred the door, feeling anticipation well up in his stomach. Such privileges had been exceedingly rare during his years of exile.
He approached the bed, wondering if the girl had fallen asleep waiting for him. But as he did, he saw a pale leg ripple beneath the silk curtain hanging from the bed frame. Budai parted the curtain to gaze at her, and his stomach instantly tightened with fear.
A pale dragon lay on his bed. The limb he’d seen was a tail, not a leg.
A shimmer of mist came from the dragon, which transformed into a supine woman sheathed in silver silk, arm splayed at a provocative angle. Terror transfixed him. He thought of screaming for Pangxie to bring the guards, but he couldn’t breathe.
“Welcome back, Budai,” she said, giving him an inviting smile. “Do you know me?”
His knees trembled. He swallowed, his throat tight. “You must be Xisi.”
“Yes,” she said, and her voice was nearly a hiss. “We have much to discuss, you and I. Much to plan. I need a man of your . . . ambition. I am the one who made Echion the most powerful man in all the world. But he is dead now. I need another husband. I’ve chosen you.”
His heart began to thaw again from the ice of fear. Possibilities churned in his mind. Hunger he’d not felt in years began to stir. Not just a hunger for wealth. A hunger for revenge as well. He stared at her body greedily. “I think we can help one another,” he whispered.
CHARACTERS
Baihe——one of Xisi’s handmaidens
Batong——member of Damanhur’s ensign
Bingmei——orphaned main character, has winter sickness
Budai——ruler of Wangfujing
Chushuile——drawn from the water, the name Xisi gives her baby
Cuifen——princess of Sihui
Echion——the Dragon of Night, past emperor of the known world
Eomen——King Shulian’s daughter
Faguan——concubine of Echion
Fuchou——ruler of Renxing
Fupenzi——Bingmei’s grandmother
Guanjia——Budai’s steward
Guoduan——captain of the merchant ship the Raven
Heise——captain from Tianrui, leader of mercenaries
Heishou——part of Echion’s ensign, the man who murdered Shulian
Huqu——member of Damanhur’s ensign
Jiao——Bingmei’s grandfather
Jiaohua——master of Shulian’s police force, the Jingcha
Jidi Majia——Shulian’s advisor, also has the winter sickness
Jiukeshu——Qiangdao leader
Juexin——crown prince of Sajinau, Rowen’s brother
Kexin——chancellor of King Zhumu of Sihui
Keyi——greedy fisherman
Kunmia Suun——owner of an ensign, Bingmei’s master
Lianhua——concubine of Echion who also served Xisi
Liekou——part of Echion’s ensign, practitioner of dianxue
Lieren——part of Kunmia’s ensign, the hunter
Li Jinxi——Xisi’s eunuch lover from the ancient kingdom
Mao Zhang——businessman in Wangfujing, owner of fishing boats
Marenqo——translator for Kunmia
Mieshi——member of Kunmia’s ensign, sharp-tongued
Mingzhi——king of Tuqiao
Muxidi——Qiangdao leader who murdered Bingmei’s family
Naruto——king of Dawanju
Pangxie——an officer in General Tzu’s army
Qianxu——ruler of Yiwu
Quion——fisherman’s son who joins Kunmia’s ensign
Rowen——prince of Sajinau, younger brother of Juexin
Shan——captain of the palace guard in Sihui
Shixian——the name of Bingmei and Rowen’s son
Shulian——king of Sajinau
Tzu——general of all Sajinau’s military
Xisi——Echion’s queen, coruler of the Grave Kingdom
Yanli——part of Echion’s ensign, the archer
Zhongshi——Kunmia’s nephew, guards her quonsuun during absences
Zhumu——ruler of Sihui
Zhuyi——member of Kunmia’s ensign, keen listener
Zizhu——guardian of Bingmei’s grandfather’s quonsuun
AUTHOR’S NOTE
When my wife finished reading the initial draft of this book, she came in with a querying look asking, “Um . . . Jeff . . . is there a book 4 you haven’t told me about?”
This is the story that I set out to write, the one that was inspired by Alaskan glaciers and ancient Chinese palaces. While doing research for this series in China, I watched a lot of martial arts films as well as a favorite of mine, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and its Netflix sequel. Those stories are based on wuxia novels, martial arts novels written about a century ago about warriors and their adventures. One of the recurring themes of that kind of novel is that they tend to tell multigenerational stories. I tried to capture that essence with Bingmei, that the story really started long before she was born, and it will continue for generations to come. I admit I like to leave the door ajar in case more stories pull at me.
So “maybe” is the answer to my wife’s question. Someone asked me recently how I come up with so many ideas and how I can keep writing as fast as I do. The problem is that by the time I finish one series, the ideas for three more come in its place. Each project is special and unique, and I give it my undivided attention until it’s done. I may indeed come back to the Grave Kingdom to tell another story set in this world. I really enjoyed writing about it, but something else is coming next.
I dedicated this book to my daughter Isabelle, who practiced kung fu with me for several months before leaving on her mission. It was so fun training with her and passing on skills that I learned when I was her age. I’ve written this entire series while she was away from home, but thankfully, she is returning the same month that The Killing Fog comes out. Now she has experienced what so many of you have to endure (waiting for a book) instead of getting weekly sneak peeks of my latest chapters.
This series is about family, and I’m the luckiest guy in the world to have such an awesome one. They journeyed to the other side of the world with me, and yet