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 hate 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.”