Page 2 of Two Thousand Blades (Kings of Chaos Book 3)

July, 2023

Adragon’s hoard.

He was trapped in an actual dragon’s hoard.

This was ridiculous.

Okay, so his cage was exquisite. Stunning and rare furniture filled the cavern. Rich fabrics and rugs were everywhere, providing comfort and warmth. Glittering gems were on every surface. There were even weapons!

Not that he wanted to use them and risk tarnishing their brilliance—but still, he had a chance of protecting himself.

What the hell was he supposed to do now?

After the dragon had grabbed him by mistake and dove into the river, carrying him to this cave deep in the ground, he’d been shown to this magnificent room by the dragon’s servant. At least, he thought the man was the dragon’s servant. He didn’t have a name and was relatively unhelpful in all ways. The bastard had even locked him in this room, leaving him completely alone with no way of contacting his clan.

It wasn’t just that his clan had no way of knowing he was still alive. Or as alive as a vampire could be. But he had no idea what had happened to his clan mates and the fae. The last thing he’d seen was his clan outnumbered. Had they escaped Queen Belladonna and her army? Were they safe? Had the dragon gone back and attacked them after leaving him in the cave?

Restless energy crawled across his skin and left him clenching his teeth as he searched the entire room for the third time. Nothing. The enormous space was loosely divided up into a massive parlor, a sleeping area with a bed on a pedestal, a kitchen, and a bathroom that was too luxurious for words. There were kings who couldn’t boast such opulence in their castles, and he might have enjoyed it if the dragon had given him a choice in the matter.

Xiang flopped onto a pile of cushions and groaned loudly while his body sank into the satin-covered cloud. How was he supposed to get out of here? The door was composed of more than a meter of steel and wouldn’t budge, no matter how much he pulled on it. There were no other doors or windows. His only contact since waking was with Mr. No-Name, but he didn’t know when he would return. If he would return.

No. He refused to be useless. He had to find a way back to his clan.

He—

“You haven’t even been here an entire day. Why are you pouting?”

Xiang tried to jump up at the unexpected sound of that voice, but he’d sunk so deeply into the cushions that he couldn’t do much more than flail his arms and legs in the air like an overturned turtle.

An aggravated sigh reached his ears, and a hand caught one of his, pulling him up enough that his feet could find purchase on something solid. As he rose, his gaze focused on the man who’d “rescued” him from the cave earlier. Except this was the first time he got a good look at the stranger. When they first met, the cave had been pitch black, while his features were partially lost to the bright light and shadows cast by his lantern.

“You!” Xiang gasped as his brain tried to take in dark hair that hung in front of silver-gray eyes. His features were soft and rounded, as if the artist who’d made him had sanded down his hard angles. The one harsh thing about him was the sharp, unyielding line of his lips as they pressed together into a frown.

“Who did you think it was?” Mr. No-Name snapped as he released Xiang’s hand the second he was on his feet.

“I don’t know. You surprised me. That’s all. I didn’t hear you enter.”

The man grunted and walked away, crossing the crowded room with practiced ease, as if he’d spent decades weaving his way through all the furniture and bric-a-brac. “I don’t understand your problem. Why are you so disgruntled about being here? Are you uncomfortable?”

“It’s not about being uncomfortable. I’m a prisoner!” Xiang shouted at his back. “You know what that’s like, right? You’re a prisoner of the dragon, too. Right?”

The guy straightened a wooden box that had gotten nudged on a table. “I don’t have the freedom to move about as I might wish.”

Xiang tossed his arm across the man’s shoulders and pulled him in close. He was only about seven or eight centimeters shorter than the man. Close enough that he could easily gaze into his eyes. “See! We’re practically brothers fighting the same fight. We need to help each other so we can both be free.”

The man’s face twisted up and his eyes widened as he stared at the hand dangling off his shoulder. He pinched Xiang’s wrist between two fingers and lifted it from his shoulder, ending all contact between them. “We are not brothers, and the only help I am to give you is to make sure you are comfortable for as long as you are staying here.”

“And how long is that going to be?”

He gave a small shrug before continuing his path through the cavern, tidying things as he moved. “I have no idea.”

Xiang groaned loudly again. “Can you at least tell me how long I’ve been in here already?”

“About twelve hours.”

That was longer than he’d estimated, but still too much time away from his clan. They had to be worried sick about him. At least Shixiong?1 was there to keep his other clan mates from doing anything too rash and reckless. He doubted all of them together were strong enough to take on a dragon. No, it was up to him to escape and return to them.

“Why are there no clocks in here at all? The dragon collects every rare and valuable thing, but not clocks? That doesn’t make any sense,” Xiang continued to rant as he wandered away from his companion to head toward the only door in the room.

“Time has no meaning to the dragon, so why would he value a thing that tracks the passage of time?” The man’s voice grew more distant as they moved in opposite directions. At least, he hadn’t seemed to notice that Xiang wasn’t following him any longer.

That made some sense and was a little frightening. Did that mean the dragon was immortal? A god? There were plenty of dragons from his culture’s mythology. Some were helpful while others weren’t quite so helpful. He’d caught only a glimpse of this dragon with its blue scales; long, slender body; and a massive head with horns and whiskers. Just thinking about the dragon lured his mind to questions about how the fae had gained command of a dragon.

How was that even possible?

Dragons were supposed to be powerful, unstoppable creatures who answered to no one. Not even the gods sometimes. There was no way Queen Belladonna of the fae was more powerful than a dragon. Rei would have warned them, or at least given some kind of hint that she was more dangerous.

“What are you doing?”

Xiang screeched and jumped into the air, his heart bouncing into his throat. Mr. No-Name’s voice sounded as if he’d whispered that question right into his ear. Xiang spun to find his companion standing a couple of meters away, an unamused look on his face as he stared at Xiang.

“What the hell!” Xiang shouted. “Don’t sneak up on me like that! I thought you were off cleaning or straightening or making sure I wasn’t stealing any of the dragon’s treasures.”

A thick, dark eyebrow lifted to his hairline, disappearing behind a few locks hanging in front of his eyes. “Do you plan to steal from the dragon?”

“What? No! I don’t want anything from the dragon. I want to leave.”

Mr. No-Name sighed and grabbed Xiang’s elbow. He dragged Xiang over to one of the burgundy sofas and forced him to sit. “You’re not leaving. The dragon cannot allow it. You need to accept this. The sooner you do, the sooner you will find comfort in your surroundings.”

“No! I won’t accept it!” Xiang sprang to his feet and stepped into Mr. No-Name’s personal space. “I need to return to my clan. It’s driving me crazy. Are they safe? Did the dragon go back and attack them after it brought me here? Did the queen send her army after them? I have to know if they’re safe.”

The man placed a hand in the center of Xiang’s chest and shoved, forcing him to sit on the sofa. He crossed to a nearby chair that matched the sofa and sat as well. “The dragon has not left the cave since dropping you here, so if anything happened to your clan, the dragon did not cause it.”

Some of the weight resting on Xiang’s shoulders tumbled away, and he slumped into the cushions. He covered his face with his hands and concentrated on breathing. The dragon hadn’t attacked his family. That was a large reassurance. There was at least a chance that Xiao Dan, Yichen, and Rei had made it out of the woods.

That night, the others had already started their retreat to the vehicles. He’d heard messages that Sky had released his dead army and was running for cover with the other witches with the help of the Variks. The rest of the Zhang clan were also heading for their home. Only he and Xiao Dan had traveled deeper into the woods to make sure Yichen and Rei were leaving.

Of course, that was when all hell broke loose. Yes, King Ash was dead, but the fae had set free the spell to expand the woods. Not to mention, Queen Belladonna had shown up to threaten her son and summon a dragon.

What a fucking mess.He had to get home. The clan didn’t need to waste time worrying about him. Their focus should be on stopping the fae. And that was assuming his clan was still standing.

“Were you afraid the dragon would eat your people?” Mr. No-Name broke into his thoughts. Xiang lowered his hands to see an obvious expression of disgust on his handsome face.

“Are you telling me that the dragon doesn’t eat people?”

“Why would he? If the dragon has the power to collect all these amazing treasures, would logic not follow that the dragon also has the power to eat the finest delicacies of the world?” The man’s upper lip curled. “Vampires and elves do not fall within that category.”

“Fine. The dragon didn’t eat my family, but isn’t he under the control of the fae queen?”

The disgust on the man’s face was lost under a wall of ice. That had clearly been the wrong thing to say. Maybe this guy wasn’t so much a captive as a servant. Did he actually like the dragon? Like his job? Or was it Stockholm Syndrome? Had he been stuck a captive for so long that he now harbored feelings for the beast? Xiang wanted to groan. This was becoming more complicated by the second.

“Never mind that,” Xiang announced with a wave of his hand. He shifted on the couch until he perched on the edge of the cushion, his elbows resting on his knees as he leaned toward his new “friend.”

“The dragon didn’t eat or attack my clan, and I’m sure the dragon doesn’t care to follow any orders issued by the queen.” The man’s expression defrosted slightly. That was at least one step in the right direction. “Is there any way the dragon could check on my clan? Not get too close and scare them, but simply see if they all made it back to our home safely?”

Xiang watched as the man’s expression scrunched up, his eyes darting away. “I don’t know,” he mumbled, his hands balling into fists on the arms of the chair.

“But you at least get to see the dragon? Talk to it? You could ask him, right? I’m sure he’d be able to find the little gathering of vampires. A quick peek is all I’m asking. There should be seven vampires and one elf there. Maybe a huli jing?2 lurking about, but I don’t care about him. Just the others.”

The stranger refused to meet his eyes, but he released a soft sigh. “I make no promises, but I can make the request for you. If the dragon agrees to your request, will you agree to stop your pouting and escape attempts?”

“I promise to stop pouting,” Xiang replied with a broad grin.

Mr. No-Name glared at him. “And the escape attempts?”

“Come on, would either you or the dragon believe me if I agree to that bit of nonsense? Of course I won’t stop trying! I appreciate the fact that the dragon hasn’t tried to kill me, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to go home to my clan. And when I escape, I’m taking you with me!” He jabbed one index finger at Mr. No-Name, causing his eyes to flash wide.

“W-w-why would you do that? I didn’t ask you to do that.” Mr. No-Name was out of his chair in a flash, heading deeper into the cavern as if he were trying to escape Xiang. As he moved, his hands would jump out here and there to turn and resettle random things he passed as if it were nothing more than a nervous tic to settle the growing panic within him.

“Why in the world would you think that I’d leave you here? You’re trapped with a fucking dragon. It isn’t right for me to escape and leave you behind to live out the rest of your days in a freaking cave under a river.” Xiang paused and rolled his eyes at himself. “That’s where I assume we are. But that’s not the point. You deserve a normal life with your people. Have you forgotten there’s more to the world than these cave walls?”

Mr. No-Name lifted his arms out in front of him. “And have you not noticed that all the beauty of the world can be found within these walls?”

“Not all the beauty,” Xiang countered as he continued to chase after him. “There are beautiful things that even a dragon cannot steal and bring in here.”

Mr. No-Name suddenly whirled to face him, his soft features pulled tight. “And I think you have conveniently forgotten that the outside world also has a great deal of ugliness to it. Or would you rather not think of the fighting and dead that surrounded you before the dragon stole you away?”

“I haven’t forgotten. That’s just how the world works. There can’t be beauty without some ugliness. There’s no pleasure without the risk of pain. You need to get out there and remember how good life can be without these walls holding you back.”

“No,” Mr. No-Name snarled as he resumed his winding trek through the overfilled cavern.

“Don’t care what you say. I’m taking you with me. We’ll escape together and we’ll find your people.”

The man’s steps slowed, and he paused in front of a rosewood bureau with an assortment of jeweled boxes covering the top. His fingers traced along the gold filigree and the facets of the gems. “There are no people for you to find. No reason for me to leave.”

That was what Xiang had been afraid of. How many years had the dragon left him tucked away in this cave? Had the dragon’s magic extended his life? Everything about him seemed human, other than that he was incredibly strong and could move without a sound. Sort of like a vampire. And yet, he radiated none of the magical energy that came with being a vampire.

“Fine. Then you can stay with my clan until you figure out what you want to do. But the reason you have for leaving is you. You deserve to have a life. A real life.”

The man huffed and shook his head. “You offer me asylum with your clan, and you don’t know if they still exist. I don’t want to discuss this any longer. I’m not going anywhere, and you’re not going anywhere so long as it’s the dragon’s will that you remain here.” Mr. No-Name paused and heaved a sigh. “But I will inquire as to whether the dragon can check on the well-being of your clan.”

Xiang remained undaunted. “Fine. What’s your name?”

“What?” Mr. No-Name’s head snapped around to glare at him. “I told you I don’t remember my name.”

“If you’ve forgotten your name, doesn’t that mean you could have also forgotten your people?”

“No.” He resumed walking, and Xiang remained on his heels.

“I’m Li Xiang, son of Li Guangli, and a member of the Sword of the Heavenly Garden Sect. I grew up in Chang’An prior to my father sending me to train at the sect. He wanted me to be better trained than the average minister’s son, so I could more easily rise to the position of general in the emperor’s army.”

His companion said nothing as he walked, but his head was cocked slightly toward Xiang as if he were trying to listen secretly despite his overall posture of indifference.

“As you’ve likely guessed, things didn’t go as my father had planned for me. Though I did serve the emperor in a way.”

Just not in a way any of us imagined…

Xiang shoved those old thoughts aside and pressed on. “If you won’t tell me your name, I guess I have no choice but to make one up for you.”

That forced Mr. No-Name’s feet to stop and turn to face Xiang. “Why must you call me anything?”

“You have to have a name!”

“No, I don’t. Not knowing my name has not ceased your endless chatter since I entered the cavern.”

“But I need something to call you. How else can I properly greet you when you come to see me?”

“Don’t greet me.”

“What about when I think about you? I need something to call you in my mind.”

“Don’t think about me either.”

At least annoying his keeper was proving to be a way to amuse himself. A grin spread across Xiang’s lips and he leaned toward his new target, his hands resting behind his back. “I think you look like a Bo. Maybe I should call you Bo. Or maybe Bobo.”

“That is not funny.”

“Why not? One of my martial brothers is Junjie, and we call him Jun-Jun. It’s a perfect fit. You definitely need to be Bobo.”

“I am not a Bobo! You will stop calling me that immediately!” Mr. No-Name hissed. His usually pale face flushed, and his eyes sparkled with his ire.

“Fine. Er-ge’s ?3 name is Chen Bo Cheng. He also lost his mind when I tried to call him Bobo.” Xiang lifted one hand to his chin and rubbed it with his thumb and forefinger. “It might be confusing if both you and Chen Bo Cheng are Bo. How about Shen?”

Another glare.

“Qiao?”

“I’m beginning to believe your clan might be grateful to the dragon for stealing you away from them. I suspect they could use the break.”

Xiang gasped loudly. “Was that a joke? Did you honestly crack a joke at my expense?”

“No, I’m serious. You’re annoying, and you’ve probably annoyed your clan for years.”

Xiang pointed a finger at him. “True. How about Kai? Kai is an excellent name. Easy to say and remember.” The finger still pointed at his companion’s face moved to encompass all of him. “You look like a Kai.”

“Fine! Call me Kai. If it will stop your endless chatter, you may call me Kai,” he snapped, throwing up his hands. He stomped away from Xiang, who was biting his bottom lip to hold in his laughter. The newly christened Kai was so very easy to annoy. That meant he was probably easy to distract. It was only a matter of time before Kai slipped up and Xiang could sneak past him and out of this damn cage.

“I know I said the dragon doesn’t eat people, but he might make an exception for you,” Kai continued to grumble. “You’ve been given a place of honor in the dragon’s hoard, and all you think about is escaping and annoying me. Do you really think you’d be more comfortable in an empty cavern with the lichen and dripping water to keep you company? I think not.”

“Why did the dragon bring me here at all?”

“Because the queen ordered ‘Take,’ so the dragon took you.”

“Except the queen wasn’t pointing at me when she issued that command. She’d been pointing the sword at my didi?4, Yichen,” Xiang muttered under his breath. There was no way he could stand by and allow the fae to kidnap Yichen a second time. They’d just gotten him back.

Of course, his actual plan had been to knock Yichen and Rei out of the way. He hadn’t been trying to take Yichen’s place. That was poor planning on his part.

“You should pray that the queen doesn’t realize her mistake and amend her order with something like ‘Kill.’”

That was definitely a thought that had occurred to him since he’d woken up in the dragon’s lair.

Xiang scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed. “Look, Kai, I think we got off on the wrong foot.” He dropped his hand and his words died in his throat. He was standing alone in the dragon’s hoard once again.

Well, that answered one question. Kai was not human. At least, not completely. There was no way he could have escaped the hoard that fast if not for magic.

Or—and this was a much scarier thought—Kai was nothing more than a figment of his imagination that he’d made up to keep from going insane from loneliness.

But if that were the case, couldn’t his mind come up with someone more agreeable than Kai?

1 ?Shixiong – elder martial brother

2 ?Huli jing – fox spirit, a mischievous spirit that can be an omen of good luck or bad luck. It is believed to be able to change into male or female human form and seduce humans. Different from a nine-tailed fox (juiweihu in Mandarin or kitsune in Japanese or gumiho in Korean – just depends on whether you’re a donghua, anime, or K-drama watcher ??)

3 ?Er-ge – second oldest brother. A term of endearment. Referencing Chen Bo Cheng here since he is the second oldest behind Zhang Xiao Dan (AKA da-ge)

4 ?Didi – younger brother