《Path of the Thunderbird Vol 2: Stone Soul》


 Prologue: Raijin

    Land of Immortals


    Land of Immortals? Raijin looked into the empty eyeholes in the ghostly blue woman¡¯s head. Through them, he watched the indigo waterfall behind her churning the water in the shallow pool. The motion stuttered strangely, moving then stopping, moving then stopping.


    The woman laughed and held out one pale blue hand. He reached for it, the feeling like lifting a millstone. His own hand looked to be made of bluish charcoal smears just a shade darker than the rocks and trees surrounding the pool. It moved in the same halting skips as the waterfall, as if he were only seeing glimpses of its motion.


    The woman watched him struggle, clearly amused.


    ¡°Are you truly so weak, chosen one?¡± Shaking her head, she made up the distance between their hands without a hint of the clumsy pauses and pulled him easily to his feet. ¡°Remind me never to be cast out of the heavens. You must have fallen all the way back to a Tier 1.¡±


    Though the air in this place was thick, like wet smoke, Raijin¡¯s lungs struggled to pull in enough to stop his head from spinning. It felt as if a dozen huge stones had been piled on his chest. Every breath was a great exertion. Unable to force words of thanks from his mouth, he gave a polite but halting bow, struggling to rise once more.


    ¡°Will we treat each other so formally now?¡± The ghostly woman asked. ¡°Fine.¡± She bowed to him. ¡°Misuru, Raijin. Raijin, Misuru. We are pleased to make one another¡¯s acquaintance again.¡±


    Raijin took a deep lungful of air, the scent of this place like heady incense in his nostrils, and tried with all his might to speak.


    ¡°H-how¡­¡± The air hissed over his vocal cords, the word less spoken than breathed.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°How do I know we¡¯re pleased to meet each other, or how do I know your name? Or how did I defeat the akane?¡± Misuru gestured over one pale blue shoulder toward the fleshy red beast she had tossed around like a scrap of cloth. As she did, the creature disintegrated and blew away, the red smoke of its remains stuttering and pausing in intricate eddies and curls. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember anything?¡±


    ¡°K-Koida,¡± he breathed. Sweat beaded on his temples from the effort it took to speak.


    The woman¡ªMisuru¡ªnodded. ¡°The Dark Dragon. You remember that you have to kill her before she destroys the cycle of the mortal realm for good.¡±


    Raijin shook his head in protest. He had saved both Koida and the world this time. He¡¯d followed the correct variation as closely as he could. She should be safe, and the world should as well.


    But then, if he had truly succeeded, he should also be dead.


    ¡°Why¡­am I¡­here?¡± Forcing the words out seemed to require full body concentration. By the time he finished, he was shaking with exhaustion. He dropped to one knee.


    Misuru flopped onto the grass before him, folding her legs beneath her. ¡°When I first saw you, I assumed it was because you had defeated her and were returning home victorious. Given your demotion, however, I think we can safely assume that you¡¯ve been defeated and were sent back to grow stronger for your next battle.¡±


    ¡°Demotion?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t get any lower than Tier 1, Thunderer. You might as well still be mortal.¡± She tapped her chin with one pale blue finger. ¡°Do you remember that name? Thunderer? Your first life? The first cycle, when we were mortals? What about the Ascension? You couldn¡¯t forget that.¡±


    ¡°Apologies,¡± Raijin stopped her. ¡°I¡­don¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Nothing?¡± Her eyeless holes opening wider. ¡°Not even the Treachery?¡±


    ¡°Please¡­¡± He faltered for a moment, both to catch his breath and to search for an appropriate address. He had no idea whether Misuru was older or younger than him. Since they¡¯d met, she had spoken to him in a familiar but neutral tone, giving no hint at her station or their relationship. He switched to a respectful familiar tone to be safe. ¡°Please, great immortal sister. Begin as if your lowly brother knows nothing¡ª¡± He gulped down a painful lungful of air, his head pounding. ¡°¡ªand must have even the simplest information explained to him like a child.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky you found Misuru, Thunderer. The other immortals are not so forgiving of weakness as I.¡± She sighed. ¡°Perhaps you had better tell me what you do remember.¡±

 Chapter 1: Yoichi

    Present


    Shyong Liu Yoichi paced his study, his sharp purple eyes glaring down at a coffin of ice.


    The many facets and angles distorted the body frozen inside, but Yoichi knew the face of his enemy. The Ji Yu chieftain had nearly upset the intricate plans Yoichi and his mother had been carefully piecing together over the years.


    Nearly.


    Yoichi had had to take matters into his own hands to salvage his empire. His mother hadn¡¯t been happy about that either, but he doubted she actually had the capacity to feel joy. He had stopped the Ji Yu chieftain from ruining all they had worked for, that was all that mattered.


    Now all that remained was to break into this wretched coffin. The chieftain¡¯s vastly overpowered Ro was already gone, lost to his younger half-sister, Koida, but if Yoichi could break through, he should be able to perform the Far-Stretching Tap Root, one of the core techniques of the Path of the Water Lily. This would allow him to siphon the Ji Yu chieftain¡¯s Ro from Koida and absorb it himself.


    Footsteps in the empty alchemy laboratory outside his study alerted him to his mother¡¯s approach. It could only be her. The rest of the alchemists in the eastern tower had scurried off when their new emperor had sent them away for the night.


    From the quick, clipped pace, Yoichi could tell that his mother was irritated. He should have had the ice coffin dragged to his royal residence. He doubted she would have looked for him there, even now that Hao was dead. In the five years since he had come to court, she had never visited his private chambers, maintaining the fa?ade that they barely knew one another. It was an arrangement he preferred.


    A gracefully aging woman in the robes of a court alchemist stepped between the wooden shelves dividing his study from the laboratory. Yoichi had never grown used to seeing his mother with locks dyed as black as night and brows smudged with charcoal. The disguise was part of her role as Sulyeon, skilled court alchemist, a part she played well enough to fool even the emperor who had been her lover when she was nothing more than a harem girl. Yoichi wondered whether his mother would let her hair return to white now.


    She bowed deeply, exposing the back of her neck.


    ¡°Phoenix Emperor of the Rising Shyong Liu Dynasty,¡± she said in the tone of a minor official greeting her exalted ruler.


    Yoichi smirked. ¡°I¡¯m alone, Mother, unless you count this chunk of ice. But you¡¯re more than welcome to continue talking up to me.¡±


    Youn Wha rose, a scowl twisting her face.


    ¡°Have you found a way in?¡± she asked, switching to the familial tone of a mother to her son. An irritated mother.


    ¡°Not yet.¡± Yoichi pulled back an open palm to his hip, fingers bent into claws, then slammed his fingertips into the ice coffin. Poisonous black Ro seeped from his fingertips, sliding over the surface, searching for an opening or weakness, trying to dig down like roots into soil, but the fingers of virulent black light couldn¡¯t pierce the ice. He let the technique dissipate, his toxic Ro retreating through his pathways and back into his heartcenter. ¡°It seems to be unbreakable.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve tried to melt it?¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Yoichi rolled his eyes. As if he were a fool.


    ¡°Over a sufficiently hot fire?¡± his mother insisted.


    ¡°Fire,¡± he drawled. ¡°Why did I not think of that? Here I¡¯ve just been breathing on it.¡±


    ¡°I said sufficiently hot,¡± she growled between her teeth.


    ¡°Do you consider an all-consuming salt fire sufficient, esteemed Mother?¡±


    He felt a surge of petty vindication as she turned away from, unable to find a flaw in his methods. She grunted and cupped her chin, her colorless eyes scrutinizing the ice much as he¡¯d been doing.


    She returned to the only conclusion she seemed to come to of late: ¡°If you had just followed my carefully-wrought plan¡ªif you hadn¡¯t panicked and thrown away everything I¡¯ve been working for from the day you were born¡ª¡±


    ¡°I salvaged the plan before that Ji Yu scum could tear it apart.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± she snapped. ¡°Hao never would have put aside conquest for peaceable negotiation. He loved the battle too deeply.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t hear the old fool fawning over the alliance with that tribe of savages,¡± Yoichi muttered.


    She ignored this, of course, as it would have proven her wrong. ¡°We could have continued siphoning unlimited Ro from the casualties of that endless war, then when the time was ripe, killed Hao and taken back your rightful throne.¡±


    ¡°Apologies, Mother, but the time was ripe. We would have had no better opportunity to enact our plan once the youngest was married off and swept away to some remote mountain village.¡±


    ¡°You have the entire Path at your disposal, and yet you fear a few hundred miles?¡± His mother¡¯s charcoal-smudged brows made her eyeroll overly dramatic. ¡°There is no place where the Water Lily does not take root.¡±


    Always straight to quoting the Ancient Master, as if he were straying from the Path. He was twice the devotee she had ever been.


    ¡°Even in the heart of a second princess, Mother?¡±


    The heady scent of lotus blossoms filled Yoichi¡¯s nostrils.


    That¡¯s why I speak to you and not her, the Whisperer breathed in his ear, the soft feminine voice more sensation than sound. Youn Wha follows the Path of the Water Lily, but you, my white-haired hero, are the Water Lily.


    Oblivious to the Whisperer¡¯s encouragement, his mother glared, her eyes glowing black as toxic Ro manifested around her in a sea of deadly waving tentacles. ¡°If you allowed Hao¡¯s youngest daughter to escape alive with the most powerful Ro ever known solely to prove a point, Shyong Liu Yoichi, I will send you to the afterlife myself.¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± He affected a bored expression because she hated it when he used his court face with her. ¡°If that dim-witted Ji Yu had drank from his own cup, his head would be dangling from the Executioner¡¯s Tree, and Koida would be recovering in the Sun Palace while I led the war against the Ji Yu.¡± The antidote he had intended to give her was still hidden in the sleeve-pocket of his finest robes. ¡°Ascending through marriage to Koida would have been the best way to ensure the entire empire backed me. As it is, however, the nobles who survived the feast conveniently happen to support the Rising Phoenix Emperor.¡±


    ¡°By my count, those attending the wedding feast accounted for less than half of the nobility and far fewer ranking officials,¡± Youn Wha said, arching one smudged brow in challenge. ¡°As long as she lives, the rest could rally behind her.¡±


    ¡°The news is spreading, Mother. In a day¡ªtwo at the most¡ªevery noble in the empire will believe Koida a murderess,¡± Yoichi said. It was a regrettable step, one that nullified the possibility of his original plan, but accusing her had been a necessary course correction. ¡°An angry little second princess who didn¡¯t want to be married off. She turned to poison to make a play for the throne, but the wandering hero who held the only other blood claim stopped her. The rest of the court will be all too happy to stand behind the emperor who brought her to justice.¡±


    ¡°If he does bring her to justice,¡± his mother said, a cold thread of doubt running through her words. ¡°On that demon beast of hers and with a day¡¯s ride, there¡¯s no telling how far she could have gone by now. I will not clean up this mess for you.¡±


    She sees a mess where there is opportunity. The Whisperer chuckled softly in his ear. You¡¯re going to make a much better Immortal than she ever could have.


    Hiding his smile behind an appropriately dutiful expression, Yoichi executed a respectful filial bow.


    ¡°Fear not, honored mother and esteemed grandmaster, your son is well prepared,¡± he promised. ¡°I¡¯ve called upon the palace¡¯s best trackers and strongest soldiers. They are to be ready to ride out with their new emperor within the hour.¡±

 Chapter 2: Koida

    Present


    Shyong San Koida tossed and turned, trying to escape the paralyzing gaze of insane purple eyes. A deep black evil full of fury and hatred blurred across the feasting hall straight for her.


    Murderess! it screamed in her sister¡¯s voice, chopping down nobles and court officials on either side, Dual Swords glowing like burning blood. Die, murderess!


    Koida couldn¡¯t move, couldn¡¯t scream. The best she could manage was a strangled moan.


    Why weren¡¯t the nobles running or trying to protect themselves? They just stood there and nodded as the purple-eyed blackness sliced them in half.


    Murderess!


    They nodded. The blackness slaughtered its way closer.


    Koida stayed rooted to the spot, tears spilling down her cheeks in her terror. It was going to kill her, chop her apart, and she couldn¡¯t even scream.


    In a strangely lucid moment amidst the haze of nightmare, Koida felt the skin down the back of her neck crawl. She clawed at it, trying to scratch away whatever bug or spider was climbing on her, but her fingers fell instead on a scaly rope of muscle about as wide as her smallest finger.


    The rope hissed.


    Koida screamed, ripping the snake from her neck and flinging it across the clearing, nearly landing it in the embers of the previous night¡¯s fire.


    A thin adder of purest white, no longer than her hand, coiled tightly on the grass and put its back against a rock from their firepit. The tiny serpent hissed, its mouth open wide to reveal bright blue insides and disproportionately long fangs. It tucked its blunted arrowhead skull back against its spine, preparing to strike.


    With a thump, a burled steel dagger pinned the creature¡¯s head to the earth. Its tail whipped and writhed.


    ¡°Glass moon serpent,¡± Lysander said, rolling over to face Koida and the adder. He jerked his dagger from the ground, pulling the impaled reptile with it. ¡°They¡¯re drawn to strong emotion the way plants follow sunlight. If they weren¡¯t so rare nowadays, you¡¯d probably be covered in them.¡±


    With more care than Koida would have thought the drunken foreigner could summon, Lysander used his thumb and first two fingers to squeeze the serpent¡¯s mouth together and slide it off the blade. The creature¡¯s head was cleanly sliced in half down the center. Inside, Koida could see the tiny compartments of its skull and all their contents. Its split brain was a pale gray-blue and pulsing gently. The two halves of its divided tongue slipped out of its jaws simultaneously, then dipped back inside and disappeared up into its sensory pits. She hadn¡¯t realized before, but in the dim predawn light, the creature was giving off the faintest glow of pearlescent white.


    Koida shivered and snuggled tighter to Pernicious¡¯s comforting side, eliciting a grumble from him. Sometime during the night, the half-demon destrier had activated his Burning Heartcenter ability to keep them both warm. Lying down, Pernicious was nearly waist-high to a grown man at the withers, and that wall of horseflesh gave off heat like an overfilled hearth, but it wasn¡¯t quite enough to rid her of the feeling of scales sliding across the back of her neck.


    ¡°How long will it stay alive?¡± she asked, both disgusted and fascinated.


    Lysander shrugged, digging a wooden puzzle box from his sturdy traveling jacket. He opened it so deftly that she couldn¡¯t tell how he had done it.


    ¡°It¡¯s a demon beast, so I imagine it¡¯ll heal itself with time,¡± he said.


    ¡°You called it a glass moon serpent?¡±


    Lysander nodded. ¡°Mostly valueless as demon beasts go. See?¡± He held the little adder out to Pernicious, but the bloodthirsty warhorse just snorted and shook out his mane. ¡°Your mount can¡¯t even be bothered to kill it. But they were hugely popular among assassins before the inji.¡±


    ¡°He likes prey that can fight back,¡± Koida replied absently. ¡°Why were these so popular?¡±


    ¡°A soldier or an amateur assassin might flinch away from killing the first couple of times.¡± As he spoke, Lysander carefully coiled the adder into the puzzle box. It tried to strike him when he let go, but the right side of the head and the left seemed unable to agree. One went for his fingers, the other for the back of his hand, each pulling the other short of its target. ¡°In fact, they might never develop a taste for it¡ªespecially not if they ever had to kill one of their close friends or loved ones. But the venom of a glass moon serpent kills all pain, physical and emotional. A soldier with that in his veins could fight on in spite of grievous injury, keep going until his legs were hacked out from under him. An assassin full of glass moon venom could take any life without a second thought and numb any remorse or grief that hounded them.¡±


    ¡°A bite from that little worm could do all that?¡± Koida watched the foreigner slide the pieces of the puzzle box back together, shutting the tiny demon serpent inside. Being numb sounded preferable to what she was feeling now. That nightmare had twisted the dagger in her still-open wounds and left her heart bleeding and broken.


    Lysander disappeared the box into his jacket.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a good path to start down,¡± he said. ¡°Especially not for a princess who¡¯s running for her life.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I wanted to try it,¡± she snapped. ¡°And you really should speak up to me. I outrank you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a rank, princess, therefore no one outranks me.¡±


    ¡°Second princess,¡± she corrected him.


    ¡°Not anymore.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Koida frowned. Lysander stared flatly at her. The silence in the clearing grew especially loud, and for the first time since waking, Koida realized Hush was missing. On the opposite side of the fire, a matted place in the grass indicated where the mute woman had slept.


    She had probably gone off to take care of morning necessities. Koida needed to do the same, but she didn¡¯t want to go until Hush was back.


    She watched Lysander shake out the cloak he¡¯d slept on.


    ¡°You said the glass moon venom was in high demand before the inji?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Inji are professionals trained from birth for killing,¡± he said, throwing the cloak around his shoulders and fastening it. ¡°They feel nothing because they are nothing. They don¡¯t need glass moon venom.¡±


    ¡°How do you know?¡±


    ¡°Because I tried to hire one to kill the annoying brat Raijin asked me to drag to safety.¡± Lysander dug the ivory flask from inside his cloak and took a deep drink. His mood was like a hand physically shoving her away. If she had been standing, Koida thought she would have taken a step back.


    Perhaps Lysander was unused to waking so early. She doubted anyone who drank as much as he did would care for daybreak. Shingti had been proud of the fact that she could spend all night drinking and still rise early for battle, but Batsai had claimed it was a skill that diminished with age. Shingti had been only twenty-two years old. Koida had no other foreigners to compare to, but Lysander looked at least twice that.


    After a handful of heartbeats, the urge to ask one more question got the better of her in spite of Lysander¡¯s scowl.


    ¡°If glass moon serpents are worthless now, why are you keeping that one?¡±


    Lysander sighed. ¡°You really are a spoiled little princess. Well, here¡¯s a lesson in life outside the castle, kid¡ªanswers, hot baths, subservience? They¡¯re a luxury out here, and no amount of pouting or tantrums or endless questions will change that.¡±


    Then he stuck an arm out to his side, pointing one blunt finger at the forest without looking. ¡°Don¡¯t lecture me, Hush. It¡¯s too early. Let¡¯s just break camp and get out of here.¡±


    A moment later, Hush melted out of the thin shadows. The white of the wrappings covering her nose and mouth stood out in the gray morning light. In one hand, she carried a kerchief heavy with some unknown item.


    Hush sent one final disapproving glance Lysander¡¯s way, then went to Koida, kneeling beside her. Hush lifted up Koida¡¯s hands, encouraging her to cup them together, then dropped a corner of the kerchief and poured vibrant purple berries into them.


    ¡°Gratitude,¡± Koida said, dipping her head politely, though food was the last thing she wanted. An awful yearning to be home again in the Sun Palace with her father, sister, and Batsai festered in the empty space between her throat and her navel.


    Hush nodded, then stood and crossed the camp to give Lysander his share.


    ¡°You have them.¡± He lifted his flask. ¡°I¡¯m drinking breakfast today.¡±


    Koida forced herself to eat, chewing and swallowing the berries woodenly. She may not feel hungry, but she needed the strength to continue training. Without that, she would remain as helpless as she¡¯d been in the nightmare, as helpless as she had been at the feast.


    While she ate, Koida turned her focus inward to her heartcenter. Her Ro¡ªa cloud of amethyst surrounded by rings of pure, dense lilac¡ªand Raijin¡¯s deep jade pool shot through with flickering streaks of lightning circled one another like demon-baiting hounds preparing for the attack.


    Unlike Hush and Lysander, Koida was certain that her betrothed still lived, and so it only stood to reason that Raijin must have wanted her to keep his Ro safe until he could reclaim it. However, she was unsure what that required of her in the meantime. Should she exercise it in resting meditation, as he had taught her to do with her own? Or was it safer to keep Raijin¡¯s Ro hidden away like the glass moon serpent in Lysander¡¯s puzzle box?


    ¡°Kid,¡± Lysander¡¯s voice cut through her internal inspection. ¡°Finish your berries and let¡¯s ride. I¡¯d like to be safe within Uktena territory in time for supper and a soft bed.¡± He snapped his fingers. ¡°That¡¯s one of the luxuries I forgot to mention earlier, so take it where you can get it.¡±


    Koida tossed back the rest of her handful, forcing the lumpy mash through a tight throat. Plenty of nights she had gone out riding and fallen asleep far from the bed in her safe, warm room, never once considering what she was taking for granted. Now that she knew she could never go back, she would have given her throne for one more night tucked safely beneath the softest demon beast furs in the empire.


    ¡°First, I have to¡­ I will return in a moment,¡± she said, face burning. ¡°Then we may leave.¡±


    Lysander was thankfully not crude enough to remark.


    When Koida came back to the clearing, the fire was buried in wet sand from the nearby riverbank, and the royal horses they had stolen were saddled.


    Pernicious, in stark contrast, lazed in the grass right where she¡¯d left him. A good indication of the sort of day the half-demon was preparing for.


    Koida sighed and braced herself for the fight to mount up.


    Before she and the half-demon warhorse could begin their ritual combat of wills, however, Hush touched her arm. The silent woman gestured from Pernicious to Lysander, who was in the saddle of his stolen roan.


    Koida¡¯s brows came together in confusion. ¡°You want me to let Lysander ride him? It¡¯s not safe. Pernicious decapitated the last person who tried.¡±


    Hush shook her head, then held up the reins to her own chestnut mount and handed them to Lysander. Hush jerked her cloth-covered chin toward the trees as if to tell him to leave.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go,¡± Lysander said, ¡°but don¡¯t expect me to come back and pick the baby up when she sits down and cries about her delicate feet.¡±


    Koida scowled.


    With that, he nudged his horse into a quick trot, Hush¡¯s mount running along beside as they disappeared into the forest.


    ¡°I hope he knows I don¡¯t care for him, either,¡± Koida said.


    At her side, Hush¡¯s eyes crinkled in a hidden smile. The silent woman gestured first to Pernicious, then after Lysander, urging Koida to action.


    ¡°You want me to send Pernicious after him?¡± she asked. A cold finger of fear pierced her heartcenter. She took a step backward and wound her hand in the warhorse¡¯s midnight mane. ¡°No. I can¡¯t.¡±


    She felt her eyes widen with panic and her heart thud against the wall of her chest. She knew it was silly, but she couldn¡¯t let the half-demon out of her sight. She had already lost her family, her home, and her betrothed. Pernicious was the last bit of familiarity she had to hold onto.


    Hush raised her hands palm out to show that she wasn¡¯t trying to hurt Koida, her dark almond eyes soft with understanding. The silent woman jogged a few steps toward the trees. At the edge of the clearing she stopped and beckoned for Koida to follow.


    ¡°On foot?¡± Koida asked.


    Hush nodded.


    It was to be part of her training, then. Strengthening her body by running.


    Hush had agreed to instruct Koida on the Path of the Thunderbird in Raijin¡¯s stead. Koida knew she should kneel and acknowledge that Hush was her new master, but she couldn¡¯t justify such an action when she was certain Raijin was still alive and would eventually return to teaching her. She compromised, pressing a flat palm to her fist and bowing deeply to Hush to recognize the woman¡¯s superior rank in this Path.


    ¡°Gratitude for the opportunity to train under you, Master Hush.¡±


    Hush gracefully returned the bow, then ran into the forest.


    Koida turned to Pernicious.


    ¡°Try to keep up,¡± she said, then ran after Hush.


    Behind her, the half-demon warhorse whinnied with disdain. In moments, he had galloped to her side, his brimstone hooves striking sparks whenever they clipped a stone. He made a show of slowing his pace to match hers.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure the Uktena would be happy to feed you to their children,¡± Koida huffed at the smug beast, though in truth, she wasn¡¯t certain at all what the savages of the lower reaches were like. The story in the empire was that they ate wanderers who strayed too close to their encampments.


    But she needed allies if she hoped to survive long enough to make Yoichi pay for what he¡¯d taken from her. Compared to her thirst for vengeance, her fear of the savages was small.


    Koida lowered her head and sprinted.

 Chapter 3: Koida

    Present


    Koida was not used to exercising so strenuously, much less with food in her stomach. After less than twenty minutes of first running, then jogging, then sort of shuffling along, she vomited up the berries Hush had given her. The silent woman slowed her to a walk, patting her arm when Koida apologized.


    Pernicious was less gracious. He trotted circles around her and bumped her shoulder with his enormous nose as if to ridicule her inability to sprint endlessly. Each time she tried to retaliate, he triggered his Darting Evasion, shaggy black fetlocks flaring with orange Ro flames, and danced out of her reach.


    In spite of her frustration with the half-demon, Koida was looking forward to Hush finally indicating that they should climb up on Pernicious¡¯s back and ride the rest of the way. Even ignoring the exercise, she was exhausted. The only sleep she¡¯d managed the night before had been broken by nightmares and interrupted by every sound the forest made. She felt as if she were about to collapse.


    Instead of the silent order to mount up, however, after several minutes of walking, Hush nodded to Koida and broke into a run once again.


    Pernicious tossed his mane and whickered an almost human chuckle.


    ¡°You foundered nag,¡± Koida muttered before throwing herself after Hush.


    They went on that way for the rest of the morning, running then walking then running again. Hush always seemed to know just when Koida was about to drop. Unfortunately, the silent woman also seemed to know just when Koida was able to breathe normally again, too.


    When the sun stood directly overhead, its rays piercing the yellow leaves, they stepped out of the forest and onto a riverbank.


    Lysander sat waiting for them, roasting a series of fingerling fish over a fire no bigger than a soup bowl. Slowly, he twisted the stick between his fingers to rotate the tiny fish over the flames. In his free hand, he held his flask.


    Koida collapsed on a flat boulder while Hush slipped down to the river and splashed some water on her face, wetting the cloth mask and the fine hairs at the edges of her face.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t given up training yet, princess?¡± Lysander asked, his tone an open mockery of a commoner addressing his betters.


    She glanced at his flask. ¡°Haven¡¯t passed out yet, foreign devil?¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Lysander laughed and toasted her. ¡°They¡¯re both just a matter of time.¡±


    Koida braced herself on her elbows.


    ¡°Did I offend you or is it only that you¡¯re a mean drunkard?¡± she asked, her words icy. ¡°Should I expect you to get worse throughout the day?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to remain the same level of grouchy because my friend is going to remain the same level of dead. All for a spoiled child who thinks she deserves deference and special treatment despite never doing anything in her life but going to feasts and dressing for court.¡± Lysander squeezed the centermost fish on the stick appraisingly, then returned it to the fire. ¡°A thousand apologies if I don¡¯t prostrate myself in awe of your decision to train to kill anyone who wrongs you. I¡¯ve seen the end of that path, princess, and you do not possess the stomach, the skill, or the never-emptying flask for it. I give it another hour before you¡¯re asking me or Hush to kill your cousin for you.¡±


    Rage scorched the inside of Koida¡¯s chest like Pernicious¡¯s Burning Heartcenter. Hush¡¯s soft hand landed on her shoulder, but Koida shrugged it off and stood up. Glowering, she left them both behind and stalked down the bank to hide what felt suspiciously like building tears. No one had ever spoken to her so hatefully before, not even Shingti at her most brutally honest. Koida was furious and humiliated, mostly because she feared what Lysander said was true.


    The river water was icy to the touch. Koida scooped a handful to her mouth. Was this still the Horned Serpent that they followed, the river that flowed down from the mountains past the Sun Palace? How many lifetimes ago she had spent the night by its twin waterfalls with Pernicious watching over her?


    Her lookout point, hidden high on the cliff, had always felt the most natural place to be, high above the lights of Boking Iri. Watching but apart from. Seeing but not affecting. The perfect pursuit for a second princess with a crippled Ro. How in blade and death had she, of all people, become the only one who could repay Yoichi for his crimes?


    Because Raijin saved me.


    He should¡¯ve saved Shingti. Batsai. Father. Anyone else. Anyone would have been better suited for this task.


    ¡°Don¡¯t linger by the water too long, kid,¡± Lysander called after her. ¡°There¡¯s a rake gar under there waiting for some inexperienced child he can pull down for dinner.¡±


    Koida scowled down at the water. Part of her wanted to stick her hand under and wait to be yanked under just for spite. Then something huge and dark moved in the deep blue hole just feet from her. She stood and left the water slowly, trying to show as little fear as she could manage.


    After a meal of a few fingerling fish apiece, Lysander doused the tiny fire, burying its ashes with wet mud and rocks, then mounted up, this time riding Hush¡¯s chestnut and leading his roan.


    Koida knew what was coming before Hush indicated it. Her muscles were stiff from the time spent sitting and eating, and her side still hurt like a Ro Flying Knife had landed between her ribs, but she forced herself to stand and run.


    That foreign drunkard could chatter like a monkey all he wanted. Lysander didn¡¯t see her sister¡¯s face every time he blinked. He didn¡¯t hear Batsai¡¯s death cry. Lysander didn¡¯t feel the hatred for the half-brother she had once looked up to flowing through her veins like poison. If Lysander had, he would understand that she would never let someone else take the revenge that belonged to her. Wherever this path ended, she would reach it.

 Chapter 4: Koida

    Present


    The sun had long since set, the night taking on the ripening fall chill, when Koida spotted the warm glow of fires through the trees. She pulled Pernicious to a stop, though he danced and sidled rebelliously. The half-demon warhorse had been anxious and bloodthirsty for the last hour. He must sense something in these woods worth killing. Perhaps this far away from civilization, demon beasts still roamed freely.


    Hush reined her chestnut around to Koida¡¯s side. The two of them had finally mounted after the cramps in Koida¡¯s legs became too strong to massage away.


    ¡°Don¡¯t coddle her, Hush,¡± Lysander slurred. He rode past them, somehow keeping his seat on the bay in spite of his drunken lurching. ¡°If she wants to be taken seriously as an ally, then she¡¯ll have to walk into camp like a woman instead of clinging to your legs like a child.¡±


    Koida glared daggers at the back of his head and urged Pernicious forward. The warhorse grumbled at being held to a walk.


    A thin moment later, a pair of hulking savages stepped out of the shadows of the tree trunks. Both manifested glowing ruby armor, the thick Ro plates spiked like the shells of crocodile snapping turtles and illuminating the darkness.


    Koida had never known a warrior artist could manifest armor. In the Path of the Living Blade, one manifested only bladed weapons.


    The hulking savages, however, she recognized. At least, she¡¯d seen some like them the day Raijin had brought the Uktena to court to negotiate an alliance with the empire. The enormous savages had been intimidating then, a head taller and twice as wide as anyone else, with their deep umber skin, mostly bare bodies, and red-clay-slicked hair decorated with bones and teeth. To meet them now, in the darkness of a forest after nightfall, made her hands quake with fear and her heart thud against the wall of her chest.


    Why were they just standing there? Blocking the way. Saying nothing.


    Koida looked at Lysander, then Hush for some reassurance or sign to run. They were both staring at her expectantly.


    She swallowed hard and straightened her spine. Pernicious¡¯s imposing height and muscle certainly made it easier to project fearlessness.


    ¡°Greetings, esteemed Uktena,¡± she said in the tone her father used when addressing his subjects. She hoped it sounded more natural than it felt, and that these savages spoke enough of the civilized tongue to understand her. ¡°I am Shyong San Koida, Second Princess of the Shyong San Empire, Daughter of the Exalted Emperor Hao, your ally and former ruler. I must speak to your chieftain immediately. It is a matter of the utmost importance.¡±


    The two enormous barbarians turned to Koida¡¯s companions as if they hadn¡¯t heard her.


    ¡°Master of the Hidden Whispers,¡± the first said to Hush, giving a short bow, little more than a jerk of the head and shoulders. ¡°You honor us with your return.¡±


    Hush pressed her palms together, then extended them to the men in a gesture of gratitude.


    The savage repeated the bow to Lysander. ¡°Brother in study. Have you found the source of the Great Unbreakable Truth yet?¡±


    The corner of Lysander¡¯s mouth lifted a fraction. ¡°Not yet, brothers.¡± The slur he¡¯d maintained for most of the day was gone from his voice. ¡°In fact, for a while there, I forgot to look.¡±


    The savage¡¯s face remained stony and blank. His eyes, lit by the red glow from his armor, roved over them as if searching for something.


    ¡°Ji Yu Raijin is not among you,¡± he said.


    Neither Hush nor Lysander made a move to answer. Koida opened her mouth, but Hush¡¯s warm hand touched hers. When she looked up, the silent woman¡¯s dark almond eyes forestalled any comment.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    The savage blinked slowly. ¡°Please, continue to the chief¡¯s longhouse. He will want to speak with you at once.¡±


    ¡°Many thanks, brothers,¡± Lysander said.


    As they rode on toward the village ahead, Koida looked at the yellow-haired foreigner.


    ¡°Brother in study?¡±


    ¡°I bet you want to know why they ignored you,¡± he said, doing the same to her question.


    ¡°I want to know why they think you¡¯ve studied anything but the inside of a wineskin.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re not acknowledged in the Uktena tribe until you¡¯ve proven you¡¯re worth acknowledging. That¡¯s why they ignored you.¡±


    As they passed the first low huts at the edge of the village, doubt gnawed at Koida. Lysander and Hush were obviously well-known among the Uktena, but she was no one. Perhaps if she explained more clearly who her father and betrothed were.


    Soon the village grew dense enough that they had to dismount and walk their horses between the cook fires, huts, and people. Pernicious, who had no tack or lead rope, walked alongside Koida, ears flicking and eyes rolling as he searched for a potential adversary. Koida had to turn all her focus on keeping him from lashing out at everything that moved.


    ¡°Should have released him into the woods,¡± Lysander said as she fought Pernicious back into line. ¡°That¡¯s where the Uktena keep their demon beasts.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll kill them,¡± Koida said.


    ¡°I doubt it.¡±


    ¡°He tried to kill the stable full Raijin brought back as a bride price.¡±


    ¡°The Uktena mounts fight, but they know better than to kill one another,¡± Lysander said. ¡°They would teach your bad-tempered little horsie a thing or two about etiquette.¡±


    Koida frowned, unconsciously putting her arm around Pernicious¡¯s neck. It wasn¡¯t just that she didn¡¯t want to offend the Uktena by harming one or more of their demon beasts. She couldn¡¯t take the chance hers might be killed.


    Finally, they came to a long, low wood house several times the length of the largest hut. Another hulking savage stood at the door, thick arms crossed and scowling down at them.


    ¡°Cold Sun,¡± Lysander said, giving him the head and shoulders bow the men on the edge of the encampment had given.


    Hush bowed in the more familiar style, though on the silent, sincere woman it appeared the height of civility rather than out of place.


    The enormous savage returned both bows in sequence, his ropes of clay-smoothed hair sliding over the substantial muscles of his neck and shoulders. He was almost half again as tall as Lysander and twice as wide, with a taut bulky belly and fists as large as Koida¡¯s head.


    ¡°Lysander Foreign-Born, Wise Physician Hush,¡± the savage said, his voice a deep rumble that seemed to roll up from that prodigious stomach. ¡°I greet you in the name of my father, Chief Jaguar Three-Eyes.¡± He stepped to the side and held open the hide hanging across the doorway.


    ¡°Gratitude,¡± Lysander said, and Hush extended her clasped hands in thanks. They stepped inside the longhouse.


    When Koida went to follow, however, the stone-faced wall of muscle and fat let the hide fall shut and stepped between her and the doorway.


    ¡°Who seeks entry to the Uktena¡¯s longhouse?¡± he asked. The words had the ring of a formal ceremony, though no one was about to watch such a thing.


    Koida pressed her fist to her palm and bowed as required by her superior rank, hardly more than a bend of the waist. ¡°Shyong San Koida, Second Daughter of the Exalted Emperor Hao, and Betrothed of Chieftain Ji Yu Raijin.¡±


    Not a flicker of recognition crossed the savage¡¯s face in response to the names.


    ¡°Why should you be allowed entry?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I need to speak to the chief about the man who killed my father and Raijin,¡± she said, hoping the news would make him see the urgency. ¡°The man who stole the throne and could even now be planning to attack allies such as your tribe that my father once made.¡±


    ¡°That is what you need, not why you should be allowed in.¡±


    ¡°You allied yourself with my father and my betrothed,¡± she said. ¡°As the rightful heir¡ª¡±


    ¡°The Uktena allied herself with the Shyong San Empire and the Ji Yu tribe because they made the Uktena stronger. You are neither your father nor your betrothed. What benefit do you as an individual bring the Uktena? What inherent worth do you possess?¡±


    Koida swallowed, the doubt Lysander had planted as they rode in ripening into full certainty that she would not be accepted here. In the Sun Palace and Boking Iri, being the daughter of a mighty warrior emperor had been enough to save her from rotting in the streets with the rest of the untouchables. Here, her lucky birth meant nothing. Without that, what was she? What good could she do anyone as a Ro-cripple?


    Inhaling deeply, Koida shook her head.


    ¡°I have no inherent worth,¡± she said honestly. ¡°I have no skills that will benefit your tribe, and what wealth I had was stolen along with my empire. I cannot be anything but a drain on your resources.¡± After a moment¡¯s hesitation, she knelt in front of the huge man, raising her hands in supplication. ¡°A thousand apologies, but this is the reason I have come. I am nothing on my own, I can do nothing to stop my cousin. I must beg for assistance from those stronger than I.¡±


    The savage nodded once, then stepped aside and pulled open the hide door. ¡°Those who recognize that individuals are nothing and that strength lies in the tribe are always welcomed into the home of Chief Jaguar Three-Eyes.¡±

 Chapter 5: Lysander

    6 years ago


    Lysander wove unsteadily down the barely visible spit of walkable land cutting through the sawgrass. He¡¯d stripped off the sleeves of his roughspun traveling jacket, letting it dangle from his belt, but his wiry torso was still dripping with sweat and red from the sun. His close-cropped yellow hair was swimming under his wide reed hat. The slight reel to his steps was only partly a result of the clover liquor he was drinking from his never-emptying flask.


    Travels to the Uktena summer encampment were always this way, situated as it on the Horned Serpent¡¯s wide, muddy delta. The burning sun combined its forces with the steam rising from the murky water and the sawgrass holding in the heat to create an atmosphere that was, appropriately, as hot and terrible as a dragon¡¯s anus.


    Before¡ªmany years before¡ªLysander would have retreated into Nothingness to escape the sweltering heat, but now that path was closed to him.


    A stray breath of wind bent the sawgrass for a moment and gave Lysander a peak ahead. Through the heat mirages, he could see the peaks of the Uktena¡¯s summer huts, little more than frames stretched with tightly woven netting to hold off the mosquitos and biting gnats but allow the rare breeze through. It looked almost as if he could reach out and touch the dwellings, but that was the flat, unchanging landscape and evaporating saltmarsh water playing tricks on his eyes. If he ignored what he could see and reached out with his other sense¡ªvery carefully¡ªhe felt nothing but sawgrass for another half-hours¡¯ walk.


    He lifted his ivory flask and tipped back another swig, grimacing at the taste of fresh-cut clover, then continued to follow the furrow that marked the main route into Uktena summer territory.


    Within an arrows¡¯ flight from camp, he felt the presence of two bulky Uktena scouts. The greedy abyss in his chest lurched, but it couldn¡¯t harm them. Lysander kept his heartcenter closed and his Ro pathways blocked every moment of the day. Uncomfortable, yes, but a necessary precaution.


    The scouts stepped out of the sawgrass, nearly naked in the heat except for the demon beast hide loincloths and their Armor of the Stone-Souled Warrior glowing ruby against the browning vegetation.


    ¡°Brothers in study.¡± Lysander bowed his head in the Uktena¡¯s abbreviated way and projected a wave of jocular camaraderie. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ve learned anything about afar-off third continents in my absence?¡±


    The scarred corner of one lip twitched, practically a laughing fit from a Uktena scout.


    ¡°We are honored to receive the traveling scholar once more,¡± the scout said. ¡°Have you learned the source of the Great Unbreakable Truth, Lysander Foreign-Born?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve learned the source of the Great Unbearable Heat,¡± Lysander replied easily.


    Another twitch of the lip. ¡°Chief Jaguar Three-Eyes is eagerly awaiting your arrival. If he is not at the rings observing, then he can be found at the longhouse.¡±


    ¡°My gratitude,¡± Lysander said, bowing once more.


    He continued on his way, eventually stepping out into a wide island of dry sandy ground in the ocean of sawgrass. At this time of day, the encampment was empty of women from adolescence to old age. They had gone to hunt the wily river octopus and the enormous crocodile snapping turtles that roamed the silty mud of the delta¡¯s bottom.


    Here and there men the size of bulls sat under sunshades surrounded by groups of young children, imparting endless strings of information and knowledge. Even in the bright daylight, the children¡¯s heartcenters glowed like tiny suns as they stored the knowledge in their Ro. Shouting and cheering in the distance let him know that the rest of the men would be with the older boys, practicing the techniques of the Stone Soul.


    Lysander could see a bit of the training through the netted huts¡ªboys already twice as wide and heavy as he would ever be crashing into one another like demon beast rams¡ªbut he sensed Jaguar Three-Eyes¡¯s Ro in the opposite direction. The chief was in his longhouse.


    Unlike the other huts, thin lines of sawgrass had been planted along each net wall of the chief¡¯s dwelling for added privacy. Though the Uktena believed that the tribe¡¯s strength lay in unity, they also recognized that some discussions and decisions should be handled by their chief alone, away from prying eyes and ears.


    In his customary position guarding the longhouse door was the chief¡¯s firstborn, Cold Sun. Every time Lysander visited, his perception reminded him how apt the name was. Cold Sun had been born with a severe Ro deficiency, rendering the young man¡¯s heartcenter dark and cold where it should be filled with brilliantly glowing lifeforce.


    On this day, however, a traveler knelt a few paces from Cold Sun, fists on his thighs, head bowed in thought. A young man with unruly black hair, skinny to the point of malnourishment, in tattered and dirty warrior artist¡¯s clothing. The sawgrass at the corner of the longhouse shifted as if something were hiding inside it.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Lysander stopped where he was and pretended to root around in his pockets for his flask while he sent out his perception to investigate. It was a demon beast tucked back in the stalks of sawgrass, barely a year old, tier zero, little to no threat.


    He turned his attention to the kneeling young man, appraising the boy¡¯s Ro. It was oddly still, like that eerie green-lighted stillness between a thunderstorm and a tornado. There was a depth to it that puzzled Lysander. An age. The boy looked to be the same age as Cold Sun, perhaps sixteen at the outside, though one was underfed where the other looked as if he had eaten several young travelers just that morning. But the kneeling boy¡¯s Ro felt far too old for his face. Nearly infinite.


    Certain Paths taught masking of the Ro, Lysander¡¯s own former Path included. Others, like the Path of Changing Scales, taught disguises that altered the appearance of the Ro. And there were many old legends which told of immortal rulers coming to the Land of Mortals in disguise but being recognized by Ros that didn¡¯t conform to the age of their chosen body.


    This last Lysander dismissed out of hand. He knew for a fact that there were no immortals. Even those who had learned the trick to stop aging could be sent to their grave¡ªall it took was the right assassin. But perhaps the boy was much older than he appeared.


    Weaving as if he were much drunker than he felt, Lysander approached the chief¡¯s longhouse.


    ¡°Cold Sun,¡± he said, dipping his head in the Uktena¡¯s greeting bow.


    ¡°Lysander Foreign-Born,¡± Cold Sun said, his voice rumbling deep in his chest.


    Lysander raised his flask to the thin boy with the unruly mop of hair. ¡°What information are you here seeking, traveler?¡±


    The boy looked up at him, green eyes burning with something close to madness. He hesitated a moment, then finally answered.


    ¡°I seek information about the Path of the Water Lily.¡± As he said it, killing intent filled the air around the boy.


    Those untrained in death often had a crude, blunt killing intent much like the broad side of a war hammer. Dangerous, but inept. The souls Lysander usually faced had much sharper, refined killing intent, like an acupuncturist¡¯s needle. Fast, deadly, and the pinnacle of efficiency.


    This boy¡¯s was something much closer to the second than it should have been if he was truly nothing more than a young traveler.


    Outside, Lysander chuckled and grabbed a wood pole at the corner of the longhouse as if to steady himself. He couldn¡¯t use [the Reaper] so close to innocents like Cold Sun without killing them, but if he could coax the traveler into attacking, then he knew several ways to make death look like the lucky accidental trip of a bumbling drunk.


    ¡°Why would you want to learn about old scary tales like that?¡± he slurred, then took another drink. With another laugh, he wiggled his fingers at the boy. ¡°Looking for something to frighten your little sisters with?¡±


    As he spoke, Lysander directed an overpowering wave of antagonism at the boy.


    The boy ignored it. Surprising, but not impossible. Well-trained inji learned to resist such suggestions or even turn them back on their originator.


    The boy swallowed hard, the peak in his throat standing out like a blade.


    Then all at once, the killing intent crumbled. The boy¡¯s chest hitched and a tear tracked down his sunken face.


    ¡°They killed everyone in my Path,¡± he said. His balled fists shook on his thighs.


    Lysander poked and prodded at the emotion with his perception. In less than a moment¡¯s time, he had studied it from every angle. It was real.


    The boy was no fallen inji, then. Lysander let go of the Reaper, locking it away again in a flash of black tinged with multicolored shards of light.


    ¡°Revenge?¡± Lysander slurred, swiping at his forehead with his sleeve.


    The boy shook his head. ¡°Their grandmaster plans to wipe out at least two other Paths. I have to stop them. I am the only one who can. The chosen one.¡±


    ¡°Chosen one, eh?¡± Lysander raised his eyebrows. ¡°Nifty. Do you do tricks?¡±


    Movement over Lysander¡¯s shoulder. Without turning to look, he could sense Jaguar Three-Eyes¡¯s information-dense Ro.


    ¡°We thought we heard your voice, Lysander Foreign-Born. Are you harassing the young traveler?¡±


    Lysander turned to face the chief. The man was a head and shoulders taller than his son¡ªwho was already a head and shoulders taller than Lysander¡ªand nearly as wide. His Stone Soul Armor was adorned with the more spikes than any other in the village, like the craggy old two-century snapper at the bottom of the river, and so strong that the ruby Ro manifesting it was impossible to see through.


    ¡°Just getting to know him, Chief.¡± Lysander tossed back another drink from his flask.


    ¡°Have you brought us any new information?¡±


    Lysander and the few other traveling scholars who visited the Uktena always brought new information, but much like his own oft-repeated question about foreign continents, the chief was hoping for one bit of information in particular¡ªnews of a treatment or cure for the Ro deficiency his son suffered.


    Lysander let the fall of his merry expression answer the chief.


    Jaguar Three-Eyes nodded, accepting this as he always did, stoic.


    ¡°Come, brother in study.¡± His enormous hand grabbed Lysander by the shoulder and steered him into the longhouse. ¡°We have not heard word of a third continent, either, but let us trade what knowledge we have gathered.¡±


    As they left the young men behind, Lysander asked, ¡°How long has the kid been out there trying to think of a reason he¡¯s worthy to come inside?¡±


    ¡°Two days.¡± The chief blinked, a Uktena mannerism equivalent to a disapproving headshake. ¡°When a child is told they are the chosen one born for a special destiny, it is very hard for them to accept that they are nothing.¡±


    ¡°What Path is he from?¡± Lysander asked.


    The chief looked sidelong at him. ¡°Darkening Skies.¡±


    Lysander joined the bigger man in a raucous lip-twitch of hilarity. It was no wonder the kid couldn¡¯t come up with the right answer. The Path of Darkening Skies taught that every life had worth and meaning, like that ancient parable about a beggar sneezing on one side of the continent toppling the empire on the other side. But if there was one thing a lifetime as a foreign castoff in the brutal world of the inji had taught Lysander, it was that every life was meaningless, nasty, and short. A beggar who sneezed on one side of the continent was probably going to die of a lung sickness¡ªusually after his wife was unfaithful to him and his demon dog ran away¡ªand he would rot where he fell.

 Stone Soul Live

    Hey guys!


    As you can see, this isn''t a chapter. Some of you might know that I make my living writing books and selling them. Unfortunately that means that I can''t leave the last 90% of the story posted anywhere else once it''s published on Amazon. This morning Stone Soul went live, so I had to take down everything from Chapter 5 and up. I hope you got the chance to finish reading it. If not, you can pick it up all edited and fancy--and with the correct title on the cover--on Amazon to find out what happens. And it''s free with Kindle Unlimited, so if you read a ton every month, that''s a pretty great way to go.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Thanks for reading, guys. Your comments were top-notch, and I appreciate every one of them. You all rule! Path of the Thunderbird Vol. III is well in the works and should be making its rrl debut pretty soon.


    I hope you have a great day! Thanks again for being awesome.


    elfshanx/eden