The Emperor's Dream - Chapter Twelve

**Chapter One**

**Welcome to chapter twelve The Emperor’s Dream, an epic fantasy novella from the wider world of The Mhong Chronicles. I’ll be publishing chapters each week, but remember, these are some of the very first drafts, which means you’re in on this at the very beginning. Thank you for being here, friend. I hope you enjoy it.**

39 Days Until the Vote

A bead of sweat dripped down Wanyi’s temple and into his eye. He blinked it away just as Dandan lunged again. True to his Clan’s namesake, the young chief charged like a buffalo, grunting like a bull before pulling his spear back and attempting to drive it down at Wanyi from above.

Wanyi flapped his wings once, giving himself a burst of speed up and backwards. He knocked Dandan’s spear aside as he ascended, then landed a short distance away, keeping the tip of his own spear centered on the younger man’s chest. Dandan hadn’t bonded with a bird, so Wanyi couldn’t use his wings to go far. It wouldn’t have been an honorable way to win a duel, which is what he needed.

It had been easy enough to convince Dandan to agree to the duel. He was the only chief on the Council who was both foolish enough to gamble his vote on a fight and honorable enough to be bound by his word. Wanyi had simply requested the meeting, and, because he was Dandan’s elder by nearly a decade, the younger man had been honorbound to accept. From there, it had required fairly few pointed words on Wanyi’s part to instigate the trial by combat.

Wanyi rebuffed Dandan’s latest charge, sweeping the head of his spear around and knocking Dandan’s weapon to the side and using the momentum to whip the butt of his spear around. It cracked Dandan in the side, eliciting a grunt.

Before the young chief could retaliate, Wanyi circled to his left and squared up again outside of Dandan’s reach.

“Frightened, are you?” Dandan called, breathing heavily. His amber eyes smoldered.

Wanyi smiled but didn’t respond. He knew better than to waste his time getting angry, or to waste his breath mincing words. Instead, he stood comfortably in his guarding stance, tracking Dandan’s movements with his spear head.

Dandan closed quickly. He had clearly borrowed strength from some beast, but Wanyi didn’t see one in the courtyard of the Buffalo Clan manor house. That was one trick of Lan Kuanghi—if you only drew strength from a beast, it would be invisible to others. Only things like wings had physical manifestations. Dandan jerked his spear back abruptly. Too abruptly. 

Sloppy, Wanyi thought. He waited for Dandan to make his feint, then leapt to his right and met the real thrust with one of his own, aimed at the haft of the younger man’s spear. Wanyi’s spear head slid down Dandan’s spear and cracked hard against the other chief’s knuckles. Dandan yelled and tried to step back, but Wanyi pressed his advantage. It would have been dishonorable to keep toying with the lad.

He pushed forward, shortening his grip on his spear as he stepped inside Dandan’s range. Wanyi jabbed Dandan on the inside of his upper left arm. Their dueling spears had blunted points and blades, but they were still real steel. Dandan lost his grip with that hand, and Wanyi followed the strike by wrapping the butt of his spear around Dandan’s leg and yanking it back towards himself.

Dandan hit the ground with a thud, his breath leaving him in a loud wheeze. His bright green diani contrasted with the gray stones of the courtyard. Wanyi leveled his spear at the younger chief’s throat.

“Yield.”

Dandan looked up at him, a look of stunned confusion on his face. Then, his eyes focused and a look of disgust crossed his face. He slapped the head of Wanyi’s spear away with his hand and sat up, leaning back and propping himself up on his hands. The duel was over.

Wanyi tucked his spear under his left arm, then offered his right hand for Dandan to take. The younger man sighed and took it, nodding his begrudging thanks as Wanyi hauled him to his feet.

“Have we a deal, then?” Wanyi asked. “You’ll help us stop the Tohk?”

Dandan rubbed the spot on his arm where Wanyi had struck him, scowling. “I’ll vote to reject the proposal.”

“And will you commit your men to defending Hukan should they invade?”

Dandan held up a finger. “I’ll field them if they stand a fighting chance. But I won’t throw Buffalo Clan lives away just so we can feel better about ourselves.”

“Agreed.” Wanyi smiled. That meant he now had three of the five votes he needed on his side. Perhaps Dandan wouldn’t make such a bad chief after all. As long as there was still a Buffalo Clan left for him to lead.