As for the River Pearl—the new viceroy’s mother claimed it’s cursed, and that it poisoned her late husband’s mind. I don’t know if she actually believes that or if it’s an attempt to exonerate her household. In any case, most of Tongqiucheng believes her and wants nothing to do with it. And so Headman Su agreed to take it back to Dailan and return it to its pedestal in the River Dragon’s shrine.
Something tugs at my braid. Startled, I whirl. But I know at once that it’s Tai.
He pulls me into a kiss, and for a moment, I lose myself in his presence.
A snicker interrupts my bliss, and I turn to see Anshui making a face at me.
I smack Tai’s arm with a grin. “Hundan! There are better ways of getting my attention!”
“But they’re no fun.” Tai smiles back. His gaze pans over to Headman Su, who narrows his eyes with a disapproving look. “I don’t think your people like me very much.”
“They aren’t accustomed to outsiders.” I shrug. “But my mother was once an outsider as well, and she made a home in Dailan. You can too.”
“I have a better idea. Ibsituu sent a mechanical pigeon to say she’s decided to return to Mwezi. She asked if I’d like to join her on the journey—and told me to ask if you’d like to come.”
I purse my lips. “My people need me.”
His fingers brush a wisp of hair from my cheek. “Do they?”
I glance past him at the horizon, stretching green and wide before high mountains. I long to know what lies beyond them, to see for myself the exotic lands I’ve only heard of in stories. Now that the Ligui are gone, Dailan won’t need as much protecting. And I was never going to make a life as a fisherman’s wife or anything. I never had to think about it before because my focus was on the village’s survival, but now that it’s safe …
I take Tai’s hand. “Let’s do it. And after we accompany Ibsituu to Mwezi, let’s journey on.”
His face brightens. “Sounds like a plan.”
My blood races as I think about all the places we’ll go, all the places we’ll see. I feel … untethered. For so long, my life was dictated by forces beyond my control. Even when I sought justice for my father, I was controlled by a rage tied to another. But that’s over.
From now on, only I define my destiny.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Like every meaningful journey, taking a book from rough draft to published novel takes countless steps. Special thanks to everyone who’s helped me turn Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon from a pipe dream into a real, live book.
Thank you to my amazing parents, Yonghua Wang and Jianqing Fan, for supporting my writerly adventures.
Thank you to my sister, Angel, for being my muse (whether you knew it or not).
Thank you to my fantastic agent, Dr. Uwe Stender, for believing in and championing this book.
Thank you to my wonderful editor, Lauren Knowles, for hammering this story into the best version of itself. And to Team Page Street for bringing this book into the world.
Thank you to Karissa Laurel, Brian Lynch, and Linnea Schiff for beta-reading early versions of this book and helping me improve it.
Thank you to everyone in the Jersey City Writers who came out to my critique session to help me hammer this story into shape: Beth Bentley, Joseph Del Priore, Allison Goldstein, Jonathan Huang, Rachel Poy, Kevin Singer, and Sara Stone.
Thank you to Ngiste Abebe, Àbíké Jacobs, and Sara Tadesse for your valuable insights as sensitivity readers.
And thank you to everyone in the writing community who’s been there for me over the years. There are far too many to name, which just goes to show that even when we’re on our own journeys, we’re all part of something greater.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mary Fan is a hopeless dreamer whose mind insists on spinning tales of “what if.” As a music major in college, she told those stories through compositions. Now, she tells them through books. Based in Jersey City, she can usually be found somewhere along the river.
Her novels include Starswept, an award-winning and critically acclaimed YA sci-fi novel, the Jane Colt sci-fi trilogy, and the Flynn Nightsider YA dark fantasy series. She’s also the co-editor of the Brave New Girls YA anthologies, which are dedicated to encouraging girls to enter STEM careers and to raising money for the Society of Women Engineers scholarship fund. Her short works have been featured in many anthologies, including: Love, Murder & Mayhem (Crazy 8 Press), Magic at Midnight (Snowy Wings Publishing), and Mine! A Celebration of Liberty and Freedom For All Benefitting Planned Parenthood (ComicMix). Find her online at www.MaryFan.com.
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Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter One: My Father’s Sword
Chapter Two: The Viceroy
Chapter Three: Warrioress
Chapter Four: My Home, My Heart
Chapter Five: Lady Jiangzhu
Chapter Six: The City of Copper Autumn
Chapter Eight: The Masked Giver
Chapter Nine: Locked in Conflict
Chapter Ten: Out of the City
Chapter Eleven: The Hidden Ship
Chapter Twelve: Thieves
Chapter Thirteen: A River Like Home
Chapter Fourteen: The Streets, The Stage
Chapter Fifteen: Hide Your Face
Chapter Sixteen: The Spellmaster
Chapter Seventeen: Heihuoshan
Chapter Eighteen: The Courts of Hell
Chapter Nineteen: The Demon King
Chapter Twenty: Piece of Both, Part of Neither
Chapter Twenty-One: To Come
Chapter Twenty-Two: A Return
Chapter Twenty-Three: Seized By Fate
Chapter Twenty-Four: Whispers of Truth
Chapter Twenty-Five: The End of Lies
Chapter Twenty-Six: The Tombs
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Passageway To Truth
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Darker Than Hell
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Voices
Chapter Thirty: The Armada
Chapter Thirty-Two: Battle in the Sky
Chapter Thirty-Three: Hidden Characters
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Newsletter Sign-up
Contents
Copyright
Copyright © 2019 Mary Fan
First published in 2019 by
Page Street Publishing Co. 27
Congress Street, Suite 105
Salem, MA 01970
www.pagestreetpublishing.com
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
eISBN 978-1-62414-734-0
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2018959379
Cover and book design by Laura Gallant for Page Street Publishing Co.
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