In her heart, she knew Raijin was the chosen one. Whether the grandmaster realized the truth didn’t matter. All that mattered was the honorable life her son could lead here.
Holding Raijin to her heart, Lanfen backed away from the desk off the precious rug and pressed her face to the rattan.
“Apologies, venerable Grandmaster. Please forgive this lowly sensha’s insolence. She was ignorant and arrogant to assume that her knowledge outweighed the grandmaster’s infinite wisdom. She begs you, please do not turn away this child. His mother’s sins are not his, and her dishonor should not be his, either.” She wasn’t surprised to feel tears wetting the mat beneath her eyelids. “Please, revered Grandmaster, if not as a student, then take this child on as a servant. He is weaned and will soon be old enough to complete simple tasks. He need not be a burden, but a boon to your school.”
“This isn’t a monastery where you can drop off your unwanted bastards,” the grandmaster said without looking up. “Find the door and leave by it.”
His words struck like a fist to Lanfen’s solar plexus. She stifled the sob of desperation that shook her shoulders.
“Please, Grandmaster,” she begged. “Please reconsider.”
The soft grunt of a cleared throat came from behind Lanfen.
“Apologies for the intrusion,” a throaty, elderly voice said.
Lanfen crawled backward once more and turned to the side so she would not be disrespecting either the grandmaster or this new arrival by giving them her back.
In the doorway stood a stooped, balding, wrinkled old man much closer to her imagined monk. Unlike the grandmaster, the old man’s brown eyes shined from beneath his wild brows with warmth and barely contained humor.
The grandmaster sighed. “What is it, Master Chugi?”
“If the grandmaster would honor Chugi so greatly as to consider his input, the school could greatly use another servant.” The old master smiled at Lanfen, his eyes twinkling. “And if in time this new servant should prove to be the chosen one, then at least we won’t have to go looking for him.”
Hope tightened Lanfen’s throat. Afraid of what she might find there, she turned her gaze to face the grandmaster’s face.
“Fine,” the grandmaster said as if he were bored of the subject and prepared to say anything just to be left alone. “The boy may stay. But until he’s old enough to work, he’s your responsibility, Master Chugi.”
“Thank you, Grandmaster.”
“Feh.” Grandmaster Feng returned to his scroll.
On her knees, Lanfen crawled to Master Chugi and handed him her son, the tears rolling down her face now.
In spite of his elderly appearance, Master Chugi took the baby in strong, sure arms. Lanfen swallowed hard as she let her son go. She could already feel his warmth fading from her skin. The cold that replaced it stung like a blade.
“His name is Raijin, Master,” she whispered, unable to raise her voice any louder.
Master Chugi smiled down at the boy. “It suits him, granddaughter.”
Continue reading Darkening Skies here.
Acknowledgements
WELCOME TO THE END of the book! I can’t believe you’re still reading. That’s awesome, and I’m not going to try to Ferris Bueller your accomplishment away by telling you to get out of here. It takes a special kind of reader to keep powering through to see what sections like the Acknowledgements might hold.
Without further ado, the people who helped me whip this beast into shape:
God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are the obvious starting place, given the whole Alpha and Omega thing. Although to complete the metaphor, I’d have to end with Them, too.
The Op boys and girl, Messrs. Wm, Rn, and Knz. Forever in my heart, pig whistles, forever in my heart.
All the SAPeeps at Shadow Alley Press. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this nickname sooner, guys. Prepare to be called it a lot from now on.
One trio of certified grade-A alpha readers, Adam Roberts, Joe Ottinger, and Brent Wiggers, for their spot-on feedback and suggestions.
Jake Goodrich for the grappling advice. If anything ridiculous or unrealistic made it into Hyla’s fights, it’s my fault.
Tamara Blain for grappling with my words until they followed the basic rules of grammar. If there any mistakes managed to squeak through, they’re mine.
The amazing Warrior Artists and Demon Beasts over on Patreon: Jeremiah Halstead, Beldium, Just Jess!, Julius, Gabriel Boudreau, Ryan Owens, Shannon, and Joel E. Fox. And an extra special shout-out goes to Loren Valliant for creating the academic Valthorpe’s simian-type alien and Joseph for the creation of Unu, the crusty Broken Mirror spirit.
James Hunter, my sometimes coauthor, all-the-times writing buddy, who rolled them bones and gambled on his wyrdo friend full of wyrdo stories.
Tim McBain and LT Vargus, who keep me entertained with brain-twisting and gut-wrenching serial kills and thrills on the opposite side of the spectrum from cultivation, and who always have time to nerd out over the minutiae of writing and publishing.
And my Joshua—some might say the best Joshua. If you think you’ve got it bad having to read one or two of my stories, this guy reads every draft of every story I write.
Look, be it far from me to leave a metaphor half-done. God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit again. I owe Them everything, the least I can do is mention Them twice.
Books by Shadow Alley Press
LitRPG
Rogue Dungeon: The Rogue Dungeon Series (Book 1)
Civil War: The Rogue Dungeon Series (Book 2)
Troll Nation: The Rogue Dungeon Series (Book 3)
Rogue Evolution: The Rogue Dungeon Series (Book 4)
Dungeon Duel: The Rogue Dungeon Series (Book 5)
Zero.Hero 1
Zero.Hero 2
Inheritance: The Last Enclave Book 1
Redemption: The Last Enclave Book 2
A Snake’s Life: A Snake’s Life Book 1
A Snake’s Path:
