THE FIVE THRONES

THE THRONE'S PRICE

The Tiger family came for Sunny before Diego's body was cold.

He was still in the Deep Market when the first assassins arrived—three men in tiger masks, their blades dripping with poison. They moved through the tunnels like shadows, killing two merchants before anyone knew they were there.

Sunny heard the screams first. Then the clash of steel.

"Get down!" Evado shouted.

Sunny dropped as a knife whistled over his head. He rolled, came up swinging, and drove his fist into the first assassin's throat. The man gagged and fell. Sunny grabbed his blade and turned on the second.

The fight was short and brutal. When it was over, three bodies lay on the ground, and Sunny was bleeding from a cut on his shoulder.

"More will come," Evado said. "Diego's death has thrown the families into chaos. Everyone wants the Tiger throne now."

"Then we need to move fast." Sunny wiped blood from his face. "I need to claim the throne before anyone else does."

---

The Tiger family compound was a fortress in the Eastern District, surrounded by walls of black stone. Guards patrolled the ramparts, their eyes scanning for threats. The gates were sealed.

Sunny stood across the street, studying the compound. "How do we get in?"

"We don't," Evado said. "Not through the front."

"There's another way?"

"There's always another way." Evado pointed to a drainage tunnel that ran beneath the wall. "That leads to the lower levels. From there, we can reach the throne room."

"And the guards?"

"I'll handle them."

Sunny looked at him. "You're sure about this?"

"I'm sure." Evado paused. "The Tiger family raised me. They trained me. They made me into a killer. But they also killed my mother. They killed your father. They've been lying to me my whole life." His eyes were hard. "I'm done being their puppet."

---

The tunnel was dark and wet, filled with the stench of sewage and rot. Sunny crawled through on his hands and knees, his heart pounding. Evado followed close behind.

They emerged in a storage room beneath the compound. Crates of weapons and supplies lined the walls. A single guard stood by the door.

Evado moved before Sunny could react. The assassin's blade flashed, and the guard crumpled without a sound.

"Quiet," Evado whispered. "We're not alone."

They crept through the corridors, avoiding patrols, until they reached a large wooden door. Beyond it, Sunny could hear voices—angry, arguing.

"The throne is mine by right!" someone shouted. "I am the eldest!"

"You're a fool," another voice replied. "The throne belongs to whoever can take it."

Sunny pushed open the door.

---

The throne room was filled with people—warriors, elders, servants. They all turned when Sunny entered. At the far end of the room, a large iron throne sat empty. Five men stood around it, arguing.

"Who are you?" one of them demanded.

Sunny walked forward. "My name is Sunny. I am the son of the Iron Fist. The rightful heir to the Tiger throne."

The room went silent.

Then someone laughed. "The Iron Fist is dead. He has no heir."

"He has me." Sunny stopped in the center of the room. "I am his son. And I am here to claim what is mine."

The man who had laughed stepped forward. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with a scar that split his face. "You're a liar. The Iron Fist's son died with him."

"He didn't." Evado stepped out of the shadows. "I can vouch for him."

The room erupted.

"Evado? The assassin?"

"He's a traitor!"

"Kill them both!"

Sunny raised his hand. "Wait."

The room fell silent again.

"I didn't come here to fight," Sunny said. "I came here to claim my birthright. But I'm not a fool. I know the families will never accept me. They'll send assassins. They'll start wars. They'll do everything they can to destroy me."

He paused, looking at each of the men around the throne.

"But I'm not here to destroy the Tiger family. I'm here to save it. The other families are weak. They're fighting among themselves. They need a leader. They need someone who can unite them."

"And you think that's you?" the scarred man asked.

"I know it's me." Sunny stepped closer. "My father was the greatest martial artist Ember has ever seen. He taught me everything he knew. And I've spent seven years training, fighting, preparing for this moment." He looked at the throne. "I'm not asking for your permission. I'm telling you what's going to happen."

The scarred man stared at him. Then he laughed. "You've got courage, boy. I'll give you that."

"I've got more than courage."

"Prove it." The scarred man drew his sword. "Fight me. If you win, the throne is yours. If you lose, you die."

Sunny looked at the sword. Then he looked at the man.

"Alright," he said. "Let's do this."

---

The fight was brutal.

The scarred man was a master of the Tiger family's fighting style—aggressive, relentless, deadly. He attacked without pause, his sword a blur of steel. Sunny dodged, blocked, countered. But the man was fast. Faster than Diego. Faster than Evado.

A s***h opened Sunny's arm. Another cut his leg. He stumbled, and the man kicked him in the chest.

Sunny hit the ground hard.

"Yield," the scarred man said. "And I'll let you live."

Sunny looked up at him. Blood dripped into his eyes. His body screamed with pain.

"No," he said.

He rose.

The scarred man attacked again. Sunny caught his wrist, twisted hard, and heard the bone snap. The sword clattered to the ground. Sunny drove his fist into the man's face, then his throat, then his chest.

The scarred man fell.

The room was silent.

Sunny stood over him, breathing hard. "Yield."

The scarred man looked up at him. His eyes were wide with shock and pain. But there was something else there too—respect.

"I yield," he whispered.

Sunny turned to face the room. "The throne is mine."

No one argued.

---

Sunny sat on the Tiger throne.

It was cold. Hard. Uncomfortable. But it was his.

Evado stood beside him. Kaycee and Zora had arrived minutes earlier, pushing through the crowd of onlookers. Francisco was there too, watching from the shadows.

"The families will come for you," Francisco said. "They won't accept this."

"Let them come." Sunny looked at him. "I've been waiting for this my whole life."

"This isn't the end. It's the beginning."

"I know." Sunny paused. "But it's a beginning I chose."

---

That night, Sunny sat alone in the throne room.

The compound was quiet. The guards had been replaced with men loyal to Evado. The elders had sworn fealty—some reluctantly, some eagerly. The Tiger family was his.

But something felt wrong.

He thought about his father. About the night he died. About the blood and the masks and the grief. He had spent seven years seeking revenge. Now he had it. Diego was dead. The throne was his.

But the pain was still there.

His father was still gone.

Sunny closed his eyes. He thought about the lessons his father had taught him. About honor. About loyalty. About the sacred bonds of brotherhood.

"You were right," he whispered. "Revenge is a poison."

But it was a poison he had chosen to drink. And now he would live with the consequences.

---

Yasma found him there, hours later.

She walked into the throne room like she owned it, her dark hair flowing over her shoulders, her eyes gleaming in the torchlight.

"You did it," she said. "You claimed the throne."

"I did."

"And now?"

"Now we build." Sunny looked at her. "You said you wanted to help me. To rule alongside me. Was that true?"

Yasma smiled. "It was true."

"But?"

"But there's something you need to know." She stepped closer. "The other families won't accept you. They'll unite against you. They'll send everything they have."

"I know."

"You don't understand." Yasma's voice was soft. "The Serpent family has already declared war. The Crane family is mobilizing. The Boar family is sending assassins. And the Phoenix family—what's left of it—is calling for your head."

Sunny stared at her. "And you? What does the Serpent family want?"

Yasma was silent for a long moment. Then she said, "They want me to kill you."

Sunny's hand moved to his blade. "And what do you want?"

Yasma smiled. It was a sad expression. "I want to save you."