THE FIVE THRONES

THE SERPENT'S GAME

Yasma's words hung in the air like a blade waiting to fall.

"Your family wants me dead," Sunny said. "And you expect me to trust you?"

"I expect you to listen." Yasma stepped closer, her gray eyes unreadable. "My family doesn't know about us. They don't know I've been helping you. As far as they're concerned, I'm still their loyal daughter, working to undermine the Tiger family from within."

"And are you?"

"I'm working to undermine all of them." Her voice was sharp. "The Serpents, the Tigers, the Cranes, the Boars, the Phoenixes—they're all the same. They've been bleeding this city dry for generations. My mother died because she tried to change things. I'm not going to let her death be for nothing."

Sunny studied her. He wanted to believe her. He wanted to believe that someone in this city was fighting for something more than power.

But he had been fooled before.

"Why should I trust you?" he asked.

"Because I'm the only one who can get you into the Serpent compound." Yasma paused. "The Serpent family has information about your father. Documents. Proof of what really happened the night he died."

Sunny's heart stopped. "What kind of proof?"

"Proof of who ordered the hit. Proof of who betrayed him." She paused. "Proof that it wasn't just Diego."

---

Sunny found Kaycee in the compound's training yard.

Kaycee was sparring with Zora, their movements fast and fluid. They broke apart when they saw him.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Kaycee said.

"Yasma says the Serpent family has documents about my father. Proof of who killed him."

Kaycee's expression darkened. "And you believe her?"

"I don't know." Sunny ran a hand through his hair. "But I have to find out."

"It's a trap."

"Maybe. But if there's even a chance she's telling the truth, I have to take it."

Zora stepped forward. "I'll go with you."

Sunny looked at her. "Why?"

"Because I don't trust Yasma. And because if this is a trap, you'll need someone watching your back."

Sunny thought about it. Zora was a skilled fighter. She was also sharp, suspicious, and unlikely to be fooled by Yasma's games.

"Alright," he said. "We go tonight."

---

The Serpent compound was a labyrinth of corridors and hidden chambers.

Yasma led them through a side entrance, avoiding the main guards. She moved with confidence, as if she had done this a hundred times before.

"The documents are in my father's private study," she whispered. "He keeps them in a locked chest beneath his desk."

"And your father?"

"Out. He's meeting with the Crane family. They're planning something big." Yasma paused. "Something that involves you."

They reached the study. Yasma picked the lock with practiced ease and slipped inside. Sunny and Zora followed.

The room was large and opulent, filled with books and scrolls and strange artifacts. A massive desk sat in the center, its surface covered in papers.

Yasma knelt beside the desk and pulled out a small chest. She opened it with a key from her sleeve.

Inside were documents—dozens of them. Letters. Reports. Photographs.

Sunny's hands trembled as he picked up the first document.

It was a report. A report about his father. About the night he died.

"Subject: Iron Fist. Status: Terminated. Method: Poison. Ordered by:—"

The name was redacted.

"Who?" Sunny demanded. "Who ordered it?"

Yasma shook her head. "I don't know. The name is always redacted. Even in the internal documents. Whoever ordered the hit wanted to remain hidden."

Sunny stared at the document. Someone had wanted his father dead. Someone powerful enough to hide their identity even from the families.

"Who else knew about this?" Sunny asked.

"Everyone. The families all signed off on it. They all agreed your father had to die." Yasma paused. "But the order came from one person. Someone who had the authority to command all five families."

Sunny's blood ran cold. "Someone above the families."

"Yes."

---

They left the compound before dawn.

Sunny's mind was racing. Someone above the families. Someone who could command all five. That meant there was a power structure he didn't know about. A shadow behind the thrones.

"Who could it be?" Zora asked.

"I don't know." Sunny looked at Yasma. "Do you have any idea?"

Yasma was silent for a long moment. Then she said, "There's a legend. A story the elders tell. About a man who founded the five families. A man who was supposed to be dead."

"Who?"

"His name was Kael. He was the greatest martial artist of his generation. He united the families, built the city. And then he disappeared." Yasma paused. "Some say he died. Others say he's still alive. Watching. Waiting."

Sunny thought about it. A man who could command all five families. A man who had ordered his father's death.

"If he's still alive," Sunny said, "I'm going to find him."

---

Kaycee was waiting when they returned.

"You're alive," he said.

"I'm alive."

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Partially." Sunny sat down, exhaustion washing over him. "Someone ordered my father's death. Someone above the families."

Kaycee's expression shifted. "Above the families?"

"A man named Kael. The founder of the five families."

Kaycee was silent for a long moment. Then he said, "I've heard that name before."

"Where?"

"Francisco. He mentioned it once. He said Kael was a ghost. A story parents tell their children to keep them in line." Kaycee paused. "But he also said something else. Something I didn't understand at the time."

"What?"

"He said, 'If Kael ever returns, the city will burn.'"

---

Sunny found Francisco in the training yard.

The old man was practicing forms with his wooden sword, his movements slow and deliberate. He didn't look up when Sunny approached.

"You know about Kael," Sunny said.

Francisco stopped. He turned slowly, his pale eyes unreadable.

"I know the legend."

"Tell me."

Francisco was silent for a long moment. Then he sat down on a crate and gestured for Sunny to do the same.

"Kael was the first. The greatest. He founded the five families a hundred years ago. He built Ember from nothing." Francisco paused. "He was also a monster. He killed thousands. He crushed anyone who opposed him. He ruled through fear."

"What happened to him?"

"He disappeared. Some say he died. Others say he went into hiding. But there's one thing everyone agrees on—before he vanished, he made a promise."

"What promise?"

"That one day, he would return. And when he did, he would destroy everything he had built." Francisco looked at Sunny. "The families have been living in fear of that promise for a century. They've done everything they could to prepare. They've built armies. Fortresses. Weapons."

"But they've also been fighting each other."

"Because they're afraid. Afraid of Kael. Afraid of each other. Afraid of anyone who might challenge them." Francisco paused. "And now you've claimed the Tiger throne. You've made yourself a target."

Sunny thought about it. Kael. The founder. The monster. If he was still alive, if he was still watching, then everything Sunny had done—claiming the throne, killing Diego, starting a war—might be playing right into his hands.

"I need to find him," Sunny said.

"And do what?"

"Kill him."

Francisco laughed. It was a bitter sound. "You can't kill a legend."

"Watch me."

---

That night, Sunny sat alone in the throne room.

He thought about his father. About the night he died. About the blood and the masks and the grief.

He thought about Kael. The man who had ordered his father's death. The man who had been pulling strings for a hundred years.

He thought about everything he had lost. Everything he had sacrificed. Everything he had become.

He heard footsteps behind him. He turned.

A man stood in the shadows—tall, gaunt, with eyes that burned like coals.

"You're looking for me," the man said.

Sunny rose. "Kael."

The man smiled. It was a terrible expression. "I've been watching you, boy. You have your father's fire."

"You killed him."

"I ordered his death. There's a difference." Kael stepped into the light. He was ancient—older than anyone Sunny had ever seen. But his eyes were sharp, his movements fluid. "Your father was a fool. He believed in honor. In justice. In the sacred bonds of brotherhood. He thought he could change the world."

"He was right."

"He was dead." Kael's smile widened. "And now you're following in his footsteps. Claiming thrones. Starting wars. Making enemies."

"I'm not afraid of you."

"You should be." Kael stepped closer. "I've been ruling this city for a hundred years. I've crushed armies. I've killed kings. I've done things that would make you weep."

"Then why are you here? Why not just kill me?"

"Because I'm curious." Kael studied him. "You remind me of myself. When I was young. When I was hungry." He paused. "I'm going to give you a choice, boy. Join me. Or die."

Sunny stared at him. His hand moved to his blade.

"I've already made my choice."

Kael laughed. "I was afraid you'd say that."

He moved faster than Sunny could track.