Hidden Warrior

Sometimes a battle isn't waged on a bloody field. Sometimes it's won within the heart of one girl. Hua Minglan wants revenge for the death of her sister, and she'll do anything to get it. A war is brewing between Piao and the Kou warriors to the north, a war that has called every able-bodied man in Piao from their fields. When Hua's father is summoned to fight, she knows he won't return, most of the warriors don't. With a decision that could cost her everything, she leaves her home behind in an attempt to take her father's place training under Commander Jian Li, brother to the emperor. The commander is a harsh man, a demanding man, and one with his own desire for vengeance. Hua can't get too close. She can't befriend the man who is able to bring her deceptions tumbling to the ground. If he learns the truth about who she is, it won't only see her shunned from the army for disguising herself as a man. It will end in her execution. Hua never imagines that by joining the army, she brings a greater foe into the heart of Piao. What if the Kou are only a distraction? What if the real enemy is her?

Sometimes not even love is stronger than hate. Sometimes sacrifices must be made. Hua Minglan is trapped, presumed dead, and back where it all started. Home. A place that once brought peace to her mind, a place she'd abandoned in order to seek her revenge. But that was before. Before the dragon awoke inside her to destroy an entire village. Before she ceded control. And now, the dragon has a mission, one Hua must do anything to stop. Kill the emperor. There is one way to defeat the beast inside her. Hua Minglan must die. Only one man can prevent her sacrifice. As Jian Li races across Piao to save both Hua and his brother, the emperor, he knows he'll have to choose. Even if he chooses the right one, it might mean the end of Piao. Because the Kou have returned, ready to finish their war. And the only creature that can save the empire also wants it destroyed.