Nanowrimo 2022 - Day 5 Word Count and Best Bit (Patreon)

Today I added 1,669 (nice) words to my project, bringing the current total to 9,830!

But the emperor was not done. “To my children, I give a gift. A boon to aide them in their conquest.”

He waved his hand, and – as if by magic – the curtains fell. The sight they hid forced a sharp gasp from Jin Xia, loud enough to pull a confused glance from Qui Ling.

Two massive armies, many thousands of men strong, stood shoulder to shoulder before her. Jin Xia could not even begin to count how many strong each command was, their number so great they spilled out of the courtyard and into the streets beyond the main castle gate. At the front of each army stood a man in finer armor – the generals, Jin Xia assumed – carrying a large banner. Each banner bared the yellow dragon, symbol of the imperial family. But there were differences. One dragon carried a branch of autumn leaves in its mouth. The other, a great pearl.

Autumn leaves for Qui Ling, son of the Autumn Rain Consort. A pearl for Jin Xia, resident of the Pearl Palace. Jin Xia would laugh if she could.

Her eyes drifted downwards from the banner that designated her army to the general who carried it. Who was the man that volunteered to lead her army? Which man did Tai Gang trust with her life?

Wild, fiery hair the color of molten copper. Eye like bright, blazing embers. A smirk that one might call arrogant should they not know the face wearing it.

What on earth was General Sun Wukong doing holding her banner?