Poison and Opium, book 1
Dark Fantasy/LGBTQ+
Date Published: 03-26-2025
Publisher: Shadow Spark Publishing
Content Warnings: Depictions of slavery, Depictions of child abuse,
Blood, Death, Animal death, Self-harm, Drinking, Smoking, Drug use
Slave. Soldier. Spy.
Daisuke’s heart has always wandered far from home, hoping for a life
beyond what he’d have as a Northern Nomad raised in slavery. One
evening, when he learns the Giahatio’s imperial military has arrived in
search of recruits, he seizes his chance to flee Okara’s plantations and
start anew. However, becoming a footsoldier isn’t the easy escape he
expected, and he soon finds himself struggling for a place within the infantry
and Giahatian society.
Obito knows he should be grateful for the opportunity to serve as one of the
Empire’s elite intelligence operatives, the onmitsu—it’s one
of few he’ll ever have in life, and the highest possible honor for a
nobleman’s youngest son. But with demons of anger and shame haunting him
as he tries to pick up the pieces in the aftermath of a scandal, any pride to
take in rank or family name is entirely hollow.
When an act of mercy is born from a senseless murder, the already unlikely
friendship between Daisuke and Obito takes an unexpected turn. Not only are
they now partnered together as onmitsu, but dark politics are on the rise,
leading them toward an ancient, furious magic.
EXCERPT
After a while of aimlessly wandering, Daisuke found himself on the ringside of an enchanting acrobatic performance. They flipped, stretched, and bent their bodies in seemingly impossible ways on the tatami mats they’d put down to prevent their performers from freezing. They wore all-black clothing with bone-white masks covering their faces, symbolizing the dance of balance between dark and light, the small space of existence in which Hikari could grant human life. Drums and flutes played, synchronizing everything to a beat, as their matron stood near the tent with a commanding presence, dressed in a kimono and mask to match her performers with another woman in a pale blue kimono at her side. He marveled at the challenging work one had to put themselves through to achieve such mastery of movement and balance. When the show finished, Daisuke instantly dug around in his cloak for whatever coins he had—primarily coppers, typical for someone still in basic training—and dropped a few of them into a large, glazed ceramic teal bowl on a small platform near their tent. Alerted by the clinking sound of coins in their collection pot, the matron winked at him from under her mask, followed by a giggle from her companion, before both women turned away again.
His vision went black when he stepped back to see if they’d planned an encore.
“There you are, little silk-spinner.”
Junpei. What other fuck would bother? The woolen cloth itched at Daisuke’s eyes and any skin it touched. He heard Junpei’s lackeys snicker and jeer indistinguishably and could feel the rest of them closing in as the bulkier boy forced him to hold still.
“What the fuck do you want?” Daisuke grumbled, uselessly attempting to turn his head to glare.
“It’s festival night—we’re just looking to have some fun, aren’t we?” Another round of obnoxious taunts agreed with Junpei’s statement. Someone grabbed Daisuke by the arms; he felt their breath on his face. Quite unfortunately, he could smell it, too. It was like having his head dunked into a tankard of ale.
Great. Fucking great. Who the hell was stupid enough to buy alcohol for these morons, anyway? Daisuke mentally whined as he simultaneously tried to decide which god he’d pissed off most recently. Junpei was the eldest of the bunch, but being his senior by two years meant he was still too young to drink. He wriggled in another bid to free himself, at the very least hoping to get away from the worst-smelling of the lot, but to no avail.
“What in Kuro’s Hells do you think you’re doing?” an unfamiliar boy’s voice cut in; Daisuke’s shoulders forcibly jerked back when Junpei startled at being reprimanded. “Basic infantry? Who’s your commanding officer?”
Junpei tried stuttering out a response, but quickly abandoned the endeavor and shoved his blindfolded victim forward. Daisuke stumbled as he heard the idiots scrambling to get out of sight, which was probably the most brilliant thing they’d done all night. If someone reported them for misbehavior, General Aki would likely revoke his decision to promote any of them whether or not they passed their second evaluations. Just as he didn’t tolerate Daisuke’s smart mouth, he refused to put up with anything he viewed as disrespectful nonsense between his soldiers. He stuck his thumbs under the cloth to get it off his face.
“Did they hurt you?” the boy asked as he helped peel the makeshift blindfold away from covering his eyes, which he immediately scrubbed with his hands to relieve the irritation.
“No, I’m fine. I—” A strange, unexpected heat bloomed in Daisuke’s cheeks when he could finally see who came to his rescue, immediately entranced by deep green eyes illuminated by the overhead light of dangling paper lanterns. He cleared his throat and awkwardly took back the scarf when offered. “I’m fine. Thank you for helping.”
“That’s…good.” The other boy looked a little taken aback, too, though Daisuke couldn’t imagine why. He, however, recovered more quickly and smoothly, aided by yet another soldier coming to his rescue; they must’ve been from a patrol unit in the regular infantry.
“The fireworks are about to go off,” the newcomer said with a radiant, genuine smile. “Let’s go find a good spot.”
The first boy looked unimaginably unimpressed at the suggestion, but didn’t have much time to protest before his companion grabbed him by the sleeve and dragged him away. Laughing, Daisuke waved at them as they disappeared into the crowds again.
He didn’t fully realize the faint smile still tugging at his lips when a loud boom and crackle sounded from the skies, casting a pink light over the crowded streets as he nearly jumped out of his skin. He searched for the source as a high-pitched whistle filled his ears, which he traced to the sky as another burst of color exploded above him, the green peony glittering in midair for seconds before the sparkles faded into blackness again. However small, the act of kindness still warmed his heart, as did the bliss of an otherwise enjoyable day, so he decided to bask in it while it lasted as he watched the fireworks in peace.
About the Author
Alyssa Lauseng is a married mom of two warrior princesses who lives in
Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula. So much inspiration is drawn from a
life-long love of martial arts, the pointy objects she’s obsessed with, and
the U.P.’s abundant nature.
She can be found on BlueSky and Instagram @5FeetofRedFury, ready to nerd out.
Contact Links
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