Nine years ago, Ias, one of the many sons of the god-emperor, was exiled after a court scandal that cost him an eye. Yet ever the dreamer, as the Othrinsish Empire sieges the coast, Ias hopes this may be the chance he’s been waiting for: to journey west to the Erakoran capital and defend his empire to regain his family’s acceptance. He rallies other young refugees to escape the warfront—Ias’s quippy younger cousin from a lineage infamous for betrayal, a tomboyish temple acolyte losing her religion, and a runaway slave plotting vengeance. But… collapsing an ancient temple on the invading army draws the ire of the Othrinsors and the awe of a growing Erakoran Revolution.

Woefully unprepared, guarding secrets, and as everything they knew about society and magic overturns, Ias and his companions traverse warzones and enchanted wilderness, hunted by conquerors and haunted by the folk songs. Between unraveling sinister legends, evading a manhunt of relentless Othrinsish mages, discovering lost magic, and budding friendship and romance, the teens race the conquerors to the capital. And when identities and political agendas are revealed, the Chessboard must decide if they are fellow refugees, revolutionaries, or each other’s enemies.

The Legend of the Chessboard (100,000 words) is a multi-POV YA adventure fantasy set in an Aztec-inspired empire that sets queer indigenous Latino refugees as the heroes of a collapsing empire that wasn’t as benevolent as they once believed. The Othrinsors are as if the Qing Chinese shipwrecked in the Americas. Think “The Sunbearer Trials (2022) meets The Poppy War (2018)”— revolutionary war and colonial themes like The Poppy War (and a love of linguistics and anthropology) but drawing hope and strength from identity, community, youth, and friendship, like The Sunbearer Trials. Other comp titles include Children of Blood and Bone (2018), An Ember in the Ashes (2015), and Black Sun (2020).

I study Creative Writing and Spanish at Northwestern University and am an alumna of Alpha Young Writers’ Workshop, Iowa Young Writers’ Studio, and Smith Creative Writing Pre-college. My work has been published by Scholastic Arts & Writing, Apprentice Writer, and more. As a queer second generation Chinese-Vietnamese refugee, my and my family’s experiences inform themes of queer identity, refugee identity, imperialism, and colonization.