The air thrummed with power like that of a roiling storm. Glancing below, a chill sank into my limbs. A thousand or more black-armored soldiers sailed upon violet clouds, a
creeping shadow across the sky. They were eerily silent, with neither a clank nor rustle, and I cursed their shrewdness in shielding their movements.
The dragon flew ahead until we had almost passed them.
The soldiers at the front wore gleaming bronze helmets
studded with onyx. As they raised their palms, shimmering waves of light streaked forth. The energy pulsing through the air thickened, an opaque mist forming with crimson glints tucked in its folds like scattered drops of blood. It
swirled through the night, thin tendrils clawing at my skirt.
A heavy sweetness suffused my senses, laced with the unpleasant tang of spoiled fruit—my lungs clogging as
though I had choked on smoke. A dullness settled over my mind. I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself as my
head swiveled from side to side, trying to make sense of my unfamiliar surroundings.
Where was I? How did I get here? And what were those lights darting through the sky like scarlet raindrops? My
gut tightened at the sight of the creature that carried me so swiftly—of inky scales and golden claws, its whiskers
streaming behind like silken ribbons. Magnificent, terrifying, though strangely familiar. A picture I had seen before, perhaps? Where was it taking me? I fumbled for my bow to defend myself, to demand an answer—but the
creature swerved up, soaring higher to where the sky was black and clear. Half frozen with fright, I clutched it
instinctively, the wind lashing my face as I sucked in a
ragged breath. How fresh the air which filled my lungs now, expelling the cloying sweetness.
My mind cleared, though I was still reeling from shock. “I . . . I didn’t know you,” I told the dragon. “I thought you were an enemy. I almost shot you.”
Its silvery voice chimed in my head. The confounding mist is an enchantment of the Mind. Its victims can’t distinguish friend from foe, their memories blurred for as long as they
inhale it. While less powerful than compulsion, this enchantment can be spread far wider.
“Across an army.” The Celestials would be defenseless against this, trapped as butterflies in a net. “How can we protect ourselves? A shield?”
Only the strongest of shields would work; the mist can
find its way through the slightest crack or crevice. Such a thing cannot be easily dispelled, but you can evade it,
disperse it, or cleanse it from the heavens.
Beneath us now, the desert gleamed burnished gold—the vast crescent of land which lay between the Demon Realm and the rest of the Immortal Realm. Hundreds of lights
flickered just ahead, campfires fading in the dawn. Relief swept through me that I was not too late, the Celestial
Army had not yet marched. As we descended, the soldiers’ heads swung to the Black Dragon—their fear mingling with awe—as we landed in a cloud of billowing sand. I slid off its back, stumbling onto the ground. Only then, did a few soldiers turn toward me, as though just noticing my presence.
Wait, the Black Dragon commanded. Its jaws parted, its pale breath rippling like frost across the bracelets which shackled me. The metal fractured, falling to the sand in
shards. I rubbed my wrists to warm them. How wonderfully light they were, unbound.
“Thank you. For everything,” I told it, gratefully.
The Black Dragon inclined its head in return. With a
graceful leap into the air, it took flight toward the Eastern Sea, its scales glowing like embers in the light of the rising sun.
Only then did I notice the soldiers encircling me. My greeting died on my lips at the sight of their faces,
wreathed in suspicion and loathing.
“Traitor,” someone hissed, a soldier who had served under Wenzhi’s command in the Eastern Sea. “Were you plotting to desert us all this time, while you were eating your meals in the captain’s tent?”
“Why are you here?” another cried out. “Go back to the Demons where you belong!”
A chorus of agreement rose from the rest. They were not all strangers to me; I recognized several whom I had
trained with, others from Wenzhi’s troop. We had battled together, my arrows working in unison with their swords and spears. I did not know what I expected. There would have been surprise, of course. Questions, to be sure. But once I explained myself, would they not be glad for my escape? Yet all I saw now were their hostile glares and
tightly clutched weapons. In the tumult, I had almost
forgotten the rumors Wenzhi had spread. How easily they had believed those lies of me.
“You fools,” a familiar voice rang out. It was Shuxiao,
pushing her way through the crowd, her long hair tucked into a gilded helmet.
My spirits lifted, though I dared not run to her, I dared not taint her with my intimacy.
Yet she had no such qualms, linking her arm through mine. “Don’t believe everything you hear, especially if it comes from the Demon Realm. Prince Liwei told us that
Xingyin was abducted. She would never have gone there of her own will.”
Shuxiao muttered for my ears alone, “At least you’d better not have.” She added, “You really should have let me come with you to find the dragons. You might have had far less trouble.”
“I wish I had,” I said with feeling.
She squeezed my arm a little tighter before releasing it. “Are you all right?”
“I am, now.” We were not out of danger, but it struck me that I was free. With sudden clarity, I realized how precious such a feeling was. How easily it might be taken away. And how much their captivity had cost my mother and the dragons.
The crowd of soldiers parted as Liwei strode toward me, halting a step away. His white-gold armor gleamed, a cloak of scarlet brocade flowing from his shoulders. No words
sprang to my tongue, and I was content in this moment just to gaze upon him—safe, unharmed, alive. Slowly, as though awakening from a dream, Liwei closed the distance
between us and folded me into his arms. His armor pressed into my skin, but I clung to him in a selfish indulgence, the warmth of his embrace driving away my distress and terror
—thawing the coldness which had sprung up between us before.
In that moment, I had no thought for the impending danger or the emperor’s wrath. Until a cough startled me, a reminder of the watchful soldiers surrounding us. Liwei’s arms fell away as I took a quick step back.
“What happened? Who is Wenzhi?” he wanted to know. “The Demon King’s son.” Even now, the claim sounded
obscene to my ears.
Shuxiao’s breath whistled out. “Captain Wenzhi? A Demon? But aren’t you and he—” She cast a furtive look at Liwei.
“Impossible. Our wards would never have permitted a Demon to enter,” he declared.
“He told me the wards are no longer as strong as before. And his own powers are formidable.” I recalled his pupils, shining silvered gems. He had not stooped to controlling me through such despicable means, but after what I had done, he might not exercise such restraint again.
“What did he want?” Liwei asked grimly. “Though I can well imagine.”
“The pearls, to secure his position as heir.” I did not elaborate. The other things he had said . . . those were between us alone.
Liwei’s jaw tightened, his throat working as though he was stopping himself from asking more.
“Wait, I must show you something.” I grasped my energy
—such relief to feel my senses sharpening again—the power flowing from me in a shimmering current to dispel the Demon Army’s enchantment. Just a hundred paces
away, the land shivered like a wind-tossed lake. Gold morphed to violet, sand churning into cloud.
“A false border,” Liwei rasped, such horror in his tone. “A trap. To get you to break the treaty.”
“If we did, they could have retaliated without fear of repercussion. They would have caught us unaware. We’re not prepared for battle; our presence here was intended as a diversion while we searched for you.”
“Me?” I repeated in disbelief. The emperor would never have commanded the army to march on my behalf. Unless it was to haul me back to face his wrath.
His mouth lifted into a wry grin. “For Father, the
imperative is to retrieve the pearls, of course. Yet for me, there is no other reason than you.”
A tenderness bloomed within me, as precious and frail as the first sunshine after winter’s frost. We had trod this path so many times before—just as I believed the door shut, it
creaked open once more. But I would not read too much into his words; he would have done no less for Princess Fengmei. I would guard myself better this time. I was
weary of heartache.
“How did you escape?” Liwei asked.
I smiled at him, my first real one since I had been taken. “Do you remember the star-lilies? From our lesson, when you gave me the answer which saved me a scolding?” That morning in the Chamber of Reflection felt like a lifetime ago. “Fortunately, you were a conscientious student. I
would not have known about them otherwise.” He nodded, though somewhat uncertainly. “I used them to put Wenzhi to sleep.”
A taut silence fell over us. If he wondered how I had done it, how I enticed Wenzhi into drinking the potion, he did not ask. I was not sure I would have told him, in any case.
“It’s a shame you didn’t have any aconite for a more
lasting slumber.” His eyes flashed dangerously bright as his fingers brushed the swelling on my temple and the cuts on my cheek and lip with aching tenderness. As he took my hand, his energy flowed into me with a tingling warmth, the last of my discomfort vanishing.
“Did he hurt you?” he ground out.
“No! It was his brother.” My stomach roiled, nauseated by the memory of Prince Wenshuang’s flesh against mine, his breath on my neck.
Shuxiao wrapped an arm around me in silent comfort, perhaps sensing my distress.
Liwei’s hands balled into fists. “This is my fault. His soldiers attacked me. I could not dispatch them quickly enough. You were gone. Only later did we discover where you were. I’m sorry . . . for not finding you sooner.”
“I escaped, I’m unharmed. As are you,” I said, trying to banish our unease. “And I have the pearls. That is what matters.”
The air stirred, churning with power, rolling in from the west—where the Demon Realm lay.
Terror engulfed me as I grabbed Liwei’s arm. It was not over. “We must leave. Now. Wenzhi’s army is close. Once you crossed the border, they planned to unleash an
enchanted mist upon our army—one which would confound us. He still might; he’ll stop at nothing to retrieve the pearls. This far out, who would know the truth? Without witnesses, Wenzhi can claim anything he wants.” I cursed myself for not thinking of this earlier.
Liwei whirled, calling for his commanders, soldiers dispatched in search of them. After a brief wait, three
generals hurried toward us, the sunlight gleaming off their helmets adorned with thick tassels of red silk. They were older than Liwei, one of them a distinguished-looking
immortal with white streaks in his hair—General Liutan, who had often sent his soldiers to observe my archery practices in the field. As one, they bowed to Liwei, their palms covering their fists.
“This is an ambush. Gather the troops, make for home at once.” He spoke with firm authority.
The generals’ eyes slid to me, creased with suspicion. I lifted my chin higher, suppressing the urge to flinch. I had done nothing wrong; I had risked my life to warn them.
The shorter of the three, stepped forward. “Your Highness, where did you hear this? Your father’s command was that we remain at the border until we retrieved the dragons’ pearls.”
Liwei’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. “First Archer Xingyin brought us this news.”
Someone snorted, I did not know who. General Liutan cast an accusing glare my way before saying, “Your
Highness, we ask you to exercise caution. She is a spy for the Demon Realm.”
“I am no spy,” I said as steadily as I could, though their scorn and disbelief seared me. “Those lies were spread to keep the Demon Realm blameless for the theft of the
pearls.”
I might as well have said nothing for all the good it did.
General Liutan’s expression remained unchanged as he added, “Your Highness, spies are most skilled at protesting their innocence. Your father—”
“Enough,” Liwei interjected, his tone as sharp as a blade. “I trust First Archer Xingyin with my life, which she has
saved more than once. Do you defy my command, General Liutan?”
The general’s face turned a sickly gray. All three of them sank to their knees at once. “We will obey, Your Highness.”
Liwei gestured for them to rise with a jerk of his hand.
“There is little time to lose. The Demons will release a mist to confound us. Do not attack unless necessary. Conserve your troops’ energy for flight and to shield themselves.”
“The shields must be strong, woven tight.” The generals did not look my way as I spoke. Anger flashed through me but I plunged onward, ignoring their contempt. “Flight is the safest way, though the mist can be cleansed with wind or rain. Don’t inhale it. Just a single breath is enough to muddle you.” My voice faltered at the memory of my own disorientation, and how I had almost attacked the dragon.
General Liutan hesitated. “The pearls, Your Highness.
What of them? Could this be a trick so we will leave empty- handed?”
“I have them,” I said, impatient to silence his doubts. Yet regretting the words when I caught the gleam in his eyes. “Not for much longer if we don’t make haste.”
“Spread the word. No more than two or three to a cloud, speed is essential,” Liwei ordered.
The generals bowed, before turning away, almost running in their haste.
“Liwei, we should go, too,” I urged.
“Not till the camp is cleared. But you . . . you must leave with the pearls,” he told me gravely.
My fingers grazed my silk pouch. I did not want to leave Liwei here, in danger. But he was right, I could not let
Wenzhi take the pearls again. I had undertaken this burden, and it was mine to bear.
“Be careful. Don’t take too long or I’ll come back for you,” I said, more fiercely than intended.
“Is that a promise or a threat?” The corner of his lip
quirked into a crooked smile. “I confess, my pride will be sorely wounded if you save me again.”
“Better wounded than dead.” My light tone masked my fear, but I trusted him to look after himself, and greater things than us were at stake.
Clouds swooped down from above. As Celestial soldiers leapt onto them, taking flight into the heavens, I exhaled with relief. But when a familiar syrupy sweetness drifted into my nostrils—I swung around, my body clenching in terror.
We were out of time.
