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“We should obtain Lady Shufang’s permission to avoid conflict with the soldiers here,” Jin suggests.
“Lady Shufang is hosting a banquet tonight in Prince Zixin’s honor. Since we are obligated to attend, we should ask then,” Shenming says, rising to his feet.
Once they leave, I sink on the bed, prodding the thin mattress. I’ve grown spoiled, used to better comforts—but also accustomed to worse. Moreover, there is relief in being here, away from the watchful eyes of Lady Shufang and the prince. Let the privileged and powerful plot the future of their kingdoms. All I want is for the Sun Dragon to be restored and my people to be safe, and to be freed of this power that should never have been mine.
CHAPTER THIRTY
THE SUN SINKS LOWER, STAINING THE SKY ROSE. LANTERNS are lit along the pathways, enfolding the grounds in a warm radiance. A helpful attendant has woven pearls into the coils of my hair, my dark blue robe embroidered with yellow flowers, a dagger strapped to my side.
Jin appears at my doorway. The midnight hue of his clothes mirrors mine, his dark hair grazing the embroidered collar.
“We match tonight,” I observe.
He grins at me. “I bribed the attendant to tell me what you were wearing.”
“I thought all you did was scheme about the grand affairs of the kingdoms,” I say with a laugh.
“Far less interesting.”
“Flatterer. Tell me something real.”
His gaze pins mine. “I just did.”
Someone approaches—General Suilan in silver brocade, her brown hair coiled around her head. With her bow slung across her back and the sword by her side, she appears like a vengeful goddess: striking, formidable, and deadly.
“I didn’t get a chance to thank you properly for your aid before,” she tells us without preamble. “Captain Hong, whom we met back in the tower, told us you broke the spell and freed us. Without you, we’d be trapped there still, living ornaments to the vile magic-wielder’s pleasure.”
I restrain the urge to defend Dian. “No thanks are needed, General.”
“How did you defeat the villain?” she asks curiously, sitting by the table.
“We disguised ourselves, then used a sleeping draught to subdue the magic-wielder,” I reply carefully. “Though we managed to release those trapped and rescue Lady Ruilin, the magic-wielder escaped.”
“I heard Lady Ruilin vanished again, after her visit to the Palace of Nine Hills.” The general watches us keenly, seeking information. “Rumors abound since the Queen of the Iron Mountains’ ascension; it is hard to discern what is true.”
“The palace was sealed for the coronation,” Jin says. “According to our informants, Lady Ruilin was trapped outside. She was reluctant to return to her father and escaped then. Have you heard anything about her since?”
“No. These are perilous times,” the general muses. “We’ve received news that Lady Ruilin’s father—Duke Yuan of the Amber Forest—lost Queen Chunlei’s favor. Despite his loyalty to the Iron Mountains, he was forced to yield control of his kingdom to Her Majesty, becoming a puppet ruler. Now the Amber Forest’s wealth is channeled into the treasury of the Iron Mountains. Meanwhile General Xilu terrorizes the towns and villages that show any sign of resistance, demanding submission. We fear this will happen to us next, once the queen’s attention shifts here.”
Prince Zixin was right; the Pearl Ocean is seeking a way out from capitulating to the Queen of the Iron Mountains.
“What does Lady Shufang intend?” Jin asks.
Her smile is as guarded as ours. “I do not know. But we trust in Our Lady’s wisdom.”
General Suilan rises as Shenming enters. His green robe flows over his tunic and pants, his hair pulled into a topknot. “We should go,” she tells us. “The time for the banquet draws near.”
As we follow her from the guards’ quarters, the rush of the ocean grows louder, the setting sun glazing the skies with fire. Reaching a large garden on the outskirts of a hall, my feet stumble to a halt. Translucent orbs are strewn across the grounds, some aglow with bluish light, others of rose, gold, and white. Their luminosity remains untouched by wind or dark, ablaze like jewels of the night. I crouch down, touching the lustrous surface of one, radiating an unfamiliar coolness.
“What are these?” Shenming asks.
“Ice Pearls,” General Suilan replies. “Their glow never fades. They are cultivated for decades, steeped in the eastern part of our ocean.”
I suppress my excitement. This is the direction we need to seek the waterfall in, where I’d sensed its pull.
“I heard the Pearl Ocean waters possess magical properties,” Shenming remarks.
“Indeed. Nowhere else have the Ice Pearls formed.” The general speaks to him with more ease than to Jin or me. Perhaps she is drawn to him, his background and interests similar to hers. “They are capable of withstanding great force, even the elements—retaining their radiance, ensuring their beauty is everlasting.”
