Just as he’d used my mother. And when she’d stopped obeying him, he’d discarded her.
Uncle Zhou had given me her diary, I realized with a jolt. Where had it gone? Had Sky taken it after my seizure? Or worse, had the Imperial Commander found it?
“Lotus,” I said. “Have you seen a diary around here? It was in my old robes.”
Lotus frowned. “I’m sorry, my lady,” she said. “When you were brought to your new rooms, you came with no possessions of your own.”
I swallowed hard. So I was a prisoner, yet again.
Five
The question of whether spirits are inherently good or evil has long been a subject of scholarly debate. While some spirits have performed acts of kindness and others have committed malevolent deeds, their overall impact on humanity defies simple categorization. What is widely agreed upon, however, is that spirits are agents of chaos, and like all things, must return to equilibrium. For even balance cannot exist without chaos.
—A History of Lixia, 762
“Don’t you miss it? Don’tyou miss the rush of power?”
My body thrummed with pulsating energy as I harnessed my lixia once more. There was no discomfort, like trying on old clothes that no longer fit. Rather, the weight of my spirit power felt like the heft of my sword—and my hands molded around it like the embrace of a long-lost friend. I directed my lixia toward the soft earth—then drew qi from the land itself.
The trees groaned, the grass withered, and slowly, the endless greenery faded as I drew all water from the earth, leaving behind nothing but a barren layer of dust, and within it, a small, rippling darkness.
With reckless abandon, I lifted my face to the stars and called upon the rain. As water plastered my hair and shoulders, I began to laugh, letting tears spring to my eyes. There was nothing like this feeling—this heady exhilaration, this soaring rush that threatened to implode my chest. Was this what my father had once felt—when he’d taken that first hit of opium? Like the world itself was reborn, and it was a radiant place, full of promise and thrill?
The dream dissolved like ashallow puddle, leaving no trace behind in the heat of day. I woke wondering why I felt so sore, despite walking no more than a few steps the day before.
When I stretched my arms, I noticed a series of brand-new scratches along my forearms. I stiffened with fear, wondering what this meant. A spirit summoner did not need a gate to enter the spirit realm. Instead, they could gain entry from anywhere in the human realm—by buying passage with their own blood.
Had I been drawing my own blood to access the spirit realm? And yet, rubbing the iron bands locked around my wrists, I knew this to be impossible. I could no more access the spirit realm wearing iron than I could fly. No, I must have simply scratched myself in the night.
Whispered voices in the sitting room roused me. Though I could not make out what they were saying, I could recognize that low, steady timbre anywhere—Sky. At once I scrambled out of bed, sliding open the screen divider.
Sky was leaning against the wall, arms folded and eyes flashing. “He must believe she’s temporary. Otherwise he would never dare act so—” He stopped short when he saw me. “Good morning,” he said, before his gaze roved down to my attire, or lack thereof. I wore a thin shift meant for sleep and nothing else. Sky flushed and coughed, turning away to stoke the fire needlessly.
I was puzzled by his sudden propriety, given that he’d seen me in less before.
“What did your father want yesterday?” I asked, once Lily had helped me into a robe.
Sky rubbed a tired hand across his face. “He’s obsessed withblack magic, or what he believes is black magic.” He sighed. “He’s trying to obliterate every trace of it from the Three Kingdoms.”
I did not bother hiding my bewilderment. “Then why exactly is he lettingmelive?”
Sky shot a pointed look toward the door, which was closed. He came to me, then lowered his voice. “It’s not exactly confirmed that you’re a spirit summoner, Meilin. And I would prefer to keep it that way.”
“But Tao and Sparrow—they’ve both seen me—”
“They’ve been silenced.” At my look of astonishment, he clarified: “For a price. Did you think I would kill my own men?”
I shook my head. “But the jade…” My hand clenched around my necklace, where I wore my spirit seal.
Sky nodded. “It was replaced with a replica. Don’t ask me how.” He grimaced. “I had to resort to…less than ideal means.”
Lei, I realized, the memory surfacing from a foggy place. Lei had done this.
“But who are these other summoners?” I asked. “Where are they hiding? Do you know if their powers are those of the lesser spirits, or another Cardinal—”
“Meilin.” Sky stopped me, his hands coming around my shoulders. “Don’t concern yourself with these matters. Focus on recovering. That’s all I ask of you.” His grip tightened. “You’re so thin. It frightens me.”
“But—”
