Three
The bond between spirit and summoner is a tenuous one. The spirit draws upon the summoner’s qi, while the summoner, in turn, derives lixia from his spirit. When this exchange is in equilibrium, a fragile harmony may be achieved. However, when the will of one overtakes and subsumes the other, the balance is disrupted, and it is in such moments that spirits often seize full control.
—Lost Journals of an 8th-Century Lixia Scholar, date unknown
Freedom. I took my firsttentative step out of the dungeons and felt all blood rush to my face. Sunlight streamed in through the windows above, painfully brilliant and warm. I could hear trees rustling in the wind, and the distant sound of laughter. Footsteps, everywhere, echoing. The clink of porcelain, the chime of bells, the scent of linen and lavender, of cleanness, of wholeness—of everything I was not.
My head felt as if it were cleaving in two. I staggered to a halt and my many guards went still, tensing as if I might suddenly breathe fire or grow a tail. I wanted to laugh at their fear, but instead my knees buckled and I collapsed beneath my own weight, covering my ears as the stimulation became too much. There was too much to see, to smell, to hear. No longer surrounded by iron, I could sense lixia everywhere, but I no longer possessed an outlet to channel it. I needed my seal to ground me, to keep the pain at bay.
Someone knelt by my side. “Meilin?” It was Sky. “What’s wrong?”
“My jade,” I rasped. “I need my jade. Please, Sky.”
“I-I can’t,” he said. “My father ordered—”
“Her heart,” said another voice, as cold fingers checked my pulse, “it’s failing.”
“Perhaps…should she wear iron?” Sky’s voice was unsure.
I heard Winter reply, but I could no longer make sense of sound. The pounding in my head built to a crescendo. I gasped as the pain reached greater heights, until it was too much to bear. I fainted.
“She’s reached an inflection pointin her addiction.” I woke groggily, struggling to rise from my stupor. “She likely can no longer function without a seal, which channels her black magic.”
“What do you mean, ‘function’?” demanded Sky.
The other man cleared his throat. “With physical dependence, the body adapts to the presence of a drug, until withdrawal becomes lethal. Simply put, without a seal, she will die.”
The silence that followed felt like a living creature, impulsive and impossible to predict. At last, Sky said, “Ge, do you think we could tell Father—”
“You are not a fool, Di Di.” His high, lilting voice was like the sound of wind chimes. Liu Winter, the sixth prince of Anlai. “Do not act like one.”
“She’d wear iron at all times.” I could hear the pleading note in Sky’s voice. “The iron would counteract all spirit power. She wouldn’t be a threat—”
“Telling him the truth will only sentence her to death.” Winter sighed. “You know how he is. There is no reason to his fear.” His voice changed directions. “You may go. Do you remember the terms of our agreement?”
“Of course, Your Highness,” said the other man. “Your secret is safe with me.”
They said their goodbyes, which were followed by the sound of a sliding door. “Brother,” Sky whispered, his voice wretched. “Help me.”
“I did warn you—”
“I know!” Sky growled, his sorrow morphing into anger. He was like that: never one to brood over sadness.
“Have you spoken with the Ximing prince?” Winter’s voice came out thoughtful. “He may prove useful. Particularly when it comes to her.”
Sky’s reply was blunt. “I want nothing to do with him.”
“Father cannot be reasoned with, not in his current state. But his condition does provide some benefits, does it not? He has become quite negligent, particularly with the state’s treasures…”
I was in the depths of the sea, and there was no light to guide me out. I searched and searched, but I could not find the surface of the water. Each time, I drowned.
“It was no trouble.” CaoMing Lei? His voice was so low it was hard to make out. “But keep this between us, will you?”
“Of course,” replied Winter. “I doubt my father will find out anytime soon, given his current preoccupations and the caliber of the forgery. Still…I hope you did not leave a trail.”
Lei said something else, but the waves were calling me.
And then, a light. Piercingthe darkness, the depths of the sea. Emboldened, I swam toward it, up and up and up. The azure light grew stronger, and with it, a growing awareness of my own body. Isensed the fragrance of lavender in the air, the hushed voices whispering about me, and the familiar weight of a warm, pulsating stone. And then—I broke free.
