Nix spoke up, surprising even me. “Come on, Amador. Ease off.”
Amador glared at Nix. “She’s supposed to lead us. How can we have faith in her skills if she can’t even negotiate with a neighboring kingdom?”
I was tired, admittedly cranky, and not in the mood for dealing with Amador, so I held my arm out, shielding Nix. “You have no idea what I’m going through,” I said to Amador. “You can sit up there and judge all you want, but it won’t change anything.”
Amador sneered. “I am a very good judge of character.”
“If using your power is so easy, why haven’t I seen you do it? Why don’t you catch the monster?”
Amador’s sneer dropped.
In my time in Biringan City, I’d seen many encantos use their magic freely and without care, especially for everyday uses like boiling water or making a bed with a snap of their fingers. For the life of me, I couldn’t remember if I’d ever seen Amador use hers. If I were more cynical, I would have believed that she used her magic to make herself more beautiful. But Amador’s hands tightened around the reins. I’d apparently struck a nerve. Her eyes darted around, maybe searching for anyone who might overhear.
“I don’t need to prove anything to you,” she said. Her eyes shone, and for the briefest moment, I felt as if I’d overstepped. Itwas so easy being mean to Amador because she was always mean to me, but for once, it somehow didn’t seem fair anymore. I was about to say something when Amador changed the subject.
“By the way, Qian is looking for you,” she said. Any sign of her embarrassment had vanished.
“What for?”
“Do I look like a messenger?” With that, Amador kicked her horse and took off down the path.
I scowled after her when Nix spoke up. “Just ignore her,” she said. “We’ve got plants to find.”
Finding the ingredientswas the easy part; actually harvesting them was the hard part. Most of them were various flower petals and blooming vines, but they were often located high in the trees, forcing me and Nix to climb to reach them. My hands and arms were so sore and scraped up, I had to hope that this would all be worth it. Nix seemed far more optimistic than me, and I would be forever grateful.
It took a while, but by the time Nix and I had gathered all the herbs, stacked high in the wicker basket, we still had a few hours left before sundown, so there was plenty of time for Nix to prepare the potion for tonight.
Just before we made it back to the house, a yell pierced through the air.
“What was that?” I asked, eyes wide.
Nix flinched and stared at me, and we took off at a full sprint through the gate and onto the lawn. But when I bolted aroundthe corner, blood running cold, I found Qian, General Heng, and Lucas grouped with the others from Jade Mountain in the yard at ease, under the shade of a palm tree. Farther away on the grass, a man in a green uniform stood near a pile of clay discs.
“What’s going on?” I asked. And what was Lucas doing with them?
Nix stared at the group, looking grim. “Nothing good, I imagine.”
We walked over just as Qian stepped in front of the others and hefted a bow in one hand, pulling an arrow with another. He was dressed for a day of sport, in breeches and a long shirt with the sleeves rolled up to allow for leather bracers to protect his forearms. He raised the bow and yelled, “Pull!”
The servant in the green uniform raised his arms, and a gust of wind lifted one of the clay discs up into the air so high, the disc turned into a speck.
Qian tracked the disc, following its movements through the sky. The game master moved the clay disc erratically, making it doubly hard, but Qian’s eyes were narrow, focused. He let loose. The arrow whizzed through the air, smashing the disc into bits from five hundred feet away. He was an incredible shot.
His men cheered when Qian lowered the bow, grinning with victory. Lucas stood by in silence, his arms folded firmly over his chest, his expression unreadable.
Nix leaned in close to me. “That’s Qian’s power. He can’t miss.”
My heart beat rapidly against my rib cage, and I swallowed down the nerves bubbling up my throat.
Lucas was the first to notice us. The muscles in his jaw clenchedbefore he looked away. My lungs almost forgot to take in air. Was Lucas going to join them in hunting me?
Grinning, Qian returned to the group, striding with earned confidence, and approached Lucas. “Go on, Sir Lucas!” Qian said, thrusting the bow toward him. “Give it a try.”
Lucas held up his hand, palm out. “I’m good.”
“What, never done it before?”
Lucas shook his head. “I’m not in the business of hunting.”
