“Tell me more,” I say, flipping the page again. Sonam’s skills improve with each entry, his progress slow and steady. “About this brother of yours. The one who gifted you this book. None of the ones I met seemed particularly adventurous.”
“I have eight brothers, actually,” he says tightly. “Of which I am the youngest, all born to different mothers. The king has no shortage of concubines to sire his heirs.” He offers a small, tight-lipped smile. “It would be accurate to call me one of the spares.”
I look up from his book. “I only counted seven in the Court of Temptation.”
“Han, Li, and Sang were all born days apart in different parts of the palace. Then came Sìzi and Zhong a year later. And then there are the twins, Nin and Min. They’re both… Well.” He makes a noise halfway between a grunt and a wretch. It’s hard not to notice the way his expression grows more and more dour as he lists off the names of his siblings.
“I take it you’re not particularly fond of them?”
“It would be… unbecoming to speak ill of people I hardly know. They are no better than strangers to me.”
I snort. “I’ll do it for you, then. Your brothers all seem like arrogant cocks.”
Sonam presses his lips into a tight line, but it isn’t out of irritation. If anything, I think he’s doing his best to suppress a smile, though there’s always a good chance I’ve misread him.
“Now,” I say, “human arithmetic may not be my strong suit, but I’m fairly sure that counts seven.”
Sonam is quiet for a moment, contemplatively watching theJade Palace with an almost weary calm. There’s something amusing about the way he chooses his words as carefully as I do. It’s one of the few things we have in common, I suppose.
“Jun,” he answers finally. “He died roughly thirty years ago. He was the kindest of my siblings. So much so, I sometimes wondered how it was possible we were even related. He was the one who gave me the book.”
I listen with rapt attention, unsure if it’s the seriousness of the captain’s voice or my natural curiosity that has me hanging on his every word.
“He was the eldest among us and therefore destined for the throne. But then he shocked everyone by joining the Order of the Albeion monks.” Sonam shakes his head, as if in disbelief. “He gave up everything to live in a sun temple, of all things. Wrote to me often. He told me he was happy there. Father was furious, of course. All those years spent training Jun to be his successor, for naught.”
“Good thing your father still has a selection to choose from, then.”
Sonam huffs. “Yes, I suppose.”
“And what, pray tell, became of this beloved brother?”
The captain swallows, his throat rising and falling heavily. “I was five when it happened. I’d already been sent away from the Jade Palace, so I didn’t learn of his death until a letter came moons later. There was an attack.”
I stiffen. “An attack?”
“Demons,” he mumbles. “A whole pack of them, according to the reports.” Sonam takes a deep breath, his gaze suddenly distant and cold. “They tore through the sun temple. Ripped him apart.”
My heart does something it’s never done—it sinks. I, too, know the pain of loss. It’s brutal and unforgiving, an insidious kindof agony that lingers for years and years until it gives way to numbness. But I’m also wary.
“Is that why you decided to become a demon hunter?” I ask tightly.
“Not entirely.”
“Care to elaborate? Or am I going to have to continue this game of questions?”
Sonam glares at me. “My mother was not an appointed concubine, but a scullery maid who happened to catch His Majesty’s eye. It was… a bit of a scandal. I likely would have been worse off had it not been for her lineage.”
I tilt my head to the side, curious. “What lineage?”
“Supposedly, my mother comes from a long line of accomplished archers. She had no proof, however. The family records only went back so far. Many within the Jade Palace who had my father’s ear believed A-Ma to be a liar. Said she’d spun a tale to earn his favor.”
I frown, deep in thought. “And this explains your lack of a title?”
The muscles in his jaw tick. I take his lack of an answer as confirmation.
“You humans are so strange, imposing all these rules on yourselves.”
“You’re hardly someone from whom I’ll suffer a lecture, Fox.”
