I eat humans, yes. But only ever enough to ensure my survival. The Maskmaker hopes to orchestrate a mass extinction.
I shake my head slightly, restricted by the snake’s punishing grip. “I won’t have any part in it.”
“Don’t be hasty. Take a moment to think it through.”
“There’s nothing to think about,” I snarl. “What you’re suggesting is madness.”
The Maskmaker laughs. There’s an unhinged glint in his eyes. “Was I not the one who taught you never to pity your food? You’ve gone soft.”
I wince when he reaches out and strokes the burn scars upon the side of my face. I resist the urge to bite at his fingers. “Don’ttouch me.”
“You really won’t apologize?” he asks.
“I’d rather die.”
“How disappointing. I suppose I could feed you to the other demons. Beggars can’t be choosers, after all. Unless…” He clicks his tongue and looks around the sparse landscape of the pavilion.
It’s by far one of the most underwhelming Courts of Hell I’ve seen. The furniture sits shoved aside. The delicate floral wallpaper is faded and peeling. I wonder if the star god tasked with running this place abandoned it long ago.
Then a thought occurs to me.
“This was your court,” I realize aloud. “Before you managed to escape Hell.”
“I never took kindly to being told what to do,” he says thoughtfully, stepping away to inspect the high ceiling. A thick layer of dust powders the lanterns fixed to the walls. “We have that in common, you and I. Do you have any idea how long Death had me trapped down here? Centuries upon centuries, tasked to torture all those filthy, disgusting human souls.” Disdain etches into Sonam’s regal features. “I was agod. How dare he sully our hands.”
I cough, failing to ignore the distinctivesnapandpopof one of my ribs. “If you hate it so much here, why did you come back?”
The Maskmaker shakes his head. “You won’t be around long enough to know, little fox.”
“You mean to kill me?”
“No,” he says finally. “Killing you is too merciful a punishment. I have something far better in mind.” The Maskmaker stalks toward me, bending over so that we’re face-to-face. I freeze beneath his gaze, as terrified and helpless as I was in that pit all those years ago. “I don’t have to lift a finger to hurt you, Yue. Your dreams will do it for me.”
A bone-deep exhaustion suddenly crushes me from head to toe. I can’t keep my eyes open. The more I struggle, the more it grips my mind. There’s no telling what horrors the Maskmaker might inflict while I’m asleep. But try as I might, there’s no fighting the spell he’s cast.
My head drops forward and sleep claims me roughly in its arms.
31Yue
Hunting Log #393:
Daggers over swords, and poison over daggers.
To kill a demon, death and subtlety must go hand in hand.
Songbirds, sweet and lovely, singtheir morning tunes. The warmth of the rising sun peeks through the woven bamboo curtains and kisses my cheeks, painting the skies a soft orange hue. I tuck my knees up against my chest, curled up beneath my blanket of soft linen, determined to sleep the day away in peace.
That is, until someone throws a cushion at me.
“Yue,” one of my sisters calls out. My eyes are too bleary to see. She rushes over and all but rips my blanket off. “Honestly, Yue, I’ve been trying to call you downstairs for ages. How long are you going to stay in bed?”
I blink up at her in confusion. She’s… human. Her silky black hair is pulled up into a neat bun, her vibrant robes of floral-patterned silk hugging her slender shoulders. She has a pointed nose and rosebud lips, but her eyes are soft and bright, contrasting against the sharp edges of her jawline and high cheekbones.
“Qin?” I croak, my voice heavy with sleep.
She laughs good-naturedly. “Goodness, look at your hair! Did a bird decide to make itself a nest?” My sister takes a seat on the edge of my bed and starts to pick and prod, combing her fingers through my locks. I can’t help but stare at her in disbelief. She smells of jasmine tea and summertime grass.
Curious, I bring a hand up to my face, dragging my fingers along the corner of my jaw to peel off my mask. I sit up in alarm when I find nothing but soft and supple skin.
