Rui widened her eyes, still smiling her sugary smile as she coaxed, “Are you sure you can’t tell me anything else?”
“Cheeky thing. I like you.” Auntie Lian chuckled, then sobered. “I wish I could tell you, but I don’t know when the mage is coming back.”
Rui sensed her concern. On a hunch, she said, “The mage isn’t missing, is he?”
Auntie Lian’s salesy persona vanished. “What do you know about missing mages?”
“Nothing,” Rui confessed. “Just that some have disappeared recently.”
Wariness trickled into the woman’s expression. “Does the Guild know about this?”
Rui shook her head. She wasn’t sure if that was the truth, but it seemed better to assure Auntie Lian.
“We haven’t seen Master Kang in over a week, and it’s not like him to go away without saying anything or leaving instructions.”
“Do you have people looking for him?”
Auntie Lian nodded. “We look after our own, not like your kind.”
She said it so matter-of-factly Rui lost the urge to defendher kind. Rui was still a cadet, and she didn’t know everything about the Guild and how they operated. It was likely the underground magic community had a different experience with the Exorcists than Rui had.
“I hope Master Kang’s okay, and you’ll find him soon,” she said, meaning every word.
“You’re a good one. Here, this is on me.” Auntie Lian pressed a tiny jade rabbit hanging from a red string into Rui’s palm. “For luck.”
A mother and child came up to the stall to browse, and Auntie Lian turned to them.
Rui took it as her cue to leave. She dropped the lucky charm into her pocket. It was almost time to meet Ada at the karaoke club anyway. Tonight’s trip hadn’t garnered her the information she wanted, but it seemed like the mystery of the missing mages was getting bigger. She’d have to talk to Zizi about it.
As she took a shortcut through a small alley to the subway station, that weird feeling of being watched came back. She swiveled around.
Again, she thought she caught a flash of blue. But it’d happened so quickly she must’ve imagined it. After all, she was the only one in the alley.
23
Rui
The karaoke club was throbbing with music so loud it gave Rui a headache. The senior cadets were in a private full-service room with free-flowing drinks, and fruit and dessert to boot. Everyone was letting loose after a long week of training.
Rui sat in a corner, stuffing her face with grapes. There was a burst of laughter from the other side of the room where Yiran was holding court. She hated how well he was getting along with everyone at school. Hated how she couldfeelhis excitement like a visceral punch to her gut. His emotions were so distinct and loud whenever he was near it was hard to tune him out.
She made a face that went unnoticed in the dimly lit room as she crushed another grape in her mouth. The sweet fruit did nothing to mask the lingering bitterness inside her.
Ada appeared. “Pick a song!”
“Both brothers are terrible choices, but at least one of them is easy on the eyes.”
“What are you talking about? I said pick a songto sing.”
Oh.Rui said stiffly, “You know I can’t sing.”
“Neither can Teshin, and they’re about to start their third ballad of the night.”
They both winced and then laughed as Teshin’s off-key warbling blasted from the speakers.
Ada poked her ribs. “So, which Song brother is easy on your eyes?”
“I’m taking that to my grave.” Rui mimed zipping her lips, wriggling out of Ada’s reach. “Oops, nature calls.”
