“You’ll meet them soon.” Yawning widely, he got into the car, leaned his head back, and closed his eyes.
Rui sank into the back seat. The roads were near empty at this time of morning, and they sped toward the Academy. Light streaked the horizon, and orangey-pink clouds ribboned across the brightening sky. If therewerea celestial realm, what would it look like? Would the immortals there be suited up like Nikai or dressed in traditional robes like Ten? Would it be bureaucratic like the underworld or something altogether different? She shook her head. There were more important things to be concerned about.
“How are we going to find and destroy the talisman?” she said.
Ash stirred from his nap. “What’d you say?”
“The spell that the Hybrids have,” she said impatiently, “the one that turns people into monsters—what are we going to do about that?”
“Find a way to reverse it or destroy it. Probably destroy it.” He yawned loudly. “Gods, I need another coffee.”
“Where’s your sense of urgency?” Rui snapped. “And have you forgotten that Zizi created the spell with something powerful from the underworld? We’re not dealing with an ordinary talisman, which means it could be indestructible by our usual methods.”
“Actually, if we want to get technical, the spelldidn’twork this time,” Kodie said. “That’s why we have a body lying in my lab. Either something’s wrong with the spell itself or there’s something about certain humans that prevents the spell from taking. The only way to figure it out is to study the specimen more carefully.”
“So study the specimen again immediately and tell us what you find,” Rui retorted.
Kodie frowned at Ash. “Does she boss you around like that too, Captain Song?”
“She tries,” he muttered.
Satisfied that something was being done, Rui leaned back, watching the sunrise. Kodie was wrong; therewasanother way. An absurd idea had been circling in Rui’s head the whole night. Ten was probably the only one who understood how this new spell worked. But Ten loathed mortals, andthere would be a cost for his help. The King was sure to demand a deal, and the price would be high.
It was clear they needed to talk to thespell makerhimself.
But Zizi was in the underworld, and Nikai’s mirror—the one that allowed Rui to communicate with the Reaper—didn’t work anymore. There was also a high possibility that Zizi had transformed into some unknown entity, something closer to Ten than to the boy she knew. Worse, he might’ve forgotten who she was.
I’ll never forget you.
Rui closed her eyes. She refused to allow herself to believe his parting words. Hope was too dangerous; action was what mattered.
11
Zizi
Time passes in a blink of an eye. Having found an elusive happiness with Lei Ying, Four flits between the world of the living and the realm of the dead.
But the fate of thecultivatorschanges with the season. War takes a toll on the kingdom, and when winter returns, a deep freeze ravages the land. With more deaths, more Revenants are born. Fear spreads among the common folk. So, too, do the whispers of a young woman, a cultivator whose spiritual energy is so strong it calls to monsters.
The orphan who brought death to her entire village.
From town to town, the whispers spread, until they reach the ears of the capital.
Four is exasperated. This is a side of humanity he has not experienced firsthand before. It confuses him. Angers him.
“Why do they spread such awful lies? Do they not understand that you are all that stands between them and the Revenants?”
“Humans fear what they do not understand,” Lei Ying says. “When people feel helpless, they need someone to blame.”
“They are ungrateful things,” Four says spitefully. “Why do you still risk your life to protect them?”
Lei Ying’s eyes glisten. “Because it is the right thing to do.”
Snow blankets the kingdom. Sunlight is scarce. The Revenants thrive, and the whispers havecrescendoedto screams.
TheEmperoris compelled to act.
“I have been called to the Imperial Palace,” Lei Ying announces.
