I stared at him in alarm. “Why are you here? This is just a dream, isn’t it? You shouldn’t be here, Baba!”
“Like you, I haven’t yet crossed the bridge,” he said, rubbing his neck absentmindedly while staring across at the other side.
I grabbed both his hands, feeling suddenly as if I were drowning, fighting to break through the water’s surface. “You mustn’t cross this bridge, Baba. I won’t let you.”
He looked at me, his mouth curving into a soft smile. “Dearestdaughter. You’ve always been so brave, so stubborn. But there are some things even your stubbornness can’t overcome.”
“My stubbornness is no normal thing,” I said seriously.
He touched my cheek, his tone equally gentle. “Every soul is precious, my dear, but not one is more special than another.”
I frowned, uncertain if he was referring to me or himself. Regardless, I wasn’t convinced. If I believed hard enough, I could save Baba’s life. Like Ren when he chose to live.
“Do not cross this bridge,” I said, sensing my consciousness tugging me back to the waking world. “Wait for me, Baba. I’m coming home soon, I swear it.”
He gave me a tired smile and, finally, a nod. Then, just before the dream faded, he opened his mouth, saying, “Siying, I—”
My eyes flew open, and rather than an ashen bridge, I stared up into a dense canopy of vibrant green trees. A thin film of sweat clung to my skin, the late-morning chill conjuring shivers up my arms. I blinked dew from my lashes and sat up, brushing aside a fern near my head. Beside me, Ren slept soundly. It couldn’t have been more than five hours since we’d made camp for the day, but my mind was far too alert for sleep.
I pulled my coat closer to my throat, thinking of my dream and my father’s last words. I’d woken before he could finish what he was saying, but I felt certain of his intent:I’m running out of time.I knew it in my bones, in the dark veins tracing his neck, death’s fingers laying claim to its prey.
I needed to hurry.
But first I needed provisions. It’d been two days since we left Fuzhou, and we were short on food. I also needed ointment for my injuries, which still stung when I moved too sharply.
I peeled my body off the forest floor and stretched. As Iskirted the remains of our campfire, Ren’s voice broke through the morning quiet. “Where are you going?”
My footsteps stilled, and I turned to see him sitting up.
“Did I wake you?” I asked.
“No, I’ve been awake awhile.”
The way he said it, as if he wished otherwise, gave me pause.
“Nightmare?”
He shook his head. “A memory, more like.”
My curiosity stirred. “What kind of memory?”
He rested his arms on his knees. “What happened in Fuzhou made me dream of the day my captain received a message to send our company to Ninghe County. We were in a forest much like the one in Fuzhou, keeping a low profile, when we were told to combine with another platoon. That’s why we ended up in that field.”
“But then you were ambushed,” I said.
“Right.” He bit the inside of his lip. “But the thing is we never met up with the platoon at the meeting spot. No one was there when we arrived. And by the time we thought about turning back, the Wen army was upon us. At the time, I thought we’d just mistaken the location. But now I wonder if the platoon ever existed.”
“Do you think the messenger who spoke to your captain was a spy?”
“It’s possible.” Ren looked at me. “You said that Liu Chunhua’s suicide was actually a murder. What if the ambush in Ninghe County was part of a similar plot to kill my captain or my company or—”
“You,” I finished for him. “I don’t know your captain or the other members of your company, but I do know you’re the second prince of Sian. I’m sure there are plenty of people who’dwant you dead. Which means someone knows who you really are. Maybe even the person who killed your mother?”
Ren’s grim nod confirmed he suspected the same. “That’s certainly a possibility. Now it’s just a matter of whether they know I’m still alive.”
“It’s hard to tell,” I said. “Your entire company fell in that ambush, so maybe they assumed you died along with everyone else. But if they didn’t find your body among the dead, they might believe otherwise. Either way, we need to get you out of Wen as soon as possible.”
“But I have to gather more qi.”
