“You mean sneak across it,” I said. No way the Sian guards on this side of the river would overlook three Wen soldiers carrying a priestess and a prince. We’d have to circumvent the main bridge to avoid being seen.
“We wouldn’t have to do that if you’d just come willingly the first time I asked,” she snapped, looming over me with her arms folded. Her eyes flicked to Ren. “What’s wrong with him, anyway? Why does he still have that talisman on him? I thought it was just a disguise in Wen.”
Worry temporarily subdued my anger. “His qi is weak, and it’s only getting worse. There’s some ginseng in my bag. Give it to me, so I can make him some tea.”
To my surprise, the soldier nodded without argument. She motioned to her colleague by the fire. “Start boiling water.”
Her other subordinate dug through my bag until he found the herbs. But when he began preparing it, I blurted, “No, let me do it.”
The soldier looked at me. “Do you take me for a fool?”
“Do you takemefor one?” I shot back. “I can’t trust you not to poison the tea.”
“How dare—” The soldier inhaled sharply, calming herself. Then she ordered her men to angle themselves so that I could see everything they were doing. “There, is that better?”
I reluctantly nodded, burning the soldiers with my stare as they made the tea. I refused to say another word until a steaming cup was brought before me.
“I’ll give it to him,” I said, holding up my bound wrists. The soldier placed the cup in my hands, and I lowered myself to Ren’s head. “Ren, wake up.”
When that didn’t work, I nudged him with my knee and said, louder, “Ren!”
His eyes cracked open, a tired sigh slipping from his lips. “Siying? Where are we? What happened—”
His gaze darted to the Wen soldiers beside us, and I shot them a warning look that clearly told them to step back. When they did, begrudgingly, I turned again to Ren, shielding him with my body, and said, “It’s all right. You’re all right. Just focus on me.” I held the cup closer to him. “Here’s some tea. Drink it.”
He was too dazed to object. Shivering against me, he sipped it without complaint. When he finished the cup, I passed it to one of the soldiers for another, then pressed my forehead to Ren’s. A little too warm. His weakening qi was making him feverish.
I made him down two more cups before allowing him to lie back again. He breathed shakily, but at least his eyes appeared brighter, more cognizant.
“Oh, that was truly terrible,” he said, scowling.
Aware of the soldiers watching us but not caring what they thought, I scrutinized Ren’s face. “Do you feel any better?”
“Wait a moment,” he mumbled, squeezing shut his eyes.
I touched my forehead, then his. Still warm. I’d have to check again after the tea soothed his system. For now, it was best he simply rest.
Tilting his head toward me, he murmured, “Siying, forgive me for troubling you again.”
I shook my head. “There’s nothing to forgive.”
“That’s hard to believe when I keep fainting at your feet.”
“Well, you aren’t the first boy to do so,” I said, adopting his trademark humor and shrugging. That seemed to pull him out of his self-dug pit of guilt.
He laughed softly. “Really?”
“No, not really,” I said with an amused smile.
“The boys you’ve met must be blind, then,” he said, with an affectionate tenderness that made my stomach flutter.
I scoffed. He certainly had a way with words.
“Ever the flirt,” I muttered.
“Only sometimes.” He grimaced as if in pain. “And preferably when I’m not feeling dizzy.”
I was tempted to offer my qi again, but I knew what he’d say. The last thing he needed was to be agitated and worsen his condition. So I took his bound hands in mine, hoping it would provide some comfort. My fingers traced his veins in gentle rivers, feeling his skin warm to my touch. His knuckles paled as his grip tightened. He shifted into a more comfortable position, and when he cleared his throat, the sound was startlingly intimate.
