“Locked away for now,” he said. “You may attempt to free him, but you’d have to give up your desire to meet with Prince Liqin.”
“I refuse.”
He shrugged. “Then I can’t be responsible for the consequences.”
I cursed silently. If I went after Liqin now, Ren would be killed. But if I chose Ren, I may lose my best chance at stopping his brother. And I couldn’t let him slip away again—for all our sakes.
“Anshi,” I said without turning, “I need you to do me a favor.”
“No,” Anshi said, already knowing what I’d ask. “We’re not friends.”
“I know. But I must ask anyway.”
Anshi huffed loudly. “Will you retrieve the seal? And give it to me?”
I didn’t hesitate. “Yes—on the condition that Ren stays alive.”
After an angry pause, Anshi growled, “Very well. Run quickly, priestess. I’ll hold off these guards, then find your foolish prince.”
I nodded, already dashing forward.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Official Yi shouted as I barreled past him. If the guards tried to stop me, they never got close enough to succeed.
The sound of metal clashing against metal rang from behind as I pounded up the steps. Then another noise reached my ears—the clatter of bones on stone. My undead army had finally caught up to me.
At the top of the stairs, I turned and saw them engaging with Official Yi and his guards. Anshi had already vanished.
Shaking my bells, I commanded a dozen of the skeletons to shadow me while the others remained to obstruct the imperial guards. Then I faced the abandoned doors of the main hall and wrenched them open, stepping over the threshold into a sea of green silk robes.
Fifty bearded faces turned to stare at my unannounced entrance. Their indignation shifted into alarm when they noticed the skeletons behind me.
But I had eyes only for the prince frozen mid-step on the dais across the hall. Beside him was a gilded throne with a pair of golden cranes perched on either side. The symbol of the royal family.
Liqin finished ascending the dais and stood in front of the throne, his sapphire silk robe whispering against the floor. The royal insignia adorned his chest, and a jade belt rested loosely around his waist. He would’ve been handsome if not for the storm clouding his expression.
His voice thundered through the vast hall. “How dare you interrupt an official meeting?”
I smiled, detecting a tremor in his shoulders. Though he was attempting to maintain his composure in front of the ministers, the appearance of my soldiers clearly unnerved him too. Would the officials stay at his side once they discovered the crimes he’d committed to stand on that dais?
“You took something that doesn’t belong to you,” I said, striding forward. The ministers reared back at the skeletons. “I’ve come for payment.”
“W-What is the meaning of this, Y-Your Highness?” one ofthe ministers managed to ask. “Who is this girl? And w-what are these—these—”
My eyes never left the prince’s. “These skeletons are the remains of the men your beloved prince murdered. And I’m here to execute their vengeance.”
Confused whispers echoed through the chamber.
“You lie,” Liqin snarled, shaking his finger at me. “I never killed anyone. I don’t know where you dug up these poor souls, mistress, but the heavens surely shudder at what you’ve done.”
So Liqin’s role in the silencing of Xiatang’s men had been a secret.
“If the heavens disapprove of me,” I said, “then they must detest you. You wish to know where these warriors are from? The grave of traitors, and before that, the town of Xiatang. These men dared to question your cruelty toward Wen, so you cut them down. Behold your sins, Your Highness.”
The whispers increased in volume and intensity. I could feel the wide eyes of the ministers on me, the skeletons—and the prince.
“Sh-She’s lying,” Liqin stammered. “Don’t listen to her; she’s nothing but a madwoman. Isn’t it obvious? Look at what she does with the dead!”
“I may be mad, but I’m certainly not the liar here,” I countered. “Ask anyone from Xiatang, and they’ll confirm my words.”
