“Funny you should ask,” Ethan says after a pregnant pause. He must’ve added another question to his list. “I figured I was losing my mind, but he smelled like ... flowers.”
“You weren’t losing your mind,” I say quietly, looking at him from beneath my lashes.
“Thanks.” The corners of his full lips curl up for a second, and I feel the vise clamped around my chest relax a fraction. “Good to know.”
I click through the autopsy photos again. The memory of my mother pointing out a dark-purple flower as we gathered herbs flashes through my mind. She called itdoksacho. It looked lovely and smelled exquisite ... a lot like jasmine but richer and sweeter. It seemed improbable for something so beautiful to grow deep in the mountains, where only needles of sunlight made it past the dense canopy of trees. My mother told me to never ever touch it, much less pick it, because it was one of the deadliest poisons in all the worlds. Doksacho also happens to be the Jaenanpa’s poison of choice.
The puzzle pieces fell into place when the red assassin disintegrated into a pile of dust without leaving a drop of blood. Now I have to look at the whole picture, even if I might not like what I see. The red assassin was a corpse raised from the dead by dark magic. Only those in the upper echelons of the Jaenanpa are powerful enough to wield such magic.
The doksacho, the undead assassin ... they both point squarely to the Jaenanpa. An alternative possibility nudges against my brain, but I block it out. He’s dead. It can’t be him. So it seems we’re facing a horde of ruthless sociopaths lusting after magic. I close my eyes and dig the heels of my hands against them.
If the Jaenanpa are indeed responsible for Ben’s death, then this case comes under the jurisdiction of the Suhoshin—which means the guardians are probably investigating the murder already. If I interfere with their investigation, they’ll come after me too. Then they’ll realize I’m guilty of far more than mere obstruction of justice. Panic jangles inside me, screaming at me to run. But I open my eyes and press my lips into a stubborn line. I will avenge Ben’s death, no matter the consequence.
I close the laptop with a sigh. The Suhoshin are formidable—they capture and subdue criminals with brutal efficiency—but they aren’truthless killers. Their sworn purpose is to keep order in the worlds and protect all law-abiding beings, including humans. I may not belong in thelaw-abidingclass, but I’m still entitled to a fair trial. Those are better odds than the Jaenanpa will ever give me. I lean against the headrest, fighting back a wave of nausea. I’ll deal with the Suhoshin when the time comes.
“Are you okay?” Ethan asks, his voice sharp with concern.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” The skeptical glance he shoots my way tells me he’s not buying it. I close my eyes, pretending to invite sleep.
I’m exhausted and weak, but I can’t turn my mind off. I was attacked mere hours after Ethan walked back into my life. The Jaenanpa must’ve followed him to Vegas. My stomach sinks. That was their plan all along. They killed Ben, hoping his grieving brother would somehow lead them to me.
I still can’t figure out how Ethan found me, but that’s not important right now. What’s important is that I’m the reason Ben is dead and I’m going to get Ethan killed too. But there might still be a way. Now that they’ve found me, they might not be interested in him anymore ... as long as he doesn’t get in their way.
“Ethan—” I turn toward him in my seat.
“No.” His fists and jaw and everything else clench into an obstinate, angry knot.
“I haven’t even told you anything,” I protest.
“You told me enough,” he says, echoing the conversation we had at Roxy’s. It’s funny how your life can be upended in a matter of hours. Well, it’s not funny actually. Not funny at all.
I decide not to push him. What he doesn’t know is that I can do obstinate and angry better than him. I’ve had over a century of practice. If I can’t convince him to leave, then I’ll leave.
“And don’t even dream about ditching me,” he warns, as though reading my mind. “I showed up at your place because I had a feeling you might disappear again. I won’t stop searching for you, especially now. I can’t let you die too. Let me keep you safe, Sunny.”
My heart clenches painfully at his earnest words. He means it. He wants to keep me safe. How long has it been since someone cared about my safety?Eight years.He and Ben cared about me ... and I cared about them. That’s why I got spooked and ran. But Ethanstillcares. Gods, I wish I didn’t want him to.
I look out my window without answering. He can’t keep me safe from the Shingae ... but maybeIcan keep him safe. No matter how badly I want to believe it, it’s too late for him to escape the Jaenanpa’s notice, even if he stays away from me. He’s a loose end that they’ll want to tie up. The laptop creaks plaintively, and I ease my grip on it before I crack it in half.
Calm steals over me, my decision made. I wasn’t there to save Ben, but Iwillprotect Ethan—or die trying. I owe it to Ben. That means we have to get to the hidden cypress tree in Monterey. I need to seek an audience with the Seonangshin. I wasn’t ready to admit it before, but we’re already headed that way.
In the days of old, people in Korea worshipped the Seonangshin, a deity they believed to be the patron god of villages. They would consecrate a tree by hanging strips of blue, red, yellow, white, and black fabric on its branches and building rock cairns around it. At these tree shrines, calledseonangdang, the villagers would pray to the deity to ward off evil, bring them good luck, protect loved ones, and whatever else humans prayed for. It was another part of the Shingae comfortably diluted for human consumption.
But the Seonangshin is not a friendly neighborhood deity.They—for they are many but the same—are the god of Mountains, who have existed since the creation of the worlds. No one truly understands the Seonangshin or the extent of their powers. Those of the Shingae—especially beings of Mountains, like the gumiho—revere and fear the formidable, omniscient beings.
You only dare disturb the Seonangshin for matters of life and death—not to rub their trunks for good luck. If the humans knew that the deity could take their life away with a passing breeze, they wouldn’tseek them out so readily. Not that it makes much difference. While the Seonangshin have a soft spot for humans and will at times heed their pleas, they only materialize for beings of the Shingae in secret, secluded locations through mature cypress trees.
I know of one such cypress tree, but I never thought I would visit it. When the ship that carried me away from Korea arrived in San Francisco, I was so weary and homesick from the endless trip that I reached out with my magic. It was a foolish thing for me to do, since I was running from the Shingae, but I was only eighteen and so alone. And a solitary cypress tree answered my call. Just knowing that the Seonangshin were here helped me survive those first difficult years in this vast country.
The Seonangshin might not welcome me now, since I left the Shingae and effectively turned my back on them. But I need answers, and they have them. Whether they’ll give me those answers and whether I’ll understand their cryptic guidance are bridges I’ll cross when I get there.
“Ask me,” I tell Ethan. When the laptop protests against my iron grip again, I toss the poor thing into the back seat, where it’ll be safe from destruction. I blow out a breath and shift in my seat. I can’t tell him everything, but I can explain some things. “Are you wondering what I am?”
“You’re Sunny Cho.” He finally looks at me, and his expression is fierce. “You’re the prickliestSunnyI’ve ever met, but you’re also the most generous person I know. You taught me how to protect myself, bought me beer without my brother knowing, and gave me the oddest but helpful pep talks. You’re my friend. That’swhoyou are.”
A painful knot unravels in my chest. I hug my arms around my midriff, because the alternative would be to throw them around Ethan’s neck. “Well, then you’re even denser than you look.”
He lets out a strangled laugh, and the tension in the air loosens its choke hold on us. “Let me ask you this. Who was that terrifying woman in red?”
