“Thank you, spymaster.” The guard bows his head again.
Mikail’s expression changes, hardens. A chill runs through me right before he reaches out. He takes the guard’s head between his hands and twists hard until there’s a snap. Mikail lets go, and the guard’s body falls limp onto the ground.
The room is silent. Mikail just killed a man he agreed to spare.
But I guess this isn’t the time for mercy. The same way it wasn’t for the barmaid in Oosant.
Only, if not now, then when?
Chapter Seventy-One
Royo
The Palace of the Sky King, Khitan
I’m coughing and sweating as blood trickles down the mirrored glass and pools on the floor. Even though we just killed pretty much all the guards in here, we’re fucked. Euyn is dead, and we still have the rest of the palace guard to deal with. I’m not sure how we’ll make it out of this, but we gotta try.
“What happens now?” Aeri asks. She stares at me with her big brown eyes, and I wish I knew.
I cough some more. “Good question.”
“Wait, come here,” Sora says. “I can help with the poison, at least.”
We walk to the table where she’s standing, and she reaches into her pocket and pulls out a little vial. She puts a drop on Aeri’s tongue and then Mikail’s as her stare keeps darting over to the door. She gets to me and empties the vial in my mouth. I grimace. It’s bitter as shit. But then I blink, and I can see better. I can inhale without it feeling like my nose and mouth are on fire. It’s an antidote. And she’s just gone through the last of it.
“What do we do now?” I ask, wiping my face. We stare at Mikail.
“We need to build a pyre,” he says. He’s weirdly calm, even though he looks at Euyn with unspeakable sadness in his eyes.
Ten Hells, we do not have time for a funeral.
“Here?” I ask, gesturing around. “Now?”
Mikail nods. “I won’t have him be a trophy.”
My stomach sinks as I realize he’s right. Khitan wanted the dead guy’s head from a hundred years ago. They’d display Euyn, too. We need to get his soul released and do it fast. I look over at the doors. They’re gonna figure out soon that we’re alive and the guards are dead.
I glance around the room. There’s no fireplace or hearth, but we can use the king’s table for a pyre. Except that burning a body inside will smoke us out. I look up at the gods for help but notice the opening in the dome. I start pushing the table to the center of the room. The ashes and smoke can leave out the top without choking us.
Everyone else takes the hint, moving quickly. The girls start wrapping Euyn in tablecloths. Mikail walks over to the enormous painting and pulls it down. The frame cracks and splinters, landing on the ground with an ear-splitting crash. He breaks apart the frame as if it’s paper and starts building a pyre.
Once we’re ready, Mikail carries Euyn’s body over and gently lays him down. All wrapped up, he just looks like he’s sleeping. Mikail must’ve closed his eyes.
We say the prayers to the Divine Kings, to Lord Yama, and to the Dragon Lord. We ask for the gods to forgive Euyn’s crimes and guide his soul to redemption. Even Sora bows her head and says the prayers.
Mikail leans down and kisses Euyn’s forehead, his lips lingering for a moment. “I’ll meet you in the garden again.”
Emotions clog my throat. For Euyn. For the fact that it would’ve been me saying goodbye to Aeri like this if I hadn’t brought her back. She glances at me, and I reach out and take her hand.
Mikail smashes a vase of oil under the table, then lights the pyre. The bonfire sparks to life in the middle of the room and consumes Euyn’s remains. Within minutes of us slaying the guards, Euyn’s soul is released.
Mikail watches Euyn’s body burn, the flames dancing in his eyes.
The drums suddenly beat again, but this time bells chime, too. It feels like they’re ringing every single bell in and around the city of Quu.
“What fucking now?” I say.
“Is that because of us?” Sora asks.
