Ire took an uneasy step backward. There was a roar outside, and he clutched at his head.
There, that rusthead will know no peace from Wrath.Wrath, his tyger, I assumed. Flame sounded satisfied with herself.
The Magistrate stepped forward again. “Let us not be hasty. The Azure may not be a bad choice. It is a mystery how the tygers make their picks.” The Magistrate turned to me. “Perhaps she has been selected because she has powerful battle magic. What is your magical ability?”
My cheeks flamed red as I said in a small voice, “I can sing. A little.”
Laughter swept the room.
The king was considering me. Behind him, the tygers carvedinto his throne stared with their gleaming eyes. His decision about my life was balanced on the edge of a blade.
The problem was, Flame’s display of power might only convince the king I was more of a threat, one he should eliminate as quickly as possible. Much as I loved her for her loyalty, she couldn’t help me if I was already dead. If I wanted to survive, he had to see me, an Azure yin, as one of them. But how could I convince him of something I didn’t even believe myself?
I emptied my thoughts, forcing my breath to steady.
When the mind and body speak with one voice, then you have transcendence, Edith’s voice whispered in me.
Something instinctive rose from my heart like a half-remembered melody. It coiled in my ribs, an unformed note, a song without words. I knew nothing of their ways, but I let the harmony guide me.
Just as when I danced, I trusted my body together with my mind. I stepped forward with my weight balanced. My internal music pulsed through me like a current in my veins, threading through my muscles. I did not belong here, but my body moved as if I did.
I glided forward, lifted one hand in front, the other behind. The fabric of my gown whispered against the floor. I spiraled downward, folding into a low, sweeping curtsy that ended with my head held low, both hands braced across my chest in fists.
“Mighty Tyger King, may your blades be sharp and your prey tender. My sword is your sword, my throat in the jaws of the tyger should that be your desire.”
I held the difficult position without a wobble until I heard the king’s raspy voice, edged with surprise, respond to the ritualistic greeting.
“May the winds of fate blow ever behind you.”
I rose gracefully in the utter silence. Malissa’s mouth wasagape, matching the shocked expression of Ire. Blake stood silent, brow dipped in confusion. It was only Jace who grinned openly.
His Majesty looked taken aback. Then he gave a faint smile. “She may live. It is the Will of the Tyger.”
Everyone echoed, “It is the Will of the Tyger,” with their fists pressed to their hearts.
“However,” he continued, “her loyalty must yet be ensured. She—”
His voice cut off abruptly as everyone dropped to their knees. My own knees buckled as if an invisible hand had struck me down. Even the king was prostrate in front of his throne.
Next to him, a tall crimson figure had shimmered into existence. “We are intrigued, Flame Rider, and We wish to see more of you.”
Her voice. It was more than sound. It filled the air, slipping into my mind. She did not speak in the Common Tongue, but in some other language I somehow understood perfectly.
She was taller than any human, her form flickering as if she were shifting between some ephemeral world and our reality. She floated in the air, and I couldn’t quite tell if she was there in the flesh. Her red robes clung to her, shifting like mist, weightless. And that scarlet mask. Smooth, with no eyes. It should have been lifeless, but I felt her gaze cutting through me, as if she saw every thought I had ever buried.
“You may stand,” she commanded. “I am the Diviner and I come with an urgent message from the gods themselves.”
15
“We are facing the greatest crisis for mortals and gods alike in centuries.”
The Diviner exhaled a slow breath, her many-layered robes shifting as if caught in an invisible current. Lotus blossoms scented the air. She lifted one long, delicate hand, her fingers adorned with rings that gleamed like captured stars.
“Today is the spring equinox, when night and day are in perfect balance. Even as We are here, We are there as well. Even as We speak to you, We speak to the rulers of the other dominions at this very moment.”
My chest tightened as my heart hammered, trembling on the cusp of fear and awe. I could imagine her voice echoing in the hearts of the other dominions at once, each hearing her in their own tongue.
Above, the dome of the ceiling darkened, becoming an endless black void. Then light. A swirling mass of gold and silver churned within the darkness.
