I closed my eyes.
But this was not our time.
A horse whinnied from behind the trees. Hasege’s stallion shot out, its gray coat streaked with red. Guiya lay over the horse’s neck, her snow-white robes spilling across the saddle. Her braid was undone, her hair matted with ashes from the Holy Mountains. She’d been attacked.
When she saw me, her eyes became white and wild. “Still alive, I see,” she rasped. “You are ever the pest, Shiori’anma.”
I was hardly listening. In Guiya’s grasp, wings pinched together, was Kiki!
Run, Shiori!my bird shrieked, squirming and twisting.Your brothers, they’re—
Guiya closed her fist, crushing Kiki. She tossed her into the snow and charged, sparks of magic dancing from her fingertips. The ashes in her hair spun into a powerful current, taking the shape of a sword. Pointed at my heart.
“For the mountains!” she yelled.
Takkan reached for his bow, and I for the dagger in Admiral’s saddlebag.
But before any of us could land a blow, arrows wailed from unseen assailants. Takkan and I pulled each other behind trees for cover, but we weren’t the targets.
The arrows struck Guiya in the back, one mercilessly impaling her neck. Dark blood oozed from her lips. With a strangled cry, she slipped off her horse and sank into the snow. Dead.
I ran to Kiki, scooping her up and smoothing out the folds of her crinkled body. She burst up, fluttering her crumpled wings.Run!she shrieked.They’re here!
Jumping out of the trees, Lord Yuji’s soldiers descended upon us with menacing cries. In their clutches were six cages—my brothers!
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
My brothers’ beaks were tied shut, their wings jostled against the bamboo bars. Their eyes were mournful, more human than I’d ever seen them as cranes. It pained me to look.
A dozen swords were pointed at Takkan and me. There had to be over a hundred soldiers. Each wore a wolf’s mask, and armor painted shell white, blending in with the snow that wreathed the moss-covered trees.
“You’re a difficult one to find, Princess Shiori,” Lord Yuji said, sweeping a bow. “Iro was quite possibly the last place I expected you to be. Fate does have a way of making things interesting, doesn’t it?”
“Release them,” I said quietly. The sun was sinking, and shadows touched my brothers’ wings.
“His Majesty was most concerned when the imperial children disappeared,” Lord Yuji went on, as if he hadn’t heard me. He wore an easy smile—one I had come to hate. “When I return to Gindara, I must inform him that they’ve beenfound.”
Anger stirred in my chest, magic heating my blood. The rocks and pebbles at my feet lifted off the ground, swirling around the hem of my skirts.
Yuji pretended not to notice. “I have little interest in harming your father, if you must know, Princess. As we speak, my army lays siege to Gindara. I have confidence he will surrender the palace to me—in exchange for the lives of your six brothers.” He acknowledged Takkan with a lift of his chin. “Young Bushian is surely an unexpected bonus. His father will pay handsomely for the life of his only son.”
I’d waited long enough. Kiki dove to stab Yuji’s eyes, and I launched a barrage of stones at his army while Takkan fired arrows at the treacherous lord. I might as well have thrown flowers at the soldiers. An invisible shield protected Yuji and his men. Every arrow, every stone bounced off. Kiki flew back into my hair, frightened.
“I heard you were a sorceress,” said Yuji with a low chuckle. “Is this the best you can do?”
Takkan lowered his bow and closed the distance between us, his shoulder touching mine. “Look, Shiori,” he said under his breath. “Around his neck.”
I narrowed my eyes at the amulet hanging at Yuji’s chest. It was bronze, far more plain and dull than the wealthy warlord’s usual adornment, but there was a wolf’s head carved into the surface. The amulet seemed to tremble against his fine robes, as if the magic it held was too great to keep inside.
“Show yourself, Wolf,” I shouted.
Smoke curled from the amulet, at first just a tendril, and then many dark ribbons seeping out. It smelled bitter, like overbrewed tea, and its thick, velvety haze clouded my vision.
“Shiori!” Takkan shouted, reaching into the smoke to pull me out.
We clung to each other, Kiki nestled in my hair. I could feel enchantment at work, enchantment far stronger than my own. I couldn’t stop my satchel from lifting itself off my shoulders. I scrabbled for its strap, but it hurtled away, flying off to Lord Yuji’s side.
There, the smoke gathered and started to condense, finally solidifying into the shape of the Wolf.
