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“I’ll be sure to inform Their Celestial Majesties of your wish.” He added, almost as an afterthought, “The Jade Dragon Bow—did you keep it someplace safe?”
I nodded, thinking of the box tucked beneath my bed, an enchantment woven to conceal it from prying eyes.
“I’ll be leaving soon to one of the Sea Kingdoms. If you join us, we might find some information on the bow there. However, it could be dangerous. It’s no small matter for their king to request our aid and no favor from the Celestial Emperor comes without a price.”
Something flickered across his face. Was it distaste? Or concern for the perils ahead? “I’ll consider it,” I said slowly.
He rose to his feet then. “I’ll see you at training tomorrow. At dawn.”
I resisted the urge to protest. It would do no good.
He almost collided into Shuxiao at the doorway. Trying to balance the unwieldly tray in her grasp, she bowed to him awkwardly. He gave her a curt nod in return, his expression aloof as he left.
Shuxiao set the tray on the table. “Your dinner. I heard you were hurt.”
“Thank you.” I was glad for her company. Her room was close to mine and we ate together whenever we could. As I glanced at the braised pork, stir-fried green beans, and ripe loquats—my stomach growled, reminding me that I had not eaten anything all day. Lifting the lid off the bamboo steamer, I took a soft pillow of bread, tucking slices of the tender meat within its folds.
“Have you seen a healer?” she asked.
“Yes.” I was reluctant to elaborate.
She slanted her head back to stare at me. “You look well. Glowing, almost. Maybe you should have brought me my dinner instead.” Pushing back her stool, she lifted the hem of her robe, displaying two rows of red indents pressed into her calf.
“Are those teeth marks? What happened?”
“Fox spirits. A few broke in.” She grimaced. “When their magic is drained, they bite. It doesn’t hurt anymore, but they itch like fire and the healer said it will take weeks for the marks to disappear. If they do.”
“How did they get in?” I was surprised, as powerful wards protected the Celestial Kingdom from its enemies. Each night, the soldiers on duty wove shields all along the kingdom’s borders, which alerted them to any intrusion.
“One took the form of a Celestial and slipped through, undetected. Once inside, she broke the wards from within. It shouldn’t have happened. Even with a transformed appearance, our wards should have detected their auras. General Jianyun is investigating the matter.”
I fumbled in my pouch, pulling out the jasper bottle that Captain Wenzhi had given me. Tugging off its stopper, I shook out the last few drops over her leg.
As the redness of her injuries subsided, she sighed in relief. “What’s that?”
“Just something Captain Wenzhi gave me for my injuries.”
“Oh? Does Captain Wenzhi often dispense rare medicines to lowly soldiers?” Her stare bored into me.
“Just this once” was all I said.
“Or just this one.”
I did not reply, taking a loquat and peeling it with excessive care.
She shrugged then, perhaps tired of teasing me when I did not rise to the bait. “How was Xiangliu?” she asked, as though we were speaking of a mutual friend.
“Dead. An arrow through the eye.” It was easier to speak cavalierly of it. Somehow it made it less real—the danger, the life I had taken.
“How bloodthirsty,” she remarked. “Was it a hard fight?”
I described the battle, knowing she would be interested in every detail. When I was done, I looked away, admitting, “I lost my nerve. Those injured . . . it was because of my mistakes.”
“Anyone would have been terrified. What were you thinking—Xiangliu, for your first assignment? New recruits are typically sent on mundane tasks like inspecting the border or searching for some lost artifact.”
It was precisely for the danger that I had put myself forward. Mundane tasks were of no use to me. They would not get my name whispered into the emperor’s ear; they would not earn me the Crimson Lion Talisman.
She added, “At least you recovered in time. No one died. Well, except for Xiangliu. Don’t forget it was you who killed it.”
