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I sucked in a breath, furious at my unseen assailant. Precious time was ticking away. If those chains could seal an immortal’s magic, Liwei would not stand a chance. I drew another arrow, leaping up to gain my first look at my foe. A tall figure—a man—stood on a wide tree branch, a drawn arrow at the ready. His face was concealed by a helmet, but his eyes gleamed silver bright as they bored into me. Taken aback, my fingers slackened on the string, the flame vanishing. I braced myself, expecting an arrow to plunge through me now . . . but the archer lowered his weapon. We stared at each other for a heartbeat of silence, before he stepped backward into the shadows and was gone.

There was no time to ponder this. I grabbed Princess Fengmei’s hand as we raced down the stairs together, toward the fury of battle—only to emerge into the deathly quiet of a graveyard. Bodies were strewn all around, dozens and dozens in bronze armor. My spirits plunged as I counted ten in gold and white, the armor of the fallen Celestials. I raced from one to the next, searching each body for any sign of life. But their eyes were vacant, their auras faded to nothingness.

“Where is Prince Liwei?” Princess Fengmei’s voice shook as she stared at the carnage in horror.

“I don’t know,” I whispered, numb to everything except the dread creeping over me, turning my flesh to stone.

25

The waning light filtered through the fog, throwing an eerie halo around the trees. Princess Fengmei and I wandered through the forest, searching for any sign of Liwei. With every step, my heart sank further into despair. I could barely breathe through the panic which gripped me, but my desperate need to find him drove me on.

Her muffled sobs pierced my daze. “Prince Liwei is powerful and strong. Maybe he escaped. Or he might be injured, and unable to find us.” My voice rang hollow and my words, false. He would not have abandoned us while there was life in him yet.

She nodded, hiccupping from her distress as she grasped at my weak straw of comfort. “Thank you for rescuing me. But I wouldn’t be able to bear it if Prince Liwei was in danger or . . . or hurt.” Her voice broke as tears welled in her eyes once more.

A flash of irritation struck me, my nerves already scraped raw. I did not want to play nursemaid at this moment, I wanted to find him. How could I track Liwei through her cries? If any enemies were hunting us, we would already be captured or dead. Yet I stifled the impulse to snap at her, slipping an arm around her shoulders and drawing her close instead.

“We’ll find him,” I told her. A promise to us both.

It seemed to calm her as her brown orbs locked onto mine. “I recognize you now. You were Prince Liwei’s companion. We met the day of his banquet.”

“Yes. In the pavilion.” A longing clutched me for those days long past and the joy that had filled my heart then.

She sighed. “You were kind. As you are now.”

I fell silent as shame crept up from the pit of my stomach, rising to my face. No, I had not been kind—not now and not then. I had not realized who she was the first time. And after, I had not wanted to learn more about her, perhaps afraid of discovering what I knew now—that Princess Fengmei would be a good match for Liwei. It would have been far easier if I could have disliked her.

“Are His Highness and you good friends?” she asked.

My gaze slid from hers, under the pretext of examining our surroundings. “Yes, we are.” A half answer, as Teacher Daoming would have chided me.

When she stiffened, so did I, afraid that she might ask me something which would force me to lie. As she raised her head from my shoulder, she pointed at the belt encircling my waist. “Why is that glowing?”

The Sky Drop Tassel. The once clear gem shone bright red, pulsing with a strange energy. I forced myself to breathe deeply, to rein in the terror which surged in me anew. Liwei was in danger and yet, it also meant I could find him now.

I pulled the princess to a thicket of trees. “Wait here. Keep hidden. Try not to make a sound. I’ll come back as soon as I can. If I don’t return by dawn, head north till you’re outside the forest—that way,” I pointed, in case she wasn’t sure. “You have your magic again. Shield yourself and attack anyone who tries to harm you. Once outside, summon a cloud to take you home.”

I fumbled in my belt, drawing out a dagger and passing it to her. She took it without a word, her grip loose and uncertain.

“Wrap your fingers tight around the hilt,” I instructed her. “Blade facing away from you and tilted up. If you must strike, do not hesitate.”

Her eyes were wide with fright as she nodded. Guilt struck me at leaving her, but I was running out of time. As I left, I swung around once to make sure she was hidden from sight, before sprinting away until my legs burned like fire.

I followed the tug of the Sky Drop Tassel to a narrow opening in the foothills of a mountain. Without a care for the perils within, I slipped inside. Pitch dark, the glowing red gem by my waist cast a menacing light upon the walls. The dank air was stale, thick with mold and rot; I gagged when it filled my lungs. As I turned a sharp corner, I stumbled over the uneven ground, scraping my palms as I fell.

Voices filtered through, from a distance away. I crouched low, crawling along the narrow path toward the sound, moving faster when I sighted light ahead. The passage opened to a wide ledge, which I clambered upon, staring into the large chamber below.

My heart lurched. There was Liwei upon a chair, shackled with the same manacles used to restrain Princess Fengmei. Blood flowed from his matted hair, trickling onto his face. A deep gash ran across his brow, dark bruises blossoming over one cheek. His aura was somehow diminished, flickering in an erratic rhythm. Yet he held his head high, as though he sat on a throne instead of bound in chains. I searched his guards, relieved to find no trace of the strange archer in their midst—he alone, would have been a formidable opponent. Had he been slain by the Celestial soldiers before they fell?

One aura sprang out to me, far stronger than the rest—strong and earthy, jangling and discordant. Not from the soldiers, as far as I could tell, instead emanating from the lady who stood before Liwei. Her upturned eyes glittered a rich shade of bronze and while the lower half of her face was covered by a sheer veil, her skin was as fair as new snow. Crimson peonies were embroidered on her vermilion dress, unfurling their silken petals to reveal bright gold stamens. A cluster of camellias was tucked into her sash. As I crouched in the ledge above, I caught a whiff of a floral fragrance, cloyingly sweet with the barest hint of decay.

“I used a bird to snare a dragon.” Her voice was thick with satisfaction. “After all the tales of your prowess, I’m disappointed at how easily you fell into my trap, Your Highness.”

Liwei’s jaw clenched, his muscles straining as though he was grappling with some unseen foe. “What are these chains?” he ground out at last.

“A gift from the Demon Realm. Forged with metal from the mortal world, using the arts forbidden by your father.” As she watched his struggles, she said in a bored tone, “Try all you want, but your magic is useless as long as these are on you.”

“Lady Hualing, why do this? Why ally yourself with the Demon Realm?” Liwei demanded.