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In the quiet of my room, I had practiced using this bow. In the beginning, I could only sustain its arrows briefly, but over time they had grown steadier in my grasp. I had longed to test its power, to let fly the crackling shaft of light—yet never dared to. Where might one release a bolt of Sky-fire unseen in the Celestial Kingdom?

As footsteps thudded behind me, I reminded myself that immortals were forbidden from using magic in the Mortal Realm unless there was a dire need. Hostile dragons were undoubtedly one—yet for now, my physical abilities would have to suffice.

“Where are you going in such a hurry?” a man called out. “Would a beautiful lady like you enjoy some company?”

Three men swaggered forward, encircling me where I stood. They wore fine clothes and headpieces of silver and jade, but the pungent fumes of wine assailed my nostrils. They must be drunk indeed to call me beautiful, I thought scathingly. From the leers on their faces, it was not hard to guess their intentions.

My fingers clenched into fists. “Not the type of company you have in mind,” I replied curtly, turning away.

A meaty palm clamped down on my shoulder, spinning me around. “Don’t be so shy. Why would you be wandering here, alone, if you didn’t want to be found?” the taller one slurred into my face. His breath was sour, stinking with the remnants of his previous meal, his hand now fumbling at the collar of my robe. “Do you know who we are? We can afford to—”

Rage and revulsion erupted through my veins. I seized his wrist and flipped him onto his back. He screamed in agony, clutching his hand. Was it broken? I hadn’t intended to, though part of me hoped it was. His two friends snarled, charging at me together. I sidestepped their grasping hands, grabbing them both by their necks and bashing their heads into each other with a resounding crack. Two kicks sent them flying into the ground. Before either of them could sit up, I held a dagger in each hand against their throats.

Pressing the blades down until a thin line of blood oozed out, I hissed, “I’m guessing this is not your first time. If any of you even think of committing such a vile crime again, I’ll come back and sink my knives into your hearts.” I raked them with a scornful look before placing my foot onto each of their spines in turn, my kicks sending them sprawling.

“Demon! Demon lady!” one of them gasped, his eyes bulging as he scrambled up and fled.

Not quite, I thought to myself. But it was a closer guess than he would ever know.

My rage unappeased, I released a surge of glittering magic which streaked after them. Perhaps my minor transgression would slip by unnoticed. It was rash of me, but I was sickened by their intent. And how they had tried to blame my choices for their despicable behavior.

Someone snickered. I swung around to find Wenzhi leaning against a nearby wall, his face alight with amusement. “That was well done,” he complimented me. “I would have joined you, but you didn’t need any help.”

“I’m glad you found that entertaining.” I wiped the daggers clean before sliding them back into their sheaths.

A dangerous glint sparked in his eyes. “If you hadn’t taken care of them, I would have been glad to. They wouldn’t have been able to walk afterward, much less run. You let them off too lightly,” he chided.

“I haven’t told you what else I did. Their wounds won’t heal for months; every bruise aching, the blood seeping from their cuts. They won’t easily forget tonight—what they tried to do and what I did to them. I don’t think they’ll be able to look at another girl again, much less try to attack one.”

Wenzhi raised his brows. “Remind me never to get on your bad side.”

He pushed himself off the wall, closing the distance between us, his hands reaching out to slide around my waist. My pulse quickened as I lifted my face to his, anticipation flaring across my skin. His eyes blazed with unfathomable emotion as he bent his head, pressing his lips to mine. Light sparked through my mind like a scattering of stars. For a moment we stood there, utterly still, our bodies molded together. Then his lips parted mine, his mouth urgent and seeking, his breath sliding in warm and sweet. Heat flashed through me—burning, molten bright—racing through my veins, setting me alight. His palm swept up the arch of my back, his fingers tangling in my hair as he pulled my head gently back. Cool lips glided to the curve of my neck, trailing a scorching path. I was afire. Undone. All thought fled my mind as I clutched him closer, pressing against him until the pounding of his heart echoed against my own.

When his hands fell away, I could not help the sigh that slid from my throat. I wrapped my arms across my chest, small comfort to the emptiness that gaped within. Our breaths came harsh in the sudden silence which fell over us.

“I wasn’t following you to stalk you. I wanted to show you something,” he told me.

We walked until we reached the bank of a nearby river. It was crowded with people who were lighting lanterns and releasing them into the water. Unlike the ones of silk in the village, these were made of colored waxed paper that had been artfully folded and shaped into lotuses. A candle glowed from the center of each flower, luminous in the dark.

“I thought the Water Lantern Festival might interest you,” he said.

The faces of the villagers were solemn and grave, a few weeping openly. Sadness clung to the air like winter’s chill.

“What are they doing?” I wondered.

“Praying for guidance from their departed ancestors. Honoring and remembering their loved ones who have passed. The lanterns are also meant to guide wandering spirits back to their realm.” From his flowing sleeve he drew out a small one, offering it to me.

I looked up at him. “What is this for?”

“A dragon is no small matter. Perhaps you should ask for guidance from your own ancestors.”

I stared at him, a tenderness unfurling in my chest. With this, he acknowledged my mortal roots and my place in this world, too. It was then I realized just how much he cared for me. And I, for him.

I took the lantern and lit its candle, crouching down to release it into the river. It bobbed unsteadily for a moment, before righting itself and floating away. I did not ask for guidance—who might I ask? I did not know whether my father was still in this world or the next. I did not even know the names of my ancestors. But I hoped wherever they were, they would see the lantern I had lit in their honor and know they were remembered.

Beneath the dark sky, we stood unspeaking. The river shone with the light of hundreds of lanterns, a stream of living fire which flowed with the current toward an unknown horizon.

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