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Ahh. A sigh thrumming with sorrow.
Silence fell over us. The Long Dragon’s gaze shifted to my father, shining with recognition. The other dragons stilled, their jaws curving wide. As one, they lowered their heads to him, a sight that stirred me, even mired in despair. They had not known my father as a mortal; all they had heard of the great archer Houyi were the stories told during their imprisonment.
My father bowed, returning the dragons’ respectful greeting. “Yes,” he said quietly, answering a question for him alone. “I have returned.”
The Black Dragon’s voice rang in my mind then: I am glad to be mistaken. I am glad your father is alive.
“Your pledge to me is honored, your debt repaid in full,” my father told the dragons. “You were never meant to have been bound by the pearls. If my powers had not been weakened, I would have freed you the moment you recovered. I’m ashamed that I grew complacent, and content with how things were.”
“A tender scene,” Wugang sneered. “The reunion of old friends, or rather, old servants with their master.”
My eyes narrowed in loathing, thoughts of vengeance a momentary salve to my grief. One thrust of Wenzhi’s sword through Wugang’s skull would end his accursed existence. We did not need him alive; the dragons could help us flee his soldiers.
My gaze flicked up to meet Wenzhi’s. Our minds rode the same dark tide as his grip tightened around the hilt of his sword. We had killed lesser monsters before in the service of the Celestial Army.
“Release me.” Wugang’s tone pulsed with sudden urgency. Perhaps he finally realized that we would show him no mercy. “If you hurt me, my soldiers will destroy all of you here, today.”
“They are no match for the dragons,” I lied, knowing that the dragons could not kill.
Fortunately, the dragons did not betray me, the Black Dragon parting its jaws to display two rows of wickedly sharp fangs.
“My soldiers are more than a match,” Wugang said. “The dragons are creatures of water. Their magic cannot harm my army.”
“They can tear your soldiers into a dozen pieces,” I flung back.
“Kill me, and my army will be unleashed upon the Immortal Realm.” Wugang spoke with utter solemnity. “They will spare no one: none of you here, not the former Celestial Emperor, nor any living creature in the Jade Palace, the Celestial Kingdom, or beyond.”
“How can they do this if you’re dead?” my father demanded.
Wugang glanced at the sun, embarking on its fiery descent. “I am not so careless as to come here without assurance of my safe return. My soldiers have not attacked yet because their sole purpose is to safeguard my well-being. But if you hurt me, if you continue to threaten and hold me prisoner—they will descend on you like jackals upon a fresh kill. If I do not return to the Jade Palace by nightfall, the first to die will be the former emperor. Thousands of my soldiers will rampage throughout the kingdom, leaving no one alive.”
“You would murder everyone after your death?” My mother’s tone was wracked with horror, echoing my own.
“What do I care if the Immortal Realm burns? Don’t forget, their lives are not in my hands, but all of yours.”
My insides hollowed, but I stifled my fear. “Thousands of soldiers? You don’t have enough laurel seeds.”
“Oh, I do.” His lips stretched into a wide smile as he tilted his head toward Prince Yanming with deliberate malice. “And sometimes, just one will suffice to wreak the most harm.”
I breathed deeply, struggling against the urge to strike him. My mind sifted through my memories—the night we fled our home, the laurel seeds cascading onto the ground …
He speaks the truth of his army, the Long Dragon intoned. We have sensed a disturbance in the Celestial Kingdom, the presence of a large force, its power unlike anything we had known—until we encountered it here today.
My stomach roiled at the devastation Wugang threatened—yet how could we let him go? I glanced at Liwei, still intent upon Prince Yanming, his forehead creased in concentration as his power flowed from him.
“Empty threats,” Wenzhi said coldly to Wugang. “Even if you have the soldiers, what proof is there of your other wild claims?”
“Test me,” Wugang challenged him with slick assurance. “Would you dare to risk being wrong? Do you think I am not capable of such a thing?”
Wenzhi’s sword flashed as the edge bit into Wugang’s skin, blood staining the metal. The soldiers lurched upright as one, heads swiveling toward Wenzhi, their eyes shining with that eerie light as their guandao swung our way. Wenzhi’s expression was grim as he eased his pressure on the blade. At once, the soldiers lowered their weapons, though their vacant gazes remained fixed on him.
“Care to try that again, Captain?” Wugang taunted.
“What do you want?” the Celestial Empress demanded.
“Let me leave with my soldiers. No one will be harmed.” As Wugang flicked an uncaring look at Prince Yanming, my hands curled into fists. “No one else, at least. Consider this carefully, for my offer is generous, and it expires at dusk.”
He addressed the Celestial Empress. “You don’t have much time left, unless you wish your husband to meet an untimely end and the kingdom to fall into ruin. Or do you secretly wish for his downfall for the hurt he has caused you?”
