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“The starfire will be locked in the treasury.” Lady Shila glances at the building behind the pavilion. “It will be safe from the Queen of the Iron Mountains and her monstrous ambitions.”
“Without all the pieces, the full power of the starfire will elude the queen’s grasp,” Lord Hairong observes with satisfaction.
“Such magic will also be difficult for the queen to wield,” Lady Shila adds pensively. “She might struggle to leash it, to stop it from consuming her.”
As I do now. But I bite my tongue, pushing back against the churning power within. Unlike the queen, I don’t intend to keep this.
“Why is it difficult?” I ask.
“This magic doesn’t belong in our realm,” Lady Shila replies. “Long ago, the ancient dragons were believed to have broken the starfire, scattering the pieces to protect us before they left our realm. Such power in the wrong hands would lead to catastrophe.”
As the pavilion goes quiet, Captain Shenming steps forward. “Honored Elders, we received word that the Thorn Valley soldiers brought someone from the Iron Mountains into their domain.”
“An enemy?” Lord Zhu’s tone hardens with suspicion.
My heart dips. It was my decision to save Prince Zixin, to bring him to the Land Beyond. “He is the Prince of the Iron Mountains. In return for helping us escape, I promised we would save him from the queen who usurped his throne.”
“A prince without an army, without a kingdom nor crown,” Lady Shila muses.
“A valuable pawn,” Lord Hairong states. “We will need one. The Iron Mountains has strengthened immensely. Is it safe to leave him in Thorn Valley?”
“I would not risk bringing him here. Let Thorn Valley keep him, for now,” Lady Shila says. “Send our instructions that this captive is to be kept under close watch until we determine his fate.”
“What if they refuse?” Captain Shenming asks.
“They have little choice if they desire aid from us—our magic, to slow the supposed decay of their land,” Lord Zhu says.
The Elders’ tones shift when they speak about Thorn Valley, growing tense, even resentful. “Their soldiers helped bring us and the dragon back,” I remind them tentatively.
Lord Hairong shakes his head. “This is what they owe us after their lack of vigilance left our kingdom vulnerable. You and the dragon were lost because of their carelessness—your mother died.”
“Yet Thorn Valley protects our borders as well as their own,” Captain Shenming remarks. “If they weaken, it also endangers us.”
“We value their efforts,” Lady Shila says after a pause. “But our trust has frayed. Until we can be certain of Thorn Valley’s loyalties, it would be a folly to strengthen them.”
While part of me understands their hesitation and anger—Jin must resent his people’s suffering being used as a tool. A coldness spreads as I recall my promise to help Thorn Valley, to go to him there.
Your people will try to stop you, he’d warned me. This will be more dangerous than anticipated; I can’t be caught. More than fear of punishment, I don’t want to lose my people’s trust.
“The urgency is to save the Sun Dragon,” Lady Shila says decisively. “Captain Shenming, we task you to seek out the Waterfall of Eternal Night. Use whatever resources you need. The scholars will study the stars to identify the waterfall’s location.”
She turns to me with a smile as serene as the first snowfall. “We have much to celebrate. Master Sikyong, you should plan a naming ceremony for your daughter,” she instructs him.
I’m trying to recall what Dian told me of this. Seeing my confusion, Lady Shila elaborates, “At the age of sixteen, children are given their formal names. A special ceremony is held, the families preparing a gift for their child to mark their adulthood—a hairpin engraved with their name.”
“Thank you, Honored Elder. But I’ve not been sixteen for a while, and I don’t need a formal name.” I glance at my father, wondering what he makes of this suggestion. Does he feel burdened by me already?
“Whether to accept the name is your decision,” Lady Shila tells me. “We offer children this choice because some names given in childhood may not fit who we grow up to become.”
She addresses my father again, “Master Sikyong, this would be a good opportunity to introduce your daughter to others, to welcome her home. Inform us once the date is set, and one of us will attend.”
My father clasps his hands and bows. “We would be honored.”
CHAPTER FIVE
CAPTAIN SHENMING SUMMONS A CARRIAGE FOR OUR return. As we wait, he watches Ruilin, the way my sister’s arm drapes around her shoulders.
“Take the carriage home,” he tells us when it arrives. “Lord Hairong has asked me to stay to confer with the Elders.”
