“Why are you here?” another cried out. “Go back to the Demons where you belong!”
A chorus of agreement rose from the rest. They were not all strangers to me; I recognized several whom I had trained with, others from Wenzhi’s troop. We had battled together, my arrows working in unison with their swords and spears. I did not know what I expected. There would have been surprise, of course. Questions, to be sure. But once I explained myself, would they not be glad for my escape? Yet all I saw now were their hostile glares and tightly clutched weapons. In the tumult, I had almost forgotten the rumors Wenzhi had spread. How easily they had believed those lies of me.
“You fools,” a familiar voice rang out. It was Shuxiao, pushing her way through the crowd, her long hair tucked into a gilded helmet.
My spirits lifted, though I dared not run to her, I dared not taint her with my intimacy.
Yet she had no such qualms, linking her arm through mine. “Don’t believe everything you hear, especially if it comes from the Demon Realm. Prince Liwei told us that Xingyin was abducted. She would never have gone there of her own will.”
Shuxiao muttered for my ears alone, “At least you’d better not have.” She added, “You really should have let me come with you to find the dragons. You might have had far less trouble.”
“I wish I had,” I said with feeling.
She squeezed my arm a little tighter before releasing it. “Are you all right?”
“I am, now.” We were not out of danger, but it struck me that I was free. With sudden clarity, I realized how precious such a feeling was. How easily it might be taken away. And how much their captivity had cost my mother and the dragons.
The crowd of soldiers parted as Liwei strode toward me, halting a step away. His white-gold armor gleamed, a cloak of scarlet brocade flowing from his shoulders. No words sprang to my tongue, and I was content in this moment just to gaze upon him—safe, unharmed, alive. Slowly, as though awakening from a dream, Liwei closed the distance between us and folded me into his arms. His armor pressed into my skin, but I clung to him in a selfish indulgence, the warmth of his embrace driving away my distress and terror—thawing the coldness which had sprung up between us before.
In that moment, I had no thought for the impending danger or the emperor’s wrath. Until a cough startled me, a reminder of the watchful soldiers surrounding us. Liwei’s arms fell away as I took a quick step back.
“What happened? Who is Wenzhi?” he wanted to know.
“The Demon King’s son.” Even now, the claim sounded obscene to my ears.
Shuxiao’s breath whistled out. “Captain Wenzhi? A Demon? But aren’t you and he—” She cast a furtive look at Liwei.
“Impossible. Our wards would never have permitted a Demon to enter,” he declared.
“He told me the wards are no longer as strong as before. And his own powers are formidable.” I recalled his pupils, shining silvered gems. He had not stooped to controlling me through such despicable means, but after what I had done, he might not exercise such restraint again.
“What did he want?” Liwei asked grimly. “Though I can well imagine.”
“The pearls, to secure his position as heir.” I did not elaborate. The other things he had said . . . those were between us alone.
Liwei’s jaw tightened, his throat working as though he was stopping himself from asking more.
“Wait, I must show you something.” I grasped my energy—such relief to feel my senses sharpening again—the power flowing from me in a shimmering current to dispel the Demon Army’s enchantment. Just a hundred paces away, the land shivered like a wind-tossed lake. Gold morphed to violet, sand churning into cloud.
“A false border,” Liwei rasped, such horror in his tone.
“A trap. To get you to break the treaty.”
“If we did, they could have retaliated without fear of repercussion. They would have caught us unaware. We’re not prepared for battle; our presence here was intended as a diversion while we searched for you.”
“Me?” I repeated in disbelief. The emperor would never have commanded the army to march on my behalf. Unless it was to haul me back to face his wrath.
His mouth lifted into a wry grin. “For Father, the imperative is to retrieve the pearls, of course. Yet for me, there is no other reason than you.”
A tenderness bloomed within me, as precious and frail as the first sunshine after winter’s frost. We had trod this path so many times before—just as I believed the door shut, it creaked open once more. But I would not read too much into his words; he would have done no less for Princess Fengmei. I would guard myself better this time. I was weary of heartache.