Wenzhi’s gaze fixed upon the blood trickling down my hand, from old wounds torn anew. “What happened to you? Why are you weakened?” His tone was rough with urgency.
We had fought together so many times, it was little wonder he could sense my diminished strength. I did not answer, stifling a hiss of pain.
“Don’t exhaust yourself,” Liwei warned.
“Drop your sword, Demon Prince,” I said, in my most threatening voice. “Call off your soldiers and let us go. In return, I won’t sink this into your chest. Even though it’s well deserved.”
A heartbeat of silence pulsed through us, unbroken by word or breath.
Wenzhi’s eyes flashed silvery bright. “Xingyin, have you lost your mind? If you’ve stripped the pearls of their power, how can you return to the Jade Palace? Do you trust so fully in the mercy of Their Celestial Majesties?”
I stiffened at his scorn, yet beneath it I detected something else—was it alarm? For my safety? It did not matter as I recalled his boundless deceit, raising my chin in defiance.
“More than in yours. What did my trust in you gain me before? Lies and captivity. My magic sealed and my possessions stolen.” I could not help trembling with fury at the memory.
Wenzhi stretched his hand out to me. “You don’t have to confront the Celestial Emperor. Come with me, I’ll keep you safe. You’ll not be a prisoner this time. I’ll do what I can to help you, and your mother . . . without conditions.”
His offer took me by surprise, as did his concern. But words were easily spoken. What mattered was one’s conduct, and I could never trust him again. I kept my grip steady on my weapon, my gaze trained upon him. “I will not go with you. And I’ll keep myself safe.”
His face darkened. “Do you realize what awaits you in the Celestial Court? Count yourself fortunate if all they do is lock you up as they did your mother!”
“She has my support. Unlike you, I will never betray her,” Liwei declared flatly.
Before I could speak, a hail of arrows whistled through the air, one plunging into my shoulder. Pain flashed through me as I bit back a cry, the bow slipping from my hand. Was this a trap? As Liwei pulled out the arrow and healed my wound, I glowered at Wenzhi. Yet his expression was strangely stricken.
“Hold your fire,” he barked at his soldiers.
His pupils were the gray of a windswept sea as he turned back to me. “I know what my brother said to you. He offered you your freedom, and my death. You refused. Why?”
I could sense Liwei staring at me, his unspoken surprise. I had not told him of this. For some reason, I had not wanted to. “Not because of you,” I said fiercely. “I couldn’t let him, because not even my worst enemy deserved to be killed that way. It would not have been . . . honorable.”
His lips curved into a mirthless smile. “I’m grateful for your honor. You saved me that night. In a way.” He inhaled a slow breath, and when he let it out, the sound was heavy with regret. “I’ll not hold you against your will again. Your hatred and resentment are not what I want.”
As he glanced at Liwei, his face twisted into a sneer. “To repay my debt to her, I’ll let you go free. You won’t be so fortunate the next time we meet.”
“Nor will you.” Contempt dripped from Liwei’s tone.
I stared at Wenzhi in disbelief. Was this a trick? Was he really letting us go? What of his ambition? The deal he had struck with his father? While a part of me had hoped he would do this, I never quite believed he would.
I kept these thoughts to myself as a wind surged, glittering with Liwei’s energy as it bore our cloud away. And though I resisted the urge to turn around, I could feel the heat of Wenzhi’s gaze trailing after us.
The closer we got to the Jade Palace, the deeper my terror sank in. My skin was like ice, my heart pounding at the thought of the emperor’s fury. I had no doubt he would sense the change in the pearls, which I still hoped to claim as fulfillment of our bargain. Would he accuse me of trickery? Would he punish us? I dropped my head into my hands, my breaths sliding in and out in a frantic rhythm.
Warm fingers encircled my wrists. As gently as though holding one of his paintbrushes, Liwei drew my hands away. “You have the pearls. You fulfilled the task. I will be with you.”
He did not let go of me until we landed by the Hall of Eastern Light. Sunlight shimmered over the stone walls, luminous and bright. So utterly at odds with the dread lurking within me. An urge gripped me to flee, to disappear until my very name was forgotten. But like every hard thing which had come before—Xiangliu, Governor Renyu, fighting Liwei in the Eternal Spring Forest—I would face this, too.