Two soldiers ran ahead to scout the way, while the other eight remained. “It’s no use to summon a cloud here,” Liwei explained. “The fog is too dense and some enchantment keeps it in place.”
“Can’t we dispel it?”
“It’s not a simple spell. Besides, the fog conceals our trail for now and we don’t want to alert anyone to our presence.”
“How will we find Princess Fengmei? Even with the scouts?” I asked.
“I can sense her aura, though I need to get close enough,” he said.
His revelation pricked me. Was he more intimate with the princess than I had imagined? I reminded myself to avoid speaking to him, to forestall my mind spiraling into such depths.
However, he had no such qualms. “Captain Wenzhi will be leaving the Celestial Kingdom soon. What will you do then?”
While his manner was conversational, pleasant even, my reply stuck in my throat.
He continued in that low and earnest voice. “My feelings for you remain unchanged, but I will speak of them no more. What you said yesterday . . . what you asked of me. You were right.”
I nodded woodenly, thinking if that was true, what was this stifling heaviness which sank over me now? I clenched my hands, furious with myself. How could I still be stirred by Liwei, despite my feelings for Wenzhi? Was I so fickle and inconstant? My future with Wenzhi was bright with hope, not mired in past regret—and I would not discard this chance at happiness.
Footsteps padded toward us, cautious and soft. I glanced up to find one of the scouts approaching. “Your Highness, there are soldiers about five hundred paces ahead. Armed and guarding a pagoda.”
“Proceed with caution. They must not know we’re here,” Liwei warned.
We drew our weapons, making our way stealthily onward. In the clearing before us, the pagoda loomed—eight stories high, almost as tall as the surrounding trees. The tiered towers were of crumbling wood, its latticed windows and ornamental eaves, faded from what might have once been a brilliant red. How seamlessly it blended into the blighted landscape, a dilapidated blur of browns and grays. How desolate it appeared, despite the dozen soldiers surrounding it, clad in burnished bronze armor.
“Do you recognize the armor?” I asked.
“No. But that can be easily disguised.” Liwei closed his eyes for a moment, his brow creasing. “Princess Fengmei is inside; I can sense her. We must take the guards out quietly, to avoid raising the alarm.” He addressed us all in hushed tones. “Start with those closest to us, working our way to the pagoda. We must be quick to avoid them crying out, else the princess will be in danger.”
At Liwei’s signal, I released a flaming arrow, which sank into the chest of the nearest guard. As a choked gurgle rolled from her throat, I shot the one beside her, his eyes bulging as he crumpled to the ground. Liwei and his warriors moved swiftly to surround the remaining soldiers, striking them down to an ominous chorus of strangled gasps and whispered screams.
The skirmish was over. Sweat beaded my brow despite the chill that shrouded my skin. It had been easy—too easy. Liwei’s gaze swung to mine, echoing my unspoken suspicion.
“The pagoda,” he said. “There might be more guards there—”
A roar erupted from the forest, drowning the rest of his words. A stream of enemies swarmed toward us, the sunlight striking their bronze armor as they flooded the clearing. With a blow from his sword, Liwei struck down two of them. I shot another who raced toward him—just as an enemy soldier slumped unconscious by my feet. In the tumult, I had not heard him. He might have caught me unaware had there not been that strange black-feathered arrow protruding from his chest.
I swung around to search for the archer, but Liwei shouted, “Get the princess!”
He raised his sword, blazing with flame as he swung it in a wide arc, throwing back the assailants who surrounded him. Their weapons glinted silver and gold, while some carried dark metal chains in their hands. The sight of them infuriated me, that they were so certain of taking him prisoner. The rest of his warriors were engaged in a furious battle around him, outnumbered yet holding their ground. We still had a chance . . . at least for now. If I found the princess in time.
I wanted to stay and fight, but I raced into the pagoda, leaving the battle outside to Liwei and the other Celestials. Fear sliced my heart, even as I reminded myself fervently of Liwei’s skill with a sword and his powerful magic. He could hold them at bay until I returned. The sooner I found Princess Fengmei, the sooner we could all flee this accursed place.