A Magic Steeped in Poison (The Book of Tea #1) (53)

I remember how much I cried when the orchards and the gardens burned, like I could feel the trees dying, and how Shu was at my side, even when I was sniffling in my bed at night. She would whisper what Mother told us, that they would come back, and it was easier to believe the words when they came from my sister’s lips.

I clear my throat, trying to channel my father’s stoicism instead. “Sometimes you have to break off the branches and remove the diseased limbs in order for the plant to be healthy again. Not so different from breaking bones to set them, or cutting a swollen limb to run an infection dry.”

“I believe you,” he says with a laugh, seemingly amused at my rambling.

“You two!” Shouts in the distance interrupt our moment, and we look toward the monastery to see two monks hurrying toward us.

We’ve been caught.

I look toward Kang, mouth agape, but he quickly reacts. His hand finds mine, and he pulls me after him as he yells over his shoulder, “Run!”





CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE


We crash through the flower sea, the branches parting for us as we rush by. The flowers bow their heads and whisper, Hurry, hurry. We burst through the shrubs onto a grassy slope. The sharp-eyed monks have called for reinforcements and they split in their pursuit, hoping to surround us and box us in.

Before us a canal runs past a grove of trees, leading to a lake dotted with lotus pads. A half-moon bridge curves over the water running through the canal. We fly over the bridge, ducking under the willow branches; they leave itchy remnants behind in my hair. The path curves here, around a small man-made mountain, carved out of yellow rock. I expect Kang to lead us over the path and into the other grove of trees, where it would be easier for us to circle around and lose our pursuers, but instead he races for the rocks.

“Wait—” I say as he begins to climb over the side of the decorative mountain.

“Trust me,” he says, quirking the corner of his mouth upward, eyes sparkling as bright as the waters behind him.

I look over my shoulder and the monks are not visible any longer, but I’m certain they’re not far behind. I can’t risk getting caught with Kang outside the palace. I have to follow.

Instead of climbing upward, he skirts around the base of the rock, balanced on the narrow overhang. There is a sharp drop into the murky water below. We only have room to crouch side by side, maneuvering ourselves into a small cave at the side of the mountain. Except we are still visible to anyone who walks farther down the path and closer to the pond. I turn to Kang to see what we are supposed to do, but he tucks himself between two protrusions of rock, and then … disappears.

I hear the voices of those searching for us fast approaching, and there is no time to think. I’m on my hands and knees, scrambling after him, diving into the crevice in the rocks. My hands search for places to grip as the sun-warmed rock turns damp and slippery. Without much illumination in the cramped space, I fumble for sure footing, muddying my skirts in the process.

The narrow opening widens as my eyes adjust to the darkness, and I can make out steps carved into the stone. I squeeze myself between the two boulders after Kang, continuing to descend until we emerge in an underground cavern.

Looking up, I see a crack across the top of the cavern, a separation between the rocks that must have been moved here on top of this space, to hide what is contained below. A swath of sunlight cuts across the space, and it dances across the surface of the pool at the bottom of the cavern. The waters glow with a blue-green hue, like an impossible mirage.

“What is this place?” I whisper to Kang when we carefully make our way around the pool on a slim ledge, barely wide enough for me to place my feet side by side.

“It’s an underground spring,” he responds. “I spent a lot of time here after Grandmother died. The abbess at the time was willing to take care of me whenever things got … tumultuous in the palace.”

Tumultuous. An interesting word choice.

“When I was smaller, it used to be a lot easier to make it through those rocks.” He chuckles, but there’s a nervous quality about his amusement. Like this place has stirred up something within his depths.

“We have to climb over this boulder and there’s a beach on the other side. We can wait there until the monks give up.” Kang pats the stone in front of him.

I look at the smooth surface, unsure. This is different from climbing onto a roof, where there are clear places I can put my hands and feet.

“Did you know these are sacred waters?” Kang tells me with a grin, as if he senses my nervousness. “When the First Emperor fought in the Battle of Red Rain, it was said the warlord Guan Yong chased him into the caves but did not pursue, because his clan believed these caverns to be haunted. When the First Emperor and his men walked out of the caves, Guan Yong and his followers laid down their swords, because their enemies had faced the spirits hidden in the caves and had come out victorious. His people knew no fish could live in these waters and no insects could thrive here, but the First Emperor drank from the pond and tasted only sweetness. He then triumphed over the southern clans with assistance from Guan Yong.

“Years later, the Ascended Emperor started construction on the capital, but when they wanted to build in this area, the earth collapsed. They found the underground spring and the cave system. When the Ascended Emperor heard that this had happened, he came to visit the site, and he saw a giant carp swimming in these waters. But when the Ascended Emperor’s men jumped into the spring to find it, they could find no sign of the creature. It was said then that this place was blessed by Shénnóng, and Língy? was built to preserve this site.”