A Magic Steeped in Poison (The Book of Tea #1) (93)

“My loyalty rests with the ruler who will protect their people from harm,” I tell her. “With someone who does not use human lives as pawns.”

Ruyi stares back at me for a moment, then smirks, her hand dropping away from her sword. “She was right. You do not shy away from the truth. Even though you should have been dead ten times over by now, for some reason the stars shine upon you.”

I would disagree, considering my current predicament. “Where is the princess?” I ask instead.

“Confined to her rooms,” Ruyi says. “Chancellor Zhou says it’s to keep her safe, but most likely it’s to keep her unaware of your swift execution at dawn.”

If Zhen is not on the side of the chancellor, then it means she is unprepared for what is coming.

“You have to get her out of the palace,” I say urgently. “The soldiers from the Emerald Isles are inside the capital.”

The magic ripples around her. “You saw this?”

“They came with the governor of Sù. He found me not long after the officials were poisoned.”

“You have to come with me,” Ruyi tells me, eyes brilliant even in the dark.

“I can’t. You have to get him out.” I shake my head and gesture to Wenyi’s form in the other cell. “Get him help and then return for me later.”

Ruyi’s face twists, her annoyance apparent.

“We have no time for this,” she snarls, but she turns on her heel and heads to the other cell, crouching before Wenyi’s unconscious form. She puts her hand on his shoulder, and I wait for him to move, to recognize that I kept my promise.

But Ruyi narrows her eyes. Her fingers go to his neck, checking for a pulse.

She looks up and tells me everything I need to know with a gentle shake of her head.

I am too numb to scream, but I commit him to memory. Another name to add to the list, another innocent life lost to these courtly games.

Someday, I will avenge them all.





CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE


I try to empty whatever remains in my stomach into that pot, but end up dry-retching instead. Ruyi returns to my side and places her hand on my shoulder, a reassuring presence. I can feel the magic thrumming off her, from the heat of her hand through even the layers of my tunic. She feels like she’s vibrating from within, a string pulled too taut.

I stand up and press my hand to her forehead. She tries to flinch away, but I’ve already felt how her skin burns. Someone filled her with too much magic, and it’s tearing her apart from the inside. There is something familiar, though, about that scent … and how the magic inside me acknowledges it in response.

“Lian sent you,” I say, and she nods.

“Come with me. There’s nothing left for you here.” She offers me her cloak and I accept it, wrapping it around myself. I take one last look at Wenyi’s body and mumble a phrase of the funeral rites, hoping a part of his soul will find its way back to Ràohé, and back to his family.



* * *



I try not to look at the bodies of the guards, the blood pooling beneath them. But still the twinge of guilt remains. More blood, more death. I brought Ruyi back to life, only to have her empty out the souls of others.

Whose life? Whose death?

I concentrate on putting one foot ahead of the other through the tunnels of the palace. The farther we walk, the heavier her weight leans on me, trying to keep herself upright. Deep in the twists and turns of the tunnels, we trudge on, but she stumbles more often than she should, and I know she doesn’t have much time left.

She seems to know it herself, hurrying forward until we stop before another series of rings on the wall. She pulls them in a sequence, then a small door slides into view. We tumble back into a familiar residence, the Dowager Empress Wuyang gazing at us with reproach from the wall.

Princess Zhen leaps to her feet when she sees us stagger inside. She’s dressed in plain clothes, prepared for travel.

“Everything is ready?” she asks, already at Ruyi’s side.

Ruyi nods.

The princess touches her hand to her bodyguard’s forehead, concern evident. “You’re burning up,” she scolds.

The way Ruyi looks back at her is too intimate, and I turn away, not wanting to intrude on their privacy. They exchange a few more words in low voices before Zhen calls me over.

“Can you do something for her? I’m not sure she can travel in this state.”

“I’m fine.” Ruyi brushes her away, but then struggles to right herself. “We should have just left.”

“She saved your life. I made her a promise.” Zhen’s eyes meet mine. “I don’t forget my debts.”

I’m already rummaging in her drawers and shelves. “She’s pushed it too far. I need something to expel the magic from her.”

Zhen nods. “Anything you need. You’ll find an assortment of tea leaves in there.”

Sweeping aside the fabric and the papers, I pull out as many jars and pots as I am able to. I open each pot, sniffing what’s contained within, returning what I do not need.

“Ning!” I turn to see Ruyi sway, Zhen struggling to hold her up. I quickly assist the princess in lowering her down to a chair. Ruyi groans and drags her hand across her mouth; it comes away smeared with blood.