Jade Fire Gold(21)

The White Jade Sword, also known as the sword of light because of its purifying properties, has long been lost to myth and legend. No one has seen it in centuries, and none of the historical texts I managed to get hold of give clues to its location.

Its mate, the Obsidian Sword, was the weapon my great-grandfather used to conquer the lands and expand the Empire. That sword appears more often through the course of history. Its dark legacy can be traced by the amount of bloodshed and horror it leaves. Rumor has it that it is buried out here in the sands. If the current Life Stealer is not on my side, it would be devastating if he were to get hold of it.

“I understand what you’re saying,” I tell Shenni. “But the sword of light is the only thing that can undo the dark magic spreading across our land. I have to find the Life Stealer so that he can track it down. It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

Shenni gestures for my hand. I give it to her, and she traces the lines on my palm with her fingers. The expression on her face reminds me of the face reader back at Shahmo, like she knows something I don’t.

“I see impending chaos, a fight for survival that will span nations. The red thread of fate ties you and the Life Stealer together. But what that fate is . . . it is hard to tell.”

“I will decide my own fate.”

She smiles. “We still talk about him sometimes, you know.”

The warmth in her tone surprises me.

“Who?” I ask, confused.

“The boy with the golden eye. The one who could call upon winds so strong that the sands shook beneath his feet and rose up to the Heavens.”

My teeth cut my tongue and I taste blood. The pain keeps me focused. Drives away the memory of that boy with the golden eye.

A lost face that once belonged to me.

I start to feign denial, to muster up a mocking laugh. But Shenni’s stark gaze tells me she knows exactly who I am. And that it is pointless to lie.

“That boy doesn’t exist anymore.” My words sink like stones in a river, truth weighing heavy in my stomach.

“We all carry the burdens and joys of our past. Only those who choose to be blind to themselves forget what once existed and what continues to exist inside.” She taps her chest lightly and smiles. “A word of advice for a person who seeks what you do: always remember, the heart is not a weakness.”

I stay silent, watching the dying embers of the fire.

Perhaps, Shenni sees something beyond what is in front of her. Perhaps, she sees my future and the fate that awaits me. Perhaps, under this armor of blades, she still sees that boy who needed to be saved.





8


Ahn


Wind lashes my face like a thousand whips as we race into the night, far from the field of corpses. I cling tightly to Leiye as he urges our horse on, trying to douse the memory of the fiery battle and violence I witnessed.

Leiye saved me from the Tiensai who was trying to kill me. Yet, I can’t help but feel scared of him instead. His fire consumed that man entirely. I remember the Tiensai’s frightened eyes, his screams of agony, the smell of his cooked flesh, sweet and nauseating. I turned numb with shock. Leiye had to drag me into the woods where we found one of the horses that had escaped from the mayhem.

I didn’t see what happened to Lieutenant Bao or the priests. I don’t know if there are any survivors.

My wounded leg feels cold. Blood drips from it. I try to stay upright, but as time goes by, my grip on Leiye’s robes weakens. When I start to slump onto him, he eases the horse to a halt and dismounts.

Before I can protest, he lifts me down and lays me on the ground with my back against a tree.

“How are you feeling?”

My body is chilled to the bone. Cold sweat trickles down my back. The sight of my own blood makes me nauseous.

“Fabulous,” I say. “Like I could sprint a mile.”

Leiye doesn’t laugh at my stupid joke.

“You’re losing too much blood.” He parts the torn fabric of my skirt and I wince. The serrated edge of the Tiensai’s blade left a gross mess of pulpy flesh, and the gash is a cruel, dark smile on my pale leg.

“I have to cauterize it to stop the bleeding,” says Leiye.

“You’re going to burn me?”

“You don’t have to be afraid.”

“You’re a priest, everyone fears you.” Even as I say that, the gentle moonlight softens his features. Again, it strikes me that he doesn’t seem like the other priests I’ve encountered. But I remind myself that I saw him burn a man to death with my own eyes. “Why did you save me and leave your comrades behind? Are the priests so disloyal to each other?”

“I think you should be worrying about yourself instead of others right now. And I told you, my job is to keep you alive.”

“But Lieutenant—”

“Your blood isn’t clotting. There must be something on the Tiensai’s sword that’s keeping the wound open. The next town is more than an hour’s ride away. I don’t want to have to restrain you to save your life, but I will if I have to.”

The thought of a priest using his magic on me scares me to the Ten Courts of Hell. But I don’t want to bleed to death.

I grit my teeth. “Fine. Do it.”

Leiye grabs a fallen branch from the ground and breaks off a thin piece. “It’s going to hurt, and I’d rather you don’t give away our location with your screams. I don’t know if any Tiensai followed us.”