Jade Fire Gold(23)

“Fine. Once upon a time there lived a talented blacksmith—”

Leiye scoffs.

“That’s how my grandmother tells it, and that’s how I’m going to tell it,” I say, irritated.

He gestures at me to continue.

“Once a upon a time,” I repeat, “there lived a talented blacksmith who had a son. One day, the Jade Emperor of Heaven commanded the blacksmith to create a sword whose beauty no other mortal or godly weapon could surpass. He needed to forge the blade in heavenly jadefire for a thousand days and a thousand nights, so the Jade Emperor offered the use of the celestial smithy in his palace. On the thousandth day, the blacksmith went to temper the sword with the tears of Xiwangmu’s pet—a fènghuáng, because a phoenix’s tears contained magical healing properties. But on his way back, the blacksmith stumbled on an orchard of peaches. Intoxicated by the fragrant aroma, he took a bite from one—which frankly, was stupid, because he was in the Garden of Immortality and no mortal was allowed to take anything from it. As punishment, the Jade Emperor struck the blacksmith’s only son with a bolt of lightning and killed him.”

“And?”

“And that’s when you say to a child, see, bad things happen when you take things that don’t belong to you.”

“There’s more to the tale.”

“Pray tell.” I wish he’d stop being so cryptic.

The coin between his long fingers moves constantly back and forth as he sits silently. I shove another rice roll into my mouth, wondering if I should stab him with my chopstick and make a run for it. But it’s unlikely I’ll get far.

“This is the part that survives in some ancient records, but as far as I know, it’s never told as part of the bedtime story,” Leiye says at last. “Distraught by the death of his son, the blacksmith took the sword and cut off the phoenix’s head, casting it down into the mortal world. A chain of mountains sprung up where it landed. Then, he cursed the sword he’d forged, giving it the power to destroy even a god. The sword split in two, twin weapons that were the opposite of each other. One sword transformed into a pure white iridescent jade while its mate turned black as night, dark as hell. They go by many names. Most commonly, the White Jade Sword and the Obsidian Sword, or the sword of light and the dark sword. In his haste to escape Heaven, the blacksmith dropped the white sword. No one knows where it is today. And even though he’d eaten the peach of immortality, he didn’t become a god. Instead he became a spirit of the soul world, trapped forever in darkness.”

I swallow, the chángf?n suddenly tasting like sawdust. “What’s so important about this fairy tale?”

“I said, it’s not a fairy tale.”

It’s my turn to scoff. I wonder if his time with the Diyeh priesthood has led him onto the path of madness. He leans back, index fingers tapping each other lightly. He looks so calm and composed it irks me.

“I’m sure you know that Tiensai magic is poisoning our land,” he says.

Why would the desert still spread if those false priests keep killing the ones they call the Tiensai?

“That’s what the priests claim,” I say, remembering Ama’s words.

“The Diyeh are not like the Tiensai. We believe the Life Stealer will bring peace to the world. They are the ones cursed by the gods, corrupted by darkness. Their magic is impure, and they want to kill you because they don’t want you to find the sword of light, because they don’t want to get rid of the dark magic consuming our land. That’s why you were attacked last night.”

I frown. “What on earth are you talking about?”

“It is said that the sword of light is the only thing that can stop the disease in the earth from spreading. Having been touched by the heavenly magic of the peach, the blacksmith became the first Life Stealer, and only a Life Stealer can find the missing artifact that will heal us.”

“What does this have to do with me?”

Leiye doesn’t respond and it takes moments for everything to connect in my brain. My blood runs cold.

“You think I’m the Life Stealer? But it’s just a fairy tale.”

“My comrades who found you saw those bodies in the alleyway. From their description, it is clear the men died from life-stealing magic.” Leiye walks over and lowers himself by me. He grips my wrist with a certainty that disturbs me, his eyes dark and steely. “Your magic is different. And that is why the Tiensai want to kill you.”

I push down memories of what happened in Shahmo and turn from his piercing gaze, unwilling to accept what he’s telling me. He must be lying. I can’t be the Life Stealer, whatever that is.

“This is ridiculous,” I say, pulling away from him. “I’m not who you think I am.”

Abruptly, he stands, signaling the end of our confusing conversation. “Finish your food and get changed. We’ll leave in half an hour and you’ll have your own horse. We need to get to the capital quickly.”

“My own horse? Aren’t you afraid I’ll escape?”

“You’re clever and you want to stay alive. If you try to run, you’ll have to deal with the Tiensai, the palace, and the priests by yourself. You won’t run from me”—he smiles and heads to the door—“because right now, I’m the only one who can keep you safe.”