Jade Fire Gold(48)

Three pairs of eyes dart to me, alerted by my tone. Shīfù strokes his beard pensively, and Linxi stops fiddling with the nomad necklace that Tang Wei wove for her.

“What about her grandmother?” asks Linxi, eyeing me.

Family can be interrogated. Tortured. It is one of the methods the Diyeh use to lure the Tiensai out of hiding.

“Family is leverage. A bargaining chip,” I say instead.

My words are met with tense silence.

“If the girl really is the Life Stealer and the priests get to her grandmother first, they’d have a prized chess piece in their arsenal,” I continue. “Even if she finds the sword of light, she won’t use it against the priests if they threaten her grandmother’s safety. They could use her to get to the dark sword, wherever that might be.” I repeat Shenni’s words ominously. “Both the White Jade Sword and the Obsidian Sword answer to the call of the Life Stealer.”

Tang Wei bolts upright from Linxi’s lap. “Are you suggesting that we kidnap her grandmother and hold her hostage? Or that we get rid of her?”

“Those are logical options.”

She looks scandalized.

“You kill people for a living,” I point out helpfully.

“Bad people. Terrible people. Scum of the earth type of people. There is a difference, Altan. And I draw the line at grandmothers. We are not the Diyeh.”

“But our plan will fall apart if the priests have the sword,” I argue. “The world will fall apart. We have to make sure the Life Stealer doesn’t destroy everything—again.”

Linxi glares with surprising ferocity. “Ahn won’t do that, she’s a good person.”

“There’s no guarantee of anything.”

“You don’t know her.”

“And you do?” I scoff. “You were the one who told me I needed to look for the Phoenix.”

“That was before I met Ahn! She knows what’s right and what’s wrong. If we told her what’s actually going on, if we told her the truth, she would understand.”

I slam the table. “And if she doesn’t? If she burns the whole world down? Then what? Whose side are you on?”

I see the hurt on Linxi’s face, but I’m too angry to care. Did the Life Stealer cast some spell on my friend? Why is she defending such a dangerous stranger?

Linxi opens her mouth to argue but Tang Wei places a hand on her shoulder, and she quiets.

I stomp to the window. Shīfù comes over. His presence calms me, clears my mind.

“I understand your concern,” he says, staring out into the darkening sky. “But even in the deepest night, the stars continue to shine. You must protect the Life Stealer. No matter the circumstance, no matter the sacrifice. As long as the priests don’t have her, there is hope, and balance can be restored to this world.”

My utmost fear forces its way out. “But what if she’s no different from Yuan Long? What if she uses the dark sword to force people into submission?”

“Your great-grandfather may have chosen wrongly, but you must not make the mistake of thinking that every Life Stealer is the same. The girl will walk her own path and fulfill her own destiny.” He places a hand on my shoulder. “Remember, Altan, you may share the same blood, but you are not your great-grandfather. And neither is the girl.”

I nod, but that kernel of doubt doesn’t stop rattling in my mind.

“However”—he looks back out the window, eyes turning sad—“if the consequences of her choice result in catastrophe, you will have to stop her. You are, after all, the only one who can.”

A crowd has gathered by the time we arrive at the large square in the middle of Beishou. As the last vestiges of sunlight wane, the air fills with animated voices from gossiping adults and scampering children excited for the shadow puppet show.

Convinced that I needed some fresh air, Tang Wei and Linxi dragged me here despite my protests. I know they want to keep an eye on me after what Shīfù said. I wanted to be alone, but they insisted.

Now that I’m here, I can’t help but sneak envious glances at the various animal-shaped paper lanterns carried by the children, wishing I could be as carefree. Wishing I could enjoy the night without thinking of revenge. Without worrying about what the Life Stealer may or may not do.

Tang Wei catches me staring at a boy’s lantern, an intricate piece crafted to look like a dragon. She tugs my arm. “Want one?”

I shake my head, but I’m still looking at the lantern.

“You’re never too old to have some fun,” says Linxi with an indulgent smile, browsing through the shopkeeper’s wares. She picks one up and gives it to me. “We can get this rabbit lantern. You like rabbits, don’t you?”

“It’s all right.” I hang the lantern back onto its hook. “Come on, the show’s about to start.”

I lead them toward the back of the crowd, away from the couples and families so we can blend into the rowdier group of spectators passing around ceramic jugs of liquor.

Covered by fabric on both sides, the elevated stage is only exposed to the audience from the front. The screen is set up to hide what goes backstage, but the royal puppet master once showed me his craft when I was a boy.

Each puppet is carefully manipulated by the puppet master, using sticks and strings attached to their head and limbs. Because of the setup, these sticks and strings will be invisible to the audience, and in the light, the intricate designs on each puppet, from their facial features and expressions to the minutiae of their clothing, headdresses, and weapons come to life.