Jade Fire Gold(50)

“I don’t want to argue over some fairy tale.”

“Good.” She grins. “Because I believe I won the debate. By the way, I don’t think you told me your name. Or is that a secret, too?”

It takes me a moment to realize she is teasing. She doesn’t actually think that I have an alias.

“Altan. And yours?”

“I’m—” She freezes mid-sentence, mouth opened in surprise. “Why is he—” She starts coughing violently.

“Are you choking on your candy?”

She pounds her chest and swallows hard. “Ten Hells, I’m in so much trouble. Take this.” She dumps the candied hawthorn in my hands and dashes off.

I jog after her. “Wait! Are you sure you’re all right?”

She stops and crouches down by a figure sprawled facedown on the ground near a rowdy group of drunkards. A young man. His white robes are caked at the hem with dirt and his hair is disheveled over his face.

She shakes him. “Get up. Get up.”

“He passed out,” drawls one of the drunks, wiping the alcohol dripping from his big beard.

She sticks an accusing finger in the man’s face. “Did you give him the wine?”

The man leers at her. I’m tempted to hit him.

“I didn’t do anything.” He places a hand on her shoulder. She smacks it off immediately.

“If you touch me again, I’ll make you regret it.”

“Make me regret it?” The man guffaws and his friends follow suit. He leans in, takes a sniff at her. “Just how exactly will you make me regret it, xi?omèi?”

Her fingers unfurl. The air shimmers slightly.

Magic.

It isn’t coming from me. Which means—I step in front of her before the situation gets out of hand. The drunks give me a once-over warily, noting the scars on my face and my eyepatch. They seem to come to an agreement, muttering some curses as they slink off.

Mangosteen Girl crosses her arms. “Guess you don’t need weapons to intimidate.”

“Guess not,” I agree, deciding to take what she said as a compliment. “Are you a—”

“Do you mind helping my friend, please?” She drapes the arm of the young man over her shoulder and gestures at me.

I nod. I can ask if she’s a Tiensai later.

Together, we manage to get her friend to a more secluded street, away from the crowd and the noise of the puppet show. We lay him down, and he turns on his side and flops an arm over his face.

Mangosteen Girl paces in a circle, clearly vexed by the situation. “He said he wanted candy. Said he wouldn’t drink another drop. Shouldn’t have trusted him.”

Her friend giggles and mumbles something incoherent.

“Get up, you swine.” She prods him with a foot. The young man grunts. He moves his arm and brushes hair off his face.

Air rushes out of my lungs. I can’t believe who I’m looking at.

Older. Different. But the same.

His eyes open, glazed and bloodshot. They widen when he sees me.

“Cousin? Is that you?”

The emotion in Tai Shun’s voice stirs some complicated feeling in me. But I remind myself that he is neither friend nor family.

I should kill him.

Mangosteen Girl throws a silk handkerchief over his face in a poor attempt to mask his identity. Tai Shun groans and she shushes him.

“I’m sorry. My friend is drunk and talking nonsense. Thanks for helping me, I’m sure he’s going to be fine. You can go. Sorry, I’m so sorry,” she rambles, hands flying all over the place.

Tai Shun is her friend? Who is she?

“Cousin!” He pulls the handkerchief off. “Cousin!”

I stumble back against the wall.

Tai Shun tries to prop himself up, failing miserably. His eyes are unfocused. “I feel terrible. Where is—where’s my cousin? What happened to him?”

Mangosteen Girl whispers to me, “His cousin is dead, and he misses him dearly. I’m sorry you had to see this. You can leave now, we’ll be fine. I’ll find a way to calm him down.”

A small sound escapes my throat. A kind of strangled gasp.

She looks at me, puzzled. “Are you all right?”

“I’m just surprised it’s the prince,” I say stiffly.

Panic floods her face. “You recognize him? Oh my gods! Please don’t tell anyone about this. I’m going to be in so much trouble. My father might get into trouble.” She looks like she is about to cry.

I try to think of something reassuring to say. But all I want to do is take Tai Shun by the collar and slam him into the brick wall. To punch him in the face, again and again.

Footsteps.

I turn around, and for the third time tonight, Fate decides to show her hand.

“Linxi!” Mangosteen Girl runs up to her. “Oh, thank gods you’re here. I need your help.” She pulls Linxi over to Tai Shun and wraps an arm around him, ready to hoist him up. “We need to get him back to the palace right away without anyone seeing us.”

Linxi and I exchange a weighted glance. How does she know the girl?

“Yes, Lady Ahn.” She hurries to help, pretending she doesn’t know me.

Ahn.

Her name is Ahn.

She is the Life Stealer.