Jade Fire Gold(75)

I have dreamt of this moment countless times. The moment when I confront him, when I rip him apart limb from limb. But I am paralyzed. Silence blankets my mind. Sand fills my mouth; grit chafes my tongue. My feet are lead. My heart like ice. I’m eight years old again. Fighting to get away. Failing to protect my family. I came here to rescue someone who reminded me of the boy I once was, only to find that I am still that boy.

Lost. Helpless. Broken.

“Did you find him?” whispers a voice behind me.

The spell lifts.

“You were supposed to stay put,” I hiss, pushing Ahn behind the trees. “The recruits have left.”

“But they were supposed to stay the night.” She peeks out and flips back against the tree immediately, her breaths suddenly ragged.

The priest with the melting face is still standing there in the open. He must have scared her. Adrenaline builds in my veins. I may never get another chance to kill the bastard.

Ahn pulls me back. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to kill a monster.”

“A what?”

“That priest standing there, he’s the leader of the Diyeh. He’s the man who killed my mother.”

“That’s him? He killed your mother?” she gasps. “Are you . . . are you sure?”

“It’s not a face I’d forget.”

She gets in front of me, blocking my way. “No. It’s—It’s too risky. There’s a whole camp of soldiers and who knows if there’re more priests around. What if something happens to you?”

I push her aside. “I don’t care. He murdered my mother.”

“Wait—” Ahn grabs my wrist. I freeze as she wraps her arms around me tight. “I know you want your revenge, but you said you wouldn’t die on me. Keep that promise. I . . . I can’t do it. I can’t find the sword by myself.” She looks up, stricken, a strange kind of panic written all over her face. “We’ll look for the sword and you can have your revenge after. I need you with me. Please. I need you.”

I don’t know how to feel. She leans into me, repeating the word, please.

“What exactly are you saying?” I ask softly, trying to make sense of her words and the sudden tightness in my chest.

“I—”

“Shh.” There’s movement ahead. Whatever she wants to say, it has to wait. I nudge her back into the shadows. “Something’s happening.”





30


Ahn


“A messenger,” Altan murmurs.

I inch my head out from behind the trees. Sure enough, a figure clad in orange appears on horseback. The priest dismounts and goes to my father who seems to be expecting him.

My father.

My chest squeezes. Sooner or later, I will have to face him. But not tonight. I shiver, a black bolt of guilt twisting my gut. I did the only thing I could think of to stop Altan from attacking my father earlier: pretend I was concerned about him. What will Altan do if he ever finds out that I lied to protect his mother’s murderer?

It won’t end well, sounds a warning in my head. After tonight’s revelation, nothing between us can.

“Can you hear what they’re saying?” I whisper, unease prickling down my spine as I watch the priest hand my father a rolled-up parchment.

Altan holds a finger up, stay. Minutes later, he returns, face blanched.

“We need to get back to The Three Axes. Now.”

The smell of smoke hits my nostrils once we enter the western quarter of Heshi. Flames rise in the direction of the tavern, a bright, vicious orange in the night. People flee from the commotion, blocking our path. We clamber down from our horses and sprint.

My heart plunges when we get close. Fire engulfs the top story of the tavern. The heat is unbearable, and I start coughing from the smoke. Up front, a priest vaults onto a horse, a limp, white-haired figure in his arms.

“Ama!” I scream and lurch forward.

The horse neighs and gallops off at full speed, disappearing into the night. An anguished sound rips from my throat as I start to run after them. Altan pulls me back. I turn on him, hands thrashing, almost scratching his face with my nails.

“Why are you stopping me? Let me go!”

“You can’t catch up—the priests are looking for you—”

“They’ve got my grandmother,” I snarl.

Energy hums in my blood. I raise my hands and he staggers back.

Debris explodes into the air and blows me off my feet. Altan catches me as I fall and tucks me behind a stone wall.

Altan’s lips are moving, but I’m dizzy, my ears ringing. I don’t know what he’s saying. He presses me back, yelling something.

“—here! Don’t move.”

I’m too disoriented to do anything, so I nod and rub my ears, hoping the ringing will go away.

Master Sun leaps out from a window of the ruined tavern, a sword in hand. His robes are burnt, his topknot loose. Daggers shoot out as three priests leap out in pursuit. He dodges the blades, twisting in the air to avoid the fire shooting from the priests’ hands. With a swing of his arms, he sends a spray of stone into a priest. The man falls to the ground, but my relief is short-lived as more orange robes appear.

Altan is up, one hand grasping a saber, the other poised to strike with magic. He’s about to go into the fray when he suddenly freezes. He looks at me, his face a struggle of emotions. Then he sheathes his weapons and grabs my hand.