Jade Fire Gold(79)

My mouth opens and closes, but no sound comes out. I know she’s only teasing, but surely this isn’t the way one would look at one’s sibling.

She side-eyes a sniggering Altan. “Stop laughing. You are exceedingly dull and predictable yourself, just so you know.”

In retaliation, he scarfs down two of her rice rolls.

“Petty boy,” she scolds.

He grins and eats another.

The waiter returns with our tea, and the mood at the table instantly sobers. Whenever we get a chance, we order a pot of Master Sun’s favorite jasmine green tea, and either Altan or Tang Wei will say a few words of remembrance. This has become our ritual, a tribute of sorts to Master Sun.

You can choose to protect.

I hold his words close to my heart. Even though I hardly knew him, my debt to him is immense. The only way I can repay it is to find the sword of light and turn the tide on the Diyeh priesthood.

“Impossible,” I insist.

Altan snaps the twig in his hand and tosses it carelessly. “Just because you haven’t seen me do it, doesn’t mean I can’t. I took out that bandit in the canyon, remember?”

“It could have been a lucky shot—”

“It wasn’t—”

“But—”

A rock flies in our direction and we both jump back.

“For Heavens’ sake, shut up!” Tang Wei’s face is puffy with sleep. We settled in a thick bamboo forest an hour ago to rest, and she decided to nap. “You’re like two vultures fighting over a carcass. If I knew there’d be this much squabbling, I’d have thought twice about coming along.”

Altan shrugs. “You’re free to leave.”

Another rock, a larger one this time, shoots toward him.

“We’re not squabbling. We’re having a civilized discussion about whether he can curve an arrow,” I chime in.

“Semantics,” mutters Tang Wei, looking murderous. She stretches and flashes a playful grin. “Maybe I’ll get some peace when the two of you finally decide to stop going after each other’s throats and start focusing on each other’s lips instead.”

My cheeks burn. What in the world is she talking about? I steal a look at Altan. He’s examining the bamboo plant in front of him like it’s the most interesting thing he has ever seen in his life.

“You can impress her with your brilliant archery after we leave this forest, Golden Boy,” Tang Wei says to him. “That’ll shut her up.”

“I don’t have to prove anything to her.”

“You’re saying that because you can’t do it,” I sing, sticking a tongue out at Altan.

“Why don’t you go hunt? Bring us back a rabbit or two or something,” Tang Wei interjects before Altan can retort.

Surprisingly, he obliges without argument, casting me a strange furtive look before he trudges off.

“Why do you keep calling him Golden Boy?” I ask.

“His hair. It does that thing in the sun,” she says airily. Her teasing manner returns. “Pretty, isn’t it?”

“I’ve never noticed,” I say too quickly, remembering all the little glances I’ve thrown at his hair, intrigued by how the color changes from deep chestnut to a golden hue in the light.

She adjusts the metal-tipped chopsticks in the bun at the top of her head. “Funny. I could’ve sworn you spend an awful lot of time staring at him when he’s not paying attention.”

“I do not!” I say vehemently. Before Tang Wei can embarrass me further, I turn the conversation to her. “Why did you decide to come along with us anyway? Did Leiye recruit you, too?”

Tang Wei hasn’t shared much about herself, apart from the fact that she was from the Lotus Sect. I can’t help feeling there’s more to her story than that of an assassin who hides behind witty remarks.

Her expression hardens.

“No, I don’t know Leiye. I’m here because I want the Diyeh priests gone and you’re the only one who can get it done. They fear you.” A dagger shoots from her sleeve, slicing a bamboo pole in front of us before arcing back into her hand. “And if you are not on their side, it means you’re on mine. They took my sister once her affinity started to show and my lily-livered father did nothing because he wanted to protect his status.” She spits forcefully. “I hate him.”

I think about my father, wondering if I hate him. Wondering if he’s still looking for me. Does he regret locking me up in the dungeon? Or does he justify his actions in the name of serving his country?

“Is that why you joined the Lotus Sect?” I ask.

“As it turned out, I didn’t have magic. But I ran away when I was fourteen anyway. I’d heard of the Lotus Sect, and how Elder Hong Feng took in girls who had nowhere else to go. If I’d stayed, my father would’ve married me off to some conniving official for political gain. A marriage of convenience to a man I didn’t choose and would never love. I couldn’t live with that.” Tang Wei winks at me, lips quirking. “Besides, why darn with a needle when I can have a life with a sword?”

“The crown prince doesn’t have a choice either,” I say, remembering Tai Shun’s words, the look on his face whenever he saw Leiye. I wonder how he is. I wonder how Linxi is. My heart aches, hoping my friend is safe.