Jade Fire Gold(90)

Lóng.

Ah, the Thief of Souls is back again. The Dragon’s voice is guttural in my head, barely enunciated.

“Who are you?” I squeak.

You never remember me. I am the Soul Beast, keeper of this realm.

“What realm is this?”

The Soul Beast roars with laughter. I would have thought you familiar with this place, Thief of Souls.

“Why do you call me that?”

Is that not who you are?

“I thought I was the Life Stealer.” I falter, eyes fixed on its scaly body. How big is this creature?

Thief of Souls, Life Stealer, Phoenix Slayer . . . You have many names, and you are many things to different beings. The Soul Beast exhales through its maw, and I jump back as a jet of bubbles bursts through the water. What do you want, Life Stealer?

I take a deep breath. “The sword.”

The creature lifts its great head, beastly but intelligent eyes regarding me. That is what they all wanted.

“Who are they?”

The Soul Beast ignores my question. What will you do with the sword?

“I’ll use it to get rid of dark magic, to free the Shi Empire from the Diyeh priests and to rescue my grandmother.” A wild thought runs through my mind. “I’ll use it to give the people an emperor they deserve.”

The creature snaps its tail. There’s a huge rock behind it on the seafloor, glowing with luminescence.

A tug at my chest.

The sword. It must be there.

I try to get a better look, but the creature blocks me with its massive body.

The previous Life Stealer thought he was the emperor the people deserved, it growls.

“I am not him. I don’t want to be emperor.”

I do not care about what you want or do not want. And I do not care about what you do with the sword. It fell into my realm, but I am not its guardian. Before you take it, there is something you should know.

The Soul Beast presses its claw on my forehead. I gasp, squeezing my eyes shut. A phantom scene unfolds in my mind.

Soldiers in battle with their weapons raised, some on horses, most on foot. Shi colors of crimson and gold stand out among a sea of steel-gray armor. A man steps up. His face is vaguely familiar. Standing tall among the other soldiers, he commands a presence like a god. He raises his hand. I see a sword. It glows with the same green-tinged smoke that leaked from the people I killed.

The man speaks.

I can’t hear him, but the Shi soldiers fall back. A swelling mass of dust rises behind him. I gasp as the dust takes form. Human shapes, shrouded in shadows, some clad in armor, others in ordinary clothing. Men, women, children. They gush forward in a cascade of smoke and howls, assailing the enemy troops.

The scene changes.

The man is alone. Kneeling, his eyes are pinned to the sword in his hand. He’s older, hair turning white, beard long and unkempt, loss weighing heavily upon each line on his face. His armor has seen better days, and there’s a time-wrought weariness in his shoulders. He lifts his head, and I see his face clearly.

His eyes: one black as night, the other yellow as the sun.

He looks up at the Heavens, whispering. He smiles. And in a single fluid motion, he plunges the sword into his own chest.

The images vanish, but wild screams of fear linger in my ears. My heart is beating so fast I’m afraid it may burst. A thought dances around the back of my mind, telling me what it is I’ve seen, but I can’t catch it.

“What did you show me?” I ask. “Did that really happen?”

The Dragon ignores my questions. Remember my words, Life Stealer: the sword will not be controlled.

It flicks its tail and curves its languid body away from the rock. I see a hilt. My heart leaps.

The White Jade Sword.

Remember my words, Life Stealer. Remember—

I wrap my hands around the weapon. Blinding light bursts from the rock. I shield my eyes, keeping one hand on the hilt. The blade slides up smoothly with little effort on my part. But once the sword leaves the rock, the Soul Beast disappears and water rushes at me. This time, I’m truly underwater. My lungs burn, and my head feels tight.

A faint light shimmers above. The surface. I start to swim up. But in droves, they come for me. Disembodied voices, cold fingers, the slithering brush of hair—of bodies that were once human.

Thief of Souls, they whisper.

Life Stealer, they shriek.

Free us, they weep.

I push back at the amorphous shapes. I can’t help you, I try to say. Go away!

But still, they cling to me.

My legs go weak as the fire in my lungs rages. A fog spreads in my mind. My vision dims. I’m succumbing to this nightmare.

The light above flickers, and like a spark it comes to life. It’s bright. Brighter than sunshine. A light that tethers me to the world beyond this darkness. It halos around a figure.

The figure reaches down into the water.

No, I scream. Not here! Don’t come into the water. It’s not safe.

Fear seizes me—fear for him and what he’s about to do. And somehow, it gives me strength even as the shadows try to pull me back down.

I whisper his name, and there is a flash.

When I open my eyes, I’m back on the ship. Breathing the air around me, thoughts sluggish. Was it all a dream? But my clothes are waterlogged, and my ribs hurt. The sun beats down on my back as I kneel on the deck, locked tightly in the arms of someone whose wet hair shines a muted gold.