Jade Fire Gold(99)

I barely register her words. All I can think about is her blistering touch.

Her blood-red lips curl into a perfect smile of distaste. Gone is the warm, motherly woman I thought I knew. “Pity. I don’t think you need him to save you, do you?”

Her delicate nose wrinkles for a moment as she laughs. If you can call it a laugh. It is an intoxicating opera beckoning me into the depths of intimacy. I want to slap the smile off that beautiful face. But I choke on my gag instead. She eyes me lazily like a hungry cat pretending to nap in front of a mouse.

“Poor thing,” she coos. “That must be so uncomfortable. I will take it off if you promise not to scream.”

I blink and nod. The gag comes off in a flash. My tongue is cottony, my mouth dry. I struggle, but my limbs are still pinned down, body heavy.

“What have you done to me?”

“I hope you enjoyed the special tea I prepared for you. The effects of the poison will wear off soon. After all, I am not trying to kill you.”

The attendant who served Tai Shun and me. She must’ve known what was in my tea. That was why she was so nervous. “What do you want?”

“I have a proposition.”

“You could have asked me nicely over over some fruit and dessert instead of poisoning me.”

“True,” she agrees. “But this feels more . . . intimate.” She leans close. “You and I are not so different. I was not created to grovel at a man’s feet. I worked for power, snatched it from undeserving hands. You, on the other hand, you were born with power many lesser men covet. We should be the ones to rule, the strong prey on the weak. It is life’s natural order, the divine hierarchy the gods themselves created.”

“I’m nothing like you.”

Her nostrils flair. “Do not look at me as if I’m some kind of monster. I am a mother doing what is best for her child. And that is more than what your father is doing.”

I spit out a curse.

“Let me get straight to the point. My son is weak.” She pauses. I can see how difficult it is for her to admit that. “Once he ascends the Dragon Throne, he will be betrayed by politicking ministers, eaten alive by the priests. My son is the one who needs saving. I have done my part, but there are limits to what I can do. I need someone to help him. Someone others will fear. Someone like you.”

“Whatever you’re planning, I won’t help you.”

A single, elegant finger extends toward me. I shudder involuntarily at her threat.

“Hear me out,” she says. “The priests helped to get rid of Ren Long, but I was a fool to think they wouldn’t put my pathetic husband under their thumb. Everything Gao Long did—every command, every decree—it was the priests who told him what to do. Someone murdered the previous head priest for me, but I can’t count on luck to strike twice. And I will never leave my son in the same position as Gao Long was in. A puppet and nothing more. You see, my dear, we are on the same side. We both want the Diyeh destroyed.”

“We are not on the same side. I don’t care about what they do to your son.” My words are brash but inside, I worry about Tai Shun’s fate. Zhenxi is right. He would never survive my father’s machinations. Already my father is hiding things from him in order to manipulate him. And in his attempt to protect Tai Shun, Leiye has also kept him in the dark.

“We both know your father will ask you to raise an army of the undead once the soldiers have been amassed. The threat of Nandah hangs over our heads. Don’t be surprised if his command comes sooner rather than later. If you raise that army, your grandmother will live. But for how long? The priests will always have a hold over you as long as she’s alive, and the blood of thousands will be on your hands. I don’t care about conquering new lands. All I want is my son on the throne, safe from the priests and free of puppet strings.”

“What exactly are you saying?”

She smiles. “Kill your father and release the priests’ hold over the throne. Marry my son and rule with him. You can have anything you want—treasure, power, the world.”

“Kill him yourself,” I spit out.

“Don’t you think I would have killed that man a long time ago if I could? The priests will retaliate if they trace it back to me. They are too entrenched in the palace, too many allies and not enough enemies. I want to tear it all down. Start something new—something better.”

“Then you shouldn’t have murdered Ren Long,” I say, loathing every inch of her. Hating myself for ever thinking she was a good person.

“Ren Long was a special kind of fool. You are the Life Stealer; the priests will comply if you remove your father. Then, you can get rid of them.”

I recall the reverence in the tone of the priest I killed back in the bamboo forest. The man who gazed upon me like I was a god. That thought I had when my father and I were alone in his study and the dark sword was in my hand returns. Even if it were to save the world, I couldn’t kill my own father, could I?

“How about I kill everyone? You included?” I say.

“If only you had it in you, my darling girl.” The genuine regret in her tone is unnerving. “Oh, another thing. I did say the side effects of the poison will wear off, but the poison itself will stay in your veins, slowing attacking your nerves. You will feel fine, but one day—” She snaps her fingers and I recoil. “I’m the only person with the antidote, and I will gladly give it to you if we come to an agreement.”