Circle of Shadows (Circle of Shadows, #1)(86)

Sora’s nightingale heart plummeted from its height, wings broken.

“But—”

“My decision is made,” Hana said. “Now it’s up to you.” She held Sora’s gaze.

It was an impossible choice.

At the same time, there was no choice. Sora couldn’t stay with the ryuu and fight for Prince Gin. She had to put the kingdom first. She had to defend the possession of their own wills, their lives.

Even if it meant losing Hana. Again.

Sora’s lungs constricted. Her breaths came in short, tight gasps. Then she couldn’t breathe at all.

But Hana seemed to understand what the conclusion was. She nodded sadly at Sora, sheathed her sword, and walked away.

And Sora cried.





Chapter Fifty-Five


The tenderfoots were evacuated from the Citadel the same evening, and the Council called a meeting of all the remaining taigas. There were more than usual, for many taigas had been summoned from their posts around Kichona to the Imperial City.

The sound of wine-barrel drums filled the amphitheater as taigas filed in, finding places to sit on the arced benches carved into the grassy knoll. The commander and the rest of the councilmembers stood in the center of the black stage. Daemon and Broomstick settled into the back row with the rest of the Level 12s.

When everyone had sat down, Glass Lady stepped forward and said, “Thank you all for coming. As you know, the Dragon Prince is approaching with his army. They wield formidable magic different from ours and intend to finish what they started with the Blood Rift ten years ago. Not only that, but the Dragon Prince is also actively recruiting taigas to his side, using a powerful form of hypnosis. We must be prepared to use everything we have to fight them.”

A taiga warrior in the front row rose and bowed to indicate that he had a question.

Glass Lady nodded at him.

“Commander, can you tell us more about their magic?” he shouted so the entire amphitheater could hear.

“I think the one best suited to answer your question would be a taiga who has actually witnessed what the ryuu can do.” She found Daemon in the audience. “Wolf or Broomstick, would you brief everyone?”

This was so unexpected, Daemon’s nerves hardly had time to twitch. But Broomstick was actually twitching, so Daemon would have to be the one to address the audience. He stood from the bench and hurried to the stage, taking the steps in a single bound. He bowed deeply to each councilmember before turning to the crowd.

Stars, there are a lot of people, he thought, his nerves finally catching up. He clasped his hands together behind his back to still the jittering, hoping the gesture came across as confident military poise rather than what it really was—an apprentice not used to being the center of attention. That was usually Sora’s job.

This is for her as much as it is for Kichona. Daemon took a deep breath, enough to calm himself so he could speak, and began.

His voice carried through the cold night air. He told the taigas about the green particles of magic and how the ryuu could control them without mudras or chanted spells. He told them about the initiation ceremony, with Prince Gin giving new recruits Sight and the ryuu shoving them off the roof. He told them about the fearsome powers that the ryuu displayed, each one with a different talent far beyond what taigas could do.

When Daemon finished, the amphitheater remained completely silent. But it was not the serene type of quiet associated with the middle of the night. It was the silence of warriors who had never met an enemy they couldn’t vanquish, not in the thousand-year history of the kingdom, suddenly faced with a foe more powerful than they could comprehend. Daemon quivered in the echo of his words too. He didn’t know where Sora and Fairy were and how to get them back. He didn’t know how the taigas could fight the ryuu. He didn’t want to think what would happen if Prince Gin prevailed.

Someone walked up beside Daemon.

“Thank you, Wolf,” Empress Aki said. “That was very informative.”

The silence of the audience broke as they registered the empress’s surprise appearance. They fell like dominoes to bow before her. Daemon too dropped to his knees and laid himself before her. “Your Majesty,” he said.

She waited a minute for the taigas to finish paying their respects. When all had risen again, she smiled kindly at Daemon. “You may return to your seat,” she said quietly.

He gave another quick, shallower bow and left the stage.

“Thanks for getting me off the hook,” Broomstick whispered when Daemon slid back onto the bench beside him. “I can’t say you didn’t scare everyone shitless, but you did well.”

“Everyone should be scared,” Daemon said.

Broomstick merely nodded.

In front of them, Empress Aki stood regally in a black silk gown, embroidered with tiny gold suns that matched her hair.

“My noble taigas,” she said, walking along the edge of the stage and looking purposefully at every section of the amphitheater. “Kichona is a respected kingdom. We are proud of the people and things we produce here—from rose apples to tiger pearls, daily catches of fish to famed pagoda temples for the gods. We treat our trade partners with respect, and in turn, they reciprocate, and we are known as fair, upstanding citizens of the world.

“It is my honor to rule over this illustrious kingdom. And it is Kichona’s blessing to have the Society of Taigas at its defense. For centuries, your legacy has been the basis of legends, stories carried from our shores and spread across the globe.