Chapter 25 #2
He smirked. “Let’s just say the item you were meant to deliver is here now, in this very palace. Unfortunately, it’s not in the best condition, and I fear I must dispose of it soon.”
“What item? I never—”
I stiffened as I realized what he meant. Ren was here. I’d told him to run away and live freely, but he’d somehow ended up back at the palace. And judging by Official Yi’s veiled threat, he was no longer safe in his former home.
“He must’ve followed his brother too,” Anshi muttered, reading my mind.
My hand fisted at my side. The fool. Why had he done something so reckless? Had he intended to steal back the royal seal? To confront Liqin for his crimes?
Knowing Ren, the answer was yes to both questions. And as for why he’d wanted to do it—my chest twinged at the truth. I’m falling in love with you, he’d said. And I’d accused him of being a liar.
But he hadn’t been lying about that.
What an absolute fool.
I glowered at the official’s smug face. “Where is he?”
“Locked away for now,” he said. “You may attempt to free him, but you’d have to give up your desire to meet with Prince Liqin.”
“I refuse.”
He shrugged. “Then I can’t be responsible for the consequences.”
I cursed silently. If I went after Liqin now, Ren would be killed. But if I chose Ren, I may lose my best chance at stopping his brother. And I couldn’t let him slip away again—for all our sakes.
“Anshi,” I said without turning, “I need you to do me a favor.”
“No,” Anshi said, already knowing what I’d ask. “We’re not friends.”
“I know. But I must ask anyway.”
Anshi huffed loudly. “Will you retrieve the seal? And give it to me?”
I didn’t hesitate. “Yes—on the condition that Ren stays alive.”
After an angry pause, Anshi growled, “Very well. Run quickly, priestess. I’ll hold off these guards, then find your foolish prince.”
I nodded, already dashing forward.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Official Yi shouted as I barreled past him. If the guards tried to stop me, they never got close enough to succeed.
The sound of metal clashing against metal rang from behind as I pounded up the steps. Then another noise reached my ears—the clatter of bones on stone. My undead army had finally caught up to me.
At the top of the stairs, I turned and saw them engaging with Official Yi and his guards. Anshi had already vanished.
Shaking my bells, I commanded a dozen of the skeletons to shadow me while the others remained to obstruct the imperial guards. Then I faced the abandoned doors of the main hall and wrenched them open, stepping over the threshold into a sea of green silk robes.
Fifty bearded faces turned to stare at my unannounced entrance. Their indignation shifted into alarm when they noticed the skeletons behind me.
But I had eyes only for the prince frozen mid-step on the dais across the hall. Beside him was a gilded throne with a pair of golden cranes perched on either side. The symbol of the royal family.
Liqin finished ascending the dais and stood in front of the throne, his sapphire silk robe whispering against the floor. The royal insignia adorned his chest, and a jade belt rested loosely around his waist. He would’ve been handsome if not for the storm clouding his expression.
His voice thundered through the vast hall. “How dare you interrupt an official meeting?”
I smiled, detecting a tremor in his shoulders. Though he was attempting to maintain his composure in front of the ministers, the appearance of my soldiers clearly unnerved him too. Would the officials stay at his side once they discovered the crimes he’d committed to stand on that dais?
“You took something that doesn’t belong to you,” I said, striding forward. The ministers reared back at the skeletons. “I’ve come for payment.”
“W-What is the meaning of this, Y-Your Highness?” one of the ministers managed to ask. “Who is this girl? And w-what are these—these—”
My eyes never left the prince’s. “These skeletons are the remains of the men your beloved prince murdered. And I’m here to execute their vengeance.”
Confused whispers echoed through the chamber.
“You lie,” Liqin snarled, shaking his finger at me. “I never killed anyone. I don’t know where you dug up these poor souls, mistress, but the heavens surely shudder at what you’ve done.”
So Liqin’s role in the silencing of Xiatang’s men had been a secret.
“If the heavens disapprove of me,” I said, “then they must detest you. You wish to know where these warriors are from? The grave of traitors, and before that, the town of Xiatang. These men dared to question your cruelty toward Wen, so you cut them down. Behold your sins, Your Highness.”
The whispers increased in volume and intensity. I could feel the wide eyes of the ministers on me, the skeletons—and the prince.
“Sh-She’s lying,” Liqin stammered. “Don’t listen to her; she’s nothing but a madwoman. Isn’t it obvious? Look at what she does with the dead!”
“I may be mad, but I’m certainly not the liar here,” I countered. “Ask anyone from Xiatang, and they’ll confirm my words.”
Liqin clenched his jaw and glanced around the room. “Someone, take her away! Where are the guards?”
“I’m afraid your guards are distracted at the moment.” I placed a hand on the shoulder of the skeleton to my left, the bone rough and cold beneath my fingers. “You see, Your Highness, you killed quite a few men.”
“No—” He backed away only to fall onto the throne’s cushioned seat. Shrinking into himself, he pointed at me. “Remove her now!”
But none of the ministers moved. They were too befuddled. Too afraid.
I smirked, approaching the dais. “Well, Your Highness. Would you like to offer the payment yourself, or shall I take it from you the way you took my father’s life?”
At my command, the skeletons raised their weapons and slowly approached the prince. I imagined his blood spilling across all that extravagant gold and marble.
But just as I was about to tell my warriors to strike, a sharp pain pierced my temple. I winced, reaching for my head. The skeletons stilled, awaiting my orders with their blades hovering in the air.
Taking advantage of my distraction, Liqin sprang off the throne and fled through the hall’s rear exit. Panic broke as the ministers began to rush out the door, the cowards.
I didn’t pursue them. Instead, I pushed past the throbbing in my skull and regained control of my soldiers, directing them to follow the prince. Together, we marched after the sounds of his frantic footsteps.
I wouldn’t allow him to escape.