CHAPTER TWENTY
M y spirits lift the moment I leave the hall, stepping into the garden.
Glancing behind to ensure I’m not being watched, I stride toward the rows of trees, counting the lanterns on each one—eight shining gourds hanging from their branches.
Farther from the hall, the sounds of revelry fade, traded for the mysterious whisperings of night.
Toward the end of the courtyard, a pine tree towers, strung with nine lanterns. Trust Jin to notice this minor detail.
I wait awhile, but he doesn’t appear. Just when I think he’s not coming, someone tugs my sleeve.
Relief fills me at the sight of Jin—strange, how safe I feel around him, someone from Thorn Valley where trespassers are rumored to be murdered without mercy.
Dangerous, to be alone with him. But monsters live in all places, and sometimes they wear crowns.
He leans against the tree, holding my gaze. “Was there a reason you wanted to see me out here? Why not speak inside?”
“It’s safer for us not to be seen together,” I remind him. “His Highness saw me speaking to you once. He didn’t like it.”
“His Highness is astonishingly insecure. How does this make you feel?”
“Angry.” I’m sifting through the gnarled tightness in my chest. “Trapped.”
His lips curve slightly. “You have the prince’s favor. Shouldn’t you feel flattered? Isn’t this what you want?”
I utter a curse that only makes Jin’s smile widen. “Are you enjoying this?”
“More than you imagine. Didn’t you so staunchly defend His Highness’s virtues before, accusing me of jealousy?” His tone hardens, like my insults reached deep.
“He’s not who I thought he was.”
“Do you want to get out?” He sounds like he already knows my answer.
Even now, I hesitate. Outside these walls, I have nothing—no one.
Once I leave the palace, I’ll have to fend for myself again.
It’s not easy to relinquish the fairy tale…
though I should have known better: Handsome princes don’t always have hearts of gold, and those who do probably don’t want someone like me.
“Can you get my ring back?” I ask, my thumb brushing the mark on my hand.
“As long as you find what I seek.”
“I will.” I have. But I keep this to myself. What I’ve discovered in the Shadow Wing is a dangerous secret, a valuable one. I won’t surrender it for nothing. Moreover, I don’t trust him entirely, unsure if he’s telling me the whole truth.
“You sound confident,” Jin remarks.
“I’m allowed to explore the palace as I wish.” I lift the ornament from Princess Chunlei, the one I haven’t had the chance to return. “How do I know you can do as you say?”
“Our contact has learned where your ring is kept in the treasury. We are forming a plan to extract it,” he assures me.
It’s like a weight has fallen away, though I find myself glaring at him. “You assumed I’d agree?”
“I knew you’d open your eyes. It was only a question of when.”
His confidence irks. Yet I can’t be angry with him when I’m hiding what he seeks. Remorse pricks me; the desire to share a little of what I saw—
Jin’s head jerks up abruptly. I catch it then, the muffled tread of feet.
He pulls me deeper into the shadows, up against a tree, his body covering mine.
Rough bark presses against my back, my head coming up to his chin.
In the dark, his eyes are a deep bronze.
My heart is beating too quickly, my body turning hot then cold.
A group of soldiers emerges, moving toward the hall. Their expressions are somber as they speak in hushed tones. If it wasn’t so quiet, we wouldn’t be able to hear them.
“Will we be blamed?” one asks.
“It wasn’t our fault,” his companion assures him.
“As a guest of the palace, Lord Chao’s safety is our responsibility,” another says tersely. “Yet he was attacked. What if they punish everyone on the night watch?”
Jin goes very still, his eyes ablaze. I catch his arm in warning. We can’t be discovered, I can’t be found alone with him.
“Who attacked Lord Chao?” one asks. “Have their identities been revealed?”
“I hear the assailants were masked and they escaped,” the first soldier says. “No one knows how they entered the palace. They ambushed Lord Chao when he was returning to his quarters, alone. While he fought them off, his leg is broken.”
A soldier with graying hair sighs. “This is what comes of insulting the general. Never lets an insult pass, each grudge repaid thrice over.”
“General Xilu would never have dared this without His Highness’s support,” the first one whispers, before his companions hush him.
They fall silent, walking past us. We wait awhile, then Jin releases me, stepping away. “I didn’t mean to grab you; there wasn’t time to explain.” He shakes his head, his voice low and furious. “I should have been with Lord Chao.”
Selfish of me, but I’m glad he wasn’t. Jin isn’t a fighter; he wouldn’t be able to defend Lord Chao… and then he’d be hurt too. I tell myself any concern must be because I need him now, nothing more.
“Do you think the general and Prince Zixin are capable of such a thing?” I ask.
“There is little they aren’t capable of.”
Unease grips me. To do this to an ally, an honored guest, is despicable. What will the prince do to me should I push him too far? And it’s only a question of when.
“It’s fortunate he’s alive, that it wasn’t worse,” Jin says grimly, staring at the tower of bamboo and iron rising above the trees. “It’s clear they wanted to prevent Lord Chao from participating in the tournament. They are afraid we’ll secure the starfire.”
“The tournament is less than a week away. Can’t another take Lord Chao’s place?” I ask.
Jin shakes his head. “We will have to forfeit. I can’t challenge the general on the tower.
None of our other soldiers here are General Xilu’s match, especially in climbing.
It’s not just the starfire at stake but our reputation.
If they imagine us weak, it will stir dangerous ambitions.
The Iron Mountains don’t honor alliances when there’s the chance for conquest.”
“Anything can happen on the tower. Maybe General Xilu will slip, the weather could turn. Climbing isn’t just about strength, but balance, agility, and quick thinking.”
Jin is studying me, his eyes hooded. “You sound like you know a lot about climbing.”
“I’ve climbed the trees near my home since my childhood.”
“Are you good?” he asks intently.
I think of how I used to harvest the fruit from the highest branches, the times I sat in the trees to stare at the palace, how I scaled the walls to escape the soldiers. “It’s helped me survive.”
“I heard you defended His Highness against the assassins. The first time we met… you cut me. You can use a weapon too,” he continues, like he’s talking to himself.
“Whatever you’re thinking, the answer is no,” I say flatly. “I have my own troubles with His Highness.”
“Has he done anything to you?” His voice is taut.
“He offered me a position as one of his consorts.” I flush as I say this, Jin’s face darkening.
“Have you given him an answer?” he asks.
“Not the one he wants,” I say slowly. “I’m running out of excuses… and out of time.” In more ways than one. Jin’s expression clears a little, like he cares. But while I trust him more than Prince Zixin, one person’s villainy doesn’t make the other good.
“I asked you a question earlier. I’ll ask it again.” His gaze bores into mine. “Do you want to get out?”
“Yes.” This time my answer is clear.
“I can bring you with us. But I can’t endanger the alliance, the safety of my people by taking away one the Prince of the Iron Mountains claims.” The heaviness in Jin’s voice is akin to regret.
“We need your help first, and you need to unlatch yourself from the Iron Mountains. Otherwise, our hands are tied—they will use you as a reason to scheme against us.”
“I don’t want that,” I say. “How do I ‘unlatch’ myself ?”
He angles himself toward me, a bar of moonlight falling across his face. “There is a way; it is dangerous.”
“I have a feeling I’m not going to like it,” I mutter, folding my arms across my chest.
“We need a champion. You want to be safe from the prince.” Jin leans closer, dropping his head toward me. “If you challenge and defeat General Xilu, we’ll both get what we want.”
I stare at him in disbelief. “I fail to see how dying will help me.”
“It’s a challenge, not a fight till the death.
You don’t have to be stronger than him or the better fighter—just faster.
General Xilu will be tired after battling those who want to represent the Iron Mountains, weakened when he faces you.
If you climb as well as you say you do, if you stay out of his reach—you could win. ”
“You make it sound like I’ve agreed.” I recall General Xilu’s pitiless face, the intimidating size of him, his reputation for fighting and brutality. “Think of another plan.”
“You know this could work.” Jin speaks carefully, letting each word sink in.
“Once you defeat General Xilu, you will be the Thorn Valley champion. Prince Zixin will be forced to release you to travel to the Amber Forest; he won’t have a hold on you…
unless you change your mind and agree to marry him. ”
“And you get a champion without risking any of your necks.”
“More importantly, our reputation,” he corrects me. “I don’t suggest this lightly.”
“What about rescuing the duke’s daughter? How can I take on a magic-wielder?” I’m grasping for reasons to refuse, even as my curiosity sparks about the Amber Forest.
“Leave that to us,” he assures me. “All you need to do is become our champion.”
“No.”
“Give this a chance.” Jin speaks in the quiet persuasive tone I’m beginning to dread because it twists my mind, bending my resolve. “Fight for Thorn Valley and you’ll be under our protection, no longer one of Prince Zixin’s subjects.”
“Prince Zixin will be furious. What if I need to return here?” I ask.