CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
T he thud of hooves reverberates, resonating through the earth.
Warriors in unfamiliar armor—a seemingly endless stream of them—ride into the hall, galloping over the charred remains of the door.
They are clad in black leather, helmets covering their heads.
Dark cloth wraps around the lower halves of their faces, leaving just their eyes uncovered.
Still, I recognize Captain Hong, one of Jin’s soldiers.
They aren’t from Mist Island but Thorn Valley, the promised reinforcements—though disguised to protect the farce of the alliance.
A tall man leads the charge, lean and graceful upon his mount, his sword gleaming as he cuts his way through the Iron Mountains soldiers.
His helmet falls slightly lower than the rest, almost concealing his eyes.
As his gaze slices the room, it collides with mine—a sliver of golden brown.
Jin. For a moment, everything else falls away; he is the only one I see.
Wherever I am, wherever you are—I will come for you.
I thought these were just words, spoken in the moment…
and I’ve never been more glad to be wrong.
My heart soars as Jin guides his horse toward me, carving a path through the soldiers.
His warriors fight with ferocious skill, moving seamlessly with their steeds.
Creatures of starlight, Jin called them.
Their unearthly beauty is the kind that makes you stop and stare, forgetting the world.
Rippling bands of light flash across their luminous bodies.
Delicate antlers crown their heads, above eyes of sapphire and pearl, their hooves shining like moonstone.
This must be why those of the Iron Mountains believe the attack is from Mist Island.
I unsling the dragon carefully, placing him in Dian’s hands. “Go with them. Take Ruilin and the Sun Dragon to safety.”
“You must come with us.”
“Not yet. I need to help.” If I didn’t have my magic, maybe I’d flee too. But now there’s the added weight of knowing I might shift the odds. And more than that, I won’t abandon Jin.
He calls out for his soldiers, several breaking away to ride to us.
Dian seizes my arm. “Don’t use your magic again, not unless you must.” Her warning falls out in a rush.
“You summoned fire… power that belongs to the Sun Dragon. Such magic is stronger than anything we channel, far harder to leash, especially when you’re already exhausted.
If untethered, it could hurt you—it could break you.
You won’t know friend from enemy; you’ll endanger everyone, most of all, yourself. ”
Fear knots in my gut, but I nod. Dian releases me as Jin’s soldiers pull her and Ruilin onto their mounts. They ride swiftly from the hall, galloping through the entrance. I breathe easier then, though a part of me envies their freedom.
“We have to hurry,” Jin urges, holding his hand out to me.
Ahead, Prince Zixin is still fighting the soldiers. His movements are slowing, growing sluggish. Not all are attacking him yet—perhaps nervous to strike one of his stature. But the rest will cut him down soon, my chest constricting at the thought.
I hesitate. “What about Prince Zixin?”
A beat of silence, Jin’s eyes narrowing. “The Prince of the Iron Mountains is our enemy. I came to save you from him.”
He’s right. Yet everything has been turned inside out, villains of the past eclipsed by those of the present.
“Queen Chunlei is behind everything, even the attack on Mist Island. She bonded her brother to the dragon to steal his magic and blood, fusing the starfire together. If we leave the prince here, he will die.” And she will win.
“We owe him nothing.” Jin bends down, swinging me effortlessly onto his horse in front of him.
I struggle, pushing at his chest, his arm tightening around my waist to hold me steady. “Prince Zixin and I struck a deal. He gave me the Sun Dragon and Dian’s ring—and I promised to bring him with us.”
“He took those things from you and your sister,” Jin reminds me scathingly, yanking the reins as he guides his horse toward the entrance. “Promises are meaningless when coerced.”
It echoes what I thought before. The prince is our enemy, regardless of his sister’s villainy. But while I’ve broken a lot of promises, this one is different. I didn’t give it to the Prince of the Iron Mountains… but to the boy who’d saved me.
“I gave him my word. That means something to me even if it’s nothing to you.”
“It means something to me too,” he replies tightly. “But I won’t risk us for him, nor will I risk any of my soldiers.”
“We must go!” one of Jin’s soldiers calls out, a woman, her face covered.
The Thorn Valley warriors are battling General Xilu’s forces, keeping them away from us.
Light gleams around them, deflecting most of the blows that rain down, like a protective barrier.
Is this Jin’s power—how he protected me from Dian before she knew who I was?
If he erected these shields across so many, it would be a great strain.
“We are outnumbered, we have to flee. Now,” he says through gritted teeth. “Our mounts can outpace theirs, but it won’t matter if we’re dead.”
I shake my head, though I’m cursing myself too. “Take Prince Zixin with us—I’ll help keep your soldiers safe. The dragon yielded me a little of his magic.” A rash offer. After Dian’s warning, I’m afraid to use it again, even as I crave the freedom of unfettered power.
A brief pause. “You broke the doors to the Grand Hall?”
“Yes. But it’s dangerous for me to channel it. Dian said it’s easier to lose control because this magic is greater than we usually wield—”
“Don’t do this for him,” he interjects. “He’s not worth it.”
A soldier thrusts a spear at us, narrowly missing the side of my head. Jin slams it away with his sword, urging his horse toward the entrance. I grip his hand tightly, a current pulsing through me.
“Help me, Jin. Shield me.” The idea is forming as I speak. “Like how you protect your warriors here—except shield me from my power within. Keep me safe.”
I twist around to look at him, his eyes ablaze as he stares back at me. Jin leans forward, his breath sliding into my ear. “I will try.”
“Thank you—”
“Don’t thank me.” He tugs the reins to slow his horse. “I wouldn’t ask for anything to save you. But to save the Prince of the Iron Mountains? I’ll need something more.”
I curse him inwardly—then, aloud. “What do you want?”
“Help me restore Thorn Valley. We have need of the magic that was denied to us.”
He speaks smoothly like he’s already planned this, just waiting for the right opportunity. Dian was right; he did want something from me—and this time, he’ll collect in full. But I won’t worry about this now; tomorrow feels too distant when I can’t even see the end of today.
“Do you agree?” he asks.
“I do.” I don’t hesitate; there’s no time… though I hate accepting a first offer.
“If your family learns about this, they will object; your people may shun you.”
“Then we won’t tell them anything. We’re both good at telling lies.”
Jin yanks the reins of his horse abruptly, swinging around to gallop back to the center of the hall where Prince Zixin is surrounded by General Xilu’s soldiers. A group of Thorn Valley warriors breaks away to follow us. Though they are the stronger fighters, we’re greatly outnumbered.
“We must rescue the Prince of the Iron Mountains,” Jin tells them, nodding at a gray-eyed woman. “Shiji, you’ll bear the prince.”
“A hostage?” Scorn laces her voice.
“We need him,” he says firmly. “We’ll guard you.”
Shiji sighs, then rides toward Prince Zixin.
He’s cornered by soldiers, blood spilling from his wounds.
Queen Chunlei and General Xilu stand a little way behind.
Their heads snap up as we approach, the general ordering his warriors to attack us.
Archers rush into the fray, aiming arrows our way.
If this fails, the only way we’ll be escaping is in a coffin.
“Take my hand. We must protect my soldiers.” Jin’s tone is one of command, not the teasing or intimate one I’ve grown used to.
He wraps the reins around his palm as I place my hand in his—his fingers locking around mine. An icy chill jolts me, spreading through my body, almost numbed from the cold.
“I’m shielding you. Release your magic,” he tells me. “I’ll keep you safe.”
I reach for my power, grasping it more easily now.
As the force builds, the familiar tension coils within, winding tighter—I don’t flinch from it this time, plunging onward until it snaps, the power surging through my body.
It feels like drowning, being swept away.
I should be afraid, yet Jin’s cool energy sheathes me, tempering the heat until it calms to a steady current.
Jin’s eyes are piercingly bright, his mouth curved.
My body is feverish, running hot and cold, as my strength continues to flow in a glittering rush.
As the cold sharpens inside me—Jin’s shield strengthening—so does the flow of my magic channeled through it.
Light flickers from my palms, flames erupting forth, sweeping across the Iron Mountains soldiers, hurling them back.
Ash and soot swirl high, gritty and dense.
A dank chill pierces the air, thick with foreboding.
Queen Chunlei steps forward, the starfire in her crown shimmering as she raises her hand.
Ice glistens along her fingertips, forming sharp spears—breaking free to hurtle into our warriors around her, even her own people.
Blood spills from the gashes across their arms and faces.
The power… she’s learned to wield it. Rage mounts that she’s getting everything she’s schemed for, paid with my family’s suffering.
I spin toward her, eager to strike—but she’s quicker.
More spears of ice dart toward me, one scraping my forehead.
As the queen’s hand fists, the gem on her crown flares brighter.
The floor shudders, then cracks apart—tiles splintering, jagged fragments flying wide as the soldiers cry out and stumble back.
A Thorn Valley horse rears, its rider falling, but he’s swiftly helped to safety by his comrades.
As Shiji reaches Prince Zixin, she extends her hand to him. He takes it without pause, leaping upon her horse, blood streaming down his face.
“Fall back! Flee!” Jin calls out to his soldiers.
I don’t think, unleashing another wave of fire, carving a path through the soldiers and archers clustered around the entrance.
Jin’s hand tightens around mine, his other guiding the horse between the soldiers as we gallop to the doorway.
He’s leaning down, his body pressed to mine—so close it’s like we’re one.
A sudden wave of fatigue crashes over me, more startling because of how effortless channeling the magic felt. I sag, slipping a little, but Jin’s arm closes tighter around me as his mount bolts through the rubble of the entrance of the Grand Hall.
“Where are Dian and Ruilin?” My words fracture as the wind rushes against my face.
“Gone ahead. They will meet us by the entrance.”
My heart sinks at the sight of the wall in the distance, snaking around the grounds. The closer we get, the heavier I feel, almost struggling to breathe. It’s harder to grasp my power, slipping away, elusive and weak. Is this how iron suppresses our magic?
Clusters of Thorn Valley soldiers are already battling the guards by the palace entrance, Dian and Ruilin among them.
More of the queen’s soldiers stream forward to block our path, archers lining the top of the wall.
Memories flash—of the prince staring at me from there as I’d stolen an invitation to enter the palace.
I cast them aside, the shadow of emotions they evoke, a ruin of dreams.
The walls are intact, just the entrance door broken and hastily barricaded—signs of how Jin’s soldiers forced their way in.
As the archers aim their arrows at us, Jin tenses behind me, a coolness surging around us—though weaker than before.
He’s tired too, or suppressed by the iron wall—yet gleaming shields surround the Thorn Valley soldiers now.
As the arrows fly, I recoil, unsure how long Jin’s barriers can hold.
His jaw is clenched, his breathing labored. “Let me help,” I whisper, still struggling to grasp my magic, our hands still joined. “But I need you.”
The answering rush of his magic sweeps through my body once more, enveloping the raw power that courses inside me.
I seize it, releasing it into the earth—into the trees surrounding the palace.
The ground shakes, roots erupting from beneath.
As they lash wide, the soldiers around the entrance tumble over, the barricades on the doors falling apart.
Our mounts gallop through the cleared path, leaping swiftly through the opening, their hooves a blur as they cover vast stretches of ground.
And then we’re out of the Palace of Nine Hills.