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“Did I say I’d kill you?” The dragon’s molten eyes were unblinking. “No, I said I’d stab you in the chest.”

And leave me on the brink of death, I understood, so the pearl would desert me.

“The Wraith’s pearl doesn’t belong with one such as you,” said Solzaya. “A half-fledged sorceress.” She scoffed. “A shadow of your stepmother.”

Beneath the mockery, Solzaya’s tone was sour. Which struck me. At the ceremony, she had wanted to claim the Wraith’s pearl for herself.

A dragon only looks after his best interest.

“Who should have it, then?” I said slowly. “King Nazayun? Your father is the Dragon King. He doesn’t need the pearl.” I drew out my next words. “Don’t you want it for yourself?”

Solzaya’s laugh cut short, and the kelp knots tightened, squeezing into my joints. It took all my willpower not to let out a cry of pain.

“Don’t presume to tempt me, girl.”

“I could give it to you,” I pressed, trying hard not to wince. “The pearl is bound to me, but I…I could transfer it to you.”

Kiki flew uneasily in her cage. Shiori, what are you doing?

“Or I could simply spear you in the chest.” Solzaya’s whiskers twitched ever so slightly, belying her sneer. “And let you bleed until the pearl decides to come to me.”

“If it were that easy, your father would have done so already,” I replied. My life depended on how I sold my next words: “Besides, there’s no guarantee the pearl would choose you.”

Ever so slightly, Solzaya’s whiskers curled.

“But if I offered the pearl to you voluntarily—as the result of a wager—then…”

“A wager?”

This was it. I had her attention.

“Yes.” I pounced. “A shard from your mirror if I win, and the Wraith’s pearl if I lose.”

Solzaya’s pupils constricted. “A shard for the broken pearl? Do you know the power of what you carry?”

“I have some idea.”

“Why the change of heart? You wouldn’t give it to my father during the ceremony.”

“He has power enough without it.” I licked my lips. “And he won’t help me find the Wraith. The mirror would.”

“Would it, now?” Solzaya’s sneer deepened. “Name your terms.”

I spoke quickly, before I lost my nerve. “You hide the mirror of truth’s shards among a thousand others. If I can find one, then you will allow me to keep it and you will release us. If I fail, I will give you the Wraith’s pearl.”

I rolled the pearl into Solzaya’s view. Even in its most subdued state, its power was impossible to ignore. Solzaya’s shoulders grew taut, and a sheen of desire imbued her fiery scales.

She said, “If you give me the Wraith’s pearl, your protections in Ai’long will come to an end. You do realize what will become of you when that happens?”

I didn’t waver. “You’ll have to win for me to give you the pearl.”

“Didn’t I warn you never to play games with dragons? We always win.”

“I’ve never been a good listener.”

She let out a throaty laugh. “I accept your wager. But on the condition that you find all seven shards—before the sands run south.” A thin hourglass appeared on her palm. “Do so, and I will set you free.”

All seven shards? If I’d thought I was clever for coming up with this contest, I certainly didn’t think so anymore. “I agree, but only if you set Kiki free before the trial. And promise to the conditions. A dragon’s word is nothing without a promise.”