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“That was what broke her trust,” Takkan said, putting the pieces together.

“She was furious. We were never the same afterward.” My voice turned thick. “For years I assumed it was because of what I did, but that wasn’t it. Snakes are sensitive to magic. They sensed mine and told Raikama. She did all she could to hide my powers and keep them from manifesting, even if that meant distancing herself from me.”

“She knew what would happen if the wrong people discovered you were the bloodsake,” said Takkan. “She was protecting you.”

“She was.” I sank into a bed of silvergrass, kneeling beside the weeping willow that had sheltered my stepmother in the final moments of her life. “She was always protecting me.”

Pots of moon orchids had been placed about the garden on flat rocks to honor the imperial consort, but some of the flowers had begun to dry in the summer heat. I touched their fallen petals, releasing the tiniest strand of magic to carry them off into the brightening sky.

For a moment, I could see her in the clouds. Her opalescent eyes, the long sable hair that gleamed even in the dark, the mysterious scar across her cheek. Too soon she faded, alive only in my memory.

I swallowed, slowly finding my voice again. “She wasn’t perfect. She made mistakes, selfish mistakes. But she cared for me more than I ever knew.” I held out the red thread. “Before she died, she used this thread to help me escape the Holy Mountains.”

Takkan touched the loose end of the thread, tucking it back inside the ball. “It’s enchanted.”

“With Emuri’en’s magic,” I confirmed. The power of fate.

I rolled the ball in my hands. “I’m starting to think that magic never left Kiata. Not completely. The gods buried it deep within the heart of our land, where it lay dormant.”

I pictured a garden under a perpetual snowfall, roots and bulbs waiting for the thaw.

Magic was slowly awakening. I could feel it in my stepmother’s thread, in Kiki every day as she grew more alive. I could even feel it as I leaned toward the pond, searching its depths for the enchanted passageway that lay beneath.

I held the ball of thread over the pond, and its waters rippled ever so subtly. As if in anticipation.

“Take me to the Holy Mountains.”

We followed the red thread and emerged deep in the forest, not far from the Holy Mountains. A journey, Takkan informed me, that usually took an entire morning on horseback.

The breach was a short trek away, but Takkan wanted to scout the area before going too close. “The demons know you’re back,” he explained darkly. “We can’t be too careful.”

He led me down a path that sloped into the mountain pass, and we ascended slowly, quietly. When at last the glow of the breach came into view, I caught my breath. I’d glimpsed it before in the mirror of truth, but up close it looked different.

It’s grown, I realized.

The breach now extended halfway up the tallest peak, as tall and wide as a willow tree. Scarlet light poured out of its crooked seam, like a wound that wept blood. Or a river of demon eyes.

I grabbed a low tree branch and hoisted myself up for a better look. At the breach’s base was a camp of sentinels and soldiers, forming a cordon around the mountain.

“Is it wise to have all these men here guarding against Bandur?” I asked Takkan. “If he can possess Qinnia…”

“He isn’t invincible,” said Takkan, “and he can’t stay far from the breach for long. After a few hours, he always comes back. The soldiers send word to Benkai whenever there’s movement, and whenever he returns. It’s harder to see when he leaves, since it’s usually at night.”

“He’s inside now,” I stated.

A nod.

That was a relief, but I still frowned. “I understand the patrols, but we don’t need this many soldiers to play watchman.”

“It turns out demons aren’t our only concern.” Takkan directed my attention back to the forest. “See those patches of scorched wood?”

I stepped up for a better vantage point, but I already knew what he was talking about. The mirror of truth had shown me, and I’d noticed the groves of charred trees when we first arrived. “That wasn’t Bandur?”

“No. It was local Kiatans.” Takkan lowered his voice. “Word is spreading that there is a demon in Gindara. Your father and brothers have done their best to contain it, but fear spreads faster than any fire. Since you’ve been away, many have come to the breach and tried to burn the evil out of the forest.”

I swallowed hard. It was only a matter of time before the whole country knew about Bandur. Deep down, that troubled me more than the Demon King himself.

“The soldiers are necessary reinforcements until we find a way to seal the breach,” said Takkan. “Your father’s permitted a pair of enchanters to come investigate the mountains. We’re hoping they can find a solution.”