Page 64

“A war, over a woman?”

“I heard Siwang’s betrothed is destined to be the empress of all empresses! If he claims her, then he is the rightful ruler of the continent!”

“All these gold-spoon babies care about is power.”

“What do you care about?”

“Getting drunk!”

Whoever said men didn’t gossip like aunties clearly had never set foot within a military camp.

I let them talk. Anything to take their minds off our arduous training and the fate that awaited us at the front lines.

It helped that—secretly—I didn’t mind how I went from the scrawny loser at the bottom of the pecking order to someone the other recruits revered. When it was time to do our laundry, the camp practicallyfoughtto wash my clothes for me. When it was time to eat, they fought again to give me the juiciest pieces of pickled cabbage.

Life as Siwang’s betrothed had been a thing of luxury. It seemed life as his rumored lover was just as good. For Rong Siwang was the sun and it was lovely to bask in his light—a feeling I both loved and hated.

For if Siwang could bestow me his light, he could also take it away.

I didn’t want to forever reflect his light. I wanted to be the one emitting this light.

In my head, I kept going back to that kiss in the tent. Did he kiss me because he’d missed me? If he had, then why would he leave without saying goodbye? Was he trying to break my heart because I had broken our betrothal? Or was he trying to seduce me so he could claim the prophecy?

Rong had begun to lose battles only after I left. And I didn’t want to believe that Siwang would do this for the prophecy. His joy had been beautiful and convincing in that dimly lit tent, after his lips brushed mine, yet…

My delirious thoughts ran in furious circles morning, noon, and night. I hated that the longer he was away, the more I thought of him.

“Focus!” Luyao hissed, and took this opportunity to swipe his staff under my feet, sending me crashing to the ground.

“Ow!” I cried. While most of the recruits went easy on me because of the rumors, Luyao treated me the same as ever.

“Pick up the pace, Little Li! Your pretty face won’t save you on the battlefield!” Caikun snapped from somewhere behind me. Though he and Siwang had disappeared on the same day, when Caikun returned to camp, Siwang had not been with him.

“I’m sorry, Commander Wu!”

Caikun scowled as he paced the length of the courtyard, only half paying attention to us.

I couldn’t tell if something had happened. Caikun looked like he was on edge, but the entire camp had been on edge since the snow had begun to melt.

Spring meant warmer weather, and it also meant death. Now that the soldiers of both sides were no longer distracted by the mortal need to survive the cold, the war would inevitably pick up its pace.

However, from what Siwang had told me, the cold didn’t bother Lan and its vampires as it did us. The warmer weather could be a blessing because the vampires didn’t like daylight. As the days grew longer, the vampires would have to spend more time in hiding. This meant Rong would have to fight only the human soldiers, who were much easier to deal with.

We can still turn this war around,Siwang had said, though I wasn’t so sure.

Winter or summer, men would continue to die. And at some point, we would be ushered to the front lines.

At some point, these friends I had made around campfires would begin to die like they did in my nightmares.

37

Five days later, I saw Beifeng back in his stall.

Midmorning that same day, right before our combat training, a slender man in a eunuch’s uniform pulled me aside. He must have been a new addition to Siwang’s staff, because I didn’t recognize him and he didn’t seem to recognize me. At least, if he did, he didn’t let it show. I couldn’t help but wonder whether my disguise was good enough to bypass so many eyes. Or did these men simply follow Siwang’s orders? “The prince wants to see you.”

An order, not a request. Was this who I was to Siwang now? Someone at his beck and call, summoned when he pleased and abandoned when he grew bored?

“I have to train.”