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“Hong will be dead within the hour,” she said. “Then the people will learn of the tragic passing of their beloved prince and emperor, in that order.”

“What have you done with him?” I said, tightening my grip on the blade even as my hands trembled harder. I thought of the look on his face as he’d kissed me goodbye in the garden, eyes bright with hope not yet extinguished. This wasn’t supposed to be the end, not yet.

“I’ve been thinking of posthumous names for Hong,” she said, as if she hadn’t heard me. “We can call him Emperor Xiaojing, even though he was never really Emperor, but I think the people would find it endearing. It would show how much I loved him.”

“Where is he?”I said, raising my knife. “And where are my cousins?”

“Your cousins?” the Empress said. She hummed as if thinking. “Apologies, but their names have slipped my mind.”

Then she waved over her servant, who brought her a gold tray with a lid. She lifted the lid and tossed it aside with a clatter, then picked up what looked like two stained strips of parchment ripped from a weathered book.

“Ah, yes,” the Empress said, squinting at the strips. “Fan Wenshu and Fan Yufei, right? How lucky that I saved these.”

“What are those?” I said, stepping closer, my whole body thrumming with so much adrenaline that my knees felt like wet paper. “What are you reading?”

“Just a little souvenir,” she said, extending the strips to me in her palm. I took them with shaking hands.

For a moment, I didn’t understand what I was looking at. The paper was stained deep brown, with black ink scratched haphazardly into the surface. A ringing began in my ears when I realized this was my own handwriting. The soul tags I’d carved into their backs all those years ago.

This wasn’t paper, but skin.

I threw the soul tags to the floor, dizzy with nausea. I imagined my cousin’s souls floating away, lost in the river, no way to return.

“Where are they?” I said, my voice low. The Moon Alchemist had said I couldn’t resurrect people twice, but maybe I could find a way. I would try, no matter what it cost me, no matter what evil it brought into the world. I just needed their bodies.

The Empress took a long sip of wine, then pointed a thin finger at the roaring fire behind her, piled high with ashes and blackened bones. The foul smell in the room was of flesh, like the fires in the western wards.

I sank to my knees, choking on the rancid air, clutching my throat. I didn’t remember much of death, but I was sure that this was what dying felt like, your whole body a scream that didn’t make a sound.

There was only one person I had left.

The doors to the throne room slammed open, and a guard dragged the prince in, throwing him to the floor.

“Hong,” the Empress said, smiling, “finally, you’ve joined us.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

“Zilan!” the prince said, rising to his feet. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t find him, I—”

“Hong, shut up,” the Empress said. She rose from her throne, her gold robes trailing behind her, then drew a knife from her sleeve and pressed it to the prince’s throat.

“Wait!”I said, reaching for my stones. My hand froze as the Empress shot me a warning glare, wrenching the prince closer to her, a thin bead of blood trickling down his throat. Only hours ago, I’d thought I was going to overthrow the Empress. Now I had no one and nothing left but Hong.

“Get in the cage, Scarlet,” the Empress said.

I looked over my shoulder at a metal enclosure behind me, just like my first exam. At my hesitation, the Empress only pressed the knife harder into the prince’s throat, drawing more blood. I didn’t know if the Empress was familiar with the rules of resurrection—if she were to tear his body to shreds, he would be gone forever, and I couldn’t bear to lose him too. So I clenched my fists, bent down, and crawled into the cage, which the guard instantly slammed shut and locked.

“Give the guard your stones,” the Empress said.

I bit back a sound of frustration and passed my satchel through.

“There,” the Empress said, smiling. “Now we can have a pleasant conversation.”

“Pleasant?” I said, gripping the bars.

“Yes,” the Empress said. “You see, Scarlet, I think we can help each other.”

I thought of my cousins’ bones burning in the fireplace and spit on the floor. “As if I would ever help you.”