Page 11 of The Dragon Wakes with Thunder (The Dragon Spirit Duology #2)

Nine

Given the often parasitic nature of the spirit-vessel relationship, many summoners come to resent their spirits. Open hostility is unadvised, however, as spirit and vessel are bound together, like two birds that mate for life.

Lily found me as soon as I returned to my rooms. “They caught a spirit summoner,” she said breathlessly.

“Who?” I demanded, wondering if Sky was hurt. “Where?”

“I don’t know. All I know is that they’re set to hang him at the Gate of Heavenly Peace next week.”

I held my breath. Could it be him? The one behind the spirit gates, responsible for the terror and paranoia gripping the city? The disappeared ones, the mad ones, the dead ones? Had they caught him at last?

Perhaps this meant Sky could finally return home. But with him would return the Imperial Commander, and the crown prince. I was not moving fast enough.

“What news of the princes? Have you learned anything of value?”

She shook her head. “We’ve tried to bribe the servants, but their loyalty remains unshakable. The only way to compel them would be through force, but then they would surely report back to their mistresses.”

But what if there was another way to compel them—without them knowing? I thought of Winter’s advice as I toyed with my irons, the weight of them now as familiar to me as the weight of my own hair.

“Find out who the spirit summoner is,” I ordered. “Leave the princesses to me.”

I knew which guard carried my keys: Zibei, a young member of Sky’s personal guard. I did not particularly like him; his private smiles and long, lingering looks left me uneasy. But perhaps I could turn his interest to my advantage.

I waited until the changing of shifts to emerge from my rooms.

“My lady!” said Xiang, the most senior of Sky’s guards, who had replaced Luo Tao following his betrayal.

Improvising on the spot, I feigned dizziness. “What time is it?” I asked, stumbling forward.

“Nearly sundown, my lady—”

I had just passed Zibei when I pretended to trip and fall.

Zibei reached out to catch me, as I knew he would.

My hand closed around the ring of keys at his hip before I fumbled for the right one.

There. He tried to help me up, but I bought time by bending over, letting my body become deadweight as I unlatched the key from its hook.

Quickly I slid the iron key from its ring.

Then I straightened. To my annoyance, Zibei did not let go of me. Instead, I felt his thumb stroke the inside of my elbow.

“I’m so sorry,” I said, wrenching free from his grasp. “I should probably rest.”

Xiang looked concerned. “Do you need me to call for the physician? The prince likely will not return for another week.”

“It’s okay,” I said, hurrying back inside. “I would prefer to be left alone.”

I closed the door and locked it out of habit, never mind that my guards all had keys. Hurrying back to my bedchamber, I changed into dark robes that would blend into the night. Then I slid the key into the first of my iron bands. But I hesitated.

I stood there, frozen, equal parts fear and anticipation quickening my pulse. It had been so long since I’d tasted the thrum of lixia in my veins. I longed for that power, but also, I was afraid of it. Afraid of who I could become under its influence.

My desire superseded my fear. I turned the key and the first manacle fell open, clinking softly onto the rug below.

Suddenly, I couldn’t stand my irons a second longer.

Trembling now, I jammed the key into the second manacle, my impatience making me clumsy.

The key turned. I shoved the iron off my wrist.

I was free.

I gasped less from pain than from shock—I was flying, no, falling—falling from the sky in a thousand-li drop.

My qi surged forward to meet the incoming rush of lixia, which matched my qi like yin to yang.

I had forgotten what true power felt like.

Like a man living underground, I had forgotten the kiss of the sun.

How the light sparkled upon water, how its brilliance touched everything as far as the eye could see.

This life I’d been living ever since the war ended—it was but a half-life. This true power—this immensity, this richness of breath and sight and sound and every sense imaginable—this was what I had lived for. This was what I had killed for.

This was what my mother had died for.

I could feel my jade humming, urging me toward the spirit realm, but I ignored its call. I did not have time.

At the periphery of my senses, I could feel the dragon stirring with curiosity. His presence was like a haixiao wave gathering power, threatening to tip at any moment. But I was no longer afraid. He could not kill me.

“Qinglong,” I whispered.

I felt the flick of his tail against my mind—irritated, yet intrigued. “ So the rat has finally emerged from her little hiding place. ”

“Rats are ever so hard to catch, aren’t they?” I replied, pacing the length of my room. “You and I have had our differences in the past, but I’ll be honest with you now—our goals are one and the same.”

“Oh?”

“I want the throne,” I said bluntly. “And if your summoner controls the throne of the strongest kingdom in all of Tianjia, think of the influence you’ll have. In the spirit realm, and the human realm.”

“ Interesting ,” he hissed. He said nothing else, but I felt him prying at the edges of my consciousness, searching for a chink in my armor. I strengthened my mental shields in response, and he hissed with impatience.

“Those tricks won’t work on me anymore,” I told him.

I could feel his amusement nettling my skin. “ Is that so? ”

“Yes. And if you try again, I’ll bring back my irons, and you’ll be without a vessel once more. Which do you prefer?”

His amusement strengthened, but he did not deign to answer me. As his presence faded from my mind, I couldn’t be sure if I’d imagined it, but I thought I felt a hint of respect within his obstinate silence.

I hid my discarded irons under my bed, then went out through the front door—only to find Zibei stationed in the corridor. I’d forgotten about him.

“My lady,” he said, in a manner that was less formal than familiar.

“Sorry!” I exclaimed. “Just wanted some fresh air.”

“I can accompany you,” he replied. To my surprise, he tried to take my arm, but I evaded his touch.

“I changed my mind,” I said, backtracking. “Do not disturb me.”

I slammed the door shut behind me, annoyed but unwilling to wait. I leaned against the wall for several breaths, heart pounding, before eyeing the balcony inside my bedroom.

It would do. Sliding the screen door open, I scaled the balcony railing and climbed onto the nearby yinhua tree.

It felt strange to sneak around again, after weeks of trying to do what was right and proper.

My robes made it more difficult to run, but my body, rejuvenated with lixia, felt limber and free.

“ See all that you can do with my power ,” Qinglong murmured.

“You’re distracting me,” I snapped, as my heel missed a branch and I nearly plummeted into the lily pond below.

I heard his chuckle as I scrambled down the tree, landing softly on the nine-turn bridge.

“Should I target Princess Ruihua or Princess Yifeng first?” I whispered into the dark.

“I thought I was distracting you.”

I rolled my eyes.

“ What do you think? ” he purred.

Princess Ruihua had a closer connection with Prince Yuchen, who seemed poised to act first. However, it was Princess Yifeng who would undoubtedly find herself at the heart of any gossip and intrigue. I headed in the direction of her rooms.

“I wouldn’t go that way, if I were you.”

“Oh, so now you’re helping me?”

“There’s someone approaching the Southern Gate.”

Skeptical, yet unable to resist the bait, I changed directions and was rewarded for it. I arrived just as an imperial messenger rode through the outer courtyard. Seconds later, Princess Yifeng’s lady-in-waiting came hurrying through the gallery.

“I came at once,” she said.

“Give this to your mistress,” said the messenger. “Prince Keyan returns in a day.”

She nodded, bowing to the messenger, who was already saddling a fresh horse for departure. Meanwhile, the maidservant sped back through the gallery, and I after her.

Princess Yifeng had a shrewd eye. Her maidservant was neither as young nor as pretty as most ladies-in-waiting, yet the way she moved—swiftly and silently—suggested other skills.

Her face reflected years of honed awareness, her eyes alert to every subtle shift in the night.

Cautiously, I kept my distance from her—until I almost missed her vanishing behind a tapestry.

Before she could disappear, I raced forward and caught the edge of the hidden door.

“What in the skies—”

I slipped inside and shut the door behind us, so that our only source of light came from the candle in her hand. Closing in on her, I stared straight into her eyes. “ What is your name? ”

It had been so long since I’d used my power. I’d forgotten how good it felt—like stretching your legs after a long confinement.

Her expression contorted, before going blank. “Wei Xu.”

“Give me the letter, Wei Xu.”

Shaking, she handed me the messenger’s scroll. I broke the seal and tore it open, reading beneath the wavering light of her candle.

Yi Fan,

The Imperial Commander has accused me of misappropriating treasury funds.

There appears to be an accounting discrepancy concerning the imperial gold mines, for which I am held liable.

I shall return tomorrow but must depart the following morning to conduct a thorough investigation.

Kindly prepare my medicines for the journey with all due haste.

And ensure that our accounts are in order, should further inquiries arise.

Keyan

“ You’re welcome ,” whispered the dragon.

While I was reading, Wei Xu’s face had begun to clear. “Wh-what—”

I forced her chin up so that her eyes met mine. “ Give this to your mistress. Tell her you opened it by mistake. And forget I was ever here. ”