Page 24 of The Dragon Wakes with Thunder (The Dragon Spirit Duology #2)

Seventeen

But the dragon does not lower his head for the stream; the stream rises to meet him.

“No,” I breathed, as Winter’s face drained of color. Sky, meanwhile, looked blankly back at Lord Xu, too bewildered to process fear.

“The seventh prince Sky, Your Majesty,” said Lord Xu.

Liu Zhuo took this in, his frown deepening into the grooves of his face. With an almost imperceptible shake of his head, he sat back in his chair. “Guards,” he ordered.

“You fool,” Winter hissed at Keyan, his eyes like shards of ice. “Did you really believe I wouldn’t make copies of the reports I gave you?”

“By then,” Keyan said quietly, so that their father would not overhear, “it will be too late.”

The Imperial Commander rose to his feet wearily. Consort Caihong rushed to help him, but he waved her off. “Call the executioner,” he said to his advisor. “We must make haste, before news reaches the standing army.”

I felt my knees buckle. Because the standing army, most of which had fought during the Three Kingdoms War, would be loyal to Sky.

Everything was falling apart. My carefully crafted plans, which had taken months to engineer, were being dismantled in seconds. Winter could find his copies of the security reports, but would the Imperial Commander listen to words and numbers over the visceral confession of Lord Xu?

I could try to reason with Sky’s father, but experience had taught me he would not listen to common sense. No, concerning the treachery of his beloved son, his was an emotional response. There was no reasoning with a man like this.

But I had another way to compel him.

My thoughts racing, I surveyed the throne room, the myriad people surrounding us.

The imperial guards, approaching Sky like little boys approaching a wild bear.

Some of them had fought by his side, or served under him, and their reluctance was evident in their manner of approach.

Then there were the servants, making themselves scarce; the consorts and wives, plotting their own lines of defense; the imperial advisors, whispering and pointing; the princes, distancing themselves from Sky; and the Imperial Commander, who stood like a captain before his ship’s helm, scanning the gathering storm beyond.

The storm was about to get worse.

Will you help me? I asked silently. When our goals are one and the same?

Qinglong’s response was slow, as if coming from a great distance. But when he spoke, I felt his power thrumming through me, the thunder of his voice. “ It’s about time a true dragon took the throne. ”

Emboldened, I stepped forward. I needed to find a way to get the Imperial Commander alone; compulsion was most effective when focused, and controlling the minds of this great an audience was beyond my power.

But securing a private audience with him was no simple task—and he would not agree to it unless I first earned his trust.

“Your Majesty,” I said, as the guards reluctantly took hold of Sky.

Sky’s glare shifted to me, fear clouding his eyes. “Meilin,” he warned, his voice tense.

“You,” said Liu Zhuo with a sneer. “I have no use for you anymore. Take her—”

“The traitor is not Prince Sky,” I interrupted, and covertly, I drew from my powers to ensure that my voice carried throughout the hall. “The traitor is Prince Keyan, who has been carrying out his own deceptions for over a decade.”

Prince Keyan shook his head wearily, seeming to expect this, but I forged on.

“Lady Caihong,” I said, meeting her troubled gaze. “Please come forward.”

Caihong rose timidly from her seat, her head bowed and her hands tightly folded.

Keyan looked in widening disbelief from me to Caihong. Now his resigned tolerance of me was replaced with loathing. “Ignore her, Father,” said Keyan. “She lies to save herself—”

“P-please,” Consort Caihong said, and her high-pitched voice, so out of place in the throne room, seemed to startle her audience into a stillness of sorts. “Let me explain.”

“It’s all a ploy,” said Keyan, speaking over her as she tried to address the Imperial Commander. “Don’t listen to—”

“Enough!” Liu Zhuo ordered, looking even more tired than before, if that were possible. “Caihong, what is it?”

She prostrated herself before him and I felt my stomach tighten with nerves. I had forced her into the spotlight, which she hated, and made her share what she considered her most hideous secret. But I had promised her—and myself—I would not let her bear the consequences alone.

“Your Majesty,” she said, her voice wavering only a little.

“After you elevated me as your consort, I was loyal to you and only you. But Prince Keyan—having long coveted what you possessed—pursued me in secret. After I rejected his advances, he forced himself on me. When I tried to seek help, he blackmailed me, so that I could not tell a soul. Please,” she said, and now her voice caught. “Forgive me, my love—”

He backhanded her so hard blood flew from her mouth. I started forward but the guards at the dais raised their swords. He struck her again and Caihong did not so much as lift a finger to defend herself.

“How dare you,” he snarled, his breathing heavy as he reached for her throat, “and with my own son—”

“Did you not hear—he forced himself on her! It’s not her fault!” I shouted. “ Stop! ”

I did not know if I spoke with compulsion, but the Imperial Commander suddenly went still, dropping Caihong. She crawled away to the edge of the dais, her face streaked with tears.

“You bitch —” said Keyan, lunging for her and grabbing her by her hair. But even this act of possession seemed to enrage his father.

“Do not touch her!” he roared.

“Father,” said Keyan, backing away. “They are conspiring against me—”

His father’s face was altered with rage. I saw now that to Liu Zhuo, there was no deceit more personal than this. Even Sky’s supposed treachery paled in comparison. “You don’t think I know her? You don’t think I know she does not lie?”

Prince Keyan stared open-mouthed, at last understanding that the tides had changed course. “I—please—”

“Get out of my sight.”

“Father,” he pleaded.

“You are no son of mine,” he said. “Get out of my sight now—or I’ll murder you where you stand.”

Keyan stumbled back. So engrossed was I in their exchange, I did not notice Princess Yifeng until her talon-like nails dug into my shoulder. “I warned you,” she breathed, her eyes alight with malice. “You little rat, you’ll pay for this—”

I wrenched her off me. “You believe I don’t know the scent of poison?” I whispered. Her eyes widened, though I was only bluffing. “I could take you down with your dear husband,” I said, “but I’ll spare you this time, and this time alone.”

Yifeng bared her teeth in a growl. “I won’t be cast aside so easily.” Her voice carried certain promise. “I’ll find my way back, and I’ll take my revenge. I don’t make idle threats, Lady Hai—you’ll learn that soon enough.”

She clearly wished to say more, but her husband had already turned on his heel and run, and she had no choice but to chase after him, lest she too attract the Imperial Commander’s wrath.

Behind me, Winter whispered a few choice words to the imperial guards, who, though still restraining Sky, did not lead him away. Sky caught my eye and gestured for me to back away from the dais, but I shook my head.

I turned my attention back toward the throne.

“I should kill you,” Liu Zhuo was saying, looking down at Caihong prostrating herself before him.

“Please,” she begged, her hand grazing his shoe. He flinched and jerked back.

“Don’t touch me.”

She flinched, as did I, remembering the weight of their collective disgust against me. Liu Zhuo returned to his throne, his face cast with that same disgust, but also unease, and I understood then how much she meant to him.

“Your Majesty,” I tried. “None of this was her fault—”

“Silence!” Liu Zhuo interrupted with growing impatience. “Tell me,” he said to Caihong, rubbing his forehead. “What would you have me do with you?”

She raised her overbright eyes to him. “Give me the common law’s punishment for infidelity, and banish me.”

I sucked in a breath. The common law’s punishment was a flogging, and a brutal one at that. For men it was thirty strokes, for women it was fifteen. But in her state, as delicate as she was…

“Very well,” said Liu Zhuo, his eyes closing briefly. “It will be done as you have said—”

“I will take her punishment,” I blurted, the words escaping before I could even think.

I felt the weight of countless eyes turning toward me, whispers spreading and fingers pointing in my direction. I ignored them, focusing on Liu Zhuo.

“Very well,” he said, infinitesimal relief crossing his face. “Handle it with all due speed. I want this matter resolved and dismissed.”

A guard came forward to bind my wrists. The sight of rope in his hands made my ears begin to ring.

“I only have one request, Your Majesty,” I said quickly. “In return for bringing this matter to light.”

His face darkened with irritation. “Have you overlooked how precarious your own position is, Lady Hai? Do not think I have forgotten your previous deception.”

“All I request, Your Majesty, is a private audience with you.”

He sneered. “You think I’d agree to meet with you alone—”

“I am but a woman,” I replied. “I carry no weapons and harbor no ill will. But if Your Majesty still seeks to maintain utmost caution,” I continued, “let it be immediately after the flogging, when it will be impossible for me to pose any threat. Your Majesty, I simply wish to speak with you, without the interference of others.”

Consort Caihong nodded. “She means no harm, Your Majesty.”

And he was right; she had never been a liar. I had assured her that I did not mean to harm the Imperial Commander, only to speak with him, and she had believed me.

Yet words could cut sharper than any blade.

“Very well,” he agreed, after studying Caihong’s expression.