Sora dared to wrap her arm around Hana. And to her surprise, Hana tucked her head into the crook of Sora’s neck, just like she used to do when they were little.
Her sister’s doubt about carrying out this mission made sense too. The Society was built on a rigid hierarchy, and even though Hana had been there for only a short time, her mind had always operated well under that kind of order. She’d looked up to Sora not only because she was her older sister but also because Sora outranked her. It was the same reason Hana went stomping around and barking at the ryuu now. She outranked them, and she felt compelled to remind everyone of it.
The problem, however, was when Hana was asked to disrespect someone higher up in the chain. Like the empress.
“What kind of ryuu am I, if I can’t even help Prince Gin with the most crucial first part of his plan?” Hana asked. But then she sighed and said, “You wouldn’t understand. You’re under the prince’s spell.”
“Huh?” What was Hana talking about?
“Never mind.”
“But I don’t understand.”
“It’s, um, not important,” Hana said. “What is important is that Prince Gin needs us to take Empress Aki out of the picture, so that he can claim the throne. He ordered us to do this.”
The warm tide coursed through Sora’s body again. It was like a kiss of heat that began in her heart, then spread down her spine, through her limbs, to the very tips of her fingers and toes. She smiled and nodded. “I can kill her.”
Hana sat back up. “What?”
“I understand what you’re going through. It’s possible to believe in a cause but still have trouble doing what you’re supposed to do. That was my life story in the Society, remember?”
“You did have a hard time following their rules.”
“Yeah,” Sora said. “So I understand how you feel. You want Prince Gin to be emperor, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to carry out what he’s asked you to do. I have no qualms, though.” The warmth had become a self-assured blaze inside her now. “If you can take out the Imperial Guards at Copper Bluff, I’ll take care of assassinating the empress. I’ll do it so you don’t have to.”
Hana looked like she might cry, but it was a happy sheen of tears over her eyes. “You’d really do that? Even after I was nasty to you?”
“I’m your sister. Anything within my power, I’d do for you.”
Hana laughed dismissively, but she nestled her head back into the crook of Sora’s neck.
Sora brought her in more tightly and buried her nose in Hana’s hair. She smelled of dirt and sweat, but Sora didn’t mind. She had thought her little sister was gone forever. But here she was, alive and in her arms.
I will never lose you again.
Chapter Forty-Six
Daemon wiped the sweat from where it dripped off his soaked headband. He’d gotten Broomstick’s dragonfly, and he was on his way to meet them.
The desert was brutally unforgiving. Daemon wore a straw hat, but he’d also tied a cloth around his hairline to keep the inevitable additional sweat out of his eyes. And yet it trickled through anyway, first a few droplets, and now a steady stream. It was nothing short of blistering here.
Disappointingly, he hadn’t found anything in the Tiger’s Belly library to explain his immunity to Prince Gin’s charm. The closest thing was an ancient legend about a taiga who had allowed himself to be possessed by a demon named Dassu. Dassu combined taiga magic with devilfire and tried to bring the hells to earth by magically torching Kichona. He managed to burn down a large part of the center of the island before the gods found out (they did not pay much attention to the daily lives of humans, as a general matter). Luna was livid that the magic she’d granted to the taigas had been distorted. So she smothered him, suffocating both the warrior and Dassu inside.
Daemon had shuddered when he finished reading the story. I really hope I’m not the spawn of the devil, he’d thought. He didn’t want Luna to smother him for being able to do more than what a taiga was usually able to do. Maybe there was an argument for not being special.
He shuddered again now as he rode through Dassu Desert, named after the old legend that had otherwise been forgotten.
After two days of travel, Daemon finally arrived at a reddish brown plateau that shimmered under the sun, the only rise in the flat topography of the desert. He cried out at the sight of it and sagged forward in his saddle, nearly falling off his horse out of both exhaustion and relief. Empress Aki had chosen an oasis in which to conduct her negotiations with Prince Gin. As soon as Daemon got above the scorching sand, the temperature dropped twenty degrees. Acacia trees provided ample shade, and a sprawling watering hole sparkled like a pale sapphire in the midst of it.
“Halt!” an Imperial Guard shouted at Daemon’s approach. “Identify yourself!”
I guess I don’t get to fall off my horse quite yet, Daemon thought.
He held both hands in the air to show he had no weapons. “I am Wolf, Level Twelve apprentice, here to join your forces.”
“Dismount. Slowly.”
Daemon followed the directions, keeping his hands in clear view.
The Imperial Guard studied him carefully.
“Wolfie! What are you doing here?” Fairy sprinted past the Imperial Guard and hurled herself at Daemon.
“Oomph,” he said, as he caught her against his chest. She was tiny, but she definitely made an impact.
“I take it you know this apprentice,” the Imperial Guard said.
“Yes. I verify that this is Wolf.” Fairy gave the taiga one of her dazzling smiles.
The warrior ran his hand through his hair almost sheepishly. Her smile tended to have that effect on whomever she trained it, sending the recipient into a temporary daze. Daemon couldn’t help a small laugh.
The Imperial Guard gave Daemon a final once-over, then left them alone.
Fairy buried her face back into his chest and clutched him harder. “Am I glad to see you.”
“Same,” Daemon said. He closed his eyes. Even here in the middle of the desert, Fairy’s hair managed to smell like plums and sweet cream. He didn’t know how she did it, but he was glad for the familiar comfort. Also, he was happy to let her hold him for a minute, because he really was about to fall over.
“Wolf,” a boy said. “Pleased you could join us.”
Daemon opened his eyes. Broomstick stood before him, a crooked, if somewhat solemn, grin on his face.
Fairy released Daemon.
“Did you ask him to come?” she asked Broomstick.
“We need him.”
Daemon and Broomstick slapped each other on the back. “I’m rather pleased to join you too,” Daemon said. “Although what would really make me happy right now is some cold water. And a spot in the shade to lie down for a bit.”
“Maybe I could lie down with you,” Fairy said, winking.
Daemon laughed. “I’ve missed you.”
She faked a pout, but quickly dropped it and laughed too. “I had to try.”
“I do love your persistence.”
“It might be my last chance.” There was an unexpected seriousness in her voice.
Daemon frowned. “What do you mean?”
Broomstick slapped him on the back again. “Don’t listen to her. We’ll catch up in a little while. But let’s get you some water first.”
Daemon watched Fairy for a few seconds more before he shook his bleary head. “Right, water. Also, I need to report to the empress about everything I saw firsthand about her brother. I could only fit a fraction of it on my message.”
Fairy kicked at the sand. “About that . . .”
“No,” Broomstick said. “Let him rest for a bit. Wolf is about to keel over.” He tried to steer Daemon toward the oasis.
Daemon anchored himself to the ground and crossed his arms. “What are you keeping from me?” There was something about Fairy that seemed different, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Dehydration and the heat made thinking difficult.
She walked up to him, put both hands on his shoulder, and pulled him down so she could whisper in his ear. For a moment, he was taken again by the sweet smell of her hair.
But then she said quietly, “Empress Aki didn’t come. If she did, she might die or be subjected to Prince Gin’s magic.”
“So then . . .”
Oh gods. Fairy had always been the prettiest of the Level 12s and this wasn’t the first time her resemblance to the empress had been noticed. Fairy smelled so good now because she wasn’t here as a warrior.
And her hair was dyed gold.
Daemon’s stomach sank into the blistering sand. Stars, how had he not noticed her hair? Was he really that exhausted?
“You’re here as a decoy for the empress, aren’t you?” he asked weakly.
“I’m not supposed to be out here,” she said. “I’m supposed to stay in the tent. But it’s boring in there, just books and makeup. There aren’t even any boys to play with. You’d think that, as empress, I could at least get my own harem of strapping young men. Especially if I’m about to die.”
Daemon gaped. “How can you joke about that?”