The King’s magnified voice echoes through the hall.
I flinch. Despite its raw scrape, his speech still carries authority—perhaps even more so. It gives him the gravitas of an old, battle-worn demon hardened by his scars. I’d overlooked the fact that men grow more respected the more marks and years they collect, while for women losing youth is a slow stripping away of our worth.
Well, our perceived worth, anyway. I think of Nor, Lova’s second-in-command. Tien. Mistress Azami. All strong older women who defy others’ expectations of them. Even Mistress Eira, who as weak as she was in many ways, showed me kindness when I needed it the most.
“Thank you all for being here tonight,” the King begins. “I understand this has been a difficult period, what with the daily war councils and increased uptick in responsibilities given the, ah… departure of many of our members.”
Judging by the side-looks a few demons share, the King means the executions or imprisonments of court members suspected of disloyalty he’s been busy with ever since the Moon Ball. I’d caught snatches of talk of them from the guards as they came and went from my cell.
“I am thankful we are able to share tonight, and find a little respite during these trying times. Yet, first and foremost, I’ve brought us together—only you, the most trusted members of my court—to see to official business.”
A hand lands on the top of my head. Claw-tipped. Forceful.
The King’s hand, on me.
Whatever I was anticipating, this wasn’t it. The King practically ignored me all night. To have his touch on my body so unexpectedly makes bile rise in my throat, bringing back memories I’ve worked so hard to keep at bay. With effort, I force my face to remain neutral, keeping my eyes trained on the table in front of me, where under a glass lid, dancing gods and goddesses lie frozen in wood. I spot the form of small, childish Mirini, Goddess of Secret Places, skipping between carved leaves. If only she could help me now, steal me to a safe place away from the eyes of demons and the King’s—the King’s—touch.
His hand slides to the back of my head. There’s a slight tremor, but I’m not so confident now it was fear. What if it was anticipation for this moment, when he would finally claim me again? It would hardly take him any force to shove me forward, smash my forehead into the table. Is that what he’s brought the court together for tonight? Killing the Moonchosen, right in front of them?
Defiance burns me.
I will not die this way.
I jerk my head back against his grip, eyes shooting up to meet his. His features are a mask of calmness, yet I alone am close enough to see the twisted mix of disgust and satisfaction in that single, ice-blue iris. The same look I gave him earlier.
The corner of his lips sharpen. He hisses so only I hear, “Get up, girl. Bow for your audience.”
I rise, too anxious and aware of the dao-woven bangle on my wrist to disobey. The King’s hand moves to the small of my back, making my insides roil.
“As you have seen by now,” he tells the captivated room, “my former Paper Girl, Lei-zhi—or should I say, our little Moonchosen—has returned to the palace. You may be surprised to see her. Surprised even more so to see her by my side, the two of us existing peacefully.”
If peacefully means you had to restrain me with an enchanted band so I wouldn’t scoop out your remaining eye with a soup spoon, I think sourly.
“The truth is,” the King says, “one month ago we received a request from Lei-zhi for us to rescue her from the rebels.”
“What?” I exclaim.
Thankfully my outcry is hidden beneath the tide of surprise that rushes through the hall.
The King’s smirk widens. “Yes. As we long suspected, Ketai Hanno treats his followers with little care. His methods of rule are harsh and unjust. Remember, this is a man who was willing to sacrifice the life of his own daughter to hurt me.” The King pauses for effect. “I am sure all of you know by now that it was Lei-zhi herself who attacked me at the Moon Ball. Who left me with these… souvenirs.” He waves a hand at his face before laughing, a fraction too late and too loud.
Hardly anyone joins him.
This time, I’m certain. No matter how cavalier he acts, the King is haunted by what happened that night. As he has with me, I’ve left my mark upon him deeper than surface level. I have crawled underneath his skin to live there, a venom even shamans cannot draw out.
“What most of you do not know,” he continues, “is that my poor Lei-zhi was brainwashed during her time here by Ketai Hanno’s daughter. Under her father’s instruction, it was Wren Hanno who encouraged Lei-zhi to turn her back on the riches and kindness we so generously showed her. Wren Hanno who tempted her with false promises. Who tainted her mind with the same wrongful accusations against myself Ketai Hanno is spreading throughout our kingdom this very moment. And though we cannot be sure, we suspect magic was involved to control Lei-zhi’s behavior so effectively.”
By now, the banquet hall is silent, every guest’s attention rapt—mine included.
He gazes down, smiling tenderly at me, though the look in his eye is pure ice. “We have the gods to thank that Lei-zhi eventually escaped the bindings the Hannos held over her and realized what she had wrongly been a part of, leading her to reach out to us. Though I longed to share this information with you all, considering the caste traitors still being turned out among our ranks, I had no choice but to keep this news secret. General Naja and General Ndeze were tasked with rescuing Lei-zhi. Sadly, General Ndeze died a heroic death in battle one month ago with the rebels in the Janese deserts. And as you can see, General Naja did not escape this mission unscathed.”
Naja stiffens at this, though whether with pride or shame, I can’t tell.
“Yet thanks to their bravery,” the King says, “General Naja and her soldiers successfully extracted Lei-zhi from the rebels to return her to her rightful home—here in the Hidden Palace. And while we’ve nursed her back to health over the past weeks, she has been feeding us with information on the rebels and their movements.”
I bristle, biting my tongue to stop from shouting out at his lies.
“There was little doubt we would win the war before,” the King growls, “but now we know exactly what Ketai Hanno is planning. It was partly thanks to Lei-zhi’s information that we were able to execute our attack on Nantanna so impressively—not to mention we planned a little surprise for Ketai Hanno when he tries to return to his fort tomorrow.”