“I am using the call-name Reno at this time. I do not use a title. ‘Sir’ is an acceptable signifier of respect. Have the Zhu Tú’àn and the Zhu Shuǐ taken to their rooms in the House of the Seven. I will release them from stasis when you inform me that satisfactory measures have been taken to secure them. Once released from stasis, they will be unable to perform any magic, which should make it easier for you to fulfill your duty. I leave it to you to determine what those measures should be, with two stipulations. First, these measures must not take more than two days to implement. Second, the Zhuren are to be treated courteously.”
Lily whispered her way through a rough translation, but sudden fury tightened her throat. Why hadn’t he done this earlier? If it was so quick and easy for him to truss up the spawn, to keep them from using magic, why hadn’t he done that right away? People had died. She knew. She’d killed a couple of them.
She had enough restraint not to hurl that question at Reno, who was answering some question of Fang’s. Instead she reached for Grandmother’s mind and hurled it at her.
“Quick and easy” is an advertising slogan, Grandmother snapped back, not the product of actual thought. It is quick to shoot that gun of yours. It is also easy as long as you do not care where the bullets go.
Okay, so it wasn’t easy to bind their magic. But it was quick. Why didn’t he at least try to—
He did. Before, they were not holding old iron. Once they took up the spears, their own protections were diminished.
As several of Fang’s men moved forward to retrieve the immobile spawn, Alice’s clear, calm voice rang out, startling Lily. She’d almost forgotten the woman was here. “Reno. Are we to understand that you are now in charge of the government?” Oddly, Alice spoke English.
Reno’s head swung toward her. After a longish pause, Ah Wen/Reno replied in Chinese, “I have conferred with several of the Kanas. I am pleased with your efforts on several fronts, Báitóu Alice Li. I am in charge to the extent that my dictates must be followed, but I have no desire to order the affairs of this world. I will make this explicit so all will understand.”
His next words might have come from a speaker mounted in the sky with the volume turned way up. “Residents of Lang Xin. I am called Reno. I am dragon. I affirm the continued authority of the Zhu Kongqi. He will be obeyed as long as his orders do not contradict mine. The orders of Báitóu Alice Li will also be obeyed as long they do not conflict with those of the Zhu Kongqi or myself. The Zhuren Tú’àn and Shuǐ have been removed from authority. The Zhuren Dìqiú and Shēngwù are dead. Official mourning will be delayed until the current emergency has ended.”
“Tidiest coup ever,” Rule murmured. “He just promised them continuity and stability. They’ll go for it.”
Lily glanced at him and let herself bask, for a moment, in the pure rightness of having him here. Right here beside her. “Yeah. Might may not make right, but it makes for a damned persuasive argument when it comes from a dragon.”
Reno wasn’t finished. He lost the amplified voice and switched to English—American English, a language Ah Wen couldn’t possibly know. Lily suddenly understood why Alice had used it—to keep the exchange as private as possible. “Zhu Kongqi. I am aware that this is less than satisfactory for you. You cannot welcome my authority. I counsel patience. I still intend that this be your world, not mine. However, it is likely that in time other dragons will come, either to visit or to live, once the location of this world is known. It will be necessary to secure your territory in a way they respect. If you wish my counsel in this matter, we will have time to discuss and plan, for this will not happen soon. Events in other realms will occupy them for some time. For now, know that I do not intend to exert my authority beyond what is necessary in order to secure and educate your brothers, who have fallen into serious error in their thinking. You, however, were able to discern right action in a confused and difficult situation. I am,” he said, his voice falling to a low rumble, “exceedingly proud of you, my son.”
It might have been the failing light that made her think Kongqi’s eyes sheened with sudden dampness. He bowed.
“We need to go,” Rule said, low-voiced. “We need to get to Dis. Grandmother, the gate—”
A cold mental voice said, Abide. Li Lei tells me the gate is damaged.
“What?” Cynna cried out.
Restrain your panic. More specifically, she believes one of the gate’s anchors is damaged. I will send Báitóu Alice Li to examine it. She has been maintaining the gate and may be able to strengthen or repair the anchor. Her Gift makes her particularly suited for such a chore. We have time for this. It will be approximately fifty-seven minutes before your past selves leave Dis. I will speak with Li Lei as soon as she returns to her usual form. She must learn how to send the correct signal through the node, or you will be unable to contact the gnomes.
Shit. Shit. Lily put both hands to her head and pressed as if she could squeeze coherent thought into it. They’d been relying on Gan to cross from Dis back to Earth to tell the gnomes where they needed their gate. Gan was down to her spare heart. “Gan can’t do it?”
She can cross. Crossing does not burden her heart. Walking does. If she crossed at a node where the gnomes were not present, she would have no way of reaching them. No one else should address me until I speak to you again.
The gate was damaged. Their passage home from Dis was in doubt. Lily decided not to say any of the obvious things. “Fifty-seven minutes. How can Reno know that? How can it be right? It was late afternoon or early evening when Gan dumped me here. It must be two or three hours later than that now. Shouldn’t it be the same time of day, if the times are in sync the way Alice said?” She rubbed her head. “Did that make any sense?”
“We talked all this out, remember, remember?” Cynna said. “Gan crossed time crookedly. She didn’t get here at the now she left from. Not with any of us.”
Lily just looked at her. Apparently she wasn’t the only one who had trouble talking about it in a way that made sense.
Cynna sighed. “Just take the dragon at his word, okay?”
“Lily,” Rule said. His voice sounded stiff. “If we can’t leave yet, there’s something I need to take care of. I need to speak with Alice or Kongqi. You said they both speak English.”
She frowned at him. After a moment she realized what—and who—he was talking about. “We’ll talk to Alice first.”
“You don’t need to—”
“I think I do.”
? ? ?
MEI Ling was beautiful. This surprised Lily more than it should have. Rule hadn’t said much about her other than she was lovely, infatuated, and very young. But Lily didn’t think Rule had ever met a woman of any age he didn’t find lovely in some way, so she was taken aback when faced with such glowing beauty.