Page 68 of The Wind Dancer
“Can you give me more details?”
The slender fingers slid over the table again. The corner of his lips tugged into a barely perceptible smile.
“Wise decision. First, you’ll give back the amulet you stole. Second, you’d be working for us from now on. Not the guild, or anyone else, just us. My orders are top priority. You have until this candle burns out to make your decision.” He pointed at a candle stub, which was just moments from burning out.
The silence was deafening. This eerie man didn’t even look in my direction. Instead he took another blank sheet of paper and started writing. He didn’t leave me much room, and I had to play his game. As soon as the candle burned out, he looked at me carefully.
“You’re cautious. That’s good. But that won’t always save you. Sometimes it stops you from seeing the whole picture. I need your decision, now.”
I crossed my arms over my chest again and leaned forward.
“If you’re trying to impress me with philosophical musings, don’t. Let’s say I agree. What then?”
He put his brush down again, steepled his fingers, and looked at me from under his hood. His eyes were darker than the ink on his documents. There wasn’t even a hint of irritation in them, just cold calculation.
“Everything will change soon. This province is like an overripe fruit. You barely need to touch it for it to fall apart. You’re bright, Feng Lao. You must have felt it, even if you don’t have the whole picture.”
My strange dream came to mind. How the wind told me about a coming storm. A vision or perhaps a warning? I believed in premonitions. My mentor had taught me that dreams weren’t just reflections of our thoughts, but also hints of future events. And now they were openly showing me that something was coming.
I looked at him carefully and decided to take a shot in the dark.
“You may be avoiding specifics, but I understand. Strangers from the islands have appeared in the city. But even the most experienced among them would need support to avoid getting the guards’ attention. You must be the ones aiding them.”
And for the first time, this entire conversation, he actually smiled.
“You see a lot more than I thought. My lord was right. You’d be very useful.”
I waited, but he didn’t address my accusation directly. That confirmed it. Threats from the sea, deals with Zhou, and the wave of change he spoke of were all connected.
“All you need to know, Feng Lao, is that when the storm hits, everyone will be affected. The only question is who will drown and who will ride out the wave. Now give me the amulet.”
“It’s in a safe location, I’m not dumb enough to bring it here. Why do you even need it?” I tried to sound as relaxed as possible, but he responded in a sarcastic tone.
“Of course, of course. You’re so smart and cunning. But you don’t realize something important, Feng Lao. I know you better than you know yourself. I know how you think, how you come to decisions. I know where you hide the things you care about.”
He held out his hand, palm up.
“The amulet.”
The air in the room grew even thicker. My throat felt dry, but I didn’t let any emotion show.
“If you want this deal,” his voice was soft, “give it to me now.”
The deal was sacred to a real shadow. Only those who lived by its ancient law could become truly great and avoid heavenly punishment. That’s what my mentor told me, and I lived by it. Giving the amulet would break the deal. But not giving it would mean losing the upper hand.
I thought about the deal a bit more. I promised that I’d give the amulet to any elder from the House of Fire Mist, but no one said that I couldn’t give it to anyone else. I just had to get it back so that I could give it to an elder. And I wasn’t given a deadline either. I could do this without breaking the deal, I just had to get it back.
Nodding slowly, I tilted my head slightly and pulled the amulet out of the lining of my jacket.
“You have a deal.” The one deceiving the deceiver was blameless. And he hadn’t invoked the deal, so I didn’t owe him anything. He was still my enemy, not a partner like Mei Lin.
“You chose the right side, Feng Lao.” His tone was approving. He carefully picked up the amulet and raised it to eye level, as if to examine it in more detail. Or to check to see if I had deceived him. He was fully focused on this little thing, which caused me so many problems.
“Why do you need it?”
“It’s a key to power.”
“So, what now?”
