Page 79 of For Ever More

“He chose to stay—to save you,” Dian corrects me fiercely. “We should acknowledge what he did, what you mean to him.”

Her words pierce me as I wipe my eyes. What use are tears? I’ll find a way to get Jin back.

“Is he alive?” Shenming asks. “The queen—”

“He’s alive.” I refuse to believe otherwise. Moreover, Queen Chunlei seemed intrigued by him. Jin will know how to use that, until I come for him.

“He’s a valuable hostage,” I add. “She knows who he is: not the advisor to the throne but the heir. Thorn Valley is of great use to the Iron Mountains.”

“Will Prince Zixin endanger Lord Jin-Yong?” Shenming probes. “With how things stand, it appears he will reunite with his sister. He must bear a grudge against his confinement in Thorn Valley.”

“He won’t harm Jin, he has far more to worry about.” Yet my hands clench at the possibility. “I also believe Prince Zixin feigned illness to help us escape—”

“Why?” Dian asks scathingly.

“To keep the starfire out of his sister’s grasp.”

“And now she has it, after all,” Shenming says grimly, his knuckles white around the oars.

I open my mouth to correct him, to tell them Jin gave the starfire to me, its glow concealed by my sash—but I stop myself. Shenming and Dian will insist that I surrender it to the Elders for safekeeping, exactly what Jin asked me not to do. He entrusted the starfire to me; I won’t disregard his wishes. And so, I silence myself, even as my mind berates me for these traitorous inclinations, even though the Elders are revered for their wisdom and strength, and have always treated me with kindness.

“I must go to the Iron Mountains to save Jin,” I tell the others.

“No,” Shenming says adamantly. “We will return to Mist Island first. We need the Elders’ counsel. We should inform them of the dragon’s death, and of the loss of the starfire.”

“You both go,” I say tersely. “Queen Chunlei will bring Jin to the Palace of Nine Hills—”

“What can you accomplish there?” Dian demands. “Will you storm the palace alone? You’d be easily captured. Another hostage for the queen.”

“I won’t leave him a captive. The Elders won’t help those from Thorn Valley, they won’t directly challenge the Iron Mountains—they didn’t even aid us when we were trapped there.”

“Maybe they can be persuaded. This time, the danger is greater,” Shenming says earnestly. “The Elders won’t let Thorn Valley fall into the grasp of the Iron Mountains.”

“Returning to Mist Island will take days,” I protest.

“Better days than weeks wandering aimlessly alone, a target to every bandit and soldier in the Three Kingdoms,” Dian points out harshly.

“We’ll travel as quickly as we can,” Shenming tells me. “Last time we had to be careful with the dragon’s fragile condition—” His voice catches here, his body slumped in sorrow; I feel it too. But then he straightens to add, “The queen’s journey will also be slower as they don’t have the Thorn Valley mounts.”

It’s hard to think, fear tangling with urgency. But to rush headlong into danger would be foolish. “What if the Elders prevent me from leaving?” I look at Shenming pointedly. “I still possess some of the dragon’s magic.”

Dian swings to him. “Don’t tell them, Shenming. Without Jin’s sacrifice, we’d all be the queen’s prisoners. You owe it to him to help.”

“I can control the magic,” I assure him when he doesn’t reply. “It’s weaker now, but it doesn’t fight me anymore. I’m not a threat to our people.”

Shenming nods slowly. “Keep it leashed. Don’t endanger anyone and I will keep this secret—for now. Return with us, Yining. We will ask for the Elders’ help. And if they try to stop you from leaving, I will bring you away myself.”

I believe him, recalling his promise to Jin to help them guard their borders. He is loyal to the Elders, but possesses his own principles. “Then I will go with you.”

But not for the reasons they imagine. I need to find a safe place to hide the starfire, to form a plan, to secure any help I can—whether from Mist Island or Thorn Valley. And then, I will return to the Iron Mountains to get Jin back.

Shenming rows us to an abandoned beach, far from the bridges of the Pearl Ocean. From here, we walk a long way to the forest where the other soldiers will join us, along with our horses.

As we wait, Shenming yawns, exhausted. “Why don’t you rest?” I offer him and Dian. “I’ll keep watch for now. I can’t sleep anyway.” Whenever I close my eyes, I see Jin’s face, a wretched anguish seizing me.

Dian and Shenming fall asleep soon after. The wind is strong tonight, the air thick with the scent of rain on the horizon. We didn’t build a fire out of caution, afraid to attract unwelcome predators, whether soldiers, wild beasts, or the Queen of the Iron Mountains.

The forest is quiet, the trees looming like giants as my gaze probes the dark. A flicker of light darts through the air—quick, yet unmistakable. At once, I roll to my feet as the light soars toward me.