Wei-Song shook her head and then sat at the table. She looked over the spread with a neutral face, then reached for a cake and took a large bite.
‘What did you learn?’ Lis asked, watching her chew. Wei-Song gave a surprised expression as she looked at the cake, and then she took another bite. Lis tried to wait patiently while the other woman finished the cake and brushed the crumbs from her fingers.
‘I can’t tell you,’ she said, looking over the cakes with more interest.
‘Or you won’t.’
‘It is complicated.’
‘My whole life is complicated. Why do you think the prince and I cannot be together?’
‘I think it may help you to work on your friendship,’ Wei-Song said, selecting another cake.
Lis was tempted to remove them to get her undivided attention. Instead she waited and when Wei-Song looked up, she sighed.
‘I can’t tell you the details, but I can tell you there is a chance that the prince is a risk not only to you, but to the Empire.’
‘The crown prince?’
She nodded. ‘There may be a way for you to work together and help instead of harm, but if you don’t work together…’
‘Don’t or won’t? You are saying that if we can’t find a way, it will all end badly.’
Wei-Song nodded as she bit into another cake.
‘You are sure? Without question?’
She nodded again.
‘Can you help us?’
‘I don’t know if it should be me,’ she said.
Lis sighed and sat at the table, reaching for a cake herself. Who could help them?
Chapter 21
Remi tried not to let his frustrations boil over as he passed through the yard and the soldiers. As he walked away from the princess’s palace, he saw the hunter in the distance and realised the girl had been right. There was too great a risk of being caught acting as they had been. He felt the tingle of where her skin had touched his and the shared magic that passed between them.
What could they achieve together? What had others tried? He had heard so few stories from the magic war other than the repeated dangers. There were books on the types of magic, but he couldn’t remember anything of magics combining their powers.
He had lost so much in the levelling of the residence. There had been too much going on at the time for him to realise just what he had lost. It was the same hollow sensation he had felt when he’d discovered what she was. She may have saved them all, but she was the enemy. Now he was, and it ate at him. He knew there was nothing he could draw upon to understand what he was.
Watching the people move around him, unaware of just what he was, he stopped. He didn’t know who he was. He had been so focused on Lis and, despite their recent connection, he still felt she had betrayed him in a way. She certainly kept things from him.
He might have been the reason behind his brother’s death. Since he had the skill of fire, could he have hurt his brother without knowing? Could he have forgotten what he’d done, or was he only now experiencing this because of what Lis was?
She had scoffed at the idea that he had caught the magic from her, but what if he had? What if he had developed these skills only because of Lis?
When he was a child, he had found comfort in the temple, looking up at the gods who looked down over him. They had seemed so secure and sure of themselves. They had, after all, selected him as part of the royal family. He had grown believing they would watch over his brother as he grew to be the new emperor.
He walked towards the temple, the white stone glistening in the sunlight. People moved up the steps and disappeared into the cool interior. He stopped again to watch the people wandering in and out. The gods hadn’t watched over them as he’d thought they would, and now he was to be Emperor. Remi struggled already with his role as Crown Prince—how would he fill the role of Emperor? This wasn’t the life he’d been born for. He was meant to be a hunter, only now he couldn’t be.
He noticed Yang walking slowly by the wall of the temple, his hand running over the glistening stone. Was he really so afraid of the maid that he would worry what she might do if Remi got to the princess? He had been so possessive of her before, staying close, making sure she was getting what she needed. He would have put himself between them as he had done before, but this time he had lacked the confidence. Lis must have shared with him what they had. And what did the girl know that she would insist Remi stay away?
Yang reached the door and disappeared inside. Why would Lis tell him what they had done? Did she trust him so much? Or was there something else, as Remi had suspected before? She had promised him that she would remain faithful.
Another face in the crowd caught his eye, and a faint touch of magic reached him. When he stepped forward, the face smiled at him. He was one of the others, one of the magics they had captured before, the only one who would speak. The man tipped his head to the side, indicating the direction he was headed in, then skipped down the steps and along a street leading from the square. Remi picked up his pace and charged after him. But the street was quiet, and there was no sign of the man.
He had a moment’s hesitation as he wondered if this was a trap, payback for the prison. But if they wanted him dead, they would kill him. They had only talked of wanting the princess dead, so Remi continued on, wondering what this man knew and what he might be able to offer him.
The magic was faint, but he could sense it. He knew that if a hunter were to come this way, they would sense it also. He moved along the trail of magic as quickly as he could and pushed open the gate it led to without hesitation.
The man stood waiting for him, arms crossed over his chest. ‘Close it,’ he whispered.
‘Other hunters will find you,’ Remi said.
‘Maybe,’ he murmured. ‘They haven’t found you.’
Remi remained unmoving. What does this man know or think he knows?
‘Don’t want to give yourself away?’ he said with a smirk. ‘Clever, only I have heard of the visions and prophecies of what you are.’
‘Prophecies?’
‘You too have been named by the gods as one to change the course of history. One to change the world and bring magic to power.’
‘I thought you were trying to kill the hidden princess for that very reason.’
The man shook his head and motioned inside the house. Inside the darkened room, he waved a hand, and the candles sprang to life. Remi wondered if he too could create such a feat. ‘She would bring a balance between magics and non-magics. We want control. You want control. You can give us all what we want.’
‘I am not the one to give you what you want,’ Remi said firmly.
‘From what I have heard, you are. You cannot trust the hidden princess; you cannot allow her the freedom you have given her.’
‘She is locked in a palace.’
‘She plays with her power.’
The prince waited, staring down the man, unsure just what he thought he would get from Remi.
‘She has lied to you to keep herself safe. She is not concerned with the Empire and you. She only wants to be Empress.’
Remi shook his head.
‘There are those around her to protect her, to ensure she becomes what she is destined to be. You could stop that. You could be the change.’
‘You want me to kill the princess?’ he scoffed.
‘You will do what you must for the Empire.’
‘What do you know of those around her?’ Remi asked, ignoring what this man thought he could offer.
‘The Order of Huans. The Hidden.’
‘Are you saying the healer and the girl are also Hidden?’
The man laughed at him as though he were a boy unable to see what was before him. ‘There is much you don’t know.’
‘And are you willing to tell me?’
‘I may. Or I may help you find the answers for yourself.’
‘Why should I trust you?’ Remi asked. ‘How do you know what I am? I don�
�t even know what I am.’
‘You have been protected your entire life, but there was a skill hidden deep within you. The hidden princess has used her power against us and in doing so has pulled your skills to the surface.’
‘Lis is the cause of this?’
‘It was always there, but it needed her magic to manifest.’
‘Why?’
The man shrugged and sat at the table, pouring rice wine into small cups. ‘I only know what I have been told. The two of you are strong, and you stand on opposite sides. You must succeed for the Empire. For if you falter, so will it.’
‘Opposite sides? She is destined to be my wife, my Empress. What if we were to work together?’
The man shook his head, and Remi looked over the cups on the table. He could step forward and join this man to see if he could teach him more of who and what he was. But he knew the magics couldn’t be trusted. The alternative was to return to Lis, to understand just what power she had and those surrounding her, to see if they could continue to learn together.
This man is trying to use me to get to Lis. Remi rested his hand on his sword and took a deep breath. ‘How did you learn what I am?’ he asked.
‘I was told.’
‘By whom?’
‘That I cannot tell you. There are many I protect, and I cannot share such secrets until I know you are willing to listen and help us.’
‘I can’t trust you,’ Remi said, backing up.
‘I’ll be here when you are ready.’ The man’s grin was unnerving. Remi backed out of the room and headed quickly down the street. He should have just killed the man, but he seemed to be the only one who could tell Remi just what he was.
When he returned to the little palace, the three women sat at the table chatting comfortably—his mother, Lis and the maid, as though she were one of them.
‘Who are you?’ Remi demanded, drawing his sword.
The healer wasn’t present, and Remi wondered if he was still searching the temple for whatever it was he looked for. It hadn’t been clear just what Lis had told him earlier, and now Remi wanted to know just what the healer was.
‘Remi?’ his mother asked, standing as the girl jumped up from the table, her arm protectively across the empress.
‘What has happened?’ Lis asked, also coming around to stand beside her.
He raised the sword towards the girl, but his mother moved between them. ‘You are not what you pretend to be,’ he murmured. He was disappointed. There was something about her that he liked, something that drew his respect, and yet she was another who had lied to him, another secret Lis had kept from him.
‘Remi, put the sword down,’ his mother said, her voice soft and sing-song rather than that of the firm woman he knew. He looked at her for a moment.
‘Who is she to you?’
‘She is my maid; you know this. I am attached to the girl.’
‘She has magic,’ he said.
‘Can you sense her?’ the empress asked, her voice stronger.
He shook his head. ‘But I know what she is. She has lied to you, Mother—lied to us all. She is not trustworthy.’
Lis moved, trying to put herself between them as the maid had done for her so many times. But Wei-Song grabbed her arm, preventing her from stepping closer to his sword. She looked uncertain, her eyes on the sword, and he felt a stab of regret. But this wasn’t about Lis and her fears. This was about the maid. Ignoring Lis, Remi stepped forward, pushing the tip of the sword closer to the girl.
‘Remi, stop,’ his mother pleaded, and the girl shook her head.
‘I am here to protect the hidden princess. I know what you are,’ Wei-Song said softly, and his mother’s brow creased. ‘I know you are a danger to her.’
‘Remi?’ the empress asked.
‘He’s not,’ Lis whispered, but Wei-Song kept her arm out, and the princess held back.
‘He is,’ she said, her eyes not looking away from Remi. ‘He has learnt what he is destined to be, and it begins.’
‘You have heard the same prophecy?’
She nodded once, and he stepped forward again. The tip of the sword almost touched her throat.
‘Where did you hear this?’ he asked.
‘From one who knows,’ she said, her chin held high.
‘Wei-Song? What is it?’ the empress asked.
‘Mother, enough,’ he snapped. ‘There is much going on here that you do not understand. There is magic in the Empire and…’
‘I am well aware of the magic in the Empire,’ she said. Her voice carried an edge, as though she was about to slap him. ‘I know what happened to your brother. You are the hunter, the greatest we have ever seen, but you may not know all that you think you do. Wei-Song is not a threat to you.’
‘The hidden princess is surrounded…’
‘By those who care for her,’ she finished for him. ‘She is your bride. You protected her before.’
‘I should have killed her before,’ he said. His mother’s face paled, as did Lis’s, and he only momentarily regretted his harsh words. But if the fire bearer was right and she was not who she claimed, there would forever be secrets between them. ‘This maid is not who she says she is; she too protects one who does not deserve our protection.’
Lis pulled Wei-Song back as his mother stepped between them, the sword scratching across her throat. ‘She is your sister,’ she said as her hand moved to her skin.
‘Mother,’ Wei-Song cried desperately as his mother collapsed to the floor before him. He stepped back, but the sword was still held high.
‘You hid her?’ he said, anger heavy in his voice.
‘I had to. She was ordered to die by my hand, but I couldn’t do it,’ she said, her voice soft as she reached for Wei-Song’s face.
‘Whose child is she?’
‘Your father’s,’ his mother said, pulling herself up. Blood ran from the scratch across her chest, and he was grateful there had been no power behind it. ‘As soon as she showed signs of her skill, your father made the decree.’
Remi shook his head. He understood why he had done such a thing when Lis’s father had done something very different. ‘What would he do to me?’ he murmured.
‘You are a hunter, a strong hunter, and that is a skill we needed for the Empire.’
‘What if I had magic? Would he do the same?’
‘Hunting is not the same,’ she said as Wei-Song helped her to sit back at the table. Her focus was completely on his mother.
‘They haven’t told you,’ he said. ‘If you know what she is, you know of Lis.’
The empress nodded once, and Lis gave her a small smile.
‘You are Hidden,’ Remi said to Wei-Song, who nodded without looking at him. He felt the loss of her. He hadn’t known who she was, but he had felt something and then torn it apart. ‘You knew who I was,’ he said.
‘You are the crown prince of Rei-Een. Everyone in the Empire knows who you are. Yang will come,’ she said to his mother—her mother, he reminded himself as she dabbed at the cut across her skin. Blood marked the edges of her clothes.
Yang appeared in the doorway, as though summoned by Wei-Song’s need. He rushed forward, pushing the prince out of the way. Only then did Remi realise his sword was still raised. The young healer tsked the group as though they had all misbehaved and laid his hands directly on the empress’s skin. He stepped forward as she sighed with relief. He glanced at Lis, but she hadn’t moved, nor had she taken her eyes from him.
‘What should they have told me?’ his mother asked suddenly, and the healer shushed her. She waved him away and when he lifted his hands, the scratch across her chest was a fine white line.
‘You are also one of them. He was right.’ Remi turned to Lis. ‘You are surrounded by them.’
‘Who?’ Wei-Song asked, standing and turning to him. Remi could see the resemblance to his mother then, not just in her voice but in her features. And he could see his brother. He gulped down the confusion building in his c
hest and shook his head.
‘Who have you talked with?’ she asked again, stepping closer. Lis leaned forward and wrapped her hand around Wei-Song’s arm, tugging her back.
‘The secrets are out,’ Lis said. ‘Surely that changes things.’
‘It may be too late,’ Wei-Song said.
‘What did you think they would have told me?’ his mother asked again. ‘What is it you keep from me?’
‘When you have kept so much yourself.’ Remi turned then and left them to it. They could keep their secrets and their magic. He wondered if Yang stayed so close to Lis just because he was a Hidden as well, and if that was why Remi hadn’t been able to see them the day he had burnt her and the healer had taken her away.
He pushed through the gate and into the street beyond. He walked fast, trying to leave behind all the confusion and mistrust. How could his mother not have told him he had a sister? How long had she kept this to herself, and where had Wei-Song been hidden? Who would willingly take a child with magic from the very man trying to stamp it out?
Remi stopped and looked around. He had lost his brother, but he still had a sibling. And his mother knew of Lis and the skills she had. But then, if she had protected a daughter for so long, she would protect another. He wondered for a moment if she herself had a form of magic that had remained undiscovered. Could she be a Hidden? Could she be the reason Remi had the skills he did?
He was tempted to raise the fire in his hand just to see it. The more he used it, the more grounding he found it. The more he saw himself reflected in the flames. But someone walking by startled him, and he realised it wasn’t safe. He thought about the place of the hidden princesses and wondered if he could practice there on his own.
He felt a stab of regret for the words he had used about Lis. She had looked so sure he would run her through, and he realised she’d been living in fear that he would change his mind. But he couldn’t justify it now. He couldn’t kill her because of the magic she held when he held a power of his own. A power that could rule the Empire.
He looked towards the centre of the island and the little yard he had visited earlier. He would still rule the Empire. He was to be Emperor. And with Lis by his side, they could use their magic for all sorts of good. But the man with magic had implied Remi didn’t need her, that he would be better without her. And if he alone ruled a world filled with magic, he would never have to fear a hunter or his father again.
The Magics of Rei-Een Box Set Page 44
