The empress sat on the edge of the throne as the emperor stalked back and forth before it. It still felt strange for her to sit on it, yet he had led her there and sat her down himself that very morning, after she had woken in his bed. Another strange moment she had never thought to experience.
With the destruction of the residence, he had turned one of the many hidden rooms near his study into his own. Even then, it had been so long since she had been anywhere near his private rooms, let alone in his bed. He had visited her chambers when they were younger, when they’d had a need for children.
After Wei-Song, he had only visited her once. She could still remember the cold, empty look he had given her as he’d left that night. And yet, she had done everything she had been asked to do. Or at least she had let him believe that. Yangshing had been only too happy to help her.
Although Lis hadn’t mentioned Wei-Song since her return to the Palace Isle, the empress was sure she had survived the fight in the square. Remi and Lis had been so determined to kill each other that day, and now they stayed together. What might they do to each other?
A soldier ran into the room, and the emperor stopped his pacing.
He bowed stiffly and then looked between them.
‘What is it?’ the emperor asked.
‘There has been a fire,’ he stammered.
‘The prince?’ the empress asked, leaping to her feet.
The man nodded and then shook his head.
‘Tell me,’ the emperor said, his voice surprisingly calm.
The young soldier took a deep breath. ‘They were… it is hard to explain, but there was a fire in the laundry. They are both unharmed.’
‘Did the prince cause the fire?’ the empress asked. She had seen the fire in his eyes the previous day.
‘I think so, but it was the high priestess who provoked him.’
‘The high priestess?’ the empress repeated.
‘I thought they had all left for the Sacred Isle,’ the emperor said.
The soldier shook his head. ‘She is dead,’ he said in a whisper.
‘The high priestess?’ the emperor asked, turning to look at the empress.
‘Another will be chosen,’ she said. ‘It may be best that they stay away for now.’
The soldier nodded slowly.
‘Should we put the prince somewhere more secure?’ the emperor asked.
‘I’m not sure we can move them.’
‘What do you mean?’ the emperor asked, turning back to the soldier.
‘They are protected.’ The man shuffled, looking uncomfortable, and the empress wondered just what he had seen.
‘By what?’ the emperor asked, and the man dropped to his knees.
‘A phoenix, Your Eminence.’
‘A phoenix,’ the emperor laughed.
‘The phoenix, it seems,’ the man said, lowering his head to the floor. ‘I saw it myself.’
‘It is a sure sign that the gods watch over them.’ The empress sat slowly back on the throne. Could the gods be watching over them? Could they be sure that Remi and Lis were the future of the Empire? All those prophecies and stories of what was to come, she had never really put much on them. But now it seemed they were true.
‘Did this phoenix start the fire?’ the emperor asked.
‘It isn’t clear exactly what happened,’ the soldier said softly. ‘But the general felt you should know.’
The emperor nodded and waved him away. He stood slowly but didn’t leave the room.
‘I wonder if… the general wonders whether it might be of benefit to share this information with the ministers.’
‘They will want proof,’ the empress said, wondering if a phoenix would allow itself to shine in the throne room and who else might die if it did.
‘The princess wasn’t sure how that could happen, but she agreed,’ he said, bowing again to the empress.
‘Let me talk with them,’ she said.
The emperor shook his head. ‘Did the phoenix harm the priestess?’
‘No, it was the prince…’ The man looked about. ‘She had bewitched him.’
‘Bewitched?’
‘He was not himself. And then he was, and she was dead.’
The emperor sighed. ‘This will be another charge for the ministers to use against him.’
Chapter 15
Remi sat against the wall in the dimly lit space and watched Lis practice her magic. She had pulled enough magic from the fire that had burned between them to heal what had been lost. She appeared to be back to what she had been when she had faced him in the square. Despite the anger he had felt then, watching her now made him smile.
The soldiers remained outside the room. He wasn’t sure if it was a trust in him or in Lis, but either way they were left alone. They had spent the night curled together. He questioned what his mother would think, but he couldn’t be parted from her. Not now that he knew she was alive and well, despite what he had tried to do to her.
‘They will interrupt us for breakfast,’ he said as she turned and changed her outfit yet again. She smiled back at him and waved her hand towards the table. It filled with bowls of rice and vegetables and meat, the smell overwhelming, and he realised just how long it had been since he had eaten properly. He crawled forward and then stopped. ‘You kept this from me,’ he said softly, disappointed that she hadn’t been able to trust him before.
She stopped then, the smile slipping.
There was a sharp knock at the door, and then the hunter entered. He looked at the table and smiled. ‘You are recovering,’ he said, bowing low to Lis, and then he did the same to Remi. Remi couldn’t remember when the hunter had last showed him such respect, other than during the night.
Lis nodded in his direction, but the smile didn’t return. ‘Join us,’ she said, holding out her hand, which now contained a plate of cakes.
Hui Te-Sze grinned. ‘I do love your cakes,’ he said, taking the plate from her and sitting at the table. He looked at the plates before him and then at Remi. He opened his mouth to say something and then looked at Lis, still standing where she was.
‘I thought you were friends,’ the hunter said, and before Remi could apologise for his thoughtless comment, she was out the door.
Remi made to stand, but the hunter held up his hand. ‘I understand there are still many secrets between you,’ he said softly, lifting a cake to his nose. ‘But all she has ever done is for you.’
‘Even standing against me?’
‘Especially that. She has always been sure that she could save you from yourself. She feels she is to blame.’
Remi shook his head.
‘Give her some time,’ he said, looking towards the door. ‘The men will watch over her.’
‘I don’t think I can be apart from her again,’ Remi said. ‘It is my fault that the world is what it is. I have allowed the magics to become as strong as they are.’
‘They were always stronger than we could manage; it is why they were killed during the war. Now we need to find a different way.’
‘How do we do that? They are still determined to kill Lis, and they want me on their side. They won’t be kind about the high priestess.’
‘Was she working alone?’
‘I doubt it,’ Remi murmured, picking up sticks and starting to eat. ‘She is good,’ he said as he pushed more into his mouth.
The hunter nodded.
‘You knew of this skill too,’ Remi said, wondering who else Lis trusted over him.
Te-Sze nodded once. ‘She looks more like herself today, despite what occurred in the night.’
‘Neither of us understand what or how that happened. But it helps that we have something we can share, something that may be able to help us end this.’
‘You need to work together,’ the hunter said. ‘We have always known this.’
‘But it isn’t always that easy. There is a certain level of trust, and we seem to be able to destroy that with each other so quickly.’
&
nbsp; ‘She trusts you,’ Te-Sze said, reaching for another cake.
‘Does she? I question her too often.’
‘I worried she would never again be what she was,’ Te-Sze said. ‘That too much had been taken from her that day in the square. I was so sure she was gone. I think only Yang knew the truth of it, and he kept it to himself to help protect her.’
‘Did he think she needed protection from you? She fought with you.’
‘She did, although he might have been right. She might be strong, but she needs looking after.’
‘I want to do that,’ Remi said quietly.
With a sharp knock, the general entered the space. He looked around for a moment and then back towards the door. ‘Where is she?’
‘Walking,’ Te-Sze said. ‘Give her some time.’
‘The emperor wants to see you.’
‘Not the ministers?’ Remi asked.
‘Not yet. He wants to know what you are first.’
‘I’m not sure we know what we are,’ he murmured, climbing to his feet. ‘Let me talk to her.’
The general bowed before him and walked towards the table, and Remi moved out into the open space of the laundry. It was surprising that the sheets still swayed in the breeze, some brightly coloured skirts amongst them. He wondered for a moment if Lis could change whatever she touched.
He glanced around but couldn’t see her, and then he wondered who else might be able to wander through the laundry and steal her away. In the shadows of the covered walkway, he saw a soldier. The man nodded acknowledgement and then indicated the washing with a tip of his head.
Remi stepped forward. He felt the sadness radiating from between the sheets before he found her standing still.
She looked off into the distance. ‘Will we do this forever, do you think?’ she asked without turning around.
‘Keep things from each other?’
‘Hurt each other,’ she said, turning to face him. She looked calm, but her cheeks were wet.
‘I trust you more than anyone,’ he said, stepping forward. ‘I understand why you don’t trust me.’
‘I do,’ she said. ‘At least I do now. I’m not constantly worried that you will run me through. But I am worried you will leave, turn your back on me.’
‘Never,’ he said softly, stepping forward and taking her in his arms. ‘Is this because she kissed me?’
‘You kissed her,’ she said, and then she shook her head. ‘You think that I keep secrets from you.’
He shook his head again and pulled her closer. ‘I was just painfully aware of how hard it must have been for you that you needed to keep things from me. Don’t try to read more into what I say.’
‘I don’t know how to not be afraid,’ she whispered, burying her face in his chest. He rested his chin on the top of her head.
‘You came back to find me, all on your own, not knowing what you would face.’
‘You needed to know that I chose you,’ she said, looking up at him.
He took her face in his hands and ran his thumbs over her cheeks to wipe away the tears. Then he pulled her closer and kissed her before she could protest.
Someone coughed behind him. He reluctantly let her go and turned to the general.
‘The emperor is waiting,’ he said.
Remi nodded and took Lis by the hand. They headed to the throne room, surrounded by soldiers.
Holding tight to Lis’s hand, Remi led her through to stand before the emperor and bow low. His mother, he noted, sat on the throne while the emperor stood before it. A memory of another prophecy came to mind, of two sharing the throne, and he wondered how many visions had been misinterpreted.
‘Do you keep a hold of her in case she escapes or runs away again?’
Remi bristled at the comment. ‘What do you want of us?’ he asked.
‘I was told there was an event in the night.’
Remi waited. His father was pushing for something, and he could only guess at what that was. He had appeared a little more protective before the ministers, and Remi looked about now in case they were waiting to take him away.
‘We were attacked,’ he said.
‘By a woman?’
‘I don’t think a priestess could be referred to as just a woman. They have far more skills than you could know.’
‘I have some idea. I thought they had all left the Palace Isle.’
‘Not the high priestess; she was working with the magics.’
‘Are you saying that the priestesses are corrupted?’
Remi glanced at Lis as she squeezed his hand. Was his father trying to provoke him?
‘What do you want from me?’ Remi asked, trying to keep his voice level.
‘I doubt you could give it to me.’
‘What are you doing?’ his mother whispered loudly, but the emperor gave a subtle shake of his head, and she sat back.
‘The ministers are sure you are a menace to the Empire. I tried to convince them otherwise, but now you have killed a priestess, the high priestess, in the night.’
‘She was in my room, trying to…’
‘Your room?’ the emperor interrupted. ‘I thought it was the hidden princess’s quarters.’
Remi looked at Lis then, and she gave a subtle shake of her head, but he could feel the heat rising and trying to push though his skin. He knew that his father was trying to provoke him, but he wasn’t sure why.
‘You have no idea of what a prince should do,’ the emperor said, his voice too loud.
Remi snapped. The fire pushed through his skin, and those around him stepped back. Lis maintained her hold on him, although he could feel the tension in her arm. He glanced at her as the fire moved along her arm. Panic hit, and the fire burned hotter. His father grinned, and he lost control.
He could hear muttering behind him. His mother stood, grabbing at his father’s arm. The look of delight at Remi’s loss of control turned to one of concern, but he was lost to the fire now and couldn’t bring it back. And then Lis had her arms around his waist, holding him tight, but the flames still raged.
‘Where is this phoenix?’ his father asked in the distance.
‘Lis,’ he begged, and she reached up, put her arms around his neck and pulled him close.
‘I’m here,’ she whispered before she pressed her lips to his.
The fire burned hotter around them, but there was something different about it, more controlled, and he looked up and sighed. He could feel it this time—the creature that had been inside of him needed Lis, or at least that connection to her, to be in a place everyone could see.
Lis’s arms closed tighter around his neck, her face beside his, and he realised he could no longer feel the floor beneath him. The world was hazy around them. He buried his face in her neck.
‘Are we flying?’ she whispered.
Remi could feel the wings slowly beating beside him, up and down. He longed to be outside, but instead he kissed Lis on the forehead, then the cheek and quickly on the lips before he took her by the shoulders. ‘Breathe,’ he said.
She nodded as though in slow motion, and their feet touched down again. As the fire around them disappeared, she stepped back from him and bowed.
‘Did you get what you wanted?’ he asked his father.
Chapter 16
Despite his father’s wishes, Remi was determined not to perform in front of the ministers. Lis wasn’t sure they could do what they needed to when required. So far, the phoenix had been seen three times, twice in her room after the death of the high priestess, and then before the emperor on demand.
She had been so nervous. He had clearly been pushing Remi, and although Remi had tried to resist it, he couldn’t. The fire had raged out of control first. She had felt the heat of it, as had the soldiers behind them. She didn’t think it was a risk worth taking for anyone else. Surely there was another way to bring it forward.
The first time, her holding him had been enough to tame the fire. But the third time it hadn’t, and s
he had thought they would both be lost. Otherwise she would not have considered kissing Remi in front of anyone, although it appeared to be happening more often. She blushed at the idea of it. She would like the chance to kiss him more often, but they weren’t living free on her island, as she had with Peng; she was living amidst royalty on the Palace Isle. She was the hidden princess, and if things were as they were meant to be, she wouldn’t even see Remi, let alone have the chance to kiss him.
‘What are you thinking?’ he whispered in her ear. Although he smiled when she turned to face him, she could feel the uncertainty flow across his skin.
‘Too much to share right now,’ she returned. ‘But I do agree with you. We don’t know what we have.’
‘If the ministers see what power you have…’ the emperor started.
‘They might be even more determined to destroy us,’ Remi said.
‘They know what the phoenix is and what it represents.’
‘But it isn’t the best way to reach it. We don’t know what we are doing here.’
‘They may be willing to work with you.’
‘They would rather see us dead,’ Remi snapped. ‘We need another way to get to them.’
‘Perhaps we can find a way to get the magics on our side,’ Lis suggested.
‘Not possible,’ the general muttered.
‘Lis is thought to be the one to bring both sides together. It might be an idea.’
‘In what way?’ the emperor asked. ‘They want control—are you going to give it to them?’
Lis shook her head. She wasn’t sure how she could bring them all together, but it was worth trying.
‘What would they want?’ the emperor asked.
‘Schools,’ Lis said without thinking. That was something she would have wanted if she could have chosen a different life, a chance to learn just what she could be. ‘A place to learn control,’ she said, looking to Remi, and he nodded once. ‘But I’m not sure I am the right person to do this.’
The Magics of Rei-Een Box Set Page 63
