‘What was it today?’ she asked, sitting beside him and resting a hand on his knee. A different fire leapt behind his eyes. ‘What caused you to lose control today?’
‘I feared for you.’
‘Then don’t.’
‘That is easier said than done.’
‘I can look after myself,’ Lis said, standing up. She moved across the small cabin to the doorway. ‘I have my barrier. I took you on.’
He grinned then and was across the small space, his arms on either side of her head, against the door. She smiled back and then pushed gently with her barrier, sending him back across the room.
The knock on the door startled them both, and Lis was still smiling when she opened it to Advisor Gan.
He bowed low and then pushed past her into the room. Remi sat on the end of the bed. Lis closed the door and leaned against it. She wasn’t quite sure what the advisor wanted. Or whether he would ever be what he had been before.
‘You must have worked with magics before the war,’ Lis said, allowing her thoughts out into the world. ‘You would have seen the world as it was.’
He nodded solemnly and then turned back to the prince. ‘I have seen what you are,’ he said. ‘But apart, are you a threat to this world? Will they turn you as they did before?’
Remi shook his head.
‘You might have claimed her as your wife, but I know that you see the world differently from your father. You might not honour such a union.’
‘I think I have done enough to prove that I will do anything for Lis.’
‘You might have followed her around. You might have bedded her before you wed…’
‘That is not the case,’ Lis murmured.
‘But you would not let those who should have witness the consummation. This must be a legal marriage if she is to be empress.’
‘There is no question to its legality,’ Remi spat, and Lis could sense the flames again. She shook her head, and he took a deep breath. ‘We are not just here for a tour; we are here to find a way to bring the Empire back together and make it as it was. Can’t you see that the Empire is dying? If we leave things as they are, it will be lost.’
The advisor sighed and looked at Lis. ‘I don’t trust that you are doing this for the Empire.’
‘Who would we do it for?’ she asked.
He shook his head. ‘I shall do as I am bid by the emperor. But I keep the ministers’ concerns foremost in my mind.’ He bowed ever so slightly and then closed the door behind him with a bang.
‘Do you think we made a mistake?’ Lis asked. ‘The ministers might take this as an opportunity to depose him.’
‘I think my father is stronger than you realise. As is my mother.’
‘I hope you are right, or we may return from this journey to a very different world.’
‘I am hoping we change it.’
Lis sat beside him. ‘I don’t think it is going to be that easy,’ she said, thinking about the people they had left. ‘They may not fear us as they did, but they aren’t going to embrace magics as they once did.’
‘Maybe we just need to show them the phoenix.’
‘I think there will come a time when that too will mean something very different.’
Lis had assumed that the people of Third would greet them as those of Second had. But when the dock came into view, there were very few people out to see them.
‘Maybe this isn’t a good idea,’ Lis said softly, standing beside Remi as she watched the approaching dock. She was sure that amidst the trees, there were more people watching them arrive than they could see. She wondered if word of their visit to Second had done more harm than good. ‘What if they fear us?’ she asked.
‘There is a little school at the far end of the island. Let’s walk the length of the island. We only saw a small part of Second. Maybe being amongst the people would be of benefit.’
Lis nodded slowly.
‘That could take all day,’ Advisor Gan moaned. ‘You do realise how big the island is?’
‘Yes, thank you, I am well aware.’ Remi looked at the general. ‘We’ll take some men with us, and Wei-Song and the healer,’ he added, looking back at them across the ship. ‘You can continue sailing to the end of the island and send out a small boat for us when we reach the shore.’
‘I don’t like this,’ he said, ‘but I will do as you wish.’
Remi was quick down the gangplank and held his hand out for Lis to join him. Advisor Gan had to push in front of a soldier to be next off the boat. There were only a couple dozen people, and Lis tried to smile into the crowd as the advisor stepped forward.
‘The Empire would like to announce the crown prince and princess of Rei-Een. Their royal highnesses would wish to know the people.’
The crowd bowed low before them, and Lis smiled. ‘We would like to see your island,’ she said.
‘Which part of it?’ someone in the crowd asked.
‘All if it,’ Remi said with a nod towards the man.
‘Send for a carriage,’ someone else called out.
‘We can walk,’ Lis said.
Advisor Gan actually groaned.
‘I have never visited Third,’ she said, ignoring the little man. ‘In fact, other than my little island, I had only ever been to Fifth,’ she said to a woman who smiled at her. ‘I’m sure the islands of the Empire are similar in so many ways, but then I’m sure there are many more differences I’m not aware of. There is only so much to learn from books.’
The group bowed again and indicated along the narrow road that led from the dock. It initially took them along the water, and Lis was reminded again how much she had missed the water. She stopped and looked out at the blue-green ocean, with nothing to break the surface until it reached the horizon. ‘You don’t get views like this on the Palace Isle,’ she said.
‘Do you miss your little island?’ the woman who had smiled at her asked.
Lis nodded.
‘Is it very different being the hidden princess? Or the crown princess?’ She looked down at her feet.
‘Yes,’ Lis said honestly. ‘It wasn’t a place I ever thought I would be.’ She glanced back at Remi, who was talking with Wei-Song a little way back down the path, the soldiers dotted between them. ‘But I’m where I am needed,’ Lis said with a smile.
‘My cousin lined up for the Choosing,’ the woman said, looking along the path. ‘I was disappointed that she wasn’t chosen, but then when we heard what was happening on the Palace Isle, I was pleased it wasn’t her.’
Lis nodded, unsure of what she could say. If her cousin had been selected, things might have been very different. The prince might not have developed his magic, and Lis might be married to Peng. She looked back again then. Wei-Song hadn’t mentioned Lis’s sister at all other than that she’d needed to return to their father. Lis didn’t know how she was or whether the baby was close. And given the choice, she might have preferred to be far away from the Palace Isle herself.
‘But you are here now,’ the woman continued. ‘And married already.’
‘Times are different from what they were. And with the fighting, this might be our chance to try and bring the Empire back to what it was.’
‘You mean bring magic back,’ another man said, joining them as they climbed the small rise from beside the water to amongst the trees. Lis didn’t think she had ever seen such tall trees up close before. There were trees higher up the mountain on Fifth, but these were close enough to touch. She reached out for one.
‘Your Highness,’ a soldier called, coming around the bend in the path.
‘Look at the size of this,’ she said, finally putting her hand on the trunk. It was tall and broad, the branches jutting out, and she was nearly lost in the depth of them.
‘Please be careful, Your Highness,’ the soldier pleaded, and she cried out as a branch snagged her arm.
‘Where is she?’ Remi asked, joining them. ‘What are you doing?’ he asked as she came out of the tree with her
hand on her arm.
‘Let me look,’ Yang said, stepping forward quickly.
‘It is just a scratch. Have you ever seen anything so huge?’ she asked, looking up at the sky.
The soldier groaned.
‘What have I done?’ Lis asked. ‘Am I not to touch them?’ she asked the woman beside her, who broke into a smile.
‘You don’t behave as I expected a princess to behave,’ the woman said quickly.
‘You have no idea,’ Yang offered.
‘I am excited,’ Lis said in way of explanation.
‘You will want to climb one next, like a child,’ Yang said.
She glanced at Remi, who grinned. ‘Can I?’ she asked.
‘Not today, Your Highness,’ the soldier said. ‘We have much ground to cover.’
Lis nodded solemnly and stepped forward.
‘You didn’t answer my question,’ the man beside her said. He was less friendly than she remembered. ‘Magic.’
‘We would like the world to be what it was, only more supportive of the magics to ensure they are more comfortable with their skills.’
‘You want to make them stronger?’
‘No, just give them the chance to be who they are.’
‘But magics want to take over the Empire. They fought in the square. With the prince,’ he added, looking more uncertain of the people he was with.
‘They haven’t been treated as they should,’ Lis said. ‘It can be different.’
‘And the prince?’ he asked.
‘Has found some control,’ she answered for him.
The trees opened up before them, and they arrived in a village. It was different from what she had seen on Fifth. The houses were neat and whitewashed, their black tiled rooves sparkling in the sunlight. A market was set up at the far end of the street, and although there were people moving between the stalls, it wasn’t loud. No one argued over prices or jostled over what was for sale as they did in the market on the Palace Isle. Lis paused for a moment, remembering the enthusiasm when Mu-Phi had described them to her.
As they drew closer, the little movement there was in the market stopped. People bowed as they passed, but no one spoke, and then a girl ran forward and dropped to her knees before the prince.
‘Your Highness,’ she said, touching her head down into the dirt.
‘Please,’ he said, reaching forward.
As she looked up at him, Lis recognised her from the line. She had been quiet, and Lis had no idea of her name. Although she wasn’t sure she could name anyone else who had lined up with her during that time.
‘Please, stand up,’ he repeated kindly.
The young woman smiled and glanced at Lis. ‘We did not expect you, Your Highness, nor for such a reason as to present your wife.’
Lis nodded and smiled in her direction. ‘Your cousin has been most helpful in guiding us here,’ she said.
The girl looked to the woman who had been talking with Lis and then glanced back at Remi. ‘I can organise a carriage,’ she said quickly.
‘The prince and princess wish to walk,’ her cousin answered before Lis could thank her.
‘Walk? To where?’ she asked, then seemed to remember her audience and bowed again.
‘I have sailed past Third recently and noticed a school at the far end. We would like to explore and meet as many people as we can while we make our way towards the school,’ Remi said. ‘Our ship will meet us at that end of the island.’
‘There is no dock,’ a man said.
Remi nodded. ‘They can ferry us out by rowboat.’
‘From the beach?’ a woman asked. ‘The princess will get her feet wet.’
Lis laughed at the idea. ‘It has been some time since I have had the chance to put my feet in the ocean.’
Remi coughed politely, and she smiled at him, taking his arm. ‘Although I doubt the prince will even allow my feet to touch the sand.’
He placed his hand on hers and smiled down at her. ‘If you wish to swim to the ship, who am I to stop you?’
The silence around them seemed overwhelming.
The girl smiled nervously. ‘I see you chose the best princess,’ she said softly, bowing to Lis. ‘I remember you with your hair flowing free,’ she said softly. ‘I envied you. But I didn’t imagine you would be chosen.’
‘Hush,’ someone scolded from the small group around them.
‘Neither did I,’ Lis admitted. ‘And I was sure the prince had made a terrible mistake, but I’m pleased now.’
Remi surprised her by kissing the side of her head, and the crowd led the way towards the market. They looked over the goods before following the track beyond the village. The woman who had talked with them paused and bowed.
‘Thank you,’ Lis said, taking her hands.
‘I wish you luck, Your Highness, but be careful. Not everyone wants the magic to return, and some don’t want to share the power.’ She glanced back at the crowd standing in the market, then bowed to Lis again. She headed back to the group, and the girl who could have been Empress led the way along the path towards the next village.
The people of Third were quiet and polite, but Lis was sure there was something else beneath the surface. If they didn’t have the soldiers with them, things might have been different. An old woman at a village they passed through close to midday suggested that they stop for lunch. Lis didn’t want to admit that her feet were as sore as they were. Despite the comfortable pace they made, she wanted to sit and watch the world pass her by. They accepted the woman’s hospitality, and she happily poured rice wine for the soldiers.
Yang insisted on checking the scrape on Lis’s arm from the tree. Although it was sore, she hadn’t thought very much of it. As she slipped her fine cloak from her shoulders, the old woman was quick to take it from her. She looked it over and nodded.
‘I can fix this,’ she said, carrying it away inside.
‘I would rather eat first,’ Remi murmured, and a young woman came out of the house with a tray of food. She put the bowls down on the table before Remi and Lis and then disappeared back into the house. It was another moment before she appeared with more for Yang and Wei-Song. Yang waited for her to go inside again, then put his hand over Lis’s arm. The gentle sting stopped, and Lis rolled her shoulders.
‘I know you are keen to behave as a child,’ he chastised her, ‘but stay out of the water. With your luck, you will be taken by a sea monster.’
She laughed, and the girl behind her sucked in a breath. The bowls slipping from the tray, and one of the soldiers grabbed it before it all tumbled to the floor. ‘Are you alright?’ he asked her.
‘You cannot speak to the crown princess in such a way.’
‘Someone needs to,’ Remi answered for him.
Some of the soldiers laughed. ‘She is not your typical princess,’ one of them said.
‘Really?’ Lis asked.
‘Yes,’ Wei-Song chimed in.
‘I am trying to portray an image here,’ she said.
‘Yet you would rather run barefoot through the waves,’ the older woman said, coming out of the house.
Lis nodded.
‘I knew your mother when she was but a child,’ the woman said, and Lis moved across the bench to make room for her. ‘She was very much like you.’
Lis smiled at the idea of her mother, but she couldn’t say anything. Remi reached out and took her hand.
‘I can see that he chose you for the woman you are,’ she said, smiling at Remi.
He nodded once. ‘I’m afraid that I saw no one else in the line after I saw Lis.’
‘Destiny has a strange way of working.’ She handed the coat back to Lis. It was perfect; she couldn’t even tell where the small tear had been. Lis placed her hand over it and closed her eyes.
‘There are many who use that term,’ Remi said.
‘You are Hidden,’ Lis said.
The woman nodded.
Lis could feel the magic in the cloth. She wondered if that was so
mething new, something more acute she had developed since she had pulled energy from the phoenix. But she hadn’t felt the woman using the magic.
‘You want to bring the worlds together,’ the woman said.
Lis nodded.
‘If we can,’ Remi added. ‘Not all with magic feel the same way.’
‘And not all without agree with you,’ the advisor muttered from amidst the soldiers. They turned to him.
‘He will come around,’ Lis said quietly.
‘Or we will roast him,’ Remi snapped, the flame jumping quickly to life in his hand. The girl squealed.
Lis had forgotten she was still with them. ‘He is in jest,’ she said, standing from the table.
‘Your world is very different,’ the girl said softly. ‘I didn’t know what he was, and we heard stories. Is he…’
‘Dangerous?’ Lis finished for her.
The girl shook her head. ‘Cruel?’ she asked.
Remi allowed the fire to die, and Lis could feel the disappointment radiating from him. It was almost as overwhelming as the fear from the girl.
Lis took her hands. The girl flinched and then focused on Lis. She was a woman, Lis had to remind herself. The same age as herself, yet she appeared so much younger—or was it that Lis had aged so much since the Choosing?
‘He is the kindest man I know,’ Lis said softly. ‘He has done far more for me than I could ever expect.’
‘You have magic too,’ she said.
Lis nodded once. ‘And it is because of that magic that the prince developed his. It is my fault he is what he is.’
‘It is destiny,’ the old woman and Yang said in the same instant.
‘Now show us how you will bring the world together,’ the old woman demanded.
Lis, still holding the girl by the hands, looked at Remi. Was this something they could do on demand? Would it make a difference?
Remi sighed and stood. Lis let go of the girl and indicated that she take a step back.
‘I don’t know how much longer we can do this,’ he murmured.
‘Let’s try together,’ she said, taking his hand.
He twirled her around to stand in front of him, his arm across her chest, holding her tight against him. As the heat buzzed around them, Lis knew that they had formed the phoenix immediately, or at least it had shown itself. The girl dropped to her knees, and the old woman grinned.
The Magics of Rei-Een Box Set Page 66
