As they entered the healers’ compound, the Imperial Healer raced forward with his hands out. ‘Stop!’ he cried.
They both stopped dead.
‘I fear that any one of these herbs might trigger something,’ he said.
‘I have walked through here before with no effect,’ Remi said, although he remembered wondering what impact the herbs might have on magic.
‘But our little princess has been compromised.’
‘Do you have any idea what they did to me?’ she asked.
‘It is a combination, but I’m not sure which spices have affected you so badly. The water helped you?’
‘It washed the dust from my skin, but I fear I inhaled too much of it.’
‘Come,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘I would have you examined away from here.’
She nodded once, and he walked past them out into the street. He paused for a moment, then led them through the streets until they reached a rivulet passing though the grounds of the island. Ahead of them, Remi could see the bridge Lis had thought was so beautiful the day she had become the hidden princess, and where his mother so often found her way.
‘Why here?’ Remi asked.
‘If this doesn’t work, we can throw her in the water.’
Lis’s eyes widened as the old man smiled. ‘A precaution.’
Lis nodded once, and he produced a small package from his pocket. She looked at it warily. Remi wondered if the man was going to test the dust on her directly.
He moved between the two of them.
‘This will make you cough,’ he said, leaning around Remi and blowing the spice into Lis’s face.
Remi turned, worried that this would only do more damage. She looked at him and crinkled her nose, but nothing happened.
‘Maybe we need to try some more,’ the healer murmured, and then Lis sneezed. She shook her head and, as Remi closed his fist to prevent himself from thumping the old man, she started to cough.
It was like a little tickle, a delicate thing, but it didn’t stop. It got worse and worse until Remi thought she would drop from it. She doubled over and then a hacking cough started, as though her body was rejecting not only the dust but her own lungs.
Remi didn’t know what to do. As he reached for her, she held out a hand for him to keep his distance. And then it stopped. She took several deep breaths and glared at the healer. Then she disappeared, and the old man squealed for joy. Then he squealed in fright, and Lis reappeared with her arms around him.
‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘Thank you.’
‘I don’t think I ever want to see that again,’ Remi whispered.
‘I don’t want to experience it. Is it an antidote to the spices they used?’
He shook his head. ‘It was because you had breathed it in. I feared it still stuck in your lungs and might have remained there for a very long time. This helps with coughing, mostly for infections we can’t shift from the lung.’
‘It worked,’ she said.
‘Come,’ the old man said, taking her by the arm and leading her to the bridge. He sat her on the first step and sat beside her as though they were old friends. ‘I would like to check that you are well.’
She nodded, but she looked up at Remi. Their world would be different again once this news escaped. He leaned in and put his head to her chest. Then he looked into her eyes.
‘Magic me something?’ he whispered.
She took a deep breath and then held out her hand, and a cake appeared on it. He looked at it suspiciously.
‘Lotus seed paste?’ he asked.
She nodded, and he snatched the cake up and pushed the whole thing into his mouth. He nodded slowly with his eyes closed, and Lis giggled, a sound it seemed Remi hadn’t heard in a long time.
‘Now,’ the healer said through a mouthful, ‘about this child.’
They both glanced at each other. ‘You haven’t even felt her pulse,’ Remi said.
The old man waved him away. ‘I can see it on your face. Yang assures me you are well, and if you can both withstand the power of the spices you have been subjected to, I have no concerns.’ He looked up at Remi. ‘Women have been having babies without my interference for a very long time,’ he said with a smile. ‘You will have to do far more than a woman of your position would be expected or allowed to do in your condition. You do what you must before the empress learns of this.’
Remi bowed before the man. Lis kissed his cheek, then presented him with another cake.
‘Run along,’ he said. ‘Stay away from the healers,’ he added in a serious tone.
They both nodded and, taking her hand, Remi ran back through the streets towards the laundry.
Chapter 30
Lis stood beside Remi at the docks and watched the boats arrive. The docks were almost as busy as they had been when she had come to the Palace Isle for the Choosing. When the news had first reached them at the laundry that boats were arriving, Lis was apprehensive. She had thought this a good idea, yet the men who had taken her were foremost in her mind.
The number of people surprised her, and she was almost tempted to stand behind Remi as the number of boats increased. Yet as soon as Master Yangshing stepped onto the dock, the world made more sense.
Not all of those getting off the boats were from the Hidden school, and Lis wondered if there were more islands on the outer rim of the Empire hiding magics and their allies. She shook her head, and Remi gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
Wei-Song pushed past her and out onto the docks, throwing herself into the arms of the older man. He smiled as he ran his hand over her hair, and Lis knew this man was more of a father to Wei-Song than the emperor ever could have been. The emperor and empress were waiting back at the throne room. Lis was sure they would be standing at the top of the steps when the others came through to meet them.
Master Yangshing stepped forward and bowed low to Remi, then to Lis. She smiled, and he reached out to touch her face, but then stopped.
‘He should be taking better care of you,’ he whispered, leaning in closer.
‘He is always there to rescue me,’ Lis said in return. ‘Who else have you brought with you?’ she asked.
‘Not all magics. Some who have supported us over the years, and I have given my word they will not face persecution for that action.’
‘I can second that,’ Remi said. ‘Welcome,’ he said, indicating the large open gates behind him. ‘We don’t have some of the comforts we did before, but the island is yours.’
Many bowed low as they passed him, and Lis noticed that some carried barrels of food. They hadn’t had much help of late, so Yang had been doing most of the cooking for their small group. She wasn’t sure about the soldiers, and she felt bad for not checking on them. Although she was sure they looked after themselves when they travelled.
Advisor Gan appeared beside her, grinning continuously at the people arriving by boat. The moment the emperor had dismissed him, he had set the scribes to work creating the posters and sending them out to the main islands of the Empire. Lis only hoped that all of those who should be involved were able to.
Some of the faces arriving looked familiar from their journey around the islands not so long ago, but they had little to say as they passed Remi and Lis on the docks. They bowed and kept moving. The soldiers acted as runners, showing people to accommodation.
They had asked people to come together in the main square, but some had been standing there most of the morning, and there were still boats arriving. Lis searched the crowd for anyone familiar. Despite the number of Hidden on the island, they stood out amongst the rest. Lis was surprised that no one was hiding.
Others moved around the edges of the group. Looking at who was there, trying to find people. Lis only hoped this didn’t develop into a fight before they could talk to them. She had hoped the emperor would stand before them, to show that he wanted the Empire united. His brief stint on the steps of the throne room had been just that.
As one boat arriv
ed, Remi stiffened beside her, and a man stood at the top of the gangplank as the soldiers tied up the boat. The man looked directly at them and gave Lis a smile before he stepped from the boat. As he headed towards them, Lis took Remi’s hand.
‘He is the magic,’ she whispered.
‘Chonglin,’ Remi greeted the man before he could say anything, and he bowed low.
‘I see you found your princess,’ Chonglin said.
Remi bowed his head. Lis could feel the tension in his body and what it took not to attack this man.
‘We are here to listen to what is to be said,’ Chonglin said. ‘Not to cause trouble, I assure you.’
‘I’m not sure I believe you,’ Remi said, his voice low, and Lis felt the heat rise around him.
‘You are welcome,’ she said. ‘Please…’ She held her hand out, and Remi glared at the man.
‘I was led to believe all are welcome,’ he said.
‘You are,’ Lis said quickly.
‘Did you try to kill my wife?’ Remi asked, leaning forward.
‘Didn’t you?’ Chonglin asked.
Lis slipped between them and took the magic’s hand. ‘You are most welcome,’ she said again, then nodded to a solider by the gate to escort him inside.
‘This was your idea,’ she hissed at Remi. Then smiled as another man bowed when he passed them. ‘No matter what we think of them, we must be accommodating, or this won’t work.’
Remi nodded and huffed, and the heat died away.
By the afternoon, Lis was ready for the shade and a rest. She had insisted on standing by the gate to welcome everyone, and she was sure it would help them see they were all welcome in the same way. She sighed and stretched when one last boat arrived. There hadn’t been a boat in a little while, but they were thinning out, and she guessed all those who would come were already here.
The man who marched towards her caused her heart to jump, and without a thought she had her hand up and her shield in place.
He stopped and glared at her before he looked at Remi. He had his arm across her and was trying to reassure her it was well, but her mind raced.
‘Search that man,’ she said to the guard.
‘Are we not welcome?’ he asked, the voice grating on her fears. Her shield pushed out further.
‘He may be carrying spices that are dangerous,’ Lis said, and the guard stepped forward again.
‘We have come in peace,’ the man said, holding up his hands. Others joined him on the dock, many of them familiar to Lis. They really hadn’t thought she would survive. ‘I am sorry for Wu Peng,’ he said, bowing low again.
‘I’m not,’ she murmured. The guard nodded, and she looked away.
‘You are welcome,’ Remi said. ‘But you will be watched.’
The man smiled and headed through the gate. Some of the others following him didn’t bow to Lis or Remi, and she wondered what they really wanted here.
‘This might have been a bad idea,’ she whispered, taking Remi’s arm and following them through the gates.
‘We’ll soon find out,’ he said.
‘Where is the emperor?’ someone in the crowd called out.
Lis was surprised by the number of people in the crowd. Watching them unload one boat at a time, they hadn’t seemed so many, but now she was somewhat overwhelmed.
‘He won’t be coming,’ someone else called. ‘Why would he? They are rounding us up to take us out.’
Lis wondered why he had come if he believed that to be true.
‘That is not why we asked you to come,’ Remi said, his voice carrying across the square as he walked through the people and up the steps of the temple.
Lis followed close behind and noticed Chonglin in the crowd, smiling. She was reminded of the last time Remi had been on these steps addressing people.
‘The Empire is dying,’ he said, and a whisper moved through the crowd. ‘We must work together to save it.’
‘It is magic that is killing it,’ someone cried out, and Remi took a breath.
‘We hope that by bringing the Empire back to what it was before the magic war, we can find a way to succeed.’
‘Your father started the magic war. There was no need to turn on his own people like that. He turned on more than the magics.’
Lis wanted to agree, but they had to stop the Empire being overthrown. Siding against the emperor wasn’t going to help.
‘And you have magic,’ someone else said. ‘How can we trust you don’t want it for yourself?’
‘We know what you did that day,’ an old woman said.
‘Please,’ Master Yangshing said, putting his hand in the air. ‘Let us listen to what they have to say. They may have fought each other, but they stand united before us now.’
‘Master Yangshing?’ a voice asked in the crowd. ‘I thought you were killed in the war.’
‘I’m tougher than I look,’ he said with a bow, and some laughter followed. ‘I understand that we all come from different places, and that we have experienced different lives following the magic war. But we are all Rei-Een citizens, and I’m sure we want our world to continue.’
There was some general agreement in the crowd, along with some shouts about not trusting magic.
‘What does the hidden princess say?’ a voice cried out above the rest, and Lis focused on Chonglin. ‘You fought against the magics with the soldiers and hunters. Why do you want to end this now?’
Lis cleared her throat. ‘I fought to save the prince,’ she said, and the crowd hushed around her. ‘It was my fault that he had become what he was, that he struggled to control his skills. He had been led to believe that we couldn’t live in harmony. I believe we can.’
‘You tried to kill each other,’ someone said.
‘No, I was trying to stop him from hurting himself.’
‘But you don’t have the control to do that either, do you?’ a familiar voice cried out, and Lis searched the crowd of faces for the man who had held her.
‘You don’t like what those with magic are,’ Lis said, still trying to find his face, ‘but you would have the magic if you could.’
He pushed forward then, and Lis focused on the anger before her. ‘I want a world where there is no magic.’ He turned back to the crowd. ‘And I have the means to take it away.’
‘I thought you wanted a truce, Li Sho-Ma,’ someone else said, and from nowhere a gap formed around the two men as they pushed at each other.
‘This isn’t helping,’ Lis pleaded.
She felt the hum of magic before it sparked, but the man called Li Sho-Ma threw a hard punch, and the other man was out cold before the magic formed. ‘They still want control,’ he snapped. Then he turned and stalked away.
Lis looked up at Remi.
‘There are a lot of opinions as to what we should do,’ he said, and although the murmuring continued, the crowd watched him instead of the man still winding through the crowd.
Remi waved a soldier over. ‘Don’t let that man back on his boat, and I want it searched. Any sign of the spice mix—call in the healers.’
The soldier nodded and disappeared.
‘We want peace,’ Remi said again. ‘We want the Empire to be what it was. Please think of how we can make that happen, and we will meet again in the morning to discuss more ideas.’ He looked across at Advisor Gan, and the little man stepped forward.
‘If you have any questions in relation to your accommodation or needs for your stay here, please step forward and I will do my best. Otherwise, the island is yours to explore.’
‘I suppose we did tell them the island was theirs,’ Remi murmured.
Advisor Gan shook his head. ‘Most of it, but we have soldiers stationed where people shouldn’t go. The empress would see you,’ he said without looking as several people moved forward to ask him questions.
Lis looked back at the crowd. Several people watched them go, including Chonglin, and she shivered. A little way from the group, Lis came upon her father talking with
the general.
‘I’ll see what can be done,’ the general said, nodding to one of the soldiers with him, who then bowed and raced off. ‘That could have gone better,’ he said, turning to Remi.
‘It could have gone a lot worse,’ Remi said.
‘You didn’t think about showing them your little trick?’
Lis shook her head. She wasn’t sure that it would be enough, and she wasn’t sure it would work. It hadn’t when Remi had tried on Fourth, although she hadn’t been focused on him at the time. She felt much better, and her barrier was working again, but she wasn’t sure she could try. Remi was highly agitated, and if it didn’t work, she might not be able to pull him back into control before someone was hurt.
‘You shouldn’t have mentioned that it was your fault,’ Remi said.
‘But it was. It is because I’m here that all of this has happened.’
The general opened his mouth, and Lis pointed at him. ‘If you say destiny, I shall banish you and Yang to the far reaches of what is left of the Empire.’
‘You would never do that to Yang,’ the general said with a grin. ‘But I agree with him. The gods have conspired to bring you together, whether you think they have or not.’
Lis shook her head.
‘Can you heal it?’ her father asked, his voice rough and broken. Lis wondered if he would ever be the man he had been before all of this.
‘The damage we have done?’ she asked.
He surprised her with a smile. ‘The Empire. Can you really bring all of these people together?’
‘I hope so,’ she said.
Remi tapped her on the shoulder. ‘Mother,’ he said softly, indicating the woman standing on the steps of the throne room. Lis was reminded of the fear she had felt on that first day, how distant and untouchable the empress seemed to be. Only she knew a different side of her now, although Lis wasn’t sure she knew the woman as well as she thought she did.
She kissed her father’s cheek and took Remi’s arm, and they went to meet her.
The empress led them straight into the throne room. Lis was surprised to find it empty. The empress stepped forward and sat on the throne. She smoothed over her skirt, and Lis and Remi both bowed before her.
The Magics of Rei-Een Box Set Page 73
