Naamah's Kiss (93 page)

"Then we have a strategy to plan," Snow Tiger said quietly. "Do we not?"

"Yes." The Emperor gave a brusque nod, removing his hand from her shoulder. "Yes, we do."

Well into the small hours of the night, we laid our plans, poring over maps in the Emperor's luxurious silk pavilion. There were no good options, but there was one bad one.

General Tsieh traced the route for us with a fingertip. "If you circle to the south, the approach to White Jade Mountain is guarded by the Stone Forest," he said. "It is a maze of limestone. Although they will have posted sentries, there is no way Jiang Quan's men can guard it effectively." He gave me a wary glance, months upon his ship having rendered me no less strange to him. "If the foreign witch possesses the gift of concealment you claim, it is your best chance for slipping through unseen."

"Her name is Moirin," the princess remarked. "Moirin mac Fainche of the Maghuin Dhonn. And she is descended from royalty."

He inclined his head. "Lady Moirin, then. My apologies."

I studied the map, eyes bleary for lack of sleep. "I can only do it for a while. Can we get there unseen?"

"No." His voice was heavy. "I fear not."

Details, details. For long hours, they debated details. What route to take, how many men to accompany us. How the Imperial army might give cover to our movements. I was tired enough that my head swam. At some point, Bao positioned himself behind me, angling his shoulder so that I might lean against him, letting myself relax against the strength of his corded muscles and breathing in the familiar hot metal scent of his skin.

The dragon grumbled.

"Be quiet ." I said, sleepy and irritable. "Am I not deserving of comfort?"

Yes . His voice was small. I am sorry .

Everyone stared.

"The dragon speaks to Moirin," Snow Tiger said. "Be very, very grateful that he listens, too."

They didn't understand. How could they? I didn't blame them. It was a strange and peculiar intimacy that bound us together, the princess and the dragon and I. But I was grateful to her for giving voice to it.

In the end, it was decided that a small company had a better chance of gaining the Stone Forest on the southern slopes of White Jade Mountain than a large one. In the morning, the Imperial army would stretch its southern flank to ward our progress, and we would set out behind their ranks to circle the mountain, our escape route guarded by an elite squadron of Imperial archers.

I roused myself. "Would it not be better to travel at night?"

"The terrain is too harsh to travel without the benefit of torches or lanterns, and there are sentries watching our every move," General Tsieh said soberly. "I fear this is a risk we must take at the outset."

"You can see in the dark when you call your magic, can you not?" Snow Tiger asked me. I nodded. She cocked her head. "Perhaps it is best if the two of us go alone under the cover of darkness."

"I do not think that is wise," Master Lo Feng said in a gentle tone. "Moirin's strength is not boundless, nor is her control over her magic perfect. One slip, and you would be exposed and vulnerable in open terrain."

I held my tongue, knowing he was right. My diadh-anam flickered in agreement, warning me of my own mortal limitations.

"But in the darkness" the princess began.

"No." The Emperor raised one hand, silencing her. His voice was adamant. "I will not allow it. There is only so much trust I am willing to place in the magic of one weary foreign sorceress. Noble Daughter, you will go by day with your worthy companions and a squadron of Imperial archers to defend your passage, or you will not go at all."

She bowed her head in acquiescence. "As you bid."

The matter settled, General Tsieh began rolling up his maps. I stifled a yawn, longing for sleep.

"Venerable Master Lo Feng." The princess hesitated. "You have served the Celestial Empire with dignity and honor in a difficult time. Now we have come to a task that requires a warrior's skill, not that of a sage and physician. War is upon us. I would ask you to remain here, where you might do the greatest good."

"I would be grateful for your aid, old friend," the Emperor added softly. "Truly."

Master Lo bowed his head. White stubble on his scalp glinted in the lamplight. There were deep creases in his cheeks that I didn't remember seeing before. "Then I shall abide by your wishes, Celestial Majesty, and pray that my pupils do me honor in my stead."

"We will, Master Lo," Bao assured him, nudging me with his elbow. "We will make you proud, I promise." Tortoise and Dai murmured agreement, echoing Bao, nodding their heads fervently.

I straightened my back. "Aye, Master! I promise, too. We will make you proud."

His dark eyes shone with tears. "Ah, children! You already have."

In the light of day, our task seemed even more daunting. We were given the swiftest horses to ride and a squadron of five hundred elite archers to protect us, men trained to shoot from the saddle at a full gallop. Speed would be essential. Once we were exposed, Lord Jiang's men would try to cut us off. I would summon the twilight to conceal Snow Tiger and myself as long as possible, but I couldn't hide five hundred men, and we needed their protection. As soon as we began to move, Jiang's men would know somewhat was afoot. All we could do was try to outflank them.

All throughout the camp, soldiers donned their gear, checked their quivers, and honed their swords. We waited, nerves strung taut. Soldiers assembled in tidy ranks beneath their banners, awaiting orders. On the far side of the meadow that separated us from the enemy, riders dashed back and forth.

They suspected war was upon them.

Struggling to keep my teeth from chattering with anxiety, I forced myself to breathe through the Five Cycles. It helped, a little. I watched the princess bid her father farewell. I couldn't see her face, but the look on his made my heart break.

"Is it customary for the Emperor himself to ride into battle?" I asked Bao, seeking to distract myself.

"No," he said somberly. "Usually it is a general who leads. But Emperor Zhu has always been a warrior. And I think he looks to prove beyond a doubt that he has not lost the Mandate of Heaven."

And then, all too soon, it was time.

The Son of Heaven in his gilded armor mounted a snow-white charger, looking more splendid than ever. He raised one hand and gave an order. His banner dipped and swayed, conveying it. Other banners took up the order, passing it on. The Imperial army began to move, thinning and spreading its ranks toward the south.

Snow Tiger rode back to us, her face pale beneath the blindfold.

"Now, my lady?" I asked.

She nodded. "Please."

The men had been given their orders. They averted their eyes as I summoned the twilight and wrapped the two of us in it. In the velvety dusk, the scene was surreal. Snow Tiger lowered her blindfold, eyes meeting mine. The dragon's reflection coiled uneasily in her dark pupils.

"Stay with me, treasured friend," I murmured.

Yes. I will try.

There were soft gasps at our disappearance. Bao swung his head in my general direction. "Moirin?"

"I am here," I said to him. "We are both here."

He muttered under his breath, then gave the order to move out.

Accompanied by the five hundred archers who would do their best to guard our avenue of escape, we rode slowly behind the Imperial lines. The ranks were too densely packed to see aught of the enemies' movements, but word trickled through the ranks. Lord Jiang's outnumbered army was not advancing. Instead, they were repositioning their bronze weapons in response to the Imperial army's shift.

Whether that was good or bad, I didn't know.

We reached the outskirts of the army's massed ranks, now spread dangerously thin. What came next would be a desperate sprint across a battlefield toward the river two li to the south. If we reached it, our archers would make a stand there.

"Moirin?" Bao asked. "Are we ready?"

I glanced at the princess. She gave a terse nod, then remembered he could hear her if she willed it. "Yes. Give the order, please."

Bao drew a deep breath and loosed it in a shout. "Ride! Ride !"

We clapped heels to our mounts' flanks and burst out of concealment, racing across the open meadow.

The Divine Thunder boomed in answer, its deep cough echoing off the peaks of White Jade Mountain.

The Imperial archers were meant to serve as a shield between us and the enemy; but no mortal flesh could stand against the missiles spat out by the Divine Thunder. I saw a man borne down only a few yards away, his horse rendered an obscene carcass of torn flesh. I veered in horror, losing my grasp on the twilight. The gleaming dark carnage before me turned the vivid red of blood.

Again and again, the Divine Thunder boomed.

Everywhere, screaming.

And the dragon was loose.

I felt its madness and fury rise, spiraling to heights that dwarfed aught that had gone before, so terrible it disoriented me. As though the gifts of my ancestors had been restored, I saw a glimpse of a dreadful future unspooling, a future written in metal and smoke and blood, a future in which all the sacred places of the earth had been violated, and there were no longer dragons or bear-witches in the world.

NO!

The dragon's roar made my head spin. I shook it, trying to clear it.

The princess had turned her mount, and ah, gods! She was riding toward the battle, toward the terrible weapons, ready to destroy them all, a naked sword in her hand and a captive dragon's blind fury in her eyes.

"You can't!" I heeled my mount and checked her progress. "My lady, you can't! There are too many! And I cannot hold the twilight! Close your eyes !"

She hesitated.

Ahead of me, I saw Bao turn back; but Tortoise was closer. He jounced in the saddle as he hurried to aid me, his homely face terrified but determined. A hero after all, no matter how unlikely. And then the Divine Thunder coughed, a hot, acrid wind passed overhead, and Tortoise was no longer there. His remains smoldered in a crater.

"Please, my lady," I said in a choked voice. "Please, please, please listen to me and close your eyes. My friend, please let her hear me!"