by Amber Argyle
After eating, the three women cleaned up the dishes in silence. Light gradually touched the sky. Soon, the light overshadowed the lamps. When Ko blew them out, the cork plugs bobbed in the oil. Just as Lilette was about to demand they go find out what they could themselves, the outer door slid silently open and a eunuch she’d never seen before slipped inside.
Most of the eunuchs were a little plump, their bodies strangely hairless, but this one was on the thin side. There was something harder about him—not just his body, but the way he carried himself. Nothing like the soft hands and manners of most of the eunuchs. He looked different from the other Harshens as well. It was something in the shape of his eyes and the length of his face. With a start, Lilette realized he was the same race as Ko. The eunuch’s gaze took in Lilette and Jolin, and his expression closed off.
Ko pushed herself to her feet. “Lang, what’s going on?”
His gaze flicked warily to Lilette and Jolin. “You trust them?” he asked in disbelief. “They’re witches.”
Ko took a deep breath. “They’re not like the others.”
He grunted. “I very much doubt that.”
“What—” Jolin began.
“Is Vorlay’s armada really out there?” Ko interrupted.
Lang’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Yes, they’re surrounding the island now. The emperor has sent out his ships, raised the harbor chain, called up all his troops, and armed the citizens.”
“Will it be enough?” Lilette asked.
His frank gaze met hers. “No. Vorlay is a beast compared to us. Chen was a fool for killing their princess.”
Lilette slapped her leg in frustration. “Then why did he do it?”
“Because the same poison was used to kill his mother about a year ago.”
Lilette’s mouth fell open. “Then Laosh . . .”
“Killed at least four people,” Lang finished. “Most of them were murdered as part of her political maneuverings.”
After several seconds of silence, Ko said, “You’re underestimating Emperor Nis.”
“Nis has relied too long on our distance from other nations to keep us safe.” Lang’s voice was tight with anger. “Harshen has a third less ships—few of them war ships. The city doesn’t have ramparts to speak of. The defensive line will be spread out and ineffective. The palace compound is well fortified, so it will endure for a little while after the city proper falls. But walls cannot stand forever, not against battering rams and arrows and soldiers with hooks and rope. Fighting back will buy us some time, nothing more.”
Lang made a sound low in his throat, his gaze settling on Lilette. “It would have been much better for Harshen had you just died when Laosh poisoned you.”
Guilt and anger twisted Lilette’s insides. None of it was her fault, but she had been the catalyst. “Laosh chose her own path.”
Lang huffed. “And the heir chose ours.”
Lilette shook her head, still not really believing it. “They couldn’t have come this far so quickly. It’s not possible.”
The eunuch studied her coolly. “Isn’t it?”
Lilette rubbed her temples and pictured the charts she’d seen in Bian’s home. “This time of year, the winds are wrong. Tacking into the wind, it would have taken them weeks to travel from Vorlay to Harshen.”
Lang crossed his arms. “It is said they had help.”
“What are you implying?” Jolin demanded.
He met her gaze head on. “That the witches in Kalari are helping them.”
Lilette froze as understanding washed over her.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Jolin exclaimed. “We don’t involve ourselves in wars between nations.”
Lang’s brows came up. “Do you have another explanation for how they made a three week journey in three days?”
Lilette bit her lip. He was right. It was the only explanation that made sense.
“No,” Jolin admitted.
“See what you see instead of what you’re told to see,” Lang said.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Jolin spat.
Lilette rested her hand on her friend’s arm. The only people capable of moving the armada that quickly were the witches. She knew it and so did the others—Jolin just wasn’t ready to accept it yet. “What of the witches in the palace?” Lilette asked Lang.
“They were supposed to leave this morning, but Vorlay’s arrival put a stop to that.”
Jolin’s face drained of color. “They believed Chen’s ridiculous story?”
“None of them carefully inspected the body before they burned it,” replied Lang. “I suspect the boils put them off.”
Lilette gasped. “But the listeners would have heard us sing.”
“They wouldn’t have been able to differentiate us from Sash and the others.” Jolin gripped Lilette’s hand. “I must escape. You must come with me.”
Incredulous that Jolin would say as much in front of this eunuch, Lilette elbowed her. “You too, Ko,” Jolin added quickly.
Lilette rolled her eyes. That wasn’t what she’d meant, but she couldn’t say it in front of Lang.
“I can’t,” Ko murmured. Her face had gone gray, her eyes pinched shut as if to block out some terrible sight.
Lang raised a hand toward her before dropping it back to his side. “Ko . . .”
She met his gaze, tears lining the rims of her eyes. “I can’t. My son is here.”
“Is he not already lost to you?” Lang said so softly Lilette could barely hear him. Ko turned away. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. “If the witches truly are helping Vorlay, we stand no chance. I’ll get you off the island if I can, and hide you if I cannot.” He reached forward and brushed the backs of his fingers down her cheek.
Ko took his hand briefly in hers. “And if you fail? You know what the emperor will do to us.”
Lilette gaped at them.
“Ko, please,” Lang implored. “I have the resources this time. I swear I’ll keep you safe.”
“I can’t,” she whispered.
He reached into the folds of his robe and handed her a dagger. “Then take this.”
Ko blinked at wicked gleam of the blade. “Lang . . .”
“Take it.” He curled her fingers around the hilt and turned his attention to Lilette and Jolin. “Many of the elite guards have been reassigned as leaders of the militia. You stand a chance at escaping tonight. Climb the harem wall and hide. When morning comes, join one of the groups leaving the compound.”
Fear curled around Lilette’s belly, leaving her cold and shaking.
Lang studied her, his eyes glittering. “I will bring you some eunuch’s clothes. You’ll be less conspicuous that way. They’ll be hidden in the tree outside your room. May the Sun Dragon see you safely to your journey’s end.” He sent Ko a longing look. Then he turned and was gone.
“Safe journey,” Ko seemed to whisper to herself after he had gone, tears still brimming in her eyes. She glanced down at the dagger in her grasp and retreated to her room.
Jolin leaned over and whispered, “She’s in love with a eunuch?”
“Shh.” Lilette glanced back at the doorway. “He’s still a man, isn’t he?”
“Strictly speaking.”
Ko stepped back into the room, and Lilette could only hope she hadn’t heard Jolin. Ko knelt down and wiped her face. “He has loved me faithfully and at great risk to himself for nearly two decades. You could only hope to find such love someday.”
Jolin flushed bright red. “I apologize for what I said.”
The sudden silence was uncomfortable. Ko sat back on her heels. “You need to understand what happens if you’re caught,” she said softly. “Before the palace steps, with the emperor and the heir watching, they will behead you. Your body will be given to the peasants, who will display you in pieces before selling the remains for curses.”
Lilette shuddered. “How many times has this happened?”
Ko turned away, refusing to meet Lilette’
s gaze. “Once in my lifetime. No one has tried it since.”
From the pain in Ko’s voice, Lilette knew that whoever had died had been close to her. “Who was it?”
“My sister.” Ko sniffed. “We were twins—the daughters of King Mu’Fa of Jinji. Our father valued a trade agreement with Harshen more than my sister’s marriage to a merchant’s son. Lang followed us here. He managed to sneak into the harem. He and my sister tried to talk me into escaping with them, but I was already pregnant.”
Tears rolled freely down Ko’s face. “Carrying a child wouldn’t have stopped the emperor from killing me. I couldn’t risk it.”
Lilette rested her hand on Ko’s shoulder. “He caught them, didn’t he?”
Ko nodded. “Emperor Nis could have killed Lang too. Instead, he made him watch. When my sister was . . .” —a sob caught in Ko’s throat— “Lang begged for death. Instead, the emperor made him a eunuch and locked him in the harem.”
She took a deep breath and wiped her cheeks. “At first, Lang simply looked after me because he blamed himself for my sister’s death.” Ko shrugged. “How could I not fall in love with him? That kind of honor and determination . . .” She gave a watery smile. “And I made sure to teach my son that same honor.”
Lilette thought of Han’s small acts of kindness and selflessness. He may look like his father, but he’d learned his goodness from his mother.
Jolin suddenly jumped to her feet. “Someone’s coming!”
Lilette could hear singing, so far away she couldn’t make out the words. There was something dark and sinister about it—it was almost more of a chant. Something wrenched inside her, a feeling of terror like a silent scream.
“My keepers are fighting,” Jolin cried. She started toward the outer door, but it opened before she was halfway there. A handful of eunuchs were on the other side, the chief eunuch among them.
Had the eunuchs overheard their talk of escape? Were they coming to take them to their execution? Lilette pushed herself to her feet—to do what, she didn’t know.
Two of the larger eunuchs came in, quarterstaffs in hand. Ko cried out and backed to the other side of the room. The eunuchs advanced on Jolin. “You will come with us, keeper.”
Backing away, she snatched a heavy pot and held it like a club. “Why? What’s going on?”
The eunuch’s quarterstaffs shot out. One connected with Jolin’s side, and the other smacked her hand. With a gasp of pain, she doubled over as the pot went flying.
“Stop this!” Ko cried.
The eunuchs seized Jolin and dragged her toward the door. Lilette started after them. “Leave her alone!” One of them stepped in front of her. She bounced off his chest and fell hard. Curse her weak body!
“Remember what you promised, Lilette,” Jolin pled. “It’s more imperative now. Find a way!”
Lilette pushed herself up and moved to follow Jolin, but one of the eunuchs grasped her. She fought and struggled against him, but she was as weak as a child. “Jolin!”
The chief eunuch shot her a look of disgust. “See that she stays here.” The eunuch dragged Lilette deeper into the room. Trembling and gasping for breath, she tried to dig her heels in, but only succeeded in losing her slippers.
Ko came to stand beside her. “I will deal with her. Release her.”
“When she’s calm,” the eunuch responded.
Ko shot Lilette a pleading look. “Fight the battles you can win. Retreat from the ones you cannot.”
Now Lilette knew where Han had learned the phrase. Knowing the older woman was right, she complied. The eunuch held her a moment more before letting go. Arms crossed over his chest, he stepped back and blocked the doorway.
With shaking hands, Lilette pulled her hair away from her face. A bit of color on the floor caught her eye. She reached down to pick up Jolin’s spectacles—she must have lost them in the scuffle. They were bent, but the glass was still intact. Lilette slipped them into her robe.
Ko motioned for Lilette to follow her into Han’s room and shut the screen behind them. Lilette slumped down on the sleeping mat. “Han learned that phrase from you?” she whispered.
“Yes.” Ko must have seen the worry lining her brow, for she added, “Jolin will be all right. They’ve no reason to hurt her.”
How could she be so calm when Lilette felt she might burst apart at any moment? She could still hear the chanting, feel the occasional quake as the elements tore through her. “What’s happening?”
Ko’s careful fingers paused. “I warned you that the emperor was cunning.”
Lilette pushed herself up. “What do you mean?”
“Perhaps he saw what Lang did—that he could not win this war. And so he took the strength he needed.”
Lilette’s eyes went wide. “By using the witches as a weapon.”
Wasn’t this what her mother had shown her—the world filled with blood and death and chaos—all orchestrated by witch song? Not the least of which was Harshen sinking into the sea.
If Lilette didn’t find a way to save her sister and the others, that’s exactly what would happen.
Chapter 10
It has taken me decades to admit that Chen and the emperor saved our lives that night. It has taken me longer still to admit that our deaths would have been a relief to the keepers. ~Jolin
Lilette waited all that day, until full dark, long after the eunuchs had gone to sleep behind their screens. Ko passed her a wooden jar of kohl and the knife Lang had given her. “You sure you still want to go through with this?”
“I have to,” Lilette said.
“Why? You barely know Jolin. And you haven’t seen your sister in nearly a decade.”
“You would do the same for your sister. I know you would.” There was more at stake than Lilette’s sister, though. Her mother had warned her that if she didn’t free them, the whole world would descend into chaos.
“Use the kohl to darken your hair, and be careful.” Ko left, silently shutting the screen door behind her.
Lilette pulled her hair into a tight bun on the top of her head. Then she smeared kohl on the hair at her temples and the nape of her neck—areas that would not be covered by a eunuch’s hat.
Shoving her jade comb into her pocket, she hurried to the window. She pushed aside the silk screen. The tops of the outer walls were lit with hundreds of torches, their light blotting out the stars and illuminating the elite prowling behind the parapet.
Lilette pulled herself onto the sill and climbed out. She found the eunuch’s clothes right where Lang said they’d be. She took off her fine robes and hid them before pulling the cotton robes over her smallclothes. She donned the round hat and tucked the knife in the sash of her robe, then slipped into the moonless night.
When she reached the small lake, what she saw in the water made her halt in disbelief. She dragged her eyes from the shimmering reflection to the sky itself. A column of light and soft colors rose into the night. In the center, a woman floated higher than even the palace. Her hair twisted up like a flame as she slowly spun.
The whole scene was the most beautiful, terrible thing Lilette had ever seen. More of her memories broke free. Memories of lights and songs and women twirling toward the sky. But those memories were incomplete, as full of holes as a sea sponge.
At the sound of voices, Lilette froze. The chief eunuch. She ducked behind a pleasure boat moments before he appeared through a cluster of trees. He was speaking with another eunuch, a paper lantern in his hand.
“They have already sunk half the ships! The soldiers are fighting the Vorlayans in the city, but without reinforcements, they are falling back.”
Lilette was tempted to follow, to learn more if she could, but she could actually hear the witches’ words now—beautiful words twisted for a dark purpose.
She broke into a faltering run. Her tunic was drenched in sweat by the time she reached the harem wall. It sounded as if the witches were just on the other side. Keeping to the shadows, she searched the fl
at expanse. It was more than twice her height and too smooth to climb. The trees were cut back and therefore of no use in scaling the wall.
Well, I am a witch, aren’t I? she thought. It was time to use that to her advantage. She found a sturdy tree. Her gaze traveled up the latticework of branches. If she was well and had her full strength, it would have been an easy climb. After hiking her tunic up above her knees, she grasped a branch. It seemed to take hours, and she had to rest more and more often, but finally she’d gone as high as she dared. The barrier softly lit up the night and cast green and purple light on the airborne woman’s face. It was Sash. Lilette wanted to call out to her sister. It was unbearable to have her so close and yet completely unreachable.
Lilette looked up at the ramparts, glad for the branches that obscured her from the sentinels’ eyes. It probably wouldn’t have mattered anyway. All their gazes were trained beyond the city or the witches. She still couldn’t see below the harem wall, but that was about to change. Fixing in her mind one of the songs Jolin had taught her, Lilette sang softly for the tree to grow. Soon the sweat of fear ran down her body.
The tree grew a little higher, opening Lilette’s view to what lay just beyond the harem wall. About a dozen witches were arm in arm inside the barrier. She scanned their faces for Jolin but didn’t see her.
As if they were one mind, the witches stopped chanting and Sash took over. She chanted with the strength of them all, but with one voice, calling for the waves to swamp the ships. The elements writhed in pain, the rhythms screeching against one another. Even as Sash was gently lowered, wind gusted with enough force to level a city.
“Another song. This one directed toward the northeast,” a voice ordered. The emperor stood atop the walkway, looking like an older version of Han. Lilette shuddered.
“They’re already retreating! Let them go!” Sash demanded, now nearly at eye level with the emperor.
“I must ensure they can’t come against us again,” he said.