‘She doesn’t mean to hurt us,’ he said.
‘That doesn’t mean she won’t, or that she isn’t lying.’
‘Perhaps you should stay away,’ he said, turning back in the direction he’d been walking. ‘There is much you could be doing to help your Empire.’
‘I won’t leave you with her,’ she said, tramping after him. ‘You can try to reassign me, but where you go, I go.’
He sighed again but continued to walk.
‘She will be the death of you,’ Mu-Phi murmured, trying to keep up.
He stopped and spun on her so quickly she actually took a step back. ‘Enough!’ he boomed. ‘Or you will have no choice where you go, and it will be far from here.’
She nodded once, hearing the sincerity and anger in his voice. She had pushed too far. But he had to know. She had lost one prince to magic, and she wouldn’t lose another. She had not been where she was supposed to be when Ta-Sho was murdered. He had sent her out to discover information instead of watching over him. He had meant so much more to her than a prince to watch over. She had loved him, and she had thought he loved her in return. Despite the traditions and the bride hidden away in training, it was Mu-Phi he had pressed against in the night, her skin he had kissed as he whispered his love.
She remembered him painfully when she watched his younger brother with the magic. Ta-Sho was only marrying the hidden princess for tradition, and Mu-Phi knew he would have continued to hold her of a night. With the new crown prince, it was more than tradition driving him to this woman, and Mu-Phi was certain the girl would be the death of him.
Remi seethed at the open hostility of the woman behind him. He knew what she had been trained for. He had been involved in much of her training, despite her being his brother’s guard. They had a friendship, a kinship in a way, and he had respected her. Although he knew what had gone on between them. He remembered the outrage at what U’shi had done, but it was her place to be faithful. As future Emperor, Ta-Sho could have done what he wanted. Not so long ago, emperors had taken concubines. Remi blushed at the idea. Lis had mentioned something similar recently, as though she couldn’t face the idea of his touching her—or was it that she didn’t think he would want her?
He could feel the heat building in his body thinking of her. Her scent, her soft breath when she slept. She was all he needed. And he had cared for her. He still cared for her, no matter what she was, and he had to keep her safe. He glanced at Mu-Phi as she came to walk beside him. He was sure she was thinking of the same thing, only she wasn’t as keen to keep Lis safe.
It didn’t matter what the world thought, and so far he had managed to keep it from everyone, including his parents. Although with the time his mother spent with Lis, he wondered if he could continue to keep it from her.
‘What could I do then?’ he wondered aloud.
‘Where are we going?’ Mu-Phi asked, and he stopped and looked around him. He hadn’t been thinking very clearly at all when he had left Lis. But he had to find the magics. ‘My father is not keen to release me to search out these men, no matter my skills.’
‘You would send me?’
He shook his head. ‘I think I need to go anyway, see what I can find. Someone must know something. If I take a small group, I could search the outer islands more thoroughly without drawing too much attention.’
‘The people already know something is going on,’ Mu-Phi said, nodding towards the space the residence had occupied.
‘But they think we are taking care of it, that the hunters are doing their job and killing any magic they find.’
‘You want me to stay,’ she said, her voice heavy with disappointment.
‘I do, but you may not keep her as safe as I hoped. The new maid appears to be very dedicated.’
‘She doesn’t look familiar to me at all. How long was she with your mother?’
‘I don’t know,’ Remi said, thinking about the girl who seemed so familiar to him. ‘Are you sure you don’t know her?’
Mu-Phi nodded once.
He was torn. Mu-Phi was the best spy he had. She could protect Lis from any threat, but not from the threat she was herself.
‘What do you want of me?’ she asked, bowing before him.
He sighed. She hadn’t done such a thing since he had agreed to train her.
‘You don’t trust me.’
‘Can I?’ he asked.
‘Yes, Remi, you can. I might not agree with you, but I will carry out your orders.’
‘Then stay. Watch the maid,’ he added.
Chapter 8
Lis was disappointed to see Mu-Phi re-enter the palace and move back to the kettle. She waited, but the prince didn’t follow her in, and Mu-Phi didn’t speak. Lis watched her for a moment, then glanced at Yang.
She had wanted the chance to learn more about what she might be able to do. But Wei-Song wanted her to rest, and Yang backed up Wei-Song. As it was, there had been very little time between the prince leaving and the maid returning.
Lis wasn’t sure she would sleep as well with the girl around. Mu-Phi wanted her dead—it was clear on her face every time she looked at Lis—and yet the prince had agreed to allow her to live. He would not have sent Mu-Phi back in if he did not think Lis would be safe.
Lis had not mentioned again her idea of what the prince was. She glanced over at Wei-Song as she prepared her clothes for the day. Does she resent him? she wondered. He didn’t know who she was, and yet she had been sent away and ordered to be murdered, all for being just as he was. And now he was in line for the throne. The only one left. Might the world change that much if he knew what he was?
She pulled the small stack of books closer and opened the first one, disappearing back into the history of the Empire and the main families who had helped build it. A cup appeared beside her and, as she reached for it, she looked up to find Mu-Phi leaning over her. She jumped back, knocking the books over and just missing the tea.
‘I am sorry to startle you,’ Mu-Phi whispered, bowing and stepping back.
‘Why are you here?’ Lis snapped, and the girl kept her eyes down. She pulled herself back together and blew out a long breath as she collected the books.
‘He wants me here,’ she said.
Lis gave no indication that she had heard her. Once she had straightened her books, Lis went back to the one she’d been reading. After a long moment, she asked, ‘Are the tutors coming today?’
‘Are you well enough?’ Wei-Song asked.
Lis smiled at the girl for her concern and nodded.
‘I have said they are to wait,’ Yang murmured from his position on the floor, a pile of books beside him. He scanned through one, deposited it on the other side of him and selected another.
‘I need some stimulation,’ Lis said. ‘There is so much to learn. Do you know how many times a day I have been told there is not enough time to teach me all I need?’
‘Do you know how many books you consume a day compared to the average hidden princess?’
‘How many average hidden princesses have you known?’ Lis asked, putting down the book and turning to Yang.
‘You already know how to read and write. The girls who were hidden away had no such skill. You can sew and embroider on the finest silks, you know your history, you understand the current political climate better than most. I doubt there is much left for them to teach you.’
Lis blinked at him, and he glanced up at her silence from the book in his hand.
‘Am I wrong?’ he asked.
‘No,’ Wei-Song chipped in.
‘You think I am ready to be Empress?’
‘I don’t think they said that,’ Mu-Phi murmured.
Lis motioned her forward and indicated she sit at the table with her. ‘Because I have magic, or for another reason?’
Mu-Phi looked nervously towards the door and shook her head.
‘He isn’t here. I know you hold no friendship or respect for me. Be honest.’
‘There is some
thing in the way you hold yourself… No,’ she added quietly, ‘that’s not quite it.’
Lis studied her across the table, disappointed that the friendship she had thought was forming between them had come to this.
‘You aren’t strong enough,’ Mu-Phi blurted.
Wei-Song stepped forward, but Lis held up her hand and she stopped.
‘You don’t appear strong enough,’ she tried again. ‘You allow those around you to see your vulnerabilities,’ she said more confidently. ‘An empress would never do such a thing. You need to maintain a superiority.’
Lis looked at her closely. ‘I don’t think the current empress behaves like that.’
‘You would never see her let down her guard.’
I have, Lis thought. ‘Surely she would to some degree with her family,’ Lis said instead.
‘It is not done,’ Mu-Phi said, getting up from the table and moving back to the corner.
‘You don’t think I should show my true self to the crown prince?’
‘He knows what you are,’ she said, her voice not as friendly as it had been.
‘But should I not allow him to see who I am?’ Lis asked, watching closely as the girl looked everywhere but at her.
‘It does not matter. He does not love you. That is not what a royal marriage is.’
‘He loves you, perhaps,’ Lis said.
She shook her head and focused on the pot before her.
‘I agree that he does not need to love me,’ Lis said. ‘But we are to work as partners.’
‘He will be Emperor; you are just a symbol at his side.’
‘A symbol,’ Lis said slowly. ‘An interesting idea. Do you think the current empress is aware of how unimportant she is?’
Mu-Phi opened her mouth and then closed it again.
‘I wonder if U’shi would have thought such things,’ Lis said, more to herself, as she returned to her book.
‘That girl was spoilt and silly. She would never have been a match for the crown prince. She would have been what the people expected and nothing more.’
Lis allowed the book to drop as she stared at the girl. It was more than anger that carried her words.
‘Do you blame her for the prince’s death? Do you think she was more than she appeared to be?’
Mu-Phi shook her head and refocused on the pot before her.
‘You would not have met the hidden princess,’ Lis continued. ‘She was one of the last to follow the traditions, to be truly hidden away. In the days when the streets were cleared and the prince stayed away.’
‘I may have found a way to have a look at her.’
Lis raised her eyebrows in surprise. ‘What did you think? She was very beautiful.’
‘She was unfaithful,’ Mu-Phi murmured.
‘I am sure the first crown prince was true to her.’
Mu-Phi looked up suddenly. ‘He was a good man,’ she said before her focus returned to the pot.
Lis watched her for a moment longer and then glanced at Yang, who also watched the girl before he returned to his book.
‘You have a way with princes, it would seem,’ Lis said softly, her eyes on her page again.
‘I am a servant to the crown,’ Mu-Phi said softly, not looking up.
‘I am sure you are,’ Lis said.
The words on the page before her escaped her attention as she tried to determine just what about this girl had won her the attention of two princes. But then it didn’t change anything of her own situation, other than the girl was still likely to run her through.
Chapter 9
The wind blew through his hair, and he smiled at the smell of saltwater it carried. It had been far too long since he’d had the opportunity to travel. His father had been too strict about his staying and continuing the duties of a crown prince, but that wasn’t who he was. He had allowed the advisors to pile his desk with papers and reports, yet there was something else always tugging at him. Something more important. And that was the magic returning to the Empire.
His father understood the threat now, but he insisted there were others who could do what Remi had done. Yet none of them were strong enough. The closest had nearly lost his life when they’d escaped from the prison. Remi only hoped the man didn’t attempt anything with the hidden princess while he was gone.
Despite Mu-Phi’s fears for him and what Lis was, he knew she would watch over her for him. He had not given her enough time after the death of his brother. He knew what they had been even if no one else did, least of all his father. But she was a dedicated soldier, and he knew she would do what had been asked of her.
The salt air was free of any hint of magic. Remi didn’t know where to start looking for these men. He did know they were off the Palace Isle for the moment, if only to gather their forces and return. There were stories of small groups living on the outer islands, and he was determined to find them. The only problem was it would take too long to reach them.
They sailed hard with the wind, and the small boat, filled to capacity, hit the waves hard and threw them around. Remi’s hand held tight to the railing to keep him standing at the bow, hoping he could find something of the magics out here. He was desperate to visit with General Long, to ask if he was aware of any such strongholds and why he had done as he had to protect his daughter. Remi knew the answer to the second question and had decided to leave the man alone, heading to the other end of the Empire, out beyond Third. They travelled out from the main islands, but Remi had already sent hunters to cover every island.
The knowledge of the Hidden and that they existed worried him even more, but then Lis was right—he hated to admit—they were not the problem. They were not the ones trying to take control. The visions and prophecy were a concern, for he still had no idea where they had come from. No single person could be tracked as having produced the prophecy; it had simply been reported.
On the far side of Third was a small school, and despite their distance from the shore he watched small children play on the sand that led to the water’s edge. Their squeals of delight travelled to him across the water and made him smile. His father was right, he had to start thinking of these people as his own. He always had, only now the responsibility was greater. He wouldn’t just be protecting them from magics; he would be watching over every aspect of their lives.
He focused on the horizon, where he could see nothing but water. They were headed for a small chain of islands that arced around the edge of the Empire. It often marked the edge of the world on maps, and it was somewhere he had never visited before, despite his travels. It wasn’t until the following day that the first island came into view. The first one they passed was barely larger than the boat they travelled on, but he could see the hunger for dry land in the soldiers’ eyes.
The next island in the chain was still a way off, and he thought for a moment he saw smoke as it grew closer. When they finally reached it and the men raced ashore, Remi soon discovered a cliff on the opposite side where the waves hit it at force and the water sprayed high into the air.
The island contained three small dwellings made of slats of wood with straw rooves. They hadn’t been used in years, and the dust was thick on every surface. The weather-worn door hung from its hinges, and Remi could see through the palings to the yard outside. The garden had grown wild, and there was no food stored.
Remi wondered who had lived here last as he moved through the house, looking at the small tables and narrow beds. Was it a family? Where had they gone?
The men reluctantly got back onto the boat, sailing to the next island and then the next. They still found no sign of life, let alone magics. When they reached the next island, close to the centre of the small chain, they found what remained in a similar condition to the other islands. Despite their grumbles, the men were not keen to sail for another day or night to return to familiar waters, so Remi decided they should stay.
The island contained more buildings than they had seen on the others, with a few trees, and the
whole thing was surrounded by a high fence. It was part of the reason Remi had thought there might be more to it than there appeared to be. But again, there was no sign of life, no food stores or wine. An empty island, as though those who had lived here had left. As the sun began to set, Remi found the remains of a small sailboat. It had been tied to what might have once been a pier, but both it and the boat were in ruins. When he looked more closely, he could see signs of burning, not just weather.
Could this have been one of the places the army destroyed in the magic war? Those who had lived here may have harboured magics and been driven away, run away or were killed by the likes of General Long and his hunters. Some of the larger islands closer to the main islands of the Empire had been abandoned during those years. Or not long after, when those with magic had been killed. Their families and those remaining in the village had left in fear of being associated with them. Even those who had tried to harbour magics had been killed, and some islands had lost every living soul.
Remi looked out over the sea towards his Empire and wondered for the first time if the magic war had been a good idea. If the killing of every magic had been the only way to save Rei-Een. Could there have been a different way? Could they have worked together as they always had?
What was it they had wanted that had led to this? Schools? A chance to be who they really were? Was that all Lis wanted? She had gone to such lengths to hide who she was, but that was fear her father had probably instilled in her. That she must hide who and what she was, or she would be killed.
Had she had tried to do that her whole life? Could she really not have known what power she had, what she was capable of, until that moment in the residence when she had tried to save them all? At least that was what she claimed.
He sighed. He wanted so much to believe her. To trust her. No matter what she was, something drew him to her. Something that made him want to protect her and watch over her.
Could she learn to be something else? Could she learn what power she truly had and what she could do with it? Remi remembered her sadness and desperation when she had tried to hide before him and instead appeared as smoke. She didn’t have what she’d had, and he wasn’t sure if that was because of what she had done—or what he had done when he had nearly killed her.
The Magics of Rei-Een Box Set Page 34