“Sora must have done something to knock her out. If they have to present a body to Prince Gin, Fairy has to look like a dead empress.”
Broomstick shook his head skeptically.
Daemon took him by the shoulders. “I know this is hard. Trust me. I just went through thinking my gemina was taken by the ryuu or dead. And I care about Fairy too! But I have a gut feeling that she’s all right, that this is all part of Sora’s plan. Whether or not you believe in Sora right now, the reality is that we can’t go after Fairy. You see what ryuu can do.” He waved behind them, but he didn’t look. The image of the carnage was burned into his memory forever. “If we chase after Fairy, we will walk straight into the entire ryuu army and they’ll kill us in half a second. Then we’ll be no good to anybody.”
Broomstick sagged. The five knives he had in each hand fell to the dusty ground.
Daemon picked them up. “Let’s go home. We have to tell Empress Aki and the Council everything that’s happened. They’ll know what to do.”
“Do you actually believe that?”
Daemon sighed. “I have to.”
Chapter Fifty-One
The president of the Striped Coves’ most famous jeweler—Tiger Pearl Trading Company—had supposedly offered his home to Prince Gin, and this was where Sora and Hana found him when they returned from Copper Bluff. They were still covered in Dassu Desert’s fine brown sand, but Hana had insisted they report on their success immediately. Hana levitated Fairy’s body behind them. Her eagerness to please Prince Gin had overridden her squeamishness over the empress’s assassination.
One of the jeweler’s servants led Sora and Hana to the fourth floor of the mansion, out through a sunroom, and onto a cliff-side patio that overlooked the Kichona Sea. Prince Gin sat at a table, watching the waves while drinking a bottle of fine whiskey and nibbling on chili-dusted peanuts.
It was Sora’s first look at him since regaining command of her mind. She clenched her fists to keep herself in check, fighting the urge to fling herself across the table, smash the whiskey bottle, and use it to cut the prince’s throat.
“Your Highness, the empress is dead,” Hana said, dumping Fairy’s gold-haired body to the floor.
Sora winced at the impact. Fairy might seem dead, but she could still be hurt.
Hana frowned at Sora’s reaction. Sora slapped a smug smile on her face, as if she too were pleased with the empress’s death.
Was her sister suspicious that Sora was no longer under Prince Gin’s spell? But she couldn’t be. There was no precedent for anyone breaking out of his hypnosis. I’m just jumpy, Sora thought. But it was a good reminder to be more vigilant in how she acted, just in case.
Hana eyed her for another second before she turned back to Prince Gin. “We should have the kingdom light fireworks in your honor,” she said.
Prince Gin set his cup down on the table. He turned slowly from the ocean to Sora and Hana.
“We won’t throw a party at the death of the empress. Despite her shortcomings, she was still my sister. The kingdom will mourn her for thirty days, as custom dictates when a member of the royal family dies.”
“My apologies, Your Highness.” Hana bowed again.
Prince Gin frowned as he looked down at Fairy. “Aki is prettier than I remember. She was never the kind of beauty that would turn heads if she wasn’t royalty, but now . . .”
Sora froze. Did he know it wasn’t his sister?
She cleared her throat. “Ten years can change a person,” Sora said. “I imagine being empress and revered by the entire kingdom could make anyone glow and become more beautiful.”
Prince Gin picked up his whiskey and sipped it.
Sora held her breath. How stupid could she be? Hana had just caught her wincing at dropping Fairy’s body on the floor, and now Sora had put herself out there again for scrutiny. And yet, it had to be done. She couldn’t let them doubt that this was Empress Aki.
He contemplated the body before him some more. Finally, he said, “I suppose time does change people.”
Prince Gin set his whiskey down and turned to Hana. “We’re in mourning, but that doesn’t mean we can’t move forward with our plans. We’ll march to the capital, where I will take the throne. The Society is sworn to the crown. They’ll follow my orders out of duty or, if necessary, through magic. We’ll hold my coronation as soon as the mourning period is over. And then you’ll have your fireworks.” He winked at Hana, as one does when giving a child what she’s coveted for so long.
Hana blushed.
“Virtuoso, prepare the ryuu to head to the capital. We’ll leave in the morning.”
“With pleasure, Your Majesty,” she said, addressing him by the title reserved for the emperor or empress. But, Sora supposed, if Aki was dead, the Dragon Prince would be His Majesty. She again had to keep herself from leaping across the table and slitting his throat.
Oblivious—or perhaps because he was so powerful—he turned his back on them and went back to gazing at the ocean.
I guess we’re dismissed.
Hana levitated Fairy’s body, and she and Sora left the patio.
“Do you want to help me plan Emperor Gin’s coronation parade and celebrations?” Hana asked.
Emperor Gin. A foul taste formed in Sora’s mouth, and she hadn’t even said the words aloud.
But she had to go along. She had to stay undercover within the ryuu until they were close enough to the Citadel that she could abscond with Fairy’s body. And if possible, with Hana too.
“I’d love to,” Sora lied. “The emperor’s homecoming will be one Kichona will remember forever.”
While Sora and Hana had been gone, the ryuu had found where the citizens and remaining taigas of the Striped Coves were hiding, and Prince Gin had enchanted them all to return home. Now word of Empress Aki’s demise spread quickly through the city. Prince Gin gathered everyone into the main square and tailored the story to be one of a flaw in his sister’s heart like the one that had killed their father, a secret she’d kept from the people of Kichona.
“But there’s no reason to worry,” he’d said. “The gods could see our kingdom’s future, and they summoned me home just in time. I am blessed to be able to continue the Ora family line as your humble servant, and I’ll honor my sister’s life by ushering Kichona into a new era of greatness and prosperity.”
Every word he said was magicked as if dipped in rich caramel and chocolate. The people ate it up. “Long live the Emperor!”
But Sora was immune to his brainwashing because her gemina bond was open again, and this time, she knew to cling to her connection to Daemon. Back on the ship, she’d been so surprised to see her sister alive that she’d stopped paying attention to her bond with Daemon as he escaped. That had weakened his ability to help her fight off Prince Gin’s charm. Now, though, Sora held firmly to her connection, constantly sending and receiving emotion from Daemon. She still didn’t understand how he could resist the Dragon Prince’s spells, but whatever it was, she wasn’t going to let go of it.
With her sense of self intact, Sora watched the prince, horrified by how easily he could charm everyone.