Gritting her teeth, Shine cut into the back of Sky’s wrist too, letting the blade clatter to the floor when his blood welled so dark and purple. Then both of them looked to Kirin, and they all looked at his mother.
“Everyone out,” said the Empress with the Moon in Her Mouth. Shine had heard the empress’s voice only a handful of times in her life. It was both rich and gentle.
First Consort Sun-Bright moved nearer to his wife and said to the room, “Tell the palace the Heir to the Moon has returned to us, whole and wholly himself.”
Some left quickly, others reluctantly. The pair of witches were the last to go, staring at Shine over their shoulders. She widened her eyes, hoping they could see sparks of fire in her pupils.
A departing attendant offered Shine a bandage with which to wrap her wrist and hand. She wished she could steal some power and heal herself. But she’d promised the great demon, and besides, it might be dangerous to display her power to everyone still watching so carefully.
Soon it was only herself, Sky, Kirin, Lord All-in-the-Water, the two consorts, and the empress.
And the witch Immli, who had knelt beside the exit, head lowered and hands clasped, asking silent permission to remain.
No one made him go, to Shine’s irritation.
The empress stood, and all but Kirin knelt as she approached him. She lifted her hands to remove the combs holding the black-rain veil against her looping, thick braids. Second Consort Love-Eyes moved to her wife’s side to gather the combs and veil.
Shine looked down fast, before she saw the empress’s revealed expression.
“Kirin,” the empress whispered, and then Shine heard the motion of silk, and the two embraced. “My son,” the empress added. “Oh, my son.”
“Mother,” he said, calm. Too calm.
“We’ll send for your mother too,” First Consort Sun-Bright said to Sky. “She came to the palace two weeks after you left. Terrified out of her mind.”
Sky’s jaw clenched, and he bowed his head sharply.
“Nothing,” said Lord All-in-the-Water, but Kirin interrupted him:
“No, that is not her name.” The prince drew himself up, leaving his hand lightly on his mother’s wrist. “This is Night Shine, and she is a hero.”
From the edge of the chamber, Immli said harshly, “She is a monster and should be put in demon chains.”
Shine whirled on him, furious. Her fingers curled into claws, but Kirin said, “You overstep, witch.”
“Kirin,” said the First Consort.
“Father, we owe Shine my life, and the sanctity of the Moon. Everyone else in this room would have attempted the investiture ritual with an imposter and likely lost all the support of the great demon. That the situation is not so dire has everything to do with Shine.”
Shine willed herself calmer as she listened to the prince defend her, but she couldn’t stop glaring at Immli.
Sun-Bright said, “I understand that, my son, but we would like to hear what the witch has to say.”
Immli bowed deep enough from his kneeling position to brush his forehead to the ground. When he leaned up, he put his hands respectfully on his knees. Omkin was nowhere to be seen, but Shine knew the demon was nearby.
The empress returned to her chair, and the Second Consort replaced her veil.
Then the witch was given permission to speak. He said, “Empress, my lord and lady, my prince, Night Shine herself is some kind of great demon—she is no sorceress. I have witnessed her drain aether like a demon, and at night fall into such a deep trance there is no telling what she might have been doing, away from her body. She is susceptible to a witch’s naming magic, though too strong for me to make her my familiar. Unless she can prove she is no threat, how can we not take precautions, or risk her befouling the prince, who must remain pure?”
Though Shine hated to put her back to the witch, she turned to look at the empress and her consorts. She held her fists against her sides, breathing a little too hard, and tried to seem nonthreatening. If only she still were Nothing—she should have waited to rename herself until she’d gotten Kirin home and safe. This was her fault.
Everyone stared at her.
Kirin said, “Shine is not dangerous to me.”
“But to others?” Lord All-in-the-Water said sharply.
“The great demon of the palace has allowed me to be here,” Shine said softly. “The Moon itself.”
The empress’s mouth flattened, and the First Consort glanced across his wife to catch the gaze of the Second Consort.
Second Consort Love-Eyes nodded to her partner consort and then turned back to Shine. She asked gently, “Shine, can you explain away this witch’s concerns, then? Tell us what you have become?”
Shine looked to Kirin, who gave her one of his single-shoulder shrugs, performing a greater degree of nonchalance than he likely felt. “I can tell you some, but I do not entirely understand what I am now. No one does.” She licked her lips, slid a glare at Immli, and said, “I am the reason Kirin was taken by the Sorceress Who Eats Girls.”
Love-Eyes gasped, but nobody else reacted visibly.
“Long ago, the sorceress created a powerful spell to help the great demon of the Fifth Mountain be reborn to life, and it worked—only not exactly as she intended. The demon was born again, here in the palace, because the palace is a safe place for a great demon.” Shine paused meaningfully.
The empress nodded. She understood why.
Shine continued. “I didn’t know. Nobody did. But the sorceress has been looking for me. That is why she killed girls.”
“Kirin is not a girl,” First Consort Sun-Bright said in a warning voice.
“He was bait,” Shine said quickly. “To lure me. The sorceress realized where I must be, so she took Kirin and replaced him, knowing I would come because of what I had been. And it worked. The Day the Sky Opened and I went, and when I faced her, she agreed to let Kirin go. It was that easy—because she got what she wanted. Me.”
Kirin sighed, as if a little bored, and his father shook his head in disapproval. But the empress spoke quietly, her veil shivering. The First Consort relayed her thoughts. “You are here, though. Not with the sorceress.”
“Kirin needs me. Whatever I was, or—or am—I was Kirin’s first. My loyalty is here.”
The prince shifted toward her and put his hand on her shoulder. He held his gaze on his mother. “Shine is powerful, and new, and we are lucky to have her. I trust her, Mother. If you trust me, you must trust her.”
A movement behind them reminded everyone Immli remained.
“Yes?” the Second Consort said, as sweet as always. Perhaps it was her mask, just as Kirin’s arrogance was his.
“At least, Glorious Moon,” said the witch, “let us be cautious with the reborn demon. She killed Skybreaker.”
Shine’s eyes widened, and she sucked in a breath to argue, but Kirin squeezed her shoulder, saying, “Skybreaker attacked us, Immli. Shine protected me—would you have had her do anything different?”
But Shine saw the doubt in the Second Consort’s bowing lips and found no encouragement in the First Consort’s hard expression.
Immli bowed again. “My prince, I apologize, I—I only report the whispers of the aether, the gossip of spirits and demons, because it is what we all hear, we witches with our familiars. And what we hear is that your sorcerer Shine is dangerous. She herself claims she does not know everything that she is, and so might be volatile. How can even she predict what she might do? Let us put sigils on her to bind her power while she remains here.”