“Strong, surprising,” the sorceress added.
“I have more surprises,” Shine said fiercely, and grabbed the sorceress by the shoulders.
She shoved life into her, though she’d taken it first from nowhere. Shine pushed power, this life, her own life, into the sorceress.
The sorceress’s eyes flashed open. “Shine!” she cried. Her back bowed and she scrabbled at Shine’s arms.
“Get up, secure the mountain, and wait for me!” Shine cried. She clenched her jaw and hissed at the effort of pouring life into the sorceress.
She felt the pear stop a split second before she opened her eyes in the First Consort’s chamber.
Kirin stared at her, haggard, held back from her by his father’s arms. They were sprawled on the floor, as if blown away from her. Warriors poured in, weapons drawn, and Sky grabbed Shine’s face.
“You’re back,” the demon-kissed warrior said. “You were gone, and Kirin was holding you, and he just started…” Sky shook his head.
Shine sucked in a huge breath. He’d been touching her, and she’d been siphoning life for the sorceress. The binding net was gone, and she felt so good.
Before she could speak, the great demon of the palace hissed loud enough for everyone to hear.
You shall not harm My things!
“I have to go,” Shine said, struggling to her feet. She used Sky, who helped her.
First Consort Sun-Bright snapped, “Stop her.”
The palace rumbled with the demon’s displeasure, and Shine tried to think of something to do to fix everything. Her mind spiraled with thoughts and images and her blood was a loud roar still. She could take power and escape, maybe just enough from the great demon to get ahead of it. And… and what? She let go of Sky, stepped away to distance herself for whatever she was about to do. At least seven warriors were inside with them, weapons ready, and the demon thickened the air, making it difficult to breathe.
Its head appeared, with seven bluish moon-eyes and a mouth with seven tongues: it hovered above Kirin.
Shine took a breath. She had to try.
I will annihilate You.
But Kirin said, “No, wait, Great Moon.”
All eyes snapped to him.
The prince swallowed. “Let her go.”
Nobody moved. Sun-Bright said, “Kirin.”
Kirin sat up. He stared only at Shine. His look was intense, his mouth bent crookedly but could not be called a smile.
Shine glared back, feeling the rage of her volcanic heart boiling up, turning her skin translucent, her blood lightning white.
“Let her go, I said.” Kirin held her gaze. “She is not my prisoner, and never has been. It is her choice—your choice.”
The First Consort did not argue again, and Shine did not wait for another chance.
She barely glanced at Sky, whose frown was so anxious, it had no place on his strong, demon-kissed face.
Shine ran, out into the corridor, shoving past warriors and courtiers. She heard a surprised squeak maybe from Second Consort Love-Eyes, and low in her skull, thrumming like a force more than a voice, the great demon growled and growled.
She was not welcome here. Good—she needed to leave. But there was no fast way.
The army was there, at the Fifth Mountain, now. And those cruel sorcerers! Even if Shine had fed the sorceress enough power to get up, to close any doors, there was no way that without a heart the sorceress could hold the army off for the days or weeks it would take Shine to arrive. She didn’t know how to sprout wings! Would The Scale help her?
She couldn’t ask them: she didn’t know how.
Shine pushed out onto a balcony and turned around, climbing the outside of the second circle wall. The corner was blocks of heavy dark stone, and there she found the grips she needed. She dragged up onto the next level: the first circle of the palace was all red-washed, but there were spirit statues and rain catchers she could use.
This was the first time she had climbed the outside of the palace instead of its guts and bones.
Sunlight glinted off the jeweled eyes of the spirit shrines. Their open mouths gaped, dry without rain. The air smelled cool and sunny, with none of the city scents, none of the palace. Her own breath was as loud as the wind.
Night Shine strained, pulling hard up and up, all the way to the peak of the highest slant roof of the first circle. Five spirit statues crowned it: eagle, bear, dolphin, lion, bat-winged demon. She knew their names, but she ignored them. Wind hit her, pulling at her hair and tunic, but she clung tight. Her fingers ached, scraped raw, and her toes, too. But she was strong.
She grabbed the horn of the demon statue and swung behind it, standing in its minimal shelter. It was shorter than her, but broader. Folded wings pointed up and cast shadows back upon her. This one faced northwest. That was the way to the Fifth Mountain.
If Shine threw herself off the roof, if she died, she would be fully a demon again.
It was that simple.
She swallowed terror. There was no other way. A demon needed its house, and without her body, she could snap home to the mountain. Inhabit it again, give the sorceress all her might, and together they could drive off the army. Together they could drive off anything.
She’d died before. She’d been many things. It was all right to change again. That’s all death was. She hoped.
Shine stared out over the layers of the palace and the city beyond. It was beautiful. A mountain, too, but not her mountain. Red-and-white walls and roofs, curving roads, movement of people and wagons like tiny fish in a huge garden pond. Beyond it, the Way of King-Trees drove north and to the east went the Sunrise Crown Road. Dark-green rain forest pressed down in narrow scoops, set between rolling golden fields and the scarlet fields of redpop. Dots of villages. Smoke drifting up. And the horizon was all rain forest.
Threads of blue light pulled down from the northwest, running toward the city and around it on the west, as the tiny fingers of the once-wide Selegan River reached for the ocean, miles of flat delta, and terraced fields to the south. So close she could imagine the bright line of that horizon was the broad gleam of deep water.
Did demons love beauty?
Did demons love?
Night Shine took a deep breath.
This was the only way. She climbed onto the demon statue’s back, gripping its wings. Her toes scraped on its tail. Her heart beat hard, but this was the fastest way, the surest.
She clenched her teeth and closed her eyes. Sunlight turned the black of her lids red, and she heard voices in the wind.
Shine stopped. She didn’t want to die. She didn’t want to be a demon again, alone, without a house. Without life.
But how could she love the sorceress and be unwilling to make this sacrifice?
Pressing her forehead to the rough marble, she held tight to the demon statue’s horns and thought: The sorceress had gone through so much to give her demon consort life. If she died, it had all been for nothing.
She laughed at the thought. For nothing.
She wasn’t nothing anymore.
When Night Shine opened her sticky eyes, the Selegan River caught her as it flashed brilliant silver in the sunlight.
“Selegan,” she said, and touched the tears smearing her cheeks.
FORTY-FIVE
IT TOOK AN HOUR to reach the river.
Too long.
Shine slid and climbed down through the innards of the palace as quickly as possible, but distance was distance, and the great demon refused to go still and make it easier. She fell twice, bruising her knees and her shoulder. She sliced open her palm on a loose nail and bit back a mean sneer at the territorial demon.