“Wiser than leaving it in my room unattended,” I said crustily. My hands went to my hips. “Didn’t you say Kiata was the last place you’d ever want to visit?”
“It was, but you lied to me about your demon problem,” Gen said. “I came as soon as I could get an invitation.”
I had a hard time believing that my father and his ministers would take the counsel of this overconfident man-boy. “My father invited you to Kiata?”
“He invited my teacher.” Gen stroked the hawk on his shoulder. “Enchantress Heedi.”
“That’s Enchantress Heedi?”
Gen laughed. “No, the real Enchantress Heedi died about two hundred years ago. But you Kiatans are so out of touch with magic, I picked the most famous name I could think of.” He winked. “A little deception never hurt anyone.”
“A little deception could land you in the dungeon should the emperor find out,” said Takkan sternly. “We invited a great enchantress, not her novice apprentice.”
Gen flicked a glance at him. “Yet all this time, you’ve kept my secret, Lord Takkan. I think that would make you an accomplice.”
“How do you two know each other?” I asked.
“Your betrothed is the one who persuaded your father to give me a chance.” Gen gave a sly smile. “He’s a smart boy. I see now why you turned down Seryu’s proposal.”
“What do you mean, Seryu’s proposal?” said Takkan.
I shot Gen a displeased look.
“She didn’t tell you?” Gen grinned. “It’s quite the story.”
Takkan was not grinning. “I’d be curious to hear it.”
All of a sudden, I wished for one of Ai’long’s whirlpools to appear and swallow me up. “It’s…it’s like I told you,” I stammered. “The Dragon King was going to kill me because I refused to give over Raikama’s pearl. Seryu convinced him to spare me, but there was only one way to do it.”
“Marriage?” asked Takkan.
Nothing got past him. I gave a nervous nod. “Dragons have a tradition of taking human companions. I…I had to pretend I was going to be his.”
“Don’t worry,” Gen cut in before Takkan could react. “It was playacting on both their parts, though personally I would’ve taken the dragon up on his offer of immortality.” He tapped his chin, as if stroking an imaginary beard. “And now that I think about it, Shiori never once mentioned you.”
My displeasure with the young sorcerer increased tenfold. “There was hardly time to mention anyone, given that you were a statue,” I told him frostily. “If I’d known you were going to be such a gossip, I would have left you in Ai’long.”
Gen grinned, curse the boy.
I turned to Takkan, trying to sort out my words before I spoke. He wasn’t one to fixate on rank or station, but I knew it was a mystery to all why Father had promised us together. I could imagine the palace gossip during the months he’d awaited my return: Why was the only princess of Kiata betrothed to a lowly lord from the North, when she could’ve had her pick of all the eligible princes of Lor’yan?
Even a dragon prince.
“I did consider Seryu’s offer,” I admitted quietly. “But only because I thought Kiata might be safer if I didn’t come back. But every moment I was in Ai’long, I missed home. I missed you.”
Takkan’s hand rose from his side, and he tousled the ends of my silver hair. “I’m glad you changed your mind,” he said softly. “More glad than you can know.”
My stomach fluttered. So simple was his understanding.
“I’m glad too,” Gen piped. “Now that you’re back, I’ll finally get to visit the palace.”
“Will you, now?” I glared at the boy. “All of a sudden, I understand the wisdom of banning sorcerers from Kiata.”
Gen’s grin turned rueful. “Kiata’s the only place in the world where we aren’t welcome. Your father’s bureaucrats won’t let me stay in the nearest town, let alone the palace.” He made a show of rubbing his neck. “I’ve been camping here with the soldiers for weeks. I’m convinced my cot’s filled with stones, it’s so lumpy.”
Kiki bounced on my shoulder. You can get him a villa in the palace, can’t you? The poor boy could use a good night’s sleep—after being turned to stone and all.
“I’ll see what I can do,” I relented, throwing my hands up. “Don’t look so cheered, Gen. It’s not a promise. To be honest, I’d rather you stayed out here. Takkan says Father’s ministers are stirring up trouble and—”
Gen’s hawk cut me off with a screech, the only warning before a large stone flew out of the trees and hit the young sorcerer squarely in the nose.
Eyes bulging, he touched his nose and let out a groan. Then he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
“Gen!” I screamed.
Blood streaked down his face, vivid and garish, and his nose was an alarming shade of purple. Almost certainly broken.
I bent to stir him awake, but another rock came flying at my head.
“Sorceress!” Dozens of men and women poured out from behind the trees, wielding knives and fishing spears.
I pulled Gen to his feet, and Takkan threw him over his shoulder. We couldn’t stay.
As Takkan and I scrambled for safety, the villagers followed, and the spears they threw landed with startling accuracy.
“Bane of Sharima’en,” I muttered. “Here I was, worried about the demons.” I pushed Takkan ahead. “Take Gen to the camp.”
Stubborn Takkan didn’t listen. He grabbed my hand, practically towing me. The villagers were closing in.
Kiki hammered my cheeks with her wings. Do something!
“Like what?”
All I could do was run, praying the trees would continue to shield us until we reached the encampment by the breach.
Another spear flew past, piercing a branch over me. I ducked just before it knocked Hasho’s hat off my head. My hair tumbled loose.
“Get her!” shouted a woman among the villagers. “It’s the demon princess!”
Takkan was at my side in an instant, his sword raised. “His Majesty’s sentinels are on their way!” he said to the villagers. It was the first lie I’d ever heard him tell—Father’s men were nowhere to be seen, and they weren’t coming. “Go home—return to your townships!”
The woman who’d spoken earlier shoved her way to the front. Deep grooves were etched into her cheeks, and her white hair was tied into a simple bun. With her plain cotton robes and walking staff, she looked like a kindly grandmother. Yet there was something about the gray dirt smeared across her face that chilled me. “Step aside, sentinel. You dishonor your vows to Kiata by defending the traitor Shiori’anma.”