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“There are so many herbs here. What if I use the wrong one?” I ask Dian.
She shrugs. “Fortunately, for whomever you poison, you’ll possess the remedy too.”
“What do you mean?”
“Because our people are descended from flower spirits, our magic comes from nature, from plants and trees. It’s said that a kiss from a flower spirit can cure any poison of the earth—as long as it’s freely given.” Dian rubs her ring, and this makes me wish I had mine too. “I’ve never tested this; those I want to poison stay dead.”
Jin approaches us, his expression grave. “You don’t have to go back to the Palace of Nine Hills. Stay with Dian. I’ll tell His Highness you were injured, that you needed to recover before traveling. I will get your ring back, even if I have to pry it from His Highness’s grasp.”
I’m tempted. Yet Prince Zixin keeps the seal with the dragon by his waist and my ring in his room. “I have to go. I have the best chance of getting close enough to him to take what we need.”
Jin’s face darkens. “If they learn who you are, they will never let you leave.”
Fear pools in my gut, but I’d rather hold my life in my own hands than entrust it to another. “Let’s hope they don’t find out.” I look from Jin to my sister. “They’ve stolen my past; I won’t give them my future.”
He is silent for a long while. At last, he nods. “Tell us what you need—how we can help.”
I lift Dian’s pouch of herbs. “What can I use to render Prince Zixin unconscious without him remembering anything? Something that can’t be traced back to me.”
Dian pulls out the strands of night-root and another plant with spiked leaves. As we watch, she grinds them with her pestle. Light flickers from her fingers, the mashed elements drying into a crimson powder. “Scatter this over an incense burner—it’s safer than putting it into food that can be more easily traced. This will put him into a deep sleep.”
When I think of my mother suffering at the hands of the king, of Prince Zixin imprisoning the dragon in the seal, hate suffuses me until I can almost taste its bitterness. “He doesn’t deserve to sleep well; he deserves nightmares—all of them do.”
“I’ll give them to him.” Dian smiles viciously as she picks up a pink flower, shaking its pollen over the powder. Then she pulls off a ring from her finger, a square amethyst set on a thick gold band. A deft twist of the stone reveals a tiny compartment that she sifts the powder into.
“Use it carefully.” She slides the ring on my finger, covering the mark on the underside—then hands me a glossy white leaf. “Don’t forget to eat this before you use the incense. It will protect you from the effects.”
Jin’s eyes curve to crescents. “I don’t like this plan. I don’t want you to get close to him.”
The abruptness of his tone… right now, he doesn’t sound like the astute advisor, moving the pawns with ruthless indifference. If it’s an act as Dian believes, it’s a good one.
“It’s the best plan we have,” I tell him flatly.
“She’s right,” Dian snaps. “I loathe this as much as you do, but it’s our best chance. Unlike you, I can’t get into the palace, so you need to keep it together in case my sister or Ruilin need help. Use that brain you’re so famed for, Lord Jin-Yong—it seems to have stopped working of late.”
As Jin glares at her, Ruilin adds, “I’ll be there too. Prince Zixin won’t hurt me; he needs my father’s support.”
“You must still be careful,” Dian cautions her.
“I’m good at looking out for myself.” Her fingers thread between Dian’s, pulling her closer. “I don’t risk myself for just anyone.”
She leans her head against Dian’s shoulder, my sister’s arm going around her. As they walk away, Jin comes to stand beside me.
“What did Dian tell you about me?” he asks bluntly, with his usual perception.
I don’t want to lie to him, not anymore. “Just how things stand between Thorn Valley and Mist Island, that you need our magic for your kingdom.”
“Do you think that’s why I care?”
“I know you’ll say anything, that you’ll do anything to get what you want.”
“Just like you?” he asks coolly.
I don’t reply; I don’t like that he’s right.
“Do you know, I searched for you every chance I got, even when they thought you were dead?” Jin says quietly. “Every time we crossed the border to the Iron Mountains, I sought news of you, any trace or lead. Your loss weighed on me. I didn’t know you back then, but I didn’t like thinking you were lost and alone, among our enemies.”
Will I find what I’m looking for? he asked when we first met. As it turned out, I was a better fortune teller than either of us thought. His admission softens the barrier around my heart—but then I recall how terrifying he’d looked when he caught me stealing the starfire. How quickly he might turn, should I cross him again.
