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“I will come as promised,” I say flatly. “Do not ask me for more.”
“What if I offer you more?” he asks intently. “You need to train the dragon’s magic else it will endanger you. Though your control has improved since we last wielded it together, its force is not easily harnessed. What if you fail to restrain it back home? The Elders must be ignorant of the Sun Dragon’s magic in you, or you’d already be kept under tighter watch.”
I almost resent his perception. “If the Elders find out, they might confine me,” I say with calculation of my own. “Then I won’t be able to come here—promise or not.”
His face lowers to mine. “Let me help you control this magic. Each time you use it here, with me, I will help you strengthen. I’ll keep you safe.”
“Can you teach me to shield myself ?” I ask boldly.
He shakes his head. “That ability is innate, it can’t be taught. Just as my people can’t learn to channel your magic of the earth. By training with me, by helping us secure the Ancient Grove, you’ll grow more adept in channeling this magic… until you no longer need me.”
I weigh the danger to my family if I’m discovered coming here. Yet without training I’d expose us all to greater harm. Somehow, I’ve ended up entangled more deeply with Jin, our needs and desires bound up and knotted, despite my attempts to keep a distance between us.
“This way, we both get what we want,” I say slowly. “The best type of bargain.”
His eyes deepen to burnt gold. “What if I want more?”
Dian’s warning flashes through my mind as I harden myself. “This is all I’m willing to give.”
“Very well.” He takes my hand, his fingers closing around mine. “For now, I’ll accept what you offer. As for the rest, I’ll wait.”
My heart quickens. “No one can know about this.”
“No one will,” he promises.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE FIREFLIES ACCOMPANY US AS JIN ROWS ME HOME, their lights gone dark, the only sign of their presence an almost indiscernible humming that melds into the wind.
As the seagrass-infested waters gleam ahead, he lowers the oars and looks at me. “When will I see you again?”
“In a week? Send word if the shield in the Ancient Grove begins to wane.”
Jin nods, then whistles softly, a firefly breaking away from the others to land on my hand—the one that led me here. “If you need me, if you wish to return sooner, send the firefly. For any reason.” His lips slide into a smile. “Even if it’s just because you’re bored.”
“You’d row all this way if I’m bored?” I ask with disbelief.
“All this way, and more.”
His gaze catches mine as the fireflies circle me, weaving their net to lift me into the air once more, soaring until the boat beneath is a speck on the water. I’m glad for the fog that cloaks my vision. Though less frightening this time, it’s still unnerving, and I almost fold over with relief when I land on Cloud Ridge.
Streaks of dawn lighten the night. Fortunately, I return home unaccosted, no one noticing my absence. Changing out of the clothes from the ceremony last night, I fall on my bed and into a dreamless sleep. Only when Dian raps on my door sometime in the early afternoon do I wake.
“What happened last night?” she asks without preamble, entering my room.
“I went to meet Jin,” I reply. “The decay is worsening in Thorn Valley, affecting not just the plants but the creatures too. I fear it will spread, that it might reach us.”
“Impossible; we are safe here. The Elders would know—”
“Do you trust me, Dian? Don’t you believe what I saw?”
“I believe you saw what Lord Jin-Yong intended you to.” She frowns. “What did he want you to do?”
“To help protect his land. Nothing that would endanger our people.” My tone is laced with frustration. If I can’t convince my sister, how can I persuade the others?
Dian sighs, shaking her head. “I believe you, Yining—but not him. You tread on dangerous ground. Our people are fiercely loyal, but once their trust is lost, it’s almost impossible to regain. You need to be careful.”
After she leaves, I study my reflection in the mirror. My eyes are clear, the restlessness in my body sated by the release of magic—at least for now. But soon, this craving will reawaken: the unbridled power irresistibly merged with the sense of safety Jin evokes, the certainty he won’t let anything harm me… not even myself.
