Page 50 of Song of the Crimson Flower

A plume of black smoke had begun to rise steadily. Bao coughed, turning to see one of the Gray City guards deploying something that very much resembled one of Lord Nguyen’s bombs. But instead of exploding, it had burst open and was spitting out toxic-smelling clouds. It engulfed a masked Commander Wei, who was clashing swords with one of the enemies, and an Imperial soldier who was lying on the ground screaming, the bones in his legs shattered completely.

“Bao!” Lan yelled, her mouth still shaping words he could not hear.She ran over to a tangle of bodies and yanked something off them. When she came back, she was wearing a cloth mask and carrying two more for Bao and Lady Yen, but it was too late.

Bao felt himself slipping into a daze. He heard Lan’s muffled scream behind her mask as a Gray City guard lifted her onto his horse, and then he felt strong arms around his middle, dragging him onto a saddle. Lord Nguyen was slumped onto the back of another Gray City horse, a painful-looking lump on his forehead. And then they were galloping down the road, away from the catastrophe in front of Lord Nguyen’s estate, and Bao sank into oblivion.

20

When Bao opened his eyes, he was lying on the most comfortable bed he had ever known. It was like a nest of feathers covered in peacock-blue silk, cocooning his aching body in softness, and everywhere he looked were gold brocade pillows and thick blankets. Matching silk curtains framed the bed, sweeping down to a crimson carpet that stretched to all four of the gilded walls. Bao shifted to get a better look, his body sinking even deeper into the warm feather bed. His eyes traced lazily over marble flowers and miniature trees on a mahogany stand, neatly stacked books on an ornate rosewood desk, oil paintings depicting the Surjalana desert at sunrise, and high windows looking out onto the early evening sky.

Bao sat bolt upright.

It all came back in a flash: the ambush at Lord Nguyen’s estate, the clouds of black spice enveloping everyone, Commander Wei’s sword ringing against the blade of a Gray City guard, Lady Yen wounded and bleeding on the ground, and Lan shouting his name. Bao rubbed hisaching head, trying desperately to remember. They had been captured and taken on horseback, him and Lan and Lord Nguyen. He vaguely recalled Lan arguing with one of the guards and Lord Nguyen shouting insults as they galloped away from his estate. The journey had been long and uncomfortable, the motion of the horse jostling Bao’s painful, drooping head.

Vy’s men had taken them to the Gray City, of that he was certain. But where was Lan? And how long would it be before the enchantment took hold of him?

Bao jumped out of bed, fighting off a wave of mild dizziness as he searched for his flute. None of his clothes were anywhere to be seen, and he was wearing a long, loose nightshirt that did not belong to him. Something heavy swung against his chest as he moved and he looked down to see a heavy sort of amulet, bronze and rectangular in shape, with a glowing blood-red jewel in the center. He frowned and tore it off, and then immediately wished he hadn’t.

Everything he had felt since the witch had cast the spell returned with a vengeance: there was a sharp, scrabbling pain in his ribs like claws groping for his heart, his windpipe tightened as though clenched between two murderous hands, and he felt so light-headed and untethered that he put out a hand and grabbed a corner of the bed to stay on the ground. Choking and gasping for air, he slid the amulet back over his head.

Breath came back to his lungs at once. He sank into the soft carpet and pressed his face against one of the embroidered crimson flowers, his heart hammering in his chest. He closed his eyes, feeling faint and dizzy, and could not find the strength to open them even when he heard someone come into the room.

“Oh, Bao!” Mistress Vy’s voice said, and it was a half sob. Her nextwords were fainter, as though she spoke them over her shoulder. “Help me get him back into bed.”

He felt hands gently lifting him from the carpet and placing him back into the cocoon of silk and feathers. Cool fingers pressed against his burning forehead, and when he opened his eyes, his mother’s terrified face swam into his vision. Her hair had again been swept back at her temples, and he noticed how it was all gray around her forehead, which was creased in worry.

“Just lie still, darling,” she said, stroking his hair. “I’ve sent for some water. I thought I could get back and explain about the charm before you woke. I’m sorry.”

The room came into sharper focus, as did Mistress Vy’s anxious expression. Bao looked down and saw the blood-red amulet resting on his chest. “Wh-what happened? What is this?”

“This is a charm that I had Huong make for you. When you arrived here, you were in no condition to see her, and we were worried that she might unintentionally do more harm than good, trying to break the spell when you were unconscious. So she made you a temporary charm that would offset the spell while you slept, and allow you to breathe and be apart from your flute.”

“How long have I been asleep? It looks like it’s almost night. Is it too late? Am I...”

“Do you think I would let anything happen to you? The full moon isn’t until tomorrow night,” Vy said. “My guards and their horses made good time, bringing you to me by afternoon. Rest assured that Huong is ready to break the spell when you have recovered.”

“And Lan? Where is she?”

“She is perfectly safe and resting. She was exhausted with worry over you, but when she saw the charms Huong made for both you and her,she had a bit of food and went right to sleep. What a pretty girl she is,” Vy added, her eyes crinkling at him as she smoothed his blankets.

Bao watched her fuss over him, and when a servant came in with some water, Vy took the cup and gave it to him herself. The servant had also brought a tray of dates, persimmons, and milk fruit, and Vy bustled around, humming as she cut the fruit for him and arranged it just so. She was everything pleasant and loving and motherly, and Bao had to remind himself that this was like a spell. It was magic of a sort, the way she continually made him forget what she was and how much she had already lied to him.

“Where is Lord Nguyen?” he asked.

She stopped humming. “He’s here. He put up such a fight that one of my guards had to knock him out. I think he’ll have a frightful headache when he wakes up, unfortunately.”

“Why did you capture him? I thought you wanted him dead,” Bao said, not touching the food she held out to him.

“What use is anyone when they’re dead? Of course I wanted him alive,” Mistress Vy said. “I instructed Captain Quang and his men to bring Lord Nguyen to me as a prisoner of war. He has great influence with the king of the Sacred Grasslands and Empress Jade, who took the trouble of finding him a bride. I think Her Majesty made an even better match than she had hoped—that little noblewoman fought my guards as hard as her husband-to-be did.”

“You took Lady Yen, too?” Bao asked, shocked.

“To ensure that His Lordship behaves, naturally. Oh, Bao, how little you know of me,” his mother said reproachfully, seeing his horror. “I’m not going to do anything to hurt them. I need them alive and safe because if I have them both, Commander Wei and his forces won’t be as likely to attack the Gray City, will they?”

“I don’t think either of them would want him to hold back because of them.”

Mistress Vy’s face darkened. “How well you seem to know these people who have no relation to you. That is exactly what Lord Nguyen was shouting before my guards subdued him. He seemed to think his own men would kill him at his command—put him out of his misery and take away my bargaining chip.”

She brushed off her clothes, as though dusting away the unpleasant topic, and crossed over to the door, issuing commands to the servants waiting outside.

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