Page 25 of Song of the Crimson Flower

Lan looked at Bao in shock, but saw none of the fading or glimmering she had witnessed at first. “You’re able to see that, Your Majesty?” she asked, remembering too late that she ought not to have spoken unless addressed directly by the Empress. She felt her cheeks warm under the Commander’s stern gaze, but Empress Jade did not seem to mind.

“I can see it,” she said, scrutinizing Bao. “There is an odd transparent quality to your skin that reminds me of when I saw my brother. What is your name?”

Bao blinked at the Empress in silence, and for a moment, Lan worried that he might be too anxious to speak. But at last, he said haltingly, “My name is Bao. I was apprentice to a physician near the river market, morethan a day’s journey north of here. A witch placed a spell on me, and we were looking for her to remove it when the Commander found us.”

“A spell?” the Empress asked. But Bao opened and closed his mouth, and his face reddened under her gentle scrutiny, so she turned her attention to Lan, who introduced herself and briefly explained the details of the enchantment. “I know your father, Minister Vu. I had the honor of meeting him years ago. But you say that this witch is Bao’s aunt? And that Bao’s family may still be in the Gray City? Do you know who they are?”

“He’s never met them, Your Majesty,” Lan said, and Bao threw her a look of gratitude. “He believed himself to be an orphan all his life, and though he knows he has come from the southern Grasslands, this is the first he’s heard of any connection to the Gray City.”

The Empress looked up at Bao’s shy, earnest face. “It seems your destiny lies there if you are to find this woman. A witch, you say. I know of good magic, like that of the benevolent healers in the mountain villages of Dagovad. My heart-sister, Wren, has told me much about them. She arrived here late last night,” she added, looking at Commander Wei, who gave her a slight bow of acknowledgment. “And I know of dark magic, used to manipulate or intimidate. There are rumors of some in the Gray City who still uphold the teachings of the Serpent God and use blood magic, as my stepmother, Xifeng, did, illegal as it may be. But there is no proof.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Lan saw Commander Wei grimace at the name, and she recalled a romantic poem she had once read. Her mother had never approved of the ballads over which Lan’s cousins swooned, so Lan had devoured them in secret, her favorite being the star-crossed romance of Commander Wei and Empress Xifeng. He had grown up with Xifeng and had been the one to take her life during theGreat Battle, and the romance and the heartbreak of it all had appealed greatly to Lan.

“The witchdidtake some of my blood. She cut my hand,” Bao said, looking frightened.

“Did she burn anything that looked like incense?” the Commander asked in a sharp voice, a muscle twitching in his jaw. “Black sticks that smell strongly of earth? Those who employ dark magic use them for their spells the way most people use incense for prayer.”

Bao shook his head. “No, sir.”

“How long have you lived in the river market?” Empress Jade asked him.

“Eight years, Your Majesty. I’ve gone from family to family since I was two, and a merchant took me north when I was eleven. Master Huynh, the physician for whom I worked, can attest to that. As can Miss Vu,” Bao added, looking at Lan, and she nodded at the Empress.

“I don’t believe these young people are working with the Gray City in any way. But you did right in bringing them before me,” Empress Jade told Commander Wei, then looked at Lan and Bao. “You are fortunate to be here. It is inevitable that war be declared on the Gray City, I’m afraid, but we will give them one last chance to meet our terms. The Commander leaves tomorrow to negotiate with their leader, Mistress Vy, and aid our allies in the Unclaimed Lands. He and his men will also escort Lady Yen, the daughter of my friends who own this house, to her betrothed. You will be safe if you accompany them in your search for the witch.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Lan said gratefully. “May I send a message to my father to let him know that Commander Wei will be taking us south?”

The Empress nodded her consent. “Of course.”

“Jade and I want to inspect the black spice you brought back, Wei,”Lord Koichi spoke, as he climbed down from his chair to stand beside the Commander. “I’m curious to see if Mistress Vy is selling the incense only or increasing production of the stronger form of the drug.”

“I think your curiosity will be satisfied,” Commander Wei said grimly. “For my part, I would rather see it destroyed than learn anything more about it. I’ve heard of too many cases of illness and addiction and ruined families, but you shall see the supply with your own eyes, if you wish.”

Bao had been listening with intent interest. “If it’s all right with you and Her Majesty, sir, I—I would like to go, too,” he stammered. “A colleague of Master Huynh suggested that there might be a treatment for bloodpox made from the same poppy. I’d like to see how it works.”

“You may both come, if you like,” Empress Jade told him and Lan, and she and her husband trailed after Commander Wei and his captains.

“This will be a rare opportunity to learn,” Bao told Lan in a low voice, his face flushed and excited.

Lan noticed that the outline of his body was starting to fade. “The spell is taking hold again,” she said, and he paled as she placed a hand on his back. “It took longer this time. When I first found you, you started fading within minutes after I touched you.”

“Perhaps it has something to do with... with...” Bao’s ears turned bright pink. “I was in contact with you for a long time in the boat, and we rode here together on one horse.”

Lan mulled this over. “And you think the longer we’re in contact, the longer this effect of the curse stays away? That would seem to make sense.”

“It hasn’t done anything to you, has it?” Bao asked, concerned. “The witch said whoever brought my form back would be tied to the spell, too, but you haven’t been fading.”

“I haven’t noticed anything different.” She sighed as they followedthe others out into the elegant, well-lit corridor. “The sooner we find this witch, the better. It’s a stroke of luck that Commander Wei will let us travel south with him, so let’s hope those smugglers really were taking that woman back to the Gray City. I don’t know what we’ll do if she went elsewhere.”

Bao bit his lip. “It’s our best chance. We have less than two weeks left.”

Two women joined them in the courtyard, both appearing to be in their late twenties or early thirties. One had an exquisite face and a dainty figure, and Lan was drawn at once to the work of art she wore: flowing robes in the style of the Great Forest court ladies, hand-painted with a design of white cranes taking flight. Lan admired her with all her heart: she seemed like the sort of elegant, well-bred lady that Lan’s mother hoped she would become.

Empress Jade introduced her to Lan and Bao. “Lady Yen is the daughter of Lord and Lady Phan, who have kindly allowed me to encamp here at their summer home,” she said. “Tomorrow, she will travel south with Commander Wei. She is to be Lord Nguyen’s bride.”

“Oh!” Lan exclaimed, and then it was her turn to blush to the roots of her hair as everyone looked at her. “I apologize. My father is friends with Lord Nguyen and I remember him talking about the upcoming marriage. Please accept my congratulations and best wishes.”

Lan hadn’t thought it possible, but Lady Yen was even lovelier when she smiled. “Thank you, Miss Vu. I’m grateful to Her Majesty for approving this union that has pleased my parents, and for giving me such a grand escort to my husband’s estate,” she said, glancing at the Commander, who stared straight ahead and maintained his stiff, formal posture. But Lan was interested to see a slight pink color enter his cheeks.

---