Page 53 of Song of the Crimson Flower

“The Gray City, remember? They took us, Bao, and Lord Nguyen. Come under here and get warm.” The noblewoman helped Lan sit up and wrapped a fold of her dark green cloak around her. “It’s Commander Wei’s cloak. They took it off Bao when we came through the gates, and Isnatched it up before they could destroy it. Do you remember anything that happened?”

Lan rubbed her aching head. “Mistress Vy was waiting, and she was nothing like I had imagined,” she said slowly. “I thought she would have a hard, cruel face, but she was so clearly worried about Bao. And Lord Nguyen was yelling about how this was an inconvenience and he needed to be home to feed his dogs, and a guard knocked him out.” She frowned. “But then they took us to Mistress Vy’s home and gave us beautiful bedchambers, and I fell asleep. I don’t remember anything after that. How did we end up here?”

“They gaveyoua beautiful bedchamber,” Lady Yen said wryly. “I’m sure the woman wanted Bao to think she was treating you well. She put me in here from the start.”

Lan looked around them. It was a gloomy, dark room shaped like a square, and it smelled absolutely horrible. She covered her nose with a sleeve. “What is that repulsive smell?”

“We’re in a dungeon of some sort. There’s nothing up there except a locked door and a window that’s out of reach.” Lady Yen pointed at a set of stone steps and winced as her injured arm dropped back to her side. “I’ll live,” she added, seeing Lan’s concern. “The arrow only grazed me, and Bao wrapped me up nicely before he passed out and the guards captured us. I never saw what became of Wei.”

“I’m sure he’s all right,” Lan said, taking her hand.

The woman wiped her face with a fold of the cloak. “And I’m even more sure that Bao is all right, too. Mistress Vy wouldn’t hurt her own son.” She nodded at a bucket and a tray by the stairs. “And she provided enough water and dates to last the three of us for a little while.”

“The three of us?” Lan repeated, startled. She followed Lady Yen’s gaze to a straw pallet in the corner. A body lay there, small, motionless,and silent, and in the dim light from the window, she could just make out a cloud of pure white hair on the thin pillow.

“It appears we’re sharing these grand guest apartments with Mistress Vy’s sister,” Lady Yen said wryly. “She and I had a nice little conversation before you were thrown in here with us. She’s just as weak as you are. She could barely stay awake.”

Lan stared at the tiny, pathetic outline of the river witch. Like her sister, Huong was nothing like what Lan had expected her to be. “She’s the reason Bao and I are here. It’s because of her that Bao mightdie. How long have we been here? Is the full moon...?”

“We were captured late last night and arrived here this afternoon. There’s still one more night. Oh, I almost forgot.” Lady Yen nodded at Lan’s neck. “Huong wanted to tell you not to take the necklace off. It’s a charm that Mistress Vy bullied her into making for you and Bao.”

Confused, Lan lifted her hand to the cold, heavy stone hanging from her neck.

“It keeps the spell from choking you both when you’re apart,” Yen explained, “but its magic only works when it’s around your neck. It’s meant to be a temporary solution.”

“Temporary? Why didn’t Vy just have her sister break the spell?”

“Because,” said the river witch in a feeble voice, as she stirred on her straw pallet, “Vy is going to hold this spell over the boy’s head until he does what she wants him to.”

Lan’s surprise gave way to hot fury. “You,” she seethed. She ignored Lady Yen’s attempts to hold her back as she rose to her feet. “This is all your fault! If you had only thought a little before enchanting Bao, he could be safe right now! He could be rowing his boat on the river, playing his flute, living his life...” She broke down crying, tears burning her cheeks.

“I’m sorry.”

The apology was so unexpected that Lan stopped sobbing. “What?”

Huong shifted painfully onto her side, and when the dim light touched her face, Lan was surprised to see that she wasn’t old at all, despite her white hair and the weariness in her eyes. The woman resembled Vy in her narrow eyes and strong jaw, and even Bao in her nose. “When I recognized the boy, I assumed Vy had sent him. Twenty years and my hatred was still as sharp as ever,” the witch croaked. “It didn’t give me time to think or question him further. I didn’t know I would be giving her another bargaining chip. I’m sorry that happened.”

“Bao hasn’t seen his mother in seventeen years,” Lan said, wiping her face. “His father took him and fled the Gray City shortly after you left, and Bao has nothing to do with her wanting you back here.”

“I know all of that now,” the witch said. “Vy told me the truth when her guards first dragged me here. She was rather self-righteous about it, too, telling me how sorry she was for everything and spewing nonsense about wanting us to be reunited. She hoped her honesty would persuade me to come back and help her in her work, as a good sister would do. She painted quite a lovely picture of our happy family.” She snorted and tried to prop herself against the wall. Out of instinct, Lan moved forward to help her and saw a deep, dark cut in the crook of the woman’s elbow.

“Why are you down here?” Lan asked in horror. “What has your sister done to you?”

Huong issued a weak, bitter laugh. “Did you expect my sister to give me a silk bed? She threw me in this prison and bled me dry, that’s what she’s done.”

Lady Yen covered her mouth, looking sick. “That’s what they say Xifeng used to do: drink the blood of maidens to absorb their beauty.”

“I am far from being a maiden, and Vy isn’t drinking my blood,” Huongsaid, giving her brittle laugh again. “She’s not daft enough to want beauty when power is so much more appealing. She’s discovered that blood is a key ingredient in her formula for her miracle drug, and she keeps people she’s been bleeding dry in that infirmary. Well, I told her exactly what I thought of her offer, and when I turned her down, she decided to see what a witch’s blood can do. And here I am.” She broke off into hacking coughs that shook her whole body and Lady Yen hurried to bring her water.

Lan felt the horror of it all wash over her like cold rain. “Why is she doing this?”

“Because the Gray City is her reason to live, and life without illness is the legacy she will leave behind. Her name etched into stone, when her body is long gone. Her words, not mine.” A smirk flickered across the witch’s face. “What scares me the most about my sister is that in her head, shebelievesshe is doing good. And she will stop at nothing to achieve it, not even when defeat is facing her. Oh, yes,” Huong added, “she knows she cannot win this war. But she has protective measures in place.”

“Like what? Commander Wei has four armies at his back and Lord Nguyen’s explosives in his arsenal. Nothing can stop him,” Lady Yen said, her eyes flashing with fierce pride.

“The most important part of the Gray City is the garden. Vy fears the destruction of her plants more than death, and she knows the enemy forces will go right for them. She told me that workers have been slaving night and day to generate more incense, powders, balms... whatever they can make. They’ve amassed a huge supply of black spice and have filled three enormous ships with them. The vessels are sitting off the coast, out of harm’s way and hidden from anyone on land.”

Lady Yen and Lan exchanged horrified glances.

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