Page 41 of The Dragon's Promise

“The promise is made,” Solzaya swore. She blew into the hourglass, and grains of fine white sand funneled through a narrow neck. “We begin.”

No sooner had the words left her lips than the kelp bindings released me.

True to her promise, Solzaya freed Kiki from the cage. Then she stretched her mouth wide and blew.

From her lips spilled thousands upon thousands of mirror shards, showering over me and hanging in the water like a storm of suspended raindrops. Each shard glittered like a diamond, and as I wove my way through, I confronted my own reflection at every turn, multiplied a thousandfold. In every one, I could see my rising panic.

Blazing Eternal Courts, what have you gotten yourself into? Kiki cried. They all look the same.

They did indeed, but I buried my panic. I wouldn’t have bet the Wraith’s pearl without some forethought. But I had assumed I would only have to find one shard, not all seven.

Wits, Shiori, I told myself. Fear is just a game; you win by playing. Think this through.

I knew the mirror of truth had been created with Kiatan magic, same as mine. I was counting on that fact—and my unique ability as the bloodsake—to help me pick out the seven shards. All I had to do was impart a piece of my soul into each of the shards and find the ones that resonated with Kiatan magic.

But there were thousands of mirror pieces. I couldn’t split my soul into enough bits to inspect them all. That would kill me. And to tackle the task in smaller batches would take more time than I had.

Just start looking! Kiki shrieked. Hurry! The sands are spilling fast!

Flickers of magic wisped from my hands, threading around the floating shards, searching for traces of Kiatan magic in the mirror pieces. As I tried and failed, and failed again, my stomach dipped with disappointment. The wisps dissolved, and I had to start over.

Think of happy things, urged Kiki. Your magic’s always stronger when you’re happy. Focus! Silk pillows with soft tassels, tree branches with springy worms—

“You’re not helping, Kiki,” I muttered. “If anything, you’re making me more anxious.” The paper bird’s beak parted, but I pushed her voice out of my head and closed my eyes, trying to concentrate.

Summoning my magic was like trying to light a fire, and in Ai’long all I’d been able to ignite was sparks. I needed more tinder. If only I had sufficient threads to fashion a net that could sweep over all the shards at once.

The pearl began to hum, pulsing wildly in counterpoint to my own racing heart. For once, I wished it silent, and as I tossed it into my satchel, my fingers brushed against the spine of a book inside.

Takkan’s sketchbook.

He had given it to me on the shores of Kiata, right before I’d left for Ai’long. So I wouldn’t forget him.

I opened it absently, as if it might contain answers.

How are Takkan’s paintings going to help you? Kiki asked.

Good question. A few days in Ai’long, and I had come perilously close to losing all my memories of home. I needed a reminder of what I was fighting for. Who I was fighting for.

The first page: a drawing of Takkan’s sister, Megari, and me throwing snow at each other on Rabbit Mountain. Next: me, with that cursed wooden bowl over my head, gazing at plum blossoms.

I kept flipping pages, past sketches of my brothers as cranes, of me folding paper birds or stirring a pot of fish soup. Then I stopped on the last page—

The drawing wasn’t finished, but I recognized the river, the gently sloped hill, the two silhouettes bent over the water with lanterns in hand. It was of Takkan and me, our wrists connected by a red thread that traced all the way to the moon.

My heart squeezed. There was so much left unsaid between us, so much we still had to work out. But whatever chance we had would disappear if I failed to find the shards.

I closed the book. They were waiting for me: my brothers, my father, Takkan. I couldn’t let them down.

Clasping my hands together, I held tight to the memory of Takkan, my family, everything about home that I loved and cherished. I gathered every bit of strength I had and held my breath until I was ready—until the pressure inside me was about to burst. Then I let it go.

Like fire, silver-gold threads emanated from every point in my body.

They were strands of my soul, I understood—thanks to Lady Solzaya—but I’d never seen them before when I had used my magic. Then again, maybe I’d never known what to look for.

As they streamed forth, I whispered my intent, Find the seven.

With a wave of my arm, I cast the strands across the field of mirror shards. I could feel the enchantment, like a breeze tickling the pores of my skin. It swept through the sea, making the shards tinkle a soft percussive song.

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