However, it took more effort than Sora wanted to convince herself of that. But what could she do? She couldn’t have Daemon. It was against Society Code. And he didn’t want her; he was with Fairy. If Sora was a good friend, she’d stop whining to herself and be happy for them.

Sora swallowed the truth, but it went down like bitter tonic.

Broomstick chewed on his nails, studying all three of them. He made a small noise under his breath.

“What?” Sora said.

“Nothing.”

She frowned.

But he just moved on. “Really, it’s not important. Tell us the plan. That’s what matters right now.”

Sora sighed. He was right.

“We’ll go back to the Imperial City,” she said, “and cross the Field of Illusions together. Once we’re all across, I think we should split up into pairs. Fairy and Broomstick know every room, corridor, and hidden passageway in the Citadel, so they’ll search for Empress Aki there. Daemon and I will look for her in Prince Gin’s castle.”

“How long until we regroup?” Broomstick said. “We should set a rendezvous time.”

“Good idea. Is four hours enough?”

“Too long,” Daemon said. “We don’t know what we’re walking into. Although it’s probably a death trap.”

“Come on. I know it’s daunting, but we can do this,” Sora said. “Besides, they’ve just taken over the Imperial City. They’re probably still cleaning up after a massive battle, shepherding newly converted taigas into training, and settling into a new castle. The ryuu can’t possibly be organized yet.”

Fairy leaned in. “How about three hours? It’s enough time to cover the most likely places the empress could be kept prisoner. And if anything seems even a little suspicious, we abort.”

“I like it,” Sora said. “Three hours from when we split up, we’ll meet in the chestnut grove in Jade Forest. Remember, the number one priority is rescuing Empress Aki.”

“And if we have a shot at killing the Dragon Prince?” Daemon asked.

Sora swallowed. “If we have a chance to kill Prince Gin, we take it.”

Chapter Five