They stormed into the kitchen and began snatching dumplings out of pans and sticking their fingers in bowls of sauce to taste them. “We want snacks in the sparring arena in five minutes,” Quill barked.

Fairy seethed. When the taigas had been in charge here, they were always respectful and grateful to the staff.

Mariko and a handful of girls hurried over to the stove to transfer the dumplings from the pans to platters.

“Those are disgusting,” Ram said, spitting out the chewed-up remnants of a dumpling he’d pilfered. “There are consequences for serving garbage to the Dragon Prince and the most powerful army in the world..”

He glanced at a handful of knives on the counter next to him. One leaped into the air, as if of its own accord, and flew across the room.

It hit Mariko directly in the forehead.

“No!” Fairy shouted.

Blood dribbled around the blade. Mariko’s body and the platter of dumplings she’d been holding toppled to the floor.

But strangely, the kitchen didn’t erupt into chaos. None of the servants ran shrieking for cover.

Ram stared at Fairy.

Oh, gods help me, she thought as she realized why she’d been the only one to shout—everyone in here was hypnotized. Like with the people who sacrificed themselves during the Ceremony of Two Hundred Hearts, there would never be any panic, just continual devotion to whatever the Dragon Prince needed and wanted done. But Fairy had screamed and, therefore, stood out. . . .

“The dumplings!” she cried, throwing her arms up as if she were concerned solely for the food that had spilled when Ram killed Mariko, rather than being upset over the girl herself. Fairy threw herself on the ground near Mariko and began frantically collecting pot stickers off the kitchen floor.

She felt the eyes of the three ryuu still on her.

But then finally, Quill shouted, “You heard Ram. Snacks in the sparring arena in five minutes—actually, three minutes now.” Then they turned and left.

The kitchen servants sprang back into action, as if one of their own hadn’t just been killed. Fairy fought back tears as she dragged Mariko to the side of the kitchen, out of the way of the commotion. The bread Fairy had eaten threatened to come up.

She couldn’t collapse here, though, not right now. She had to continue on her mission in order to save all of Kichona, including the Citadel’s staff.

Fairy looked around the room at the frenzied kitchen girls. She forced herself to memorize their faces, as well as Mariko’s lifeless body on the floor.

I am Fairy. I’m a taiga, and I still believe in the Society oath: Cloak of night. Heart of light.

Goodness could still prevail.

She would fight for everyone here who couldn’t fight for themselves, and she would make sure the rest of the kingdom didn’t succumb to their fate.

It was a promise.

Chapter Eight