And yet, after another scathing glare, Hana floated the bucket of acid away and lowered Princess Aki to the ground.

What am I doing? Hana asked herself. I need to follow orders. I won’t be weak like I was before.

“Thank you.” Princess Aki exhaled.

Her gratitude—as if they were on the same side—snapped Hana back to her senses.

“Don’t be so hasty in your thanks,” she said. “Emperor Gin is right. You’re a prisoner of war, and I need to treat you like it. I may not burn you with acid, but I’ll still carry out the intent of what he wants.” Hana raised her fist.

The princess cowered.

“This is for defying the emperor.” Hana smashed an uppercut into Princess Aki’s face.

“This is for refusing to support his pursuit of the Evermore.” Hana kneed her in the gut, and the princess doubled over.

“Please . . . ,” Princess Aki gasped. “Please stop.”

Hana scoffed, but she turned as if she were going to walk away.

Then she paused. There’s one more thing that deserves punishment.

“And this, Your Highness, is for bringing up my sister.” Hana whirled, leg extended, then hooked it with vicious flare.

The princess crumpled, unconscious, onto the grotto floor.

A chill of guilt rippled through Hana.

But her anger and sense of righteousness were stronger, and they quickly burned away the cold pang of conscience. She had been too soft in the past, too easy on Sora and Princess Aki, and the mess of that battle in the Imperial City had been the result. Hana needed to make up for it.

She climbed into the emerald orb and sailed away, without bothering to look back.

Chapter Eighteen

After Sora and Broomstick left the next morning, Daemon turned his attention to learning how to use his new magic. It was what he’d wanted from the start, when Sora had decided to return to Kichona. If Daemon could turn into a wolf and use his speed and electricity at will, the balance of power would change between their side and Prince Gin’s. Daemon would be able to fly, and Sora could make them invisible; they might be able to reunite the soul pearl with the Dragon Prince before he even realized they were upon him.

And then Daemon and Sora could kill him.

“Shifting forms is easy,” Liga said. He changed himself from human to giant blue alligator and back again.

“You can’t just do it and not explain it,” Daemon said, frowning.

“Ah, right. The way to transform is . . .” Liga leaned against one of the chestnut trees as he thought through the process.

Fairy busied herself nearby on a set of boulders, which she’d converted into a temporary botanicals lab. Since waking up, she’d already distilled five new potions and was in the process of sun-drying several types of wild herbs.