I recalled Tao’s enchantment when we had broken into the Imperial Treasury, and what he had told me of another. “I heard there is a rare magic that can replicate not just one’s appearance, but their aura and voice too.” I added slowly, “If so, I could disguise myself as my mother.”

Liwei frowned. “Auras are as unique to us as the whorls on our fingers. This must be an ancient magic, for no one speaks of such a thing these days.”

“Ancient and forbidden,” Wenzhi said gravely. “The Divine Mirror Scroll is one of the most powerful Mind enchantments. For as long as it holds, it would be almost impossible for someone to detect the difference.”

“A forbidden scroll?” Liwei’s tone was one of revulsion.

“One of many your father destroyed,” Wenzhi replied coldly. “Fortunately for us, they were restored.”

“Where is it?” I asked Wenzhi. Perhaps Liwei thought me a hypocrite, willing to use whatever means necessary to win. With such stakes, he might be right.

“The scroll is with my father. It is one of his most treasured possessions.”

“Will he give it to us?” I asked, doubt flashing through me.

“I will ask, but he will be wary of my request. My father doesn’t trust anyone. Neither his courtiers nor his consorts, and least of all his children. The greatest threat of betrayal is when there is the most to gain or lose,” Wenzhi said grimly.

Something flickered in his expression. Did he recall how he had betrayed me for the dragons’ pearls? Greed, ambition, and fear were powerful forces that could cloud one’s heart and mind.

A bird trilled, a vigilant herald of dawn. Wenzhi glanced at the lightening skies, of crimson and rose. “I will return to speak to him before he heads to court.”

“We will wait for you near the border of the Eastern Sea. I dare not linger here, as Lady Xihe will be emerging soon.”

Wenzhi nodded, raising a hand to summon a cloud. Tension gripped his body, his expression somber. Did he dread the confrontation with his father? What a strange relationship these royals had between parent and child. Was it power that muddied the bond? Those onerous expectations of duty? The Celestial Emperor had disparaged Liwei for his lack of ruthlessness and blunted ambition, while Wenzhi’s father feared his son had too much of it.

NEITHER LIWEI NOR I spoke as we flew toward the Eastern Sea. It struck me that this was the first time we were alone since our flight from the Jade Palace—just days earlier, yet it felt like decades. I was no longer the girl who had entered the Courtyard of Eternal Tranquility; I was not even the same one who had helped him escape. Some years swept by, leaving little mark on our lives, while a single moment sufficed to upend them.