Liwei drew his sword, slashing at the unseen tethers that bound our cloud. As their hold snapped, our cloud shot into the skies. Magic coursed from our fingers, channeling a wind to spur us onward. Our robes fluttered wildly, my hair whipped free from its coils. I glanced behind to find the soldiers standing just where we had left them, an eerie light suffusing their bodies—already regenerating.

My gut twisted. They were the perfect weapon: tireless and fearless, swift and strong. An army of them would cut through the realms like a scythe through barley. We had escaped this time, but what of the next? What if there was nowhere left to run?

We soared swiftly southward, above the lush forests of the Phoenix Kingdom, staying far from the borders of the Celestial Kingdom. Finally, the sands of the Golden Desert glittered on the horizon. A tall figure was flying toward us upon a violet-gray cloud.

“I sensed your presence,” Wenzhi said as he drew nearer. “Why are you here?”

“Wugang’s soldiers found us. They’ve grown stronger; we barely escaped,” I told him.

“They won’t be able to enter the Cloud Wall,” he assured me. “We have ways of keeping out unwanted guests.”

“Whatever they are, they might not work on Wugang’s soldiers,” Liwei warned.

“Perhaps,” Wenzhi agreed, his forehead furrowed. “Let’s hope Wugang has no desire to test us for now. He has enemies aplenty throughout the rest of the Immortal Realm.”

“Did you speak to your father? Will he help us?” I asked him.

His eyes were the shade of a storm-tossed sea. “There is a price to his aid.”

I should not have been surprised. It seemed to be the way of kings and queens—those who possessed the most, unwilling to relinquish anything without advantage.

“What does he want?” I asked warily.

Wenzhi’s gaze pinned mine, his voice deepening with intensity. “Xingyin, I tried everything I could to get my father to change his mind.”

Dread gaped within me. “What do you mean?”

“My father will give us the scroll … as a wedding gift.”

Chapter 29

The scent of sandalwood clung to the air, wafting from the bronze incense burners scattered around the room. Rows of silk lanterns, strung from the ceilings, cast their fiery glow upon the obsidian walls. All around, the guests lounged on brocade cushions as they sipped from gilded porcelain cups. Small plates of food were laid before them on low mahogany tables: steamed dumplings topped with glistening crab roe, thin slices of roast pork drizzled with a ginger and scallion sauce, delicate spring rolls fried to a golden crisp.