There was no time to observe the customary mourning period. News had reached us that Wugang’s forces were advancing upon the Cloud Wall, gathering along the border. How strange the turns life could take—when I was last in this place, the Celestials had been my savior and now … they were our promised doom.

Had Wugang heard of the recent shift in power here? Unlikely, as Wenzhi had sealed the palace to prevent news from slipping out. Or was Wugang eager to claim the prize Prince Wenshuang had promised him? The keys to infinite power would be an irresistible temptation. The only thing certain was that the kingdoms teetered on the brink of war as precariously as a coin rolling on its edge.

Sensing the presence of other immortals, I turned to find Liwei coming toward me, along with my parents. My mother and Shuxiao had arrived just before Wugang’s forces closed in on the Cloud Wall. A relief to be reunited, yet I might have been more at ease with them away—for this had become the most dangerous place in the Immortal Realm.

“Wenzhi has studied the Divine Mirror Scroll. He will cast it when I am ready,” I told them without preamble. “With Wugang so near, we must move quickly.” A chill glazed my skin, yet there was nothing to be gained from dreading the inevitable—the best I could do was ready myself for it.

I recalled Wenzhi’s frown when he had inspected the scroll, holding the slender bamboo strips up to the light. He did not like this plan any more than I did, but if there was another way, none of us had thought of it. “You must be careful,” he had reminded me. “While the scroll will confer your mother’s attributes upon you, you must heed your actions and words. You must trick Wugang’s mind, as well as his eyes and ears.”

My mother cleared her throat, her fingers digging into her skirt. “I can do this, if you tell me how. Don’t risk yourself when it is me he wants.”

“No, Mother,” I said gently. “Without magic, you can’t bear the Sacred Flame Feather, you can’t unleash it. Wugang will use your blood to harvest the laurel seeds—an endless cycle, as new ones will sprout. Even if the entire realm was to unite against him then, it would be too late.”

“What about you? What if you fail?” my father pressed. “Wugang will show you no mercy.”

“Then at least Wugang won’t get the laurel seeds.” My voice faltered, but I leashed my terror before it devoured my fragile resolve.

My mother placed her hand on mine. “We could leave this place, return to the Mortal Realm. Our real home. We do not have to stay here.”