“Did you not ask me to disguise myself?” I thrust a piece of cloth at him. “Better this than letting someone catch a glimpse of your face.”

“I don’t need it.” He waved it aside disdainfully as a shimmer glided over his skin, like I was looking at him through the glare of the sun. Except his eyes were more close-set, his lips thinner, his nose squat and broad. If I had not been staring at him, I would have thought he was a different person. Still, his aura remained unchanged, flickering faintly, almost imperceptible.

I frowned. “How did you do that? I sensed no magic.”

“It is a skill I was born with, the only useful one I have.” His breathing was labored as he wiped the sweat from his brow. “Useful, for my profession.”

“Is this like the magic of fox spirits?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Mine is weaker. I can only distort my own form to avoid recognition, while fox spirits can mimic another’s appearance. I’ve also heard of rare enchantments that can mirror not just one’s physical attributes, but their aura and voice as well.”

“A dangerous skill. Though undoubtedly useful in moments as these.” I looked at him hopefully. “Could you disguise my features?”

“No. My powers are not strong, which allows me to avoid detection. It would be a strain for me to maintain two illusions.”

I nodded, shrugging away my disappointment. “How do we get in?”

Tao pointed at a panel in the wall ahead, a shade lighter than the rest. I had thought it a shaft of moonlight, only now noticing others were scattered in regular intervals across the marble walls.

“Each of these leads to a different chamber in the treasury. That is the one we want.” He handed me a jade disc carved with a peach blossom. “I’ll draw the soldiers away. Once you enter, leave the key on the ground for me. Don’t draw attention to yourself and use your magic sparingly to avoid alerting the guards.”

“What of the other enchantments guarding this place?” It seemed unlikely that nothing else lay between us and the treasury.

“There are none. The items within protect themselves better than anything else could.”

The back of my neck prickled. “What do you mean?”

Yet his form was wavering, fading from sight. A distance away, the trees rustled—Tao, already at work. The guards jerked to attention, most of them hurrying over to inspect the disturbance, leaving just two by the entrance.