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“What? How? At once?”
“The longer you’ve had the flower, the deeper your bond with it—the more rapid your deterioration,” Little Dragon says gravely. “But the ring will protect itself, disguising its appearance so it’s not easily discerned by others, unless they are looking for it.”
“I don’t want it.” My instinct for survival kicks in, even as my fingers close protectively around the flower.
“That is your choice. Just know, this is the key to your home and family, to who you are.” The carp’s head droops. “Already the flower is withering. If you refuse this chance, soon it will be lost forever.”
The tips of the petals are crinkling, my wooden ring throbbing with greater urgency. But still, I hold back. Rules and conditions, danger… I want none of them.
“Where is this home you speak of ?” I ask.
“I only know what I’ve been told to complete my task,” the carp replies. “But the one who sent me loved you even more than herself. It was why I agreed to find you, though I knew it would cost me greatly.” It stares at me, its scales shimmering. “Will you accept this gift?”
There is magic in this moment, rippling through the air, the flower in my palm. Though I’m terrified, I can’t shy from it… I won’t abandon this final gift from my mother.
I push the circlet over my finger, sliding it over the ring. The flower settles into the wood like it’s carved into it, the jade-green stalk twisting around the band. The grains along the wood fade until it appears crafted of luminous stone, as smooth as porcelain around my finger.
A lightness surges through my veins. I feel alive, like I’ve been half asleep all this while, something falling into place inside me, something I only just realized had been snapped away.
A sigh undulates from the fish. “At last, my task is complete. Guard the ring with your life.”
“How do I find my home? My family? Where do I start?”
“I do not know, but the ring will guide you.” The carp’s voice begins to falter. “I must rest now. Magic has its cost.”
“Thank you, for finding me.” Clasping my hands, I bow clumsily, the way I’ve seen some villagers greet visiting nobles. What I owe the carp is far greater than any words of gratitude might convey.
“I’ve been searching for a long time. My service was never meant to last this long, but I wanted to help your mother. May she be at peace now—as I am.” Little Dragon darts beneath the water then, swimming toward a bank of reeds.
Peace steals over me, the kind I’ve only known when my aunt and uncle were alive, the kind I’ve almost given up on. My limbs feel heavy like I’ve run a long way. I lie down on the grass, inhaling the fragrance of the flowers. As my eyes close, sleep claims me at once, deep and untroubled—like someone beloved is watching over me once more.
CHAPTER SIX
Sunlight falls upon the trees, shining gold like they are carved of amber. The skies are a vivid blue, unlike the wintry gray of the Iron Mountains. A young woman is running, her large eyes the color of ink, long brown hair flying across her face, obscuring her features. Her hand is seized by another in a cloak, the hood drawn over their face as they drag the girl along—
My eyes flick open. Something pulses against my finger—my ring. It’s there; it’s real. My heart beats unsteadily, yet is filled with rare warmth. Who was the girl? I shake my head to clear it, still fogged from sleep. Violet threads the skies above, the night pricked with starlight. The scent of grass is light and fresh, unlike the grease of the kitchen at home, the dankness that never goes away no matter how hard I scrub.
It’s late, long past dinnertime. Mistress Henglan must be furious, my body instinctively tensing. Don’t return. A tempting thought. I have the silver from Jin, the copper from Farmer Lan. Mistress Henglan doesn’t deserve the respect of a final farewell, she was never family in the way that mattered. And she won’t want her unpaid servant, the source of her income, to leave.
As for the carp… though I’ve only known Little Dragon for a short while, what I owe it can’t be measured in time. I stand and walk toward the pond. All is silent, the water still. As I raise my hand and wave, the surface ripples, the carp’s silvery scales gleaming as it swims toward me.
“Did you sleep well?” it asks quietly, lifting its head from the water.
“Never better,” I reply with feeling.
“Where will you go now?”
I touch the ring on my hand, unused to this weightlessness within. “Away from here. Where this takes me.”
Its mouth curves. “I wish you good luck in your travels.”
“Thank you, Little Dragon.” I hesitate, then ask, “What about you? Will you stay or leave?”
“The magic yielded to me for the task is fading. I will use what remains to return home.”
This feels like farewell, a thickness swelling in my throat. “If there is anything I can ever do for you, it would be my honor.”
“I am honored by your mother’s trust,” Little Dragon replies gravely, then its tone lightens. “But if you ever find the waterfall you spoke of, the one that transforms fish into dragons—”
