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Jin grasps my hand, weaving our fingers together. The coolness of his shield rushes over me; I’d almost forgotten its comfort. A gleaming barrier forms around us as the Sun Dragon’s magic pours from our joined hands—more than I thought possible to channel, surging through my veins like molten fire. The gold around the root of my ring disintegrates to shimmering dust, just as the locket forged of the Moon Dragon’s scales crumbles—the glittering flecks of silver and gold weaving together, trailing into the heavens to coil around the starfire like the entwined tails of two dragons.

Light flares incandescent, an eruption of chaos. As it clears, the starfire’s radiance wavers, flickering wildly like fire caught in a crosswind. Then a violent shudder ripples through it, cracks forming that blaze and deepen, until at last the starfire breaks into six pieces… each fracturing further into countless gleaming shards. The air roils, snuffing out the lanterns, leaving the square cloaked in darkness and devastation. The remnants of the starfire scatter, fading as they drift to the ground like cinders and ash.

A fragment of regret stirs for the magic it once possessed, haunting the dreams of kings and queens, for the lives lost in the pursuit of the power of the gods.

Yet we live.

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

JIN DROPS HIS SWORD, HIS GAZE RIVETED ON ME. THEN HE pulls me to him, his arms tightening as if he never wants to let go.

When we break apart, I brush the hair from his face, drinking in the sight of him. “When did you know?” I ask quietly.

“Since you kissed me this morning—I’ve been searching, trying to pierce the layers of fog my mind was wrapped in. The things you said of the grove, the firefly… only someone I trusted could have known. Yet I had to pretend that nothing had changed to avoid rousing Queen Chunlei’s suspicions.”

Footsteps thud toward us, soldiers gathering. Though we saved them, they are still our enemies. Jin releases me, retrieving his sword from the ground, his expression guarded once more.

“Seize them—kill them now!” Queen Chunlei commands, her eyes darting wildly, the flesh of her hands raw where they touched the crown.

As the soldiers hesitate, exchanging uncertain glances, General Xilu laughs mockingly from where he lies bleeding on the ground. “My dear wife, it would seem you are no longer in power,” he gloats.

She draws herself up proudly. “I am the Queen of the Iron Mountains.”

“Where is your crown?” The general’s smile is feral, even as his voice breaks from strain. “The soldiers have seen your true face, your ambition and greed. You would have sacrificed us all to the vicious power of the starfire, and now you wish to kill those who saved them. Why should anyone follow you?”

“I am my father’s heir. I have been coronated… with the support of the court!” As she searches those around her, nobles and soldiers turn away, grim-faced and silent. She shakes her head. “The people love me, they want me to rule—”

“Then why is no one calling your name? Why is no one defending you?” The general’s malicious laugh ends in a gurgle.

“Prince Zixin is the true heir,” the chief advisor shouts from the back, where he’s been restrained by soldiers. “I recorded His Majesty’s last words on his deathbed. I was deceived by the queen’s magic to claim otherwise,” he adds, eager to save his own neck.

Queen Chunlei goes pale. She’s learning that those who effortlessly betrayed their loyalties will turn on you the moment you have nothing left to offer.

“You won their loyalty once by flattering them, promising favors and wealth. But you care for no one but yourself, using and discarding all who serve you. Now you are alone, my wife. As am I.”

Jin comes to stand above the fallen general, his sun-bright gaze pitiless. “Years ago, you and your soldiers invaded Thorn Valley to seize the dragon. You stole a woman and child from Mist Island. You killed a brave warrior who fought to stop you, the best of his people.”

General Xilu clutches his wound, his fingers coming away wet with blood. “The former Lord of Thorn Valley, a renowned swordsman.” His mouth slides into a repellent smile as though savoring the past triumph. “He fell beneath my blade like so many others before.”

“His son stands before you now,” Jin says harshly. “His sword pierced your flesh, drank your blood, and brought you down. As you die—know that this is the moment you lost everything.”

Choked sounds emerge from General Xilu’s throat, his body convulsing as he blinks frantically—suddenly afraid? His head slants, perhaps seeking a glimpse of kindness, a whisper of assurance… there is none, all keeping their distance. At last, his body slumps, then goes still, his eyes wide and unseeing in death.

I clasp Jin’s hand, sliding our fingers together, his skin cold. There is no joy in this moment, maybe just the easing of pain. But when Jin looks at me, his stern expression lightens as the shadows of the past recede.

Lady Shufang and Prince Zixin approach us, flanked by her soldiers in silver armor, their spears grasped at the ready, their arrows drawn. General Suilan is by their side, her brow furrowed as she searches us, then the crowd—is she looking for Shenming? A pang strikes my chest; she doesn’t know he is dead.

In the silence, Lady Shufang clutches Prince Zixin’s hand and raises it into the air. “The Pearl Ocean will stand with King Zixin, the true ruler of the Iron Mountains,” she declares, moving swiftly to seal victory in this crucial moment. The prince doesn’t look at her—yet neither does he pull away, as her eyes shine with pride and triumph.

A cheer rises from the soldiers, not only those from the Pearl Ocean but from the Iron Mountains—growing in force, some beginning to chant the king’s name, drowning the cries of protest from the deposed queen as she moves among them, desperately seeking support. Even Duke Yuan and his people join in, eager to return to the Three Kingdoms of the past.

The new King of the Iron Mountains turns to Lady Shufang, his expression somber as he weighs the decision before him. Their white robes are stained with blood and dirt, yet the silk still gleams—a perfect match. “I am grateful to the Lady of the Pearl Ocean for her loyalty and aid,” he says then, an unspoken promise in his words. “It will not be forgotten.”

The former queen swings to her. “Lady Shufang, you swore fealty to me. You signed a treaty!” she rages. “Have you no honor?”

“You threatened to destroy my kingdom and my people, seizing the starfire in my possession.” Lady Shufang lifts her chin as her archers train their arrows upon the king’s sister. “There is no honor lost in breaking a promise obtained through such contemptible means.”

“She thinks like you,” I murmur to Jin.