Page 105 of Immortal

He shrugged unrepentantly. “You never showed much interest in jewelry. The sword kept you safe; it helped me identify you by the wall in Tianxia.”

“Because I was the only one who could draw it.”

“Yes. Even if you’d lied about you who were, it would not matter. I crafted your sword myself; it was meant for your hands alone.”

“Just as I crafted yours,” I said, another memory falling into place. “It’s why I could carry your blade, why it recognized me.” It struck me how everything twined and wove together, the lies he’d so skillfully told.

“No more lies,” I reminded him.

“No more secrets, either,” he agreed.

“I can’t take the sword now. Lord Dalian knows what it is—if they find it, they’ll suspect you’re here,” I said. “How can we escape? Is the gateway the only way out? It will be heavily guarded. What about through the Wangchuan River?”

“Only those who have surrendered their memories forever are allowed to board the Eternal Boatman’s vessel, and his is the only one that can cross the realms.”

“What happens to those who don’t yield their memories?” I asked.

“They don’t get on the boat. They drift in the river.”

“For eternity?” My throat tightened at the thought.

“Until their burdens are lightened, until they can surrender their regrets and cares. In a way, the Wuxin might help them, too. Though some are still unable to find their path, and a few choose not to.”

To never know Zhangwei again . . . both of us to forget each other forever. Even if it was the safest way out, I could not do it.

“Then we must go through the gateway.” I frowned. “But I won’t leave without Chengyin. He is still a hostage, under Lord Dalian’s control.”

“If he was really your betrothed, I’d be tempted to leave him.” Zhangwei’s expression turned grave. “Your family is mine, as are your enemies. We will save him.”

“Thank you. For not trying to convince me otherwise.”

“It won’t be easy,” Zhangwei told me. “If we use force, we might hurt your friend. It would be safer if we found a way to make Lord Dalian relinquish his hold over him.”

“I must convince him that I’m on his side, that his plan worked. Only once he trusts me will he release Chengyin,” I said. “Lord Dalian expects me to be one of them. He’ll be harder to deceive than Aunt Shou—more suspicious, and far more dangerous.”

Zhangwei’s gaze clouded the way it did when he was thinking. This was a different type of fight from the battles he usually led. “Let me come with you. I’ll follow at a distance.”

“No,” I said flatly.

“I don’t want you to face them alone.”

“It will be more dangerous for us both if they find you,” I reminded him.

He didn’t like this—nor did I. But he was unable to come up with a better solution. It wasn’t as simple as taking my place for a dangerous task; any slip on his part would endanger me tenfold.

“Can Lord Dalian force me to open the gateway?” I asked. “What if he needs just my blood or my presence?”

“It’s more than your blood alone, else he’d have already slit your throat. The gateway will only respond to the imprint of your magic. That must be why they wanted to transform you into one of them, to access your power.”

My hands fisted in anger. “Then he won’t kill me, at least not yet.”

“Not while you are useful to him,” Zhangwei told me. “From what I’ve heard, Lord Dalian only ever thinks of himself; everything and everyone else is only an accessory. He needs the gateway opened because to launch an invasion, he requires the full force of his army, not just a sliver that can slip through the cracks.”

“I won’t do it, no matter what he does.” Yet fear needled me that he might find a way to force my hand.

“What if you do open it?” Zhangwei asked, with an intent expression.

“No.” I knew how his mind worked, that he was already scheming to ambush the Wuxin. “What if the skies are still sealed? What if the immortals cannot come to our aid? And even if you could somehow escape to gather the immortals—war will be inevitable then.” My insides twisted as I recalled the horrors in the temple’s mirror. “Even if we win, many will die. I won’t let my people pay this price.”