Page 40 of Immortal

“Lord Zhangwei, we’ve all heard the rumors of your closeness with the Lady of Tianxia. Are you speaking with your mind or your heart?” she asked scathingly. “Keep them separate in my court.”

“Your Majesty, I would never compromise my loyalty to my kingdom, nor will I be afraid to speak for what is right,” he replied gravely. “The people of Tianxia should be released from their obligation. They should be allowed the same freedom as the others of their realm, to go where they wish—not confined within walls because of us.”

“We will speak later, Lord Zhangwei,” Queen Caihong said tightly, then turned to me. “I ask you once more: Will you pledge your loyalty?”

The flash in her eyes fractured my calm. But I’d come this far; I wouldn’t back down now. “Your Majesty, a pledge of loyalty should be offered, not claimed.”

The queen clasped the armrests of her throne. “Only the weak imagine it so. Favors and alliances can be rescinded upon a whim, whereas a pledge is binding.”

“Something forced will never be as strong as that which was earned,” I countered.

“Yet you are the Lady of Tianxia, your subjects do your bidding by virtue of your title,” the queen said cuttingly. “You did not earn the throne but were born to it.”

Her words stung. “I serve my kingdom, I seek my people’s happiness. Every day, I think of them—of how to make their lives better.”

Her laughter was derisive. “Idealistic child. You should rule your kingdom, not let it rule you.”

I shook my head, rejecting her advice. “I don’t believe we are entitled to our positions, but should strive to be worthy of them.”

The queen’s cheeks hollowed with rage. “Enough with this. I refuse your proposal. Tianxia has not fulfilled its obligation to us.”

“What more can we do? Tell us, Your Majesty—set out a plan. My grandfather served you loyally all these years, obeying your every demand—”

“All but the most important one.”

Her voice rang out, a jittery unease settling in the pit of my stomach. The scar over my chest throbbed, the warmth of the Divine Pearl Lotus pulsing through me. Dare I mention it? Would it enrage the queen further? Could I even relinquish it without harming myself? I didn’t want to, but it was the only thing I had left to offer . . . unless I could somehow secure the shield.

“Your Majesty, I urge you to reconsider the Lady of Tianxia’s proposal.” Zhangwei’s harsh tone was one I never thought he’d use with his queen.

A long silence fell over us, of the rough and prickling kind. “Very well, Lord Zhangwei, I will consider it, after today,” the queen said at last in a glacial tone. “Enough with the delays. You know what must be done, though I dislike this as much as you.”

What did she mean? Her consideration was a victory in itself, yet my body braced instinctively. Zhangwei’s eyes were cold, his jaw clenched. When he looked at me . . . he was the God of War once more. A stranger.

As I backed away, he caught my arm. I tried to wrench free, but his hold was like iron. He’d never gripped me with such force—my fear spiraling, unbound. “What are you doing? Release me.”

He didn’t reply, instead raising his other hand. Light flared from his fingers, sheathing me in a wintry embrace. I’d seen him attack others—but fool that I was, I hadn’t thought he’d unleash his magic on me. A sharpness pierced my chest like needles, a gasp torn from my throat. My scar glowed, visible now beneath the silk of my robe. I could not move, his magic holding me captive, as helpless as a butterfly pinned by its wings.

“Why?” A haze descended as I tried to cage my rising terror, blinking away the evidence of my hurt.

“Because the Divine Pearl Lotus is inside you.” The queen rose, stalking toward me. “Your grandfather gave it to you—the lying traitor.”

I should have been afraid, tried to deny it, yet the proof shone like a beacon over my heart. And the way she spoke of Grandfather wrenched me; it made me mad.

“Don’t call him that,” I snarled. “He was good, loyal and kind. He only did this to save me.”

“Why did he not confess?” Zhangwei demanded.

Except he wasn’t “Zhangwei” to me anymore—but the God of War, the queen’s devoted general, a hateful, cold and deceitful immortal. I was stupid to believe he could have been anything else.

“Because he knew he would find no mercy.” I stared at the queen’s pitiless face, shoving down a burst of despair. The warmth of the lotus wavered, terror flooding me. Were they trying to steal it?

“The lotus cannot be seized by force,” I told them fiercely. “It must be—”

“Gifted of a willing heart.” The Queen of the Golden Desert finished my sentence, her gaze sliding to the god who held me captive.

She knew—they knew. Nothing had been a coincidence; they had plotted everything that led me here.

I was shaking all over, my chest squeezed till I could hardly breathe. “You knew I had the Divine Pearl Lotus all along . . . you pretended to be ignorant. Why?”