Page 75 of Never Ever After

My gut knots as I call out to Jin. “The Sun Dragon—is this the creature you asked me to find?”

“Yes.” When he turns, the wind catches his hair, pushing it across his brow. “Why?”

“I think I know where the Sun Dragon is.” It’s hard to admit what I kept from him. I was so close to the dragon… if only I could have helped it. “It’s trapped in Prince Zixin’s royal seal. There is a forge in the Shadow Wing where I think they’re drawing the dragon’s power to strengthen their weapons.”

His mouth thins, his eyebrows snapping together. “Where is this place?”

“Beneath the palace. I could only enter because Princess Chunlei brought me there.” Quickly, I tell them the rest of what I’d seen, their expressions morphing from horror to fury.

“That is how they’ve enchanted their iron and grown so powerful, so quickly.” Jin’s hands clench as he adds, “King Baoyu had the dragon for years and nothing came of it. This must be Prince Zixin’s scheme.”

“A wicked one,” Dian seethes.

In the silence, a searing ache burrows in my chest. “I hate them,” I say bitterly. “I hate them all for what they did to us—for taking Mother, for breaking our family apart.”

“I hate them too,” Dian says, her voice taut. “But at least we have each other now.”

As the pain in my head throbs harder, I inhale sharply. “Will you give the starfire to me? I must trade it for my ring.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t,” she says, looking away.

“Why is starfire so important?” What I really want to ask is, Why is it worth more than my life?

“This matter is greater than us. Starfire isn’t just some jewel. They are—”

“The shards of a god’s heart?” I laugh as I repeat the myth, but at the tense expressions on their faces, I stop.

“The Elders spoke of a great war among the gods, long ago,” Dian tells me. “The heavens rained blood, the sun hid in the shadows, the moon curled into a sliver of a crescent. One of the defeated gods fell to our land—his heart broke to pieces, scattered across the Iron Mountains. It is said the one who can put the heart back together can claim this god’s might. Power that should belong to no mortal.”

“We can’t let Prince Zixin secure all the pieces,” Jin says. “As king, he can pressure the other kingdoms to yield their starfire. Such immense power in the wrong hands will threaten the entire world, not just the Three Kingdoms but the Land Beyond.”

A queasiness churns inside me. “How many pieces are there?”

“Six that we know of. Three with the royal family of the Iron Mountains, one with Lady Ruilin, another with the ruler of the Pearl Ocean.”

“What of the last?” I ask.

“Lost,” Jin says grimly. “No one knows where it is.”

“Then… are we safe?”

“No. If they find a way to merge the other pieces of starfire, the united jewel would yield some of its power.”

“How can I get my ring back without it?” I ask haltingly. It feels selfish to worry about myself in the light of such great matters, yet I can’t help it either.

Dian touches my arm. “I will help you.”

“As will I,” Jin assures me. “Whether we have a deal or not.”

Warmth pools in my chest. Is this what it’s like to have a sister? Those you can count on? I’m almost afraid of these roots that are tethering me someplace new—to the hearts that beat with mine. Yet this feels right… a lot like home.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

W hen we return, Lady Ruilin is still fast asleep, curled on the ground.

“Should you give her the antidote too?” I ask.

Dian shakes her head. “Let Ruilin sleep. Night-root is harmless beyond inducing slumber.”