"Hello, Kiran. I'm Fan Li, Lien's sister. Is she… uh… here?" Fan Li cringed at the uncertainty in her voice as she faced off with the aristocrat clad in blindingly blue silk. She hated the way her smile faltered and her hands trembled. In the wake of a real woman, she knew she was nothing. Kiran could crush her on a whim. And no one would care.

But the older woman just tilted her head to one side. No threatening gestures. The customary smile and a flash of genuine curiosity graced her proud features. When she finally spoke, Fan Li couldn't help but be captivated by the melodic sound.

"No. I'm sorry. She went out with her betrothed for the day."

"Oh…"

Kiran struggled with the urge to close the door on the forlorn girl and her own natural inclination toward pity. She leaned on the doorframe, opening up a small space for Fan Li to pass through. "I suppose you can wait inside until she gets back. This seems important."

"That's alright, but thank you. I'll go look for her. Please excuse me," Fan Li said with a stiff bow. She'd regained tentative control over her body but her voice was still weak.

She whirled around without another word and retreated. Though she didn't know where to find her estranged sister, she felt compelled to keep searching. She'd already checked the harbor and the marketplace. Perhaps she ought to look around Zhao's residence. Her blood turned icy as she remembered the last time she'd paid the commander a visit. He'd embarrassed her so thoroughly… Yet her chagrin didn't make her boil like it used to. She just felt cold now.

Things were different back at home since Lien and Jing Fei had left. All her parents' expectations fell on her. There was no one else to take the blame for their mistakes and shortcomings. Just her. She was pushed to train harder, constantly compared to her sisters. Why couldn't she be as successful as the older two? A teacher and the wife to a commander. And what was she? Nothing.

So she upped her firebending sessions from four hours a day to eight. Her flames had deteriorated noticeably. No longer white-hot, but feeble licks that could scarcely put a mark on her targets. The disappointment of her father was palpable.

She blinked away tears as she made her way to Zhao's. This was how Lien had felt for years, she knew it. Dejected, shunned, the scapegoat. She'd always thought Lien deserved it, but now she wasn't so sure. After all, Fan Li had been treated as the ideal child for many years and she could think of nothing that had caused her fall from favor. They told her she was a failure. But she hadn't changed any of her behaviors or interactions.

By then, she arrived on the commander's doorstep. She had planned on sneaking around, peeking through windows to see what she could discover on her own. But carrying the weight of her new lot in life left her too exhausted to bother. Her knuckles beat on the door for a few seconds.

The door swung open to reveal Zhao glaring down at her. She shrunk back, throat constricting until she could only choke out a few words.

"Where's Lien?"

"Kiran's." He slammed the door in her face.

The inconsistency sparked in her mind, bright enough to break through the nervousness. She knocked again, hard, insistent. In the morning, she knew her knuckles would be bruised but the thought came and went, leaving almost no impression.

Zhao opened the door with a sigh. "In case I didn't make myself clear the last time we met-"

"Lien isn't at Kiran's," Fan Li said, sticking her foot forward so he couldn't shut her out again. "I checked there earlier and she said Lien was with you."

"Well then she lied," he said. "She must not like you. Can't say I blame her."

"That's not true!" She took a deep breath to calm herself down. Her entire being was nearly consumed by the pinpricks of anxious energy. But she stopped it just in time. "She offered to let me stay with her until Lien returned. I know she believed everything she told me. I know it…"

He frowned, considering her words. Of course, it could have all been a scheme to get his attention. But he sensed something was different about the girl. She wasn't the conniving, ruthless noble that he remembered. She really was just a child, wasn't she? He sighed again. If she had ulterior motives, he swore on the spirits that he would make her pay.

"Alright." His voice softened a bit, like he'd given in and accepted that he was about to waste a few hours. "Where have you looked for her?"

"Here, Kiran's, the harbor, and the market," she said. "The last place I can think of is the library."

"Then we'll start there." He grabbed her by the elbow and dragged her down the path.

She shook herself free of his grasp, choosing to walk a few paces behind him. Squinting against the noon sun, she wondered how she'd ever considered subjecting herself to a life with this man. He was brisk, unsympathetic, and physically abusive. She rubbed her arm where his fingers had dug into her skin. His ambition and status weren't enough to distract her from the negative aspects of his personality. Poor Lien…

The thought didn't shock her like it used to. She was growing accustomed to feeling bad for her sister. A decade long imprisonment and the immediate transition into a union with Zhao… It was horrific to think about. She must have been so scared and Fan Li certainly made things worse for her by treating her with scorn instead of love.

They arrived at the library after several minutes. Zhao approached the librarian's assistant at the front desk while Fan Li hung back. There was no reason to involve herself. She wasn't sure she could even say what color her sister's hair was, let alone describe her to the point that a stranger would recognize her. Zhao gestured with his hand, surely indicating his fiancée's height. The assistant looked lost in thought for a moment then frowned and shook his head.

Zhao cursed loud enough to draw startled glances from nearby patrons. He stormed out and Fan Li was compelled to apologize for him. She hung her head as she followed. If she stayed quiet, she hoped she would avoid becoming the target of his frustration.

When she looked up again, they were back at Kiran's. His fist beat her door until she answered with a huff of annoyance. But her eyebrows furrowed and face paled the moment she saw Zhao and Fan Li.

"Where's Lien?" she asked, skipping her usual pleasantries.

"When did she leave this morning? Did she say anything to you?" He didn't waste time answering her. They both knew he wouldn't be there if he knew where Lien was.

"This morning at sunrise. She mentioned she had plans with you but assured me that she'd be back for dinner." Kiran wrung her hands then glanced behind her. A small group of servants had formed to watch the commotion unfold. She glared at them until they scattered. In an instant, she turned her focus back to her unexpected guests, face a mask of worry. "You don't think…?"

"She's not in any of her usual places and she lied to you," Fan Li said, crossing her arms over her chest. "It sounds bad. I suppose she could be working on some secret scheme, though it seems more likely that she's gotten herself into trouble."


When Lien regained consciousness, it was too dark to see much of anything. She was in a small, windowless room, that much was clear. The floor pressed into her knees, hard and cold. But she could barely feel it, numb as she was from sitting in the same position for so long. Her wrists flexed against the ropes that bound them. The material scratched her skin mercilessly.

Though she tried to shift into a more comfortable position, her legs refused to cooperate. She whimpered – the only sound in the oppressive darkness aside from her heartbeat. The hollow beats thudded irrhythmically as she tried to remain calm. Her thoughts threatened to spiral out of control but she countered it with going over everything she could remember. Even if she wasn't sure how long ago that was or if that woman had told the truth or… No. She threw that train of thought off its tracks.

"My name is Lien," she said aloud. It helped her focus, helped keep the fear away. "This morning, I met Feng Mian. She asked me to follow her and…" Pain seared through her head as she tried to think beyond that.

"My name is Lien." She started over. "This morning, while investigating the attempt on my life, I met Feng Mian. She knows Kiran. Somehow. She asked me to follow her to discuss something."

The pain returned, settling in her temples and the back of her head. But she pushed on. "We walked together down a smaller side street. We… We were ambushed…" The effort of working through her mental block caused her to drop her chin onto her chest. Sweat trickled down her forehead. Her back ached from holding herself up. She wanted to just slump forward and let go of this grim reality.

What happened next? She pushed against the wall in her mind, probing gently at first. But her patience was wearing thin. Resisting the urge to slam it until it broke, she backed off. There was plenty of time for her to try again later. She didn't know how long she would be locked up. It could be days or weeks. Not that it mattered much anymore; she had no way of telling time.

Light bathed her as the door across from her opened. She glanced up but it was too bright for her, even though she squinted. A shadow fell upon her face, dimming the light that had shone through her closed eyelids. She kept her eyes shut.

"Hello, Lien. I hope your lodging has been agreeable to you. Just like you're accustomed to, right?" The woman giggled.

She recognized the voice immediately. "Feng Mian? What's going on? I thought…"

"Yes, I know. You thought I was attacked too. Try not to think about that too much, sweetie. You'll hurt yourself." She laughed again, surely thinking herself a comedian. Her fingers gripped Lien's chin and turned her head left, right, up, and down. Studying her. "I must admit I was surprised when I first saw you. I thought you'd be older."

Lien strained her neck as she tried to pull her face away from Feng Mian. She finally forced herself to open her eyes. The woman's nose was so close it could have stabbed her cheek. Blinking furiously against the near blinding light that surrounded her captor in a halo. Her teeth clenched, bit off a snarky reply.

"So young but already such a beauty." Feng Mian wrenched Lien's head further to the side, making the girl cry out. She snickered. "It's really a shame you got dragged into this."

"I know this is about my relationship with Zhao," she said. "But which side are you on? Are you trying to cripple him or do you want him for yourself?"

"Clever, clever."

Lien heard the echo of the slap, ricocheting off the empty walls, before she felt it. The force threw her to the floor. She couldn't catch herself with her bound hands. There was a crack as her head hit the stone. Her vision blurred. Cheek stinging, head throbbing, Feng Mian pulled her back onto her knees. When she straightened, a warm rivulet of blood oozed down the side of her face.

"But you're wrong," Feng Mian continued. "This is more complicated than you can understand. There are more than two sides at play here in the capital. Your naivety is advantageous to us so I won't explain any more than I already have. Just answer my questions truthfully and I won't hurt you. For now."

On the outside, Lien nodded soundlessly. But inside, her mind flew into overdrive, sorting through all the new information and designing the best answers to keep herself safe for as long as possible. She needed more time to come up with an escape plan. She couldn't count on anyone else to rescue her. It was her responsibility to save herself.

"Good." Her captor stood up and stepped out of Lien's reach. Just in case. "Now, tell me about this illness you have."

Perfect. A chance to present herself as weak, nonthreatening. "The family doctor diagnosed me with it when I was a child. Never named it – or they kept it from me to give me hope. I have fainting spells, chest pains, lethargy. My family joked that I must have a weak heart."

Feng Mian's eyes narrowed but she didn't pursue whatever suspicions she had. Instead, she opted for a complete subject change. "We've heard reports that you've been intimate with the commander. No, don't protest, I can see the guilt in your eyes. I know you've done it. Have you had your monthly bleed since then?"

"No. It's expected within a week or two."

"Then we'll be checking in." Feng Mian lips stretched into a sinister smile. "You'd best pray to a fertility spirit tonight. If you're with his child, we may choose to spare you."

She slipped out of the room and secured the door behind her, plunging the prisoner back into darkness.

Lien took a few deep breaths, trying to steady her frantic heart. There was so much for her to take in, so many clues as to what Feng Mian's goals were and what would happen if Lien couldn't escape. She didn't want to think about it, but the possibility of her murder loomed over her. Several days. That's all she had until her body would betray her. Unless she was pregnant. But even then, her abductors could decide to kill her and her unborn child.

But why? If the goal was to ruin Zhao's chances of… She groaned. She didn't know what his ultimate goal was. He'd never told her. It didn't matter so she set it aside. Giving her the option to live if she gave birth to his child didn't make sense if they wanted to destroy him. Were they just giving her hope so she wouldn't try anything? Or was something else happening?

Her head hurt. Whether from the first attack, the collision with the floor, or the strain of thinking so hard, she wasn't sure. It could have been a combination of all three. She sighed and decided to rest for a while before working on her escape.