Chapter Nine

That night, the prince wasn't where I'd left him.

"Hong?" I said, winding deeper into the forest. I walked through the dark, silent woods, calling his name.

Part of me was terrified to venture back to the river plane, in case the Empress found me. But worse than that fear was wondering

what she'd do to Hong if she found him first. She didn't even have to hurt him—all she had to do was cut his rope, and he'd

wander into the woods and I'd never see him again. It was difficult for a non-alchemist to navigate this plane alone, but

I knew better than to underestimate the Empress.

I walked deeper into the woods for several agonizing minutes until I found the rope, wearing thin against the tree. It pulled

taut into the distant darkness, disappearing in the hazy fog.

I rushed forward, following the rope as it twisted around trees and branches, a web that only seemed longer and thinner the

farther I went on. I hadn't remembered the rope being this long.

At last, I found Hong standing in the darkness, wrist pulled behind him, trying to walk forward but held back only by the tether around his wrist.

"Hong?" I whispered.

He didn't answer. His eyes were dark, his expression slack. I waved a hand in front of his face, but he didn't even blink.

I sighed and wrapped my arms around him, pressing myself to his chest. After a moment, he stopped walking.

"Zilan?" he said.

I nodded into his chest.

He said nothing, but took a step back so the rope wasn't tugging on his wrist.

"I don't know what happened," he said, pressing his free hand to my back. "I don't remember walking here. Zilan, I—"

"Don't worry," I said, holding him tighter. I took his cold hand and tugged him back toward the river. We walked in silence

for a few minutes, untangling the rope from branches and bushes along the way until we found a patch of soft grass. He bundled

the slack rope in his lap, hands tugging at it anxiously.

"You're upset," he said.

I almost laughed. His brain was so rotted that he had nearly walked into his own eternal ending, and yet the first thing he

wanted to talk about was my feelings.

I couldn't keep lying to him. The Empress was too real a threat, only growing more creative by the day. So I told him about

how the Empress had spoken to me through Junyi, about the lost town of Baiyin, about all the bodies the Empress controlled.

He went very still as he listened, staring unblinking into my eyes. This was only his soul, not his true body, so he didn't need to breathe or blink, but the stonelike stillness unnerved me. When I finished, he sighed and leaned back against the tree trunk, tugging unconsciously at the rope.

At last, he let out a tired laugh. "Of course Mother would refuse to die," he said. "That's so like her."

"You're not upset?" I said.

He frowned. "I mean, I'm not thrilled that she's terrorizing you."

I shook my head. "But you died for nothing," I said.

Hong paused as if considering this, staring beyond me. He was still for so long that I wondered if he'd forgotten I was here.

But then he shook his head slightly, reaching for my hand.

"I didn't die for nothing," he said. "I died for you, and you're still here, so none of it was a waste."

I knew he meant his words to be kind, but they only made me feel rotten. I didn't want anyone to die for me.

He squeezed my hand as if sensing my thoughts. "I would rather die a thousand times for you than watch you die even once,

Empress."

"I'm not the empress," I said, regretting the words as soon as I'd said them. I never wanted to extinguish his hope, but I

felt too drained to even pretend to be hopeful anymore.

"Of course you are," Hong said, frowning.

I shook my head. "I promise I'll get you out of here and become the empress one day, but right now I don't want to think about—"

"Zilan," Hong said, squeezing my hand. "You are already the empress. Didn't we discuss this?"

"No," I said, drawing my hand away from his. "I'm certain I would remember that conversation."

Hong grimaced. "I'm sorry," he said, gaze dropping to his lap. "I swore we already... My mind is a bit..."

I took his hand again. "No, it's not your fault," I said quickly. His mind was a mess because of what he'd given up for me, and that could never be his fault. "What were you going to say?"

Hong went very still in the way he always did when he got nervous. "Well, before I died, I might have already filed some paperwork."

I raised an eyebrow. "What kind of paperwork?"

"It seems rather presumptuous in hindsight," he said, looking away from me, skin tinged pink with embarrassment, a shade I

didn't know his face could turn after death. "I was trying to sort things out before we killed the Empress, since I thought

we'd be so busy afterward and it wouldn't really be an appropriate time for that sort of thing, so I... might have already

signed our marriage contract."

He winced as if expecting me to strike him, but I was too stunned to react. His words finally began to sink in, and heat rushed

to my face. " You married me before you asked my permission? " I said, my voice far too loud for the silent forest.

" I would have withdrawn it if you'd said no! " he said.

"Aren't I supposed to be present for that kind of thing?" I said, gripping my hair.

"If we were commoners, then yes, but government workers don't tend to deny the Crown Prince what he asks for," he said. "So,

though there wasn't a ceremony, if anyone checks the royal records, you are already the empress consort." He dared to look

up at me, still backed away defensively. "Am I forgiven?"

"Have you apologized?" I said.

He smirked. "For loving you too enthusiastically?"

I punched his arm. "Try again."

He winced. "Okay, yes, you're right of course. I apologize for marrying you without informing you first. But seeing as I now

know you would have said yes, am I forgiven?"

I did my best to glare at him, but it was no use. It was like glaring at a baby duck.

"Only because you're dead," I said. "You should consider yourself lucky, because if Wenshu Ge found out about this, he'd kill

you."

Hong grimaced as if imagining. "Then perhaps we can keep this between us for the time being?"

I nodded. "I wasn't exactly planning to go back to Chang'an and sit on the throne anytime soon." I looked off to the horizon.

"Though I do wish we could have brought the royal library up north. It sure would come in handy right now. I have no idea

where to go next."

The best course would have been to find the Empress's puppet alchemist, to stop her from interfering at every turn. But that

was just as much a mystery as Penglai.

"Do you know if your mother knew any other alchemists?" I said. "Someone must be helping her."

Hong grimaced, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Zilan. She didn't confide in me about anything."

"You never saw or heard anything?"

"The Empress doesn't make mistakes," he said simply, as if it was an indisputable truth. He hadn't meant anything by it, but

the words still made me shiver.

Suddenly, the prince sat up straight, eyes wide. "Oh no," he said. "I think... I think she might have a lot more bodies

at her disposal than you think."

"Why?" I said. His panic was contagious, and my heart beat loud in my ears.

"A few years ago, she started branding peasants with her name in exchange for food," he said, looking away as if this was his shame and not hers. "I thought it was just her vanity, that she wanted to show that she owned them. But maybe this was always her backup plan."

I groaned, dropping my face to my knees.

Now that the prince had mentioned it, I remembered that campaign. The messengers had swept through Guangzhou wielding an iron

brand and bags of rice. Uncle Fan and Auntie So had strictly forbidden us from participating, so I'd accepted a few more resurrection

jobs than I otherwise might have, just to bury the guilt of not taking the food for such a small price. But many of our neighbors

had no problem with it. They had suffered much worse than a small burn.

"She would still need an alchemist to activate the soul tags for her," I said. "A soul tag without an alchemist is just a

name."

The prince shrugged. "I don't know, Zilan," he said quietly. "I'm sorry." Then his expression darkened. "You need to get out

of here."

"What?" I said, drawing back.

"Check my body for marks," he said, gripping my wrist. "I don't think the Empress branded me, but you need to check. She's

clever, so she might have knocked me out, or done it while I was sleeping, or when I was very young."

"If she could control your body, don't you think she would have done it by now?"

"How do you know she hasn't?" he said, eyes burning. "Zilan go , please."

I wanted to tell him that I knew my brother, that there was no way it was anyone but him, but his eyes were so panicked that

I didn't want to deny him.

"Okay," I said. "I'll be back."

Then I turned away, my heart sinking the way it always did when I left Hong alone in the dark with no more than half-hearted goodbyes and unfulfilled promises. With every visit, I felt that my own heart was decaying just as fast as his.

I buried the thought and opened my eyes, blinking until the brown fabric ceiling of our tent came into focus. I was back with

Wenshu and Zheng Sili, camped in an empty stretch of land a few miles from Baiyin.

After buying two horses and enough fabric for a tent, we'd ridden as far from Baiyin as we could manage before falling off

our horses from exhaustion. Wenshu and I had pitched a tent while Zheng Sili watched us and complained, still halfway drunk.

I'd set a couple firestones burning on a flat rock, casting the tent in warm light. Durian had curled up close to the stone,

fast asleep.

Wenshu sat up, cracking his neck. "Finally," he said. "Took you long enough."

Zheng Sili, who was already dozing off in the corner, grumbled at the movement.

"Gēgē," I said, "we need to check everyone for soul tags. Starting with you."

"I have a soul tag," he said pointedly. "You know, the one that almost says Fan Wenhua because of your awful handwriting?"

"I'm serious," I said. "You could have an inactive one."

Wenshu looked exhausted and less than pleased with the suggestion, but he was a pragmatist if nothing else, and rolled up

his sleeves to let me check. I checked all the usual spots for soul tags—the arms, the wrists, the back of the neck—but found

nothing.

I leaned over and shoved Zheng Sili against the edge of the tent. He jolted awake, swiping out a hand to slap at me, which

I easily dodged.

"Check each other for soul tags," I said. "I'll wait outside."

"What?" Zheng Sili said, rubbing his eyes. "Why do I have to do it?"

"Because you're both men?" I said, glancing at Wenshu, who looked at Zheng Sili like he was a pile of rotten fruit.

"Isn't it your boyfriend's body?" Zheng Sili said. "Shouldn't you know whether or not he has PROPERTY OF WU ZHAO burned into his skin?"

"How would I know that?"

Zheng Sili shot me an incredulous look. "Weren't you a concubine?"

My face burned. " No! " I said. "I mean, technically yes, but not like that."

"Can we please stop talking about this?" Wenshu said, looking pained. "I am going to jam knives into my ears."

I turned to Zheng Sili. "Wenshu Ge needs to check you , anyway, so call me when you're done."

" Me? " Zheng Sili said, eyes wide. "I am very obviously not the Empress, because I can do alchemy !"

When I didn't respond, he sighed and shoved his blankets away. "The Empress obviously takes people's bodies, not their minds,"

he said slowly, as if speaking to a child. "You think she could do the kind of alchemy I've spent a lifetime practicing just

because she's wearing my hands like gloves? Don't insult me."

Wenshu shot me a questioning glance. I had to admit, Zheng Sili had a point. As far as anyone knew, the Empress couldn't do

alchemy. I supposed it was possible that she'd learned in secret, but if she was any good at it, she could have learned to

make her own life gold and wouldn't have needed me alive after all the other royal alchemists were killed.

"I think it's better to be careful," Wenshu said quietly. "Underestimating the Empress is dangerous."

Zheng Sili rolled his eyes. "Do you two really want to see me naked that badly? Fine."

"Don't flatter yourself," I said, but he was already untying his robes.

I hurried out of the tent as Wenshu made a strangled sound and shouted about how you don't need to take it all off at once, no one wants to see that!

After a few minutes, they determined that neither of them had the Empress's soul tag, which Zheng Sili was incredibly smug

about. I was just grateful we hadn't been unknowingly dragging the Empress around with us for days, so I let him gloat for

a moment before shoving him into the corner of the tent to make more room for me and Wenshu.

Zheng Sili grumbled and hugged his bag closer. "This is the thanks I get for helping you."

"You? Helping? " I said incredulously.

Zheng Sili's face slid into a frown, then he reached down into his sleeve and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, staring

at it blankly. "I could have sworn I gave this to you earlier, but—"

"But you were drunk out of your mind in the middle of the night?" I said, snatching it from him and shoving him when he tried

to grab it. I managed to hold him back with one hand and unfold it with the other.

It was a flyer, a hole at the top as if Zheng Sili had torn it down.

WANTED: THE ARCANE ALCHEMIST

Dead or alive

Violent thief, beware of alchemy

Reward: 500,000 gold

Last seen in central Zhongwei

Beneath the writing was a scrawled image of the man. Strangely, where his facial features should have been, there was nothing

but a blank space in the paper, like his face had been wiped clean.

"Your idea of helping is bringing me an unfinished wanted poster?" I said, turning to Zheng Sili.

He shook his head. "It's not unfinished," he said. "Some peasant selling goats gave it to me this evening. She said he's been

stealing from nearby towns, but no one could describe his face."

"If she was selling goats, she was a merchant, not a peasant," I said. "Why is that so hard to understand?"

"Quit being pedantic and actually listen to me," Zheng Sili said. "You and I both know this guy is no royal alchemist, yet

he's well-known enough around here that he has a title. What does that tell you?"

"That he's a thief who is really bad at not getting caught?"

Zheng Sili scowled and shook his head. "He must be good at alchemy, enough to be known for it, or else this would just say

his real name."

Unfortunately, Zheng Sili was right. It was rare to find powerful alchemists anywhere but the capital, for few would spend

their lifetimes learning such a valued skill if they didn't intend to make it their career.

The Empress couldn't have put herself in so many bodies without the help of a living alchemist, and there weren't many in

the north skilled enough to pull that off. This one clearly didn't respect the law, and was good at hiding from the police,

which made him a pretty likely candidate.

"You think this guy is the one who's been oh so kindly holding the door open for the Empress?" I said.

"Took you long enough," Zheng Sili said. "Do try to keep up with me. I know it's challenging at times."

I ignored him and turned to Wenshu. "If we can cut off the Empress and keep her in the river plane—"

"Our lives will become a whole lot easier," Wenshu finished. "But this flyer isn't exactly descriptive. How do you expect

to find him?"

Zheng Sili shrugged. "Alchemists aren't typically good at being inconspicuous. But I have a few tricks we can try out."

"We need to find him," I said, digging a map out of my bag and unfurling it close to the firestones. It looked about a day's

ride north, the farthest from home I'd ever been. To think that I'd once thought I'd live and die on the southern coast of

Guangzhou, and now I was a world away, sweating in the northern deserts.

"And I need to sleep unless you want me to be hungover tomorrow morning," Zheng Sili said, kicking the corner of my map away with

a blanketed foot.

"We don't want you to be here at all," Wenshu said.

Zheng Sili only rolled over, tugging his blanket. "Yeah, and people in the seventh layer of hell want a ladder."

Wenshu looked like he might keep arguing, but I shook my head. For once, Zheng Sili wasn't wrong—we needed rest. Tomorrow,

we were going to find the Arcane Alchemist, dead or alive.