The stench. Echion.
She saw him descend to the clifftop in his human form, spear in hand, pale hair whipping in the wind. He wore his black armor, prepared for war.
Bingmei dropped into a bow stance, the staff held tightly in both hands as she glared at him.
“Finally,” he said with an angry scowl.
Where was Xisi? She still sensed her but didn’t see the pale dragon anywhere.
“You will not bring the Reckoning so soon,” he said venomously to her. “Do you even know what that is, hatchling? Has your master warned you of it yet?”
Bingmei stayed silent, her grip tightening on the staff as she focused her power. Kunmia had faced him and lost. Everyone who had faced him had lost.
How could she hope to survive?
“I am ready for you,” Bingmei challenged. She wanted him to attack first.
“You are insignificant,” he said with a laugh. “You think to lure me away from the true prize. Your daughter. But you forget who and what I am, Bingmei. I know the Immortal Words far better than you.” He jerked his hand, the one with the spear, and Bingmei flinched, swinging up her staff to block a blow that didn’t come.
He laughed in her face. “I’m not going to kill you. You’ll soon have your own Reckoning to face your colossal failure. You’ll never forget how many perished because you couldn’t protect your child from me. I will rule for another thousand years. Just as I could not overturn your summoning of winter, neither can you overturn my power. Watch, Bingmei. Watch them drown.”
She saw him draw a word with his finger. Hongshui. She recognized the combination of two words. Water and flood.
“No!” Bingmei screamed.
Thunder rumbled in the sky overhead. And a wall of water came rushing down the narrows, devouring everything in its path.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Cry of the Heart
Bingmei ran to the edge of the cliff, unfurling the phoenix wings, but Echion came at her with his spear, beating her back. She blocked each attack with the rune staff, and as close as he was, she could smell the cloying scent of his pride, his exhilaration at the position he’d put her in. She lunged to the side, trying to fly again, and again he stopped her.
She heard the rushing of the waters, and her heart seized with panic. Echion jabbed at her stomach, trying to impale her on his spear. She flipped up and landed on the edge of the cliff, still facing him, then reversed her grip on the staff and struck him on the head. To her shock, he grimaced with pain. She’d injured him!
He whipped the end of the spear around to strike her in return, but she twisted her hips, and it swept by her, just grazing her chin. If she’d been any slower, it would have knocked her on her back and broken her jaw.
The sound of rushing water made her want to scream, and as she continued to trade blows with Echion, Bingmei felt her defenses crumbling. He drew closer and closer to striking her. One hit was all it would take from his powerful arms, and she’d be helpless. He lifted the spear to jam it down through her skull. Bingmei felt the fire of the phoenix’s magic burning in her heart, reassuring her she was not alone. Cocking one hand back, she brought her open palm into his rib cage—the same attack she’d used to incapacitate a warrior who’d tried to stop her from entering the Hall of Unity.
The power of the phoenix burst through her and sent Echion flying backward. He went crashing down on the rough edges of the mountain, the meiwood spear clattering on the rocks.
She stared in disbelief at what she’d done and then saw his head lift, his eyes livid with anger. A snarl came to his mouth, and he began to transform back into the dragon.
Bingmei hurled herself off the cliff. Instead of flying, she let herself plummet like a stone, heading straight down the edge of the cliff wall. The roiling waters of the flood were directly below her, smashing against the walls, roaring like a waterfall.
At the last moment, she unfurled her wings and swooped away from the watery death. Echion’s stench was right on top of her a moment later. The flapping of wings flooded her senses, and she twisted and rolled the other way. Glancing back, she saw the massive dragon crash into the wall of the cliff, only to rebound again, his yellow eyes full of fury.
Bingmei soared through the chasm amidst the flood. She turned the corner and felt the dragon still coming after her. Looking up, she saw several more shapes flying above the ravine but not swooping down at her. The flooding river smashed against the rocks and boulders with a ferocity that filled her with dread. There was no way to escape the flood. Quion must have been swept up in it. He couldn’t have foreseen it or known it was coming.
She hurtled around the next bend in the river, trying to put more distance between herself and Echion. If she could catch up to Quion and the basket, she’d figure out a way to save them, although she didn’t know how.
When she turned the next corner, she saw a dragon perched on a massive boulder in the middle of the river. It was yellow with stripes of teal and orange on its flanks. She was going so fast, there was no way to dodge it as it hissed and jumped at her.
She felt its claws rip into her waist and legs as it snatched her. The powerful wings started to hoist her up into the air.
But she was no rabbit to be caught. Bingmei pulled the short sword from her belt and jabbed beneath the
