I could not move. A thousand lies were collapsing within me, the roar in my ears drowning out everything except two words: Woman Script.
'What does it say?' I whispered.
Lady Dela stared at me.
'What does it say?' I screamed.
She flinched back into the seat.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the driver look around at us. Rilla was staring at me, her face hollowed with shock.
I forced my voice into a lower tone. 'Tell me what it says.'
Lady Dela licked her lips, her eyes darting back to the compass. Slowly, she moved her finger around the innermost circle. 'It says the Mirror Dragon is,' she paused, her eyes widening, 'the Mirror Dragon is the Queen of the heavens.' Her hand covered her mouth. 'By the gods, a female dragon.'
My dragon was female. The truth of it flooded through me; a cascade of wonder and hope and horror. She had chosen me and I had driven her away
Lady Dela met my stricken gaze. 'You didn't know? How could you not know?'
'She's the Queen?' Rilla said. 'Of course, it makes sense —'
I flung myself across the narrow space, slamming her against the carriage wall.
'I)o not say it,' I screamed, my forearm across her chest. 'Do not say it.'
The driver turned around again. 'My lord, what is it? Shall I stop?'
'Keep driving,' I yelled.
Rilla panted beneath me. 'I will not say it. I promise. I promise.'
'What can't she say, Lord Eon?' Lady Dela pulled at my arm, her man's strength dragging me back into my seat. 'What makes sense?'
I snatched at the gold disc but she jerked it away, the confusion in her face hardening into comprehension. 'You're not Moon Shadow, are you?'
I struggled to free my other arm, but her grip tightened. Are you a girl?'
Her fierce eyes held mine, but I could not say it. I must not say it.
Are you?' she shrieked. It was not anger in her voice. It was terror.
'Yes,' I whispered.
She rocked back, dropping my arm as though it was diseased. 'Sweet gods, a girl. In the Dragoneye Council. Do you know what they will do when they find out?'
I nodded.
'But you have the Mirror Dragon's power,' she said quickly 'She chose you because you are a girl, didn't she? Surely they will see that and —'
I could not keep the truth out of my eyes.
Lady Dela paled. 'You do have her power, don't you?' she asked, her voice rising into desperation. 'Tell me you have the dragon's power.'
'No,'
She closed her eyes and moaned, the terrible sound thinning into a ragged prayer. 'Merciful gods of heaven, may our deaths be swift and painless.'
'But you moved the King Monsoon,' Killa said
I looked away from her crumpled face. Ido moved it, He took my power and made everyone think I was directing the Dragoneyes. He said he would tell the Council I was a girl if I didn't do what he said. They will kill me, Rilla.' I reached out to her, pleading for her understanding, but she did not move. 'He said he'd give you and Chart to his men if I tried to get help.'
Lady Dela gave a low, strangled cry: 'So we don't have the Council. We don't have anything.'
She covered her face with her hands.
Rilla leaned closer. 'How could Ido take your power if you don't have any? I saw the red book. There was power there. I saw the pearls move by themselves.'
'I don't have the Mirror Dragon's power,' I said. 'I didn't unite with him…with her properly during the ceremony. But I can call on Lord Ido's dragon. I don't know how. That was the power he took.'
Lady Dela lifted her head. 'Why didn't you unite properly with your dragon?'
'I don't know. I felt her in the arena — we communed, I swear it. But afterwards she started to slip away' I paused, the awful loss closing my throat. 'And now she's gone.'
Rilla straightened in her seat and brushed down her dress, trying to reclaim some composure.
'Maybe she didn't like you pretending to be a boy' she said tartly.
I gaped at her, a tumble of connections falling into line. 'The Sun drug.'
Her eyes met mine and widened. 'The ghost-maker's tea.'
Lady Dela frowned. 'What?'
'Before the ceremony, my master gave me a tea to take every morning. It stopped my…' I could not say it.
'It slops the Moon days,' Rilla said quickly. 'And the Sun drug is taken by l he Shadow Men to keep their maleness.'
LAdy Dela nodded. 'Ryko takes it.' She eyed me narrowly. 'You mean, you took it?'
'I thought it would help me join withrny dragon,' I said defensively 'Ido takes it to strengthen his bond with the Rat Dragon.' I licked my lips, suddenly recognising another connection. 'I think the Mirror Dragon faded from me faster after I took the Sun drug.'
'Could it be the female dragon is called by female energy?' Lady Dela whispered.
Her words caught at my breath, their truth resonating through me. The Mirror Dragon was called by female energy, and I had done everything to quell it within myself.
'So if you stop taking this tea and drug, you will be able to commune with the Mirror Dragon,'
she said. 'Am I right?'
I bowed my head. 'There is another problem.'
Lady Dela and Rilla waited, their bodies tensing.
'I don't have my dragon's name. I can't call her power without her name.' The grim irony of what I was about to say warped my mouth into a wry smile. 'And the only place I could possibly find her name is in the red folio.'
'The one you and Ryko stole from Lord Ido?' Lady Dela asked.
I nodded. And the one he stole back a few hours ago.' The echo of his brutal control still lingered in my body. I could not bear to think of it. Instead, I tipped back my head and gritted my teeth, trying to stop the burn of tears. 'The folio is written in Woman Script too. You could have read it to me.' I swallowed. 'I could have had her name.'
Rilla touched my knee. The small gesture made it harder to hold back my grief.
Lady Dela frowned into the distance. 'But that means there is still a chance for you to claim her power.'The hard-headed courtier in her had reasserted itself. 'We must get the red folio back.'
Hope burst through me. If I had my dragon, Ido would not be able to come near me. 'We've got it from him once,' I said quickly 'We could do it again.'
She held up her hand.'But first,you must warn the new Emperor that he cannot rely on your power Or the Council's support.'
'No.' I shook my head. 'No, he will kill me. We must find the red folio first.'
She eyed me coldly. 'It is your duty to tell him,' she said. And if you do not, you will die anyway Ryko will kill you if you betray the Emperor again.' She looked out of the carriage at the dark figure of the islander riding ahead of us. As it is, I'll have trouble stopping him from cutting your throat when he learns of your lies.' She sighed. 'His faith in you was enormous.
As was mine.'
For a moment, I imagined Ryko's face when he found out the truth. I shuddered; not only from fear, but from the knowledge of how deeply my betrayal would wound him.
Lady Dela sat back. 'We must all pray to the gods that the Emperor does not have you killed immediately Let us hope you have time to tell him there's still a chance to claim the Mirror Dragon's power.'
'It is a very small chance,' I said.
