Yet I did not even know if the Mirror Dragon was still waiting for me. For a moment, the wonder of her pushed back my fear. A female dragon: what an astonishing revelation for the Council. It made me wonder how they had lost all knowledge of her and the female Dragoneyes. It seemed too complete to be an accident of time. But even if it had been deliberate all those generations ago, they could not deny the only female dragon now. And surely, if I made a true union with her, the Council would have to accept me too.
A fine plan, except I could no longer sense her; I did not even see her outline on the Dragoneye dais. Was it just that last double dose of drugs in my body, or was it some terrible failing in me? Perhaps I did not have any hope to offer the new Emperor, after all. Maybe the Mirror I)ragon was truly gone.
I knew I should reach into my Hua and see if she was still there and at least bring the knowledg- of her continued presence to the Emperor. But what if Ido sensed me in the energy world and took me again? I shuddered. He had said it only happened when I communed with the Rat Dragon. Yet I would be a fool to trust his word. What if he was lying? What if he could now take me whenever 1 entered the pathways of Hua?
I found myself backed up against the edge of the bath, the tiled wall a solid mooring in the churn of my thoughts. I had to take the chance. So far, all I had offered the Prince was lies. If I wanted to survive, I had to take the new Emperor the truth. I had to take him the hope of the Mirror Dragon.
My hands found bevelled holds in the tiled edge. Please be there, I prayed. A deep breath eased the block of fear in my chest. Another relaxed the tightness in my heart. I counted out each exhalation on the rhythm of my plea: please be there, please be there. The reflections of the bathing room shivered on the surface of the water. Below, the mosaic of the Nine Fish Wealth Circle bent and twisted. I paused, gathering myself for the final push into the energy world, my whole being tensed for the presence of the Mirror Dragon. And for Ido.
Around me, the bathing room blurred. I pushed deeper into the Hua, plunging into the swirling energy past the grey remnants of the drugs. There was time for one quick look, and then back to safety. I narrowed my mind- sight, seeking the forms of the dragons. My body listened for the voice of Ido in my mind, for the iron grip of him on my body. There was nothing. Around the edge of the bath, huge densities of energy coalesced. Took form.
Muzzles, eyes, horns, pearls. The dragons. I stared at the space in the circle, straining to see a hint of red scale, a glint of gold pearl. But there was still no Mirror Dragon.
'I know what you are,' I whispered. 'Please, forgive me. Show yourself. Give me some hope.'
Then was a flash of movement. The large blue head of the Rat Dnagon ducked down, level with my face. I felt his energy locus on me. The touch of his power licked my wet skin, rippling across it in a wordless question. I tried to step back, but I was already hard against the wall.
'No,' I said. 'No.'
Hut his power kept pressing against me; a wild offering of energy, formless and never-ending, ready to be moulded into human desire. It was too much. It was a road straight into the heart of me that Ido could walk in a moment.
Like a distant call, I felt my right hand catch on a loose tile. An anchor to the real world. I pushed harder. The muted sting of pierced flesh dragged me away from the dragon's mesmerising gaze. The pain sharpened and the energy world rushed past me, a maelstrom of colours: blue, pink, purple, silver, green, white. And red. My breath stopped. Red? Had I truly seen red? But I was already huddled alone in the bath, my hand impaled on the jagged edge of a tile, a steady drip of blood creating scarlet swirls in the water amongst the cream frangipani petals.
I stood before the dressing chamber mirror, rolling my shoulders against the weight of the Story Robe. My cut hand throbbed in its tight binding. I flexed it, trying to work some give into the bandaging.
'Be still,' Rilla ordered.
She kneeled and folded the front edges of the heavy silk against my body. In the mirror, I saw the reflection of Lady Dela behind me, freshly bathed and dressed in mourning white, holding the thick Story Robe sash. Our eyes met in the glass.
'Do you remember what I told you?' she asked. 'You will not have a chance to speak to the Pearl Emperor until the chorus of Beseechers have left and the Shola priests have sung their ancestry chants.'
1 nodded.
'When they leave, you will be alone with him for the ghost watch,' she continued. 'But you must not speak until he speaks to you.'
'No.' I shook my head. 'I will tell him as soon as possible. My words are not going to please him whether I observe the protocols or not. He will either listen to me or he won't.' I swallowed the sudden rise of fear. And we can't afford to waste time.'
Rilla looked up. 'Do as Lady Dela says. Please. Wait until the Emperor speaks. Do everything you can to protect yourself
I touched her shoulder. 'As soon as I am dressed, I want you to go. All right?' Her expression stiffened into stubborn loyalty. 'You have to take Chart to safety. You promised.'
She held out her hands for the sash.
'It is for the best,' Lady Dela said softly as she carefully passed the silk. 'This is going to end in bloodshed, whatever way it falls. You and your son are better out of it.'
Her dark eyes darted anxiously to me, but the prediction only confirmed what I already knew in my heart. Either the Emperor would quell his uncle's ambitions with my help, or Sethon would take the throne with Ido's power. Whatever happened, there would be blood.
Rilla nodded, and absorbed herself in winding the sash around me.
Are you ready to go too?' I asked Lady Dela. 'There is no guarantee that the Emperor will not take his revenge on all who have helped me, whatever their status. If I do not come out of the ghost watch…'
'I will wait here for you to bring the red folio,' she said firmly.
And if I don't come? If Sethon and Ido have a clear way?'
'Ryko and I have a plan.'
'The islands?'
She inclined her head.
Rilla sat back on her heels. 'You are ready, Lord Eon,' she said, her voice tight.
I took a deep breath and looked in the mirror. I was, indeed, Lord Eon. The Story Robe had once more created the appearance of manliness in my slim body. To add to the illusion, something had stripped any last softness from my face — the Sun drug, perhaps — and its angularity echoed a new hardness that I felt within me. I lifted my chin; I did not want to give up being Lord Eon. Even with all the danger, all the despair, I had tasted power and respect. It was no wonder Ido craved it.
Rilla straightened a fold that marred the neat line at my calf, her hands suddenly bunching the silk hem. She was crying, silently and without fuss. In all the time I had known Rilla, I had never seen her cry.
'It's all right,' I said. A stupid, inadequate thing to say, but her tears were ripping away my hard-won composure.
She pressed my palm against her cheek. 'What you have done for Chart, for me…'
'Tell him…' I stopped, my throat blocked with a dry ache. There was too much to say. And nothing to say
'You may go, Rilla,' I whispered, letting go of her hand. 'Good luck.'
She stood and bowed, her gaze meeting mine for a long, bleak moment. 'Thank you, Lord Eon.'
She backed away. Then she was gone.
Lady Dela sighed. 'She is very devoted to you. While you were bathing, she told me how this all came about. The salt farm and Brannon's ambition.'
I finally looked away from the doorway. 'No doubt you found it an entertaining tale,' I said, taking refuge in my flimsy shell of hardness.
'No.' She faced the mirror. 'I have done many things to survive. Some at least as desperate as what you have done.' She turned and smiled wryly. 'I was very harsh in the carriage. It was the shock; you were the only hope… Well, you know the burden of hope that is on you. You should have confided in me and Ryko, but I understand why you acted as you did,'
'Why do you still help me? I am most probably a lost cause.'
She lifted her chin. 'Ryko will serve you and the Emperor to the end. And so will I.'
The danger ahead of us pushed me into blunt advice. 'You should tell Ryko that you love him.'
A flush deepened the swarthiness of her unpainted skin. A eunuch and a Contraire. How the gods would
