Naamah's Kiss - Jacqueline Carey [202]
In the darkened garden, a lantern came bobbing. A key turned in the cage's lock.
I was dismissed.
* * *
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
"It's not what you think," I said to Bao. "Or at least not in the way you think it."
"The royal concubine has found a new princess to serve," he said in a smooth tone. His relief at finding me bruised and aching, but otherwise unharmed, had been short-lived. "She owes no explanations to the peasant-boy."
"You know," I commented. "Wrong though it may be, I cannot help but be delighted by your jealousy." His mouth twitched, repressing a faint smile. "It's misplaced, though. She didn't want me there. The dragon did. As soon as it released her, she sent me away. I think she was glad to see me go," I added.
"What did you expect?" Bao asked. "This is not Terre d'Ange, Moirin. The Emperor's enemies say he challenged the Mandate of Heaven when he chose to raise his daughter as his heir. Do you think Snow Tiger does not wonder about it herself?" He shrugged. "The dragon she swallowed drove her to tear her husband from limb to limb. Now it has driven her to bed a foreign woman, a complete stranger, against all custom, in violation of her own will. Did you expect her to be grateful for it?"
I sighed. "No, of course not. It's just…"
"Come here." He slid his arms around me. I pressed my face against the column of his throat, comforted by the considerable, but mortal, strength of his embrace. "I do not think you can understand how unsettling it was for the princess to be at the mercy of such a need. You are a foreigner. She is the daughter of the Emperor of Ch'in. Despite everything, her life has been a sheltered and privileged one in many ways. Allow time to pass before you look for her to be at ease with you."
"It was unsettling for me, too," I observed.
His arms tightened around me. "Was it terrible?"
I nodded, then shook my head. "Terrible, but beautiful, too. Like the storm. I… we… saw what it is like when dragons mate."
Bao's warm breath stirred my hair. "I cannot compete with dragons, Moirin."
"Oh…" I lifted my head and kissed him. It felt familiar and very, very good. "I wouldn't be so sure."
He smiled. "Strange girl."
"You do love me, don't you?" I challenged him. "You were willing to assault the Son of Heaven himself on my behalf."
"Maybe." He lowered his head to return my kiss. "Maybe not. Let us settle the matter of the princess and the dragon first. Because among other things, I do not think I would care to rouse a dragon's jealousy."
I remembered the way Snow Tiger had flung herself at the bars when the Emperor's eunuchs had seized me. "Good point."
It was a time of waiting. An Imperial delegation had been sent to negotiate with Lord Jiang. The crowded streets of Shuntian were filled with rumor and speculation. Master Lo was quiet and withdrawn. Although the Emperor had offered to host us like heroes, Master Lo had chosen to take modest lodgings in the city. In the courtyard, we repotted the Camaeline snowdrop bulbs that had travelled so far, storing them in the coolest, shadiest corner.
"They live yet?" he asked me.
"Aye." Their song was fainter than ever, fading. I stroked the soil with my fingertips. "They'll not survive if they're not planted in a high, cold place ere winter comes. What do you mean to do with them, Master?"
"It is my hope that we might transport them to White Jade Mountain," he said soberly. "Though I fear for our chances."
Bao and I exchanged a glance. It was the first time Master Lo had spoken of it since our arrival. "You do not think Lord Jiang will relent?" he asked.
"I fear not." His tone did not encourage further inquiry on the topic.
I brushed dirt from my hands. "What will you do with the bulbs, then? Brew more tonic?"
"Perhaps." He gazed into the distance. "When I discovered their properties, it was my thought that they might provide a cure for an old friend's