Naamah's Kiss - Jacqueline Carey [207]
I choked on the sip I was taking.
"You had other plans?" Bao turned his dark, ironic gaze on me. I shook my head. "No, I didn't think so."
"I promised to aid her if it came to this," I admitted.
"She would defy her own father?" Master Lo sounded appalled.
"It's not just her, Master," Bao observed. "There is the dragon, too. It is a celestial being, an immortal. It cannot stay a prisoner inside her. That is against all nature." He cocked his head. "Why did you give the pearl to Black Sleeve, anyway?"
Master Lo Feng picked up his cup, turning it around and around in his elegant, long-fingered hands. "He was called Yaozu then," he said softly. "That was the name his mother and I gave him when he came of age. When he was a babe, she called him Tadpole. The dragon's pearl was his favorite toy." In one swift gesture, he downed the rice wine in his cup.
Bao refilled his cup without a word.
Master Lo coughed, eyes watering. "I believe you are right about the time for strong spirits, my magpie." He took another drink. "Yaozu blames me for his mother's death. We parted bitterly. I gave him the pearl in the hope that it would remind him of happier times."
"How…" I hesitated. "How did she die, Master?"
"She died of old age," he said simply. "Peacefully, in her sleep. My Mingzhu never had the patience to practice the Five Styles of Breathing. She was like a hummingbird, restless and bright." He smiled with sorrow. "Unalike as we were, I loved her very much. Yaozu believed I failed her when I turned away from alchemy and the quest for the elixir of immortality. He begged me to return to it. When I refused, he begged me to teach him. I refused." He drained what was left in his cup. "He never accepted it. Now at last it seems he has found a way to punish me for it, and to punish the world along with me."
"Which is why we must stop him," Bao said pragmatically. "And the first step is to get the princess to White Jade Mountain and free the, dragon."
"What's the second step?" I asked.
His eyes glinted. "I am hoping one is all we need. After all, it is a very difficult one. It will reveal the extent of Black Sleeve's betrayal. And you seemed to find the dragon… impressive."
I shivered. "Oh, it is."
Both of us looked at Master Lo.
"How can we possibly spirit the princess from the Celestial City itself…" Master Lo halted. The sorrow etching his features seemed to ease a measure. "Of course. Moirin's gift."
I nodded. "I do not know how long I can hold the twilight nor how many I can hold within it. To be sure, not enough to conceal us all the way to White Jade Mountain, no longer than a single day at best. But I can hold it long enough to get Snow Tiger out of the Celestial City unseen." A problem occurred to me. "There is the matter of the cage."
"Can you pick locks?" Bao asked hopefully. No.
"I could disguise myself as a eunuch," he mused. "Thump her jailor-attendant over the head and steal the key."
Master Lo raised one hand. "We pace ahead of ourselves, children. If we are to attempt this thing, we must be certain the Noble Princess and the dragon desire it alike. And we three alone do not suffice. There must be other guards to accompany us."
Bao gave him a skeptical look. "No disrespect, Master, but I think the Noble Princess can take care of herself."
"Not at the risk of revealing her identity. It will be necessary to travel in disguise." He inclined his head toward Bao. "And I mean no disrespect to your skills, my magpie, but they would be spread too thin. We must have others. Loyal others."
Bao grumbled.
"Mayhap Snow Tiger can help," I suggested. "She said there were warriors loyal to her once. If she is willing to take such a desperate step, surely she has other allies."
"Ask her," my mentor said.
I did.
When Snow Tiger sent for me the next day, she had already heard the news. She was as focused and contained as she could be under the circumstances, although the dragon within her was anxious and restless.
You will help? You WILL