Naamah's Kiss - Jacqueline Carey [212]
The dragon reflected in her pupils coiled uneasily. "You voice my fears," Snow Tiger said soberly. "How soon may we go?"
"Send for me in two days."
She nodded. "I shall spend the time composing my letter."
If anyone had suspected what we were about, we'd never have gotten away with it. And twilight or no, if Snow Tiger had not been dragon-possessed, I'd have had no chance of spiriting her out of the Celestial City. Of course, it also wouldn't have been necessary; but if it had been, it would have been impossible. She would have been surrounded by attendants at all time. But she had banished her retinue after her husband's death, and no one had argued against it. The princess in the cage had no attendants save those who came and went as quickly as possible to bring her meals and fresh attire or empty the chamberpot.
And no one suspected us. It was simply too unthinkable. Children did not defy their parents, and ordinary folk did not plot against the Son of Heaven's edict.
Even so, I did not expect it to be easy. Snow Tiger was insistent that we retrieve her sword, and I could not find my way alone through the endless labyrinth of halls and chambers that comprised the Celestial City.
And then there was the outer city, teeming with people. The twilight would conceal us, but it wouldn't remove us from the physical world altogether.
We would have to be very, very careful.
Early in the morning on the appointed day, I bade farewell to Bao and Master Lo. They would depart Shuntian before me and leave a false trail for any pursuers to follow before doubling back in disguise to await us at the designated meeting place, an empty farmstead some leagues southwest of the city.
With great regret, Master Lo Feng had resolved to sacrifice all but three of his Camaeline snowdrops, hanging them to dry in the courtyard we would be abandoning. The remaining three were nestled in a small, tight-lidded porcelain jar. I stored it carefully in the bottom of my satchel.
Bao was unhappy, dark eyes worried. "I do not like leaving you, Moirin."
"I know." I tied my satchel closed. "Nor do I like being left. But Master Lo is well known, and you to be his pupil. You're the ones they'll follow. No one else can leave the trail."
"And I fear no one else can take Moirin's role in this, my magpie," Master Lo added. He had regained his customary serenity, though it was more strained and careworn than before. "We have set this thing in motion. Now we must let ourselves flow with the events as they unfold."
Bao sighed and kissed me, cupping my face in his hands. "Try not to get yourself killed."
My eyes stung. "You, too."
They left.
A few hours later, Snow Tiger's eunuchs came with a palanquin to fetch me. They looked askance at my battered satchel and yew-wood bow, but offered no comment. I was the foreign witch who soothed the dragon, and the Son of Heaven himself had ordered it so. My barbarian ways were a strangeness to be tolerated.
I found the princess wound tighter than a child's top, pacing her encaged quarters. "All is in readiness?" she inquired abruptly.
"Yes." I set down my satchel. "Peace, my lady. Attendants come and go. You must not be seen to be restless in my presence."
She shuddered to a halt, wrapping her arms around herself. "He is restless."
I didn't need her to tell me. I could sense the dragon's eagerness, its essence spiraling and cavorting throughout her being. In its excitement at the prospect of home and freedom, its thoughts were an inchoate jumble, vibrant and joyous, with a deluge of images and single spoken refrain.
Home, home, home, home!
"Aye." I smiled at its happiness. "But it is a long and dangerous journey, treasured friend, and nothing is certain. You can help best by remaining calm that the Noble Princess may do the same."
It quieted.
"Thank you." Snow Tiger unwrapped her arms. "Although it wards off his madness, the blindfold is no longer as effective as it was. Ever since you came, I sense