Girls of Storm and Shadow (Girls of Paper and Fire, #2)(12)
The face that stares back at me now can’t possibly be the same girl. She has flushed, ruddy cheeks. Frayed hair falls in frizzy tangles around her shoulders. Her eyes are sunken and rimmed in shadows, not by makeup but from fatigue, the dark patches under them like two bruises, violet-tinted and deep, the physical imprint of the nightmares that chase her each night.
I slide the dagger back into its sheath, my fingers still tingling from the magic. “Thank you,” I say flatly. “I’m… honored.”
Ketai leans in, running a finger along the scabbard’s delicate patterns. “I consulted with my fortune-tellers to have this created specially for you. It should bring you good luck—not that you need any more.” Gently, he lifts my chin with his thumb and finger. “Incredible,” he breathes. “Moonchosen, indeed.”
I’m used to people reacting this way about my golden eyes. But the way Ketai is staring at me now—his excitement almost feral, something predatory in his expression—sends a shiver down my arms.
I shift out of his grip. “I’m flattered by the title, Lord Hanno. But really, I’m just a normal girl. I did what needed to be done.”
Ketai nods, softening. “You know, Lei, I am not only thankful for all you’ve done to aid our cause. I’m also grateful for all you’ve done to aid my daughter. I know how much your friendship helped her during those months in the palace. Kenzo told me what a support you were to Wren, how close the two of you are. You were there when she needed a friend the most, and I will be eternally grateful to you for that.”
Friend. The word is far too small, too simple to encapsulate what Wren and I share. Of course we’re friends. The closest of them. But we are also so much more. The love and care we have for each other can’t fit into that single word, one syllable, so easily passed around. Wren is family, as important to me as my father and Tien. As important to me as the sun is to the sky, the moon to the stars; Suna, Goddess of Beginnings, to Lo, Goddess of Endings.
She is my air. My shelter.
The birth-blessing pendant resting between my collarbones seems to glow with warmth. I think of the word it holds within: flight.
Wren is my wings.
“We were there for each other when we needed it the most,” I tell Ketai carefully. “And we will continue to be.”
His eyes sparkle. “Indeed.” He motions to the knife. “As you might have sensed, the blade has been layered with daos. The magic reacts to your touch alone, and will ensure each strike lands true and strong. Hiro and Wren have orders to keep the enchantments active.” He reaches into the pocket of his coat, pulling out a bound roll of paper. “A final gift. Perhaps the most precious of all.”
I frown at the scroll. Then my heart leaps, almost jolting me, as comprehension sweeps through me.
I snatch the roll from Ketai with a gasp. He lets out a booming laugh, starting to his feet. “I’ll let you two get reacquainted alone.”
After months of waiting for this moment, I don’t have the patience to take it slowly. I open the letter in such a rush, I almost tear it.
My dear, dear, Lei,
It has taken me more than twenty attempts and two hours to write this letter. You can imagine how frustrated this has made Tien. I’ve had to lock her out of my room to complete my task in peace. I feel sorry for whoever she’s gone off to complain about me to.
I think the true reason this letter has been so hard to write is that I simply don’t know how to put into words all the ways I am proud of you. My brave, brave daughter. The things you have done. The incredible feats you have accomplished.
I will not lie to you. It wasn’t easy listening to the stories from Lord Ketai and others who knew what you endured at the palace. But Tien and I made sure to listen. I asked them to tell us everything so I could know what it is you have suffered and what it is that changed you, that turned you into this strong, selfless girl they call the Moonchosen.
Do you know they call you this? Mama and I always knew you were special. But for us, it was nothing to do with the gods, or luck, or your eyes. It was your soul, my love. I knew from the first moment I held you in my arms. From the first moment your little hand wrapped around the tip of my nose as I held you to my face for a kiss. I could feel your soul then, and it was light, and pure, and burned with such a brightness I have not been able to see clearly since. You blinded me in the best way, my darling—with love. I feel so much hope and pride for you, Lei, I could burst.
Lord Ketai has explained to us what his plans are. What it is you and the others are setting out to do. Again, I can’t say it was easy to hear. But I won’t tell you that you shouldn’t do it. I won’t tell you to protect yourself rather than putting yourself in harm’s way like this, no matter how much I wish I could. I won’t tell you any of this, because I know it is not what you want—and not what you deserve to hear after all you have fought for.
I also know that you would just go ahead and do it anyway. You are as stubborn as your mother, my dear. And, just like her, you are also brave, and strong, and caring, and full of fire. I trust you to know your own heart. If this is what you must do, then do it, and do it well. Do not doubt yourself for one second. You may come from humble beginnings, but you have proven to everyone what a young girl from a tiny village in Xienzo can do. Take that fire of yours and don’t let anyone put it out. Know that I am championing you from here. Tien, too. Anything we can do to support your cause—our cause—we will do it.