The Night Ends with Fire by K. X. Song

Author:K. X. Song [Song, K. X.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2024-07-02T00:00:00+00:00

Thirty-One

The tide of war is like a flame in the wind; it can turn in an instant.

—Book of Odes, 856

I stiffened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He sipped his sorghum wine—pale, like his eyes. “Aren’t you also hunting for precious stones?”

Perhaps he had overheard our conversation at the other table. Skies knew we weren’t being discreet about it. “That’s my master,” I lied. “Not me. I just follow him.”

“Something tells me you’re not a follower.”

“Something tells me you’re not a deserter,” I shot back. He looked too much like a noble for that.

He laughed, unperturbed. “So I lied,” he said lightly. “So did you.”

I shifted uneasily in my seat. What was he referring to? And how did he know so much? I forced myself to look him in the eye. “Then tell me this,” I said. “Why are you seeking precious stones?”

He leaned toward me, and my heart raced despite myself. By the openness in his expression, I thought he would reveal the truth.

But I was overly trusting. “I like pretty things,” he said in a conspiratorial manner. His eyes flickered across my face. “I have a weakness for them.”

Coldness trickled down my spine, though I was careful not to show any outward reaction. “That’s surprising,” I replied.

“Is it? I find that vanity and an appreciation for beauty go hand in hand.”

“Perhaps,” I said, an edge creeping into my voice. “Or perhaps there’s another motive you don’t feel inclined to share.”

I caught his jaw muscle pulsing. He’s hiding something.

Calling upon my lixia, I leaned in, holding his gaze with mine. Yet strangely, though I could feel the nature of his elemental threads—water and earth, and fire too—his mind was a locked door to me. I could no more enter his thoughts than walk through walls.

“Golden eyes,” he said, holding my gaze. “Interesting.”

I blinked, looking away. The bandit too had claimed that my eyes were golden.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Zhao Zilong,” I replied quickly. “Yours?”

“Lei,” he said, with his southern lilt.

“Just Lei?” I asked, wondering if it was a false name. Lei was usually half of a shuangming. “Which character?” I asked him. “Lei—to build from the earth?”

“No,” he said. “Ming Lei—as in the buds of a flower.” His smile was wry. “Perhaps my mother wished for a girl.”

I swallowed. “Your mother was a fool, then.”

“Was she?”

I did not answer him. He tilted his head like a bird, studying me.

“I wonder if our paths will cross again.”

A hand slammed down onto the table between us. “His paths have nothing to do with yours,” Sky hissed, taking me by the shoulder. “Let’s go, Ren.”

“Ren?” A crooked grin twitched across his lips. “I thought you said your name was Zilong.”

I tried to hide my blush. “I have many names,” I said, aiming for insouciance.

Sky started to lead me away. Lei raised his glass to me in farewell. “As the best of us do.”

Sparrow and Tao waited for us by the tavern door. “What was that about?” Sparrow asked me.

I shook my head, flustered.

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