“We just killed a bunch of them,” I added to Nabil’s declaration, my voice surprisingly slurred. “You’re welcome.”
“Where do you come from?” the princely guard demanded, not advancing but not backing off either.
“Ithanys,” Nabil replied tartly.
“And here,” I added, swearing when the next wave of dizziness was extreme enough that I slumped into Nabil, murmuring, “Sorry,” when my elbow clattered his ribs.
“Here,” the female guard repeated, heavy on doubt. I tried to look at her, but the world was flickering and dark. “Meaning you’re Cirestian?”
“Her mother was Cirestian,” Nabil said when it was clear I couldn’t string together a reply. “Her father, a piece of shit from Ithanys. Neither of us is corrupted by Zalaam magic, but if you don’t let us go, our home is going to be overrun by it.”
“Tell them about the queen,” I mumbled, “and Mingyue.”
My words triggered an unmistakable ring of multiple swords being drawn. I flinched into Nabil, trying to open my eyes—when did they close?—and stand on my own two feet.
“Thanks, Ameirah,” Nabil hissed under his breath, backing up another two steps towards the window, the gate. “Amazing input. Extremely helpful.”
“Welcome,” I slurred.
“Weapons down,”the princely guard shouted, the sudden spike of volume making me cringe as pain cracked through my head. “Laoshi, I need you to have Hsuiyang at the manor by the time we get there. Tell her to expect a severely depleted young woman on the verge of burn out.”
“Not burned,” I argued. “Fire doesn’t burn me.”
“Zhijan, you’re in charge of guarding the gate,” he went on, ignoring me. “Haoran, Ruina: with me.”
“Does this mean you’re not going to execute us?” Nabil asked, but unfriendly, like he was still ready to fight every one of them.
“I don’t execute my family,” the guard retorted, matching Nabil’s tone. In a battle of unfriendliness, it would be tough to call a victor. “Ameirah, can you hear me?”
“Yup.”
The unfriendly bastard laughed. “My name is Jiang Liwei, and I’m your cousin.”
Oh. My eyes began to burn, the strain too complete for me to shield against my emotions. So thereweremore family members. Was he one of the people in those paintings in the manor?
“Can I touch you? I have a basic healing ability.”
“No fucking chance,” Nabil barked.
“Be nice,” I chided him, succeeding in opening my eyelids a crack this time. The glare had left the princely guard’s face—Liwei’s face— and he peered at me with a contemplative expression. I fluttered my hand in his direction. “You can touch.”
“You hurt her, and I’ll turn your skin inside out,” Nabil breathed. “And that isnothingcompared to what her husband will do when he finds you.”
“I’m shaking in my boots,” Liwei drawled, his dry palm rasping over mine. A rush of strength hit me in the next moment, allowing me to stand straighter, to open my eyes, to stare at the man who called himself my cousin. “That’ll only last a few minutes,” he warned me. “But there’s a healer ready to repair the deeper damage if you’ll join me at the manor.”
“No, thank you,” Nabil said, pulling me back a step.
I turned to look at him, silently pleading. “They might be able to help us.”
His expression turned flat, irritated. “They might stab us in the back.”
“Only you,” Liwei input with a little smile that did not help matters. “As for help, you’ll have to get permission from our matriarch.”
“But—” I couldn’t look at him when I said, “The queen killed Mingyue. I was there.”
“I know,” Liwei replied, with sympathy that caught me off guard. “But our matriarch didn’t die that day. The guards reached her in time to save her. And by now she’ll have heard that you returned, and want to speak with you.”
My stomach tangled up. She must be furious. She must hate me for running away. But I wouldn’t walk away from my family a second time.