Witch Fall(42)

“It is done,” the emperor proclaimed. “All arise.”

And just like that, Lilette was married. The rustle of thousands of people moving to their feet was deafening. She could feel their gazes on her, though with her back to them, they would see nothing more than her fabulous robes and the boulder of a headdress.

The emperor raised both his hands to the air. “Let us now celebrate with a feast!”

As if they’d waited for the signal, eunuchs immediately moved through the crowds, handing out oranges from baskets tucked under their arms.

Chen stepped down and offered his arm. Keeping her face impassive, Lilette took it. This close, the details of the palace were amazing. Nearly translucent panels lined the entire front, all standing open to let in the occasional breeze. An interlocking, woven pattern ran below all the windows, the weave meant to keep out demons from below. The double doors featured carvings of serpentine dragons, which Lilette was studying when eunuchs opened the doors.

Inside, the main room took up nearly the entire floor. Officials and scholars in their best silks slipped into their kowtows beside low tables surrounded by cushions. Lilette tried to catch sight of Han, but she couldn’t find him.

The emperor and his wife went to the center table, which was raised above the others. Lilette followed them in a daze. Her bruises hurt, and she was so thirsty and hot. The headdress had made her head go numb. She maneuvered her way through kowtowing crowds of people, their faces a blur.

She took her place at the table. Eunuchs brought the first course. Lilette downed the wine and asked for water. They refilled her cup three times before she felt satisfied. She knew she should eat, since she would need all her strength for what was coming, but anything she put in her mouth stuck in her throat.

The men at the table spoke, their voices rising and falling without meaning. Lilette was glad women were discouraged from speaking in the palace, and glad her silence was marked as a sign of humility instead of terror.

Just as the meal started winding down, unease settled over Lilette. In less than a heartbeat, nature went from smooth and flowing to writhing in pain. In a daze, she rose to her feet. The room went silent.

“Lilette?” Chen said.

“Something is wrong.” She’d felt this before—this sense that something was deeply amiss, when the witches’ songs had attacked the Vorlayan armada. And long before that, when she and her mother had called down lightning.

Lilette’s eyes widened as she understood. “They’re singing against us.” And then she remembered her mother showing her scenes of death and destruction that had ended with the island sinking below the waves. “Grove City is attacking!”

Chen was on his feet now, his arms on her shoulders, trying to convince her to sit down.

“You have to let them go! Let them go or the witches will destroy you!” Lilette shouted at the emperor.

His gaze flashed to the back of the palace. The screen there had been slid aside, providing a perfect view of the gardens where the witches were held. “See they are all secure!” the emperor commanded. Elite standing guard shouldered their halberds and started running.

“No!” Lilette said. “It’s coming from Grove City.” No sooner had the words left her lips than the palace bucked beneath her, sending her flying. Her ridiculous headdress toppled off and cracked nearly in two.

The world roared in protest—a sound full of breaking and crushing. The palace shook as if it would come down around them. Lilette tried to crawl away, but the ground shook her to the floor. She curled into a ball, hoping the entire structure didn’t crumble on top of her.

Somehow, Chen managed to reach her. He wrapped his arms protectively around her, and she was so terrified she turned to him and buried her head in his chest. The shaking seemed to go on forever, but when it finally ended, she peered out. She barely recognized the room. Tables had been upended, food had spilled, carved reliefs had cracked, and sculptures had toppled.

“You have to let them go, Chen,” Lilette murmured against him. “They’ll destroy us all if you don’t.”

“Shh,” he said comfortingly before pulling her to her feet. Frenzied eunuchs rushed about the room, tending to everyone.

“You knew that was coming?” the emperor demanded of her.

Lilette braced herself. “I knew something was coming. I did not know what.”

Suddenly Han was there, his gaze on her in Chen’s arms. “There’s always a second one. Get everyone out!”

Everyone rushed outside. Lilette gasped in a breath full of dust and fear before the second wave hit. Chen wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, making her bruised side ache anew. This one didn’t knock her down, nor did it last as long. When it had finished, Lilette was surprised the palace still stood.