Cloak of Night (Circle of Shadows #2) - Evelyn Skye Page 0,101
many, as Prince Gin had assumed that stationing his most powerful ryuu—Hana, Tidepool, Skullcrusher, and Skeleton—along with a navy of corpses would be enough.
But making assumptions about the League of Rogues was a grave mistake.
Still, Sora decided to move, and once they were on another of the islands in the tiger’s paw, they hunkered down in the hollow of an enormous tree that must have been thousands of years old. It was broad enough to fit them all, and on top of that, Hana kept everyone invisible. Her ability to do so, like Sora’s, was limited to proximity, but she’d been using ryuu magic for longer and could hide people even if they weren’t right next to her. It would come in handy when they snuck back into the Imperial City.
“Congratulations,” Sora said, once everyone was settled. “We rescued Empress Aki, and we have Prince Gin’s soul.”
Daemon, Fairy, and Broomstick cheered. Hana and Papa looked a little confused. Empress Aki smiled serenely. Tidepool probably would have glared, but Fairy had drugged her, so the ryuu lay asleep against the roots of the tree.
“But we’re not done yet,” Sora said. “Hana and I are still damned, as well as every taiga and ryuu. And our family, friends, and the whole kingdom remain in danger. Prince Gin will continue to pursue the Evermore and bring death and destruction to Kichona. So we have a few things we need to accomplish. One, we have to get to the gods to beg them for the purification ritual. Two, we need reinforcements, because after those skeletons, it’s painfully obvious to me that I underestimated his ryuu’s abilities, and we can’t fight them on our own. And three, we have to . . .”
Sora trailed off. She’d just seen her own mother killed and couldn’t bring herself to talk in front of Prince Gin’s sister about assassinating him. But she did touch her collar, where the soul pearl was safely stashed again.
Empress Aki sighed. “It’s all right. I know it has to be done. We let my brother go after the Blood Rift, and look where that got us. I wish I had the opportunity like you did to see your sister return to our side, but I don’t. Gin has to be killed, for Kichona’s sake.”
Papa bowed his head. “Your Majesty, what if he repented as Hana did?”
“Then I would give him a chance. But I don’t think he will.” She looked to Sora. “Please continue with your plans.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty. I was actually wondering if you knew anything about Gin that could help us get close enough to reunite him with his soul? I can handle infiltrating the castle, but he’s so well protected. . . .”
Empress Aki shook her head. “I’m sorry. It’s been a decade since we’ve lived together. I don’t know what his daily routines are, whether he’s exposed at meal times, or when he’s getting dressed in the morning or anything like that.”
“Oh,” Sora said, trying to hide her disappointment. It had been a long shot, but ideas were few and far between right now, and it would have been nice if something was easy for once. “That’s all right. I’ll think of something.” She gave the empress what she hoped looked like a confident smile. “Let’s start with the other part of the plan that requires your help. You have good diplomatic relationships with the mainland kingdoms, right?”
The empress nodded. “Most of them, some better than others.”
“Do you think they’d respond to our call for help?”
“Well, not Thoma because . . .” Empress Aki’s eyes watered.
Sora nodded grimly at the reminder that Tsarina Austine was Prince Gin’s prisoner.
The empress wiped away a tear and shook her head as if to clear it. “I have no doubt that Ria Kayla and Emperor Geoffrey would offer their navies and marines,” she said, refocusing on Sora’s question. “Queen Meredith is a possibility if I asked her in person. I’m less sure about Queen Everleigh and Empress Vivíana, because they don’t have as much military might. And I’d ask High King Erickson last. He’s mercurial and hard to predict.”
“That’s all good to know,” Sora said. “I say we focus on just the first three kingdoms, then.”
“But even if we could get distress messages to Kayla, Geoffrey, and Meredith,” Empress Aki said, “it would take weeks for their troops to arrive. We don’t have that kind of time.”
Sora glanced in the direction of the sea. “Under normal travel conditions, that would be true.