hand rapidly over her chest, forming symbols with her fingers that Rin had never seen. “It conceals its true nature and imitates order to subvert it. I know I cannot elicit the truth from you. I am only a novice initiate. But the Gray Company will have their turn.”
Rin watched her warily, paying close attention to the whip. “Then what do you want?”
Saikhara pointed toward the window. “I’m here to watch.”
Rin followed her gaze, confused.
“Go ahead,” Saikhara said. She looked oddly, viciously triumphant. “Enjoy the show.”
Rin stumbled toward the window and peered outside.
She saw that she was being held in a third-story room of the palace, facing the center courtyard. Underneath, a crowd of troops—Republican and Hesperian both—had assembled in a semicircle around a raised dais. Two blindfolded prisoners walked slowly up the stairs, arms tied behind their backs, flanked on both sides by Hesperian soldiers.
The prisoners stopped at the edge of the dais. The soldiers prodded them with their arquebuses until they stepped forward to stand at the center. The one on the left tilted his head up to the sun.
Even with the blindfold, Rin recognized that dark, handsome face.
Baji stood straight, unyielding.
Beside him, Suni hunched down between his shoulders as if he could make himself a smaller target. He looked terrified.
Rin twisted around. “What is this?”
Saikhara’s gaze was fixed on the window, eyes narrowed, mouth pressed in the thinnest of lines. “Watch.”
Someone struck a gong. The crowd parted. Rin watched, veins icy with dread, as Vaisra ascended the dais and took a position several feet in front of Suni and Baji. He raised his arms. He shouted something that Rin couldn’t make out over the crowd. All she heard was the soldiers roaring in approval.
“Once upon a time, the Red Emperor had all the monks in his realm put to death.” Saikhara spoke quietly behind her. “Why do you think he did it?”
Four Hesperian soldiers lined up in front of Baji, arquebuses leveled at his torso.
“What are you doing?” Rin screamed. “Stop!”
But of course Vaisra couldn’t hear her down there, not over the shouting. She strained helplessly against her chains, screeching, but all she could do was watch as he lifted his hand.
Four staggered shots punctuated the air. Baji’s body jerked from side to side in a horrible dance with each bullet, until the last one caught him dead center in the chest. For a long, bizarre minute he remained standing, teetering back and forth, like his body couldn’t decide which way to fall. Then he collapsed to his knees, head bent, before a last round of gunfire knocked him to the floor.
“So much for your gods,” Saikhara said.
Below, the soldiers reloaded their arquebuses and fired a second round of bullets into Suni.
Slowly Rin turned around.
Rage filled her mind, a visceral urge not just to defeat but to destroy, to incinerate Saikhara so thoroughly that not even her bones would remain, and to do it slowly, to make the agony last as long as possible.
She reached for her god. At first there was no response, only an opium-dulled nothing. Then she heard the Phoenix’s reply—a distant shriek, ever so faint.
That was enough. She felt the heat in her palms. She had the fire back.
She almost laughed. After all the opium she had smoked, her tolerance had become much, much higher than the Yins had imagined.
“Your false gods have been discovered,” Saikhara said softly. “Chaos will die.”
“You know nothing of the gods,” Rin whispered.
“I know enough.” Saikhara raised the whip again. Rin moved faster. She turned her palms toward Saikhara and fire burst out—just a small stream, not even a tenth of her full range, but it was enough to set Saikhara’s robes aflame.
Saikhara skirted backward, screeching for help while the lash fell repeatedly against Rin’s shoulder, slicing across open wounds. Rin raised her arms to shield her head, but the whip lacerated her wrists instead.
The doors opened. Eriden burst inside, followed by two soldiers. Rin redirected the flames at them, but they held damp, fireproof tarps in front of them. The fire sizzled and failed to catch. One kicked her to the ground and pinned her down by the arms. The other forced a wet cloth over her mouth.
Rin tried not to inhale, but her vision dimmed and she convulsed, gasping. The thick taste of laudanum invaded her mouth, cloying and potent. The effect was immediate. Her flames died away. She couldn’t sense the Phoenix—could barely even hear or see at all.
The soldiers let go of her. She
<<Previous page The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 1 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 2 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 3 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 4 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 5 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 6 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 7 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 8 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 9 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 10 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 11 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 12 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 13 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 14 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 15 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 16 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 17 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 18 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 19 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 20 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 21 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 22 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 23 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 24 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 25 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 26 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 27 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 28 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 29 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 30 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 31 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 32 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 33 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 34 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 35 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 36 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 37 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 38 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 39 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 40 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 41 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 42 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 43 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 44 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 45 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 46 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 47 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 48 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 49 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 50 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 51 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 52 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 53 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 54 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 55 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 56 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 57 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 58 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 59 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 60 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 61 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 62 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 63 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 64 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 65 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 66 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 67 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 68 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 69 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 70 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 71 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 72 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 73 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 74 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 75 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 76 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 77 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 78 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 79 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 80 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 81 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 82 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 83 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 84 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 85 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 86 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 87 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 88 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 89 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 90 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 91 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 92 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 93 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 94 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 95 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 96 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 97 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 98 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 99 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 100 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 101 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 102 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 103 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 104 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 105 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 106 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 107 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 108 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 109 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 110 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 111 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 112 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 113 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 114 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 115 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 116 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 117 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 118 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 119 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 120 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 121 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 122 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 123 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 124 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 125 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 126 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 127 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 128 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 129 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 130 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 131 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 132 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 133 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 134 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 135 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 136 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 137 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 138 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 139 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 140 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 141 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 142 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 143 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 144 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 145 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 146 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 147 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 148 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 149 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 150 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 151 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 152 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 153 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 154 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 155 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 156 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 157 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 158 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 159 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 160 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 161 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 162 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 163 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 164 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 165 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 166 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 167 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 168 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 169 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 170 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 171 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 172 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 173 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 174 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 175 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 176 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 177 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 178 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 179 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 180 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 181 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 182 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 183 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 184 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 185 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 186 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 187 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 188 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 189 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 190 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 191 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 192 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 193 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 194 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 195 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 196 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 197 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 198 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 199 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 200 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 201 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 202 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 203 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 204 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 205 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 206 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 207 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 208 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 209 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 210 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 211 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 212 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 213 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 214 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 215 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 216 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 217 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 218 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 219 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 220 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 221 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 222 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 223 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 224 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 225 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 226 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 227 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 228 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 229 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 230 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 231 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 232 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 233 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 234 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 235 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 236 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 237 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 238 The Dragon Republic (The Poppy War #2) - R. F. Kuang - Page 239
Next page>>