Cindy Pon [Kingdom of Xia 02] Fury of the Phoenix (epub)

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.She pushed him playfully onto the bench and sat beside him.“I need to speak with you on an important matter,” he said.Her expression grew serious, and she brushed his silk sleeve.“What could be more important than our betrothal?” she asked.It was hard for him to meet her eyes.“I believe I’ve discovered a way to extend my life.To extend yours.”She stiffened and leaned away.“It’s that alchemist.He’s put strange ideas in your head.”“Not strange, love.Think of the possibilities.The Emperor is a drunkard, a slave to his libido.He couldn’t make the right choice for a banquet menu if he had to.”Silver Phoenix didn’t speak, would not look at him.Zhong Ye smelled the subtle jasmine of her hair and skin and the sweet scent of the heart’s blossom.“I can help guide the Emperor in his mandates, as I rise higher in rank.I can become his most trusted adviser.”She lifted her face then to meet his eyes, and his heart dropped, to see her love and worry.He reached for her hand, but she brushed it aside.“I know you’ll be able to accomplish all these things.You have a lifetime before you.” She swept her arm in a grand gesture, as if anything were possible.“They’ll dedicate poems to you, sing of all your good deeds, your wisdom.Isn’t that enough?”It wasn’t.Not after what he had seen, had experienced.“But we could have more.Don’t you want the chance to live forever?” he asked.“We’ve discovered the spell for immortality.It works.”She shifted farther away from him on the bench.“You’ve tried it?”Five times already.It had become a need, a compulsion.And he had learned not to think of the prisoners as people, but rather as another component of the spell.He lied.“Only once.To know that it works.” His scalp tingled as he wrenched his gaze away from her.She’d never understand, couldn’t understand until she tried it herself.“Please don’t do it again, Zhong,” she whispered.“It’s wrong, unnatural.”He suddenly felt defensive, angry.What did she know? He was the scholar, the one to solve the riddle, the one to kill the Poison Eagle and harvest the precious empress root.She didn’t understand enough to appreciate fully what he offered, all that he had risked to share this gift with her.Her body was tense, although she tried to hide it.He could tell by the stiff arch of her neck, the way her hands lay rigid in her lap.They were silent for a long time, sitting side by side, barely touching.Zhong Ye wondered what he could do to change her mind.Returning to him late that evening, she slipped into his bedchamber ethereal as a goddess, her green gown luminous in the moonlight.She climbed onto the tall platform bed, and he said nothing as she pulled each comb and hairpin from her head, until her black hair fell down her back.She folded herself against him, draped an arm across his chest, and whispered about her day: how Mei Gui’s baby, Tang Er, was progressing, what visitors had come to see him, the jade ring carved with roses sent by the Emperor….Soon after, she was asleep, her quiet breathing warm against his neck.He kept replaying their argument from earlier in the day.She stirred against him; he kissed her shoulder.She smiled, murmured something without waking, and he buried his face in her hair.Was it truly so wrong to want it all?CHAPTER TWELVEMaster Deen had invited Chen Yong and Ai Ling to his studio.It was a twenty-minute walk from the manor.Deen led the way, using his ebony cane, refusing his son’s assistance.“I’ve walked this path countless times,” he said.Chen Yong, grinning, offered her his arm.They followed Deen down a gravel path lined with giant oak trees.The pungent scent of hyacinths perfumed the air.As they came around a bend, she glimpsed a meadow filled with them: explosions of fuchsia and violet.She paused, awed by the colors, seduced by the heady scent.Deen stopped as well.“The hyacinth is part of our family crest.” He smiled at Chen Yong.“It symbolizes serenity and beauty.What we hope to convey with our glasswork.”“What else is on the family crest?” Chen Yong asked.His hand, warm and reassuring, was covering hers.She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to memorize the feeling.If only she could press it like a blossom between the pages of her sketchbook and keep it forever.“You’ll see.” Master Deen smiled.They soon arrived at a massive building, hewn from the same white and gray stone as the manor.There was a giant diamond-shaped stained glass above the wide double oak doors.Master Deen swept his arm overhead.“The Deen family crest,” he said.Chen Yong tilted his head back, his eyes narrowed slightly against the morning sunshine.“The oak tree for strength?” he asked.Deen clasped Chen Yong’s shoulder; his face lifted up, as if he could see it as well.“And longevity.The pomegranate symbolizes abundance, prosperity.”The backdrop of the crest was a deep golden orange, offsetting the rich hues of the hyacinth, oak tree, and pomegranate perfectly.“The pomegranate’s color is incredible,” said Ai Ling.“Come inside, and you’ll see how it’s done.” Deen pushed open the door for them.Both Chen Yong and Ai Ling stopped dead at the entrance of the studio.The rectangular building was gigantic, one large chamber with a high-pitched roof.Stained glass windows of all sizes and shapes lined the walls, throwing a rainbow of kaleidoscopic color below.More framed pieces of stained glass hung from the ceilings.The room was filled with dozens of enormous wooden worktables.People bustled around them.The studio smelled of wet pottery, fire, metals, and other scents that Ai Ling couldn’t place.She spotted Nik, bent over a table studying something intently.He was speaking to a man and woman beside him.“Let’s join Nik,” Deen said, certain that his nephew was there.“Could you lead us, son?”Chen Yong took his father by the arm, and Ai Ling felt his rush of conflicted feelings: pleasure and pride, caution and uncertainty.She followed the two men, both striding in similar fashion, shoulders squared and heads held high.She smiled.Ah Na had sent her personal tailor to Chen Yong and had Jiang clothing made for him.His gray trousers fitted perfectly and were tapered to the ankles, making him appear taller.He wore a deep blue shirt with a sleeveless silver tunic.Would he cut his hair short next? she wondered.Nik greeted his uncle and cousin politely but beamed when he saw her behind them.“Ai Ling! What a surprise.Welcome.”She nodded shyly at him.“Tell us about this piece, Nik,” Deen said.Glass panels were set in a huge wooden frame on the table.“This window was commissioned by the Arra family.The Lady Arra wanted a flower motif,” Nik said.“We decided on lilies and irises,” Deen interjected.“The glass has been cut; it’s all laid out.Now we’re finalizing colors.”“We create the colors with metal oxides, then fire them in the kiln,” Deen said.“It takes a lot of skill and experimentation.If the heat of the kiln is off by a few degrees, the colors might be something entirely unexpected.”Nik nodded.“It’s the most difficult part of the entire process.We’re mixing colors now.”A man approached their table with a white ceramic bowl, stirring its contents with a spoon.“This is a combination of copper oxide and vinegar.We’ll paint directly onto the glass….”Ai Ling, mesmerized, stared at the bowl.The white ceramic began to gleam, turning bronze as Nik’s voice droned on in the distance.A rank odor rose from the bronze bowl, and she almost gagged.The giant studio swirled around her, and steady chanting filled her ears.She realized that she was the one speaking in archaic Xian in Zhong Ye’s rich voice, her fingertips pressed to the temples of a man sprawled in front of her.He was on the brink of death, and she tried to cry out [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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