Her knees buckled, and she collapsed on the floor next to the trunk. For more than half of her life she’d dreamed of avenging her family. In her mind she’d always envisioned it as a lofty, noble quest and imagined herself a noble warrior.
But because of her, two men had died. They had families.
Tears stung her eyes. I had family, too! She reached into the trunk for the red silk bag that held her most prized possession. Carefully she removed the two ornate, cufflike bracelets made of hammered gold and decorated with inlaid jade. Her father had given them to her mother as a wedding present. They were all she had left of her parents.
Taking a deep breath, she clasped the bracelets onto her wrists. “I will avenge you, I promise.” She would kill Han. Even if he had a hundred soldiers guarding him, she would plow right through them. Nothing would stop her.
Not even Russell.
A knock sounded at her door, and she leaped to her feet.
“Jia!” Rajiv called out. “Can we talk a moment?”
“Just a second!” She grabbed the knives and jammed them into the chest, hurriedly throwing a half-finished embroidery project on top, then closing the lid. She ran to the screen and stretched it out across the room to cover up the silk banner she’d used for target practice.
She unbolted the door and cracked it. “Yes?”
Rajiv pushed the door open and entered. “We didn’t get a chance to talk earlier. And I thought you might be hungry.”
She was starving. For the last few days her rations had been a pouch of dried beef, nuts, and berries. Her mouth watered as she watched a maidservant enter, carrying a tray of rice, soup, and fresh steamed buns. Another servant brought a tray containing a teapot and two small porcelain cups.
The servants set the trays on a low table, then bowed.
“Thank you,” Rajiv told the women. “Could you light the candles, please? And bring the gifts that came today.”
“Yes, Your Eminence,” the women murmured and left.
“Gifts?” Jia asked.
“I’ll explain later.” Rajiv looked her over. “Are you all right? Did any harm come to you?”
“I’m fine.”
He frowned at her. “Do I have to tell you how much you frightened us? And how angry I am that you disobeyed—” He halted when one of the servants returned with a lantern and long narrow stick.
Jia was grateful her cousin wasn’t going to reprimand her in front of a servant, but even so, it irked her that she should be in trouble at all. If a male were-tiger had taken off like she had to accomplish a dangerous mission, he would have been commended for his bravery.
“Let’s have some tea.” She sat cross-legged on one side of the low table and poured tea into the two small cups. She held one out to her cousin. “Please enjoy.”
Rajiv sat and took a sip, remaining silent as the servant went about the room, using the long stick to light all four candles. “Thank you.” He nodded at the servant as she bowed and left.
The guards outside closed the door.
“How long will I have guards?” Jia asked.
“That’s up to you.” Rajiv gave her an annoyed look. “How long will you persist in this foolish notion that you can single-handedly avenge your family?”
Jia dug her spoon into the bowl of rice. “My parents and brother deserve to be avenged.”
“I’m not arguing that.” Rajiv refilled his cup with tea. “They’re my family, too. And I understand how you feel. Lord Qing killed my parents—”
“And you got your vengeance. I helped you, remember?” Jia stuffed some rice into her mouth. “If you don’t want me doing this on my own, then help me!”
Rajiv sighed. “I promised Grandfather I would keep you safe.”
“I have nine lives. I’m prepared to lose a few to see justice done.”
“Are you?” Rajiv gave her a wry look. “Just because we can come back from eight deaths, it doesn’t make each of those deaths less painful. I know this from experience.”
Jia winced. No doubt Rajiv was telling the truth. He was on his second life after dying from a fatal cobra bite as a teenager. She recalled the panic she’d felt earlier when the soldiers had chased after her. The possibility of multiple stab and gunshot wounds had terrified her.
She pulled a steamed bun apart and handed half of it to her cousin. “I’m sorry I made you worry.”
Rajiv nodded and took a bite out of the bun. “You’re wearing your mother’s bracelets. I always liked those.”
“They help to keep me motivated.”
He groaned. “How can I convince you to give this up? I promised you I would avenge your family. Tenzen and Rinzen have also promised. Your father was their brother.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” She stuffed her half of the bun into her mouth. “Let’s go!”
“When we go, you will not be with us. I will not risk your life.”
She swallowed hard. “That should be my choice. I’m fully prepared for this, Rajiv. I have trained for years. Lend me a few soldiers so I can get on with it.”
He sighed. “I’ve explained this before. Han has thirty camps, and he teleports from one to another. He can change location in a second. Meanwhile, it would take you a week to move to the next one, with no guarantee that he would be there—”
“I found him tonight.”
“A lucky break. He just happened to be at the camp you found.” Rajiv gave her a curious look. “How did you find his camp?”