“What is it?” Haiyi said. “I shall end it as I did the others.”

The Old Man of the Moon looked at Haiyi, his black eyes piercing.

“The third and last evil plaguing the village,” the Old Man of the Moon said, “is you.”

“Nonsense!” the emperor snorted. “What a ridiculous story!”

“Is it?” Amah said. “Haiyi did not think so. When he was told that he himself was the final evil, he bowed his head in shame, and tears began to flow from his eyes.”

“Weak fool,” the emperor spat.

“He left the village to rid it of its last evil,” Amah continued, “and reformed, lived a life of peace, and then, at last, was a great hero.”

“He killed the snake and the poison-feather bird!” the emperor said. “His deeds were great! He was already a great hero!”

“His deeds were great,” Amah said. “But, no, he was not a hero. Not then.”

The emperor stared at Amah, his expression slowly transforming into a glare. He dropped the stone and turned, the other guard quickly moving to follow.

“That woman is never to speak in my presence again!” the emperor snarled. He stormed away, the echo of his roar locked in the dungeon with Amah and the stonecutter.

CHAPTER

67

Even with the Luminous Stone, it was not easy to see the emperor. At first, the guards at the gate ignored them, and when they finally acknowledged Yishan’s persistent requests, they did little more than pass the message on to a servant. To the guards’ amusement, the children camped out by the gate, waiting for a response.

“Go home,” one of them said. “Do you really think you are going to be let into the Imperial Palace?”

“When the emperor hears we have the Luminous Stone,” Yishan said, “he’ll let us in. He’ll want to see us.”

“See you! The emperor?” the other soldier said, laughing coarsely. “Even I have never met with the emperor! How would two little beggars like you meet with him?”

Yishan said no more, but as the morning turned to afternoon and started toward evening, Pinmei felt her hopes dip with the sun. But just as the sky began to darken, an imperial servant arrived.

“The children who say they have the Luminous Stone That Lights the Night,” he said, looking at Yishan and Pinmei huddled in the corner, “is that you two?”

They jumped up, nodding.

“Come!” the servant said. “The emperor wants to see you.”

The waiting guards said nothing, but their eyes bulged like crickets’ as the children passed. “Goodbye, gentlemen,” Yishan said with a wink, and Pinmei marveled at his composure. They were going to the Imperial Palace! They were going to see the emperor! She could scarcely breathe.

They stepped out into the immense courtyard with red walls and columns, carved green and gold. Five marble bridges lay ahead of them, their jutting posts like bones of a skeleton. As they walked over one of the bridges, Pinmei looked down and saw a fish trapped in the ice. She shivered.

They passed through another elaborate gate and courtyard, their footsteps the only sound in the emptiness. Ahead, a commanding gold-topped building of blood-red loomed before them.

“Come,” the servant said with impatience as Pinmei stopped to stare. The building, everything inside the imperial gates, was cold and imposing.

Pinmei gulped, but Yishan nudged her. “I like the Sea King’s palace better,” he said. “More light, lots of colors—this is a bit off-putting, don’t you think?”

Pinmei gave Yishan a weak smile and shook her head, but her awe lessened. Her dread, however, remained. Her knees shook as they climbed the tiered staircase, the carved dragons frozen on their ramps of marble slabs. The servant continued forward to push open the studded crimson doors.

In front of them was the emperor.

CHAPTER

68

He was like the sun, sitting above them and dazzling in his gold robes. All around were red columns, decorated ceilings, court attendants, and guards, but Pinmei noticed none of those. All she saw were the emperor’s piercing black eyes. They were the same eyes that Pinmei had seen through the crack in the gang so long ago. She would have stood there gaping, but the servant shoved her as he himself bent over. “Kneel!” he ordered.

Pinmei fell to the ground, letting her forehead touch the cold floor. She sneaked a glance at Yishan. He too had gotten on his knees, but his head was bowed only slightly, his eyes scanning the room. Pinmei knew he was hoping for a hint of the Black Tortoise.

The emperor waved his hand with impatience. “Have you a Luminous Stone That Lights the Night?” he said, the eagerness straining through his voice.

Yishan straightened. “Yes,” he said in his confident way, and he patted his pocket.

“We’ll give it to you in exchange,” Pinmei said, trying to speak as boldly as Yishan. She clenched her fists to hide their trembling. “For my grandmother.”

“And who is your grandmother?” the emperor said.

“She is the Storyteller,” Pinmei said, and, despite her efforts, her voice sounded thin in the echoing room.

“Ahh,” the emperor said, sitting back. “The Storyteller.”

“Yes,” Pinmei said, and her anger gave her voice the volume she had been trying for. “You took her from our mountain hut.”

“Did I?” the emperor said. His mouth curved into an amused smile, but his eyes remained fixed upon them.

“Let me see the stone,” the emperor said. Pinmei looked at Yishan.

“Let us see the Storyteller,” Yishan said, nodding at her. The room murmured with gasps.

The emperor laughed, a harsh, unkind noise. “Very well,” he said, and he sat up and looked at the window. A faint light streamed through the carved openings, causing a decoration on the emperor’s collar to flash in Pinmei’s eyes. She squinted, a vague memory flicking past her as the emperor continued, “We cannot test the stone in the day, in any case.”

“We will wait for night in the courtyard of the Hall of Imperial Longevity,” he said, standing and causing all the attendants to rush forward in a flutter. “That will be fitting.”