The Emperor's Head

22. Fear

It took several weeks for the caravan from the Island Sanctuary to arrive at the peak of the Dragon's Teeth Sanctuary. The colorful group of travelers in blue-green and orange robes contrasted with the brown and white of the melting snow along the mountain path. Bolin scanned the slow-moving party for signs of Jun's sister. Three women in student robes rode in the center of the orange-clad island Masters, but Bolin couldn't decide which one was Di. Even with his expanded sight, all met the descriptions Jun had provided.

Clever. They sent decoys.

Jun shifted excitedly, and Bolin laid a hand on his lover's arm to glean its focus. Jun's attention guided him to the third woman, the one Bolin had thought least likely to be the soft daughter of a clan leader.

She carries herself like a warrior.

Like the other two women, Di wore the soft blue-green of an Island student. Her brown

hair hung in a loose braid down her back. Bolin mistook her for a guard because of her alert posture and cautious evaluation of her surroundings. She possessed the broad shoulders of a fighter, and the sword strapped to her back fit her well. Pushing his sight further, Bolin scrutinized her face, looking for the interest that held Jun.

At first glance, he was struck by her skin tone. Unlike other women of her status, Di had allowed the island sun to darken her skin, giving her a tawny brown complexion that complemented her heavily lidded black eyes. The young woman's eyes were positioned close together, accentuating her broad face and high cheekbones. Although her square jaw drew his attention away from her thin lips and small, flat nose, the angle of her chin added a touch of femininity to her face. The thick eyebrows above her eyes completed the balance of her features, making her look appealing, if not conventionally beautiful. Di wore the twisted cloth of the island sanctuary around the crest of her head, but she chose not to tuck her hair tightly into the fabric as the other women did. Instead, her hair flowed down her back in a tight braid that swayed like a horse's tail.

Di, who was once Yewan and now Zu, possessed strength and severity, and her expression evoked the stories of her mother in Bolin's mind. Then, when she suddenly laughed at one of her companion's words, hints of charisma and beauty erupted on her stern face.

She looks like her father as well.

Bolin had only seen Jun's adoptive father from a distance. However, upon closer inspection, he could discern the similarities between Di and her clan lord father. Lord Master Yewan possessed a remarkable charm, which appeared to pose a threat to the Emperor. This could explain the Emperor's eagerness to accuse the Yewan Clan of his son's untimely demise. Bolin wondered if Di would possess it as well. This sent a cold chill down his neck, prompting his hand to rub it almost nervously.

Will she blame me for her father's murder?

Bolin couldn't shake off the guilt of causing pain to Jun. Despite following his Teacher's orders, his decision to execute the command resulted in the annihilation of a whole clan. And Jun still blamed himself for destroying his adopted family, though Bolin knew the responsibility lay with him.

Yet, you do not blame our Teacher or me for their deaths—only yourself.

Bolin glanced over at the smiling man he had once thought of as a little mouse as he scurried away and hid from the cats at the Academy. Since knowing the truth about Jun's life, he had not considered him a mouse. Though mice were survivors, and their fear was part of how they outlived their predators, Jun no longer provoked the image of a shivering rodent in his mind, nor was he the young lord he journeyed with.

You are just Jun to me now. That name is enough to fill my heart with love and fear.

Jun caught Bolin's stare and smiled at him with eager anticipation.