Page 136 of A Forgery of Fate

“Let’s wait awhile,” I said, dipping my spoon into my congee. “Baba’s just returned. He’ll need his rest.”

“And Mama will want news,” added Fal. “We’ve wondered what you’ve been doing in Ai’long.”

“Yes.” Nomi leaned forward, wearing a devious arch in her brow. “Especially whether you’re going to stay married to that dragon prince.”

Nearly six months away from home, and I could no longer read the inflections behind my sister’s words. “WhywouldI stay married to Elang?” I asked, hoping I sounded indifferent. “I thought we all hated him.”

Fal and Nomi exchanged looks.

“I don’t hate him,” Nomi started. “I mean, Idid,but then he gave me the key to his library with all the potion recipes. He’s quite clever, for a fake demon prince.”

“Potions! I thought you were studying for the National Exam?”

Nomi shrugged, stirring peanuts into her congee. “Who would turn down magic lessons from a dragon?”

“I don’t hate him either,” Falina said. “He showed me the flowers in his garden and asked the merfolk to teach me how to weave silk. And from the way he was talking about you when he visited, I assumed that he…” She let her voice trail.

“He what?”

“That he loves you,” Nomi said softly.

The pinch in my heart vanished, and suddenly my pulse was thudding in my chest.

I value Truyan’s life more than my own,Elang had told Queen Haidi.Any spell will prove this as truth.

Had everyone known—my sisters, Queen Haidi, even the Dragon King himself—Elang’s true feelings? Was I the only one who hadn’t seen?

Until it was too late,I thought miserably.

Nomi touched my shoulder. “You’ve gone pale, Tru. Did we say something wrong?”

“I’ve got a headache,” I said.

More like a heartache, but Nomi didn’t get the chance to correct me.

Mama and Baba entered the room, shoulders touching. “Who’s got a headache?” Mama asked.

“Tru,” supplied Nomi. “We were talking about Elang, and the medicines he taught me how to brew. Remember how he cured your cough, Mama?”

“Yes.” A faint smile touched Mama’s lips. “At first I was upset Truyan hadn’t come too, but…we got along very well, the dragon and I. He was much more charming than the first time, but not so good at tiles. It’s a good thing we weren’t gambling.” She chuckled to herself. “We took our meals together, pruned the sanheia from the gardens, exchanged stories about Tru. I almost forgot they weren’t really married.”

Heat rushed up to my eyes. I remembered what an oddly good mood Elang had been in when he’d returned to Yonsar. “You sound as if you like him.”

Mama spooned a heap of congee into her mouth. “You know, I’ve two minds about the Demon Prince,” she said, chewing. “Part of me thinks he might actually be a good son-in-law. But you can never trust these dragon sorts; I warned him he’d better bring you home safe, or I’d skewer his eyeballs and flay his scales into a new coat.”

Only Mama would dare heckle a dragon. “What did hesay?”

“He said you’d be safe, and if there was even the barest scratch on your skin,he’dcut his scales out for me, so I wouldn’t have to dirty my hands.” Mama pinched my sleeve, admiring the crystal beads inlaid into the silk. “And he kept his promise, didn’t he?”

“He did,” I said solemnly.

“Trust me, Tru, when you come across a man like that, half dragon or not, you keep him. Especially if he has a house such as this.” Mama tapped the table. “What a good day this has been. My husband is back from a shipwreck, and our daughter is married to a prince. Didn’t I tell you fortune would turn in our favor?” Though Mama’s voice was high, her eyes were still moist. She cleared her throat. “Now, who wants crullers?”

Baba laughed, and my sisters hid smiles behind their spoons. I was happy for them, but under the table, I worried the red string around my wrist.

I only want you to have the choice,Elang had said,to forget me, if you will.

At first I’d been confused, indignant even. How could he suggest such a thing, as if the last month—the lastthree years—had meant nothing. Yet now that I was home, slowly putting the broken pieces of my family back together again, I understood.

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