A Thousand Burning Masks

Chapter Twelve

The girl clung to my arm, still crying, but her sobs were softer now. I gave her hand a squeeze, hoping to reassure her.

"Madam Kou!" the first soldier shouted. "We got the slaves!"

A woman wearing a double tasseled headdress walked out of the wooden shack and toward us. A blue piece of jade with the words "Officer of Servitude" carved onto it hung from her belt, along with an enormous bunch of bronze keys. Her lips were pursed, her expression irritated as she surveyed the courtyard of slaves with her hard, black eyes.

"This is it?" she snapped. "I was expecting more."

"According to Runner Kwok, there were fewer slaves than expected in the black market. He promises more in the next two weeks."

"Pah," Madam Kou said. "That was what he told me last week. The higher-ups are running out of playthings."

The girl tightened her grip on my hand. I could enter her mind and calm her down, but it didn't feel right to intrude on the mind of an innocent without permission. I was more than willing to intrude on the thoughts of the Imperials, but not someone like her. There was nothing else I could do but to squeeze her hand back.

Madam Kou surveyed us with her hawk-like glare.

"So," she said. "I am Madam Kou, your over-seer. You all belong to the Imperials now, here to serve them and follow their every order. Have I made myself clear?"

Silence ensued as everyone stared at the official. Without warning, she drew a thick whip from her belt and cracked it across the face of the nearest girl. The girl screamed and dropped to her knees, clutching at her bleeding eye.

"Ignore me again, and you shall lose more than an eye," Madam Kou said. "Have I made myself clear?"

Every woman in the group fell to their knees, myself included.

Submit, Mama Ruga's meaning echoed in my mind. Know that you are inferior.

"Yes, Madam Kou," everyone murmured as a soldier handed Madam Kou a wooden box. The woman reached into the box and drew out a single sleek metal hairpin where a small gauzed metal bell tinkled at the end.

"There are four types of maids," Madam Kou said. "Golden bells, Silver bells, Copper bells, and Brass bells. As the newest and the lowliest batch of slaves, you will all wear the brass bell, and from now will be referred to as the Brass Bells. Copper Bells are one status above you, while the Silver Bells are the highest of the Palace maids. Golden bells are exclusively for the Imperial chambermaids. If you see anyone with a bell color higher than you, you must greet them as they are your superiors. Remember, rules before your life. In the Imperial household, even the tiniest bit of offense will result in a death sentence."

"Yes, Madam Kuo," everyone murmured.

"Good. Now put on the bells. Xizu here will show you to your bedchambers and instruct you further."

A small-sized Copper Bell appeared at Madam Kou's side. She curtsied in compliance. "Follow me. Our bedchambers are in the servant court."

With the girl clinging on my arm like a three-fingered raccoon, I followed as Xizu led us toward a small, gray courtyard where clothing racks and stools occupied most of the space. There, several Copper Bells washed and hung up the laundry, while Silver Bells milled about in the kitchen, shouting instructions at the Brass Bells who rushed to and fro, carrying buckets of water and other raw ingredients.

The Brass Bells' residential hall was large but crowded. Many of the beds had been occupied by the other Brass Bells, leaving only a quarter of the room for us. I chose the bed closest to the window—an easy escape should anything unpredicted happen. The bed was hard, and the blanket had barely any warmth left. I gave the pillow a punch and hurt my fist instead. Removing the pillowcase, I found myself going through handfuls of wood shavings.

"Settle in everyone," Xizu said. "You will be assigned Courts at dawn tomorrow where you will report to your selective Housekeepers. Tomorrow will be a busy day, so make sure you get enough rest."

Xizu passed an elongated box to the woman with the bleeding eye. She was still crying and hunched over from pain, but Xizu didn't seem to care. "Here are your bells. You are required to wear them during working shift. If you leave the servant compounds without these bells, you will be detained as an intruder, so it is essential to keep these with you at all times."

The woman took one pin and passed the box around. I removed one from the box and rolled it about on my palm. It was shorter and thinner than a chopstick, but much more elaborate. The end was blunt, so it couldn't be wielded as a weapon.

Once Xizu left, everyone crowded around the woman who had lost her eye. Some scrambled outside for water, while one offered the woman her handkerchief as bandage.

I sat next to the little girl.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Wanru," she said. "I just want to go home."

"How old are you? Where did you live?"

"I'm thirteen," Wanru said. "I lived in the Northern Pastures, the Tenth Province."

She must have been abducted by slavers—just like those who took me and set the entire village on fire.

They would pay. They would pay with the blood and bones of their precious Crown Prince.

I took the brass bell from Wanru's hands and slid them into the knot in her hair.

"I'm Qara," I said. "The slavers took me too."

Are you sure? the same snide voice whispered in my head. You had a choice, didn't you?

Bile was bitter in my mouth. Unlike them, I'd thrown myself back into slavery, but I still understood the fear of being sold and tossed around like property. If I had the power now, I would cut off the tongues of the soldiers and toss them into a fire. But I was only a slave. My entire existence was determined by people who were born into an arbitrary system of power, and I could do nothing about it. Nobody in this court could do anything about it.

At least, not until I got what was mine.

"Get some sleep," I said. "You must be tired."

Wanru nodded and crawled into the bed next to mine. "You're very kind, Qara. May the High Immortals bless you."

I forced a smile.

The weeping in the room had faded into whispers. The woman who lost her eye had her face bandaged and was now lying down, praying softly. The others traded words and little bits of food they had hidden within the folds of their clothes.

I turned to the face the wall and slid out the faces and scalpel underneath my shirt. The silk package had become warm from being in contact with my skin all day.

Holding the scalpel tight against my chest, I revisited my plan. Enter the Palace through slavery, spy on the crown prince and find a chink in his armor. Kill him.

I recalled Madam Kou's words. We would be sent into our respective courts tomorrow, and the chances of me getting into the crown prince's court was slim. The Jade Palace was vast; I could be sent anywhere.

But the dice had tilted in my favor this time. I could influence Madam Kou to send me to the crown prince's court tomorrow. Then, shadowing him would be easy. No one would ever suspect a small slave to possess the outrageous intent of murdering their crown prince.

I was confident Qara's face could grant me access to the crown prince's bedchambers. There was no danger greater to men than a face of complete beauty.