CHAPTER
31

“We’re on the wrong side!” Pinmei whispered to Yishan.

They glanced at the soldiers, who were eerily quiet. Behind, another row of men formed. But none dared to cross the walkway. Instead, the soldiers simply stood flanking the corridor, all silently staring at them.

“We shouldn’t be here!” Pinmei said, her voice still an urgent whisper. She began to tremble. “Yanna said not to cross the walkway.”

“Too late,” Yishan said grimly. He looked at her and she saw that he too was disturbed. “What should we do?”

The bleak faces of the soldiers watching them frightened her even more than being chased. Their eyes were fixed on them as if she and Yishan were ghosts.

“Let’s go somewhere so we don’t have to see them looking at us at least,” she said.

Yishan nodded. They turned and walked into the garden, choosing a ­tree-­covered footpath that would hide them from view. Round lanterns lit the zigzagging walkway, their glowing circles echoing the full moon above. The constellations glittered in the black sky, a star streaking across it like a shimmering loose thread.

“Beacon Fire,” Yishan whispered, watching the shooting star with surprising intensity.

“What?” Pinmei asked. “What beacon?”

“Oh, it’s just a constellation I suddenly remembered,” Yishan said, and Pinmei saw his ­self-­assurance had returned. In fact, he looked strangely confident. He looked around at the garden. “This place is big.”

Pinmei nodded, but she was still shaking. They walked on. The branches above created a canopy patched with dark swatches of the sky, embroidered with the stars and falling snow. What were they going to do? Would they get out of here? How could they save Amah now?

Across the frozen lake, a pavilion was brightly lit. Pinmei stared. Even from their distance she could see two silhouettes inside it. She gripped Yishan’s arm.