The silent put-down worked as no verbal upbraid could have. Tang's face reddened, and he snapped at Wei Dao,

"I decide what is prudent!" When the princess lowered her gaze, Tang looked back to Ruha. "Cypress hides his spirit inside gem. After his body is destroyed, he pos- sesses new corpse and consumes old one."

"But the sharks ate his old one," Ruha said, thinking aloud. "And that is why he smells like rotten fish now. He is eating the creatures that ate him!"

Tang nodded. "It is impossible to stop process. Even if you burn old corpse and spread ashes, he can find them and swallow them. When he has eaten enough, he becomes dracolich again."

"How close is he now?"

Tang shrugged. "It does not matter to you. For your protection, I must not allow you to leave Ginger Palace."

"Is that by Cypress's command, or yours?"

"By dragon's-and he warns me you have no gratitude.

He says you do not repay my bravery as woman should."

Ruha's eyes narrowed. "And how is that?"

The prince smiled. "Ginger Palace still has need ofwu- jen. Our union would be most blissful."

"Prince Tang, that will never be," Ruha said, speaking sharply. She climbed out of the wagon and moved several paces away. "But I have a better way to show my grati- tude. I shall let you leave the wagon before I throw my fireball into it."

The VeUed Dragon

In the blink of an eye, Ruha was surrounded by Tang's battered and bloodied guards, each holding a long-bladed halberd or square-tipped sword within an inch other body. Wei Dao stood behind them, looking more than a little disappointed that she had not been able to draw her dagger quickly enough to kill the witch before her hus- band's soldiers got in the way.

Tang eyed the witch's fireball and did not climb from the wagon. "Burning blossoms would be unfortunate mis- take for all concerned-especially Yanseldara."

Though the heat of the fireball felt as though it were melting her arm, Ruha stopped short of flinging it into the wagon. "Do not lie to me. I heard you say this morn- ing that Cypress needs something more from you to com- plete his spell." The witch waved her flaming sphere toward the wagon. "It seems obvious enough that what he needs is fresh ylang oil."

"Yes, that is true." Tang scowled at Wei Dao and motioned for her to return her dagger to its sheath.

"Cypress needs fresh ylang oil to make love spell."

"Love spell?" Ruha gasped.

"You know what ylang blossoms do," Tang replied. "You see that this morning."

"A dead dragon-a dracolich-wishes the love of a half- elf?"

Tang nodded. "He loves Yanseldara for many years, since she wounds him and sends him away from Elver- suit." Tang placed a hand over his heart. "Love unre- quited is most sad."

Wei Dao rolled her eyes, then gestured at the fireball still burning in Ruha's palm. "We have no time for this foolishness, Wise Husband. Tell witch why she cannot destroy ylang blossoms."

Tang looked into Ruha's eyes and, finding no sympathy there, reluctantly nodded. "Very well. Love is matter of spirit. To save Yanseldara's spirit or to steal it, same thing is needed-powerful love potion."

"Then there must be a difference in how it is used."

"It is not necessary that you know that," said Wei Dao.

The witch ignored Wei Dao and hefted her fireball.

"Perhaps you would prefer that I assume you are lying about the blossoms?"

Prince Tang looked genuinely hurt. "You call me liar? I

risk my life-life of royal Shou Prince-to save you, and this is how you repay my love?"

Ruha lowered the fireball and used her free hand to snuff it out. She had learned all she was going to about the blossoms, and it was just enough to keep her from destroying the wagon.

"Prince Tang, you cannot love me, any more than

Cypress loves Yanseldara." Ruha spoke softly, for her intention was more to explain than to hurt. "Only a man can love, and you have yet to become a man."

Tang leapt out of the wagon, pushing several guards aside as he stepped toward Ruha. "Shou prince becomes man in tenth year. I am man for twenty years!"

Ruha shook her head. "You want me because I deny you, and that is the emotion of a child, not a man."

Tang's face contracted into a shriveled mask of rage and pain. His mouth opened as though he were going to speak, but all that emerged was an unintelligible sputter.

Wei Dao stepped to the prince's side and took his arm.

"She knows nothing. Great Prince."

The princess motioned to the guards and spoke in

Shou. A pair of them sheathed their swords and seized

Ruha by her arms. They started to drag her from the spicehouse, and Prince Tang made no move to stop them.

Ruha glanced over her shoulder. "A man takes respon- sibility for his actions, Prince Tang."

As she spoke, the witch tried to summon to mind the incantation of a wind spell and discovered she could not.

Only the faintest hint of the lasal haze remained in her mind, but it was enough to prevent her from using her magic.

Keeping her gaze fixed on the prince's face, Ruha con- tinued, "A man does not allow his fear to dictate his

actions, and a man does not hide his mistakes from those who can help him correct them."

Prince Tang looked away, and Wei Dao urged, "Pay her no attention. After Lady Feng is returned-"

"Returned?" Ruha snapped her arms free of her cap- tors and spun around, then found the tips of several hal- berds pressed against her body. She ignored them.

"Prince Tang, if you believe Cypress intends to return your mother, then you truly are a child."

The guards seized Ruha's wrists and started to drag her away, until Tang spoke to them in Shou. The two men stopped, but still grasped the witch's arms so tightly her bones ached.

"If he wants potion, Cypress must return Mother," said

Tang.

Ruha shook her head. "Does he not need her to cast the magic that will make Yanseldara love him? And even if he can do it himself-which he cannot, or you could not have been confident of her safety until now-remember why he attacked the Ginger Lady. Does he not fear that

Hsieh intends to put someone else in charge of the Gin- ger Palace? Would Lady Feng not make an excellent hostage to guarantee approval of the mandarin's choice?"

Tang turned to his wife. They began to argue in Shou.