The imperial carriage smelled of blood and bergamot.
Lianna lounged across from the silent Ghost Emperor, casually wiping herb residue from her fingers onto the velvet seats. His masked face remained impassive, but she noted the minute tightening around his jawline.
"Twenty-three dead," he finally said. "Including the Alchemist Guild's second elder."
"My condolences." She popped a stolen grape into her mouth. "He tasted terrible."
A muscle twitched beneath his mask. "You drank his blood."
"Only a sip." Lianna examined her nails. "Poisonous people always make the worst cocktails."
The carriage hit a bump, jostling them closer. In that instant, she felt it - the crackling energy beneath his skin, the same unnatural force that had called to her when the Spirit Crystal shattered.
He felt it too. His hand shot out to grip her wrist. "What are you?"
Lianna smiled sweetly. "Your worst mistake." Then she drove her knee between his legs.
As the emperor doubled over, she yanked free and kicked open the carriage door. Wind whipped her hair as she balanced on the speeding vehicle's edge.
"Tell the council," she called back, "the Phoenix doesn't perform on command!"
Then she fell backward into darkness - and the emperor's furious roar followed her all the way down.