Tara watched the house burn from beneath a tree, her lips curling into a triumphant grin. No one had made it out so far the night was going her way. Maybe all those whispered prayers at the temple hadn''t been in vain after all.


    But then her smile faded. Out of nowhere, a group of strangers appeared, dousing the broken window with gasoline. The mes surged, crackling hungrily in the night.


    Inside, ra had been ready to carry the olddy out through that very gap, but now the fire was too wild-there was no way through. She stumbled backward, the heat flushing her cheeks, choking on the thick, blinding smoke that filled the room.


    The olddy wheezed, coughing so hard it sounded like it might break her. "ra, listen to me.” Her voice was ragged but insistent. "One of us has to die here tonight, or he''ll never let this go. If I die, he''ll want Dn to hold you responsible. If it''s you, then he wins no matter what. His people are watching-someone has to stay. If you try to save me, neither of us will make it. Dn may be his son, but all he cares about is power. He won''t care what happens to Dn after. Promise me, you and Dn will watch out for each other."


    She clutched ra''s jacket, pulling it around her shoulders. "If we don''t leave someone behind, we''re both dead."


    ra froze, her heart pounding. "Ma''am..."


    The olddy squeezed her hand, her sigh heavy with years of regret. "You know who did this. I just never thought, after all we''ve been through, it would end like this. Go, ra. Please. I''m asking you."


    ra''s throat ached with emotion-not for herself, but for Dn, caught in the middle of all this.


    "If you die, ra, then it''s my fault. I''ll never forgive myself," the olddy whispered, clutching ra''s jacket close as the men outside kept watching.


    ra took a shaky breath. "You go, ma''am."


    The olddy stared at her, disbelief flickering in her eyes, then managed a bittersweet smile. "Dn made the right choice in you. Give this to him."


    She pressed a slip of paper into ra''s hand-a charm she''d begged from a monk earlier.


    ra barely had time to close her fingers around it before the olddy straightened, using thest of her strength to head for the broken window. mes roared, and suddenly the sharp crack of gunshots split the night.


    ra gripped the charm and pushed deeper into the smoke, finally kicking open a locked door at the back. But instead of freedom, there was only a sheer drop-a cliff. Her foot slipped, but she managed to grab onto a low branch just in time, heart hammering. If she''d been a second slower, she would''ve fallen.


    No wonder the men outside only cared about the front.


    She steadied herself, then crawled along the cliff edge, heading for a spot the fire hadn''t reached. Her arms ached with exhaustion. Just as she thought she couldn''t go any farther, barking echoed from above.


    Relief sparked in her chest. She reached up, struggling to climb, when a hand reached down.


    Charles''s face was streaked with soot and worry, his eyes red from tears. "I knew you''d make it. You nearly scared me to death."


    ra let out a shakyugh and grabbed his wrist, letting him pull her to safety.


    "How did you find me?” she gasped.


    "MiloBuddy did. The whole ce is burning, the monks are trying to save the main hall, and there were only a few people left by the guest house including some womanughing like she''d lost her mind. When MiloBuddy ran this way, I just knew you had to be here


    He scooped her up and carried her farther from the mes, into the safety of the darkness.


    ra''s face was smudged ck, but her eyes were bright and clear. She still clutched the charm, holding it tight in her palm.


    Charles pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped her face. "What happened? Who started the fire?"


    ra tried to smile, then looked down at the charm. Four words were written on it: Joined in Heart Forever.


    A wave of sadness washed over her, stealing her strength. Dn must be heartbroken.


    "You alright, sis? Want me to take you home?" Charles asked softly.


    ra lowered her gaze, leaning against a tree to catch her breath. "Just give me


    a minute. I''m still burning up."


    She''d been trapped in the fire so


    long her skin still felt hot, and the olddy''s words kept echoing in her head. It was the old man-he hadn''t show a shred of mercy. But if she told Dn, what would happen to him? How could he choose, caught between his father and his mother?


    For the first time, ra truly had no idea what to do.