Chapter Two: Twenty-Three People, Nobody Missing

Dawn paled the windows. “You may leave,” he added. “After seven dances, Shen Yan will forget himself and become a nameless guest. Even if he stands before you then, you cannot claim him.” Lin Wu pricked her finger and signed the silver line in blood. LIN WU. The black paper curled around her wrist and became a narrow band of ink. Helan Ye caught her hand and bit his lower lip. “A mirror must not witness a nocturnal contract. It has to be hidden in living breath.” He kissed her. It was not gentle. Cold air poured into her lungs. She glimpsed night across a thousand cities: shadows running over rooftops, reflectionless passengers on last trains, gatekeepers waking in morgues. Millions of names flowed through the rain.