Chapter Two: Thirteen at Midnight

“We follow the rules of the table tonight,” Gu said. “The rules say nothing about police trackers.” Wen Qi licked ash from her wound. “You waited seventy years for her to take that chair. Why pretend to protect her now?” Zhiwei held her bruised wrist. “Where is my sister?” Wen Qi glanced at the food. “Everywhere.” The twelve guests began to eat in perfect unison. At the first sip of broth, Bai Zhilan's white roots darkened. An old scar faded from Lin Shuo's cheek. Some guests sighed; others closed their eyes and wept. The odor of iron thickened. Zhiwei studied the menu before the empty chair. It listed no dish names, only twelve sets of nutritional values. After protein, fat, and minerals came a unit she had never seen on a menu: years.