Chapter 28: The Single Crown

Wen blocked the granite cleft with an iron ring hanging from each hand. Snowmelt ran past her patched rubber boots. Her silver hair was close cut, and the lines beside her mouth had deepened since Su last stood before her, one hundred and nineteen years ago. Arun waited half a pace behind. He looked younger than Qing. A cedar staff rested across his body, its center darkened by years of use. Wen's gaze passed over Su's uneven legs, the scales above her collar, and the wedding ring sunk into her swollen finger. "Nathan Zhao called before dawn." Qing shifted the canvas pack higher on her shoulder. "He has become ambitious about long distance nuisance." "What did he tell you?" Su asked. "Your husband is dead. His body is in a cold room in Seattle. You are coming for the crown." Behind Wen, warmth breathed out of Cloud Gate basin. Ferns…