The imperial hunting grounds outside Beijing were a stark contrast to the sun-bleached slave markets of Greece. Guest’s lungs burned as she crouched beneath the dense canopy of an ancient pine forest, her heart hammering like a trapped bird.

For three agonizing months, she had fled across borders, walking until her feet bled and swimming across freezing, unnamed rivers just to put distance between herself and her captors. She was a ghost traveling through random lands, driven only by a fierce, silent will to remain free. Now, she had blindly crossed into China, guided by nothing but survival instincts and a strange, deep-rooted pull toward her mother’s ancestral homeland.

As the damp forest air settled around her, the sudden rustle of brush shattered the quiet. Before Guest could sprint, the thicket exploded with motion, and three Royal Guards clad in terrifying black-and-gold armor ambushed her. Guest fought back with the rugged, quiet strength born of hard years in captivity, but she was exhausted and outnumbered.

The guards pinned her arms behind her back, their heavy hands gripping her tightly as they dragged her out of the deep woods and toward a sprawling, heavily fortified royal campsite erected on the outskirts of the capital.

Guest was marched past rows of armed soldiers, her tattered rags drawing sharp stares from the royal guards.

The guards dragged her straight to the center of the camp, where the grand imperial pavilion stood open to the evening breeze. With a harsh shove, the lead guard forced her down, making her kneel in front of the emperor upon the rich crimson rugs.

To the guards' utter shock, the dirty, bedraggled girl didn't look confused by their words. Because her late mother was part Chinese, Guest had spent her childhood listening to the secret, melodic whispers of the language. She understood every single word perfectly.