AT THE SAME TIME
EMPEROR LIANWEI'S POINT OF VIEW:
The vial rattled in my trembling hands as I sprinted back into the room, my boots scuffing loudly against the worn wooden floor.
"Mei Shen?" I called softly at first, but my voice cracked halfway.
She didn't answer. She was lying there, pale and still, her hair damp with sweat against the pillow. Her chest rose and fell shallowly, too shallowly for my sanity. And next to her, Huan. The boy clutched her limp hand in his tiny fists, his tearstained face lifting toward me the second I stepped inside.
"Daddy-" His voice wobbled like it was about to break completely. "Mommy's not waking up! She's too sleepy, Daddy! You said sleepy's okay, but she's not-"
I knelt hard beside the bed, nearly losing my balance as I fumbled with the stopper on the jade leaf tonic. My fingers felt clumsy, stupid, too big as panic clawed its way up my throat.
