"Put that flute down, Yue Er. I won't ask you again."
Li Xuan did not move his feet. He kept his broken sword leveled at the space where her heartbeat pulsed. His hands were steady, but his heart felt like it was hitting his ribs too hard.
"The song must be completed, Li Xuan. If I stop now, the resonance from those wires will liquefy your internal organs in less than a minute. Do you want to die on this ledge?"
"You sound like you are part of his plan. You talk about songs and scores just like the men who burned my village."
"I am using his own language to dismantle his work. Now be quiet and let me finish the frequency shift."
Yue Er pressed the silver flute to her lips. She didn't blow into it with air. She sent a vibration through the metal that Li Xuan could feel in his teeth. It
