LING AND MEI ALSO WATCHED the announcement of the pairings live, but for a different reason. For the Roman operative, it mattered little who faced whom. Her primary concern was that when the contest ended seven days hence, the Han Dynasty would be in turmoil. That a Kushite mercenary and disgraced warrior might be sacrificed to that end meant little to her, even though the mercenary in question served the people of the culture she denied.
For Ling and Mei, this was far more personal. Their agenda was significantly different than was the Roman’s even if aspects of the mission were the same.
First and foremost in the sisters’ minds was their rightful place in the Han Dynasty. Fate had dealt them a cruel hand when Gengshi became Chancellor, and they meant to undo that chance meeting with de
