Chapter 13: The Worm in the Rice

The Pale Mask’s disappearance left a hole in the night, and Siu-Bak stood in it, trying to remember how to breathe. His hand was clamped around the grain of rice so tight that his knuckles ached, and the bowl in his pocket had gone from cold to icy, like it was trying to warn him of something. He forced his fingers to open, one by one, and looked at the tiny grain nestled in his palm. It was still...