Summary
Everyone said my mother was a fox. After three years of drought, Father ordered her dragged onto the sacrificial altar. Peachwood covered in talismans pierced her organs. The next day, rain poured from the heavens. Her blood seeped with it into every crack between the palace paving stones. The officials offered their congratulations. The people cheered. Everyone said the emperor had finally rid himself of the monster, and the rain was Heaven’s blessing. But I knew better. They were right about one thing. My mother was a demon. What they didn’t know was this: Even after its body dies, a demon can come back to life—if it eats enough human hearts.