The Slave's Necklace: A Time Travel Romance: Touching Time, #3

By Amanda Roberts

Kill the Empress, save China.

That is what people from all sides are telling Jiayi. She not only has the power to kill the empress, but to set up a new future for China. Jiayi has spent her life as a palace slave. Freedom for China could mean a lifetime of servitude for her.

And Jiayi is tired of living for everyone else.

As Jiayi's powers grow, she finds herself living more and more in the past, even as the future is barreling toward her.

Zhihao's past is catching up with him, leaving death and heartache in its wake. Zhihao is going to have to make a choice, but he isn't sure he can do it alone.

Jiayi and Zhihao stand on the precipice of a new world. But they will only survive if they can overcome the past and stand together, no matter how much it hurts.

Get lost in time in this thrilling conclusion to the Touching Time Trilogy!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Red Empress Publishing
• Release date: Jun 27, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393320883

Amanda Roberts

An author in her mid thirties, Amanda is a single mother of two children. She writes children's books, and young adult fantasy/science fiction novels. Some of the books, she has collaborated on with her children, and some are done on her own. When she is not teaching 5th grade full-time, she is either writing, painting, reading, or spending time with her family. She loves to write, and spend her time sharing the things she imagines with those around her.

Book preview

The Slave’s Necklace

THE SLAVE’S NECKLACE

TOUCHING TIME BOOK 3

AMANDA ROBERTS

CONTENTS

Also by Amanda Roberts

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

Fifteen

Sixteen

Seventeen

Eighteen

Nineteen

Twenty

Twenty-One

Twenty-Two

Thank You for Reading!

The Man in the Dragon Mask

About the Author

About the Publisher

Red Empress Publishing

www.RedEmpressPublishing.com

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Copyright © Amanda Roberts

www.AmandaRobertsWrites.com

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Cover by Cherith Vaughan

https://www.facebook.com/coversbycherith

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recoding, or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the author.

ALSO BY AMANDA ROBERTS

Fiction

Threads of Silk

The Man in the Dragon Mask

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The Qing Dynasty Mysteries

Murder in the Forbidden City

Murder in the British Quarter

Murder at the Peking Opera

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The Touching Time Series

The Child’s Curse

The Emperor’s Seal

The Empress’s Dagger

The Slave’s Necklace

The Empress in Disguise Trilogy

Empress in Disguise

Empress in Hiding

Empress in Danger

Nonfiction

The Crazy Dumplings Cookbook

Crazy Dumplings II: Even Dumplinger

ONE

Jiayi ran her fingers over the gold necklace she was wearing. The one she had stolen from the empress all those years ago. Her prized possession. The one thing in the world she could never part with.

She felt heavy, yet delicate fingers run along the back of her neck, sending shivers down her spine.

Sneak away with me, Meirong. Prince Junjie’s breath was hot on her cheek and she whimpered, feeling her knees go weak.

I’d follow you anywhere, she replied.

Junjie slid his hand down her arm, taking her hand in his and leading her even further from the party Empress Wu was throwing. But Jiayi knew they did not have time to retreat to one of their rooms. She only had a few minutes, and she did not want to waste them wandering dark hallways. Once they turned a corner, Jiayi pulled Junjie to a stop. He looked at her, and her whole body pulsed with heat. She pushed him against the wall and grabbed the edges of his robe, pulling herself up to him as she pressed her lips hungrily against his. He hesitated in surprise, but then she felt his lips curl into a smile as he cradled her head in his hands.

Jiayi tugged open his robe, shoving her hands inside, seeking access to his skin. At that, Junjie gently took her wrists.

Meirong, he said. What is wrong? Why so eager? We could be caught.

Jiayi opened her mouth to speak, to tell him she didn’t care. But then she remembered the maid who had been caught after she stole the bracelet from Empress Wu. She felt the pain in her face, her stomach, her whole body where the poor girl had been beaten and tortured. As much as she hated to admit it, she did care. She knew that her actions in her visions had consequences.

At one time, she believed that in her visions, she was free. That this was the one place she could live for herself. Be happy. Fall in love. But now she knew better. Even in her visions, she was not safe.

Jiayi ran her fingers over the necklace at her throat. I’m sorry, she said, pulling away. I don’t know what came over me.

Junjie chuckled and rubbed her cheek. Come, he said. I long to wrap your body in the silk sheets of my bed.

She sighed, knowing that she would not be able to stay in the vision long enough to enjoy such pleasures. But still, she followed.

They had only taken a few steps when they heard someone call out to them.

Lady Meirong, an unfamiliar voice said.

Jiayi looked behind her and gasped. Zhihao? she asked. Had she woken up? How was he here? But as the man got closer, she realized it was not Zhihao. Still, the similarities were unnerving.

The man laughed. You seem to have mistaken me for someone else, he said. He then offered Jiayi a low bow. I am known as Shidu, and I have been told that you are the most beautiful of her majesty’s ladies.

The warlord, Jiayi said, remembering him being mentioned in an earlier vision.

Alas, those days are behind me, Shidu said. I am one of her majesty’s vassals now. Lord of a vast land to the northeast. I will need many sons to help me govern it in the coming years.

Jiayi shuddered at the thought of living in a distant, frozen wasteland with nothing to occupy her mind except the birthing of children. She felt a calming yet protective squeeze on her shoulder.

Good luck finding a wife to aid you in your quest, Junjie said.

I believe I already have, Shidi said, and Jiayi could feel the force of his gaze without even looking at him. Her Majesty has promised me my choice of wife, and I can imagine no woman better suited to stand by my side than Lady Meirong.

So, this was it. This was how Meirong and Junjie were separated. She was married to this warlord and packed off to a region so far away it might as well have been another country, only to bear child after child to shore up her husband’s desire for power. While marriage and childbearing was the fate for most women, Jiayi could not help but wish that something more extraordinary had happened to Meirong.

The sadness felt like a weight in her heart, but still, Jiayi gave a submissive bow. I will do as her majesty commands me.

Such a dutiful wife, Shidu said, reaching out and running his finger along her cheek. I could not be more pleased.

Jiayi winced at the touch, and she could feel Meirong recoiling as well, desperate to get away. If only she could wake up now.

Suddenly, Shidu cried out in pain. Jiayi looked up to see that Junjie had gripped the warlord’s hand and was twisting the wrist so far back, she wondered how it was not already broken.

If you wish to keep your hand attached to your arm, Junjie growled, you will keep it to yourself.

Shidu pulled his arm back, and Junjie released him. Shidu rubbed his wrist, his face a scowl at Junjie.

So, the rumors of the two of you are true, Shidu said, then he laughed. I will enjoy nothing more than bedding the woman that the great Prince Junjie could not claim for himself.

Junjie then pulled a dagger from his sleeve and held it to Shidu’s throat.

Shidu held his hands up in surrender. You would shed the blood of her majesty’s guest of honor?

If he acted dishonorably, Junjie said, I would not hesitate.

Junjie, Jiayi said, placing her hand on his arm. She did not need to say more. Junjie’s jaw softened and he lowered his weapon. He returned the knife to his sleeve and folded his hands in front of him. No one who happened upon them would have known that blood had nearly been spilled only seconds before.

Jiayi swooned a bit, feeling light-headed. She knew the vision was fading.

The lady is awed by my very presence, Shidu joked, but Junjie wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders.

Be careful… Jiayi said to Junjie as the world turned to black.

Jiayi blinked and opened her eyes. She was lying in her bed in her room in the Forbidden City.  She held the gold necklace to her chest as she refused to let the tears forming in her eyes fall. Soon, her visions of Junjie would cease, and she would find herself as Lady Meirong in the arms of Warlord Shidu. True, the necklace could take her to any point in Meirong’s life, including back to Junjie, but she had a feeling she had seen most of Meirong and Junjie’s relationship already. The necklace would have nothing more to show her from those years. If she didn’t have Prince Junjie in her life, she wasn’t sure what she would have to look forward to every day.

She sat up and returned the necklace to her hiding place in the floor. It was so strange how much Shidu looked like Zhihao. She wondered if they were related. Wouldn’t it be funny if she and Zhihao had met before, in a previous life?

She nearly fell over at the thought. What had Hu Xiaosheng said? When searching for the emperor’s seal, Jiayi had traveled into the body of Lady Cai, Hu Xiaosheng’s sister. Lady Cai had believed that Jiayi was a future incarnation of herself. Jiayi hadn’t put much stock into that theory. She’d had visions of countless women over the years. She couldn’t have had that many past lives, especially since many of them overlapped. But she recalled how she had seen herself in the face of the maid who had been executed for stealing. Maybe she wasn’t a reincarnation of all of the women from her visions, but she supposed she could have been some of them. She would have to talk to Hu Xiaosheng about it. She needed to go to the library anyway. She still had the money from the items she had sold that she needed to hide. And thanks to Der Ling’s interference, she shouldn’t have to worry about being accosted at the gate by the guards.

Jiayi peeked out of her little window and saw that the sun was starting to rise. She heated some water over the fire and washed and prepared herself for the day. She had just finished styling her hair when there was a knock at the door.

The empress summons you, one of the empress’s many eunuch servants announced.

Jiayi felt her stomach tighten, but she did not hesitate to follow the man to the empress’s quarters. She had not seen the empress since she made her touch all those useless items until she passed out. She feared that the empress would put her through another round of testing items, but she could not refuse. If she angered the empress, the empress could have her imprisoned—or worse.

Jiayi walked through the empress’s sitting room, where several of her ladies-in-waiting were lazing about, waiting for the empress to have something for them to do. The empress was in her dressing room, sitting at a large mirrored table. She was holding some dangling jewels up to her hair, examining each one.

No, I don’t like this one, she told the maid standing nearby. The green makes my face look sour. Bring me something bright. Red or pink. Something happy.

The maid bowed and took the jewels away, entering into a large side room lined with small drawers where all of the empress’s many jewels were kept. The maid and a lady-in-waiting searched through the drawers for just the right adornment for the empress’s hair.

The empress caught sight of Jiayi in her mirror and called to her. Jiayi dropped to her knees, bowed her head, and then crept along the floor to the empress.

You sent for me, Your Majesty? Jiayi said.

I heard that you had recovered, the empress said. She picked up a brush and dipped it into a powder, which she then swept along her cheeks.

Yes, Your Majesty, Jiayi said. The rest was beneficial. Thank you.

And how are you feeling now? the empress asked without looking down at Jiayi.

I am fine, Your Majesty.

Would you be able to have another vision for me?

Jiayi felt her face flush, but she hoped the empress wouldn’t notice if she kept her head down. Yes. I believe I could.

Good, the empress said. The maid then returned with a selection of red and pink jewels for the empress to pick from. She held each piece up to her hair, examining them in the light and shaking them to see how noisy they were. Jiayi did not move from her place on the floor, her eyes downcast.

She realized that the empress expressing concern for her welfare was the closest thing she would ever get to an apology for the abhorrent way she had been treated. In truth, that the empress spared even a thought for Jiayi’s health was more than most servants could ever hope for. She should feel honored, as she crouched on the floor by the empress’s feet. Perhaps the empress did think of her as more than a dog. As someone of some value to her.

It is time for you to return to work, the empress said once she was satisfied with her jewel selection for the day. And Zhihao as well.

He may return to the palace? Jiayi asked.

The empress stood and crossed the room. Jiayi got to her feet, ignoring the pain in her knees from kneeling so long, and followed after.

Prince Kang believes that Zhihao’s skills are still of some use, the empress said. So, yes, he may return. But I do not wish to see his face again until he has something useful for me regarding Empress Wu.

Yes, Your Majesty, Jiayi said. Of course, Your Majesty. Zhihao Shaoye will be so thrilled, Your Majesty.

The empress hmphed. Just make sure the both of you have some news for me soon, the empress said. I grow weary of waiting.

Yes, Your Majesty, Jiayi said again, and she hung back as the empress and her ladies left the room until only she and Der Ling remained.

Der Ling cocked an eyebrow at Jiayi. She was worried about you.

Jiayi scoffed. She only wants information about Empress Wu. After that, I will be nothing to her.

Perhaps, Der Ling said. What is your plan for when that day comes?

I don’t have one, Jiayi said. How could I? I have no money or marriage prospects.

In some countries, Der Ling said, women can make their own futures.

I’d have to get there first, Jiayi said. I’m not a foreigner like you.

Is that what’s standing in your way? Der Ling asked. Hmm. She then left the room, following after the empress.

Jiayi shook her