Six Crimson Cranes

“But you are no longer a child. You are the Princess of Kiata, the only princess of the realm. It is time you behaved like a lady worthy of your title.”

The emperor reminds Shiori of her role in the empire, which Shiori continues to resent. Not wanting her family to grow up and grow apart, Shiori does everything in her power to avoid her responsibilities as a princess, to make the most of her childhood. Ironically, Shiori can only save the empire through physical strength physical, determination, and disregard for others’ opinions, rather than traditional “lady-like” behavior.

“‘We all have our secrets. One day, Shiori, you’ll have your own.’ Magic. Magic was my secret. What was hers?”

Shiori’s past conversation with Raikama foreshadows not only her innate magic, but her discovery of Raikama’s true identity. However, Raikama’s serpent face and dragon pearl only scratch the surface of her secrets, and Shiori only learns the full truth right before Raikama’s death.

“Walnut woods have magical properties, did you know? [...] Put something enchanted inside, and the walnut will conceal the object from prying eyes. It’ll even contain the magic.”

The significance of Shiori’s first lesson with Seryu is two-fold: Seryu is the first person to encourage Shiori’s use of magic, which is critical in her journey of self-acceptance as a sorceress. Secondly, this quote foreshadows Raikama’s use of a walnut bowl to keep Shiori’s identity a secret.

“My nonchalance was feigned. To this day, I didn’t understand why that moment had ruined everything between my stepmother and me, and I cared more than I pretended to. But no one, not even my brothers, knew that.”

Besides her innate magic, Shiori’s desire to repair her relationship with Raikama is her second secret. Shiori believes trespassing in Raikama’s private garden was what ruined their relationship, when in reality, Raikama distanced herself from Shiori to protect her from knowing too much. This reflection reminds readers that despite her carefree attitude, Shiori is still a teenager who longs for a mother figure in her life.

“Fear is just a game, Shiori, I reminded myself. You win by playing.”

In times of hardship, Shiori repeats this mantra to herself to find the strength to persevere. Despite living a sheltered life for 17 years, Shiori does not cower in the face of fear. She understands that her family and country are in jeopardy and is willing to do whatever it takes to save them.

“Her eyes were yellow as a serpent’s, and in place of her smooth skin, scales glistened—as white as winter’s first snow. My stepmother was no sorceress; she was a monster!”

By following Raikama through her private garden, Shiori learns Raikama’s first secret—her true serpent form. This is a critical turning point for Shiori because she makes assumptions about Raikama (as she does her betrothed, Takkan), which has dire consequences.

“‘As of now, your past is no more. You will neither speak nor write of it. No one shall know you.’ She set the bowl upon my head. As the wooden sides fell over my eyes and nose, I opened my mouth to scream, but her curse arrived faster than my voice, and a world of blackness folded upon me.”

Without a chance to explain herself, Raikama believes her only course of action is to anonymize her children and banish them, so Lord Yuji and the Wolf cannot find them. The curse of anonymity is an exercise in self-acceptance for the siblings and forces them to access Courage and Sacrifice to free themselves.

“Even with the bowl on my head, I could tell I looked older. My mouth didn’t curve as easily as it once did, and my shoulders were broader, hardened by months of labor. No longer was I the girl who rolled her eyes at her brothers or squealed over rice cakes and sugared animals on sticks. Now I carried a dagger everywhere, even in my dreams.”

In just a few months, Shiori has transformed from a carefree teen who avoided her responsibilities, to a young adult who has faced cruel and harsh realities. Surviving has required her to become so vigilant that she even carries a dagger in her dreams. In Shiori’s case, Coming of Age as a Royal Child has been a joyless endeavor in unexpected ways.

“Realization dawned. I had to speak her name. [...] The air squeezed out of my lungs. One of [my brothers] would have to die.”

Lim creates an emotionally turbulent scene by revealing the key to breaking Raikama’s curse—a piece of information that should bring the siblings joy. Instead, Shiori is devastated to realize the level of Courage and Sacrifice required to do so—one of her six brothers will die, and she herself has to be willing to condemn him with her voice.

“If anyone was a seer, perhaps it had been Mama—for naming me Shiori, meaning ‘knot.’ A symbol that I was the last of her seven children, the one who would bring my brothers together, no matter how fate conspired to pull us apart. We were seven, and seven was a number of strength. An uneven number that could not fold unto itself, large enough to withstand many threats, yet small enough to stay devoted.”

The symbolism of Shiori’s name is imbued with East Asian folklore and mythology, which enriches Lim’s worldbuilding—specifically, Kiata’s belief system. For Shiori, her belief in her name and the significance of numbers motivate her to keep fighting to save her family, especially with the daunting task of harvesting starstroke from Mount Rayuna ahead. The sacred nature of numerology keeps her optimistic that there is a way to break Raikama’s curse without one of her brothers having to die.

“My thoughts churned wildly. But that…that meant that the sentinel at Sparrow Inn was…was…Lord Bushian’s son. My betrothed.”

In another plot twist regarding identity, Shiori realizes, amidst the stress of being captured by Bushian sentinels, that the kind sentinel whom she met at the Sparrow Inn was the man she was supposed to marry—Takkan Bushian. This realization completely changes her perception of him and is the first step in her becoming open to developing a proper relationship with him.

“Come on, Takkan. You can’t die. Not here, not on my lap. You have to live—live, and when I break my curse, I can tell Father to unknot our strands and you’ll be free to marry whomever you’d like. You don’t want your fate tied to mine, I promise.”

With Takkan bleeding out in her lap, Shiori reflects on her prior judgment of him and feels deep shame. Because she cannot speak, this internal pleading reflects her genuine thoughts and self-doubt. Ironically, Shiori is praying for Takkan to live, not knowing that Takkan has prayed every day for her safety.

“There was a gold cuff on one of his forelegs. Unusual for a wolf [...] He pinned me down in the snow, about to finish me with his claws. But I stabbed my blade into his flesh, twisting deep until it pierced bone.”

Shiori is observant, able to notice subtle details about one wolf amidst the chaos of the pack attacking her and Takkan; the wolf’s golden cuff foreshadows his true identity as an A’landan enchanter. Shiori’s decision to help Takkan fight off the wolves, and her ability to do so successfully, demonstrates how brave and ruthless she can be when fighting for someone she cares about.

“To this day, cranes carry the strands of our fate. They say that each time two people’s paths cross, so do their strands. When they become important to one another or make a promise to one another, a knot is tied, connecting them.”

In the novel’s universe, deities and legends of magical animals echo those of China and Japan. Cranes are especially significant, as symbols of immortality, loyalty, and nobility. Takkan believes his strand of fate has crossed with Shiori’s, which implies their relationship is fated despite their failed betrothal ceremony.

“Zairena’s behavior almost made it seem as if she didn’t know the truth. As if she were an impostor.”

Shiori grows increasingly suspicious of Zairena, especially after she refuses her freshly baked monkey cakes. This observation characterizes Shiori as attentive, and Lim’s word choice of “imposter” foreshadows the reveal of Zairena’s true identity as Guiya, a manipulative priestess.

“‘One day, you’ll despise me.’ ‘I couldn’t hate you.’ ‘You will,’ she said at length. ‘A viper is poisonous, whether it wants to be or not.’”

Shiori remembers this conversation with Raikama, in which Raikama foreshadows a rift in their relationship. Though Raikama could not necessarily predict the conflict with Guiya, Lord Yuji, and the Wolf, she does suggest that she has always known her actions would hurt Shiori; she explicitly calls herself “a viper.”

“I let out a gasp, recognizing my maid from the palace. Guiya. ‘Remember me, Your Highness?’ she said, hunching her shoulders and pretending to tremble.”

Shiori’s suspicions of Zairena being an “impostor” are confirmed when she finally reveals herself to be Guiya, a priestess of the Holy Mountains. Skilled in poisons, Zairena’s true identity explains many foreshadowed details—such as the black powder Shiori spots in Guiya’s hands at the beginning of the novel.

“Fire roared all around me, consuming my senses. ‘Takkan!’ I screamed. ‘Watch out!’”

In the midst of a near-death experience, Shiori finally speaks for the first time in months to protect Takkan. By speaking Takkan’s name, she risks a brother’s life; this action demonstrates just how much she has come to care for Takkan, which stands in stark contrast to her earlier disdain.

“It wasn’t meant to be a curse, I whispered silently as the bowl crumbled into dust in my hands. It was a shield. One to hide my magic from the world, and…to protect me from it at the same time.”

Raikama’s walnut bowl protects Shiori from Guiya’s demonfire, and after Shiori breaks her portion of the curse by speaking Takkan’s name, she realizes Raikama’s true intentions. Even though the curse resulted in months of suffering, Shiori now understands that Raikama was willing to risk a relationship with her children in order to keep them safe from the Wolf.

“Yes, that’s right. I’ve been waiting all this time for the birth of a new bloodsake. You, Shiori. Once your blood spills across the Holy Mountains, the demons will unleash their fury upon Kiata at last. With your stepmother’s pearl in my grasp, I will be their king.”

The Wolf finally explains his motivation, demonstrating the significance (and danger) of Shiori’s power. Throughout the novel, Shiori has been Coming of Age as she faces challenges, but understanding the Wolf’s plan offers a new, startling perspective of her role as a sorceress.

“‘What is that song you used to sing in the kitchen?’ My jaw parted, and I stared. ‘But…but those were memories with my mother.’ ‘No [...] Those memories were with me.’”

Raikama’s final secret, Shiori realizes, is that she enchanted Shiori to believe her memories with her stepmother were with her birth mother (for the sake of the royal children’s safety). This selfless act demonstrates the depth of Raikama’s love. Furthermore, Shiori realizes that she has always known Raikama’s true name, Channari, because of the songs they used to sing together.

“You are my daughter, not of my blood, but of my heart.”

In the last chapters of the novel, Shiori has resolved the tension in her relationship with Raikama after learning the truth. Before her death, Raikama assures Shiori that she has always considered her a daughter, mitigating Shiori’s painful memory of Raikama denying any true connection to her.

“The room didn’t feel like my own anymore. Nothing had changed [...] Only I had changed. Unfathomably.”

After several months away, Shiori is relieved to return to the palace, but notices how different everything feels. Her physical space has remained the same, but she herself has endured and changed; she has returned to her childhood bedroom as a young adult who has learned difficult lessons about the world.