by T. A. Miles
“It was far shorter than we’d originally guessed,” Tristus added. “It also came to something of an incline before opening onto the sea.”
“The Mai Gu Cliffs,” Xu Liang ascertained. “While it’s true that there are some caves along the coast, I doubt that what lays underground here is entirely original.”
“Right,” Tristus said. “We theorized that the creature burrowed.”
Xu Liang nodded. “Yes, but from which end?”
The question drew confusion from his friends.
Alere was the first to recover. “You believe the dragon may have been placed beneath the city and dug its way to the sea.”
“I do,” Xu Liang answered. “I would guess that the creature we faced was not native to this region, and that Han Quan acquired an egg or a young version of it, and made a nest in an underground alcove, perhaps of his own design.”
“You mean he manipulated the space using his magic,” Tristus said.
Again, Xu Liang nodded.
“But where does a Fanese man come upon an egg from the west?” Tarfan posed.
“From the west,” Xu Liang replied.
“But how, lad?” the dwarf pressed.
“The same way a Fanese man acquires four magical weapons from the same region,” Xu Liang told him.
The dwarf made a satisfied expression. “Ah. I’m inclined to agree.”
“That would mean that Han Quan had, at some point, gone beyond the borders of Sheng Fan,” Tristus continued. “Though he was an opponent of such ventures, as I recall hearing it.”
“He presented himself an opponent,” Xu Liang responded. “But perhaps he was not. I’m coming to realize that I believed many things about my colleague that were not true.”
“But where does one simply acquire a dragon’s egg?” Tristus wondered, on behalf of all of them.
All of them, except Tarfan, who said, “The Dragon Count of Eishencroe.”
Xu Liang found it a particularly cryptic response at first, but knew Tarfan well enough to know that his epiphanies tended to merely be repeated information, and that his memory was quite accurate.
“Myself and your lads heard it from the gypsies of Nidwohlen,” Tarfan said, nodding in Guang Ci’s direction, though Guang Ci would not have known what had been said by the people of that town. The dwarf continued, “The Vorhaven family. It occurs to me now that it might all be a bit convenient; the old mage coming upon a cave dragon’s egg…the blasted Night Blade being in the clutches of one of that mad family…and all the while, the rock manipulator is trying to discourage you—to kill you, even, before you find what he already knew was there!”
Cai Shi-meng had discovered the Sun Blade, Xu Liang reminded himself. His gaze was set on Tarfan while he tried to rationalize what his friend was implying. Before long, it had him rising from his chair and consulting the histories that were cataloged on the shelves of his office. He searched by year, pulling two texts, which he carried back to his desk.
“Did I strike ore?” Tarfan inquired, leaning in from his chair while he tried to view the items Xu Liang laid down.
The others drew nearer as well, while Xu Liang unrolled a scroll containing accounts of the year one seventy-four of the Celestial Calendar, ten years before the Cai Shi-meng scrolls were dated. It was the year of Ganzan Li’s assassination. He remembered Che Wen Tai’s statement, that the necromancer Lei Kui was the son of the assassin Yan Huochou. Cai Shi-meng had attacked the village of Yan Huochou’s lover. He would have had the Spear of Heaven at the time.
Song Dai put him down and claimed the weapon, but what had enabled a mere soldier’s victory against a sword of the gods? Xu Liang suspected he knew. He suspected that Song Dai had seized opportunity, an opportunity presented similarly to what happened between Jiao Ren and Guang Ci when their Blades came into contact with one another. Cai Shi-meng went hunting his liege’s assassin…or, perhaps he was hunting for an artifact, the very weapon Yan Huochou might have used to kill an emperor. Yan Huochou defended his lover. The Blades might have come into contact and thrown their bearers. Song Dai might well have taken advantage of Cai Shi-meng’s disarming.
“What are you looking for?” Tristus finally asked.
Xu Liang happened to find the account he was looking for in that same moment. He read it aloud. “Yan Huochou…the man who fights in darkness.”
“The man who fights without light,” Tristus said, putting the puzzle together with surprising ease.
Alere saw it as well, and said, “With no light. Behel.”
Tarfan’s brow lifted.
Each of them looked to the current bearer of the Night Blade.
“And then Tarfan said, “But who’s this Yan…Ho…who—well, who is he?”
“Yan Huochou was the assassin responsible for the fall of Ganzan Li,” Xu Liang explained. “An early emperor of Sheng Fan. Cai Shi-meng was Ganzan Li’s servant, who had in his possession at one time, the Spear of Heaven.”
“So the two Blades came together,” Tarfan said. “What does that have to do with Han Quan and filching eggs from the Vorhavens?”
“Infected eggs,” Tristus corrected. “Remember our opponent was a creature of shadow.”
“An infected egg,” Tarfan allowed, dismissing the knight with a waving hand. “But what’s the connection?”
Xu Liang drew himself up from the desk, taking a moment to reexamine his theory before providing his allies with the key to their puzzle box. “Han Quan is possessed by the ghost of, or is the reincarnation of Cai Shi-meng. He was equipped with the Scholar General’s knowledge when he tricked a young boy into leading him to the Celestial Blade left behind by his father.”
XU LIANG’S STORY of a boy cursed by a dark talent was breathtakingly tragic to Tristus. He couldn’t help but to feel sympathy for Lei Kui, though he would have been far from an innocent child by now. The idea that he had been exiled on a mountaintop with some manner of demon trying to take him over seemed inhumane, but what could men do against such creatures? The worst of it was that Han Quan—possessed of past ambitions—may have taken advantage of Lei Kui, helping him to escape only so that he could trail him to his home and attempt to lay claim to his inheritance…dark as that inheritance may have been.
“But what would he have done with the Night Blade?” Tristus had to wonder. “Traded it to Vorhaven for an egg?”
“Perhaps,” Xu Liang said.
“It doesn’t really make sense,” Tristus murmured, trying to envision the process. “If he wanted all of the Blades, why not keep it?”
“Maybe he tried,” Alere said. “And maybe he found its nature too dangerous and out of his control.”
That made sense. Tristus sighed and gave a permissible nod. “I suppose it may have begun to drive him mad, as it had Vorhaven.”
“And the bastard negotiated an artifact for an egg,” Tarfan concluded. “Which he then brought back here and planted, like a seed of disaster.”
“It seems nearly impossible to think that a man could control a dragon,” Tristus commented.
“A dragon is still an animal,” the dwarf pointed out. “It’ll recognize who nurtures it and protects it, or its lair.”
“But where did the other eggs come from?” Tristus couldn’t help but to wonder.
Tarfan leaned closer to him. “From the adult dragon, laddie.”
Tristus rolled his eyes toward the ceiling, and elected not to dignify the dwarf’s jibe.
Alere came to his rescue. “The are some creatures which require no mates. Dragons might be among them.”
Xu Liang looked to the elf with interest. “That may be true. It also might be that it found a mate.”
“Animals avoid the infected,” Alere said. “If it had a mate, the dark affliction was likely upon it.”
“Which would mean another adult shadow dragon somewhere,” Tristus said. “Which reminds me; there are going to be a goodly amount of those if the young from below the city aren’t found. It was taken to the Empre
ss. Huang Shang-san suggested a hunt and payment for proof of a kill.”
Xu Liang nodded. “I will bring the matter before the Empress in reminder, though she may have already come to a decision.”
THE DAY’S STUDY had come to a close, though Xu Liang felt inclined to continue into the night. The thought passed by way of recalling a flower from Kang Su. The faded petals remained in the manual and would serve as a reminder to him that even heroes slept. He guessed that Shirisae was, in fact, sleeping, given the hour, and he hoped that she had found her surroundings not too foreign. She had adapted well since leaving Vilciel, but the Empress’ private court was a mystery to Xu Liang. Shirisae’s experience would be something she knew of Sheng Fan that he did not.
While filing away histories, he came to a low cabinet that had been closed for some time, since he’d locked the dragon scale amulet within a small box and placed it upon a shelf behind doors with delicately painted images of trees. He let his fingers rest over the seam between the doors, but ultimately left the cabinet as it was.
It was then that Tarfan let himself in, by way of an accommodating Gai Ping. Xu Liang let the veteran know that it was all right with a nod.
“Time for a sit down, lad,” the dwarf declared. “With some wine.”
“I had considered going to bed,” Xu Liang told him, somewhat amused.
The dwarf placed cups onto the desktop, along with a carafe, then seated himself. He gestured for Xu Liang to do the same. Xu Liang looked to the chair first, then decided to humor his friend for at least a short while.
“There we are,” the dwarf said. “I thought I might have to tack the ends of your robes to the floor.”
“Is something the matter?” Xu Liang asked, pouring wine so that the dwarf wouldn’t have to unseat himself reaching for it.
“The matter, mage, is the occasion of your marriage to our lady elf. Of all the unpredictable… I’ll be the last unmarried male on Dryth, I’m sure of it.”
“I did not think you had taken interest in a wife,” Xu Liang replied.
“That wasn’t a lament! It was a boast!” Tarfan accepted the cup offered to him with a slightly crooked smile.
Xu Liang simply bowed his head. He found that particular expression of the dwarf’s among the more difficult to decipher.
In the moments following, the smile gradually faded and Tarfan looked into his cup. “Well…the point of this drink is to congratulate you. It’s not the first time I’ve been witness to a man fall to the charms of an elf. As you might recall, Taya and myself were on our way to Shillan before you came along last spring. Many a human and elf pairing in that country. Puts needles in the backsides of their cousins the Zaldaine, but…”
The dwarf shrugged and allowed the thought to taper off.
Xu Liang remained silent, though he did find it interesting that a land where elves and humans were known to fight brutally with one another was also home to a refuge for those not interested in fighting.
“We’ve been through a good deal together,” Tarfan eventually said what he may have meant to say from the start. “It’s always been my hope that you would find peace…for yourself, as well as for your home and people.”
“There is still a long path ahead,” Xu Liang told him. “But I thank you, my friend.”
Tarfan smiled at him. With his free hand, he reached over and patted Xu Liang’s arm, nodding with contentment. “She’s a good lass, as elves go.”
“As anyone goes,” came the belated contribution of Tristus.
The knight stood in the doorway, arms folded across his chest. He apologized for having interrupted and was invited in.
“If the pale one’s behind you, may as well bring him in,” Tarfan said with a false look of disapproval.
“Alere did not follow me,” Tristus was in the midst of assuring the dwarf, when the figure of the Verressi Elf appeared at the entry. “But I see he did manage to find his way here.”
Tarfan’s expression was of suspicion. “It looks to be the case,” he mumbled over his cup.
“Please, come in,” Xu Liang said to Alere.
The elf entered, but did not sit. His manner seemed somewhat withdrawn, and Xu Liang assumed it was over the unexpected course of events. He did not believe that it was over any disdain toward Shirisae, but over the changes that involved all of them. Xu Liang had watched him display discomfort with the turning of events where it threatened to land him on ground that was too new. It was not so much to do with his physical environment—he appeared as adaptable as any of the others had been—but rather, it seemed to be his emotional environment. Xu Liang suspected his condition could be traced back to the early losses he had suffered and that he desired stability…and that he may have believed he had found that in the familial setting they had established as a group.
It was possible that all of them feared change, and that was why they had come, even above any congratulatory reasons. Xu Liang would not lie to them by insinuating that he was comfortable with the shifting of their foundation beneath their feet. Shifting was not always a sign of pending disaster, however. At times, it was simply settling. They had all been settling into more familiar relationship with one another since their meeting, though it may have been more apparent since coming to Sheng Fan.
“I am grateful to each of you,” Xu Liang told them. “The seasons ahead will be long, and trying. The Empress’ success in the south was a beginning step toward peace. We must all remain vigilant, no matter how arduous the journey becomes. We have already faced great dangers and great tragedies, and we have already known great triumphs. Among them, I consider my friendship with each of you, that has grown to a lasting love for all of you, as my allies and my brothers. My path with Shirisae has become entwined in such a way that it can be neither ignored nor familial. Our marriage will be in honor of all of us.”
“To marriage,” Tarfan toasted.
Tristus followed with, “To the union of two beautiful souls.”
And Alere said last, “To my human brother…and my sister elf.”
Xu Liang smiled at Alere, then bowed deeply to all of them.
AUTUMN PROCEEDED through continued communications with the governors outside of Ji. Ha Ming Jin had gone quiet, though Xu Liang could not take solace in that. He suspected that the Xun governor was in the process of devising a new strategy to continue his rebellion. Without doubt, he was also harboring the fugitive Han Quan. Xu Liang could think of no other kingdom he might have felt inclined to, with the possible exception of Tzu. But the Yuan family was notoriously righteous in regards to their interpretations on justice and order for Sheng Fan. It would be unlikely that those beliefs would make way for one who sought to achieve higher power through underhanded and duplicitous means. It could, however, pair them with Xun, since Ha Ming Jin’s outburst was just the opposite. He made no secret of his intention and had made no attempts to deceive. His straightforward method would also render Han Quan an awkward fit, though if the former chancellor had bargained with information regarding the potential strategies of Ji…
There had been no word back from the spies sent to Tzu. Such endeavors typically took months, so Xu Liang was not worried. He only found himself impatient. His days moved quickly, however, while he filled them with meetings, conferences, study, the composition of letters, and the unexpected fitting sessions that came in preparation of his marriage. He would have thought them premature, but did not question, knowing that his Empress was in the midst of overseeing the affair. It had ceased to be an interest of his alone the moment Song Da-Xiao decreed that it would happen. He understood as well that this was the marriage of her tutor and highest strategist, as well as of her oath brother. It would be no small event.
He began to feel concerned that Shirisae might object, though he consoled himself with what he knew of the Phoenix Elves; that they were a people of ritual and ceremony as well, and that she was the heiress of her culture’s most significant role. He did stop to wonder on occasion how her pa
th in Sheng Fan might affect her path in Vilciel, but he found himself not able to properly contemplate the amount of time elves were granted and the fact that he might only fill a few pages in the journal of all of her days.
It was typically a thought such as that, which forced him to draw pause that typically led him to meditate. Through meditation, he was consciously reminded of the presence of the Phoenix, and of the thread that would forever connect him to the elves of Vilciel, and to Shirisae.
Throughout the cooling days of the season, the other bearers committed themselves to training and study. Tarfan wrote frequently in his journal and was arriving at the ability to carry on some conversation with Gai Ping. During the veteran’s leave to visit family, Tarfan accompanied. It inspired Xu Liang to write a letter, one which was delivered during the Harvest festivals, to Taya. She was not required to stay within the company of the Empress and her handmaidens, but had chosen to, and so when she noticed Xu Liang during a poetry reading among scholars, she sat with him and returned with the letter that was meant for both her and Shirisae.
It was at that time that Xu Liang had a glimpse of Shirisae among the ladies of the court, bedecked in the gowns of such station with her red hair wound delicately in beads and ribbon, and he was reminded that she was lovely. She had not seen him, and if she had, she’d elected not to let him know. He was glad that she seemed comfortable and had no qualms with regarding her period of residence with the Empress with focus and interest.
Autumn ended with the Fete of Long Nights. During the honoring of their ancestors, Xu Liang frequently visited the Garden of Remembrance with the Empress, and their conversations consisted primarily of her family and the future of the Empire. It was on the final night of festivities, when the lanterns were released to the Spirit of Night, that Taya found him and passed him a letter from Shirisae. She included words for everyone within Xu Liang’s house and she assured him that she was treated well and learning much. Xu Liang had no doubt about either since witnessing that Shirisae was to be accepted as an agent of the gods over being rejected as a barbarian. Still, he was pleased to read that she felt comfortable.
