Crown of the Starry Sky: Book 11 of Painting the Mists

by Patrick Laplante

  Cha Ming nodded. “My thoughts exactly. Do you have a list of people you trust in this prefecture?”

  “Just give me a mission number,” Killjoy said. “I can make a few calls. Getting a team together shouldn’t be a problem.”

  Chapter 7: Team

  Cha Ming walked into the Kingfisher Guard Station the next morning. Huxian walked with him, as did Silverwing and Lei Jiang. The guards, who were often bored and lax, snapped to attention as they entered the automated wooden doors. Getting around the station had gotten a lot easier since his tentative promotion. Lines parted to make way for them.

  “It’s nice to be treated with respect for a change,” Huxian said as they exited the lobby and walked to the part of the building usually reserved for meetings. He wore his usual lazy black cultivation robes. Gua and Mr. Mountain complained about them incessantly, but he wouldn’t be deterred.

  “Tell me about it,” Silverwing said. He pushed a strand of silver hair away from his golden avian eyes. He wore his pair of demon weapons openly at his waist. Like most demons, he could summon his demon weapons at any time, but that wasn’t the point. They were a mark of pride, and they were meant to be flaunted.

  “Do people look down on you three?” Cha Ming asked as he observed Silverwing’s tense posture. Huxian scowled, and Lei Jiang glared down the humans they walked by. The tension between them and nearby humans was only broken up when others of their kind walked past.

  “Not us in particular,” Huxian said.

  “Speak for yourself,” Lei Jiang said. “It’s worse if you’re weaker, or if you’re small like me. Every demon in this city’s been told off, spat at, and cursed at. And unless they’re body cultivators, we can’t beat them up without getting arrested.”

  “We’ve had to bail Lei Jiang out of jail a few times,” Silverwing explained. “He’s bitter about it.”

  “Civilization at its finest,” Cha Ming muttered. The situation concerned him. He knew that demons weren’t the richest lot in the city, but then again, they weren’t trying to be. Getting rich or showing off with things like money was a very human thing to do. Demons cared about two things: personal strength and respect. Oh, and food. Make that three things. Humans were viewed as uncultured barbarians almost universally.

  It’s just one more thing to worry about, Cha Ming thought. He couldn’t change the world, but if Huxian was being disrespected and his friends were getting arrested, he needed to make things better. But that was a thought for another time.

  They exited the lift onto the twelfth floor, which sported conference rooms much like the Xia Clan’s office. Most missions were just discussed in the mission hall, but for this mission to succeed, it had to be kept secret. Cha Ming waved to a one-time mission partner, Daoist Silvershire, and the man waved back as he entered his own dark meeting room. Demigod Shatterstorm, a petite woman, waited by a half-full pot of coffee as she finished her cup, as was her custom. Tea drinkers tended to bring them back to their meeting rooms.

  Cha Ming didn’t get coffee or tea this time. He and his three friends entered the meeting room. He wasn’t sure who Killjoy had invited, but they’d worked together a couple other times since his arrival in the prefecture. He trusted her, and she had experience leading teams. He’d never led a mission, much less issued one.

  He smiled when he saw a load of familiar faces. “Special Night. Crying Toad. I’m glad you could both make it.” Cha Ming bowed and inspected the two cultivators. “I see you’ve already gotten your silver ranks.”

  “We got a lot of merit points from the rift mission,” Daoist Crying Toad said. “And thanks to that cauldron I got, I was able to experiment a lot. It didn’t make much sense to stay at early rune carving, so I broke through and took on a mission.” He chuckled. “It was way easier than our bronze qualifier.”

  “I believe that was because we were stronger than last time,” Daoist Special Night said. “Besides, we hid together while you poisoned them. They didn’t stand a chance.”

  Crying Toad shrugged. “I hate playing fair.” So did she, for that matter. They made a good team.

  Cha Ming had been on a total of two missions with Crying Toad. They’d almost died on both of them. He was a small and cowardly man, and he wouldn’t hesitate to punch someone in the back of the head. Virtues were for suckers according to Crying Toad, though Cha Ming had observed that he had his own twisted moral code. His special skillset was also invaluable when dealing with large groups of enemies. Few things deterred a large crowd of cultivators better than clouds of painful poison.

  Special Night, on the other hand, was an oddity. For starters, she was literally insane. While cloaked, she entered her own special world of darkness filled with twisted faces and maddening laughter. Despite her quirky nature, however, she was a good person at heart. She was also refined, meaning that she was probably from a well-to-do family. She’d never mentioned which one, so he’d never asked.

  “Shneraz.” Cha Ming nodded to the burly dragon demon at the back. The dragon nodded back, and he also nodded in respect to Huxian and his friends, who made their way toward him. Beside him sat a familiar lady with white hair and pink eyes that nearly caused him to choke. “Lady White, fancy seeing you here.”

  “Bite me,” Xiao Bai replied.

  Cha Ming’s eyes darted to the last member in the room. Mi Fei was in her own corner, calmly sipping a cup of tea. Cha Ming frowned and looked to Killjoy, who was drinking a cup of highly concentrated coffee. She looked quite pleased with herself. Did you invite her? he asked.

  She looked to Mi Fei, then back to Cha Ming. Is there a problem with that?

  She’s Eternal Song’s fiancée, he sent back.

  Ex-fiancée, Killjoy corrected. But I don’t see how that matters. She’s strong and she’s trustworthy.

  “You know, it’s impolite to talk about other people right in front of them,” Mi Fei said, interrupting their conversation. “Even mentally.” Everyone looked toward her. “Is there anything you’d like to tell me to my face?”

  Cha Ming blinked at the abruptness, but composed himself. “You can’t come on this mission,” he said flatly. He was not going to deal with her. Not now. Not with so many unresolved issues. “Eternal Song would kill me if anything happened to you.”

  “Oh?” said Mi Fei. She took a sip from her teacup. “Do I belong to him? Last I checked, I was a member of the Guard, and I’m a free citizen like everyone else. I can do what I want.”

  “But I’m the one who issued this mission. I’m also in charge of the team,” Cha Ming said.

  Mi Fei laughed. “Typical.” She got up loudly and pushed her table away, then walked to the door. Xiao Bai was a blur of white and left the room alongside her. She gave Cha Ming a rude gesture on her way out.

  “What the hell was that about?” Killjoy asked. She was glaring at him.

  “It’s complicated,” Cha Ming said.

  “It’s not complicated,” Killjoy said caustically. “We don’t have enough people on this team without her. She’s one of the strongest silvers out there, and her demon companion’s just as strong as yours, even with his entourage, which, might I add, he’s missing most of.” She looked across the room. Shneraz seemed amused, and Huxian looked extremely grumpy. Special Night had a slight frown on her face, and Crying Toad just shrugged like it didn’t concern him. “You told me this mission’s danger rating was extreme,” Killjoy said.

  Cha Ming sighed deeply and massaged the spot between his eyes. “You couldn’t find anyone else?”

  Killjoy shrugged. “I asked about forty people I could trust. All silvers, no bronzes, since I didn’t feel like carrying any bodies back. Hell, these people haven’t even joined the mission yet. Including me. They’re just here to find out what’s going on and decide if they want to come along.”

  “Out of forty people, it’s only us?” Cha Ming asked. His heart fell.

  “What did you expect?” Killjoy hissed. “Everyone who’s got half a brain knows you�
��ve got a target on your back. By two prefecture lords, no less. Most competent people have been intimidated, bribed, or just don’t want to get involved. They made that decision months ago. The only people I could get on the team were people you’ve worked with or who know you’re not a bad apple. Mi Fei was undecided. I guess you made her choice for her.”

  Cha Ming took a deep breath and let it out. “Fine. I’ll go talk to her and convince her to join. We’ll have a quick meeting first, and Huxian and I will go find her.”

  “Make sure she’s in,” Killjoy said. “Because I might just back out if she’s not.”

  Just what I needed, Cha Ming thought. To her, he was probably being insufferably rude. And he was. The problem was that she just didn’t know. She couldn’t know. He closed the door and walked up to the table at the center of the room, then placed an information-storage jade on a receptacle. A holographic map appeared. It was the same map he’d gone over with Killjoy yesterday, but with a few more blips.

  “How many of you know about the trade caravans being attacked?” Cha Ming asked. Huxian and his friends raised their hands—he’d given them a short summary last night. Shneraz didn’t seem aware, and neither did Crying Toad. Surprisingly, Special Night lifted her hand. “What have you heard?”

  “Not much,” Special Night said. “I sometimes gather information, and this was something many people were interested in.” Her eyes flickered to the map. “You’re missing the latest cases.”

  That surprised him. “Can you show me?” She shrugged got up and tapped three spots on the map. Two blue ones and two red ones.

  “According to my information, the blue ones fit best with attacks on Xia Clan transports,” Special Night said.

  “There you have it,” Cha Ming said. “Over the past eight days, fifty-six trade caravans have been attacked. Some were headed toward the city, and some out of the city, but all were a good distance away. Initially, we saw no pattern, but Killjoy and I ran through the cases again and discovered only one commonality: they’re avoiding the king’s road, and all shipments to and from the capital have made it safely.”

  Crying Toad frowned. “I’d think that the king’s road accounts for most shipments. What does that leave us with, exactly?”

  “Most nearby prefectures ship by sea,” Killjoy explained. “There are three nearby prefectures that ship by land or by air. Prefectures that are located any farther either don’t deal with us at all or deal with the capitol.”

  “Most of the trade caravans have been shipments to and from demon lands,” Cha Ming said. “Though statistically, the odds of getting attacked are the same for those caravans as those between prefectures, the disproportionate harm it causes the demon trade might indicate their intentions.” He looked to Shneraz. “Do demons get insurance?”

  “They do,” Shneraz replied. “I have guarded a few caravans myself, though lately I have focused on Kingfisher Guard missions, as they are most lucrative. Though to be honest, the cargo is bought on demon lands and shipped off by humans.”

  Cha Ming nodded. “It’s something to go on, but it’s just as contrived as the theory that the Xia Clan is being targeted.”

  “Who is responsible for these attacks?” Shneraz asked.

  “We don’t know,” Cha Ming said. “The caravans disappear without a trace, and there are no survivors or ransom requests. The Guard has inquired with the black market for resale of goods, but thus far, none have been found. Either they’re using the goods or transporting them elsewhere for resale.”

  “Or sitting on them,” Shneraz said. “So this is a reconnaissance mission. One with a risk level of extreme.”

  “I’m just being cautious,” Cha Ming said. “Moreover, reconnaissance is just the first part of the mission. Dealing with the actual situation comes next.”

  “It doubles up as a defense mission as well,” Killjoy said. “Our goal is to spot, encounter, and potentially scare off or capture any enemies we find. We could get information or buy time.”

  “The plan is to split up so we can cover as much ground as possible,” Cha Ming said. “We’ll do it secretly, and make no mention of the mission to anyone, including the caravan owners. Once one person discovers the attackers, the others will immediately teleport to their side for support.”

  Shneraz grunted. “Will you be supplying the means of teleportation? They’re not exactly cheap.” Spatial affinities were rare, and anything beyond simple storage items had long wait times. Few were willing to trade them, let alone sell them.

  “Yes,” Cha Ming said. “We’ll execute the mission in one week. In the meantime, anyone willing to join should remain inconspicuous while preparing.”

  “I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t seem like a great fit for this mission,” Crying Toad said. “We’re not all like Special Night. I’m not good at hiding.”

  “Stealth items are basic for guardsmen,” Killjoy said.

  “I just don’t usually take this kind of mission,” Crying Toad said.

  “If you need something for this mission, I can lend you one,” Cha Ming said. “But only for this mission.”

  “Cheapskate,” Crying Toad said.

  Cha Ming raised an eyebrow. “I’d be doing you a personal favor. The Guard wouldn’t pay for it. I’m offering it for free.” That mollified him a bit.

  Cha Ming then looked to Huxian and the others. “Any questions?”

  It was Silverwing who spoke. “Merit points are fine, but we’d prefer demon missions, with demon bounties and demon coin rewards.”

  “I… never even thought of that,” Cha Ming said.

  “The boss probably didn’t think of it either, but I’m the responsible one on our team,” Silverwing said. “These guys probably didn’t even know we were getting paid.”

  “Did too!” Lei Jiang shot back.

  “How about you, Shneraz?” Cha Ming asked.

  Shneraz looked to Cha Ming, then to Killjoy. “Since you’re taking care of the administrative end, Killjoy, have you checked if any alternate compensation methods are available?”

  “I checked, just for you,” Killjoy said. “If you agree to join the mission, I’ll make sure you’re compensated in your clan’s preferred way.”

  “Then I thank you,” Shneraz said with a nod. “I’m in if Killjoy is in.”

  “Same,” Crying Toad said. “I’m not risking my neck if the brains of this operation isn’t coming.”

  “I resent that,” Cha Ming said. “I have a brain too, you know.”

  “You go around swinging a giant pillar and crashing into void rifts on a regular basis, for crying out loud,” Crying Toad said. “You’re not exactly a beacon of sanity. I’d also come if Eternal Song was on board.”

  “And you?” Cha Ming asked Special Night.

  She frowned again. “I must maintain confidentiality, is that correct?”

  “Yes,” Cha Ming said. “You cannot share any information with anyone outside the group.” The meeting was already subject to nondisclosure.

  “I will consider,” she replied. “If that is all, I will excuse myself.” She left the room, and one after another, they trickled out. Silverwing and Lei Jiang went ahead—it was boring to wait around in the guard station, so they opted to spend time at the tailor shop. Even if they were treated like loiterers.

  Meanwhile, Cha Ming lingered by the coffee machine with Huxian. He poured himself a black coffee. It was dark, bitter, and slightly burnt. Huxian poured himself his own version of coffee, which ended up being nine tenths cream, one tenth coffee, and so sweet it was syrupy. Killjoy joined them and poured herself a cup.

  “Can I count on you to join?” Cha Ming asked.

  “Can I count on you to talk to Mi Fei?” she asked back.

  “I’ll talk to her and try to convince her to join, but no guarantees,” Cha Ming replied.

  Killjoy nodded. “Listen. I know you’re not a bad guy, but it’s tough to be a girl in the cultivation world. Doubly tough for someone like her
.”

  “This isn’t about her being a woman,” Cha Ming said. “You didn’t see me complaining about you or Special Night.”

  “I know you don’t think it is, but in my experience, that’s often part of it,” Killjoy said. “You just haven’t thought about it hard enough.” She took a long drink from her coffee cup, downing the scalding hot liquid in a single gulp. Then she grimaced. “This stuff is terrible.”

  “I don’t see you stopping anytime soon,” Cha Ming said.

  “When I don’t work, I’m an alcoholic,” she said. “I’ve been working for some time now, and it takes something to keep me going.”

  She walked off, leaving Cha Ming with Huxian. “Did you speak to Xiao Bai?” Cha Ming asked the fox.

  “It took some convincing, but I got their location,” Huxian said. “We’re lucky. They left on foot. I think Xiao Bai wanted us to come crawling back. Clever rabbit.”

  Cha Ming nodded. “That seems to be her style.” They took the stairs. Elevators were slow, and as much as they’d like to, teleporting to different floors in the building was both dangerous and forbidden. They were outside in fifteen seconds flat.

  Chapter 8: A Familiar Face

  Mi Fei was seething. She’d gone to the Kingfisher Guard Station, excited that there was finally a lucrative mission that would have her. Daoist Clear Sky, Wei Longshen’s friend, was somehow both the mission issuer and leader. She’d hoped to finally escape the Mi Clan’s interference in her affairs, but that hope was in vain.

  “You should stop pouting,” Xiao Bai said.

  “I’m not pouting,” Mi Fei said. “I’m grumbling and seething.”

  “Yeah, I’m not talking about the emotions involved,” Xiao Bai said. She held up a small mirror. “I was talking about facial expressions. Do you have any idea how bad this is for your skin? I mean, you won’t be able to tell in the next century, but what about a thousand years from now? The damage adds up, you know. Think of the pictures.”