Yuebek, still scowling, turned away from the broken Hanza set and motioned with one hand.
I followed Lo Bahn in silence, fists clenched. Only out in the hall, well away from the guards, did he give me a cursory glance. “You’d think you would at least have the wisdom not to make him angry.” We stopped in front of a window protected by a rusty iron grate. The glass was tinted with images of dark-furred civets scaling a mango tree with red leaves.
“I was trying to see what I could get out of him,” I said, prodding the grate with my finger. It was solidly built.
Lo Bahn stroked his beard. “I’m aware that’s one of your tactics. Anger makes some men babble. It doesn’t work well on Prince Yuebek. Believe it or not, he is as honest as they come. He’s even more honest than Khine Lamang. What did you want to learn, anyway?”
I sighed. “Where the rest of his army is, for one thing.”
“You could’ve just asked me. They’re waiting an hour from the port of Sutan in the east.” Lo Bahn snapped his fingers. “One word and they’ll come riding here within the day.”
“You’ve got Warlord Buhawi wrapped around your little finger, too. Why don’t you people just take over the whole nation for me? Save us the trouble of this charade.”
“Don’t play the fool, woman. Even if those warlords fully supported us—which it’s clear they won’t, even if they let us walk through without batting an eyelid—wouldn’t you rather do this the peaceful way? Twenty thousand soldiers can do quite the damage to your villages and towns.”
“I thought Yuebek wasn’t allowed to have those damn soldiers in the first place. Something about keeping his ambitions in check.”
Lo Bahn sneered. “You helped with that, actually. Your attack at the temple of Phurywa gave Yuebek the chance to convince his father that Jin-Sayeng was a threat. He released Yuebek’s soldiers to him.”
I leaned against the windowsill. “I’m flattered he would think it was an attack. We just stumbled into the damn place.”
“You’re a gnat compared with the empire,” Lo Bahn said. “Twenty thousand soldiers is nothing. The Esteemed Emperor has hundreds of thousands at his disposal. It doesn’t look like it, either, but he favours Prince Yuebek, if not publicly. I believe the man could obliterate your nation if he wanted to, just like he did to that Hanza set. But he doesn’t want to. He doesn’t want a pile of bones and ashes—what he wants is a kingdom for himself.”
“Who else is working for him?”
Lo Bahn started walking again. I walked a step behind him, wishing I could shed the frilly, uncomfortable dress while hoping I didn’t trip and land on my face. He finally paused mid-step, folded his arms, and sighed. “You want to know who you can or can’t trust.”
I poked his shoulder with my finger. “Obviously.”
“Trust no one,” he suggested.
“Oh, if only it were that easy. Give me a sword and an open door, Lo Bahn, and maybe I can take over the world. What the hell did he do for you, anyway? Those women couldn’t have been cheap. Last I was aware, you couldn’t afford a troupe of monkeys, let alone paid entertainment.”
He sniffed. “Shows what you know. Monkeys are fucking expensive. Have to pay the trainers, too.”
I strode past him so I could look at his face. “I don’t know what to make of you, Lo Bahn.”
“I’m a marquis of Zorheng province now,” he said with a satisfied smirk.
“Ah. Your knees must be scabbed from all the grovelling.”
Lo Bahn rubbed his hands together. “What else do you want me to say? You know the stakes. My parts would be rotting in the streets of An Mozhi if I didn’t bow to the beast.” He said the last part almost in a whisper, as if he was scared Yuebek could still hear him.
“A paid title in exchange for your cooperation. How droll. And I suppose next you’re going to ask me the best way to find Lamang.”
“You would be the best bait,” Lo Bahn said, tugging at his beard. “Probably one word that you’re in trouble and he’ll come running for you.”
“He’d know it was a trap.”
He kept his smug expression. “The beauty of it is that it doesn’t matter. He’ll come, anyway.”
“Why would you think that?”
Lo Bahn gave me a curious look. “I’m not a young man anymore, but I can still recall how it is to be in love.”
I turned my eyes away. “You overestimate Lamang. He’s still got his debts. The best way to draw him out is to promise money in exchange for the return of Chiha’s son.”
“You think that’ll fool me? Pah! But I understand. You don’t want Yuebek to catch on. Don’t worry; I know very well what I’ve gotten myself in. Help us get your husband’s son back and there’ll be no need for the Esteemed Prince to know all about Lamang’s affections.”
I kept silent. No one needed to know about mine, either.
“I know you well enough to feel like I could warn you,” Lo Bahn continued.
“About what?”
His nostrils flared. “Back there. You didn’t succeed, so you’re going to try something else. Something foolish. I would bet both my kidneys you’re going to try to escape. Perhaps you’d consider it an affront to your gods if you didn’t. But where would you go? Your warlords are all but ready to hand you back to him on a silver plate. The bastard’s grandfather was the one who met us at port.”
“Warlord Lushai?”
“So he said. He made a great show of making sure we didn’t forget, either.” He sniffed. “And that was before the prince discovered the bastard. Ah hah! You didn’t know that part, did you?”
I shrugged. “I don’t see why that should matter to me.”
“You’re not the only one who’ll suffer if he doesn’t get what he wants,” Lo Bahn said. He pointed at the empty walls. I squinted and thought I could see runes drawn on random corners.
“Yuebek makes a poor house guest,” I suggested.
“Don’t you understand?” Lo Bahn asked, exasperated. “Prince Yuebek has laced this place with spells from top to bottom. Fool though he may appear, the man himself can turn you into splinters with one flick of his fingers. If you’ve got any sense of self-preservation, you’ll stop fighting. You couldn’t even defeat him in a fucking game.”
The maidservant from earlier was waiting at the end of the hall—she bowed as we approached.
“You and everyone else say the same thing,” I said under my breath. “He’s too strong. We can’t defeat him. Tremble in fear, mighty queen, and let the madman have his way. But there’s one thing you people don’t understand. I’ve known a man just as powerful, and I watched him die right in front of me.”
Lo Bahn shook his head as I turned to follow the servant back to my chambers.
CHAPTER TWELVE
THE CAGED WOLF
Four walls, one window, and my father’s name made up the extent of my prison.
The runes were still there, etched deeper than my scraping could reach. I didn’t have the courage to try again. A coward, deep inside; I didn’t want to find myself back in that chamber. I was convinced that if Yeshin had showed himself once more in my frenzied hallucinations, it was a sign that he cared. But he didn’t, and so I made myself believe he had abandoned me once and for all. Dying wasn’t enough. Berating me to my face as a ghost wasn’t enough. I had to face his cold rejection all over again.
I could at least see why it was easy for Yuebek to sway people to his cause. He was more than generous when it suited his purposes. I complained about the dresses he made me wear, and the next day simpler, more comfortable ones were procured. When I told him I didn’t like the food, the menu changed—from strange Zarojo delicacies to plain Jinsein fare: clean white rice, milkfish soaked in vinegar, sliced green mangoes, and grilled lemongrass chicken.
I didn’t see Yuebek often in the following days; he visited sporadically, always in broad daylight. Someone must’ve warned him not to at night. After his hissed threats that last time, I wasn’t sur
e what was stopping him. He had made it clear he didn’t take me as seriously as I wanted him to—what was he afraid of? One of the maidservants implied that it was the prince’s attempt at being a gentleman. She said this with a smile—someone who cleaned up after Yuebek’s childish tantrums, who had seen what he was capable of and must’ve noticed the madness dancing in his eyes, the smell of death rising from his pores. His courtiers were no better; even Lo Bahn thought of him as nothing more than an eccentric man spoiled by too much power.
Illusions. Only illusions could allow a monster to walk uncontested in the midst of so many intelligent, educated minds. Only illusions could allow you to worship a monster and entrust your life, and the lives of those you loved, to his hands. Radi Ong had seen his own daughter murdered by those same hands and yet he would wipe the shit off Yuebek’s ass with his own fingers if ordered to. I hated him the most. Every time I looked at him, I caught a glimpse of my own father.
I saw what tempted Yeshin in the first place. Yuebek’s soldiers were trained, disciplined—warriors to be reckoned with. And his coffers seemed endless—no expense was spared. Every meal felt like a feast, and each of the staff seemed well-paid. In the few meetings I attended with his council, Yuebek threw bribes around like a priest sprinkling holy water.
It hurt to imagine my father drawn by these same things. That for all his talk about putting the land above personal interests, he was no better than the rest. Was I such a failure as a daughter that the old man, teetering on the edge of death, finally gave way? Did my weakness make it possible for that deep-seated, inexhaustible ambition, spreading like a disease, to be my father’s last gift to the nation?
Lo Bahn tried to convince me a thousand different ways. He insisted that if I was a little more compliant, if I was willing to speak with the warlords about my husband and his own infidelity, then we wouldn’t even need Chiha’s son. Yuebek’s greatest mistake was letting things come this far. You cannot respect Yeshin and then underestimate his daughter.
The day arrived when a messenger came, claiming that Anino had been found by none other than Warlord Lushai himself. The boy was inside Toriue Castle. Yuebek laughed, hearing the news. “The man knows his true master!” he told me, grabbing my hands and breathing into my face. He chewed mint leaves to mask the death-scent of his mouth, but I could catch a whiff of it all the same. “He’s making the arrangements now; we’ll head to the castle and denounce your husband right in front of his precious mother!”
“I’m surprised she’s still there,” I said. “You took your damn time.”
“Don’t you fret, my dear!” Yuebek laughed. “She’s been looking for you, too. Do you know how many of her agents we’ve had to kill the past few days?”
Preparations were made, and I soon found myself sharing a litter with Lo Bahn, which I would’ve never imagined I would find as a relief before. “He doesn’t trust you,” Lo Bahn snorted when I saw him instead of Yuebek in there. “Probably remains convinced you’ll stab him in the balls once you’re alone with him. Hell, I’m not convinced you wouldn’t try to do the same thing to me.”
“I’m not going to bother,” I said. “When it comes down to it, I’m pretty sure you don’t have any.”
“Do you know why Lamang is fucking obsessed with you? The both of you don’t do much else but think of ways to insult me.”
“We don’t really have to think, Lo Bahn, the opportunities just present themselves.”
“Bah! There you go again. You’ve slept with him already, I suppose. You must’ve.”
“Why the hell should I tell you about my personal life, Lo Bahn?”
He snorted. “Because this is going to be a long road and I like gossip as much as my wife. I’ll tell you about mine if it makes you feel any better.”
“No thank you. You must miss Khine more than I thought if you’re willing to spend this whole trip talking about him. If Lushai found his grandson before you did, your efforts must’ve been a failure.”
“I did see Khine,” Lo Bahn said, growing sombre. “The boy was gone from his care by then.”
I glanced away.
“Not going to ask about him, are you?”
“Did you kill him?”
“Of course not! I’m too much of a softie and his head’s not going to win me a kingdom.” Lo Bahn crossed his arms. “Cornered him in the markets. Rented room above a tavern and some shop that sells that kind of disgusting soup you Jinseins love. Goat tripe, is that right? Goat tripe soup. That fucking stench. Asked about you. Told him the truth. Said you were well, but nothing short of the heavens opening up and smiting Yuebek where he stands is going to stop this marriage from happening.”
“You’re all assuming I’m going to agree,” I bristled. “I have to agree first before Yuebek gets anything. I had to agree to marry Rayyel and the gods know the entire nation was behind that one. And you have nothing on me. Qun had used my son, but none of us know where he is now.”
“He’s in this Sougen region,” Lo Bahn sniffed. “We’ll find him.”
“So until then, nothing happens.”
Lo Bahn frowned and was silent.
I watched the streets unfurl in front of me from behind the curtains. It was the middle of the day and we were crossing the market, thick with the smell of dried fish and herbs. People stopped to stare at us. This kind of parade, of extravagance, was not common among the royals except for those of us surrounding the Dragonthrone; Yuebek wasn’t trying to hide my presence at all.
“He’ll hurt your husband,” Lo Bahn said. “Torture him. Find him a fate worse than death. Have you considered that?”
I shrugged.
He curled his lip. “I mean, you were madly in love, as far as I could recall.”
“How much in love could you be with a man after discovering he’s been keeping a child from you the past eight years?”
“You Jinseins are such a sentimental lot. I tried to study your poetry during the trip here. It hurt my head.”
“It would. Our language is more poetic than yours. I could insult you better if you knew how to speak Jinan.”
The litter stopped; the curtains parted and a maidservant peered in. I recognized the one from Zorheng.
“There’s Baraji soldiers passing in the road ahead,” she said. “They’ve asked me to tell you to be patient, Beloved Queen.”
“I have to use a chamber pot,” I told her abruptly.
“Really?” Lo Bahn barked. “Now?”
“Well, since you didn’t have the foresight to bring one…”
“Why the fuck would I bring a chamber pot inside a litter?”
I rolled my eyes. “Lord Han has always been insensitive to the needs of our sex. If you’ll accompany me…?”
“I know you. You’re not going anywhere without a guard,” Lo Bahn said, bristling.
“It’s the middle of the day, Lord Han, and you’ve got enough soldiers to burn the whole city down even while they still keep watch on me. A moment of privacy isn’t too much to ask.”
He bit his moustache, his face red. “There’s nowhere to run,” he managed. “I’m going to keep count. If you’re not back after a hundred, I’m going to send soldiers after you.”
“Spare them the trouble and do it yourself, you fat old man,” I grumbled as I clambered out of the litter.
“You’re running out of insults!” he snarled after me.
I smiled at the maidservant, who looked confused by the whole exchange. “On second thought,” I said. “The alley will do. I don’t want to squat in front of an entire regiment.”
Her cheeks turned red. “My queen—”
“You’re coming with me, of course. Prince Yuebek trusts you, doesn’t he? You’re not going to let anything happen to me. It’s the middle of the day,” I repeated, squinting at the sunlight.
She conceded. We made our way past the guardsmen, who looked too preoccupied to pay us much attention, and found our way to the nearest alley. The maidservant glanced at me b
efore turning back to the street, as if indicating I should hurry without actually saying so. Subservience—the highlight of the ideal Zarojo woman, if you listened to Yuebek and his ilk. I wasn’t sure I believed them. I thought about Zhu and uttered a quick apology under my breath as I darted into the shadows.
Running in skirts was not like what I remembered it to be, but the effort kept me from dwelling on the maidservant’s inevitable fate for allowing me to escape. I headed straight for the market, where the crowd and the thick, pungent air made it easier to disappear. The first thing I did was find an unwatched laundry line to pilfer plainer clothes. I made my way to a dark corner, counting on the parade to keep people busy, though a dog did spot me and started barking up a storm while I tried to rip the laces from my back.
I managed to change into the more comfortable outfit and left the dress folded under the clothesline for payment. By now, I could hear commotion down below, though I wasn’t sure if it was Yuebek’s guards searching for me or something else. I hurried down the streets, and found someone selling roasted cashews by the bag. I pretended to dig through my pockets.
“You wouldn’t happen to know where they have goat tripe soup here?” I asked while I patted my trousers.
The vendor whistled. “Well, you’re in Bara, and goat tripe is a Darusu specialty…”
“I’m not interested in going all the way to Darusu.”
“They have one that almost passes for it here, just the one place down by where the river runs up Toriue. It’s right at Copper Street.”
“Thank you,” I said, skipping away without buying anything.
The speed with which I went through those streets surprised me. I didn’t know Bara all that well to know where Copper Street was, but I headed to the river like I did. It kept me several steps ahead of my pursuers. The soldiers would be looking for a completely different woman, perhaps someone who hadn’t left Jin-Sayeng for the Zarojo Empire. A forlorn royal, wandering helplessly about, unsure of how to talk to the common folk. Last year felt like a lifetime ago.
The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng Page 19