Claddings of Light : Book 12 of Painting the Mists

by Patrick Laplante

  “Elder Ashen Sky likes his privacy,” Iridescent Wonder said. “I’ll have you note the lack of ‘iridescent’ in his title and urge you not to rub it in. It’s a big sore spot for him.”

  They walked up to the door and knocked. Huxian was still with their group, oddly enough. A woman opened the door, looking stately and important. She wasn’t of the Phoenix Clan but of the Hawk Clan. She eyed them suspiciously. “Elder,” she said, nodding to Iridescent Wonder. “Human,” she said, nodding to Cha Ming. Her eyes flickered to Huxian and Bifang. “Brats.”

  “I’ll have you know that we’re full adults,” Huxian said.

  “I might believe it if you stopped running amok in my house,” she said evenly. Then she opened the door. “Please come in. The master will be here shortly. As for you two brats, you know your way around.”

  You know someone here? Cha Ming asked.

  We made a friend, Huxian said. He and Bifang vanished inside the large building made of flame-resistant wood. Iridescent Wonder and Cha Ming were ushered into a waiting room where they were served a hot mood-elevating beverage called Iridescent Tears.

  “I see the world is still as small as ever,” Iridescent Wonder said, glancing over to where Huxian and Bifang had disappeared. “I never believed the other elders when they said how strong your brother fox was.”

  “He’s painfully strong,” Cha Ming said. “I’m really not sure who’d win out between the two of us.”

  “That statement alone does you more credit than you think,” Iridescent Wonder said. “Even us elders can feel his pressure. He is a Godbeast.”

  “What’s it like, facing one?” Cha Ming asked. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. That was probably rude.”

  “No, it’s fine,” Iridescent Wonder said. “I’m your teacher and you’re my student. Why the need for posturing? But how to describe the feeling? Tell me, if you were a peasant and were called before your king, would you be intimidated?”

  “Definitely,” Cha Ming said. “But you’re hardly a peasant.”

  “Right, so imagine the peasant was very strong,” Iridescent Wonder said. “So strong, in fact, that he could kill the king if he wanted to. The thing is, the king is never alone. He’s surrounded by all sorts of powerful guards and servants and an entire nation who loves him. The peasant would think twice before acting against him, would he not?”

  “So you feel stronger but inferior at the same time,” Cha Ming said.

  “It’s difficult to admit such a thing in my old age,” Iridescent Wonder said. He took a long drink from his teacup. “Wonderful tea as usual.”

  “I’m more impressed by the cups,” Cha Ming said, noting the intricate coloring on the porcelain. “Come to think of it, there are many beautiful things in this house.”

  The waiting room they were in had a chandelier that held a soft white flame. This was unusual in a phoenix household, where colored flames were all the rage. Yet the décor more than made up for it. In this room alone, there were no less than five elaborate stained-glass displays. Each was like a window you might find in a cathedral—if any were to be found on the Inkwell Plane.

  There were smaller displays as well, sculptures with sharp and jagged edges. They refracted the light, projecting it outward. They were mesmerizing and difficult to look away from. Cha Ming wasn’t able to finish looking them over before a man entered the room.

  “Old Wonder,” the new arrival said, embracing Iridescent Wonder.

  “Old Ashes,” Iridescent Wonder replied.

  The man was unusual for a member of the Phoenix Clan. Though his hair and feathers contained four colors, meaning that he’d gone through four burnings, these colored feathers were muted and grayish. He wore gray clothes that defied every fashion norm in the city. He also wore little jewelry.

  “And you must be Daoist Clear Sky,” the elder said. “Please call me Ashen Sky. I’ve heard great things about you, young man. Everyone’s still talking about how you offended half the city with a single auction.”

  Cha Ming bowed lightly. “I didn’t seek to offend. I simply needed the cauldron. It’s hardly my fault Elder Iridescent Torch decided to try teaching me a lesson.”

  “Hopefully it was you who taught her a lesson,” Elder Ashen Sky said. “She can be much too willful at times. She’s very young for an elder of her stature, you know. But what do you care about the political machinations of the Iridescent Clan? Come along. Let me show you around.” He brought them out from the waiting room and into a much larger sitting room, one that could accommodate twenty guests if every seat were taken. Cha Ming was overcome with emotion when he saw the many stained-glass art pieces displayed within. The rest of the city was drab and lifeless in comparison.

  “The décor in this house is gorgeous,” Cha Ming said. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”

  “Thank you ever so much for the compliment, young man,” Elder Ashen Sky said proudly. “My daughter is quite the skilled stained-glass artisan.”

  “Were these all made by her?” Iridescent Wonder asked, taking a second look. “She’s barely twenty.”

  “Surprising, isn’t it?” Elder Ashen Sky said. “Alas, glass artisans don’t get much recognition around here. It’s all about flame dancers and alchemists and spiritual blacksmiths. But I suppose that’s for the best.”

  Iridescent Wonder nodded. “Yes, given recent events.” Then he frowned and gave Cha Ming a strange look. “Ah. I’d wondered why you wanted to see him.”

  “Indeed,” Elder Ashen Sky said. “But first things first. Out with it.”

  Cha Ming looked to Iridescent Wonder uncertainly, who shrugged. “I can’t say I’ve ever seen feathers quite like yours, Elder Ashen Sky,” Cha Ming said after some consideration. “Is there a special story behind their coloring?”

  “Hah!” Elder Ashen Sky said. “So polite for a human.”

  “Just get on with it,” Iridescent Wonder said. “You go through this every time you meet someone new.”

  “But it’s always nice to see them squirm,” Ashen Sky said. “As the First Feather’s brother, people never know how to react around me.”

  First Feather’s brother? Cha Ming thought. Was that why the man was talking to them when all other elders had refused to do so?

  “Do you know why they call me Ashen Sky?” Elder Ashen Sky asked.

  “I can only assume it has to do with your ashen coloring,” Cha Ming said.

  “Indeed,” Elder Ashen Sky said. “More importantly, it refers to the activity I’m most famous for. You see, I might be a fourth-burning phoenix, having never tasted iridescence, yet you’ll never meet a phoenix who’s tried harder than I have. I’m only five hundred years old—still very young for a demon—and I’ve yet to go through any great hibernation like many of the elders have. But I’ve been through more burnings than any ten of them combined.”

  Cha Ming frowned. “I thought five burnings was the maximum.”

  “A common misconception,” Elder Ashen Sky said. “It doesn’t take just five burnings for a phoenix to achieve iridescence—it takes five successful ones. I’ve been through precisely sixty-six burnings to date. The last time I tried was ten years ago. I almost died then, and I reconsidered further attempts due to my daughter’s pleading.”

  Iridescent Wonder nodded. “Most people don’t survive unsuccessful burnings. At least, not their second. After they fail once, they usually stop.”

  “Yet here I am, alive and well,” Elder Ashen Sky said. He sniffed. “In fact, I’m not the only one in this room who’s failed burnings. I sense a total of two attempts on this human youngster.”

  Cha Ming’s eyes flickered to Iridescent Wonder. “So you’re telling me that my second attempt could have been fatal?”

  Iridescent Wonder avoided eye contact. “You seemed tough. I didn’t think the risk was high. Maybe ten percent chance of fatality.”

  Cha Ming’s expression darkened.

  “Natural burnings are less risky,” Ashen Sky
continued. “Humans don’t normally try burnings, so you probably took one of those pills fledgling demons use. I’d tell you not to keep trying, but who am I to judge? Once my daughter is a little older, I might try again.”

  “We’re going to need to talk before I give it another try,” Cha Ming said to Iridescent Wonder, who chuckled sheepishly.

  “There, you had your fun,” Iridescent Wonder said. “Might as well get to the main point.”

  “So straightforward,” Iridescent Wonder said. “Where’s the small talk? The posturing?”

  “I figured it would bore the hell out of our human friend,” Iridescent Wonder said. “And besides. I’m not getting any younger.”

  “Very well,” Ashen Sky said. “Now, where to begin? Perhaps we should actually walk through the garden while we discuss.” He led the way, and Cha Ming and Iridescent Wonder followed. The head maid followed them dutifully, though she occasionally glanced in another direction. He followed her gaze through the walls and saw she was watching Huxian, Bifang, and another girl.

  They stepped on a strange pathway as they exited the wooden house. The stones resembled glossy obsidian, but they lit up as their small group walked. Are these also tinted glass? He observed the flowing pattern with interest.

  They made their way through the garden, walking through groupings of trees and flowers and other such plants. Each grouping had its own stained-glass sculpture that refracted Shimmerwing’s central light pillar.

  They stopped at the tall stone wall that completely surrounded the perimeter, blocking out what was definitely the most beautiful garden. “I never thought light could do so much,” Cha Ming said. “My compliments to your daughter.”

  “You think so?” Ashen Sky said smugly. “It’s a pity we’ve had to erect those walls, but it was all necessary due to events that transpired five years ago.”

  “Events?” Cha Ming asked. “I haven’t heard of anything major happening.”

  “That’s because we covered it up,” Ashen Sky said. “You see, twenty years ago, a large batch of strange phoenixes were born. They were variant demons no one had ever seen before. They had trouble creating flames like most phoenixes did, but we raised them nonetheless. After all, when we asked the Iridescent Ancestor about them, she told us they were precious, and that we should cherish and protect them.” He shook his head and sighed. If only we’d been more careful.”

  “Five years ago, there was unrest in the city,” Iridescent Wonder said. “No one knows who caused it. What we do know is that across all five of the top floors, a certain kind of phoenix disappeared. Any guesses as to what made them special?”

  Cha Ming knew what they were hinting at even before the mischievous-looking girl with inky-black hair and inky-black feathers appeared. “They were inkborn,” Cha Ming said. He now knew why this elder wanted to speak with him. “How many were there?”

  “There were over fifty back then,” Elder Ashen Sky said. “My daughter was the only one who survived. She’d stayed at home because she was concerned for my health, and I was still recovering from my sixty-sixth burning. There was an intruder in our home. I do not know of his clan or affiliation, for all traces of him were erased in the massive crater that resulted from his suicide.” His expression grew distant. “My wife died that day.”

  “I’m sorry,” Cha Ming said.

  “When I heard of your arrival in the city, I didn’t pay much attention,” Ashen Sky said. “And then our information gatherers came back with some interesting information. They said you had many inkborn friends. The new chieftain of Stargazer City, Clever Dusk, and her people; the one who calls himself Black Fish; the Matriarch of the Clockwork Clan who calls herself Dark Requiem. I was intrigued. I wanted to meet you. And then Iridescent Wonder and Iridescent Charity inquired about the ingredients that had been denied to you by others. It was the perfect chance to not only meet you, but to gift these ingredients to you.”

  “Elder?” Cha Ming asked. “You’re saying you wish to gift me a Flame Essence Fruit?”

  “I wish to gift you all ten ripe fruits in my possession,” Elder Ashen Sky said. “The only unclaimed ones in this city. Are you willing to accept this gift from a grateful father?”

  Cha Ming hesitated. “I could reimburse you.”

  “I’m sure you could, but in my opinion, you deserve this reward for saving my daughter’s cousins,” Elder Ashen Sky said. “Now come. As our gardener harvests the fruits—it is a lengthy and delicate process—I’ll introduce you to my daughter, Graceful Twilight.”

  Fifteen minutes later, they were sitting in a circle around a curious fireplace with no flame. The maids of the residence, all of whom wore well-ironed black uniforms in a militaristic style, served them refreshments and snacks under the watchful eye of their head maid, Lady Razor Beak. The lady herself did not serve them. She kept her distance, though her hands were always near a wicked dagger that lay sheathed at her waist.

  “Another guest, Father?” said the dark-haired phoenix girl who had just arrived. “Guests are boring. I’d rather be playing.”

  “Where are your manners, dear?” Elder Ashen Sky said. He apologized to Cha Ming and Iridescent Wonder. “Graceful Twilight has always been mischievous. Please forgive her impertinent behavior.”

  “It’s quite all right,” Iridescent Wonder said. “I’ve seen it all in my old age.”

  Cha Ming looked to Huxian, who’d walked up beside her guiltily. “So. This is the new friend you mentioned. I didn’t know she was inkborn.”

  “She said it was a secret,” Huxian said defensively.

  “You’re the big brother Eight Directions has been talking about?” Graceful Twilight said. “You don’t look very impressive.”

  “Hey!” Huxian said. “He’s at least half as strong as I am.”

  “Maybe if you teamed up with the rest of your friends,” Cha Ming shot back.

  “Oh, it’s on now,” Huxian said. “What’ll it be this time? A fight? An eating contest?”

  “Let’s not do this now,” Cha Ming said. “There are people watching.” Besides, Huxian usually won these absurd contests.

  “See?” Huxian said.

  Graceful Twilight rolled her eyes.

  “I invited Clear Sky over because he has many strange friends from other places,” Ashen Sky said. “Star-Eye Monkeys with black fur. A human inheritor of the Inkwell Clan. The new matriarch of the Clockwork Clan, a dragoness with black scales. You see where I’m going with this, yes?”

  This mollified her somewhat. “There are others?” she said, wide-eyed. “Like me?”

  “I’ve seen dozens in Stargazer City alone,” Cha Ming said. “I didn’t know you existed until today, though I suspected there might be some in your clan who are similarly blessed.”

  “Father keeps me secret,” she said sadly. “He doesn’t like it when I go out.”

  “Things don’t end well for inkborn who are captured,” Cha Ming said. “I’ve heard terrible things. I believe your father is wise to keep you hidden.”

  “But it’s so boring,” Graceful Twilight said. “All I get to see all day is the manor, the garden, and these stupid walls.”

  “If only things were different,” Ashen Sky said. “For now, we need to keep you out of sight. There is hope, however. The First Feather has informed me that we’ve discovered which group was responsible for the disappearance of your brethren. Perhaps it wouldn’t be unsafe to let you wander about. Supervised, of course. I— What is that racket?” There was a low rumbling sound that reminded Cha Ming of firecrackers.

  “It’s the Crackling Crane, Bifang, sir,” Lady Razor Beak said. “She doesn’t do well when bored, and… well…”

  “Bring her here,” Ashen Sky said with a sigh. She bowed and vanished, only to reappear with the struggling girl a moment later.

  Bifang gave them all an aggrieved look. “First you take away my playmate, and now you force me to sit here? Is justice dead? Have you no honor?”

  “Just…
try to stay nearby,” Ashen Sky said. “The gardeners are busy, so there will be no one to put out any accidental fires. He then looked to Huxian. “Young man, if I recall correctly, you have cloning capabilities?”

  “Oh, right,” Huxian said. A body double popped up beside Bifang, and he began to reassure her. “You don’t need to cry. Everything will be okay.

  “Fine,” she said. “It’s just so boring. I—” She inhaled sharply. “I— Achoo!” She sneezed, and torches, which they’d lit nearby to repel annoying insects, burst into flames. The single unoccupied chair in the circle lit up like a match, scaring the unfortunate butler who’d opted to stand near it.

  “Perhaps farther away…” Ashen Sky said, edging away from the burning piece of furniture as servants came to pat it down. “When she first came over, we nearly lost all the guest rooms. How did you two meet again?”

  “She’s a cousin!” Graceful Twilight said quickly. “Remember, from that side of the family? The one no one talks about?”

  “Right, right,” Ashen Sky said quickly. “What a coincidence that her friend happens to be Clear Sky’s demon companion.”

  “Isn’t it?” she said, batting her eyelashes innocently.

  What have I gotten myself into? Cha Ming thought. Nearby, there was another sneeze, and more fires lit up. Is she allergic to flowers too?

  “Anyway, as I was saying, it might not be out of the question to let you out—supervised,” Ashen Sky said to his daughter. “Now then, you mentioned strange abilities?”

  Cha Ming nodded. “I’ve met a few other inkborn. They all have strange talents. They also seem to be very specialized in their powers. My friend Black Fish can bring stories to life with ink, and Dark Requiem of the Clockwork Clan shapes metal and makes the most wondrous music. Clever Dusk weaves magical cloth with threads she dyes with her personal ink. What about you? What can you do?”

  “I think now would be a good time for the usual demonstration,” Ashen Sky said.

  “Must we?” Graceful Twilight asked. Seeing his imploring look, she nodded. She waved her hand at the empty fireplace, which was little more than a circular stone border around a flat marble surface. Shards of glass began to rise, one after another. “I can make tinted glass,” she said. “I might not be able to make strong flames, but I can change the light they give off. Every flame has a light, you see? A color.” The glass shifted from black to red to blue, and many other colors in quick succession.