by CK Dawn
I took a deep breath, aligned my posture, and listened. Waves sloshing against the walls below seemed to set a rhythm for the wind rustling through the ripening buds on tree branches. Birds joined in, their melody harmonizing with the song of spring.
Without conscious thought, my fingers danced over the lute strings, melding with the symphony of natural sounds. Perhaps my hands created the music, or maybe the music moved my hands. Clear and resonant, the melody filled the garden and blossomed out across the lake and palace grounds. The lumber herders looked back at me.
A hollow pop startled me, bringing my song to an abrupt halt. The elf was gone. Only my guards and handmaidens remained, all shaking their heads and blinking as if waking from a trance.
“Keep listening,” Xu’s voice whispered on the wind.
Still staring at the lute in my hands, I turned as footsteps approached along the parapet. I looked up.
Flanked by two men from his native Nanling province, Peng Kai-Long dropped to a knee, fist to the ground. “Your Highness.”
“Kaiya,” I corrected.
He nodded. “Yes, Kaiya.” His voice…did it wobble? It sounded abnormally somber, maybe something I wouldn’t have picked up just a day before.
“What’s wrong?” I motioned the handmaidens and guards to step back.
His lips tightened into a tight line. “How did you know something was amiss? I thought I hid it well.”
I shrugged. “Something in your voice.” Or was it his short breaths? They sounded loud in my ears, even if he showed no sign of labored breathing.
His shoulders slumped, so unlike his usual dashing demeanor, his pulse pattering like a tentative rabbit. “I have come to the palace to swear my loyalty to the Emperor.”
For harboring Prince Hardeep? My palms felt cold and clammy. “I am sure my father trusts you implicitly.” Kai-Long was his favorite nephew, after all.
He shook his head. “No, formal vows. I have been elevated to Tai-Ming lord of Nanling Province.”
“I don’t understand.” My brow furrowed. Kai-Long’s father was the ruler of Nanling. Something must’ve happened to him. But Kai-Long’s brother would have inherited. And Kai-Long was supposed to lead an army to take Wailian Castle.
“My father and brother were on their way here to attend your brother’s wedding.” Kai-Long’s voice cracked, his shoulders slumped. “They had just docked at Jiangkou when they were…were murdered.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. Poor Kai-Long, he must be in shock. He’d never been groomed to lead a province, never wanted to be anything more than a trade official, and now… How was that even possible? A Tai-Ming lord, undoubtedly travelling with a full entourage of unquestioningly loyal armed guards, would make for an intimidating sight. “I…I am so sorry.”
A tear formed in his eye, which he wiped away. “It’s so sudden.”
“What happened?”
“We don’t know yet. The Emperor’s agents are sorting through conflicting eyewitness accounts and uncovering evidence. They think Lord Tong and his band of traitors are behind it. But I know.” His fist tightened. “The Madurans knew of my friendship with Prince Hardeep. I am sure they have a spy in our villa in the capital, and knew he was staying with me. They are behind this, even if they don’t dare to get their own hands dirty.”
I placed a hand on his shoulder. “I am so sorry.”
His eyes met mine. “Be careful. They slaughtered a dozen Ankiran refugees in a ghetto last night. They must surely know about your meeting with him.”
Blood drained from my head. My legs wobbled. I reached out to keep from falling, and he caught me. All those poor people, killed. Maybe because of me. To think that just two days ago, my main concern was having to meet potential suitors. Now, it looked like I’d made enemies in Madura. And maybe even a dragon.
Kai-Long had turned to leave when Secretary Hong appeared at the entrance to the garden. He bowed low. “Your Highness, the Emperor has requested your presence in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.”
I was technically confined to the inner castle, but the Emperor did not make requests. Of course, the unprecedented assassination of a Tai-Ming lord and the massacre of foreigners in the capital changed the circumstances.
Bowing my head, I passed the lute to Han Meiling. With a nod to my imperial guards, I stumbled over to Secretary Hong. He guided us through the castle bailey, past the courtyard where I’d embarrassed General Lu.
I walked in a shocked haze as we continued across the moat and into the central palace grounds. The alleys between the buildings and walls had seemed like a maze in my rice-wine-induced haze the night before, and it was no easier to keep track of the directions today. The faces of all those innocent Ankirans haunted me. They’d been living, breathing, laughing. Treated me like an honored guest. Now, they were gone.
At last, we arrived in the central plaza, the scene of too many misadventures yesterday morning. Up the one hundred and sixty-eight steps to the Hall of Supreme of Harmony. I fought to breathe evenly.
Inside, the rows of kneeling officials and hereditary lords nearly filled the floor. It was rare to see the hall so full. As I walked down the central aisle, toward where my father sat on the Jade Throne, many murmured among themselves. Behind me, Kai-Long’s booted footsteps clopped across the marble floors.
At the front, I turned and walked to a space on the other side of my brothers. Kai-Guo’s fists were clenched tight, while Kai-Wu barely kept his posture straight. Kai-Long’s footsteps stopped in place just behind me.
Father looked somber, even more so than usual. How could he not be, with the murders of his brother-in-law and nephew on Cathay soil? And then in two days, he’d have to dispense punishment on me. He seemed to have aged since yesterday. If his health were failing, I might be to blame.
From his place a step behind the Emperor, Chief Minister Tan cleared his throat. “Tai-Ming Lord Peng Kai-Long, step forward.”
I tilted my head a fraction to find Kai-Long in the corner of my eye. He cast a somber smile toward me and rose. Striding to the place just before the dais, he sank to his knees and pressed his forehead to the ground.
“Rise.” Father’s voice shook with fatigue. When Kai-Long straightened, he continued. “Nephew, as pleased as I am to see you elevated to Tai-Ming, I convey my regrets for the loss of your father and brother.”
“Thank you, Your Exaltedness.” Kai-Long bowed his head again.
“Swear your loyalty to the Emperor,” the Chief Minister said. He placed the jade seal of state in Father’s left hand.
General Zheng strode forward. With both hands, he placed the Broken Sword into Father’s right.
Kai-Long’s swordbearer shuffled down the central aisle and presented a ceremonial dao to his lord. Imperial guards stepped in closer to Father, their hands resting on their own swords. There was little need: by custom, only imperial guards were allowed to carry weapons in the hall, and the ceremonial dao was only a hilt and scabbard.
Bowing his head, Kai-Long held the blade up in two hands. “Under Heaven, I swear eternal loyalty to the Jade Throne. I serve at your pleasure. My sword is your sword.”
He set the sword down on the floor before him, while another page came forth, bearing a seal on a silken cushion. Usually, the jade provincial seal would be used, though the immediacy had required a replica.
Again, Kai-Long bowed his head and lifted the seal in two hands. “Your command is my command.”
Father beckoned him out of the bow. “You have trained as a diplomat and served magnificently in that capacity for the last few years. However, ruling a province will prove challenging. I will send advisors with you on your return to Nanling.”
“Thank you, Your Exaltedness.” Kai-Long pressed his forehead to the floor. He straightened. “Your Exaltedness, if I may, I am certain that agents of Madura perpetrated this act.”
The assembled men broke into a chorus of murmurs. My belly clenched. Kai-Long would undoubtedly bring Prince Hardeep i
nto the conversation, which would in turn remind Father of my own transgressions from the previous day.
Father silenced them all with a twitch of his mustaches. “After you informed me of your suspicions, I sent my own agents to investigate.” He faced the Chief Minister.
Tan cleared his throat again. “The Maduran trade mission vehemently denies involvement. They convey their regrets.”
“Lies.” Kai-Long’s voice carried an edge of anger.
The Chief Minister gestured to an old man in the first row, on the other side of the central aisle. “Deputy Yan, please report.”
I tried to find Deputy Yan in the corner of my eye. He only very rarely appeared at the palace, the last time being when my childhood friend Tian had been banished. Then, as now, his face moved whenever I tried to study his features. All I could say was that his face was plain. If foreigners had paintings of Cathayi faces in their encyclopedias, surely his would be the one.
The official bowed his head and stood. “Your Exaltedness, my agents scoured the scene and followed up with eyewitnesses and the Jiangkou city watch. We recovered two of these.” He held up two bloodstained crossbow bolts.
I looked at Kai-Long’s fists, so tight the knuckles blanched. He must have known the Madurans had not used crossbows in nearly thirty years. They had our muskets, after all.
Deputy Yan continued, “The first penetrated Lord Peng through the throat. The second punctured his son’s lung. Also, several eyewitnesses claim seeing five large Cathayi men fleeing the scene.”
Just like the large men who had attacked me with crossbows. They might be the ones responsible for murdering the Ankirans, as well. I fiddled with one of my sleeves. All Kai-Long had to do was mention Prince Hardeep to give the Madurans a motive.
He glanced back at her, his eyes begging like the small court dogs. He then looked back to Father. “Thank you for devoting resources to the investigation, Your Exaltedness.”
I let out my breath. Kai-Long had spared me the embarrassment, at least for now. Still, that expression of his…
Father nodded a fraction. “We will keep you apprised, Little Peng. Now…” He turned to the Chief Minister.
No, poor Kai-Long had lost his father and brother. He could have exposed my secret to give the potential killers a motive. He’d protected me, to his own detriment. Summoning resolve from the firmness of Tian’s pebble beneath my sash, I rose. “Your Exaltedness.” My voice came out as a mouse’s squeak.
The collective sucking in of breaths might have rid the room of half its air. The lords and ministers, already surprised by a girl even being present in this meeting, must have been shocked that I dared speak.
Chief Minister Tan gaped at me, his lips moving but no sound coming out.
Father’s face showed no surprise. “Speak, Princess.”
I glanced back at all the hostile scowls. Swallowing my nervousness, I straightened. “Your Exaltedness, I believe Lord Peng’s suspicions—”
“Believe?” The anger in Chief Minister Tan’s voice almost silenced me.
“—because I was attacked last night, too.”
A second collective gasp would certainly rob the room of air, or maybe it was just my head spinning with apprehension. The ensuing jumble of sudden conversations was disorienting.
The Emperor showed not even the least amount of surprise at my revelation. Did he already know? He raised his hand and the room once again fell into silence.
I peeked over my shoulder. Behind me, the lords all gawped. Kai-Long, sitting at my side, nodded with a smile.
“On my way to the Temple of Heaven—”
Murmurs rumbled again. Tai-Ming Lord Liang of Yutou’s voice sputtered above the rest. “The Temple of Heaven? Was she blessed by the priests before entering the grounds? If not, it is punishable by death.”
Apparently, my visit to the Temple of Heaven had been kept secret, and I’d just revealed it. My belly tightened.
Kai-Guo jumped to his feet. “It was that eerie music, drawing her like a moth to a flame. It was not her fault.”
I shifted on my knees. This lie, too, would one day be exposed. Probably today. Right now.
Eyes raking over the assembled men, silencing them again, Father fixed his gaze on me. “Continue.”
I bowed my head. “Several large Cathayi men attacked me. Six the first time, two the second.”
Father showed no sign of surprise, though he rarely revealed any emotion.
Lord Liang of Yutou scoffed. “Are you saying you were able to defend yourself against six armed men?”
The Yu-Ming lords from his province nodded, followed by several others.
I lowered my finger, which had unconsciously twirled a loose lock of my hair, and took a deep breath. “I was with Prince Hardeep of Ankira, who was trained by the Ayuri Paladins. He fended them off.”
More murmurs. No telling what they thought about a young princess, alone with a man, wandering the city streets at a late hour.
I nodded to Foreign Minister Song, kneeling among the other high officials. “I went to Foreign Minister Song’s villa, where I retrieved an artifact. An Arkothi lute, made from a dragon’s scale. When I played it, two of the assailants fled. The song the city heard last night, I played it myself.” I bowed low to the minister. “I am sorry to say that I lost the lute when I passed out.”
Foreign Minister Song cocked his head, a look of confusion on his face. He turned to Father and pressed his forehead to the ground. “Your Exaltedness, I am afraid I have never heard of a dragon scale lute in my possession.”
Perhaps Hardeep’s journal had been wrong? I gawked. “It was on the wall of your receiving room. It came from your trade mission to Vyara City twenty-nine years ago. Your son gave it to me.”
“I see,” the minister said. “There were many things which I received as gifts from Madura after a successful trade agreement. We all did.” He nodded to Chief Minister Tan. “I do seem to recall a musical instrument from Grand Vizier Rumiya, though it did not have strings. My no-good son left home to start a job this morning, so I can only ask my chamberlain about it.”
“Where is the lute now?” Father asked.
I cast my eyes down. “I think Prince Hardeep took it.”
Father turned to his ministers. “Deputy Yan, investigate the princess’ claims. It may not be the Madurans, but I find it suspicious that large men would target the Ankiran refugees, the late Lord Peng, and the princess.”
“As you command, Your Exaltedness.” Deputy Yan bowed.
“General Tang.” Father gestured toward one of the armored men. “Mobilize your men. Coordinate with the city watch to scour the streets for Prince Hardeep. I want him brought before me.”
Sinking to a knee, General Tang placed a fist to the ground. “As the Emperor commands.”
My heart rattled in my chest. I might’ve just sacrificed Prince Hardeep and myself to help Cousin Kai-Long. Still, it was the right thing to do. A princess shouldn’t hide behind others’ lies.
“Lord Peng,” Father said. “You may return to your place among your peers.”
Kai-Long bowed his head, rose, and strode back to his place among the Tai-Ming. I started to sit.
“Wait.” Father’s gaze locked on me. “Since Lord Peng has been elevated to Tai-Ming, all the first-rank hereditary lords, and many of the second rank, are now here. With their advice, I will pass judgment on your transgressions yesterday, as it has bearing on how we deal with the rebellion in the North.”
Sixteen
Unenviable Choices
A hundred disparate breaths rustled behind me as I knelt in the front row of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Apparently, my public humiliation would not wait until after my brother’s wedding after all.
Chief Minister Tan cleared his throat again. “Princess Kaiya, step forward.”
Rising, I kept my shoulders straight and chin high as I walked over to the place Cousin Kai-Long had just vacated. I focused on that spot, lest the curious faces
of all the lords and ministers reduce me to a quivering mass of nerves. More than a few murmured, mostly showing appreciation for my poise. If only they knew how contrived it was.
I stretched my arms out to straighten my long-hanging sleeves and brushed my gown to my shins. Sinking to my knees, I placed my forehead to the floor.
“Rise.” Father’s voice quivered. If anything, the tone sounded like the one he’d used at Mother’s funeral.
“Your Exaltedness,” I said, acknowledging his command and straightening.
“Yesterday, you entered the Hall of Pure Melody without permission and handled Yanyan’s pipa. Last night, you left the palace without permission, imposed your will on a minister’s son, and entered the holy grounds of the Temple of Heaven without a blessing from the priests.”
There was no honor in denying what everyone in the room knew. “I did.” I bowed low.
“What do you have to say in your defense?” His voice sounded imperious, as if he were addressing one of the rebellious lords of the North and not his own daughter.
So much for the rare smile he had afforded me the day before. Keeping my head down, I took a deep breath to settle myself. “I wanted to help the beleaguered people of Ankira.”
“In the Hall of Pure Melody? In the Temple of Heaven?” Though he was undoubtedly expressionless, his voice hinted at a rise in his eyebrow.
It’d made so much sense yesterday, but sounded so stupid now. I’d let Hardeep’s enthusiasm get the better of me. “I thought by learning the magic of Dragon Songs, I could convince everyone to support Ankira.” My own voice squeaked in my ears.
Chuckling broke out among the assembled men. No doubt they thought me naïve to believe I could revive a long-lost art.
Then the hall fell silent.
I dared a glance up. Father’s lip hinted upward just a hair to one side, his tacit message ordering the men to silence. His voice swept from left to right, something I’d never noticed before. “We are a nation governed by the Mandate of Heaven, and everyone, including myself, must follow the laws set forth. Princess Kaiya has courageously confessed to her transgressions. For her punishment, I will hear counsel.”