~SHAN JIANG~

The smoke from the burning ships was proving to be too much for his eyes after two sleepless nights. He'd stuck with Du and Zhenshi the Younger like a faithful hound since the demons had come on the heels of Jung Hwa's wounded fleet, but he could barely see now, so what was the point of the exercise? He could be sitting in the camp right now. They would tell him all the details later.

Cursing himself for a stubborn fool, Jiang rubbed the tearing slits that used to be his eyes and stayed.

They had been within striking distance from the ancient Palace of Heavenly Delights since dawn. The street to street, house to house, an inch to inch fighting took hours. He did not understand why Wo Jia's guards fought on, but he felt compelled to witness it.

This was not something he would put in his history of Zha Yao's reign. This was exactly the same as seeing Jung Hwa strike Huo down. 'Huo who?' a future scribe would ask, and erase his footnote. This is not for the Chronicles. This is for me.

Another ship exploded down in the harbour, and the new plume of acrid smoke polluted the air. The ash fell down on the manicured square like snow. Wo Jia must know that his hours are numbered.

Once the air cleared, a man brazenly walked onto the Palace Square. The open space was a killing ground cratered and still smoking from the faeries' blasts.

Deserving Du yelped like a little girl deafening him too, jumped out of the ruined shop they were using as cover, and ran towards the fool. Zhenshi the Younger cursed elaborately, something about pounding the demons with a lobster claw, but ran even faster than Du. The rest of the Five Companions were less fleet of foot, but they also followed their lord on his suicidal stroll.

Zha Yao waved all of them to fall back, but Du did not slow down, and neither did Zhenshi, and he never stopped cursing either. The two knights came to stand a step behind Zha Yao.

He had seen the effect of Zha Yao's words on the crowds, but this time the rebel leader said nothing. The silence stretched on, interrupted only by the sounds of fighting in the harbour, and Jiang's heart beating in his ears.

The clang of the dropped metal echoed around the square.

The captain who tossed his sword to the ground frowned at it, then lifted his head with a visible effort. His frown deepened as he looked at his comrades by the gates, and then his men did what was forbidden. They laid down their weapons, in an avalanche of metal and wood, while their Emperor, the Son of Heavens, still drew breath.

***

The Five Companions closed the ranks around Zha Yao, weary of any desperate attempts on his life.

He felt exposed outside their intimate circle, but he trotted after them regardless, ahead of the growing crowd advancing through the Palace grounds. A weeping eunuch came out and prostrated himself before leading the way through the garden covered with soot.

The Celebrated Emperor waited for them in the gazebo on top of a hill so perfect in shape and size that it could not have been natural. Neither is Wo Jia.

Millenia of breeding with the most exquisite women produced the Son of Heavens, a work of art not man. The robes and the headdress set with a judicious amount of jewels did not bend his proud neck and shoulders. Perfect eyes looked out from underneath perfect brows with cultured serenity. Even his graying temples were balanced. He was seated on his heels, so Jiang could not judge his height, but he surmised that it was perfect as well.

In his lap, the Celebrated Emperor held a long dark object.

Wo Jia inclined his head the tiniest fraction to Zha Yao, and lifted the pistol to his head. The same pistol, Jiang surmised, that was used on him once before by his father. That time, long ago, his infirm father had given him but a flesh wound. The shot the Emperor took at himself with a steady hand blew off half of his beautiful face.

Too perfect to miss, the Son of Heavens, aged forty-three, in his fourteenth regal year, took his own life rather than abdicate his throne to anyone, let alone Zha Yao.

The Dynasty of Clear Foresight would be finished as soon as Zha Yao would eradicate the Emperor's children.

Jiang rubbed his eyes and muttered, "Smoke," to no one in particular.

***

"My Emperor," Deserving Du mumbled before kowtowing. She could not have looked more crestfallen if she had been publicly upbraided.

Ancestors, what would have this woman done if Zha Yao'd expressed a mild disappointment, not bestowed the governorship of the Middle Province on her?! Torn her hair out?

Zha Yao was not done with her just yet.

"My people!

              Every Emperor needs a faithful servant unafraid to defend the righteous!

These pistols possess the spirit of morality.

               Their aim is true against the corrupt man.

Du, accept them to carry on as we did!"

Deserving Du approached Zha Yao on her knees to accept the pistols. This reward put a lopsided grin on her face. The first knight squinted at the gathered nobles and her smile grew broader still. He thought she might have been looking at Lady Chen Guang.

Zha Yao bestowed lesser rewards on his lesser retainers and old enemies, now his servants. So far he had shown remarkable restraint with the executions justifying the name they have arrived to for his Dynasty, the Dynasty of Wise Temperance.

Finally, Zha Yao invited the petitioners to approach.

Shan Jiang was surprised to see Tien Lyn be the first to prostrate herself in front of Zha Yao. If the Son of Heavens was unaware that she wanted to plead with him, he did not show it.

"My Emperor," Tien Lyn spoke louder than he'd ever heard her to speak. "The Empire was wounded by the unrighteous. I ask your permission to mourn in seclusion for our losses."

White might be the worst colour for an Outlaw's garb, but it was the colour of mourning. Tien Lyn was swaddled in white, and he appreciated the visuals.

The girl is convincing. But what is she after? Surely not solitude?

"I have a small fortune at my disposal," Tien Lyn went on, "and I would open a hospital for those who suffered in Wo Jia's wars, those who do not have families to care for them.

The ladies of Wo Jia's court plead for clemency, and to be allowed to mourn for the Empire's hurts aiding in my cause.

The blessed healer, Demure Yu has volunteered his talent."

Yu has returned? He peered into the crowd to search for the lucky demon. He found the boy and had to do a double take. Surely, there could not be two redheads on this square?

He felt a surprising pang of envy. Someone had done their best to make Yu look demure again. The man's hair was braided tightly down his back, and he wore the plainest white of a mourner. But the result was dubious, at best: the skittishness was gone and even from a distance, he could see people giving Yu some room. The boy had turned into an intimidating man, and no amount of plain white could conceal it. He wondered if his former drinking buddy would let him buy him a bowl of noodles for the old times' sake.

There is a story there.

Zha Yao let Tien Lyn finish her petition, before speaking up again,

Lady Tien Lyn, you will be missed at our Court.

           We cannot reject your gracious request.

                         We grant your ladies and you the permission to withdraw for three years.

Jiang cringed at the prospect of writing a song about piety and yet another obstacle in the royal lovers' way before he remembered that he no longer had to. 

Someone else will do it, he thought wistfully.

~YU~

Yu waited for the lights in Tien Lyn's window to go out in the garden. Dusk was falling, but she often stayed up late working on the accounts. The first year had seen a lot of Ho's silver disappear in the wrong pockets. She wept before committing Xi's inheritance, but little by little the affairs improved. Tien Lyn was no Chong Ho, but she ensured the stream of donations and investments to keep them at least afloat, if not prosper.

He was no Chong Ho either. He lent his chest for her weeping and stolen kisses in the night. It was an open secret that his sleeping mats saw little use. Night after night he climbed the gallery to reach his lover's open window, and by day he kept away at a respectful distance. They knew that sooner or later, someone was bound to forget their gratitude and give them up, but for now... for now, he watched the light in her window.

Tonight, after the light went out, the peace she had bought them would shatter. He'd seen the messenger today, and he'd seen Tien Lyn glance from the scroll at him in alarm. Their three years were up. She was summoned to court, and as far as he knew, Zha Yao had not yet chosen an Empress among his concubines and wives, even though one of them bore him a son.

The air in the garden grew muggy, and the scent of jasmine intensified as it often did before a summer thunderstorm. His eyes grew heavy, and his mind drifted away from his worries. The flower scent was sweet, and there was more to life than nuzzling Tien Lyn's bosom after she'd fallen asleep. There were flowers and the mysteries of qi. And grey inquisitive eyes to drown in. The scent of jasmine... it's too late in the season for jasmine.

"Sayewa," Yu wheezed shaking his head to clear it. "Your compulsion still needs work."

The faery solidified from the haze that masked her. "My compulsion is flawless. If it worked on anyone but humans, it would have had unpleasant implications."

"Then why were you trying it on me?" he sighed.

"I wanted to see if demonic blood repels it as certainly as the faery one," Sayewa lowered herself next to him. "A pleasant evening, Yu."

He glanced at Tien Lyn's window. "What if my demon's blood did not offer me enough protection?"

Sayewa shrugged dismissively. "It did."

Yu rubbed his temples, "Don't you have a human in mind to help you move up the Temple hierarchy to the Mother's position?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. Big guy, frowns a lot," Sayewa picked a white jasmine flower out of her hair. "A child of yours and mine, theoretically speaking—-"

"Sayewa!"

She chuckled. "This world, let alone the Temple, is not ready for a child of yours and mine, Yu. However, theoretically, they could have had an approximation of a Celestial's abilities."

He felt nauseous, "Theoretically, you are worse than the mages. Practically, your curiosity will be your undoing."

It was just light enough in the garden for him to see a bright smile on her face. "Don't be afraid of me, Yu. Teach me. Apart, each of us is well above mediocre. Together, we could cross through the Celestial portal. And that's only a start."

"Did not you find any scrolls explaining why you should not touch qi?" he pleaded.

"Oh, plenty," Sayewa waved her hand dismissively. "Some had instructive images of doom. Also, I was allowed to read the scrolls dating back to the Final Interdict. My sisters are flies stuck in honey because they are afraid to reveal that the Celestials were fallible, that humans and demons hold the primogeniture, and that we are but a failed experiment alien to your world. You can help me uncover the truth!"

The light in Tien Lyn's window went out. The darkness was near complete now. "If you excuse me, Sayewa—"

"What holds you here, Yu?" She took his hand. "An eternity lived by the rules is a boring one."

Her fragrance was different now, the urgent scent of night flowers that have to rely on it alone to attract insects. It was just hers though, no magic. He could even see the blossoms in her hair that emitted it.

"I don't have time to develop ennui," Yu smiled mirthlessly and slipped his hand from her fingers.

She must have caught the change to the tone of his voice, "Explain?"

He wished he had kept the bitterness out of his voice. Now she would be on him like white on rice until she knew. She always had to know.

"Unless I do what's natural for a demon, my life will be a short one," Yu confided. "Defying the Blood is what's driving me mad as well."

It was strange, to tell the truth to Sayewa of all people. The familiar pang of guilt brought on a sigh. It was never a good time to tell Tien Lyn.

"Find a few vile humans," Sayewa told him flatly. "There is never a shortage."

He shook his head. "I had to make this call once. I found evil men, and traded their lives for mine. Then I traded even more lives. It seemed the right thing to do at the time, but... I am done dealing judgments."

"Poor Yu," she clicked her tongue. "You want to stay here, I understand."

It was the last thing he'd expected to hear from her. "Thank you. And sorry about—"

"Apologize later. It's time for us to leave," Sayewa interrupted him, undoing her hair. Unopened flowers spilled out of it on the grass like hail. "They are coming for you."

"What? Who?!" Yu jumped up and glanced at Tien Lyn's window urgently.

"Not her, just you," Sayewa held up the great mass of her hair with her palms. "The Emperor wishes to distance himself from the pact with demons that caused us to burn our own navy, and prohibited its creation in perpetuity. You stand accused of consorting with the Blood to cause the Emperor's chest cough."

"It's incurable," Yu muttered. "Incurable... I told him that. It returns every time after I heal him."

"I came to take you to safety," Sayewa said in a pleasant voice, the same way someone else might have inquired if he wanted more tea.

He could now hear the horses' hoofbeats in the distance, feel the hearts pumping hot blood after a long ride. "Let me tell Tien Lyn."

"Our friends will tell her," Sayewa promised, and, seeing him glance at the windows again, added, "She will be happier with not knowing where you are for a bit than secure in her knowledge that you are in Sutao's jail awaiting a trial."

Yu shivered and nodded his assent. Sayewa threw her hair around both of them like a shroud, just as the urgent pounding nearly took the gates off their hinges.

The faery walked him unseen past the grim-looking guards, past the captain reading the scroll to Tien Lyn by the gates. Her hair was already undone, but she was still wearing the same dress that she had all day. She was paler than the rising moon, but gripped the captain with the determination of a bulldog while her eyes darted desperately around. The man's frown deepened with every stalling word out of the tiny woman's mouth. He finally lost his patience, ordered his men to spread out and search every inch, and took Tien Lyn firmly by the elbow to escort her back inside.

"I must return," Yu muttered as he walked away from Tien Lyn in awkward tandem with the faery.

"Our friends will tell her," Sayewa promised again, releasing him from the safety of her concealing hair by the side of two tethered horses. "I am not your enemy, Yu. That I swear."

They raced through the night like demons.